After idling at home for two days, Zeng Anmin spent all his time in his study, except for occasionally teasing Hu Zi.
This study was a room his father had ordered to be cleared out in his courtyard just a couple of days ago.
Following the snow, Liangjiang Commandery had been bathed in bright sunlight for the past two days.
For practitioners of the Confucian Dao, advancing further after opening the Purple Mansion required burying oneself in books, relying on the accumulation of knowledge over time and Enlightenment from heaven and earth. Without a special opportunity, one might not make an inch of progress for their entire life.
Zeng Anmin held a copy of the *Book of Master Yi*, left to him by Zhang Lun.
"Quan Fu, the annotations are my own Enlightenment of the text's meaning. I hope they are useful to you, so that I may not fail the task entrusted to me by our teacher."
Seeing the familiar handwriting, Zeng Anmin continued to read carefully. Almost every time there was an obscure passage, Zhang Lun's tiny characters could be seen in the margins. He read all the way to the last page.
Zeng Anmin's eyes fell upon a short poem, also written in Zhang Lun's hand.
"I hope Quan Fu will not waste his time.
"To encourage your studies, I offer this poem of persuasion:
"Time flows like water, never to return; it is best to read while young.
"By broaching the theme with brilliant words in the palace hall, you shall win the title of top scholar to repay the grace."
Seeing this poem, Zeng Anmin's mouth twitched. "Tongyu, oh Tongyu, your poem of encouragement is truly mediocre."
Although he couldn't write poetry himself, Zeng Anmin was still a man of the Confucian Dao, so his ability to appreciate it was decent enough. His verdict was that this poem could barely even be considered doggerel.
SMACK.
Zeng Anmin tossed the book onto the desk and was just about to stretch when someone knocked on the study door, followed by Dachun's simple-minded voice.
"Young Master, it's time to go to the Government Office for your shift."
"Got it." Zeng Anmin stood up and headed outside.
The very day after he and his old man had an unpleasant argument in this study, he had received his employment documents for the Observation Department. He had to admit, his father's habit of having a sharp tongue but a soft heart was actually quite nice. Today was his first day on the job.
CREAK.
Gently pushing open the door, Zeng Anmin looked at Dachun standing in the doorway.
Dachun was leading a horse, his expression extremely respectful. A couple of days ago, upon returning home with the young master, he had been beaten by Mr. Qi for no reason. Afterward, he had stubbornly argued with Mr. Qi and ended up getting beaten again. As a result, he had been exceptionally well-behaved in the manor over the past few days.
"Let's go."
The two of them left the courtyard one after the other and stepped onto the long path within the estate. As soon as they exited, Zeng Anmin saw his father preparing to head out, led by a servant.
The two locked eyes, neither speaking first. Because of the unpleasantness in the study, Zeng Anmin was currently in a cold war with his father.
"Dad! Why aren't you wearing your official uniform today?" Zeng Anmin blinked. Since his father had already helped him get the job, he figured he should take the initiative to yield. How could a son hold a grudge against his own father?
"Today is a rest day. I'm going out for a spring outing." Hearing his son speak first, his father's taut face relaxed slightly, and his voice softened considerably.
Zeng Anmin clicked his tongue. "An outing is good. Now that you're getting older, you should pay attention to relaxing your mind."
His father's newly softened face instantly darkened again. He gave a cold snort and walked toward the exit, saying as he went, "Since you're starting your job today, behave yourself at the Government Office. Don't cause trouble, and listen closely to Shangguan's advice."
"Got it!" Zeng Anmin straightened his posture and led Dachun out onto the street.
"Hyah!" He mounted the horse with a dashing flair, lightly snapping the reins, and the fine steed beneath him galloped away. Thanks to his predecessor's muscle memory for riding, he felt absolutely no discomfort. Dachun also hopped onto another horse and followed his young master toward the entrance of the Observation Department.
Zeng Anmin led his horse, looking at the incredibly imposing gates before him. A look of lament crossed his face. He remembered that the last time he stood before these gates, he was still a criminal bearing guilt. Now, he was already a high-ranking official holding an Eighth Grade position.
The Observation Department was massive. After entering through the main gates, he had to walk for a long time before reaching his workspace.
As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, a middle-aged Scholar in green robes was waiting for him with a smile. The Scholar was dressed in official garb. He had a thin face, small eyes, a prominent high nose, and a mustache perching at the corners of his mouth.
Upon seeing him, the Scholar let out a hearty laugh. "I am Xu Yunfeng, Right Archivist of the Observation Department. Since you are new here as the Left Chief Clerk, and we will be colleagues from now on, allow me to show you the way."
"Thank you for the trouble," Zeng Anmin said, giving the middle-aged Scholar a calm, unreadable bow. He could sense that the other party had come prepared and was fully aware of his identity. As for whether this man was a friend or foe, it remained unclear for now.
Xu Yunfeng's smile did not falter. He slowly approached Zeng Anmin and gestured with his hand. "This way, please."
"Thank you."
Zeng Anmin followed Xu Yunfeng into the courtyard, arriving at a decently sized room. The entire room was bright and airy, fully furnished with folding screens, desks, chairs, and porcelain wares.
Xu Yunfeng pointed at the room and said, "This is the office of the Left Chief Clerk. From now on, all your official duties will be handled here."
Zeng Anmin looked around the room. It was evident that it had been cleaned spotless.
"The position of Left Chief Clerk is rather unique, and the matters it oversees are quite varied," Xu Yunfeng explained. "The most crucial responsibility is the public security around the Lijiang area of Liangjiang Commandery."
Hearing this, Zeng Anmin sighed with emotion. He thought, "My old man treats me quite well!"
It was obvious that this was a highly lucrative position. The Lijiang area included the docks, the water transport markets, and many other places. As Liangjiang Commandery was the largest commandery on Fengqi Road, one could easily imagine just how much fat could be skimmed from these docks and water transport routes.
Through Xu Yunfeng's introduction, Zeng Anmin quickly familiarized himself with his duties.
"Our Office of the Chief Clerk has two squads of Red-clothed Guards. With them around, you can just hand over the daily routines to them," Xu Yunfeng said, his voice mild.
"Mhm." Zeng Anmin shot Xu Yunfeng an impassive glance and slowly nodded.
As the two walked and chatted, they approached a bookshelf. Xu Yunfeng introduced it, saying, "This is the case file rack. All the cases from the Lijiang area are gathered here. Many of them have passed through my hands. Whenever you have some free time, Quan Fu, you can study them to learn the ropes."
Just as Xu Yunfeng's voice faded, a call came from outside the door. "Clerk Xu, here is the case file you requested."
Following the voice, a handyman walked in carrying something shaped like a Scroll.
"Mhm, put it on the desk." Xu Yunfeng's smile remained steady as he looked at Zeng Anmin, his tone still gentle. "Previously, the position of Left Chief Clerk was vacant, so the cases in the Lijiang area were always handled by me. Now that you are here, it would naturally be inappropriate for me to step on your toes."
As soon as these words were spoken, Zeng Anmin sharply detected that something was amiss. He nodded without showing any emotion, then picked up the case file from the desk, his gaze slowly falling upon it.
The first page of the file displayed a clear ten-word headline: [Case of Shipping Merchant Jin Taiping's Nephew Murdering His Aunt].
Jin Taiping. The biggest shipping merchant in Liangjiang Commandery! The specific word used in the title meant nephew.
The date on it was clearly marked—a case from three months ago. Just from the date alone, one could see how thorny this case was. If it were an ordinary case, how could it have been delayed for three months?
"Heh, interesting." Zeng Anmin stared at the case file in his hands, a half-smile appearing on his face.
The man before him, Xu Yunfeng... was a foe, not a friend!
In name, the Observation Department was established by the Court to assist the Governor. In reality, however, it was faintly divided into three factions.
The first consisted of the loyalists his father had cultivated over the four years since taking office. The second was the minions from Prince Jiang's Mansion who had infiltrated it over the years. The third was the neutral faction.
From their brief interaction just now, it was obvious that Xu Yunfeng knew he was his father's son. If the man were part of his father's loyalist faction, he absolutely wouldn't have handed him such a messy case right off the bat. Likewise, if he were from the neutral faction and just wanted to dump a hot potato, he still would have given him a couple of days to familiarize himself with the business first.
Therefore, there was only one possibility. This Xu Yunfeng had to be someone from Prince Jiang's Mansion!