This situation did leave Zhou Xu somewhat puzzled.
"Does no one usually clean up after him?"
"Your Majesty, it's not that no one cleans up after him. It's that there's no way to clean up."
The department member outside quickly explained the difficulties involved.
"For one thing, we don't know which of the things piled all over the place are useful and which aren't. If we put them away on our own, Minister Qin might not be able to find them, and we could easily interrupt his train of thought."
"For another, we don't know when Minister Qin will rest. Once he gets absorbed in research, sometimes going a whole day without eating isn't unusual. All we can do is leave water and food at the door. If Minister Qin remembers, he'll go eat. If he doesn't, we replace them when the time comes."
As he spoke, someone happened to bring over some food and water.
Zhou Xu glanced at it, and a trace of bewilderment rose in his heart.
"Is this what they usually eat in the department? I remember there was supposed to be a cafeteria."
At that moment, the tray holding the food contained only a pot of clear water, two large steamed buns, a serving of cold braised meat, and some vegetables and fruit that could be picked up and gnawed on directly.
Considering Qin Fen's position, this food was far too shabby.
Seeing this, the department member hurriedly explained...
"There is a small cafeteria in the department. Normally, there's food whenever you go there. But Minister Qin's side—or rather, the researchers in the department—all eat this kind of thing once they start researching."
"They basically solve all three meals in the research room. Normal dishes can easily dirty the documents and aren't convenient to eat.