Meng Anci was taken aback. "Auntie, you... ordered a whole banquet?"
Jin Shanyao put down the last food box, patted her hands to remove any non-existent dust, and said matter-of-factly, "Two tables. One for you, and one for Zhao Zhiyuan."
Meng Anci and Zhao Zhiyuan exchanged a glance, both amused and exasperated. "Auntie, there's too much. How can we possibly finish it all?"
If you can't finish it, share it with others.
Meng Anzhi stepped forward, gave Zhao Zhiyuan a slight curtsy, and said with a smile, " Lord Zhao, Anci informed his family about the matter last night."
Your willingness to stand up for him, even at the cost of offending your colleagues, is something our whole family remembers. We heard that the food at the Hanlin Academy is limited, so my aunt and I prepared some food as a token of our appreciation. We hope you won't find it offensive.
Zhao Zhiyuan's eyes softened slightly, and he bowed slightly, "Sister Anzhi, you're too kind. I've known Anci for many years; how could I bear to see him in danger?" He paused, his ears turning red, "Sister Anzhi, please don't call me Lord Zhao... it sounds too formal."
Meng Anzhi readily agreed, "Alright... Young Master Zhao."
Zhao Zhiyuan choked, then was dazzled by her smile... his ears turned even redder.
Seeing his state, Meng Anci couldn't bear to look at him any longer and tugged at him, "Don't just stand there, hurry up and move! The Hanlin Academy has set meal times; you'll be reprimanded if you're late."
The two hurriedly bid farewell to Jin Shanyao and Meng Anzhi, and called over a young eunuch to help carry the food box into the dining hall.
As soon as the dishes were laid out, their rich aroma filled the entire room. Some colleagues couldn't help but secretly sniff the air... It was the banquet at Top Scholar Tower.
This meal must have cost at least sixty or seventy taels of silver. How much is Hanlin Academy official's monthly salary? They are clearly from merchant families; they spend lavishly.
They felt contempt in their hearts, but couldn't help sniffing the air...
Meng Anci caught a glimpse of a plate of Guihua lotus root in Zhao Zhiyuan his eye. He looked down at his own food box and his face immediately fell... He didn't have any.
Zhao Zhiyuan at the plate of candied lotus root, his eyes filled with undisguised joy. He knew without guessing that this must have been specially prepared for him by Sister Anzhi, a unique dish that even Meng Anci didn't have.
He wondered to himself: When did Sister Anzhi find out he preferred Guihua- flavored lotus root?
Zhao Zhiyuan picked up a piece of sweet lotus root with Guihua and put it in his mouth. It was so sweet that it seemed to sweeten his heart. Meng Anci also wanted to eat some, but as soon as his chopsticks reached the edge of the plate, Zhao Zhiyuan pushed them back.
He glared at Meng Anci, carefully put away the sweet and sour lotus root with Guihua filling, and then handed him the sweet and sour fish. "Hmm... don't you like fish? Eat it."
Meng Anci's lips twitched...
After the two finished eating, they gave the untouched dishes to the young eunuch and put the touched dishes into a food box to take home and continue eating.
After lunch break, when Meng Anci to the toilet, he immediately noticed that the food from the Hanlin Academy was being dumped into the latrine, and that the dishes served to officials of the sixth rank and above were different from those served to officials of the lower rank.
It was obvious whose food it was. He expressionlessly unbuckled his belt to relieve himself... then pulled up his trousers and walked back as if nothing had happened.
As soon as he entered, he saw Liu Wenbin, the clerk, slam a stack of yellowed old papers onto Zhao Zhiyuan's desk. " Lord Zhao, there's a shortage of tribute paper today, so please make do with these for now."
He turned around and handed a stack of new tribute papers to his colleagues. Meng Anci was about to step forward to argue with him, but Zhao Zhiyuan stopped him and shook his head at Meng Anci.
Several officials, noticing their angry yet silent expressions, smirked and whispered amongst themselves, their tone dripping with sarcasm.
A moment later, the clerk from the Hanlin Academy came over carrying a thick stack of old files and piled them on Zhao Zhiyuan's desk with a thud. The dust on the books made Zhao Zhiyuan cough involuntarily.
" Lord Zhao, you have plenty of time. These stacks of old documents from the previous dynasty must be proofread today and presented to His Highness the Crown Prince for review first thing tomorrow morning."
The clerk's tone was curt, but his eyes held a hint of provocation.
Meng Anci got up and walked to Zhao Zhiyuan's desk. He picked up a book and opened it. The pages were yellowed and brittle, and the writing was already blurred. "Sir, it will take at least two or three days to proofread so many books. It's a bit rushed to finish tomorrow."
The clerk snorted coldly, " Lord Zhao is like Thousand-Armed Guanyin; he has time to record work details, so why doesn't he have time to copy books? You have time to care about others, but you should think about yourself..."
Meng Anci looked into his eyes and suddenly smiled. Without saying a word, he picked up the old files and walked out in front of the clerk.
The clerk asked in confusion, "Where are you going?"
Meng Anci said calmly, "Go find the Crown Prince and ask him if copying so many books by himself is too rushed, and whether he needs to send more people."
Upon hearing this, the clerk's expression changed. He quickly stepped forward, snatched the book from Meng Anci's hand, glared at him fiercely, and turned to leave.
Meng Anci stepped into the room, coldly sweeping his gaze over the crowd, inwardly sneering. "Trying to make things difficult for them, are they? Then none of them will have an easy time..."
He had barely returned to his seat when someone gently tapped the edge of the table twice.
Zhen Shiqing leaned down and lowered his voice, " Lord Yan summons you."
Meng Anci in agreement. As he stood up, he exchanged a glance with Zhao Zhiyuan beside him before quickly leaving the house.
Outside the main room, Meng Anci knocked on the door, "My lord..."
Yan Shuan glanced at him, then raised his chin. "Sit down. I was so busy today that I forgot to ask... You weren't mistreated at Court of Judicial Review yesterday, were you?"
Meng Anci bowed and thanked him, saying, "Thank you for your concern, sir. The officials of the Court of Judicial Review have not made things difficult for me."
Yan Shuan lowered his head, poured two cups of hot tea himself, and pushed one of them in front of Meng Anci. He picked up his own cup and took a small sip.
" Anci, from the day you entered the Hanlin Academy, I have placed high hopes on you. I know you are no ordinary person, but this matter has caused quite a stir, and I have no reason to believe in you."
He put down his teacup, his gaze turning serious as he looked at Meng Anci, his tone tinged with probing, "Did Lord Pang ask you anything at the Court of Judicial Review?"
Meng Anci lowered his eyes and reported truthfully, "Your Excellency, Lord Pang did not say much, but only asked me to stay for two days without inquiring about anything else."
Yan Shuan's eyes darkened slightly, and he gently stroked the rim of the teacup with his fingertips before speaking after a long while.
"Now that you're back, settle down and do your job properly. From now on, eat the Hanlin Academy's rations for lunch as much as possible, and don't bring any extra food, lest you give others a handle to use against you and give them something to talk about."
Meng Anci quickly stood up, bowed his head, and replied, "Yes, Your Excellency, I will remember your teachings."
After Meng Anci, he secretly pondered Yan Shuan's true intentions.
After the evening court session, Meng Anci pulled Zhao Zhiyuan, saying, "We can't keep being bullied like this. Otherwise, forget about getting promoted; it'll be difficult for us to even gain a foothold in the court."
Zhao Zhiyuan smiled and lowered his voice, "What do you want?"
Meng Anci narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a sinister tone, "My aunt always says that trying to shut someone up by flattery is useless; you have to have leverage over them. That leverage is like the leash on a dog. If you hold the leash, you can make them bark, make them quiet, and decide who they bite."
Zhao Zhiyuan:... He didn't believe that Aunt Yao had taught him these words, but he agreed with Meng Anci's words: in officialdom, one cannot stand firm without being ruthless.
He didn't reply, but just smiled at Meng Anci.