Regret

"In the Ministry of Revenue, there seem to be many who are proficient in mathematics. But when it comes to real difficulties, none of them can handle the job. Take Guo Jitong. His flaws are criticized by all the officials, yet he's incredibly arrogant, and I still have to flatter him. Can you really bear to let me suffer and let him get away with this?"

"Then I can't help you. I'm just a retired old man who lives a life of leisure at home; I don't concern myself with matters that you, the Minister of Ministry of Revenue, should be worrying about."

"But you have great skills, or good students. If you keep them to yourself and don't let me use them, are you going to save them for the next Ministry of Revenue, who knows who? I'm only Little Five or six years younger than you, and I'm about to retire. You did me a favor while I was still in this position. What are you planning to do with me? Isn't Gan Yunchang your son? Isn't Jiang Zhongfang your student? You helped me, and I'm giving back to them. Isn't that a good thing?"

"It's not that I'm hiding anything, but my student is facing difficulties," Gan Lun sighed.

"Besides, if she wanted to be famous, could I possibly hide it from her? Don't forget there's a major competition at the end of the year. With my math skills, if she wants to get ahead, she can just sign up. If she wins first place, she'll have no worries about her future."

"That's true." Qi Xugu was convinced.

But he was still unwilling to give up and asked, "What's wrong with him? Can't we help him?"

Gan Lun shook his head. "I can't help, and I can't say anything."

Qi Xugu frowned.

He was the Minister of Ministry of Revenue, a top-ranking official in the Great Jin. Although Gan Lun was only a retired fifth-rank official, he also had his own network of connections.

If even they can't help, then this student's identity... could it be a prince or a member of the imperial family?

But even princes and grandsons of emperors can rise above others, right?

Gan Lun had no idea that Qi Xugu had already run wild, conjuring up all sorts of dramatic palace intrigue stories.

He said, "Alright. I can promise you, if the Ministry of Revenue has any difficult math problems, just give them to me, and if my student can solve them, he will definitely help you. As for the rest, we can talk about it later."

Qi Xugu's eyes lit up. "You said it yourself, so I'll have to come to you if I have any problems in the future."

Gan Lun nodded. "Don't worry."

He stood up. "You're going to the Fifth Highness's auction, aren't you? It's getting late, you should be leaving your office soon. I won't keep you any longer, I'll head back now."

As Gan Lun walked out of the Ministry of Revenue, he looked back at the office where he had worked his entire life, feeling a deep sense of regret.

If Zhao Ruxi were a man, that would be wonderful. With her mathematical abilities, Qi Xugu would surely value her highly, and the Emperor would probably be willing to promote her as well.

Although Empress Shengyao secured the right for women to participate in the imperial examinations and become officials, to this day, not a single woman has actually been able to enter such an officialdom.

Even if some women were outstanding and willing to work, they were ultimately forced back into the workforce by societal pressure and their families, at most becoming teachers in the Women's Academy.

This path is too difficult, and he doesn't want Zhao Ruxi to suffer. Zhao Ruxi wouldn't choose such a path either.

Zhao Ruxi could have followed Mister Kumu, become a renowned scholar, painted, and enjoyed both fame and status—a far more privileged position than serving as an official in the Ministry of Revenue. Why did she bother?

After separating from Gan Lun, Zhao Ruxi returned to Beijing. She went home, had dinner, changed her clothes, and then went out.

Because of the mystical element of time travel, Xiao Lingyan now quite superstitious. He specifically asked someone to calculate a date, so the auction was not held on a holiday. Therefore, the time could only be arranged between dinner and curfew.

Fortunately, the curfew in the Great Jin was late, and people in ancient times ate dinner early, so there were more than two hours left before curfew. The auction lasted an hour and a half, plus the time for entering and leaving, which was enough.

Zhao Ruxi took a carriage to the Kang Residence residence and met up with everyone. Together they went to the auction house.

At this moment, many people arrived at the auction house, and the sounds of greetings and pleasantries filled the air. Many officials brought their families, and Zhao Ruxi was not the only woman among them.

Kang Shilin and his group exchanged pleasantries along the way, and it took them quite a while to get to the private room.

The private room had six seats arranged in a semi-circle around a round table, which was already set with snacks such as melon seeds.

Upon seeing Kang Shilin and his entourage enter, the waiter waiting in the private room greeted them warmly, pulled out chairs for Kang Shilin to sit down, and quickly brewed tea.

The invitation had clearly stated that the private room could only accommodate six people, so everyone came with the required number. In addition to Kang Shilin and his four apprentices, his eldest son Kang Yannian was also present.

Kang Yannian was nearly sixty years old and held a high-ranking position in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices Ceremonial. He and Wu Huaisi sat on either side of Kang Shilin, while Gong Cheng sat to his left.

Wu Zong sat on the other side of Wu Huaisi. Zhao Ruxi, being the youngest and lowest in rank, naturally took the last seat and sat next to Wu Zong.

Wu Zong surveyed the entire auction house and said to Zhao Ruxi, "The setup is quite good."

Zhao Ruxi nodded.

Seeing that there were only forty or fifty seats downstairs and only twenty private rooms upstairs, Zhao Ruxi said, "It's a bit small."

Not only were there few participants in the auction, but in the rigidly hierarchical ancient times, seating was also arranged according to social status, making one's social standing immediately apparent.

When someone upstairs raises their paddle, the people downstairs fall silent. When someone in the middle raises their paddle, those in the side boxes become like quails. What's the point of such an auction?

It's unclear how Xiao Lingyan will handle this issue.

As she was thinking, she heard a commotion downstairs.

Wu Zong stood up, craned his neck to look down, and said, "Could it be the Emperor?"

Zhao Ruxi remained calmly seated, saying, "Probably not."

Wu Zong recognized the person below and sat back down. "Indeed, it wasn't him."

The princes are all here. If the Emperor were to come as well, wouldn't it be easy for someone else to wipe them all out?

Although Xiao Ge is coming, the Palace Guards will definitely surround the place to prevent the assassins from taking advantage. But it's always better to be safe than sorry. It's really not worth risking your life just to watch a show.

Leaving aside Kang Shilin, with his son and apprentices around, the old man didn't need to worry about that. Wu Huaisi and Kang Yannian had spent their entire lives in officialdom, and they always maintained the habit of "keeping their eyes and ears open."

Although they accompanied Kang Shilin upstairs, they left their attendants and servants downstairs.

Just then, a servant from the Kang Family came to report, "Master, gentlemen, it was Eunuch Xie from the palace who came to attend the auction on behalf of the Emperor."

Kang Shilin nodded.

He remained remarkably calm, knowing that Xiao Ge definitely wouldn't come; it was only the arrival of the Emperor's chief eunuch that caused the commotion upstairs and downstairs.

Eunuch Xie arrived, the auction began.

The person who came out to preside was a handsome man in his thirties who claimed to be a retainer of the Fifth Highness, Xu Zhou.