Claiming Credit
"Time is tight, and you're not a professional at this, so it's normal that you haven't found these things yet," Zhao Ruxi comforted him. "When we have time, I'll have Xiang Ming and Yang Jie teach the servants how to investigate. I need a capable team of our own."
Zhou Chun was Gao Xing to hear this and said, "Yes, miss. We will do our best."
When Zhao Ruxi arrived at the yamen, Guan Jian'an approached Zhao Ruxi with a fawning smile, saying, "Lord Zhao, I've already obtained some of the household registration documents and accounts. Would you like to go to the household registration office yourself, or send Steward Zhou? Once you sign for receipt, we can move them over for you."
Zhao Ruxi looked at Guan Jian'an, who was standing in the courtyard saying these words, and suddenly chuckled.
Zhou Chun's face was ashen.
That day, Guan Jian'an said he couldn't handle the matter, so his daughter told him to find another job and even went to Lord Liu to sever her relationship with Guan Jian'an. Now that the matter is resolved, how dare Guan Jian'an claim credit for it?
He's still standing in the courtyard saying all this, is he waiting for the girl to refute him? Does he want the whole government office to know?
Thinking of this, he looked at Zhao Ruxi anxiously, worried that Zhao Ruxi Guan Jian'an's trap.
However, the next moment, Zhao Ruxi said to Guan Jian'an in a gentle tone, "This matter still needs to be reported to Lord Liu, Clerk Guan, don't be anxious. Let's go, come with me to Lord Liu to ask him."
As she spoke, she walked towards Liu Hongyu's office.
Guan Jian'an wanted to rely on Zhao Ruxi, but he didn't want to offend Cai Yaozong and Chen Kang. He wanted to be a smooth operator who could fool Zhao Ruxi and get by, but he didn't expect that Zhao Ruxi would reject him directly.
He was resentful and knew about the conflict between Cai Yaozong and Chen Kang and Zhao Ruxi, so he decided to make a knife for Cai Yaozong and Chen Kang and have a fight with Zhao Ruxi in the courtyard, so that everyone in the yamen would know that Zhao Ruxi was not an easy boss to deal with.
He did this to curry favor with Cai Yaozong and Chen Kang and gain some benefits.
To everyone's surprise, Zhao Ruxi completely ignored him and went straight to Liu Hongyu.
Zhou Chun felt relieved. Seeing Guan Jian'an standing there motionless, he stepped forward and grabbed him, saying, "Come on, let's go over there. Maybe Lord Liu will want to see you?"
"Well... I think I'll pass. We can't enter the adults' rooms without being summoned." Guan Jian'an hesitated for a moment.
Xiang Ming stepped forward and put his arm around his shoulder, acting like they were good buddies, and said with a smile, "Clerk Guan, you've worked hard these past few days. It's thanks to your help that our superiors could have gotten these things in no time."
He was tall and strong; while Guan Jian'an was usually sickly and very thin. With a push and a pull from Xiang Ming, who was seemingly friendly but actually "kidnapping" him, he followed him forward.
At this moment, Zhao Ruxi was already standing at Liu Hongyu's door. "Lord Liu, Zhao Zhiwei requests an audience."
"Lord Zhao, please come in quickly." Zhong Liang, Liu Hongyu's advisor, changed his cold demeanor from the previous two days and greeted Zhao Ruxi with a smile, gesturing to her. Liu Hongyu also stood up inside the room.
Both parties exchanged greetings and sat down.
Seeing Xiang Ming pushing and pulling Guan Jian'an in, Liu Hongyu asked, "What's going on here?"
"The other day, Guan Jian'an and Qin Wang said they didn't want to follow me, so I came to you, sir, to explain the situation. They are no longer my subordinates. But as soon as I entered the yamen, Guan Jian'an came up to me and said that he had done as I instructed and retrieved the files and accounts from the household registration office. I wanted to come here to ask you, sir, what exactly happened?"
Liu Hongyu's face immediately darkened, and he looked at Guan Jian'an with a cold gaze.
The files and accounts were given to Zhao Ruxi Cai Yaozong. This was his way of showing his loyalty to Zhao Ruxi Zhao Ruxi. He hoped to reconcile with her and establish a friendly cooperative relationship.
Unexpectedly, a mere clerk dared to steal his credit, attributing the case files and accounts to himself.
Could it be that because he's about to retire, he's toned down his ambitions, appearing too incompetent and mild-mannered, that these lowly clerks dare to lord it over him?
Guan Jian'an felt a chill run down his spine from Liu Hongyu's gaze.
The reason why the Household Affairs Department relented and provided Zhao Ruxi with the case files and accounts was because Cai Yaozong had backed down in his dealings with Zhao Ruxi and was using some old case files and accounts to appease Zhao Ruxi, which is why he dared to take credit for it.
He took the credit, saving Cai Yaozong's face and easing the tension between them—the household registration office hadn't provided the files and accounts from recent years, which was a point of contention, and he took responsibility for that as well, so Cai Yaozong had to owe him a favor.
Zhao Ruxi made a scene because of this. Anyway, he didn't plan to work for Zhao Ruxi or try to please Zhao Ruxi. He could just embarrass Zhao Ruxi, and then Cai Yaozong would have to owe him a favor.
Based on his understanding of Liu Hongyu, he knew he wouldn't concern himself with such trivial matters. Zhao Ruxi's inability to subdue the clerks and her being bullied by them was, in Liu Hongyu's view, solely due to her own incompetence. If he, as the prefect, were to constantly deal with conflicts between his subordinates and the clerks, he wouldn't be able to do any real work.
If an official cannot control his subordinates, the best place for him to go is home and live off his own income.
But he didn't expect Liu Hongyu to have this kind of attitude.
"Guan Jian'an, is that right? Over the past few years, you've taken more than two hundred days of sick leave each year. According to the court's regulations, you're no longer suitable to be a clerk. Go pack your things and go home to recuperate," Liu Hongyu said.
Guan Jian'an panicked and knelt down on the ground with a thud.
"My lord, my lord, my father died protecting the prefect. Now I have an elderly mother of seventy and a three-year-old child at home. Please, my lord, show mercy and spare me this time. From now on, I will work diligently and never take sick leave again."
Guan Jian'an knelt there, pleading and crying, while Zhao Ruxi sat there expressionless, showing no sign of softening her heart to let Guan Jian'an go or pleading for him. Liu Hongyu and Zhong Liang became even more certain of their guess.
"Go and fetch Chen Kang," Liu Hongyu instructed his attendant.
After Chen Kang hurriedly entered with his entourage, Liu Hongyu told him about Guan Jian'an, saying, "His father died saving you, and you are grateful and have taken care of him, which I can fully understand. However, the country has its laws, and the court's salary is not something you can use to do favors. According to the court's rules, he is completely unsuitable to continue working in the government office."
Upon hearing this, Guan Jian'an quickly pleaded with Chen Kang again.
Chen Kang glanced at Guan Jian'an, also growing impatient with this incompetent son of an old friend.
But everyone in the yamen was watching him. If he didn't protect Guan Jian'an today, his words wouldn't carry as much weight in the yamen in the future, and people probably wouldn't truly trust him anymore.