Bringing Gifts to the Door

"I wonder what Shen Peigong's situation is?"

A tunnel cannot be dug in a day. Even with the help of related Technique Method, it would still be a troublesome matter to An Ran build a passage under Chang'an City for Shen Peigong and his group to pass through.

Zhang Xuezhou felt he might not be able to join in the fun.

In the Confucius Temple, the memorial ceremonies for Zhao Wan and Wang Zang have already passed the seventh day after their deaths, and the journey of the King of Huainan to Chang'an City is gradually coming to an end. He may return to Huainan after the New Year.

"If a particularly handsome young man comes to return that black stone, treat him well!"

Zhang Xuezhou couldn't make it in time, so he could only instruct Rong Tianding to make sure Kong Anguo returned the Sage Kong Decree.

The Kong family was not only generous but also quite trustworthy; they rarely went back on their word once they made a promise.

Zhang Xuezhou wasn't worried that Kong Anguo and the others wouldn't return the Sage Kong Decree; he was just afraid they would be beaten to death.

As time drew near to return to the real world, Zhang Xuezhou stopped loitering aimlessly.

He and Rong Tianding spent the past few days celebrating the New Year and cleaning the house thoroughly. Then, seeing Rong Tianding overestimating his abilities and provoking others, he was beaten by Yi Shuo and was taught the Yi Shuo the secrets of Grain Avoidance.

Zhang Xuezhou was still amazed by Yi Shuo's mastery of the Grain Avoidance Technique, but the initial amazement was gone.

As Grain Avoidance progresses from beginner to expert in the Bigu Technique, the number of acupoints increases dramatically, leading Yi Shuo into repeated revisions and reorganizations, making it difficult to rely solely on past knowledge to master it in one go.

However, compared to Zhang Manqian and others who were practicing the Poison Repelling Technique, Yi Shuo's cultivation speed was still unparalleled, second only to those with super memory like Zhang Xuezhou.

Zhang Xuezhou's unique methods are difficult to replicate, but Yi Shuo's cultivation can be copied.

Zhang Xuezhou was only waiting for Yi Shuo to reach a bottleneck in her Grain Avoidance of the Realm Entry Technique before recommending her to cultivate the Poison-Avoiding Technique.

He had some plans in mind, but not many.

Just as Zhang Xuezhou was about to go back to bed and prepare to return to reality, Zhang Xuezhou heard a knocking sound at the door.

"Cousin, it's your... that..."

"Zhang Cigong!"

"Come in quickly, why are you being so polite? And you brought so many gifts, did you strike it rich somewhere?"

Rong Tianding, who was in charge of the care, opened the door to greet the person. Only after he realized that the person was Zhang Xuezhou's fellow villager did he open the door to welcome him and then called Zhang Xuezhou, who wanted to go back to his room to lie down.

"Second bow!"

"Lord Dongfang, I have come here on the orders of the King to offer my New Year's greetings!"

Zhang Xuezhou gave a signal, and Zhang Cigong glanced at the coachman and servants behind him carrying the gifts. He could only communicate in official language and then gestured for everyone to take the gifts into the house.

The gifts included fresh meat, dried fruit, ceramic bowls, and cloth. Although the gifts were not expensive, they were practical and consisted of everyday necessities.

Moreover, the gifts sent by the King of Huainan were quite substantial, including over a hundred catties of fresh meat and over ten catties of dried fruit.

For most wealthy families, this would be considered a New Year's gift.

"Sending me New Year's greetings and gifts, King of Huainan is being far too polite," Zhang Xuezhou pondered before asking, "Is this a common occurrence? Has King of Huainan extended New Year's greetings to anyone else?"

"For officials with a salary of 1,000 shi or above, His Majesty sends people to deliver gifts; for officials with a salary of 2,000 shi or above, his most important retainers personally escort them," Zhang Cigong said.

"Then my salary isn't even a thousand shi (a unit of grain measure)?" Zhang Xuezhou asked in surprise.

The official titles of the Great Han Dynasty were complex, and the responsibilities of each official varied.

Aside from the leaders of departments like the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, it's difficult to discern who holds a higher rank among other officials, as this involves different departments and lacks a clear hierarchy.

For example, the Imperial Carriage Master in the Imperial City was also a minor official with a salary of 600 shi (a unit of grain), but such an official could even govern the Prime Minister and others within a specific area.

However, no one has said that the official position and power of the Grand Chariot Master were higher than that of the Prime Minister.

Correspondingly, some people used their salaries as a measure of their official rank, thus avoiding the awkwardness caused by the clash of functions between official positions in different fields.

The salary of 1,000 shi (a unit of grain measure) is undoubtedly a significant dividing line.

Zhang Xuezhou was below this watershed, and was also one of the mediocre officials in the imperial court.

He couldn't immediately grasp the significance of the minor official gift that the King of Huainan had given him.

"Perhaps the King has seen you before and remembers you," Zhang Cigong guessed.

"Back then, I wasn't called Dongfang Shuo yet; when I met him, I was called Dongfang Bubai!"

Zhang Xuezhou muttered something.

However, he was not so noble as to refuse gifts delivered to his door; in fact, the King of Huainan was using the New Year's greetings as an opportunity for a collective gift-giving ceremony.

Regardless of whether these gifts are problematic or not, as long as the number of people involved is wide enough, they will generally not be investigated. Low-level officials like Zhang Xuezhou will certainly not be used as examples.

"Please!"

Zhang Xuezhou invited Zhang Cigong into the lobby for a drink of water.

Only after Rong Tianding had dismissed the coachman and servants did Zhang Cigong's restraint lessen.

"Don't worry about using it, there definitely won't be any trouble," Zhang Cigong whispered.

"I'm not afraid of these delicacies corrupting my soul," Zhang Xuezhou laughed. "It's just that the King of Huainan has been spending money like water these days; his wealth and power are truly excessive!"

"Perhaps they want to pave the way for the princess, to get everyone to give her some face," Zhang Cigong guessed.

"Princess?"

"The princess is the king's daughter. I've heard that she wants to find a suitable husband in Chang'an City. Perhaps that's why the king is sparing no effort in sending gifts to Chang'an City!"

"This princess is truly a wealthy woman!"

Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Although it is unknown what other thoughts the King of Huainan might have, King of Huainan stated reasons were clearly very compelling.

The most reliable way is to pave the way with money. No matter what the princess looks like, she will be someone many outstanding young people would want to meet.

If one were to consider worldly and pragmatic factors, Zhang Xuezhou wouldn't be surprised if he developed such thoughts.

"The King of Huainan is only forty years old, and even if the Princess is a bit older, she's only twenty-three or twenty-four," Zhang Xuezhou joked. "Cigong, if you're looking for a shortcut to success, you might want to consider this!"

"I... I would like to," Zhang Cigong hesitated for a few moments before saying helplessly, "But how could the princess possibly take a fancy to a mere horse trainer!"

"When you're capable enough, you can tame a dragon to propose marriage; they'll definitely be interested in you!"

"Hahaha!"

Zhang Cigong felt that Zhang Xuezhou had changed; he could now move freely among important figures, chatting and laughing, and had even bought a house and become an official in Chang'an City.

But Zhang Xuezhou ultimately didn't change; he was no different from Zhang Household Village. Zhang Xuezhou still liked to tinker and boast, and the other party was still someone he knew well.

Zhang Cigong had suffered all sorts of hardships and displacement over the years, even losing his hearing in one ear. He only found temporary stability after being taken to the King of Huainan's Household by Zhang Xuezhou.

It was rare for him to be so open and boastful with Zhang Xuezhou.

The two boasted to each other for a while. As Zhang Cigong listened to Zhang Xuezhou introduce his tips for flirting over the years, he couldn't help but feel a stirring in his heart. He realized that the princess he used to look up to and dare not look directly at was not as unattainable as he had imagined.