A Novice in Officialdom

Zhang Xuezhou had little interest in entering the Wenying Pavilion to recite the "Tomb Classic," since he could recite it off the cuff.

But after thinking about Dong Zhongshu such as "Zaiyou," Zhang Xuezhou felt that it wouldn't be a problem to go.

He has no need for the ancestral scriptures, but he does have some need for other books in the Wenying Pavilion.

"But I'm in a hurry to go to Chang'an City to take up my official post," Zhang Xuezhou said, sounding somewhat reluctant. "I'm afraid I won't have time to go to Huainan with you!"

"What's the point of being an official? Let me tell you, being an official is just being a lackey. You'll have endless official duties for your whole life, and it's incredibly annoying," Jin Chang waved his hand and said, "Besides, what's the money an official gets? We can easily make that much money in the Beast Taming Sect, even if you were an official for ten years!"

"Although what you said makes a lot of sense..."

"Are you afraid I'll harm you? Putting aside the profoundness of the Tomb Classic, you won't lose out even if you don't learn it. I'll help you make some money this time to put your mind at ease," Jin Chang said.

"Actually, I didn't come here entirely for the money!"

"Oh?"

"I have a fellow townsman Zhang Cigong. You met him in Shouchun City. He was called Ruan Qigong back then and drove our carriage. Do you remember him?"

"Remember!"

"He has the key to the Beast Taming Sect's secret vault, and I feel he might be hiding among these people looking for an opportunity," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"Does he have the key to the secret vault?"

"He used to be a disciple of the Beast Taming Sect, so it's naturally easier for him to do these things. He eventually obtained the key. You should help him out so he doesn't lose his life," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"This is fine!"

Jin Chang, with a strange expression, agreed.

Jin Chang simply did not believe that Zhang Xuezhou and others had nothing to do with the cause of death of Su Fang, the sect leader of the Beast Taming Sect, who had obtained the key to the secret vault of the Beast Taming Sect.

He thought about Zhang Xuezhou, then about Zhang Cigong, and then focused his attention on Dong Zhongshu, having roughly guessed the general outline of the whole matter.

Su Fang was simply unlucky to have his crooked mind set on someone like Dong Zhongshu.

If the Soviets had faced a different opponent, they would not have perished.

"This is fate, an unlucky fate!"

Jin Chang mentally cursed Su Fang.

Su Fang was originally a hero in his own right, and his occupation of the Beast Taming Sect was a solid foundation for his establishment. However, when Su Fang sought cooperation with the imperial court, he overestimated himself and made exorbitant demands.

The imperial court requires the Beast Taming Sect to train and raise horses for military supplies, but this does not mean that the Beast Taming Sect is indispensable.

The consequence of this overreaching was that the imperial court wanted to replace the person in charge of this task, rather than allowing the Beast Taming Sect to repeatedly exert its control.

After seeing the Beast Taming Sect's extremely grand and luxurious sect buildings, Jin Chang couldn't help but shake his head.

No matter how much profit the Beast Taming Sect gained in its transactions with the imperial court, it all returned when the court took stock, leaving only a secret vault.

Places that use terms like "secret vault," "secret pavilion," or "secret room" are rarely large, and their contents tend to be rare and valuable.

These could be heirlooms, famous or ancient paintings, valuable gold and silver items, or even the bone artifacts mentioned by Li Shaojun.

Everyone's different needs are not necessarily conflicting.

What does he want?

Zhang Xuezhou's wealth, Li Shaojun's bone artifacts, and Jin Chang's Beast Taming Sect inheritance were all present, but there were four people there.

He asked Rong Tianding, which made Rong Tianding open his mouth in surprise.

"I'll take some money too," Rong Tianding said in a muffled voice.

"If you hadn't learned the Demonic Sound Technique and voice-changing techniques, you would indeed be more suitable to play a mute!"

Hearing Rong Tianding's youthful voice and looking at his incongruous elderly appearance, Jin Chang couldn't help but shake his head.

He made a gesture to the crowd, then disappeared back into the shadows.

"Cousin, is this person very capable?"

"He's just like the Master!"

"Understood!"

Rong Tianding asked a question, which prompted Zhang Xuezhou to make an analogy.

With Jin Chang investigating, he was now at ease and didn't need to get involved in the Beast Taming Sect's struggles at all. He could simply wait for Jin Chang to send back a message.

"Jin Chang... tsk tsk... this guy is quite interesting!"

Li Shaojun pondered for a while. He felt that Jin Chang was very similar to himself; in any case, whoever provoked the other would have a headache.

It was rare to see Jin Chang politely asking for help, and Li Shaojun felt that Jin Chang might also fall into Zhang Xuezhou's hands, and that Jin Chang himself might not even realize it.

At present, such changes and sensory perceptions may not be obvious, but once their cultivation and status are similar, Jin Chang will feel as if he is losing flesh when cooperating with Zhang Xuezhou.

For example, it was only now, during his conversation with Jin Chang, that Zhang Xuezhou revealed his real purpose for coming to the Beast Taming Sect at Niutou Mountain: to find someone. Furthermore, Zhang Xuezhou knew Zhang Cigong, who possessed the key to the secret vault.

But this guy hadn't revealed a single thing before, nor had he given Li Shaojun any leverage over him; otherwise, their cooperation would definitely not be in the current form.

After thinking for a while, Li Shaojun found a stick and poked at the ant nest to pass the time.

With the key, Jin Chang's ability to infiltrate the shadows, and Su Fei, the young sect leader, pointing him in the right direction, he no longer needed to guess what would happen next.

If Jin Chang finds the person, they will undoubtedly be the beneficiaries of the Beast Taming Sect's secret vault.

"Cousin, these people even kill officials. Won't you be in danger if you become an official in the future?"

Li Shaojun was stirring up an anthill, while Rong Tianding listened to the gradually stopping bell tolls and sounds of fighting, and couldn't help but feel that being an official in the imperial court was a high-risk profession.

"I'll become an official... Don't worry, I definitely won't become that kind of official!"

Zhang Xuezhou thought about currying favor with the imperial court and couldn't help but feel that he really needed to find a leisurely position to climb, lest he be betrayed before his luck could rise.

For example, positions like colonel or general are definitely out of his reach, and positions like prefect or magistrate, which involve taking on important responsibilities, are not suitable for him either.

Moreover, he also wanted to curry favor with the new emperor.

Thinking about it this way, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but feel that there were very few official positions suitable for him.

This was not just about having a leisurely and easy job; it also meant becoming an important official in the court. Even if he were the emperor himself, he would never create such a position for someone below him, requiring both.

"You'll have to ask Master Dong about the connections to getting an official position; he'll definitely know the answer!"

Zhang Xuezhou thought about it and decided that it wouldn't be a problem for him to visit Shouchun City before returning to Chang'an City.

This isn't just a matter of sharpening the axe before chopping wood; it's that going in the wrong direction in this kind of thing is more troublesome than a woman marrying the wrong person.

He didn't want to work himself to the bone and still not get into the core of the court, nor did he want to lose his life in a muddle, and he certainly didn't want to waste too much time on court official positions.

Zhang Xuezhou's demands were so numerous that any emperor who knew of his intentions would surely criticize him.

But Zhang Xuezhou felt that he did not seek a salary, power, or promotion; he only sought to climb the social ladder and gain a little bit of good fortune. His requirements were already as low as they could possibly be.

He pondered for several seconds, then whispered his thoughts to Rong Tianding.

"Don't act so detached from worldly desires; lest the imperial court mistake you for a spy for the Immortal Court!"

Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding whispered to each other, but Li Shaojun could hear them clearly if he wanted to.

He listened for a while and felt that Zhang Xuezhou's idea was a death sentence.

Only people from other factions would be so lacking in ambition, yet still want to obtain important positions in the imperial court.

If Zhang Xuezhou hadn't acted with a bit more greed and lacked the logic of a normal person in office, Zhang Xuezhou would have been ousted very early.

"Could he really be someone sent by the Immortal Court to carry out a secret mission?"

Zhang Xuezhou's philosophy on being an official was terrible; he was a complete novice in officialdom.

Li Shaojun felt that the emperor would not trust such a person, but considering Zhang Xuezhou's possible true identity, he couldn't help but offer a few more words of advice.