Daqian Night Emperor

Chapter 193 Promotion?

When Zhao Qi'an and the second prince finished their secret chat, they came out from behind the screen, only to find that Ruan Yu had already left with his men.

Ji Haoyu patted Zhao Qian'an on the shoulder, seemingly forgetting the tension just now, and his tone returned to its usual enthusiasm: "Haiqing, please find a seat at will. I still need to take care of other people."

There are quite a few people at the dinner today, and he can't just take care of Zhao Qian'an, he has to socialize with others.

Zhao Qi'an wanted to find an excuse to leave, but when he glanced over, he saw someone waving at him at the end of the table, so he said to Ji Haoyu, "Second Prince, please do as you please."

After Ji Haoyu left, he walked towards the person who had just waved at him.

"I've met the Duke."

The person who just waved at him was Zhao Qian'an's boss, Duke of Yingguo, Ji Liyuan.

Ji Liyuan was a frequent guest at the Second Prince’s banquets. He came almost every time and never missed a banquet, rain or shine.

After Zhao Qi'an saluted him, Ji Liyuan motioned for him to sit next to him.

As soon as he sat down, he heard Ji Liyuan twisting his beard and jokingly saying, "My dear nephew, it is not easy for me, the Minister of the Temple, to see you. Have you forgotten that you still hold the position of Minister of the Zongzheng Temple?"

Zhao Qi'an remained calm, picked up the wine pot on the table, poured himself a glass of wine, and said in a toast: "I am ashamed, I will drink a glass as a punishment."

He has only been in office for over a month, and has not been to the office most of the time. If someone else were in charge, he would probably be impeached for occupying the position without doing any work, and would certainly be put on the spot.

But for Zhao Qian'an, it was just a matter of drinking a glass of wine as a punishment.

However, Ji Liyuan reminded him with a serious expression today: "I am not being long-winded, but you have to show up in the hall every day these days."

Zhao Qi'an was a little confused: "But my colleagues are dissatisfied?"

Ji Liyuan shook his head and said, "How can my colleagues be dissatisfied? They have received your kindness and are eager to speak well of you. It's just that some people have been coming to the official office of Zongzheng Temple for no reason these days, and they have been asking about you from time to time..."

When he said this, his voice stopped, and then he raised his head as if nothing had happened, looked around, and when he saw that no one was paying attention to them, he lowered his voice and said, "It's most likely Wu Xiang's people. Have you offended Wu Xiang recently?"

Zhao Qi'an raised his eyebrows, subconsciously thinking that Wu Yong had realized so quickly that it was him who was secretly instigating the conflict?
Although he thought so in his heart, he immediately shook his head to deny it: "I have been at home these days, how could I have offended Prime Minister Wu? Is there any misunderstanding?"

Ji Liyuan waved his hand: "It's okay, you don't have to worry too much. This time, Prime Minister Wu is not secretly investigating only you. I can roughly guess what the reason is..."

He drew out the last word but did not continue.

Zhao Qi'an had no choice but to cooperate with him and said, "Please give me some advice, Duke."

Ji Liyuan then revealed a satisfied smile, approached Zhao Qi'an, and said mysteriously: "A few days ago, Prime Minister Wu and the Second Prince had a very unpleasant argument."

Zhao Qi'an pretended to be confused and asked, "Why is this?"

"If it were someone else, I really wouldn't tell it, except for you, my dear nephew..."

Ji Liyuan said this in a self-satisfied tone, and then continued in a low voice: "I heard that the Second Prince wanted to arrange for some of his own talents to enter the officialdom in the next spring examination, but Prime Minister Wu disagreed, so didn't they quarrel?"

Zhao Qi'an frowned and said, "Can the imperial examination be arranged as well?"

Ji Liyuan said as a matter of course: "Of course, why not? Prime Minister Wu has been elected as the Grand Master of the Spring Examination for four consecutive terms. He will surely be the next one. Isn't it just a matter of a word to let someone pass the examination?" He looked at Zhao Qian'an and said with a smile: "Speaking of which, my nephew's family is very wealthy. If he can get through to Prime Minister Wu, it would be good to buy a status as a candidate. After all, the Zongzheng Temple is a low-income government office. The only position I can get is my position. It's not very interesting. With the status of a candidate, after the imperial examination next year, maybe I can be transferred to one of the six ministries to serve as an official."

Zhao Qi'an sneered, but didn't take it seriously.

Who will be the Grand Master in the next spring examination? It’s hard to say.

No matter how clever Wu Yong's calculations were, no matter how powerful he was, sometimes he had to give way to others.

Ji Liyuan was talking excitedly, and at the end he did not forget to remind Zhao Qi'an: "By the way, my dear nephew, don't think that you have a good relationship with the Second Prince now, and go to the Second Prince's side to get connections, it will only backfire."

"Sometimes... Prime Minister Wu is Prime Minister Wu, and the Second Prince is the Second Prince. You have to take charge of some things yourself."

This sentence sounded particularly familiar to Zhao Qi'an.

Although this Duke of England has no high position in the court, he has remained safe and sound despite the ups and downs in officialdom for so many years. This is because he has his own principles of being an official and he is very clear about some things.

Zhao Qi'an silently filled his glass, then took another sip before saying, "Thank you for your reminder, Duke. However, I have no literary talent, and getting a title of Juren would only make me a laughing stock. So forget it."

Ji Liyuan felt a little regretful.

He didn't say these words to Zhao Qi'an without purpose. If he could persuade Zhao Qi'an to leave, it would not be a bad thing for him.

Although Zhao Qian'an seems to be a selfless person who doesn't care much about fame, wealth and power, the "hyena officer" under him is really not an easy person to deal with.

Recently, the "hyena official" has bypassed the Zongzheng Temple and has been colluding with some royal relatives who own royal land, making Ji Liyuancha feel a little threatened.

And as for the money that was donated to Zongzheng Temple, Ji Liyuan discovered that when the hyena official used the money, he did not put it into the Zongzheng Temple's account at all. Doesn't this mean that he did not get any chance to touch it?
How can the grease remain on your hands when you are not even touching this fat meat?

However, Ji Liyuan would not tear his face with Zhao Qi'an, so he could only let it go and think about how to restrict the "hyena official" through Zhao Qi'an in the future.

Zhao Qi'an then asked, "But even if Prime Minister Wu and His Highness the Second Prince have a conflict, how did this involve me?"

Ji Liyuan replied, "In the final analysis, it's because you've been too close to His Highness in recent days, and since you're neither a student of Prime Minister Wu nor his former official, of course they're paying attention to you. Not only you, but many people around His Highness who are not from the Wu Party have also been investigated."

Zhao Qi'an knew in his heart that this matter was probably not as simple as the old Duke said.

In all likelihood, Prime Minister Wu was investigating who leaked the news about the Zhou family to the Second Prince.

Judging from the way Wu Yong made such a fuss, it seems that the Second Prince was very tight-lipped and did not reveal the information to anyone.

"Then your highness..."

"What are you talking about me?"

Just when Zhao Qi'an was about to ask, Ji Haoyu came behind them with a glass of wine.

As soon as he arrived, everyone at the table stood up and raised their glasses: "Second Prince."

Ji Haoyu waved his hand, motioning everyone to sit down, then turned his gaze to Zhao Qian'an and said with a smile: "Come to think of it, I haven't even congratulated you yet. You've only been in office for a short time, and you're about to be promoted."

(End of this chapter)