Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 721 The sun also rises
Spring has arrived once again. The river flowing through the city is clear and cold. Two groups of children are fighting because one group urinated upstream while the other group was playing in the water. Several newlywed women are watching these naughty children and giggling.

Not far from the bridge are large construction sites. The places that were burned down were not abandoned as ruins, but turned into huge open spaces. This time, they were surrounded by walls, and the walls were even filled with broken pieces of porcelain to prevent climbing. The security was probably more stringent than before, but no one paid any attention to it. Instead, many people would peek inside through the gaps.

At the entrance to that large area, a large sign was erected, with the four characters "Jinling University" written on it, and below it was a rendering of the college after its completion.

The common people don't understand what a university is, but they know what the Imperial Academy is. Even if the number of students taking the Imperial Academy exam is small, it must still be a very remarkable place.

Moreover, I've heard that this place will become the world's most prestigious university in the future, and judging from its scale, it can accommodate more than 100,000 people.

What does 100,000 people mean? Doesn't that mean everyone can study? You have to understand that in the past, the number of people taking the imperial examinations in the capital was only two or three thousand, but now there are 100,000 people.

Their little calculations were going on and on. They thought, if they didn't get a spot among the 500 or 1,000 people, surely they would have a place among the 100,000?

They've been discussing whether there are enough official positions in the court if there are so many scholars.

Despite their worries, at least when they return home and see their children, they will say, "I heard that you can all go to school now."

The busiest place right now is the new Hongwen Hall. The three characters "Hongwen Hall" have been removed, and craftsmen are installing the lintel, which has large gilded characters that read "Jinling National Library".

To put it simply, the largest library at that time was theoretically the Damascus Library. According to gem merchants from there, the Damascus Library contained more than 200,000 books, stretching as far as the eye could see.

So how much is the National Library of Nanjing?
7.22 million copies.

This place has everything from bamboo slips to bark books, woodblock prints, stone rubbings, and paper books, forming a complete chain of cultural and writing evolution. The content covers all fields currently known to humankind, from military and agricultural affairs to astronomy and calendar systems, from architecture and excavation to geography, from maritime information to river data, from myths and legends to poetry and songs.

Many of these are even rare or unique copies.

The library is now open, but the rare and unique editions will have to wait until they are reproduced before they can be seen by the public. The academic community is already very anxious about it. Some great scholars even wait at the entrance of the library every morning to ask questions such as whether the reproduction of a certain book is ready.

Now some people might ask, since books are very expensive, are they still only for men to read, like before?

Well, that's a good question. Books are indeed very expensive, but the library is open to the public right now. However, not just anyone can enter. You need to bring your household registration information and a certificate issued by the local government to register. Only after the person and the certificate match can you borrow books. Moreover, you can't take them out of the library. You need to be searched when you enter and leave.

Despite the complicated procedures, people still flock here every day, many arriving early in the morning with a large pot of water and a few biscuits, where they sit all day.

These people are clearly children from poor families. In the past, they would never have had such opportunities. Eight or nine out of ten of these books were monopolized by wealthy and powerful families. They once thought that Jinling City was the most stable city in the world, so they put all the books and classics from all over the country here early on. For a long time, having more books in one's collection became a point of comparison.

However, this time it all benefited the Grand Library.

"Reading books is free now, it's really great." A few old scholars chatted while playing chess on the street: "Back in our day, we didn't have such good days. We would read the same few books over and over again until they lost their flavor. When it came time for the exams, the sons of wealthy families were full of knowledge, while we could only recite the Four Books and Five Classics."

“Who says otherwise?” Another old man sighed as well. “Otherwise, he wouldn’t have remained a mere scholar his whole life. Hey? Why hasn’t that exceptionally skilled chess player come yet? I’ve prepared a new chess game for him to solve today!”

"You? You've almost gambled away your life savings these days, and you're still thinking about it?"

"What do you know? This is called breaking down the enemy and building anew. Today, my chess game is a sure-kill game! I will definitely wipe them out completely!"

But today they won't see that chess prodigy; he's currently sitting at the table looking at an appointment letter...

Lin Musen was appointed as the head of the granary department of the Ministry of Revenue, a sixth-rank official...

He scratched his head, and after a while it came to his memory that he himself had said he would take a taxi as soon as he picked it up.

Meanwhile, apart from those who were named, everyone else was to be taken to the countryside to tend to the farm.

This gave Xia Lin a headache... He didn't know what Cangbu did, and it wasn't really appropriate for him to go there.

"Why not give it a try?"

Old Zhang had already dug a pit in the courtyard and filled it with charcoal; they were planning to roast some meat to eat.

"Are you crazy? If I go to work there, I'll go in the morning, and the Minister of Revenue will have to come and kneel in front of me in the afternoon."

"Who would recognize you?" Old Zhang curled his lip. "Your identity comes from the golden knife in your hand, the warhorse you ride, and the banners behind you, not from your face. Even if they think you look familiar, they'll just think it's a coincidence. You can trust me, that's all. When I go to brothels to draw portraits for the girls, quite a few people say I look like Zhang Xiang."

"Hmm... that's true, but even after all these years, your mouth still sounds so awful."

"Oh dear," Old Zhang sighed after placing the lamb leg on the fire, "You don't have a penny of income right now, and it's not right for you to come here every day to freeload."

"I'll say it again, I'm not short of money! I have money."

"So you're a freeloader, huh? What's the point of coming here to mooch off me?"

Xia Lin pursed her lips and remained silent, while Old Zhang suddenly understood: "Oh~~~ Seeking refuge."

"You can't say that," Xia Lin leaned forward and whispered, "Two at a time is actually a bit tiring."

"Why are you arguing with me? This isn't tiring, it's like dying! I'm almost forty, so I know better than anyone." Old Zhang looked up at the sky with a helpless expression. "You know, people are really interesting. When they were young, they could enjoy a whole day of playing with a widow's underpants, but now that she's lying there with her body exposed, they have no interest at all."

"Stop talking nonsense and go grill your meat!"

"Go report for duty tomorrow, and you'll at least save yourself the trouble of the day."

"What?" Xia Lin didn't react at first.

"You idiot!"

In this world, only Old Zhang dares to call Xia Lin an idiot. Anyone else who dares to open their mouth should think twice before doing so.

“If you stay at home every day, your life will be divided into two parts. You have to be fair to both, right? You have to take care of one thing during the day and another at night. But if you go to work, then at most you can only take care of one thing a day, because you can’t let it affect your work the next day.”

Xia Lin was silent for a moment, then suddenly felt a deep empathy: "You're right..." "There are some things you have to listen to the advice of those who have been through it all." Old Zhang looked like he had the world at his fingertips: "Don't do those useless things."

That evening, while Xia Lin was eating, he suddenly coughed and said, "Gentlemen, I have something to tell you."

Tang Bao'er immediately sensed something was wrong, and her keen senses as a working woman came into play at that moment.

"Are you going to pull some kind of trick again?"

"No, no." Xia Lin quickly waved his hand and took out the letter of appointment from his pocket: "I've killed most of the officials in the court, so there's a bit of free time now..."

Tang Bao'er frowned and looked at it: "Lin Musen, you're going to the Ministry of Revenue as a clerk? You? You're going to the Ministry of Revenue as a clerk?"

This statement would elicit the same reaction from anyone: the Night Emperor is going to the Ministry of Revenue as a sixth-rank official? Please, don't make things difficult for the Ministry of Revenue.
“Actually, I’ve never experienced a normal promotion process before. This isn’t my first time experiencing one.” Xia Lin sighed. “I have no choice. I wrote to Tuoba Jing, but he absolutely refuses to come back. It’s either windy or rainy, or there’s thunder and lightning and he has typhoid fever, which means I can’t leave the capital for a while. If I can’t leave the capital, I have no income, and it’s very difficult for a man to have no income.”

“I don’t care about your little bit of income. You only make a few cents a month on offerings, I’ll give you ten times that amount.”

"No, no, I'm a scholar, how can I live off a woman? If word gets out, Zhang Zhongchun will laugh at me for the rest of his life." Xia Lin quickly waved his hand: "I'm just going out to do some odd jobs, it's nothing serious."

Tang Bao'er lowered her eyes: "I'm afraid it's not that simple, is it?"

"My main goal is to go undercover. The Ministry of Revenue has been heavily in deficit in recent years, but there are no problems with the accounts. So I plan to go in and investigate. After all, the Ministry of Revenue is the foundation of the country."

At that moment, the Minister of Revenue suddenly felt a chill. He quickly got up from his desk, closed the window, and muttered, "Getting old, I can't stand the cold anymore..."

The next morning, Xia Lin spent the whole night persuading the difficult Tang Bao'er. When he appeared at the entrance of the Ministry of Revenue with the letter of appointment, no one recognized him. Some people just glanced at him a couple of times, then shook their heads and walked past.

When Xia Lin arrived at the station, the vice minister who was verifying his identity was clearly taken aback for a moment. He glanced at the roster and then at Xia Lin's face.

"Ah... what is this...?"

"Lin Musen."

"Ah, yes, yes... Lin Musen, Musen." The vice minister coughed twice and stamped his seal on his letter of appointment: "Please wait in the back hall first."

After Xia Lin left, the Vice Minister, pulling up his trousers, sprinted like a maniac, yelling, "Minister, it's all over...Minister..."

"What a flustered and disorderly manner!" The Minister of State said, seeing his loss of composure, "Is the granary on fire? If you don't have a good reason, don't blame me for punishing you."

"Minister Xia...Lord Xia, he...he..."

"he died?"

"No! Oh dear, he came to the Ministry of Revenue under the alias Lin Musen!"

The Minister of Revenue, like a drunkard, slid right under the chair and had to hold on for a long time to regain his balance.

"really?"

"Go and see for yourself."

"It's all over, it's all over..." The Minister of Revenue stood up, his face pale. "What are we going to do... What is he doing here?"

"It should be a covert defense."

"Undercover investigation..." The Minister of Revenue was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan: "Why bother? I have worked diligently all my life and have never done anything immoral or immoral."

"My lord, you certainly didn't do it. Those who did have already been hung on the tree by Lord Xia." The vice minister was a clever man. His eyes darted around. "Hey! Don't you think Lord Xia not only investigates the bad, but also the good?"

"What do you mean by this?"

"Now that most of the court has been purged, those who have connections with powerful families have almost all been caught. You, sir, come from humble origins and have worked diligently your whole life. Perhaps... Lord Xia has come to see if it is you who is being assessed? If you pass, you will be ranked among the Three Dukes?"

"Hey! Now that you mention it, it's actually quite possible."

The Minister immediately straightened his posture and cleared his throat: "In that case, you must keep a close eye on this matter for me! Don't let those incompetent fools ruin the reputation of my Ministry of Revenue."

After a while, the Minister was about to give a speech to the newly arrived officials at all levels. When he went over to take a look, he indeed found Xia Lin in the corner.

No... Lin Musen.

He almost couldn't hold his pee, his bladder twitching with fear, but being an old hand at this, he calmed himself down and began his formulaic lecture before turning and leaving with a flourish.

However, the way he walked was as if he had suffered a stroke.

The Ministry of Revenue's administrative office consisted of four people per large room. The inner room was the main hall, which was actually just a small side room. Xia Lin's four subordinates were outside, and Xia Lin's office was inside.

But how much influence can a sixth-rank official have? After all, it's just a county magistrate-level position, especially in the capital where first and second-rank officials are everywhere and third and fourth-rank officials are practically worthless.

As soon as Xia Lin entered and sat down, his four subordinates appeared before him. One of them, who was slightly older, smiled and said, "Master Lin, we four are clerks from the Granary Department. Please give us your orders. The Granary Department has four chief clerks and sixteen clerks. Our department is in charge of the military supply granaries in various regions. Since you've just arrived, shouldn't you go and see your superior?"

Xia Lin scratched his head: "The chief and deputy chief officials are one secretary and one assistant secretary, with ranks of upper fifth grade and upper sixth grade respectively. Right?"

"Yes Yes……"

"Okay, I'll go right away."

(End of this chapter)