The Empire will continue to win

The next morning.

The sky was just beginning to lighten.

Pearl, the maid who was sleeping on the outside of the rosewood canopy bed, glanced at her pocket watch and saw that it was almost time. She tiptoed up and tidied her messy hair.

Take a sip of green tea to ensure your breath is fresh.

Then he took six steps inside, gently lifted the silk curtain, bent down, and called out softly.

"Young master, it's time to get up."

The canopy bed, also known as the eight-step bed, was a must-have for wealthy families and was quite expensive. It is said to have been designed by the legendary craftsman Lu Ban, who added a wooden platform outside the main bed to form a corridor space, complete with a floor, door railings, and fences.

Strictly speaking, this is no longer a bed, but a suite.

The maids slept on the outer side so they could serve the master and mistress at any time.

.........

Pearl wore only a light pink, tight-fitting bodice embroidered with mandarin ducks playing in the water, and her two arms, as white and tender as lotus roots, were bare as she served the early risers.

Change clothes.

gargle.

Wash your face.

By the end of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, the weather in the capital was already slightly cool.

But he couldn't resist his youthful vigor and fiery spirit. Shen Moqing felt the fragrance wafting around him, like orchids and musk, and felt a long-lost thrill of life.

When all patience has been exhausted, why endure any longer?

"Young master, no, you can't."

Pearl feigned shyness.

As the saying goes: Though her beautiful eyes came later, her silk stockings could never compare.

So what if the rules of a grand mansion are strict?

You have your rules, and I have my expediency.

This is like those Catholics who refuse visitors at the front door but have a bustling back door, and they have all sorts of tricks up their sleeves, their bottom line is very flexible.

God will understand the affairs of teenagers.

.........

Get up early and exercise for an hour, and you can work healthily for fifty years.

This is Tsinghua University's slogan.

Half an hour later~

Feeling refreshed, Shen Moqing strode out of the mansion. The Shen family's residence, Zhenxian Hutong, was located in the northeast corner of the capital, about 20 li away from Nanyuan.

Commuting across town.

Sigh~ Even if I time-traveled, I still have to go to work.

The mornings in Beijing are tranquil but not solemn, spacious but not tidy.

Trucks carrying night soil were coming and going out of the city in an endless stream!

Trucks carrying vegetables and fruits are arriving in droves, heading into the city!

When passing through the southern part of the city~

Shen Moqing noticed a middle-aged beggar with cloudy vitreous humor in his eyes, who seemed to be blind. He was wearing a patched long gown, but it was washed clean. He stood on the street corner without saying a word, holding a broken porcelain bowl in his hand.

I couldn't help but feel pity.

Clang~

A silver dollar fell into the bowl.

"Thank you, sir." The beggar bowed in thanks, his voice neither humble nor arrogant.

Shen Moqing didn't think much of it. He spurred his horse, and it immediately galloped off. A cool breeze brushed his face along the way, which was quite comfortable.

Heading south!

.........

I got up very early, but arrived late.

Until the sun was high in the sky.

As the talents gradually arrived at work, their laziness and dissolute nature were unparalleled, revealing their纨绔 (spoiled brat) temperament.

Shen Moqing's "Employee Survey Forms" quickly piled up into a mountain. If someone forgot to bring their own, it didn't matter; they could just get a replacement on the spot.

"Zhang Zongyu".

"exist."

"Bring all these papers to my office."

"OK."

The stacked items weighed only about 40 kilograms. Zhang Zongyu simply tied them together with a hemp rope, carried them away briskly, and delivered them to the office in one breath without even breaking a sweat.

Shen Moqing glanced at it deeply and touched the naval standard revolver at his waist.

There was another one, tucked inside the boot.

Just in case.

My own strength is too weak; in case of danger, I can only rely on my pistol.

I strolled back to the office.

"Hello Supervisor Shen~ Is there anything else the office is missing? I'll go to the group's logistics department to get it."

"Zi Ying? What are you doing here?" Shen Moqing was taken aback and became wary.

"I applied for this position myself. Anyway, the group's logistics department is well-staffed and won't miss me. I... I wanted to work under you."

"What are you doing?" Shen Moqing smiled ambiguously. Adults can change their expressions in an instant.

"I can do anything." Zi Ying lowered her head and twisted her fingers.

Shen Moqing then noticed that she was wearing a well-tailored sleeveless green satin cheongsam, with heavy makeup and a strong fragrance, clearly having dressed up carefully.

Offering unsolicited favors is either a sign of treachery or theft, or perhaps both.

"Go and find the factory's employee roster."

"Sigh~"

With a cup of fragrant green tea in hand, Shen Moqing began to quickly flip through the "Employee Situation Survey Form," getting straight to the point—catching spies.

"Supervisor Shen, is there anything I can do for you?"

"No need, just sit there."

"Yes."

Zi Ying gracefully took her seat, her upper body tense.

Shen Moqing's screening process was very fast. Based on the fifth question: were you willing to join the garrison's frontline repair depot, with unchanged salary and a six-month deployment period?

Willing? No? Choose one.

(Please select according to your own preference; do not force yourself.)

Those who chose "willing" should be set aside, as they are highly suspicious.

Question 6: Please write down the name of the most hardworking, honest, and reliable colleague in your workshop (please be sure to fill in the information truthfully, as it is related to the candidate recommended by the front-line garrison's repair shop).

The answers were highly concentrated; after looking at them repeatedly, only a few names appeared frequently, which Shen Moqing memorized.

Workshop demon? Wrong, a spy.

Finally~

Repeat the fifth and sixth questions.

There were thirteen people in total who volunteered to be stationed at overseas repair shops and were also recognized as the workshop's hardest workers.

Shen Moqing turned on the fountain pen and copied down the names, then compared them one by one with the roster, trying to find clues in the files, such as their entry time.

As expected~

The arrival times of these thirteen people were highly concentrated.

Even more frightening is that the person who recommended five of them for entry into the factory was the same person: Yuan Zhouyi, the head of the Armory Department of the Ministry of War.

.........

"My lord, shall I give you a shoulder massage?" Zi Ying broke the silence, though for some reason, she felt vaguely uneasy.

"OK."

Shen Moqing casually flipped the list of suspects over to cover it up.

Kneading and kneading~

"Supervisor Shen, I'm rather foolish; what are these survey forms for?"

"Under the emperor's nose, at the foot of the imperial city, you could throw a handful of soybeans and knock down three fifth-rank officials. If I want my career to go smoothly, I must find out the background of my subordinates so as not to offend those I cannot afford to offend."

"Oh, I see."

"Zi Ying, who are you?"

"I have no connections, and I can be bossed around by the supervisor."

"Yeah?"

The atmosphere suddenly became ambiguous.

Shen Moqing stood up and stretched: "Let's go to the terrace."

Below the terrace is a small garden.

It was the season when begonias and chrysanthemums were in full bloom. The flowers were thick, and one cluster of branches stretched out to the edge of the terrace. Shen Moqing casually picked one.

"Don't move!"

He tucked a crimson begonia into Zi Ying's hair and then tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, his actions full of affection.

"So beautiful~"

I don't know whether they're praising the beauty of the flower or the beauty of the person.

Zi Ying lowered her head, feigning shyness.

Have you ever seen cherry blossoms?

"I've never seen it before."

"Cherry blossoms are also beautiful. When they fall, they flutter down, and people stand under the trees, marveling at the splendor and brevity of life."

"Does the director really like cherry blossoms?"

"Um."

"How about we plant a few in the backyard?"

"Okay, I'll leave it to you to handle."

"Yes."

Zi Ying took two steps back, imitating a soldier's salute, puffing out her chest and raising her head, her eyes sparkling, quite playful. Due to the excessive stomping of her feet, there was some local turbulence.

Cherry blossoms are beautiful, but they only bloom for ten days.

This is an irrefutable law of nature!