The Kingdom That Never Sleeps CH 050 Wang Zifeng! Part 2
After dinner, Tang Huang and Aunt Yao were settled.
Tang Shen called Yao San to his study and asked, "When do you plan to head north?"
Yao San replied, "I should have gone already, but since my mother and Miss Ah Huang are coming, it got delayed. I’ll leave tomorrow morning."
Tang Shen said, "There’s no need to rush. Since Aunt Yao has arrived, you can stay with her for a couple of days first."
Yao San smiled wryly: "Please don’t tease me. You’re probably even more anxious than I am. It’s fine, I’ll leave early tomorrow morning."
Tang Shen smiled.
Just as Yao San was about to leave, he noticed a book spread open on Tang Shen’s desk. He asked curiously, "Oh, Little Boss, have you been practicing... drawing talismans recently?"
"Talismans?"
Yao San said, "Yes, what else could that book on your desk be? Isn’t it about talismans?"
Tang Shen followed Yao San’s gaze, his expression changed slightly. He calmly put the book away and said with a smile, "Well, I’ve read a few Taoist books and learned a little. Alright, you should go now and spend more time with Aunt Yao."
"Yes."
After Yao San left, Tang Shen reopened the "talismans" book and looked at it quietly.
If Yao San were fortunate enough to travel to the future and attend nine years of compulsory education, he would recognize that the book was filled not with Taoist talismans, but with Chinese Pinyin!
Tang Shen placed the Chinese Pinyin book into a secret compartment behind the bookshelf, blew out the candle, and left the study.
Tang Huang and Aunt Yao had just arrived in Shengjing and were full of curiosity about the bustling capital. Since Tang Shen had to go to work every day, he didn’t have time to show them around, so he left this task to Feng Bi.
After being a junior chamberlain for half a month, Tang Shen finally began to truly record the Emperor’s daily life.
On this day of the morning court, he no longer arrived at the left side of the throne with Li Shu but went alone to the right side of the throne. As if rehearsed countless times, Tang Shen joined the officials in the audience greeting the Emperor, then sat down and began taking notes.
After the court session, he went with Li Shu to the Emperor’s study. While the Emperor read books and documents, they didn’t rest but reviewed and polished the records made earlier in the day, ensuring accuracy.
By the end of the day, although he hadn’t written much, Tang Shen felt tense throughout, his back damp with sweat.
From start to finish, Zhao Fu hadn’t glanced at him, as if he had completely forgotten that he had personally appointed this tanhua in Zichen Hall.
At night, Zhao Fu went to the Immortal Ascension Platform, and Tang Shen and Li Shu waited outside.
This Li daren, according to other chamberlains, wasn’t known for having a good temper, but he wasn’t particularly difficult to get along with either. However, as Tang Shen learned beside him, he was always polite. Tang Shen knew this was because he came from a prestigious background and had "backing." Even the zhuangyuan, Yao Shan, who was on equal footing with Li Shu as a fifth-rank Chamberlain, hadn’t received such treatment.
As they waited outside the Immortal Ascension Platform, it was expected they would have to wait another hour for the Emperor to come out.
Li Shu smiled and asked, "On your first real day on the job, how does it feel, Tang daren?"
Tang Shen feigned distress: "It seemed easy enough watching from the sidelines, but now that I’m actually doing it, it’s a thousand difficulties and hardships. Not to mention, the speed of the Emperor’s and officials' conversations is too fast for me to keep up with. I can’t afford to make a single mistake in my notes."
Li Shu nodded and said, "You're right. Even if you don't manage to record everything, later we can check each other's records to fill in the gaps. But if you make a mistake, that could be fatal."
The two spoke softly as the sky gradually darkened.
After a while, a man in a deep red official robe hurriedly walked along the palace path. Under the setting sun, the man wore an official hat and had a face like a jade crown and eyes like peach blossoms. Both Li Shu and Tang Shen instinctively looked at him. The man quickly turned his gaze towards them with sharp eyes.
Li Shu recognized him and inwardly groaned, why is it him!
He then quickly lowered his head and stopped looking.
Tang Shen, however, glanced a few more times. The young official noticed Tang Shen still watching him and smirked. After a moment, he withdrew his gaze, approached the Immortal Ascension Platform, and whispered a few words to the young Taoist who was guarding the palace door. The Taoist immediately pushed the door open and, after a short while, the young official entered.
When the door closed, Li Shu sighed in relief and said softly, "Finally, we've sent away this calamity."
Tang Shen asked, "Who was that?"
Li Shu looked around, knowing there was no one else present, and lowered his voice even more, "That was Su Wenyun, the Junior Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. He’s not someone to be trifled with. If you can avoid him in the future, do so. Although he is only a fourth-rank official, he oversees all officials who have committed offenses. And the Emperor favors him greatly. Only a few, like the prime ministers from the Palace Secretariat and the Marshal of the Western Expedition Li Jingde, the Minister of Revenue Wang Zifeng, and Su Wenyun, have access to the Immortal Ascension Platform."
Tang Shen’s eyes dilated.
Su Wenyun!
[August 7, 24th Year of Kaiping: The emperor summoned Su Wenyun, the Junior Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. The emperor said, "Last night I had a terrifying dream. I saw the common people wailing in prison, with blood and tears on the bars." Su Wenyun replied, "Your Majesty is benevolent; I am still insufficient." The emperor said, "The grief of the world makes me grieve. Does Su Wenyun grieve my grief? We must reward the common people and benefit the people. I grant a general amnesty!" That day, the Emperor granted amnesty to criminals.]
Su Wenyun managed all convicted officials, so two years ago, Zhong Taisheng was under his jurisdiction!
As he pondered this, the hall door opened again, and Su Wenyun emerged.
Tang Shen kept his eyes down and did not look at him this time. He saw the deep red figure leave the Immortal Ascension Platform, and as he passed by Tang Shen and Li Shu, it seemed he paused for a moment. But perhaps it was an illusion, as he continued forward and left with strides.
After that, for the next few days, Tang Shen did not see any other officials coming in and out of the Immortal Ascension Platform.
Tang Shen’s work as a junior chamberlain became smoother and more proficient. In contrast, Yao Shan was not as capable. As a chamberlain, Yao Shan's main task was to record the emperor’s daily activities, with the junior chamberlains handling the primary recording, while the chamberlain’s role was to supplement and oversee. However, Yao Shan, having been in the military for many years, was slower at writing than Tang Shen and sometimes fell behind in recording the emperor’s words.
Thus, November arrived.
At the beginning of November, Tang Shen returned home and saw Yao San waiting for him in a fur coat. Upon seeing Tang Shen, Yao San immediately walked over and said, "Little Boss, things over there are different from what we initially thought. It couldn't be explained clearly in letters, so I had to come back. I heard that Shopkeeper Lu has already selected the address for the Xixia Tower and has bought the restaurant, but I've run into a problem here." At this point, Yao San showed a look of embarrassment, "First, I want Shopkeeper Lu to accompany me; it would be more convenient with him there. Second... I want to ask you privately to come with me."
Tang Shen frowned, "Privately come with you?"
Yao San smiled wryly, "Doing business with the Liao people is much harder than I imagined. I can't make many decisions on my own. Only you have the decisiveness and can grasp the situation. That place is not safe, so I want you to disguise yourself as a servant and follow me and Shopkeeper Lu. That way, you'll be better protected."
Tang Shen thought for a moment, "How much have you negotiated so far?"
"Thirty percent."
This was far below Tang Shen’s expectations.
Yao San said, "Thirty percent is because there are many things I dare not finalize. If you go, it will be ninety percent!"
Tang Shen thought carefully and said, "Alright, I’ll take a break in three days and request a few more days off to go with you!"
The next day, at the government office, Tang Shen reported his request for leave to his superior Li Shu. Li Shu didn’t ask any questions and directly approved the leave. Leaving the Secretariat, Tang Shen sighed, "It really is convenient to have people in the court. Having connections is just so nice!"
A few days later, as Tang Shen was preparing to leave Shengjing, he realized he hadn't visited his two backers for half a month.
Acting on impulse, after leaving the office, Tang Shen immediately took some local specialties from Gusu Prefecture to the Fu Residence. Fu Wei was painting when Tang Shen arrived. Seeing him, Fu Wei said, "Jing Ze is here. Come, evaluate this masterpiece of mine."
Tang Shen: "…"
"Sir, the description ‘masterpiece’ is meant to be praised by others, not used for self-praise!"
After delivering the gifts and catching up with Fu Wei, Tang Shen then went to the Minister Residence with another gift box.
Unfortunately, Wang Zhen was not there; he had gone to the palace to see the emperor and would not return for a short while.
Tang Shen considered and said, "I'll wait for Senior Brother."
The steward replied, "Very well."
By the time the moon was high and the stars were dense, after a long day, Tang Shen finally couldn't resist and fell asleep in the chair. In his drowsy state, he felt an itch on his nose, and instinctively swatted at it. He heard a crisp sound. Tang Shen instantly woke up, opened his eyes, and saw Wang Zhen slightly bent over, looking at him in surprise.
The two of them stared at each other for a long while. After a moment, Wang Zhen spoke first, with a hint of hurt and disbelief in his voice, "Little Junior Brother, you..."
Tang Shen was dumbfounded.
He had been sleeping in the chair and felt an itch on his nose, so he instinctively swatted at it. But now, seeing the position, it seemed Wang Zhen had lowered his head to look at him, and his hair had brushed against Tang Shen's nose, causing the itch, and Tang Shen’s swat...
He had slapped Wang Zhen's face!
Oh no, he came to deliver gifts and ended up slapping Wang Zhen. Will he still be able to give the gift?
No, could this slap have driven away his most significant backer?
Tang Shen first checked Wang Zhen’s face, which was fair and handsome, with no visible slap marks. But no one said a slap would always leave a mark. Tang Shen was frightened and quickly stood up, repeatedly saying, "Senior Brother, I was just asleep and didn’t know what happened. Did I do something wrong?"
Wang Zhen also said nothing, just quietly watching Tang Shen.
Tang Shen, feeling uneasy under his gaze, shifted his eyes and picked up the gift box on the table. "My sister came from Gusu a while ago and brought some Gusu-style pastries. I brought some for you to try."
Wang Zhen continued to look at him without speaking.
Tang Shen: "..."
Senior Brother, please, just say something!
Finally, under Tang Shen's imploring gaze, Wang Zhen spoke: "It's been awhile, little Junior Brother. Seeing you asleep, I didn’t want to disturb you, so I tried to be gentle. Unexpectedly, you woke up and slapped my hand, as if you didn’t want to be close to me..."
Wang Zhen said this with a hurt expression, as though Tang Shen had broken his heart.
Tang Shen, feeling regretful, said: "Senior Brother, I was asleep at that time and didn’t know anything. Please don’t take it to heart. I didn’t mean to slap your hand away or avoid you; I was just asleep, and..."
His voice stopped abruptly as Tang Shen widened his eyes: "Slapped your hand away?"
Wang Zhen struggled to suppress his laughter: "Yes, when I saw you asleep, I gently brushed your cheek with my hair to be close to you."
For a moment, Tang Shen didn’t register the meaning of "be close to you." He stared at Wang Zhen, his mouth slowly opening but no words coming out.
Seeing his reaction, Wang Zhen couldn’t hold back his laughter any longer.
Wang Zhen had known from the start that Tang Shen misunderstood, but Tang Shen’s reaction was so amusing that he intentionally let the misunderstanding continue.
Tang Shen slowly closed his mouth, then abruptly threw the gift box back onto the table and turned to leave.
Wang Zhen's expression tightened, and he grabbed Tang Shen's wrist.
"Little Junior Brother."
Anyone who was being teased would be upset, and Tang Shen was no exception. Angrily, he said: "Senior Brother, the gift is delivered, and I should take my leave." He tried to walk away again.
But Wang Zhen firmly held onto his wrist.
Tang Shen looked up at him: "Wang Zifeng!"
Wang Zhen’s clear eyes remained fixed on Tang Shen. As Tang Shen met his gaze, his anger began to subside, and he realized his earlier attitude might have been too harsh. Regret and frustration welled up inside him, and he thought, forget it, I still need him now, and was about to apologize. However, Wang Zhen spoke in a soothing voice, saying words that were deeply stirring.
"Is Jing Ze angry today, because I teased you and made you anxious?"
"Or is Jing Ze angry at yourself for feeling anger but being unable to express it, having to endure everything and still be considerate of me?"
"Or maybe," Wang Zhen gently pulled Tang Shen closer, letting go of his wrist and looking down at him, speaking in a tempting voice, word by word, "Or maybe you’re even angry that you have to be anxious, that you are in such a position and feel helpless."
Tang Shen’s eyes widened, unable to respond to the questions.
Seeing Tang Shen’s expression, Wang Zhen should have found it very interesting, but at that moment, he felt no amusement at all. Instead, he felt a hint of displeasure and an undeniable pang of sadness. After a long sigh, he looked up at the steward outside the flower hall and said, "Prepare dinner, and set an extra pair of chopsticks."