The Kingdom That Never Sleeps CH 065 Lingzi Stone
TN: bonus chapterđź’•
Among the four prime ministers in Qinzheng Hall, the Right Vice Prime Minister, Xu Bi, is the eldest, having surpassed the age of seventy this year. It is said that last year, Xu xianggong requested to retire and return to his hometown, and Zhao Fu was initially inclined to agree. However, since no suitable replacement could be found, removing Xu Bi might greatly disrupt the balance of the court. So, Zhao Fu kept him in office.
Xu xianggong is known for his kind demeanor and often meets with fourth-rank officials in the back room of Qingzheng Hall. All memorials sent from various regions to Shengjing must first pass through Xu Bi before being presented to the emperor. Tang Shen, as a Secretariat official, had just returned from Xu Bi's room when he saw two government workers carrying a box of memorials, following him into the office.
Tang Shen sighed deeply.
He had spent the entire morning reviewing memorials.
By noon, his stomach was growling. While the officials continued working, the government workers in Qinzheng Hall brought meals to the officials, each carrying a bucket of food.
Officials working in Qinzheng Hall are at least fourth-rank, prestigious even in the capital of Shengjing, making them close confidants of the emperor. However, when it came to lunch, the food the government workers brought over was still the simplest—one meat dish and one vegetable dish. The rice was so hard it hurt one's teeth, and while the side dishes were fine, they were far from tasty.
Tang Shen recalled that when he served as a chamberlain in the past, if it was his turn to serve in the palace, he would follow Zhao Fu and enjoy a decent meal cooked by the imperial chefs. On days when he wasn’t on duty, the food at the government office was just as bad as that at Qinzheng Hall—even worse than the canteen food in the future!
Having enjoyed two years of good food while living in Gusu, and with Aunt Yao’s excellent cooking when he returned home, Tang Shen found his current status as a high official sounded prestigious, but it meant he would no longer enjoy meals prepared by the imperial chefs. From now on, he would only eat this subpar food every day.
Tang Shen sighed and began eating with no appetite.
In Qinzheng Hall, the officials seemed used to it, eating their meals calmly.
Halfway through his meal, Tang Shen suddenly noticed a familiar figure standing outside. He paused, thought for a moment, and then set down his chopsticks to walk out.
In the middle of the courtyard stood Wang Zhen, dressed in a deep red official robe, holding a token in his hand, looking at Tang Shen.
At first glance, Tang Shen noticed the token and asked, "Senior Brother, what brings you here? What is that?"
Wang Zhen tucked the token into his sleeve, gave Tang Shen a once-over, and sighed, "Little Junior Brother, have you lost weight?"
Tang Shen was puzzled. He thought to himself, but I don’t think I’ve lost weight?
"Why do you say that, Senior Brother?"
Wang Zhen replied, "You haven't lost weight yet, but in three days, you definitely will. Can you even stomach the food here in Qinzheng Hall?"
Tang Shen grimaced, clearly suffering.
Wang Zhen understood his expression and smiled faintly. "Come with me."
Tang Shen, unsure of what was going on, followed Wang Zhen. As they walked through the flower corridor, every government worker who passed them would stop to greet "Wang xianggong" before continuing on their way. Wang Zhen led Tang Shen to the office where he worked as the Minister of Revenue. Just before entering, Tang Shen hesitated and stopped.
Wang Zhen turned to look at him. "Meng daren is not on duty in the palace today."
Meng daren, as in the Minister of Rites, Meng Lang!
Tang Shen hadn’t forgotten how, during his first visit to Qinzheng Hall, Meng daren had escorted him from the chambers of the four prime ministers all the way to the offices of the six ministries, making him feel like a spectacle for the high-ranking officials to gawk at. The culprit behind that ordeal was none other than Meng daren, who shared an office with Wang Zhen!
With Meng daren absent, Tang Shen felt at ease following Wang Zhen into the room.
After a moment, two government workers entered with a food box. They uncovered the dishes and set them on the table. Though not as good as the imperial chef’s cuisine, and even Wang Zhen's household cook could do better, Tang Shen had just eaten cafeteria food. Now, upon seeing this spread, his eyes lit up.
Wang Zhen had prepared a private meal!
The two began to eat, and after they were full, Tang Shen curiously asked, "Senior Brother, where did this food come from? I thought all the officials in Qinzheng Hall ate together."
Wang Zhen explained, "You're not wrong, but you don’t know that the four prime ministers have their own private kitchen."
"Ah?" Wait, what does that have to do with you?
Wang Zhen sipped his Longjing tea, gazing into the distance, and softly said, "I’ve been fortunate to receive the favor of the Right Prime Minister, so I often get to share some of the food."
It took Tang Shen a while to process this...
The Right Minister?
Wang Quan!
Wang Zhen’s uncle!
Indeed, having connections in the court makes everything easier—even eating is different from others! Then, upon reflection, Tang Shen realized he also had connections in the court—he had Wang Zhen. That’s how he managed to enjoy this meal.
After eating, they shared some tea, and Tang Shen was about to return to reviewing memorials. Just before leaving, he hesitated and said, "Senior Brother Zi Feng."
"Hmm?"
"I'm currently working under Xu xianggong."
Wang Zhen looked up at Tang Shen.
Tang Shen met his gaze.
After a long pause, Wang Zhen smiled. "Little Junior Brother, would you like to come for lunch again tomorrow?"
Tang Shen let out a breath of relief and smiled. "Sure!"
Since Zhao Fu ascended the throne, the ministers of the Secretariat have changed several times. Some were demoted for serious crimes, but most retired peacefully due to old age. The four prime ministers currently in charge of Qinzheng Hall each have their own faction.
Among them, Left Prime Minister Ji Wengji, who came from humble origins, keeps to himself and rarely interacts with the other three.
Right Prime Minister Wang Quan, from a prestigious family of the Langya Wang clan, is close friends with Left Vice Prime Minister Chen Linghai, his former classmate.
Meanwhile, the eldest of the prime ministers, Right Vice Prime Minister Xu Bi, is a respected elder who has served under three emperors.
Wang Zhen belongs to the younger generation of officials, but he is also Wang Quan’s nephew. No matter what, he’s tied to Wang Quan. Now that Tang Shen works under Xu Bi, he had intentionally brought this up with Wang Zhen. Wang Zhen’s response was simply to invite him for lunch the next day, brushing off the matter without much concern.
Though it wasn’t a major issue, Tang Shen didn’t want this to cause a rift in his relationship with Wang Zhen. By now, his feelings toward Wang Zhen had grown beyond mere utility. He had come to see him as a true senior brother—a trusted friend, almost like an elder sibling. He had never forgotten what Wang Zhen did for him that night at the posthouse in Cizhou.
Zhao Fu sent Wang Zhen to Cizhou to check on the progress of the embezzlement case. Wang Zhen could have proceeded at a normal marching speed. Even if he arrived at Cizhou without obtaining Su Wenyun's ledger, he would still receive praise from Zhao Fu. At the age of just twenty-seven, he had already achieved the rank of Minister of Revenue. This time, even with his great contributions, Zhao Fu only rewarded him with gold and silver, with no other accolades. No matter how great his achievements, all Zhao Fu could give him were material rewards.
The reason for his urgency in marching was, firstly, to get involved in the Cizhou embezzlement case earlier and claim more credit. Secondly, it was because of Tang Shen.
Cizhou was a dangerous quagmire, filled with dangers. Tang Shen was only a minor fifth-rank chamberlain. Everyone knew he was the emperor's spy, but his position in Cizhou was awkward, as he wasn’t truly accepted by anyone.
Tang Shen knew that Wang Zhen had hurried his march to Cizhou for his sake.
Now that Wang Zhen had made his stance clear, Tang Shen felt a great weight lift off his shoulders.
As he was about to leave, Wang Zhen rose from the chair and grabbed his wrist.
"Senior Brother Zi Feng?"
"Jing Ze, I’m very happy today."
Tang Shen was taken aback.
"...I don’t understand what you mean, Senior Brother."
Wang Zhen smiled, his already delicate features becoming even more elegant and refined as his eyes curved. He let go of Tang Shen’s hand. "Go ahead."
Tang Shen: "…?"
What madness has Wang Zifeng come under now?
Feeling bewildered, Tang Shen returned to his room and spent the entire day reading memorials. By evening, he saw the carriages of the four prime ministers leave the front gate of Qinzheng Hall one by one, followed by several second-rank ministers of the six ministries carrying the lanterns of their respective houses. Only after the third-rank officials had departed did Tang Shen and the other fourth-rank officials leave the palace.
In early September, Yao San and Tang Huang traveled to Ningzhou.
Half a month later, they returned from Ningzhou. Yao San brought back a letter and handed it to Tang Shen, saying, "Little boss, I’ve met Wang daren and delivered your letter. He said everything is fine and wrote you this letter. Please have a look."
Tang Shen opened the letter and carefully read through it.
The letter, written by Wang Xiao, detailed matters regarding the official road in Ningzhou.
Among the three official roads, the one in Ningzhou was the best constructed. However, due to unexpected heavy rains in the north, the roads had become muddy and unsuitable for construction. As a result, the scheduled completion of the road, originally set for the end of September, had to be postponed until the end of October.
This timeframe was still within Tang Shen's acceptable range, as it was only in November that the flow of customers to Xixia Tower would significantly increase.
However, this time, Li Yude, the Left Vice Minister of Works responsible for the construction of the Ningzhou road, managed to surprise everyone.
By early October, the Ningzhou road was completely finished.
Li Yude returned to Shengjing with the completed road project, just in time for Zhao Fu’s birthday. The emperor was greatly pleased and bestowed many rewards.
The emperor’s grand birthday was a time of celebration for the entire nation.
That afternoon, as Tang Shen was secretly eating a private meal in the Minister of Revenue’s room, Wang Zhen took only one bite, set down his chopsticks, and smiled at him.
With Wang Zhen looking at him like that, how could Tang Shen even think about eating?
"Senior Brother..." What are you doing?
Wang Zhen: "What day is it today?"
Tang Shen paused for a moment, then found it quite amusing.
Wang Zifeng was truly an interesting person. Of course, he knew today was Wang Zhen’s birthday. There was probably no one in the world whose birthday was easier to remember—just recall that it was the day before the emperor's, and you'd remember it perfectly. Tang Shen hadn’t expected Wang Zhen to care about such things, and his question gave Tang Shen the strange feeling of being quizzed by a girlfriend about a hundred-day anniversary.
Tang Shen was speechless at his own bizarre thoughts. He cleared his throat and said, "Today is Senior Brother's birthday."
Wang Zhen: "Tonight, Sir is also coming over for dinner. When will you arrive, Jing Ze?"
Fu Wei is going too?
Tang Shen replied, "After I leave the palace, I’ll go home, change out of my official robes, and then head to the Minister Residence."
Wang Zifeng spent his twenty-seventh birthday at the Minister Residence.
The next day was the emperor’s birthday, a day of nationwide celebration.
By November, the cold winter in Shengjing became unbearable, and the flow of customers to Xixia Tower surged. Fortunately, there was no shortage of beef and mutton. After the completion of the Ningzhou road, a horse could make a round trip in just one day.
In early December, Shopkeeper Lu and Yao San made a trip to the north. When they returned, Shopkeeper Lu brought back a white stone and handed it to Tang Shen. Upon seeing the stone, Tang Shen’s eyes lit up. He examined it for a long time, then asked, "Where did you find this?"
Shopkeeper Lu replied, "This isn’t from Ningzhou. We had to go farther northeast, near the border with Liao. That’s where we found it. Little boss, is this the dolomite you were looking for? It took me quite a while to find it! The locals don’t call it dolomite, they call it 'lingzi stone!'"