Chapter 407: Chapter 151 Nightmare
After Qingming, the rainfall increased significantly.
In one night, the water rose so high that the bull-horn lanterns tied to the railings of Luoyue Bridge were submerged halfway. Days of overcast and rainy weather had turned the spring embankment into slippery mud. Passing carriages splashed mud and water everywhere.
In the hall of the Board of Rites Office, Jin Xianrong was sitting in a chair, reviewing the roster of the Ministry of Revenue.
Jin Xianrong was in a very good mood.
Ever since the Medical Officer Institute replaced the previous doctor with Doctor Lu to treat him, Jin Xianrong’s mood had stabilized significantly.
The symptoms of his kidney carbuncle were mostly gone. He took the medicines according to the prescriptions given by Lu Tong, dutifully applying ointments every day. Coupled with Lu Tong’s acupuncture sessions every few days, Jin Xianrong felt that the affected area was slowly improving, though he wasn’t sure if it was merely an illusion. It wasn’t dead water anymore; at least there was some sensation.
He thought that in a few more months, he would regain his vigor once again.
Jin Xianrong picked up his teacup and took a satisfying sip.
A carriage stopped at the entrance of the Board of Rites Office.
It was a vermilion wheel canopy carriage, more than twice the size of ordinary ones and looked extremely luxurious. A young man dressed in a dark blue jade silk robe stepped out from behind the lifted curtain of the carriage.
The young man was of medium height, not particularly tall, with a fair and gentle-looking face at first glance. However, the bones of his cheeks were somewhat pale, his eyes red, and upon closer inspection, he looked rather tired.
Jin Xianrong put down his teacup and squinted, smiling, "Yu Tai is here."
The visitor was Young Master Qi from the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion, Qi Yutai.
The current Grand Preceptor Qi Qing had one son and one daughter in total. The legitimate daughter, Qi Huaying, was well-known in Shengjing for her beauty and talent. Although the eldest son Qi Yutai’s appearance could not match the ethereal beauty of Qi Huaying, he was well-versed in poetry, rites, and calligraphy, and possessed a respectable character. Especially praised was his calligraphy, which was the talk of Shengjing, and he didn’t possess any bad temper often found in noble youths, appearing docile as if he were a daughter.
Of course, that was just the surface.
Qi Yutai walked into the hall, greeted Jin Xianrong with a bow, and was very polite, "Vice Minister Jin."
Jin Xianrong got up from his chair, slung his arm over Qi Yutai’s shoulder, and walked inside with him, speaking affectionately, "A few days ago someone from your mansion said you caught a cold, and I was quite worried for a while. Without you in the Board of Rites Office, I couldn’t keep up with the work alone; the servants are clueless, not even bothering to refill a tea caddy when it’s empty. It’s good you’re back..."
"I will send someone to fill the tea immediately..."
"Ah, you make it sound as if I were waiting for your tea..."
"..."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries and sending Jin Xianrong off, Qi Yutai went into his own room, closed the door, and sank into the chair.
The desk was covered in scattered official documents.
These were accumulated during the days he was absent, but altogether, there weren’t many. Nowadays, the Ministry of Revenue held little real power, and even his provincial position was mostly symbolic. At the Ministry of Revenue, he was merely biding his time and collecting his salary; his presence or absence made no difference.
Looking at those scrolls, Qi Yutai felt agitated.
His father, Qi Qing, had arranged for him this position at the Ministry of Revenue.
Qi Yutai didn’t like this job.
As the only legitimate son of the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion, with his father towering above tens of thousands, there was no official position beyond his reach. Other officials’ children with lesser lineage could ascend swiftly through the ranks relying on their family’s influence, yet his father had arranged for him such a job.
An idle post, uninteresting, with an end in sight and no prospects for advancement.
Additionally, he had to tolerate annoying colleagues who loved to take advantage of others.
He had once expressed his dissatisfaction to his father and hoped that his father could arrange a more decent official position for him. Given the emperor’s reliance on his father, this would not be difficult at all.
But Qi Qing seemed blind to his complaints and flatly refused.
So Qi Yutai could only stay in the Board of Rites Office.
The official documents on the desk became even more glaring. Qi Yutai brushed them aside, picked a fragrant pill from a side jar, and lit and tossed it into the gilded double-moth patterned incense burner on the desk.
The fragrant pill was made of high-quality Spirit Rhinoceros Fragrance. Since Qi Yutai had come to understand things, the mansion had always burned this type of incense. After he came to the Ministry of Revenue, his father arranged for many to be prepared for him to burn at the Board of Rites Office.
However, the last time he left, the jar was full of Spirit Rhinoceros Fragrance, and now only one was left. It seemed that Jin Xianrong had helped himself to it; Jin Xianrong always liked to take such small advantages.
Gradually, blue smoke rose from the incense burner, the familiar subtle aroma entering his nose and easing his earlier irritability.
He took a deep breath, feeling calm and composed, and leaning back, he closed his eyes to rest his spirits.
...
"Young Master Qi."
"Young Master Qi..."
It seemed like someone was speaking in his ear.
Who was calling him?
Qi Yutai wanted to open his eyes but found his eyelids heavy, as if they couldn’t be lifted.
Was he dreaming?
The voice kept calling him: "Young Master Qi..."