The Dali Temple, alongside the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate, was known as the "Three Judicial Offices." As the highest judicial organ, the facade of the Dali Temple was incredibly imposing.
Song Ming straightened his constable's uniform and gazed at the majestic gate for a long time. Constables at the Dali Temple held official rank. Although only a ninth-grade official, he was considered to have an official position. If his mother were still alive, seeing him so accomplished, how happy she would be.
The words "Dali Temple" shone brightly under the sunlight, making his eyes sting. Tears quietly welled up and escaped his eyes. He quickly lowered his head to wipe them away. At that moment, an annoying voice came from beside him, "A new official taking office, that's a good thing. Why are you crying?"
"Who, who's crying? It's the sunlight."
Meng Changdong shrugged, "Whatever you say, alright, stop standing here, hurry up and get to work."
He too had put on an official uniform, a seventh-grade clerk, still doing the work of a scribe.
Meng Changdong was quite satisfied with this.
His boss was reliable. Just at the start of the year, he had secured official positions for both of them. He truly had not followed the wrong person. Both of them sighed inwardly and stepped into the yamen they had once only dreamed of.
The interior of the Dali Temple was somewhat desolate. Song Ming found it strange, "Where is everyone?"
Meng Changdong said, "Perhaps they've all gone out to investigate cases?"
"No way, not a single soul in sight. Is the Dali Temple that busy?"
"Consider what kind of place the Dali Temple is. How many cases are waiting? Are they going to stay inside and hide, drinking tea, instead of going out to investigate?"
Song Ming nodded in agreement and stopped dwelling on it. After walking for a while, they encountered an old man sweeping the grounds, who finally told them Gu Yanchen's office location. They proceeded there.
Upon arrival, Gu Yanchen was engrossed in writing. Hearing footsteps, he looked up and greeted them, "You're here?"
"Yes." Song Ming's eyes were practically glowing, "Boss, I never imagined you'd actually get me an official position. You're truly too loyal."
"I'm just starting out myself. How could I possibly have the ability to secure official positions for you two? This is what you earned with two years of military merit."
Who was he kidding?
There were countless soldiers with military merit at sea, but not everyone had the opportunity to rise in rank and become rich. Moreover, they had entered the Dali Temple together, clearly indicating he had spoken well of them before the Emperor.
"Boss..." Song Ming was about to express his gratitude when his words were interrupted.
Gu Yanchen said, "You two have come at the perfect time. I have a task for you."
Song Ming's respect deepened, "Boss, please instruct us."
Meng Changdong: ...
This guy was truly unmatched in his sycophancy.
Gu Yanchen asked, "You must have heard about Magistrate Feng's case, right?"
Meng Changdong nodded, "However, there are still many doubts surrounding this case. Boss, are you sending us to Yangzhou to investigate?"
"You think too highly of me. Who is Prince Ning? Can I question him?"
"Ah, so we're not investigating anymore?" Song Ming was a little surprised. "Must Magistrate Feng die with such a reputation based on Prince Ning's word alone?"
"This is the outcome now. The person is dead, but those who are alive must continue to live. You two go to Yangzhou, bring several skilled hands, and ensure his family is safely brought back to the capital."
Song Ming originally didn't want to go on assignment. He had just put on his official uniform and wanted to show off to Qing Ya. But Magistrate Feng was an old acquaintance of their boss, so this trip couldn't be delayed. The two exchanged glances and accepted their first mission.
Gu Yanchen watched the two figures retreat, hoping it wasn't too late.
Having found a shop and a workshop, Lu Nianfu had work to do as soon as she returned to the manor. Although she didn't have to handle everything personally, she still needed to oversee the overall direction. After pondering for a while, she took out a blank piece of paper and began to draw up a plan. She worked the entire afternoon and still hadn't finished when Gu Yanchen returned from his duties.
It was his first day at work, and she thought he should be quite happy. To her surprise, Gu Yanchen, while not frowning, certainly didn't look pleased. She went to greet him, "What's wrong? Were you bullied on your first day?"
"I didn't even see two people. What's there to be bullied about?"
"What do you mean?"
"The Deputy Minister of the Dali Temple is hosting a banquet today. All the ranked officials have been invited for drinks." Today, all ranked officials at the Dali Temple had taken leave. Besides Song Ming and Meng Changdong, the only ones left were the cleaners and doorkeepers.
Only Song Ming and Meng Changdong, lost in the joy of their sudden promotion, failed to notice the anomaly.
Lu Nianfu remarked, "Oh, that's quite a welcoming gesture. What do you plan to do?"
"What else can I do? I'm here to investigate cases, not to socialize."
"If the subordinates don't cooperate, what's the point of you being a lone boss? Why don't you host a banquet too, to ease the relationships?"
"The Deputy Minister of the Dali Temple, Jian Shijie, is the eldest son of the Marquis of Qi Ying's manor. If I hadn't appeared out of nowhere, he would have had a very good chance of becoming the head of the Dali Temple."