Chapter Thirty-Four: The Pedantic Hanlin Academician

  His popularity has decreased a bit, this is Jiang Feng's feeling. However, Zhang Liang over there doesn't seem like his usual rough and reckless self anymore, looking cautious and reserved. Jiang Feng finds it quite contemptible in his eyes, being from the modern era, he may admire power but far from having the deep-seated reverence or fear that people of this era have.

  Liu Xueshi's mansion was on the edge of this area, and it didn't take a few steps to get there. The two people walked for a while and arrived, looking at the mansion in front of them, feeling that it was not as luxurious and atmospheric as the previous high-ranking officials' mansions, but rather somewhat shabby, even inferior to the houses of those merchants in Nancheng.

  Zhang Liang knocked on the door, and for a long time, no one came to answer. Jiang Feng looked at him from below, suddenly got angry, walked up the stairs and kicked Zhang Liang, scolding:

  "Slamming the door like this won't even scare away the mosquitoes inside, get out of here!"

  Although the apprenticeship was only for one day, the brutal beating ten or more days ago and this morning had clearly left a deep impression on Zhang Liang, who didn't dare say anything and quietly slipped to the side. Jiang Feng, on the other hand, showed no mercy, stretching out his fist and using all his strength to pound away with a loud thud.

  Shouting loudly in his mouth:

  "Is anyone there? Is anyone opening the door?"

  Zhang Liang behind was startled, hastily waved his hand, indicating not to make such a big noise. Jiang Feng turned around and glared at him fiercely, scolding:

  "Look at you, so spineless."

  At this time, on the quiet street in front of the door, except for a sedan chair carried by four people, an old man over 50 years old followed beside the sedan chair, dressed as a family member, seeing someone knocking on the door so fiercely, he shouted from afar:

  "Don't knock anymore, don't knock anymore..."

  In the capital, this place, on one street there are often only two households, with two doors or two walls facing each other. Jiang Feng still thought that old fellow was from another household and smiled as he replied:

  "Uncle, it's alright, I'm not tired, let's talk after the people inside come out."

  The sedan carriers quickened their pace and arrived at the gate, where the old housekeeper was already panting and pointing at Jiang Feng while gasping for air.

  "This is the residence of Hanlin Academy's Liu Xueshi, you are being loud and boisterous here, do you still have any decorum?"

  Jiang Feng was taken aback, could it be that the master of this mansion was actually inside this humble sedan chair? Compared to those majestic horses and grand carriages on the road, this sedan chair seemed too shabby. Zhang Liang immediately realized that this old man might be the steward of Liu Xue's mansion, so he hastily descended the steps with a smile and said:

  "Elderly household, we are guards dispatched from the Pacification Office. We came to report today and will have to trouble you again in the future."

  Who would have thought that the old man, upon hearing that it was the Pacification Commissioner's office, actually didn't even bother to respond, and walked up to the sedan chair, lifted the curtain, and out came a middle-aged man in his forties, wearing a black hat, a blue robe with a mandarin square on the chest, and a belt around his waist.

  Jiang Feng was stunned, it was the first time he had seen a formal official attire since coming to the Ming Dynasty these days. This attire looked similar to that of a seventh-grade sesame official. He thought of the ugly appearance of the clown and couldn't help but chuckle at his own ridiculous thoughts.

  After the four sedan chair bearers put down the person and walked away, the middle-aged official followed the old housekeeper beside him and whispered a few words. He looked up at the Jin Yiwei standing on the steps with a silly smile, a Hanlin who was a sixth-grade official, Jiang Feng had no grade or rank but stood in the first place with a silly smile, his eyebrows furrowed instantly.

  He let out a cold snort and walked away, ignoring Jiang Feng. Zhang Liang dodged to the side and pulled Jiang Feng over, who had just reacted and wanted to greet him, but the other party didn't even notice him, and directly went in. Jiang Feng suddenly felt a bit angry, but there was nothing he could do about it.

  As the old steward passed by, he stretched out his hand and beckoned them to come in. Jiang Feng suppressed the anger in his heart and walked in. As soon as he entered the door, there was a room on the side, which was obviously the gatehouse. Although it was old and dilapidated, it was still clean and tidy. The old man said:

  "This old man is the steward of this mansion, you can call me Liu Steward or Old Liu, it's all up to you, and this is your place, Master Jun."

  Jiang Feng was about to ask something else, but Liu Guan Jia had already raised his hand and made a gesture of sending him off. With one hand on Jiang Feng's back, he pushed him out the door. Before Jiang Feng could react, he was already outside, and Liu Guan Jia slammed the door shut behind him. Jiang Feng's heart was racing as he wondered what this strange behavior meant.

  Just as he was about to go over and shout, Liu Guan's wife stuck her head out again to say:

  "If the military officer is coming to Liu's residence for a visit, he needs to arrive at noon. Otherwise, there will be no one to answer the door. If he comes, please stay in the gatehouse and don't move around. The inside of the house is all family members, it's very inconvenient. The Liu family is poor and has nothing to entertain with, I apologize."

  The door closed suddenly, and Jiang Feng was stunned, unsure of what to say. This reception method made him at a loss for words, with no mental preparation whatsoever.

  Zhang Liang pulled him over and said:

  "Master, let's hurry back, if we start fighting, it will be curfew, let's go quickly."

  In ancient times, except for major festivals, after 7 pm according to modern time, no one was allowed to enter or exit the streets except for the night watchman and patrolling soldiers. Jiang Feng didn't want to cause trouble, so he turned his head back, looked around, and then walked away. On the road, Zhang Liang was muttering to himself:

  "I remembered that in Liu Xiansheng's household, apart from him and the old steward, there were only his wife, daughter, and a servant girl. They were notoriously poor. The previous brother who came to observe for several months spent all of their family savings, but couldn't bear this kind of poverty, so he was directly transferred to another government department."

  Then he hesitated for a while and finally said:

  "Then everyone chipped in and had you transferred over, Master."

  Jiang Feng was taken aback when he heard this, but then he understood that Liu Xueshi was probably just a nominal noble, and that the officials of the Ming dynasty had very low salaries. Without some extra income, everyone would likely starve to death. In such an environment, no one's hands were clean.

  If you do too cleanly, you may be excluded everywhere. In the officialdom, if there is no faction, it may be the most troublesome. This Liu Xueshi probably also works hard in this position of Hanlin Academy lecturer. Zhang Liang on the other side continues to speak:

  "Master, did you see that sedan chair? It was still assigned to him by the Ministry of Rites. A Hanlin Academy scholar going out would have a large green sedan chair or a high horse carriage, how could it be so shabby?"

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