NOVEL NEXT Chapter 105 - I
Jing Xingzhi looked at him and suddenly woke up from the wine.
He exhaled and inhaled again, feeling that the air had become three cents heavier.
Jing Xingzhi looked at the sixth-grade brother and said, “I haven’t done anything, so I can’t accept it.”
Although the things didn’t seem to be worth much, Jing Xingzhi would have felt guilty if he accepted them.
Because he had just done it with a little effort, and he was not sincere—he was just doing it conveniently.
Jing Xingzhi’s purpose in asking for a raise for other officials and him, had been that he didn’t want to go to the north to eat dirt in vain and wanted Li Yunxi to know that letting him work would require sacrifice.
He also wanted to show others that he was stubborn but not stupid.
But he hadn’t expected that these accompanying officials were so serious. They all wanted to thank him, which made Jing Xingzhi feel ashamed.
Jing Xingzhi looked forward and saw that there were “wolves” in front of him, waiting to eat his little lamb.
So, after he said this, before the sixth-grade brother could react, he ran back quickly.
He ran back, still smelling of alcohol. He couldn’t go with Xiao Fangfang, so it seemed he could only continue to ride in Old Master Hong’s carriage.
So, Jing Xingzhi took the teapot and returned to Hong Jiyi’s car.
He complained to Hong Jiyi breathlessly: “Master Hong, those of your men are too cruel. They have to stop me to give me things. Please take care of them!”
Hong Jiyi smiled and asked, “You didn’t take it?”
Jing Xingzhi shook his head. “How can I accept it?”
He thought to himself, ‘If I want to accept these gifts full of sincere gratitude, I have to wait until I am qualified to receive them. I don’t deserve it now.’
“It seems that I still have face, so you accepted mine.” Hong Jiyi laughed, making him look two points younger.
Jing Xingzhi poured himself a sip of tea and said, “They were too much. It scared me so much that I woke up.”
“Hahaha! In fact, those are just small things, not valuable, and they can’t afford to give away the expensive ones. But if you don’t want to accept them, just tell them.”
As Hong Jiyi spoke, he stretched out his hand to summon the old servant from his family and gave an explanation.
The whole team was delayed for a while and soon set off again.
The person who was sent away walked off, and the person who sent him away also went back home.
The scholars in Shiliting Pavillion quickly dispersed and went back to their homes.
The second and third place, who had organized the send-off, and Wu Mingrui, who was Jing Xingzhi’s friend, stayed behind, and they had to watch the servants take care of things.
Once the people dispersed, the pavilion seemed much emptier.
Zhang Tong, wearing regular clothes, walked out of the shop not far from Shiliting Pavillion and approached the area.
Five days ago, Wu Mingrui had been awarded the highest rank among the Jinshi who had not held an official position.
Li Yunxi had quietly come today to see off the northbound team and personally asked about the ambitions of the “future brother-in-law.”
Of course, Wu Mingrui didn’t know all this. He had sent his friend off, poured himself wine with some disappointment, and drank one cup after another.
The people in front had already become officials, and the people behind had also become officials, so he wouldn’t be embarrassed. But this separation was unpleasant.
The second-place brother also felt a little sad after parting, so he drank happily with him.
As soon as Zhang Tong arrived, he saw that Wu Mingrui’s face was red and smelled of alcohol. He went up and patted him on the shoulder impatiently. “Young Master Wu!”
“Hiccup—” Wu Mingrui opened his mouth and raised his head in confusion, only to be startled awake by Zhang Tong.
Who was Zhang Tong? The people around Li Yunxi in the palace were also Li Yunxi’s “spokesmen”!
Wu Mingrui stretched out his hand to rub his face and realized what was happening but still asked a little sluggishly, “Eunuch Zhang, why are you here?”
As soon as “eunuch” came out, Zhang Tong immediately became the centre of attention.
The third-place uncle worriedly supported the second-place brother and said, “Hello, Mr. Zhang.”
Zhang Tong smiled and waved his hand casually. “Hello, sorry to bother, keep drinking. I have something to do with Young Master Wu. Young Master Wu, come with me.”
Wu Mingrui followed him out of Shiliting Pavilion, frowned, and asked, “Eunuch Zhang, could it be… could it be that the Holy Emperor is here too?”
Seeing Zhang Tong nodding, Wu Mingrui was extremely upset.
As an ancient person and a scholar, meeting the saint was a big deal for Wu Mingrui!
But Wu Mingrui’s current situation—smelling of alcohol, his clothes slightly dishevelled, his face red—no matter how people looked at it, was terrible.
But when he went out today, he hadn’t brought any change of clothes. Wu Mingrui frowned and adjusted his clothes reluctantly, then said worriedly, “Eunuch Zhang, I smell of alcohol, and I’m afraid I’ll offend the Holy Emperor…”
Zhang Tong smiled and said, “It’s okay. The Holy Emperor is a disciple of Chief Fang, and are actually very close to you. Young Master Wu is seeing Young Master Jing off today. Drinking is normal. The Holy Emperor is so wise and will not blame others randomly.”
While Zhang Tong was talking to Wu Mingrui, he thought a little about Jing Xingzhi, who had just left.
Jing Zhuangyuan had called him Master Zhang, which sounded much more comfortable than “Eunuch Zhang.”
However, Zhang Tong also knew that he was in the business of serving others and his status was humble, so he didn’t care about it.
If he had really cared about something that made him unhappy, he would have been so angry with himself that he wouldn’t be as prosperous as he was now.
Zhang Tong couldn’t help but think of Master Xian, who had supported him in the past. Now that the emperor’s thoughts had changed, Master Xian had become a “eunuch” and had long since disappeared.