Refuse to trample on the pride of heaven

Chapter 403 New official takes office

On the third day after the Qionglin Banquet, Lu Wensheng officially changed into the official uniform of a sixth-rank Hanlin Academy editor.

It was a well-tailored scarlet silk gown with patterns of cranes spreading their wings as if ready to fly embroidered in gold thread on the collar and cuffs. A dark green silk sash decorated with a mutton-fat jade cicada was tied around the waist, and the hem was outlined with layers of sea water patterns in silver thread, which implicitly reflected the official rank implication of "cranes roaming the sea and sky".

The green jade tassel on the official hat fell to his shoulders, swaying gently with his steps, making him look even more elegant and refined than the brocade robe that the top scholar wore when he was paraded through the streets.

In the dim morning light, he sat in the vermilion lacquered carriage and let the driver drive towards Chengtian Gate. The wheels rolled over the bluestone slabs, making regular "click" sounds.

The Hanlin Academy is located on the west side of Chengtian Gate. It is a three-story courtyard with ancient pines planted throughout the courtyard, providing thick shade.

Stepping into the Hanlin Academy, the interior furnishings are simple and solemn, yellowed classics are neatly arranged on the surrounding bookshelves, and the air is filled with the faint scent of ink and agarwood.

The officials here are either writing at their desks or discussing in low voices, it is a busy scene.

The work of the Hanlin Academy was complicated and meticulous. It was mainly responsible for the compilation of documents, from drafting imperial edicts, compiling history books, to recording the emperor's words and deeds. Every task could not tolerate the slightest mistake. At the same time, as the emperor's close attendants, they were required to be on call at all times, answer the emperor's inquiries, and participate in discussions of confidential court affairs. The responsibility was heavy.

The head scholar introduced Lu Wensheng to everyone and briefly explained the responsibilities of the Hanlin Academy: "In our dynasty, the Hanlin Academy is responsible for document compilation, reading and lecturing. All imperial edicts and the compilation of classics and history are from here. Although the position of editor is of the sixth rank, it is often with the emperor and has a heavy responsibility."

In the main hall of the government office, dozens of rosewood desks were neatly arranged, each of which was piled with documents a foot high. The wolf-hair brushes on the pen holders were stained with undried ink, and the scent of pine soot and ink in the inkstone mixed with the fragrance of bamboo outside the window, making people feel as if they were in a sea of ​​ink.

Lu Wensheng listened to the scholar's words and nodded in agreement. He glanced at the busy officials in the courtyard and saw that everyone was holding a file in their hands, some were writing quickly with their heads down, and some were frowning in deep thought. It really looked like a noble place.

The Hanlin Academy was indeed very busy, and the president of the academy simply gave a few instructions and then let him go to his office area to familiarize himself with the work.

Lu Wensheng was arranged to sit in front of a desk near the window. The desk was already piled with documents waiting to be processed. Memorials, classics, and manuscripts were piled up layer by layer, almost covering the entire desk.

"Since you are new here, please familiarize yourself with the Ming Dynasty Code and recent records of daily life." The archivist placed a pile of yellowed files on Lu Wensheng's desk. "Whenever there is a court meeting, you need to accompany His Majesty and record His Majesty's words. On weekdays, you need to compile the national history and draft imperial edicts—"

The other party left after he finished speaking. Many clerks hurried in with newly received urgent documents. The office was suddenly filled with the sounds of grinding ink and flipping papers.

Lu Wensheng looked at the mountain of documents and couldn't help rubbing his temples - fortunately, he had an excellent memory and had studied hard in the original owner's study for a few days, so he could barely cope with it.

Faced with a mountain of documents, he had no choice but to pick up his pen and start working.

Before he knew it, it was already past noon and Lu Wensheng had finally finished dealing with a pile of memorials.

He leaned back in his chair, looking at the neatly arranged papers in front of him, and suddenly realized that he was actually working in this formation, and doing a good job.

She also started working in the formation.

Lu Wensheng: “Wait.” It seemed like he wasn’t really here to work. This damn occupational disease.

He rubbed his temples and decided to make an excuse to leave. Just then a colleague passed by, and he quickly stood up, his face slightly red, and stammered: "I, I feel a little uncomfortable, dizzy..."

He lowered his head and bit his lip. His eyelashes cast tiny shadows under his eyes. His handsome face was full of shyness. His hands unconsciously twisted his sleeves, just like a child who had made a mistake.

"Did you work too hard compiling last night?" Before he finished speaking, several colleagues gathered around him. Some handed him mint sachets, some asked the clerk to make ginseng tea, and even the rigid-looking official showed concern.

Lu Wensheng was a little flattered - he just wanted to say hello and leave.

He still remembered that he was wearing his official uniform and sitting upright. Fearing that the other party didn't hear him clearly, he stammered and repeated, "I, I feel a little uncomfortable. Maybe it's because I didn't have breakfast this morning and got a little draft..."

He was not good at lying to begin with, and at this moment he was so nervous that his palms were sweating, his face was stained with a thin layer of red, his eyes were slightly drooped, and his eyelashes cast butterfly-wing-like shadows under his eyes, making him look pitiful.

Seeing this, several colleagues showed understanding expressions. Someone whispered, "The work of the Imperial Academy is already heavy. Lord Lu is new here, so it's inevitable that he is not used to it. Why don't you go to the Imperial Hospital first to check it out, so that you can rest assured."

Officials: They say that there is too much work and they get irritated. Look how embarrassed the child is, his face is red.

Lu Wensheng didn't expect that his unskilled lie would cause such a big reaction. Seeing the concerned eyes of his colleagues, he felt a little guilty, but he had to continue pretending: "Maybe it's because I'm not used to the climate here, it's okay, I'll just go out for a walk, sorry to bother you all, I'll be back soon."

When his colleagues saw him like this, they thought that he was a new official who was under a lot of pressure and was not used to the tediousness of officialdom, so they nodded and asked him to go and have a rest.

Some people were even considerate enough to bring out their own cloaks and insist on putting them on him, fearing that he would catch a cold.

Lu Wensheng thanked him repeatedly and took the opportunity to leave the Hanlin Academy. Walking on the palace road, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but curl up a smug smile at the corner of his mouth - Oh yeah, his acting skills have improved a lot, and no one noticed!

The system watched the whole thing and was somewhat speechless: Is it because of the acting? It was too lazy to say.

A colleague was kind enough to help Lu Wensheng deal with the remaining work. He gently flipped open the neatly stacked proposal documents and saw that each proposal was densely covered with Lu Wensheng's comments.

Some are detailed analyses of the progress of the Hanlin Academy in compiling historical books, with everything from chapter frameworks to historical material sources clearly marked; some are suggestions for internship arrangements for new imperial examination candidates entering the Hanlin Academy, which not only take into account everyone's expertise, but also carefully plan their learning and practice content.

Lu Wensheng: Hehehe, come and experience the charm of the modern framework.

The more this colleague watched, the more shocked he was. He didn't expect that Lu Wensheng had handled all these tasks so perfectly.

Colleagues gathered around him and looked at the meticulous comments. They were also touched: Do you have to finish your work even if you feel uncomfortable? You are such a jerk!

At this time, the dean of the academy also walked over. He glanced at the documents presented by the other party, and his eyes lit up instantly.

It was as if I saw a good talent who could work hard and be like a slave for the Hanlin Academy.

Lu Wensheng, who always gets eager to make a move when he sees a good seedling, doesn't know that he is the one being targeted as a good seedling instead.

Isn't this just in line with the saying "hunting geese all day and getting pecked in the eye by the geese"?