Zi Congheng knew that Mr. Jiang was seeking an official position in the Capital City.
In fact, there was a good solution at this moment.
Turn him in.
Mr. Jiang could get a good position.
Jiang Changtian just looked at him.
Zi Congheng felt uneasy under Mr. Jiang's gaze.
Being stared at by a sick person like this.
He felt uncomfortable.
He shifted his body, moving closer to Mianmian.
"I'm tired, can we end the lesson here?" he spoke up.
Mianmian's eyes immediately lit up with happiness.
"Is class over?"
Jiang Changtian patted his daughter's head.
"Yes, it's over."
She liked to call the examinations "class" and the end of examinations "class dismissal."
Jiang Changtian didn't really care much about his daughter's studies, but he saw how exceptionally happy she was every time after an examination, when "class was dismissed."
For the sake of her extra happiness, he might as well reluctantly accompany her to study a bit more each time.
In fact, teaching his daughter to read was quite tiring for Jiang Changtian.
Mentally exhausting.
Zi Congheng felt as if he had said something extraordinary.
A secret hidden deep in his heart for many years.
A secret that couldn't be spoken.
But this father and daughter pair was too calm.
Their reaction was too nonchalant.
They didn't become more respectful, nor did they become more distant.
Mianmian pulled at him and asked, "Brother, what do you want to eat tonight? I don't want noodles. Can you order something else? Let's not have noodles."
Zi Congheng: ... Wait, I'm the son of the Crown Prince.
Isn't that more important than what to eat?
He was so annoyed he forgot about his headache.
Jiang Changtian spoke solemnly: "Congheng."
Zi Congheng looked at him seriously.
Was he finally going to say something?
Was there something he needed to entrust to him?
"Congheng, Mianmian's recitation of the Analects isn't very good. As her brother, teach her, and try to make sure she learns it well."
Zi Congheng: "Um, oh... alright."
The next day.
Jiang Changtian went to report to the government office.
Several other officials like him were waiting there.
Once high-ranking local officials, fathers of the people in various regions, outstanding figures from different places, upon arriving in the Capital City, it was as if they had finally succeeded in their cultivation and ascended to the celestial realm.
Yet they became the lowest tier in this new celestial world.
They were all waiting at the government office for their official assignments.
There were unspoken rules to this.
Family background, whether one knew how to behave, how much of a red envelope gift was given, the order of arrival and queuing.
Jiang Changtian chatted briefly and learned that there was even a colleague who had been waiting for over a year...
This colleague could no longer afford to rent a house and was now sharing accommodation with others.
Those waiting for positions were extremely bored.
It was rare to see a newcomer.
Those who came here to report in so naively were probably those without connections.
Those with connections would have already been arranged for.
Seeing that the newcomer was so handsome, the others wanted to establish a good relationship.
They offered advice, talking over each other.
"The Emperor usually doesn't handle these matters, it's all done by Minister Lu. Minister Lu is actually quite fair, if you give him money, he'll get things done for you. But it's very difficult to get an audience with Minister Lu."
Just to see Minister Lu's housekeeper would cost several thousand taels of silver.
Not to mention the gifts to be sent to Minister Lu afterward.
For those who became officials through normal means without the backing of a big family, they might be able to embezzle such a large sum of money, but if it was all from embezzlement, they wouldn't pass the official inspections and couldn't enter the capital. However, to pass the inspections, they couldn't embezzle, and without embezzling, they had no money. Without money, they couldn't operate, and without being able to operate, they could only waste away here. A strange cycle.
If you don't have money to give, there are plenty of others who do.
The buying and selling of official positions in the current court had become a norm.
So even Jiang Er, with his background as a former rebel, wasn't particularly bad.
Some who purely bought their positions were really fat-headed and ignorant, knowing nothing.
They relied entirely on their advisors.
Because they spent a fortune to buy their positions, they naturally wanted to recoup their money, so they would do everything possible to extort money, creating a vicious cycle.
The current Emperor turned a blind eye to all this, or perhaps he knew some of it but felt it was harmless.
Everyone was scrambling to pay money to work for him, so it didn't matter.
The current Emperor, as long as it didn't interfere with his enjoyment, everything else could be put aside.
The most favored Minister Lu was like this, controlling court affairs, allowing the Emperor to play happily, trying not to disturb the Emperor, maintaining a certain tacit understanding with him.
In private, the court officials called Minister Lu "Lu Three Corpses" or "Lu Five Ghosts." Even the legendary three corpses and five ghosts couldn't match Minister Lu's greed.
Jiang Changtian listened intently as his colleagues explained.
He was very interested in this Minister Lu.
He recalled seeing a plump, honest-looking man who resembled a wealthy landowner standing next to Prime Minister Wang during the court session. That must have been Minister Lu.
His father-in-law had mentioned him before.
When his father-in-law said civil officials were the worst, he was referring to Minister Lu.
He was extremely bad.
Old General Meng was fighting at the border, and the supplies not reaching there were most likely embezzled by Minister Lu.
Minister Lu had misappropriated the army's pay once, and was caught by Old General Meng, who reported it directly to the Emperor.
But the Emperor didn't punish him.
Because Minister Lu had used the misappropriated military funds to build a theater for the Emperor.
If the Emperor were to punish Minister Lu, it would be like punishing himself.
In any case, after numerous conflicts, Minister Lu always managed to slip away like this, old and cunning.
Even Inspector He couldn't catch him red-handed.
Minister Lu seemed arrogant, full of loopholes, but in reality, these loopholes were deliberately displayed for others to see.
Qi Chi had also analyzed the court situation for him.
Currently, the most powerful was Minister Lu, "Lu Three Corpses."
He controlled court affairs, second only to one person and above ten thousand others.
Minister Lu had a small-minded temperament but was very capable in handling matters, which the Emperor liked.
Jiang Changtian came to report in, learned about the situation, and sure enough, no position was assigned to him.
This kind of thing, for officials, was a life-changing event.
But for the Emperor, it was just assigning work to subordinates, too trivial to bother with.
For Minister Lu, it was also the norm.
If you haven't come to pay respects at his door, how could you expect a promotion? Who are you?
Another official, seeing that Jiang Er had a kind face and was polite, even bringing food for them, couldn't help but add: "Actually, if you have connections in the inner court, that could work too. Currently, the influential eunuchs in the inner court, Eunuch Duan and Eunuch Liu, have some power. If you can find a way to send gifts and have them speak a few good words in front of the Emperor, things might move faster. Of course, the most powerful is Eunuch Yan, but unfortunately, Eunuch Yan usually doesn't deal with these matters. Otherwise, if he spoke up, the Emperor would definitely take care of it."
Everyone sat in the small reception room. It was very cold in winter. They nibbled on small almonds, with no charcoal fire, huddling together to keep warm with body heat, talking about their bitter experiences and lack of success. It was indeed not easy.
Jiang Er took out a notebook and wrote down everyone's contact information, while also handing out his own contact details.
This method was inspired by the cards his daughter made. He felt that making a card with one's name like this was quite distinctive.
With this exchange and recording, everyone indeed remembered him.
They felt that Jiang Er was really a nice person.
Jiang Changtian looked at the sky. It was already afternoon. If he hurried back home, he could still have a hot meal.
He decided to leave.
Anyway, according to everyone's experience, waiting was futile.
You either had to give gifts or find connections.
Others were also preparing to leave.
Most people still wanted to stay and try their luck, in case they could bump into Minister Lu, greet him, get familiar with his face, it would be better than nothing.
In fact, among them, some had tried to use connections and had given money.
But it was too competitive. There were always people with stronger connections, giving more.
Jiang Changtian was walking towards the exit, almost at the door, when someone called out to him.
"Lord Jiang, please wait. Minister Lu requests your presence."
The officials waiting for positions all turned to look in surprise.
Jiang Changtian also stopped, turning back with some astonishment.
He hadn't even gone to seek out Minister Lu yet.
He knew the rules of officialdom, including gift-giving.
Reciprocity, right? At worst, he could take back what he gave later.
But he didn't expect Minister Lu to seek him out first.
Jiang Changtian was a bit surprised.
Following the official inside, passing by the group of colleagues, he bowed to them.
At this moment, the expressions of the waiting group were quite varied.
Some were envious, some jealous, some curious, and some resentful.
The many faces of officialdom.
All displayed in one small reception room.
