Miao Chu

Chapter 79 Self-recommendation
After a busy day, Song Miao was exhausted when she got home. She tidied up and went to sleep, and they talked about nothing all night.

Meanwhile, in the Kyoto government office, the officers and soldiers of the Left and Right Patrol Offices worked tirelessly through the night. Even Qin Jie had his family send him a change of clothes and stayed at the government office.

Although everyone took turns resting according to the schedule, most of them had stayed up for two days and were rushing to sleep, with many yawning constantly.

So when everyone saw the two workers carrying the pancakes, one with a basket on his back and the other with a large jug on each side, delivering drinks from room to room, they were all very happy.

Normally, it would just be a drink, but in the middle of the night, when one is tired and eyes are weary, a warm drink is a pleasant surprise.

When I finally tasted it, I was even more pleasantly surprised.

The sweet fermented grains had a rich aroma of fermented grains, but they weren't over-fermented and didn't have a sour smell.

The oats were completely soft; with just a slight touch, the sweet juice from the fermentation burst out, leaving the remaining oat grains soft and smooth.

The barley didn't slump; it had a chewy texture, was very flavorful, and had a pleasant aroma.

If you just add a little water, it will be a mellow and sweet drink. But most people in the government office have to stay up all night, so almost everyone needs to add more tea. If you add strong tea to water, the overall taste will become refreshing and sweet.

The two men, Da Bing and Da Bing, went around delivering drinks and refilling the tea several times. By the time they came out, there wasn't a drop left.

Following Song Miao's instructions, the two also gave the two bamboo tubes they had specially set aside to the guards at the back gate of the government office.

The two men on duty were both surprised and delighted. They knew it was the sweet fermented rice of Miss Song, who had come to their door today. They took a bite with a reed stalk and found it delicious. After reminiscing about the taste of the food in the kitchen today, they couldn't help but ask, "Will this young lady come again tomorrow?"

"Exactly! Didn't those cooks in the public kitchen have some trouble? It's perfect to have her fill in!"

Both of them were young laborers, so they didn't hold back when they spoke. They sighed for half a day and urged the guard, "Our words don't carry much weight. It's better if you, the officers in front, talk to your superiors. Maybe we can bring that Miss Song back."

The sweet fermented rice, which was distributed in the middle of the night, was so popular that everyone was scrambling to get it. Some people even brewed it with strong tea instead of water to stay awake, thinking it would be fine.

However, little did anyone know that the tea was not a single flavor, but rather a mixture of several cheap teas that Song Miao had gathered together, first steeped and then boiled, making it extremely strong.

The group poured the tea into the sweet fermented rice, which removed the astringency and bitterness, and also diluted the sweetness. It was a pleasant drink, but if no more water was added, it would be like drinking a large cup of strong tea.

What's more troublesome is that after finishing one cup, everyone was still not satisfied and almost everyone asked for a second one.

Others were fine, but those who only brought strong tea to mix with their drinks, even though it was already dawn and they should have been changing shifts, were all staring at each other with their bright eyes, not only unable to sleep, but also with a surge of energy that seemed to want to learn from the rooster and crow loudly in the yard to wake everyone up and get up to practice their swordsmanship.

In this state, even if you lie down and force yourself to sleep, you won't be able to fall asleep.

The group hurriedly went to the scheduler, hoping to either switch shifts or move the prisoners from the back to the front so they could rest after the tea fever subsided.

If it were just one or two people, it would be fine, but there were more than a dozen of them, including the prosecutors and judges from the Criminal Investigation Department. The person in charge of scheduling didn't dare to make a decision, so they had to go to Han Li.

Even though Han Li had worked in many government offices, this was the first time he had ever seen someone work all night and still insist on continuing to work, refusing to rest.

When he learned the truth, he was speechless.

Fortunately, he managed to free up a few rooms last night and rearranged the order of today's interrogation of prisoners, thus managing to get through the matter.

As for the inspectors and judges who had begged to continue working, by the time the effects of the daily tea wore off, it was almost noon. They all returned to their dormitories and fell asleep as if they had never slept in their lives.

When he woke up again, several judges from the Ministry of Justice were still thinking about him and quietly asked the people in the surrounding Kyoto government offices if there would be any sweet fermented rice to drink that night.

Those patrolling the Left and Right Military Academy had delicious dishes like pan-fried pork belly and braised tofu with minced beef, and they could also enjoy sweet fermented rice to refresh themselves and quench their thirst while staying up late at night. However, the students in the Imperial Academy who were also grading papers did not have such good fortune.

Grading papers is inherently tedious, especially when it involves composing sutras. By the end of the day, everyone is dizzy and lightheaded. At dinner time, the clerk's subordinates bring food over.

The visitors laid out the food on a large table in the middle of the room. For convenience, it consisted of pancakes, steamed buns, meat and vegetarian steamed buns, some pickled vegetables, and a bamboo tube containing cardamom and bamboo sap for drinking.

They didn't use a food box, just a few bamboo baskets filled with leftovers from the public kitchen. The food was only lukewarm to begin with, and after walking such a long way, it had already gone cold.

Meat-filled pasta dishes lose their flavor once they cool down, especially if the meat has a slightly gamey or fishy smell, the taste will be even worse.

The students had no choice but to make do and sat together listlessly to eat.

While eating, one can't help but complain.

Someone took a sip of the boiled beverage, sighed, and couldn't help but say, "If only there were a bamboo tube of radish and pork rib soup right now, or even just some dried tangerine peel and mung bean soup, that would be nice too, and it would go well with this fried dough..."

"You're talking about the food sold at Song Xiaoniangzi's stall in the back alley, right? You're dreaming—she hasn't set up her stall for days!" Someone quickly realized.

Even if they set up a stall, you might not be able to buy any!

"It's better than nothing, right?"

"Didn't they eat that braised pork trotter rice last time? I passed by and saw it; it smelled really good. Do you think it's possible to mention to the registrar that we could order some food from stall owner Song?"

"Forget it, let's call him Stall Owner Song. We're lucky if they even bring back something hot!"

Some people sighed, "These papers are such a torment. Sitting for a whole day, my back and legs ache, and my eyes are going to go blind. I can't see anything clearly anymore. If the teacher asks again next year, I will definitely refuse to come back!"

Others laughed at him, saying, "You're just being tough on us. Next year, the moment the teacher opens his mouth, you'll be the first one to sign up!"

"Nonsense! That's impossible!"

Seeing that this person was stubborn, a classmate exposed him, saying, "Last year, you weren't called on in the first round, and you complained to everyone behind their backs, saying that you were doing well in your studies, so how could they forget you—did you really forget?"

Everyone burst into laughter.

While others were merely finding humor in their misery, this man blushed with embarrassment and hurriedly said, "Nonsense! It's just that I felt embarrassed to be the only one who didn't come, since all of you have come!"

Then she quickly changed the subject, saying, "Let's not talk about this, let's not talk about this! This food is really inedible. Why don't we go and talk to the doctor about it? It would be best if we could ask that Miss Song to buy some food and send it over—the braised pork trotters rice last time was very good. If that's not possible, the taro and braised pork belly would be good too! I've been thinking about it for a long time!"

"Shall we go pick it up together?" someone asked.

Since this was a serious discussion, everyone took it seriously.

Someone suggested, "It's probably no use if we say it ourselves. Why don't we find two people to start it, and then the rest of us can join in the commotion? Maybe that will have some effect."

"Who are you looking for?"

“Han Li isn’t here, otherwise if he were willing to step forward, it would definitely be effective—how about asking Kong Fuyang? Didn’t he complain about the food being bad yesterday?” someone suggested.

"Kong Fuyang isn't here either." "Huh?" The person who made the suggestion was surprised and immediately became curious, "Is it possible to take leave midway through grading exam papers?"

As soon as the man asked the question, he felt his foot being stepped on. Looking around blankly, he saw several people at the table giving him meaningful glances.

He was taken aback, and following the others' glances, he saw a person sitting alone at a table not far away, with some untouched food in front of him.

—This man had a stern face and drank from a bamboo tube for a long time; it was none other than Cai Xiu.

Cai Xiu always paid attention to his appearance. Although he was only reading papers in the room today, while others wore simple clothes and headscarves, he alone wore a brocade robe, a crown, jade pendants at his waist, boots, and a fan in his hand, showing the demeanor of a young master from a noble family.

Upon seeing that it was Cai Xiu, the man who had been so suspicious did not dare to ask any questions, but instead looked at his tablemate with his eyes.

Everyone around him gestured for him to be quiet, and they all busied themselves with eating their steamed buns and pancakes.

The room became unusually quiet for a moment, with only the sounds of eating, drinking, and sighing.

After finally managing to eat about 70-80% of the food, the group lingered for a while. Seeing that they would never finish grading the papers if they delayed any longer, they reluctantly began to clear the table.

While everyone else was working, Cai Xiu left a table of half-eaten steamed buns, flatbreads, and pickled vegetables. She wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, got up first, and went out.

As soon as he stepped out, the man from before quickly asked, "What's wrong? Kong Fuyang isn't here, so why is Cai Xiu giving you that look? Who's she trying to impress?!"

"Didn't you know? Last night, Kong Fuyang went to ambush Han Li in the middle of the night, but Han Li took him away!"

As soon as these words were spoken, many people in the room who were unaware of the situation gathered around and asked for the details.

"Did they fight? Did Kong Fuyang lose?"

"He must have lost, right? Every year in archery and horsemanship competitions, when has Han Zhengyan ever lost?"

"No fight. You two imperial students are so full of talk about winning and losing. Have some manners! I don't know what Han Li said, but I heard that after Kong Fuyang went back, he told his roommate that he was too shy to refuse and was going to the capital's government office to help Han Li..."

"Is this okay?"

"What do you mean by being thin-skinned and unable to resist? You probably got scolded and couldn't argue with them, so you had no choice but to obey orders, right?"

"This isn't a fight? It's clearly a war of words! And who can beat that guy surnamed Han in a war of words!"

A group of people were making a lot of noise.

"Yesterday, Kong Fuyang was still stubborn and wanted to confront Han Li face to face. Now look what happened, he's ruined himself in the confrontation!"

"Does Han Zhengyan need any more people? Why don't you take me with you? I really can't continue grading these papers!"

Finally, someone steered the conversation back on track, asking, "Kong Fuyang went with Han Li, what does that have to do with Cai Xiu?"

"Han Li would rather call Kong Fuyang, whom he's barely met, than call him. They're even in the same study room. What do you expect Cai Xiu to think? Do you really think he enjoys grading papers here?"

Just then, the registrar arrived, and everyone quickly shut their mouths and scattered. However, they exchanged glances in their seats, all looking knowing.

Everyone worked diligently. The registrar walked around the room, inquired about the progress, and encouraged everyone. When he reached Cai Xiu's eating spot, he frowned and asked, "Who left this here? Why didn't you clean it up after eating like this? It's not only attracting mosquitoes and insects, but what if it soils the exam papers?"

Someone nearby replied, "It's Cai Xiu's. He just went out and hasn't come back yet."

Upon hearing that it was Cai Xiu, the registrar stopped blaming her and said to the person who answered, "It seems that Cai Xiu had something to do and left. We are all in the same room and are classmates. It's not proper for us to just stand by and watch. You can help tidy up first."

After saying that, he coughed twice and left first.

As soon as the registrar left, everyone in the room started making a ruckus.

"That's okay too!"

"That's going too far! Why should someone else clean up after him if he won't do it himself?!"

“That guy surnamed Cai always does these things. Last time was no different. When we went out to collect folk materials, we measured the river depth together. After he finished measuring, he threw his things away and went to curry favor with the teacher. I couldn’t stand it and took them from him. I got back a little late and was scolded by the teacher!”

Why are you getting involved and helping him?

"Does that mean everything will be fine if we don't help him? — Look, you didn't help him this time, so what?!"

Others merely complained, but the student next to Cai Xiu's desk was furious. He didn't know whether to throw away the leftovers or not. He clearly had a pile of papers waiting to be graded, but he had to take time out of his busy schedule to find a food container to put the food in and place it aside.

***
However, Cai Xiu really had something to do and left.

He had already been feeling stifled by what he had learned about Kong Fuyang during the day, and the conversation he overheard earlier stirred up his old grievances, making him even more furious.

At this point, even the most delicious food would be unpalatable, let alone a few cold fried dough sticks and buns, along with some ordinary pickled vegetables.

But Cai Xiu never got discouraged. He mentally considered all the people he could use, and too lazy to care about grading papers anymore. He went straight out, first returning to his dormitory, where he found a piece of fine Huizhou ink and a porcelain bottle of newly acquired Mengding tea. He put them in a box and went directly to the teaching building.

He bypassed the surrounding buildings and found the office of the Director of Studies, familiar with the place.

These past two days have been busy with the Imperial Academy's public examinations, and the Director of Studies has been extremely busy. He hasn't left yet, and although the door is closed, you can hear people clearing their throats and drinking tea from inside from time to time.

Cai Xiu waited outside the door for a while, and when she didn't hear anyone speak, she went up and knocked on the door. After going in and exchanging a few words, she handed over the Huizhou ink and Mengding tea, saying that she had won the top prize at a literary gathering the last time she went out. Since she didn't like drinking tea, she didn't need such fine ink. She happened to hear that someone said that the Director of Studies liked Mengding tea, so she sent them over as a token of her respect.

The instructor refused to accept the prize, and instead smiled and said, "You finally won the first prize, such a good omen, you should keep it for yourself, what's the point of giving it to me?"

Cai Xiu then said, "Actually, I have something to ask—I received news today that Han Li and Kong Fuyang have both been temporarily transferred to the Kyoto government office, but I don't know how they were selected?"

As he spoke, he revealed a deeply disheartened expression, saying, "Since entering the university, I have always believed that my knowledge and character are no worse than others, and the teachers have praised me greatly. Why can Han Li and Kong Fuyang be transferred, but I cannot? I do not know where I am lacking, and I would appreciate it if the instructor could enlighten me!"

The instructor naturally knew the reason why Han and Kong were seconded, but he couldn't tell Cai Xiu much, so he said, "This time it was the capital prefectural government that sent the letter. The Imperial Academy is just responding to the transfer. There shouldn't be any other reason. It's just a random transfer. Don't overthink it."

"Since the Kyoto government has come specifically to select students, first selecting Han Li and then Kong Fuyang, they must be severely short of people. I wonder if our school can recommend students to the government?"

"The student believes that his talent and knowledge are no less than others, and he is also good at interpersonal relationships."

Cai Xiu said, "The student wishes to recommend himself!"

Thank you so much to my cat, Egg, for the two little gifts from the bookstore! :)

Thank you to reader 836923 from Xiaoxiang Book Club for sending me a lucky charm! Mwah! =3=
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(End of this chapter)