Tiger Owl

Chapter 329 Female Official Clerk
Ma Su was caught off guard by the question. He scratched his head sheepishly and said, "I think we should give it a try. At least we should try to be fair."

"That's a good idea. The imperial examination is indeed an opportunity to prove oneself, and every young person should strive for it!"

At this point, Gan Ning suddenly changed the subject, "But what if you fail the exam?"

Ma Su was stunned, as if struck by lightning. Gan Ning nodded, "Go! Study hard for the exam."

Ma Su walked back to his seat in a daze, his mind replaying the Duke of Chu's slightly cold words, "What if you fail the exam?"

Ma Su held his forehead. He finally understood. If he failed the exam, he would have to resign. If he couldn't even make it onto the list of successful candidates, how could he be qualified to be a clerk for the Duke of Chu?

Why can't he make the list? He's a recognized genius in Nanjun, how could he not even make the mere imperial examination list? How is that possible!

Ma Su was young and impetuous, and he did not understand Gan Ning's true meaning. The imperial examination was only prepared for specific people at specific times. Gan Ning was telling him that there were some things he did not necessarily have to do.

This is what Jiang Wan meant by being sharp yet tactful, but unfortunately Ma Su was too young to understand.

In the evening, Gan Ning returned to his residence. He had just sat down in his office when Cao Jie brought him ginseng tea.

Gan Ning took a sip of tea, glanced at Cao Jie, and asked with a smile, "I heard that your lotus root starch is even better than A Yu's?"

Cao Jie said embarrassedly, "Of all the food, I only made the lotus root starch a little better than hers."

"Really? May I have the chance to try it?"

Cao Jie was stunned for a moment. She suddenly slapped her forehead hard. She had let everyone taste the lotus root starch she made, but she had completely forgotten about it.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I...I didn't mean to, I..."

"It's the darkest place under the lamp, isn't it?" Gan Ning said with a smile, saying the rest of the sentence for her.

"Yes!" Cao Jie lowered her head deeply, feeling so guilty she was about to cry.

"It's alright, I won't take it to heart, it's just a bowl of lotus root starch."

"No!" Cao Jie's tears flowed freely. This wasn't a problem with the lotus root starch; she had forgotten the most important person in her life.

Gan Ning stepped forward, pulled her petite body into his arms, and gently comforted her.

"Then go and make me a good cup now, consider it as you saving the best for me."

These words eased Cao Jie's guilt slightly. She wiped away her tears and choked out, "I'll go right now. It will definitely be the best."

Cao Jie left looking dejected, but her two small fists were clenched tightly, showing that she had made up her mind.

Gan Ning returned to his seat. He didn't really care about Cao Jie's thoughts. He was more concerned about Cao Jie's father, Cao Cao. What would Cao Cao's reaction be after seeing the woodblock printing? Would he send someone to find out the secret behind it?

In fact, Gan Ning's idea was to make Cao Cao understand woodblock printing. Only when Cao Cao understood it would he vigorously promote it, allowing woodblock printing to become deeply ingrained in people's minds. Ultimately, this would allow Gan Ning to rely on his superior strength to occupy the top and gain the greatest influence.

Woodblock printing was not a military technology, so there was no need to worry about its spread. Only by spreading it could one become the standard setter. This is just like the Japanese in later generations, who always kept their technology secret and tried to take advantage of everything, but in the end, they could only use it themselves.

After some time of deliberation, Cao Jie carefully carried a bowl of meticulously prepared lotus root starch into the room. This was the best she had ever made, having poured all her heart and soul into it, resulting in a bowl of delicate, thick, sweet lotus root starch that was completely melted without any lumps.

"Gan Lang, try this. I guarantee it's the best I've ever made." Gan Ning took the porcelain bowl, scooped out a spoonful with a small copper spoon, and tasted it. It melted in his mouth, incredibly delicate, and perfectly sweet. It was indeed better than what Xiao Qiao had made.

"Great! I like it very much."

Gan Ning finished his meal in one go, and Cao Jie was delighted, saying, "I'll get you some more tomorrow."

"No need, I get tired of eating it every day, I'll only eat it occasionally."

"Okay! Once I learn something else, I'll cook it for you, and you'll be the first one I make for you."

Gan Ning smiled and asked, "Are you free tomorrow?"

"Yes, I'm free!"

Gan Ning nodded. "Tomorrow is a day off, but I have a lot of official business backlog these past two days. I'll bring some back to handle tomorrow. You can be my clerk tomorrow!"

"I?"

Cao Jie hesitated. She had helped her father with official business in Hefei and did have some experience, but...
"Gan Lang, I'm afraid it's inconvenient for me. If it's classified, I'm afraid I can't make contact."

Gan Ning laughed, "I drank the ginseng tea you brewed, and I ate the lotus root starch you made. Do you think I still wouldn't trust you?"

A surge of emotion welled up in Cao Jie's heart, and she nodded gently, "Okay! I'll help you organize the documents."

The next morning, Gan Ning's study was piled high with official documents from all over the country. These were all important documents that required his approval.

Cao Jie and Sun Shangxiang arrived together. They sat opposite Gan Ning, each at a small table piled high with official documents. Both were engrossed in reading them. They weren't approving documents on Gan Ning's behalf, but rather summarizing the key points. The documents, which were thousands of words long, were condensed into a hundred or two words. Gan Ning only needed to review those hundred or two words to make his approval, which greatly reduced his workload.

Of course, this requires outstanding talent and sufficient insight to be competent. Previously, Xu Wei often helped Gan Ning handle official business, but now that she is about to give birth, this job has been transferred to Sun Shangxiang and Cao Jie.

As it turned out, Cao Jie and Sun Shangxiang were both very competent, no less so than the men.

"Sister Shangxiang, take a look at this."

Cao Jie took a document and asked Sun Shangxiang, "Why is the number of people different before and after?"

Sun Shangxiang pointed to the time and smiled, "Wuchang County once received a large number of immigrants from Jiangbei. The first part is the number before the immigrants were received, and the second part is the number after the immigrants were received, so the difference is huge. The focus of this document is to introduce the impact of the immigrants. You should focus on the comparison of prices, income, per capita food, etc. before and after the immigrants, and don't worry about the rest."

"I understand, thank you, Sister Shangxiang."

Cao Jie sat back down. Sun Shangxiang couldn't help but glance at Cao Jie again, then at her husband. She noticed that many of the documents Cao Jie was reading were confidential, and they were stamped with the word "confidential." She was Cao Cao's daughter, so why did her husband trust her so much?
After a busy morning, having processed most of the dozens of documents, Gan Ning put down his pen and smiled, "Let's take a lunch break! Let's eat something."

The Gan Ning family had developed a habit of eating lunch, but they didn't call it lunch; they called it afternoon tea. It consisted of a plate of delicate pastries, a bowl of minced meat noodles, or two meat patties, along with a few delicious side dishes. They would eat until they were about 60% full.

Xu Wei was already feeling very heavy. Her due date was fast approaching, just a few days away. At noon, she leaned lazily against the soft couch, taking small bites of noodles. She glanced at Sun Shangxiang opposite her and smiled, "Shangxiang, you seem to have something on your mind?"

(End of this chapter)