The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

Although they were all civil servants, they were very close to the emperor. If they became Hanlin academicians, they would be candidates for the cabinet in the future, the most trusted officials of the emperor, and it was possible that they would become the chief minister of the cabinet. However, for Yun Ji, who had just passed the imperial examination, he would have to endure at least 20 to 30 years of experience.

In this way, Yun Ji might be tied to the capital for the rest of his life.

Tao Shu entered the Ministry of Works as a director, where he had to stay for a year or so, waiting for an opportunity to be transferred to another position.

By the time the dust settled on this batch of imperial examinations, it was already the end of March. Yun Ji also officially started working in the government office, and had to report to the Hanlin Academy every day. There were quite a few Hanlins in the Hanlin Academy, after all, the top-ranked Jinshi in each imperial examination entered the Hanlin Academy.

Yun Ji went to work in the Imperial Academy, where he was paid well, because many of the Imperial Academy members had been his grandfather's subordinates, and some of them had a good relationship. Knowing Yun Ji's identity, they naturally had to take care of him.

Not long after Yun Ji arrived at the yamen that day, a palace servant came to tell him that the emperor had asked him to bring Min Xi and the student Zhao Shizhen to the palace for an audience the next day.

It seems that the emperor has finished his work and finally has time to see them.

It was not uncommon for the emperor to send a message to summon him alone among the Hanlin Academy, but they were all experienced senior Hanlin Academy members. It was extremely rare for someone to be summoned alone by the emperor right after taking office. So his colleagues in the Hanlin Academy were very curious why the emperor wanted to meet him alone and not the number one scholar.

A colleague couldn't help but ask: "Minglang, why did His Majesty summon you alone?" Minglang is Yunji's courtesy name.

"I don't know either." Yun Ji certainly knew why the emperor summoned him, but he didn't want everyone to know that he had a good personal relationship with the emperor.

After Yun Ji got off work that day, he went to the Imperial College to find Zhao Shizhen in person and told him that he would go to the palace to meet the emperor the next day, and asked him to wait outside the palace gate early.

Zhao Shizhen finally got a reply and breathed a sigh of relief. He had been waiting for more than half a month and thought he had been stood up.

Yun Ji returned home and told Min Xi about this.

Min Xi also breathed a sigh of relief. Finally there was a follow-up. He was really worried that he had let down Zhao Shizhen's expectations.

"I'll ask His Majesty tomorrow if he can arrange a job for you," said Yun Ji.

"It doesn't matter whether I have an errand or not. Let's see how Your Majesty arranges Zhao Shizhen first."

"If His Majesty is unwilling to assign you an errand, then just do as you said and pay someone to do what you need."

Min Xi said, "In fact, I have recently thought that it may not be appropriate for me to join the Ministry of Industry. I am just a minor official, and I certainly cannot command others. My ideas may not be taken seriously by the higher-ups, so it is more convenient for me to work alone. But in this way, I have to bear all the expenses myself."

"You have to bear the responsibility yourself. It's not that I can't afford it." Yun Ji said.

Min Xi smiled and said, "Don't worry, I will definitely not let you spend money without earning anything. When I invent something useful, I will be able to help you make money."

"I'm waiting for that day." Yun Ji said with a smile.

Min Xi looked at Yun Ji and stopped talking. Yun Ji asked, "What are you looking at? What's wrong?"

"Look at you. You look better in official uniform." Yun Ji wore a black gauze hat, a green official uniform, black boots, and had a tall and slender figure. He looked very upright. Min Xi finally understood why someone could control him.

"Why don't you take the test again? We can wear it together." Yun Ji suggested.

Min Xi waved his hand: "I can't see it if I wear it myself, so just wear it, I like to see it."

"Wear it on and show it to me." Yun Ji said.

"You don't like looking at me when I'm not wearing official uniform?" Min Xi raised his eyebrows.

Yun Ji smiled: "Not really, I like to watch you no matter what you do."

The next morning, someone came to the palace. Min Xi and Yun Ji packed up, got on the carriage, and went to the palace gate to wait for Zhao Shizhen. They thought they would need to wait outside the palace gate, but they didn't expect that Zhao Shizhen was already waiting there when they arrived. It was not close from the Imperial College, about ten miles away, and Zhao Shizhen walked here, which took at least half an hour.

Min Xi saw that the sweat on his face had not yet dried up, so he quickly handed him a handkerchief and said, "Wipe the sweat off. We should have sent a carriage to pick you up earlier."

"It's okay. It's a good way to exercise by walking here." Zhao Shizhen said.

Min Xi said to Eunuch Yao, "Eunuch, let's wait here for a while. Let Zhao Jiansheng stop sweating before going in. Otherwise, it would be disrespectful to His Majesty." They had to walk for a while before Zhao Shizhen's breath calmed down, and he was in a hurry to go to the palace. When he saw the emperor, he would be in a very embarrassed state.

Eunuch Yao nodded: "Okay."

So several people waited outside the palace for a long time, and when they saw that Zhao Shizhen's complexion had almost recovered, they walked in together.

Zhao Shizhen entered the palace for the first time, and he did not dare to look around. He just walked with his head down. He carried a bundle on his back, and in the bundle were several scrolls of calligraphy, which seemed to be the calligraphy he had prepared to present to the emperor these days.

Min Xi had come several times and was no longer as reserved as before. He took the initiative to quietly introduce the situation in the palace to Zhao Shizhen, especially the rules, which he had to tell him in advance to avoid offending the emperor.

Eunuch Yao said, "Your Majesty is not in the Palace of Heavenly Purity today, but is attending classes in the Wenhua Hall. Let's go to the Wenhua Hall to meet His Majesty."

Yun Ji knew that Wenhua Hall was where the Hanlin scholars gave lectures to the emperor. Although he was not qualified to give lectures to the emperor, he knew about it. This meant that he might meet his colleagues in Wenhua Hall today. Of course, he might not meet them, after all, Zhang Juzheng would occasionally give lectures to the emperor.

Several people arrived at the Wenhua Hall and sat in a side hall waiting for the emperor. Wanli did not come until the class was over.

Min Xi and others quickly stood up and saluted. Zhao Shizhen, who was of the lowest status, knelt down directly. Wanli saw him at a glance and said, "No need to be polite, stand up and talk."

Wanli sat on the chair at the top: "Are you Zhao Shizhen, the grandson of Zhao Xinglu? Is your grandfather still alive?"

Zhao Shizhen hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, my ancestor passed away several years ago."

Wanli said, "I see. Your grandfather's handwriting is excellent, and yours is also good, with some of your grandfather's style."

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. I have written some words recently and would like your guidance." Zhao Shizhen took off the bag on his body and presented it with both hands.

Yun Ji took his bag, stepped forward a few steps, and put it on the table: "I will open the scroll for your majesty."

"Okay!" Wanli responded casually.

Yun Ji opened Zhao Shizhen's bag, which contained two fans and two scrolls of calligraphy.

Wanli picked up a fan, opened it, and was attracted by the words on it: "Good words!"

The calligraphy on this fan is in cursive script, which is more colorful and lively than the previous one of bright wind and clear moon.