Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

In the private room of the restaurant, Shen Jingheng did not ask any more questions about Mao Ziwen.

"I heard your ancestral home is Zhongzhou Prefecture?"

"Yes, my lord."

"May I ask which part of Zhongzhou Prefecture you are from?" Shen Jingheng asked again.

"Your Excellency, I am from Ming'an County, Zhongzhou Prefecture!"

"Oh, so we're from the same hometown. My ancestral home is also Ming'an County."

"Yes, I must thank Lord Shen. If it weren't for Lord Shen's protection, I wouldn't have been able to get the job at the Court of State Ceremonies."

"Was it my arrangement for you to enter the Court of State Ceremonial? I don't remember doing that!" Shen Jingheng thought about it carefully for a while before smiling and saying that if Qingmu hadn't come back yesterday, he really wouldn't have known that there were fellow villagers of his in the Court of State Ceremonial.

“Your Excellency, although it was not a deliberate instruction on my part, my ancestral home is the same as yours, and I also know some Mandarin, which is why I was assigned to the Court of State Ceremonial. My classmates who ranked higher than me were still scrambling to find connections, while I had already been settled. Although I am slow-witted, I know that I was protected by Your Excellency.” Zhang Shucheng answered honestly, his sincerity not at all like someone who had been an official in the capital for several years.

Hearing his words, Shen Jingheng couldn't help but laugh heartily, a genuine joy. Having spent so long amidst deceit and treachery, Zhang Shucheng's sincerity was truly precious.

"I heard you live with your mother at your home in the capital. Are there any other relatives there?"

"Reporting to you, sir, I still have my uncle and aunt, as well as several cousins, back in my hometown." She paused, glanced up at Shen Jingheng, and then continued...

"There is still a fiancée I haven't found."

Shen Jingheng had already heard about this from Qingmu, but he never expected that someone as timid as a quail would dare to say it so bluntly in front of him.

"Could you tell me about it? Perhaps I can help." After a moment of contemplation, Shen Jingheng finally spoke.

Perhaps his words were too unexpected, Zhang Shucheng did not expect that Lord Shen, who was second only to the emperor, would be interested in the affairs of his youngest daughter.

He looked up twice to make sure he hadn't misheard before slowly beginning to tell the story of him and Cui'er.

After hearing his story, Shen Jingheng felt a little uneasy, feeling that things were too coincidental.

Although he had his doubts, he showed no outward sign of it and simply continued asking...

"So, you stayed in Huaining Prefecture for ten months to find your fiancée, and that's how you learned Russian?"

"um, yes."

Shen Jingheng didn't ask any further questions, but instead personally picked up a piece of food and placed it on the plate in front of him.

"Come with me to the palace this afternoon to meet the Emperor."

Upon hearing his words, Zhang Shucheng almost dropped his chopsticks. He had never imagined that he would have another audience with the emperor.

Although nervous, I still answered softly, "Yes."

In the Emperor's study

Upon hearing Shen Jingheng and Zhang Shucheng's report, the emperor immediately smashed the cup in his hand in anger. He wasn't usually a violent person, but at this moment he wanted to drag all the officials of the Court of State Ceremonial out and behead them—a bunch of good-for-nothings. Just because of translation issues, a third of the national treasury had been depleted in the past few years for military expenses in the north alone; how could he not be furious?

Seeing the man kneeling and trembling on the ground, he knew that this matter was not something a mere magistrate like Shu Cheng could control, and that he would need him for the next task. So, he suppressed his anger and waved his hand at him.

"You may go back now, Shen Aiqing, please stay."

"Your humble servant takes his leave," Zhang Shucheng bowed and left the imperial study before daring to straighten his back slightly. However, as he descended the steps, his legs buckled, and he almost lost his balance and fell. The guards standing at the bottom of the steps quickly reached out to support his arm.

"Be careful, Lord Zhang."

Zhang Shucheng looked up at the person who was helping him up; he didn't recognize him. However, he recognized the clothes the man was wearing—the clothes of a third-rank Imperial Guard Chief.

"Thank you, Lord Steward."

"You're too kind, Lord Zhang," the man said, making sure the man was steady before withdrawing his hand.

In his study, the Emperor reread the translations in his hand, inwardly cursing Hu Jiye, that old scoundrel. His face ashen, he put the translations down.

"Minister Shen, what do you think we should do now?"

"Your Majesty, I think we should send envoys to the Russian border to make contact with them first. After all, internal troubles coupled with external threats are not conducive to stability."

"Your thoughts coincide with mine, but who should we send as the envoy? Do you have any ideas?"

"Your Majesty, I believe that Grand Tutor Li is the rightful chief envoy of the mission."

Upon hearing his suggestion, the Emperor frowned slightly.

"Now that the teacher has retired and is enjoying his retirement, how can we let him trouble himself with this matter?"

"Your Majesty, Grand Tutor Li has been at home with nothing to do, and has taken on two students to teach. I heard that he is planning to take them on a trip soon, so that they can see the peaceful and prosperous world under Your Majesty's rule. If he knew that there was such an opportunity to travel and relieve Your Majesty's worries, the Grand Tutor would certainly be happy to accept it. Moreover, Grand Tutor Li has served as the chief envoy, leading delegations to countries such as Goguryeo and Japan, and is quite experienced."

Hearing his answer, the emperor's brow relaxed slightly, but he was still somewhat worried and asked again.

"How is the teacher's health now?"

"Grand Tutor Li now personally cultivates two acres of fertile land and works in the fields every day, and his health is even better than before."

"Very well, then so be it, my dear minister. In that case, I have two more junior brothers. I will take this opportunity to meet them and test their knowledge, so as not to tarnish the reputation of their teacher." The Emperor was very pleased to hear that Grand Tutor Li had taken on two more students, and he even felt a faint sense of anticipation.

"And what about the deputy envoy?" the emperor continued.

“Zhou Wenqing, Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, and Zhang Haoran, Assistant Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, can serve as deputy envoys. In addition, Zhang Haoran is proficient in the Russian language and can also serve as a translator.”

"Do as you say, my dear minister. Please compile a list of the other mission's attendants, guards, physicians, and clerks and submit it to me." The Emperor made the decision with a wave of his hand.

Seeing that the Emperor had no further instructions, Shen Jingheng bowed and withdrew. It was almost June, and the journey from the capital to the border would take another month and a half to two months. Time was running out, and he needed to quickly compile a list of his entourage. Furthermore, he needed to send a letter to Grand Tutor Li as soon as possible, informing him of the matter. He only hoped that the Grand Tutor wouldn't blame him for acting on his own initiative.