Originally, she wanted to gather exactly thirty people, but she didn't think much of those with a favorability score below forty. After thinking it over, she decided it was better to be short of the quota than to settle for mediocrity.
Among the twenty-six people, fourteen were women, and out of the twelve men, that familiar face was surprisingly present.
"System, take a look at that burly man named Zhang Fang. Is he the one we saw at the auction who bought the Cloud-Cleaving Sword?"
[It's him. He trimmed his beard.] It was obvious that he had properly washed and dressed up for today's selection.
Yue Fuguang nodded and called forward another seven people whose favorability scores were above fifty. Looking at the seven, she said, "I have a position for a Secondary Fifth Rank official here.
Do you want to spar to decide who is the strongest among you?
The winner will not only receive this position but will also be your future leader."
Hearing about a Secondary Fifth Rank official position, never mind the three men, even the four women's eyes lit up.
The seven of them exchanged glances, their faces flushed. Yue Fuguang thought they were about to fight, but unexpectedly, the others silently took a step back, leaving only Zhang Fang standing at the front.
Shen Chunying spoke on behalf of the group, "We wouldn't dare deceive you, Junior Preceptor. In terms of martial arts alone, we are far inferior to Zhang Fang."
At this, their faces grew even redder. It wasn't that they didn't want to fight for the Secondary Fifth Rank position; it was simply that against Zhang Fang, they couldn't win!
Yue Fuguang nodded. She hadn't expected this man to be the undisputed strongest among them by such a wide margin. She just wondered if he was the strongest out of all the others.
"Zhang Fang, can you read?"
This was quite important. It would be a joke if a leader and an official was illiterate.
Zhang Fang cupped his hands and replied, "To answer you, Junior Preceptor, your subordinate has studied for a few years, and there are also teachers who give regular lessons at the Guest Courtyard."
Yue Fuguang nodded and cast an appreciative glance at Song Xingzhou. Song Xingzhou smiled and said, "Rest assured, Junior Preceptor. Those who came for the selection were carefully handpicked by this humble official. Not only are their martial arts superb, but they also have a basic grasp of reading and writing."
"Lord Song is very thoughtful."
She then turned back to Zhang Fang. "From today onwards, you will take up the position of Secondary Fifth Rank Protectorate. Shen Chunying and Shen Dongxue will take up the positions of Primary Sixth Rank Deputy Protectorate."
Thinking that these were all strangers and that she needed her own people in the team, she immediately swallowed the Primary Sixth Rank position she had originally intended to give Xu Chunshan and changed her words, "Liu Wei, Xu Chunshan, Xu Xiaoman, and Gao Zhifan will take up Secondary Sixth Rank positions."
As Yue Fuguang's words fell, the few of them were stunned on the spot. It wasn't just them; the others who were selected and those who weren't all looked at them with excitement or envy.
The courtyard was dead silent, save for the thumping heartbeats and heavy breathing of the seven people.
The few who had just been hit by this massive stroke of luck only blanked out for a few breaths before immediately dropping to one knee to express their loyalty and submission.
In loud, unison voices, they declared, "Your subordinates thank you for the promotion, My Lady!"
Yue Fuguang said indifferently, "Rise. Doing your duties diligently in the future will be thanks enough!"
"Yes! Your subordinates will definitely do our utmost to protect your safety, My Lady!"
Yue Fuguang swept her gaze across the courtyard, very satisfied with everyone's reactions. It had basically achieved the effect she wanted from conferring official titles on the spot.
Looking at the remaining nineteen people, she said, "The rest of you will all hold Secondary Seventh Rank positions."
Gasp!
Someone in the crowd couldn't help but draw a sharp breath. They looked at Yue Fuguang as if she were a god. This... this lady was way too favored by His Majesty!
Regardless of what the people below thought, the nineteen who were similarly struck by this immense surprise followed the example of the previous seven, dropping to one knee to pledge their loyalty and submission.
Secondary Seventh Rank! From now on, they were officials too!
Even as the twenty-six of them walked out the gates of the Guest Courtyard, their feet still felt like they were floating on clouds. Casting a final backward glance at the familiar gates, they realized that the longest any of them had lived here was over three years, and the shortest over a year. Today, they were finally walking out of these gates as officials.
Looking ahead at the Junior Preceptor walking shoulder-to-shoulder with the Crown Prince, their previously drifting hearts suddenly found a sense of belonging.
This was especially true for the fourteen women. In the Great Yan Dynasty, apart from the female officials in the palace and the female generals from generations of military families, they were currently the only group of female officials in the imperial court with proper official ranks!
Originally, coming to the Guest Courtyard, the best outcome they could hope for was to become bodyguards for royal noblewomen. That was completely different from following the Junior Preceptor, a court official.
They had to work even harder and do their utmost to protect Her Ladyship well. They needed to prove to the officials in the imperial court that the Junior Preceptor hadn't chosen the wrong people, and that they were worthy of these official titles!
After bidding farewell to the Crown Prince and Wei Shouyi and returning to the Yu Manor, Yue Fuguang tossed the group over to the butler for him to arrange.
The Yu Manor also had guards, so the head butler naturally knew how to handle these matters better than she did. She wouldn't bother worrying about it; overthinking would stunt her growth!
Starting the next day, besides Cuizhu, she had eight more guards by her side, five women and three men. After returning to the Yu Manor yesterday, Yue Fuguang had directly given the remaining Secondary Sixth Rank position to Cuizhu.
As for the last Primary Sixth Rank position, Yue Fuguang tossed the problem directly to Yu Chongshan, asking him to help find one of their own people.
She also saved a Secondary Seventh Rank spot for the Yu family. Counting the hidden guard who protected her during her daily commutes to and from court and had survived two assassinations, her thirty-person guard squad was finally complete.
Yu Chongshan immediately understood that his granddaughter was seeking benefits for their family!
They all knew that, excluding his younger brother Yu Chongyan's family, the most suitable candidate in their household was Fourth YU, who was currently still a commoner.
That very night, Yu Chongshan summoned Yu Mochun to the outer study and gave him a good talking-to. The main point was to help his niece keep an eye on these people, not to put on the airs of an elder, and not to act privileged in the guard squad just because he was a member of the Yu family.
The guard squad belonged to Yue Fuguang, not the Yu family. Those people were colleagues, not servants.
Upon hearing that he was being given a Primary Sixth Rank position, which was higher than the rank of a magistrate in some remote little counties, Yu Mochun was thrilled for quite a while.
He was finally no longer a commoner!
As for whether it would be a loss of face for him, an uncle, to work under his niece, Yu Mochun felt it was the exact opposite!
He was now his own niece's subordinate, which instantly brought them much closer. At the very least, from now on, he would be closer to Fuguang than his third brother was!
Finally, hearing his father tell him not to put on the airs of an elder in front of Fuguang, Yu Mochun was rendered speechless. Let alone him, neither his brother nor his father had ever dared to put on the airs of an elder in front of that little ancestor.
You all dote on her and coax her in every possible way, so what makes you think I have the guts to act like an elder?
Is it because I'm a concubine-born son of the Yu Manor, or because I'm the only commoner? Who says the barefooted can't be afraid of the one wearing shoes?
Yu Mochun swore and took an oath on the spot, expressing his true feelings, "Father, your son knows that Fuguang is looking out for me with this position. Is your son someone who doesn't know what's good for him?"
He knew his father had long planned to get him a vacancy, but finding a suitable one was not easy.
The capital was full of people with backgrounds like his, and countless eyes were fixed on every good position!
His father had planned for so long but still hadn't waited for a suitable vacancy.
Later, when Fuguang emerged in their family, he knew he would get an opportunity sooner or later, and here it was.
