"Wu Jianzheng, the Minister of War, has just taken office and urgently needs to place his own people in the Ministry."
"Dongfang Yuanbin has already submitted his retirement petition to the Emperor. It won't be long before Dongfang Shaoting is promoted to Secretariat Director. The new Minister of Personnel is his man. Since you have a good relationship with Dongfang Yukun, entering the Ministry of Personnel would be a steady choice."
Song Qiming spoke up, "Ou Shinian, the Minister of Works, has a good relationship with Ah Jie. He doesn't take sides."
Ye Liangyu nodded. "The Ministries of War, Personnel, and Works—these three are quite suitable. But I think entering the Ministry of War is the best."
"Wu Jianzheng was personally transferred back from Annan by the Emperor. Most of the officials remaining in the Ministry of War belong to the Prince of Ying's faction. A new official always brings sweeping changes; he will definitely clear out some people. If Gao Li can gain Wu Jianzheng's favor and trust, he will rise very quickly in the Ministry of War."
"On the other hand, the Ministries of Personnel and Works are relatively stable. Every position is fixed. Without outstanding achievements, and given Gao Li's low starting point, he would only be able to slowly wait out his years of service if he goes there. The fastest he could become an expectant Vice Director is six years, and that's only if someone is guiding him."
Song Qiming rolled his slightly stiff neck. "In that case, the Ministry of War is indeed the most suitable destination. Gao Li is ambitious but lacks a powerful background, so Wu Jianzheng should feel at ease using him."
Ye Liangyu nodded. "After the imperial examination rankings are announced tomorrow, he will probably come looking for you. If he wants to stay in the capital, explain the pros and cons to him and let him choose for himself."
"If he chooses the Ministry of Personnel, have Dongfang Yukun introduce him to the Dongfang family. If he chooses the Ministry of Works, your Ah Jie can handle it. If he chooses the Ministry of War, I will arrange it."
Song Qiming stood up and gave Ye Liangyu a deep, formal bow. "Thank you, Teacher, for taking the trouble to plan for Gao Li."
Ye Liangyu waved his hand. "These are just minor matters."
"After all, I taught him for a while, and you have a close relationship with him. Even if his official rank is small, you never know when he might be of use; he is also a connection for you."
He continued speaking to Song Qiming, "This time, the Emperor has decreed that you will enter the Hanlin Academy in half a month. Perform well once you're there, and don't let Lord Fei make a joke out of your teacher."
If there was anyone he didn't have to worry about, it was his own student. Aside from putting some effort into daily teaching, he never had to worry about his examination rankings.
The goal was the Second Class, but he directly scored in the First Class. Entering the Hanlin Academy was perfectly justified and didn't require any worrying on his part.
Song Qiming smiled, lowered his eyes, and then looked up. "Rest assured, Teacher, your student will definitely not embarrass you."
After the rankings were announced the next day, Song Gao Li first went to the Ministry of Personnel to inquire about his possible placements.
Caressing the wolf-hair brush in his sleeve, the Ministry of Personnel director advised lazily, "If there are any high-ranking officials in the capital from your hometown, bring some gifts and pay them a visit. Try to get a posting as a county magistrate in a place with beautiful scenery. If you perform well, you can be promoted in three years."
After leaving the Ministry of Personnel, Song Gao Li found Song Qiming and told him about the situation.
"They said that the imperial treasury hasn't been abundant in recent years, so everyone is fighting for county magistrate positions in good locations."
"Although my examination ranking is decent, I only placed in the Third Class in the palace examination. It wouldn't be a problem to serve in a remote county, but if I don't want to go that far, I'll most likely end up as a prefectural school instructor or a deputy to a local prefect."
Song Qiming didn't immediately reveal the path Ye Liangyu had planned for him. Instead, he asked, "What are your thoughts right now?"
On the way to the Princess's estate, Song Gao Li had been thinking the whole time, the worry between his brows never fading.
He pursed his lips, his heart completely torn.
"It wasn't easy getting to the capital, and I want to stay. The appointment and dismissal of officials are handled by the Ministry of Personnel. I want to ask Dongfang Yukun for help. Even if I can't stay, being sent out to the Jiangnan region as a county magistrate would be fine too."
Seeing him say this, Song Qiming finally spoke.
"Yesterday, Teacher called me over and told me your examination ranking. If you want to stay in the capital, you can first enter the Six Ministries to learn government affairs."
Then, Song Qiming recounted everything Ye Liangyu had told him the day before in great detail, finally asking, "The Ministries of Personnel, War, and Works—how do you want to choose?"
At this moment, the expression on Song Gao Li's face could no longer be described merely as pleasant surprise. Excitement crashed against his brain and heart like ocean waves. He sat frozen in place, blinking wildly in disbelief.
He hadn't even gone looking for help yet, and a position was already arranged?
Unable to suppress his emotions or think straight, Song Gao Li simply stood up and began pacing rapidly around the table.
After a long brainstorming session in his head, he spoke to Song Qiming with absolute certainty: "I want to go to the Ministry of War."
The corners of Song Qiming's mouth curled up slightly. "Are you sure? The Ministry of War is quite chaotic right now."
Song Gao Li nodded vigorously, his mind already drifting to the grand ambitions he would realize in the Ministry of War.
"I'm sure. The risks are high, but so are the opportunities. I want to take a gamble."
Song Qiming had guessed he would make this choice. He stood up with a smile and patted Song Gao Li on the arm.
"Alright, I'll take you to see Teacher."
No sooner had the two men stepped out of the estate than Gu Jupu, who was supposed to be on duty at the Imperial Academy of Medicine, came rushing into the Princess's estate.
Standing excitedly in front of Song Jinzhao, he gestured wildly as he spoke: "Princess, Low-Rank Concubine Yan in the palace has had her monthly cycle delayed by seven days, and Attendant Hai is also three days late. Their pulses feel like slippery pulses, but because the time is so short, I am a little unsure."
Song Jinzhao took the ledger Gu Jupu handed her, which recorded the bed-attending times, ovulation periods, and menstrual cycles of fourteen concubines.
"Calculating the time, it should be about right. Have you told them?"
Gu Jupu shook his head. "I wasn't certain, so I didn't say anything, lest a misdiagnosis disappoint the Emperor."
Imperial heirs were a major matter, and the Emperor valued them so highly. If he made a mistake and gave the Emperor false hope, it wasn't impossible that heads would roll.
Song Jinzhao continued flipping through the pages. Over the past month or so, the fourteen concubines had all been favored three or four times.
The potent prescription she had given Xiao Chengjing could only be maintained for another half a month at most. Only two concubines being pregnant was still too few.
"Then wait a few more days. We will speak of it once the pregnancies are confirmed. You must also pay attention to the other concubines; they might already be pregnant, but it just can't be diagnosed yet."
Gu Jupu nodded heavily. "Rest assured, Princess. I am personally caring for these fourteen concubines, and I will instruct them to be careful with their diets and all other aspects."
When Song Gao Li returned to the Duan residence that evening, Duan Yanhua called him into the study to question him.
"I already know your examination ranking. You were away from home all day—did you go look for Song Qiming, or Dongfang Yukun?"
At this moment, Song Gao Li was still feeling a bit excited. He restrained his expression and gave a slight nod.
"The Ministry of Personnel said I would be sent out of the capital. With no other options, I had to go find Qiming. He promised to try his best to put in a good word for me with Lord Ye, but whether it works or not remains to be seen."
Duan Yanhua's eyes lit up, and he happily grabbed Song Gao Li's shoulders.
"Well done. If you can stay in the capital, we, master and disciple, can look out for each other."
"I have been in officialdom for so many years; I can offer you some guidance so that a newcomer like you doesn't take too many detours."
Song Gao Li's mouth twitched. Given your style of doing things, I'm afraid I wouldn't have a way forward for twenty or thirty years. I'd better not borrow from that experience.
