stand back, let me come

Chapter 1313: You are forcing others to do what they want (Part 1313) [Seeking monthly votes]

"Who are you? Why are you here?"

Xiang Zhao came on duty as usual.

As she entered the tent, she keenly sensed something unusual.

Before she could retreat, she saw a dark shadow passing by, and she subconsciously grasped the hilt of the sword - in order to allow Xiang Zhao to have some ability to protect himself in troubled times, her great-grandfather taught her martial arts. Her swordsmanship was not very sophisticated, but it was no problem to deal with ordinary thieves - as soon as her fingertips touched the decoration on the hilt, her wrist suddenly lost consciousness, replaced by a numbing feeling as if an electric current was running through her!
His right wrist was strangled and his waist was pinched.

Xiang Zhao got goosebumps all over his body and cold sweat broke out on his back.

Luan Xin's camp was also heavily guarded, so it was not easy for a stranger to sneak in, unless he was very powerful or had an insider to help. In an instant, countless speculations flashed through Xiang Zhao's mind, but the most important thing at the moment was to protect himself.

The voice of the person who came was not as deep as that of a man, but more like a woman's voice: "I should ask you this question. Who are you?"

Hearing the response, Xiang Zhao breathed a sigh of relief.

The other party took the initiative to answer instead of killing, which basically ruled out the identity of the southwestern survivors of the destroyed country. There was no murderous intent in his words, so he should not be a spy lurking in to steal secrets. He was most likely from the Kangguo camp: "I am a clerk beside Master Luan."

Currently, he is practicing with Luan Xin in this identity.

"I haven't seen him before. A new face."

The man loosened the restraints, but still carefully pulled out Xiang Zhao's sword and threw it aside, his eyes fixed on Xiang Zhao's movements.

"Also, why do you call him Master Luan?"

Xiang Zhao turned around and retreated, only then could he see the person clearly.

This was a young man dressed in coarse linen clothes, with the simplest bun style, dressed as a ranger. Perhaps because he didn't take care of his hair, his eyebrows were a bit messy, not as carefully trimmed as those of ordinary women. In addition, she was tall, so at first glance it was easy to mistake her for a handsome man.

"Master Luan taught me and answered my questions. What's wrong with calling me that? But what are you doing here in a sneaky way?"

The woman said, "Come back and wait for the report."

Xiang Zhao: “…”

Luan Xin was indeed the Minister of Personnel.

However, Xiang Zhao couldn't help but think back to the sky outside the tent. It was not even dawn yet. "Report? Now?"

The woman said, "Why don't you come over and let me sleep in the wild for another night?"

She was half a day late, as the army broke camp and headed to the next place. It was already the first half of the night when they caught up with her. After going through the procedures and verifying their identities, it was already the second half of the night. She had no place to sleep, so she just came here to wait for someone.

Luan Xin's daily routine is the same as that of an old man in his seventies or eighties.

I couldn't bear to wake him up.

I wanted to find a straw mat to sleep on for a while, but when I was half asleep and half awake, I found someone sneaking up on me. My instinctive reaction was that a thief had come. There were no enemies or wars nearby, and everyone who should be asleep was asleep at this time. Luan Gongyi's schedule did not allow him to wander around at night, and it was even more impossible for him to send someone to take his things.

The woman then caught the man and asked him what had happened.

"You said you were Mr. Luan's student?"

People who are not familiar with Luan Xin will only think that he is a man of few words, seemingly mild and gullible, but in fact he is distant and difficult to approach, and intimidating. But if you spend more time with him, you will find that he is simply slow to react and has the same attitude towards everyone.

Oh, except the Chief Censor of the Censorate.

Because of this problem, it is almost impossible for him to take the initiative to accept disciples.

Wouldn’t students with impatient temperament be driven crazy by him?
Miao Shu back then, and later on, were almost all forced upon him and were passive students. Communication between teacher and student was as refined as possible, and they would rather take action than talk - ineffective communication would waste a lot of his precious time.

result--

Another student shows up?
Still a female student.

The woman still had some doubts in her heart, and Xiang Zhao also doubted her identity: "Why did you come here instead of going to the Ministry of Personnel in the capital to report your work?"

"The capital is too far away. Why go the long way when you can take the shortest way?"

The woman felt a little guilty when she said this.

She should have met Shen Tang as soon as the mission was accomplished, but she got involved in a few trivial matters along the way, killed a few blind thieves, and took two detours. The journey that could have been completed in a few days was delayed to more than two months by her.

"If what you said is true, then I will consider you half my fellow disciple."

"Are you also Master Luan's student?"

"It counts as half." After the misunderstanding was resolved, the woman was more favorable to Xiang Zhao. Knowing that she came here specially in advance, her enthusiasm for learning made her feel even more favorable. "If there is a chance, it would be better for you to stay in the academy for two years in the future."

She was curious about how Xiang Zhao became Luan Xin's apprentice.

It would be more appropriate to become a disciple of Minister Ning.

Apart from other things, at least going to the college to take classes is a natural advantage. Going to the college can also make many classmates, and whether you want to enter the official career or indulge in the world in the future, you will have many connections and many paths.

Xiang Zhao wrote down the woman's suggestion.

"I wonder what your name is, Madam?"

"Miao Ne, Miao Ximin, you probably haven't heard of my name." She had no official position, and when she had a job, she was directly under the orders of her master. Although she had freedom, her disadvantages were also obvious. She didn't know how much reward she would get for her achievements this time. If possible, she wanted to ask for an imperial title for her mother. This was also one of the reasons why she came to Luan Gong to report on her work, to test the other party's attitude in private.

In Kangguo, the number of people who could get the title could be counted on one hand, and more than half of them were defeated by the master in the past. Most of the titles were given to appease and reward people and stabilize their hearts. For this reason, Miao Ne had never thought about the imperial title, and it was enough to get an imperial title.

If Luan Gong spoke well of himself, he would have a greater chance of success.

Xiang Zhao had no idea of ​​the thoughts that were going through her mind.

"Are you Senior Sister Ximin?"

"Have you heard of me?"

"Master Luan mentioned it by chance yesterday."

Miao Ne's character is unrestrained and uninhibited, even rough. She avoids some things if she can, and is not the Miaozi who can be at ease in the court. Xiang Zhao is the other extreme. The one who can balance the two is Miao Shu, who has passed away for many years.

Unfortunately, Miao Shu has a fatal flaw and is not a good person.

If she were really allowed to become an official, it would bring disaster to the area.

Luan Xin didn't say so much to Xiang Zhao, but just mentioned Miao Ne's talent and personality, suggesting that she didn't need to be so anxious, and could do well like Miao Ne. Moreover, Miao Ne was the first female teacher of Luan's daughter. If they met, they would definitely be able to chat.

Xiang Zhao: “…”

Master Luan’s judgment was wrong.

It was only when they actually met that they realized that their auras were not compatible.

They looked at each other, with absolutely no desire to communicate.

When Luan Xin arrived for duty on time, he saw such a strange scene. Two young men of similar age were sitting in separate corners, and even the air seemed to be clearly separated.

After he joined, the teacher and students fell silent.

Fortunately, Miao Ne wrote his performance report in advance.

The performance reports of ordinary officials are described as "piles", but Miao Ne only has a palm-sized document with no more than a hundred words on it, which is concise and to the point, and fully considers Luan Xin's shortcomings. Luan Xin reads ten lines at a glance and closes the book.

"You've worked hard over the past few years. Is there anything you want?" For the sake of work, he almost went from being single to being married, which was a lot of sacrifice.

"I want to ask for an imperial title for my mother."

Xiang Zhao, who was standing by, almost thought he was hallucinating.

Isn't the communication between these two a bit too straightforward?

Luan Xin thought for a while and said, "This should not be difficult." With Luan Xin's words, Miao Ne's hanging heart was put back to its original place. Luan Xin was in charge of the entire Ministry of Personnel. If he said there was no problem, then the matter was basically 90% settled. Luan Xin had to remind her of another matter: "Let's not talk about this for now, but there is one thing you have to pay attention to. The original Qiguo Cui family has submitted to the royal court. Although their power is not as strong as before, they can't be lonely with Shanxiao and others. If you enter the court this time, your identity will be exposed sooner or later..."

"What does Mr. Luan mean?"

"I plan to send you down to the countryside to gain experience for a few years." Kangguo conquered a large area of ​​land by force, so it won't be short of personnel at the moment. It won't be difficult to find a position for Miao Ne. "It's best to arrange you to a place far away from Cui's influence. It's safest. After a few years, Cui Xiong will get married and start a family or you will rise to prominence. Even if Cui knows it's you, they won't be able to do anything..."

This time can be shortened further.

Kangguo is now experiencing frequent wars.

The battlefield in the southwest is over, and there is also an opportunity in the central part.

Miao Ne said awkwardly: "But... I don't really want to enter the court."

Asking for an imperial title does not mean she wants to enter the officialdom.

"If you don't enter the court, you will just be a commoner. What can you do if Cui puts pressure on you or your relatives and colleagues in the future? Entering the court does not conflict with proving your own truth. You might as well think about it again." Asking for a position would not prevent him from continuing to work for the master.

Miao Ne said: "Cui Xiong shouldn't be that bad."

Let's part ways in peace. There's no need to be so stingy, right?

"He won't. What about Cui Zhishan? What about Cui Shanxiao? Cui Shanxiao is from the Censorate. If he has any complaints about you, he will make you lose face." Official business is official business, and personal grudges are personal grudges. Who said that there will be no conflicts when working for one person?
Is Miao Ne more important, or is his grandson more important?

Luan Xin's words may be exaggerated, but he was indeed thinking about Miao Ne. Life is long, who knows what the situation will be like in the court in the future? There are people who go against each other, and there are people who are blood-related and fight against each other. Miao Ne may not have the intention to kill, but he must be able to protect himself. Luan Xin had discussed the matter of letting Miao Ne enter the court with Shen Tang a long time ago, and the master also agreed.

Miao Ne scratched his messy hair.

He hesitated and said, "Let me think about it again."

He said he would think about it again, but in fact he didn't think about it for long.

She was curious about where Luan Xin wanted to arrange her.

Luan Xin gave her three choices.

Xiang Zhao's heart was pounding as he watched from the side. Was there any other choice?
Miao Ne took it with curiosity. The moment he saw the location, the corners of his mouth froze immediately: "What the hell is this place?"

Saying it is a ghost place is over-beautification.

It was difficult from the beginning, and I suspected someone was trying to trick her.

“How can a good place achieve political achievements?”

Luan Xin could fight for a good place for her, but she would just waste her time there and spend her term in office in a mediocre manner. It would be almost impossible for her to get a high evaluation in the Ministry of Personnel if she wanted to make outstanding achievements. She might even be downgraded because of mediocrity. On the contrary, if she did well in these places with poor economy and population, she could make a big splash and her path to promotion would be more stable.

Since Miao Ne had no interest in Cui, he could only pursue a distant career in officialdom.

Go further and feel freer.

It is always better to choose others than to be chosen by others.

Miao Ne thought about it and chose one that was relatively beneficial to him.

"Here?" Luan Xin was not very satisfied.

This place was the one he least favored among the three options.

Miao Ne said: "Lin Jun is a classmate."

"When did your classmate take office?"

"four years ago?"

"Took office four years ago? He would have been transferred by now."

Miao Ne smiled and said, "I know, but even if they are transferred, there must be some people who are used to it left behind, and they will ask them to help make connections, saving me the trouble of running around to select people I can trust."

Again, the official staff is limited.

Some clerks in the local government office were not on the payroll, so Wang Ting was only responsible for part of their salaries, and the rest had to be made up by local officials themselves.

Miao Ne goes to his classmates to borrow people, which not only saves expenses but also avoids the talent assessment process, and the business can start as soon as the personnel are in place.

“Having said that, you can’t rely on it too much.”

When officials are transferred, they usually take their trusted aides with them to their next post. Those who are not taken with them are either locals or have already taken root in the local area, or have other moral and ability flaws... There are so many of these old foxes that it is hard to say who has the final say in the entire government office.

If Miao Ne wants to go, he must bring his own people.

As a teacher, Luan Xin promised her fifty private followers.

Miao Ne almost choked on his saliva.

"Don't do that. No reward without merit."

"You and I also have a master-disciple relationship. What do you mean by 'no merit, no reward'? What the teacher gives to the student, does the student have to do something for it?"

Miao Ne knew that Luan Xin didn't like to refuse, so he had no choice but to accept it.

There is a pressing problem that needs to be solved.

"I'm afraid I can't afford to support these fifty people..." Those wealthy knights are basically rich kids who follow the trend, and they are exceptions. Most knights are penniless and have been poor for three generations. Luan Xin sent her people, she could afford to take them, but she couldn't afford to support them.

"Give it to me and you're my person, why do you want me to support you?"

Luan Xin responded so quickly that Miao Ne couldn't help but wonder - was it because Luan Xin could hardly afford to support her himself that he threw her to her?

It shouldn’t be the case. The Minister of Personnel may lack anything but money.

Luan Xin also sympathized with her: "I'll discuss this with the master later."

Miao Ne was almost moved to tears.

If you still can't afford it -

Then we can only find a way to rob the rich and help the poor.

Xiang Zhao looked at the two of them and felt emotional for a moment.

Not to mention the master and the apprentice, even the biological father and daughter could not arrange it as carefully as Luan Xin. After spending the past few days with him, she thought that Master Luan was a quiet person, but now it seems that is not entirely true. Just as she was thinking, Miao Ne patted her shoulder, and she suddenly pulled back her thoughts.

"Does Senior Sister have any instructions?"

"Will you come to me when you have gathered your literary mind? It is better to read ten thousand books than to travel ten thousand miles." She did not know Xiang Zhao, but she knew Luan Xin, and she believed in the other party's standards for accepting disciples. Xiang Zhao and she were also sisters from the same school. Wasn't she more trustworthy than outsiders?

That place is not in the southwest.

It is an enclave of Kang State in the central region.

The enclave is difficult to manage, and as Kangguo and the Southwestern Allied Forces started fighting, the central region also wanted to remove this thorn in its side.

Miao Ne chose this place because it was very difficult and risky.

Xiang Zhao hesitated for a moment and looked at Luan Xin.

She wanted to know whether Miao Ne had said this at his instruction.

You have to know that kidnapping Xiang Zhao is equivalent to kidnapping a bound Gong Yang Yongye. The nineteenth-rank Guannei Hou has passed, and even if this big Buddha is so bad, a palm-sized enclave will not produce a person who can overthrow him. This move is quite scheming.

It turned out that Miao Ne was just lucky.

Uェ*U
In the next chapter, the new leader of the southwestern Qi State is offline, and the melee in the central region begins.

Some scholars in the central region have special abilities that can restrain high-level warriors (equivalent to forcibly lowering the upper limit of the strength of warriors on the battlefield). However, if Xiang Zhao is present, they can basically be invalidated.