The Immortal Seeker: Legend of Bronze Mirror

The next morning, after the court session, Feng Xifeng, with dark circles under his eyes, mentioned to the Grand Secretary in the Cabinet about Xu Qing's request to meet him.

The Grand Secretary said indifferently, "Let him come to Yanyue Hall tonight by himself, make sure no one sees him."

"Yes," Feng Xifeng responded, hesitating to speak further.

Grand Secretary: "Is there anything else, Qiu Yuan?"

Feng Xifeng: "Lately, this young Xu Gongming has been a bit reckless, Prime Minister should not indulge him too much."

The Grand Secretary chuckled, "Being a young man, it is good to be spirited. Qiu Yuan, ever since you've been in the Capital, you seem to have lost some of that sharpness you had before."

Feng Xifeng bowed in shame, "After entering the court, I realized how challenging it is for the Prime Minister. Every action involves the welfare of the people. It's not like the recklessness of youth, where one follows every whim..."

With such flattering words, even someone like the Grand Secretary couldn't help but feel pleased. He waved his hand, "Alright, state affairs are pressing; we truly need people like Qiu Yuan to devote themselves to the nation's affairs. You may go now and attend to your duties."

"Yes," Feng Xifeng let out a sigh of relief.

Those were his son-in-law's instructions, he simply followed them, whatever the use might be.

...

...

In Yanyue Hall, with the moon high in the courtyard.

The Grand Secretary sipped some spiritual ginseng tea, continuing his work energetically.

Suddenly, a cool breeze entered.

The Grand Secretary looked up to see a young man in front of him.

He gestured for his attendants to step back.

"You managed to sneak in here alone, your Kung Fu is indeed impressive," said the Grand Secretary, looking at Xu Qing with a smile.

Now holding the power of Tai'a, governing the entire nation with an awe-inspiring authority over others, yet in front of Xu Qing, he exhibited an amiable demeanor of an elder and a friend. If word got out, rumors of a godson or an illegitimate child would certainly be confirmed.

The elder and the young sat down.

Xu Qing took out a wine flask and cups. The Grand Secretary hesitated, then motioned Xu Qing to pour the wine. Because of national affairs, it had been a long while since he had drunk any alcohol.

Even at the banquets of Your Majesty, he often substituted wine with tea.

"Speak, what brings you here?" the Grand Secretary asked after Xu Qing finished pouring.

Xu Qing: "The Prime Minister should promote my father-in-law."

The Grand Secretary, taken aback, then said coldly, "Official positions and titles are public assets of the state, not to be privately allocated."

Xu Qing: "Prime Minister shouldn't forget, I am about to participate in the examination and the Imperial Examination. If I become the top scorer, I will directly be appointed as Hanlin Xiu Zhuan, a Sixth Rank official. My father-in-law, though an Inspector of the Six Divisions, is only Seventh Rank. How is this fair?"

The Grand Secretary laughed, "So confident of securing the top position? You know that the ranking within the top ten during the Imperial Examination is determined by His Majesty, are you suggesting I help you?"

Xu Qing: "I will handle His Majesty myself; you need not trouble yourself, elder."

Such spirited youth!

The Grand Secretary, annoyed yet amused, said, "Then you should ask His Majesty to promote Feng Xifeng, what do you want from me?"

Xu Qing sighed, "Then I'll go to His Majesty, and hope you don't regret it, elder."

Unable to restrain himself, the Grand Secretary slammed his palm on the table, "Xu Gongming, do not presume too much in front of me."

Xu Qing, grinning, guzzled some spiritual ginseng tea from the Grand Secretary's teapot, then said, "Grandpa Taia, look how upset you are. I'm just trying to ease your burden with a little joke, to help you relax."

He made a gesture to massage the Grand Secretary's shoulders to calm him down.

Little did he expect the old man to meet him halfway, without reservation.

Xu Qing was caught off guard, thus awkwardly resorted to Grandmaster Level techniques to casually massage the Grand Secretary. Enjoying it for a moment, the Grand Secretary closed his eyes, then queried, "Where do you think would be an appropriate next step for Feng Xifeng?"

Pulling back his hands, Xu Qing adopted a serious demeanor, expressing, "As an Inspector of the Six Divisions, his position is humble yet significant. Even if my father-in-law were appointed as Magistrate of a Zhili city, it couldn't compare to his current Inspector position. This promotion could actually be a subtle demotion. I'm not worried about my father-in-law handling this downgrade, but rather concerned that others might criticize you for being harsh."

The Grand Secretary chuckled, "Which 'others'? You might as well just use your full name, Xu Gongming."

Still, the young man's words made sense.

Feng Xifeng had proven to be quite competent; promoting him was well within reason, and for the time being, who else was more suitable? Plus, keeping Feng Xifeng within his influence was also a convenient way for the Grand Secretary to utilize Xu Qing.

Now was not the time for Xu Qing to abstain from the examinations. Having already delayed one term, it couldn't continue.

The Grand Secretary didn't think he held such sway nowadays.

Indeed, Xu Qing's potential for disruption now outweighed his utility by far.

One could say that Xu Qing's capacity for causing trouble now surpassed his capacity for handling matters.

In the past, one could harshly opt out of employing Xu Qing; now, could anyone prevent him from wreaking havoc?

With Xu Qing voluntarily coming to the Capital, truth be told, it relieved some pressure on the court.

Having Xu Qing in the Capital surely was preferable to him stirring trouble elsewhere.

Amongst two evils, one must choose the lesser!

In an instant, the Grand Secretary, contemplating myriad thoughts, spoke, "You always have many ideas; what do you suggest?"

Xu Qing smiled slightly, "If there's no suitable position, has the Grand Secretary ever considered suggesting to His Majesty to create a special role for my father-in-law?"

The face of the Grand Secretary darkened. Creating a special position, indeed. Is it because of Xu Gongming's influence?

Suppressing the urge to thrash Xu Qing, he patiently said, "Please elaborate."

Xu Qing then spoke freely, sharing his inner thoughts.

After listening, the Grand Secretary pondered, "You mean to establish a special Military Affairs Office to handle border military affairs?"

Xu Qing: "This Military Affairs Office need not be ranked, nor does it require a salary; it could be a concurrent post. A senior official like the Grand Secretary could directly serve as the Minister of Military Affairs, while middle or lower-level officials like my father-in-law could take on roles as Assistant Ministers of Military Affairs. As for the main position, as long as the rank is sufficient, specific labels don't matter."