Chapter 663: New Post
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
In Wanning City, almost all the departments of the Imperial Court were set up in the Imperial City. More importantly, the Grand Council and Cabinet were all set up in the inner palace. They usually only played a leading role for the other divisions.
Logically speaking, the Astrology Divination Bureau was a peripheral department. It should be arranged in the most remote corner or thrown behind the Ministry of Rites with the Imperial Astronomers.
However, the Astrology Divination Bureau was different. It occupied a “feng shui treasure land”. In front of it was the Hanlin Academy, behind it was the Directorate, and beside it was the temple department of the Ministry of Rites. The latter was in charge of large-scale sacrifices, etiquette, festivities, and other related matters. On the surface, it belonged to the higher-ups of the Astrology Divination Bureau.
On the other side was the small imperial garden on the outskirts of the Imperial City. Compared to the imperial garden in the inner palace, the scale was naturally much smaller. However, there were a total of 20 such small imperial gardens in the Imperial City, and they were used by the officials to relax.
The Imperial City was abnormally large. Even 20 imperial gardens wouldn’t take up a lot of space. However, among the officials living in the Imperial City, other than the women, the others were more interested in tasting tea. Therefore, the small imperial garden was used as a tea garden all year round.
Ah Yu walked along a tea garden to the Astrology Divination Bureau.
As she had already been promoted to the title of ‘Jade Village Lord,’ all the necessary regulations and customs related to being a Village Lord were prepared and sent to the Wang family. This included the identity badge signifying her status as a Village Lord, the various formalities related to the position, and the appropriate clothing and jewelry that came with the title. Additionally, two old maids from the palace were sent to assist Ah Yu in managing her new responsibilities.
The two grannies were even selected by the Empress Dowager and the Empress, one from each side. They were both experienced people who were useful in the palace. They didn’t have the typical winding personalities and were especially suitable to teach Ah Yu some etiquette and rules.
They were just thinking that when Ah Yu married in the future, she would be a Prince Consort. No matter how unrestrained she was, she should know some etiquette to avoid being mocked by some busybodies.
That would be really disgusting.
Ah Yu didn’t think too much about it. Old Madam Wang nodded and asked them to stay, and Ah Yu didn’t need to manage anything. Later on, she heard that the few grannies had been sent to another house. They seemed to be going to help train a group of useful servants.
Madam Ma and Liu Shi followed them to choose those servants. Now, Old Madam Wang basically didn’t care much about Wanning City and handed over the matters to her second and fourth daughters-in-law. As for her granddaughters-in-law, she let them learn from their mother-in-law.
“Village Lord Yu, the Astrology Divination Bureau is ahead. I’ll wait for you here.” Tang Yuan lowered her head and stood respectfully at the side.
Tang Yuan was Ah Yu’s personal maidservant. Now, her status had also risen. She could enter the Imperial City that she was originally not allowed to enter.
Tang Yuan was extremely reliable. Before entering Wanning City, she had already found someone to teach her some etiquette suitable for the capital using her monthly allowance.
Later on, Ah Yu was conferred the title of Village Lord. Tang Yuan even found Old Madam Wang immediately to learn the rules from the two old grannies from the palace. Although her speech and form was not smooth yet, it was not bad. She would be able to graduate in a few more days.
She was the only maid by Ah Yu’s side now. No matter what the Wang Family thought of her, she had to remember her duty as a maid and not make any mistakes.
This was because outsiders would only treat her as All Yu’s maidservant. If she embarrassed herself, she would be embarrassing Ah Yu.
“Big Sister Tang Yuan, you don’t have to wait for me all the time. You can go home first. I can find the way,” Ah Yu said to Tang Yuan with a smile. “It’s so boring waiting here. If you encounter some important figures coming over, you have to bow. How tiring will that be?”
Ah Yu had asked around. She was now a Village Lord and a proper fifth-grade noble. When she met officials of the Imperial Court, she usually didn’t have to bow.
Officials above the fifth-grade lived elsewhere, and they usually didn’t take this path.
The palace maid at the side reminded her softly, “Village Lord Yu, there’s a small kitchen in the Little Imperial Garden. It’s connected to another garden. If this Big Sister doesn’t mind, she can go there and sit. When it’s time, I’ll call her over to pick you up.”
Tang Yuan was also a big girl now. Speaking of which, she looked a little younger than this palace maid who led the way. However, she worked for the royal family. She did not care about age and only cared about status. Therefore, she also called Tang Yuan Big Sister.
Ah Yu nodded. “Thank you—what’s your name?”
“This servant’s name is Liu Fang.” When the palace maid heard All Yu ask her name, she was secretly delighted. When nobles asked for her name, it was usually something good.
“Big Sister Liu Fang, this is the first time Big Sister Tang Yuan has come to the Imperial City. Please take care of her.”
Ah Yu recalled what her mother had once told her – now that she was going to hold a position within the imperial city, even if it was not within the inner palace, she still needed to follow certain protocols. For example, when requesting others to do tasks, it was necessary to offer incentives or rewards to encourage their dedication and effort.
After thinking for a moment, All Yu took out a handful of silver ingots from her pocket and was about to give them to the palace maid when she saw Tang Yuan say silently, “Little Sister Liu Fang, I’ll wait for you here.”
Ah Yu looked at Tang Yuan in confusion. With a twist of her wrist, she handed the silver ingots to her and said, “Big Sister Tang Yuan, I heard that there are also some places in the Imperial City that sell food. If I come out late and you’re hungry, take the silver to buy some food.”
After interacting with each other for so many years, they naturally had some tacit understanding.
Tang Yuan accepted the silver ingots and nodded. “Thank you for your reminder, Village Lord Yu.”
Outside, Tang Yuan always called her that.
She was afraid that she would forget that she was a Village Lord. Sometimes, she could do whatever she wanted.
After this small interlude, under the lead of the palace maid, Liu Fang, they circled around two tall doors and finally saw an exquisite and gorgeous hall. The magnificence of it was needless to say.
“Village Lord Yu, it’s not there. Come with me.” Seeing that Ah Yu was about to walk towards the hall, Liu Fang hurriedly reminded her, “The Astrology Divination Bureau is beside it.”
They walked around the hall and entered the courtyard. Only then did they see that there was actually a small house in the courtyard. This house was similar to the one the Wang Family had in Hu Family Village.
The only difference was that the Wang Family Village now had a row of green brick houses. Every Big Brother had their own house, but they did not return to live there.
The small house in front of her was quite similar to the ancestral home of the Wang family in the village. It formed a row of buildings, with a total of four rooms when viewed from the outside. At the moment, there were tables arranged in front of the house, and behind the tables sat four individuals sitting upright and seriously.
One of them was originally bending over the table and writing a document. When he heard the commotion, he looked up and saw All Yu. His eyes immediately lit up. “You’re the legendary Village Lord Yu, right? I’ve already written your employment document for you. You just have to stamp your seal here and it’ll be in effect officially!”
Ah Yu was still in a daze. “Don’t 1 still need to take the assessment? Where are the other examinees?”
Seeing the other party make such a huge arrangement, she thought that at least many people would come.
That person exclaimed and said very naturally, “We only received three resume documents. Two of them did not conform to the rules, so we withdrew them. You’re a Village Lord, so you’re naturally good at everything. There’s no need for the assessment. I think you’re just right for our Astrology Divination Bureau!”
Ah Yu:”…” She felt that something was wrong.
Out of courtesy, All Yu still asked, “You are?”
“Oh, I’m the 108th commander of the Astrology Divination Bureau. My name is Xie Zhen. You can completely call me Little Xie.”
Ah Yu looked at the other party’s thin but clearly middle-aged appearance. Even someone as talkative as her didn’t know how to reply.
“By the way, do you want to hold any position in the Astrology Divination Bureau?” Xie Zhen thought for a moment and asked tentatively, “Why don’t I give you the position of commander?”
Ah Yu :”…”
Why don’t 1 go to the temple department next door and ask if they can make an exception and take in a woman on account that I’m a Village Lord?
She really felt that this Astrology Divination Bureau was a little unreliable..