Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity

Chapter 920 - 756: Strange and Unusual

Since that’s the case, he cannot make an enemy of the other party. In the officialdom, making an enemy of such a capable minister is highly unwise.Not only should he avoid enmity, but he must also cultivate good relations with the other party, for this is valuable social capital!

"There are no amendments needed; first, make a copy of these. Once the morning court session is over, I will present them to the Emperor."

After Gu Chengyu took his leave, he glanced at the Holy Edict in his hands.

He was still pondering Chou Yifan’s intentions. Yesterday, after returning home, he continuously mulled it over but still felt uneasy, deciding to make two more copied versions.

Earlier today, he let Zhang Hai inspect it, but it was one of the copies made later. He hid the other copy, which Chou Yifan had seen, in his space.

Yesterday, after returning home again, he meticulously checked it and found no issues.

Gu Chengyu was baffled, wondering if it was merely that the plan hadn’t been executed yet. That was his only thought.

In fact, Gu Chengyu was right. After Chou Yifan signed in this morning, he sat in his room feeling restless.

He hadn’t found an opportunity yesterday, plus there were still some things lacking, so he wasn’t prepared at all, thus returning it to Gu Chengyu.

Today, regardless of what happens, he must find an opportunity to act.

An expression of malice flashed by in his eyes as Chou Yifan took a deep breath. He could not be blamed for this; he was acting out of desperation.

Having been in the Standard Sixth Rank position for six years now, previously, Hanlin Academy didn’t have vacancies, so he couldn’t blame anyone for not showing respect to his father-in-law.

But now that the Assistant Lecturer position has opened up, he certainly can’t let it slip by. Otherwise, who knows how much longer he would have to wait.

As for the kind of punishment Gu Chengyu might face, he couldn’t care less.

Blinded by power, Chou Yifan, who initially felt a bit guilty, now discarded his conscience entirely.

Gu Chengyu quickly returned home, recopying both Holy Edicts onto rice paper.

"Jinyu! Are you heading to Mr. Zhang’s place? We can go together; I need to hand over a transcript to Mr. Zhang."

Once Gu Chengyu finished transcribing, he was about to leave for Zhang Hai’s place when he was stopped by Chou Yifan.

Gu Chengyu’s heart skipped a beat. Was this the moment for action? "Let’s go together then!"

Then, Chou Yifan picked up a scroll of transcripts and walked out side by side with Gu Chengyu.

Gu Chengyu smiled, intrigued by what the other might be planning. Admittedly, he was quite curious.

The two chatted idly on their way, during which Gu Chengyu quietly observed Chou Yifan several times.

He noticed Chou Yifan was engrossed in narrating events from Hanlin Academy, eloquent as ever, his demeanor showed no signs of peculiar behavior.

Gu Chengyu glanced at the small courtyard ahead, now within sight, guessing if Chou Yifan intended to act when they reached Zhang Hai’s place?

Or was he merely judging a gentleman by a villain’s heart, with Chou Yifan having no such intentions?

With these thoughts, Gu Chengyu entered Zhang Hai’s courtyard alongside Chou Yifan.

"Subordinate Qian Yi greets both distinguished gentlemen! Are you here looking for Mr. Zhang? He’s not in right now, but should return shortly. Would you care to wait in my room?"

Qian greeted them as he heard their conversation, promptly coming out to welcome them.

"Alright, then let us take the liberty!" Chou Yifan nodded, and suddenly hastened to walk ahead.

Unexpectedly, as he passed by Gu Chengyu, perhaps because they were too close, or because Chou Yifan was walking quickly, his body bumped straight into Gu Chengyu.

However, as Chou Yifan approached Gu Chengyu, Gu Chengyu deftly dodged aside, only brushing against the corner of his garment.

"Oh dear! My apologies, it was rather reckless of me." Chou Yifan quickly turned, expressing his apology.

Upon seeing Gu Chengyu tightly clutching his belongings in hand, Chou Yifan’s expression shifted to one of discomfort.

Gu Chengyu, being someone who practices martial arts, though Chou Yifan may act swiftly, any sudden approach would naturally alert him.

Hence, Chou Yifan did not collide with him, merely grazing against Gu Chengyu’s sleeve.

That was precisely what left Chou Yifan regretful, having missed such an opportune moment.

After failing once, attempting it again would seem overly deliberate.

Yet he had precisely calculated Gu Chengyu’s position earlier, so why hadn’t he bumped into him? It was quite baffling.

No matter the circumstances, having already missed the opportunity, he must avoid failing again in what follows.

"No harm done!" Gu Chengyu smiled, having seemingly grasped Chou Yifan’s intentions.

Now, Chou Yifan was clearly frustrated; he perhaps intended to act yesterday, but Gu Chengyu had the habit of bringing important items back to the residence.

Back then, Gu Chengyu watched the opponent with focused attention, naturally preventing action.

Though Chou Yifan found no opportunity all the way here, upon arriving at Zhang Hai’s courtyard, he grew impatient.

He finally acted just now, but unfortunately, he hadn’t known Gu Chengyu was skilled in martial arts, thus failing to succeed.

Gu Chengyu was curious about how Chou Yifan might frame his mistake on him, so he planned to create circumstances for that to satisfy his curiosity.

Furthermore, since the adversary had already made a move against him, there’s a high chance he might do it again in the future.

Gu Chengyu also sought an opportunity to deal with Chou Yifan, sparing himself from covert surveillance and scheming by this person constantly.

It must be said, only Gu Chengyu possessed such confidence. If it were someone else, Chou Yifan might very well have succeeded.

Seeing Chou Yifan’s insincere laughter, Gu Chengyu felt disgusted.

Before, he considered this person as someone calculative and deeply insightful.

But he hadn’t foreseen the other’s complete loss of composure, resorting to such poor tactics for an Assistant Lecturer position.

In fact, Gu Chengyu purely relied on his abilities to deduce others’ actions, remaining unaware of the harsh realities of the officialdom.

Some officials stayed in their positions for decades without movement, having no connections or silver coin, making it near impossible to ascend ranks.

Plenty of county magistrates in remote regions never moved their nests throughout their lifetime.

Upper management evaluates subordinates’ performance annually, and without silver for offerings or connections for support, regardless of performance, it’s no different than receiving a mediocre or subpar assessment. Without an excellent evaluation, how does one get promoted?

How many have been promoted as quickly as Gu Chengyu? Looking back several dynasties, it’d be hard to find any.

Even the famed Xue father and son of earlier times are but a far comparison!

An Assistant Lecturer is of Secondary Fifth Rank, moving from Sixth Rank to Fifth Rank leaping a major level, naturally warranting Chou Yifan’s full consideration.

The two entered Qian Yi’s room, where Qian Yi was busying himself preparing tea for them.

Seeing Gu Chengyu and his companion inspecting the room, Qian Yi chuckled naturally, "My place is rather plain. This tea is mountain tea brought by my brother and sister-in-law from my hometown. Though lacking the rich aroma of famous teas, drinking it yields some refreshing fragrance."

Qian Yi placed the tea bowls on the table. Gu Chengyu took a sip from his tea bowl, smiling after a while, and said: "This tea initially tastes slightly bitter, yet moments later one feels a lingering fragrance, quite sweet, with an endless aftertaste."