The Command to Pamper the Husband - Chapter 227

Zhao Jide never imagined in his wildest dreams that as a mere examinee, he would be valued so highly by the Empress.

After the palace examination, Zhao Jide threw himself into studying at home like a madman, determined not to embarrass the Empress in the final imperial examination.

His hard work paid off.

He became the top scorer.

Riding a horse, adorned with a red flower, he basked in the cheers and praises of the people as he felt he had reached the pinnacle of his life.

After the imperial examination, as per tradition, Zhao Jide joined the Hanlin Academy.

Without entering the Hanlin Academy, one could not become a member of the court.

Zhao Jide’s goal was clear: he wanted to become a Grand Secretary.

But…

Dreams are often grand, while reality is often harsh.

On the thirty-seventh day of Zhao Jide’s tenure at the Hanlin Academy, Duke of An sought him out.

That day, after a long day at the academy, he was heading home.

The setting sun cast its golden rays on the lacquered red gate of the Hanlin Academy, giving it a golden glow.

Gazing at that thin layer of golden light, Zhao Jide envisioned his bright future.

“Master Zhao.”

Just as Zhao Jide was lost in his thoughts, he heard someone calling him from behind. He turned around to see a young servant in green standing half a meter away.

“Are you calling me?”

The servant smiled politely. “Master Zhao, my master wishes to invite you for a discussion.”

Zhao Jide, unfamiliar with the servant’s face, realized he wasn’t one of the usual attendants at the Hanlin Academy.

“Who is your master?”

“Duke of An.”

Hearing the name, Zhao Jide was taken aback.

He, a humble editor at the Hanlin Academy, had no dealings with this Duke.

Moreover, there were no suitable young ladies in the Duke’s family for matchmaking.

With a twitch of his eye, Zhao Jide said, “I have no dealings with the Duke.”

“My master appreciates your scholarly talents and has long wished to make your acquaintance. However, he has been occupied with affairs at home and in the court. Today, he finally found some time and hopes you will not refuse his invitation.”

With such polite words, Zhao Jide, a mere editor, couldn’t possibly refuse the Duke’s invitation.

Zhao Jide followed the servant to Qingyuan Restaurant, where Duke of An was waiting.

On the third floor, in Zhu Yaxuan.

When Zhao Jide entered, the Duke of An was sitting by the window, playing with an empty teacup.

Upon hearing the door, the Duke of An stood up to greet him.

Zhao Jide hastily bowed, not daring to accept such a greeting from the Duke.

“Master Zhao, please don’t be so formal. In terms of age, we are not far apart. It is only because of the Emperor’s favor to my ancestors that I inherited the title. You, however, have true scholarly talents. I admire your abilities greatly.”

The Duke of An was indeed not much older than Zhao Jide.

His ancestors had fought alongside the founding Emperor and were sworn brothers.

The Duke of An’s father was also a general.

He was injured by a stray arrow while on a campaign with the Empress. Although he was saved, his health never fully recovered.

Since then, he had not returned to the battlefield and had been recuperating at home.

He passed away last month.

Zhao Jide had even attended the funeral.

The current Duke of An, who inherited the title, was still in mourning and wore very plain clothes, giving him a scholarly appearance.

They ordered some food, and since the Duke of An was still in mourning, he used tea instead of wine to accompany Zhao Jide.

“Master Zhao, who in the Hanlin Academy is mentoring you?” After some casual conversation, the Duke of An finally steered the discussion to the main topic.

Zhao Jide smiled. “I may be lacking in talent, no one has taken an interest in me yet.”

Though Zhao Jide was the top scorer, due to the incident during the palace examination where the Minister of Justice and several examiners were investigated, he had offended many officials despite gaining the Empress’s favor.

Officials were divided into various factions based on their academies.

The officials investigated by the Empress belonged to the same faction.

A single faction had lost many members because of Zhao Jide, so naturally, they saw him as a thorn in their side.

They didn’t care why the Minister of Justice was investigated.

They only knew that now the Minister’s position was occupied by someone from a rival faction.

Other factions, on the other hand, didn’t see Zhao Jide as an ally despite him helping them bring down the Minister of Justice.

To them, Zhao Jide was an outsider.

An outsider without connections in any major academy.

He had studied alone at home from a young age, without any classmates.

After the provincial examination, he had attended an academy and made many friends, but none of them had entered the Hanlin Academy.

None had even stayed in the capital.

Without support or connections, he was alone in the Hanlin Academy.

Fortunately, the Empress valued him and had summoned him to the palace several times, encouraging him, preventing him from being completely ostracized despite being the top scorer.

Students often believed that becoming the top scorer was the pinnacle of their lives.

In reality, becoming the top scorer was just the beginning of another challenging phase.

In the Hanlin Academy, his title meant nothing.

To make a name for himself, he had to climb the bureaucratic ladder from the bottom.

This struggle was far more complex than the simple hardships of studying.

Back then, hard work led to visible results.

Now, no matter how hard he worked, without support, his efforts would remain buried in obscurity.

This realization left Zhao Jide feeling powerless, but his naturally optimistic nature kept him hopeful.

After speaking, Zhao Jide took a sip of his drink.

Duke of An smiled. “Master Zhao is a man of great talent. It’s a pity the officials in the Hanlin Academy fail to see it.”

Zhao Jide smiled wryly and didn’t respond.

He thought so too.

“I have some connections with the Duke of Ning, who is currently close to the Ministry of War. If Master Zhao doesn’t mind, perhaps you could consider aligning yourself with the Minister of War.”

Officials in the Hanlin Academy usually sought connections with court members, not ministers.

This suggestion seemed quite unconventional.

Zhao Jide frowned.

The Duke of An laughed. “To be honest, the current court members appear to be at odds, but in reality, they are bound together by a common interest. They won’t openly accept you and risk offending the senior court members.”

Zhao Jide had been in the Hanlin Academy for a while.

This was the first time he heard such a thing and was stunned.

“The Minister of Justice, who was personally investigated by the Empress during the palace examination, was Grand Secretary Du’s nephew. Grand Secretary Du has no sons and treated this nephew as his own. Naturally, he also cared for his nephew’s son as his own grandson.”

Zhao Jide had heard this after the palace examination.

He was told that although he had gotten his revenge, he had also thoroughly offended Grand Secretary Du.

Even if he entered the Hanlin Academy, he would have no future.

At the time, he didn’t believe it.

Later, when no court member accepted him, he still didn’t think it was related, since there were several Grand Secretaries.

But now, the Duke of An brought it up again.

Zhao Jide clenched his fists.

“Grand Secretary Du holds a high position in the court. If he openly refuses to accept you, the other Grand Secretaries won’t risk offending him for your sake.”

This statement enlightened Zhao Jide.

The Grand Secretaries might be at odds, even enemies, but they wouldn’t risk their positions for him.

In other words, he wasn’t worth it.

Zhao Jide smiled bitterly. “Thank you for the insight, Duke of An. But even so, why should I align myself with the Minister of War? As far as I know, the Minister of War is close to Grand Secretary Zhao.”

Duke of An laughed heartily.

“But didn’t you know the Minister of War is also close to the Duke of Ning?”

Zhao Jide indeed didn’t know.

He had only been in the Hanlin Academy for a short time and couldn’t grasp the intricate politics of the court.

“The Duke of Ning and Grand Secretary Zhao are enemies. Years ago, Grand Secretary Zhao’s son was shot in the eye by the Duke during a hunt, leaving him with a permanent injury.”

“And why did the Duke of Ning do this? Because Grand Secretary Zhao’s son married the Duke’s sister, but mistreated her after marriage, bringing his childhood sweetheart into the household as a concubine and giving her the status of the main wife, causing the Duke’s sister to suffer repeatedly.”

Zhao Jide was shocked.

“So the Duke took revenge during the hunt?”

The Duke of An laughed. “Wouldn’t you? The Duke intended to kill him but only managed to blind him in one eye.”

Zhao Jide felt as if thunder had struck his heart.

Such life-and-death matters were mere trifles to these powerful figures.

The Duke of Ning blinded Grand Secretary Zhao’s son, yet the Duke remained influential. Grand Secretary Zhao’s son favored his concubine over his wife, yet Grand Secretary Zhao remained an unshakeable pillar of the court.

Such was the nature of the court.