Translator: TYZ Editor: Book_Hoarder
“How many years have Sir Ren worked in the Honglu Bureau? I have been to Lan City before in the past, but this is the first time I see a foreigner in Dayao holding an official position. Sir Ren must have been favored by Her Majesty. You’re truly respected,” Zhang Junzheng smiled and asked as he followed Ren Baqian into the Honglu Bureau with his two nephews behind him.
“I just took up this position not too long ago,” Ren Baqian spread his arms and replied. It wasn’t possible for him to hide this information as people could easily find out the truth by just asking around.
“Oh?” Zhang Junzheng’s eyes flickered.
“I have to trouble you to fill this form out.” Ren Baqian took out three pieces of paper and passed it to the three people. After explaining what information he needed, Ren Baqian sat down behind the table and silently observed the three persons.
Zhang Junzheng might appear to be the leader, but the main characters were very likely to be the two pretty boys beside him.
“Where do all of you want to stay? Have you arranged lodgings already?” Ren Baqian asked when he saw them finish filling out the form.
“I have to trouble to arrange the lodgings for us,” Zhang Junzheng cupped his fists and replied.
“Xiong Pi, bring them to the two empty residences beside Ning Caichen’s,” Ren Baqian instructed Xiong Pi.
“Yes, Deputy! All of you, follow me!” Xiong Pi yelled.
“Thank you very much, Sir.” Zhang Junzheng and the other two cupped their fists at Ren Baqian.
Ren Baqian nodded his head at them. After they had left, he fell into a deep thought.
These three persons looked like they were from an influential family. They were different from ordinary people. Every word and action they said and made were extremely appropriate. Even though they had treated Ren Baqian with due respect, he did not have a favorable impression of them at all.
The change in his mentality during the last two days caused him to have a premonition.
At the same time, he pondered over a question. If he could become an official in Dayao, could the people from other nations do so as well? Could they?
Just because there isn’t any foreigner that has become an official in Dayao in the past does not mean there can not be one in the future. He himself was an example.
That afternoon, other groups of people arrived. The first group was from Great Xia and had the surname Lian. The second group was from the Yun Nation and had the surname Hong.
Like the Zhang Family, these two groups of people also came with a huge fleet of horses and carriages. They brought a lot of gifts with them as well.
Ren Baqian instructed Xiong Pi to bring them to their residences. When Xiong Pi came back, he began to grumble, “Sir, those bastards don’t know what’s good for them. They actually complained about the amenities being too simple and crude. Every residence is the same. Personally, I think the amenities are not bad. I can’t believe they dare to complain about this and that.”
Ren Baqian narrowed his eyes slightly. He knew Xiong Pi was talking about the Lian Family. The Lian Family’s young master was surrounded by an air of arrogance. He was so arrogant that his eyes looked as though grew on top of his head.
“If they complain again, ask them to find their own lodgings,” Ren Baqian replied casually.
That night, Ren Baqian handed over his work to someone else. He returned to Earth that night.
During the three days on Earth, he hid inside his room to recite the poems and pondered over his life in that world. His mind was entirely focused on that world.
There were too many things that he needed to take into consideration. In the past, he was like a spinning top. He would spin only when the string was pulled. Other than thinking about how to keep himself alive, he would only think about making Earthly objects and how to make money. He had never contemplated what he really wanted to do and how he was going to do it.
However, during these days, he had been thinking about his future.
The only advantage he had was the backing of a civilized world, Earth. He had nothing else, let alone fighting capabilities. He reckoned that anyone above ten years of age in Dayao was stronger than him. He was just an ordinary man. He wasn’t a visionary or a sage.
All he had was the technologies, scientific theories, and cultural knowledge from Earth. These were the only things that displayed his worth to other people.
Even though the people in the other world were very powerful in terms of strength, they still weren’t powerful enough to disregard the technologies from Earth. Technologies were very important to them as well. Similarly, cultural knowledge and scientific theories were very important to Dayao.
In the past, he only thought about what Earthly items he could make, how to make more money, and how to fawn upon the empress. However, these things were insignificant to him now. If he wanted people to truly value him, he had to upgrade Dayao in terms of science and technology. Only by doing so then would his position be firm and secure.
Of course, hugging the empress’s thighs was necessary.
He knew nothing and had nothing in that world. He did not have any foundation to rise from. In the meantime, he could only hug the empress’s thighs tightly. Only by doing so could he then keep himself safe and sound and do things that display his worth.
Ren Baqian thought about a lot of things. Even though his thought process was still lacking in some areas, he had already come up with a clear goal. As for the areas he was lacking in, he could slowly improve them.
By the time he returned to that world, his mind was crystal-clear. He knew what he wanted to do and how to do them
“Eh? Brother Ren, you look slightly different today,” Caretaker Shi asked with curiosity when he saw Ren Baqian in the morning.
“I finally figured out something that I didn’t understand in the past,” Ren Baqian smiled and replied.
“If you don’t understand something, throw it aside first. You will know what to do when the moment arrives,” Caretaker Shi replied bluntly, causing Ren Baqian to chuckle.
When Ren Baqian reached the Honglu Bureau, he saw Qi Heng and Qi Sheng still stood at the entrance. When they saw him, they greeted him.
“Anyone come yesterday?” Ren Baqian asked casually.
“There were a carriage fleet and a group of three men riding horses. I saw Xiong Pi leading them away, their lodgings should have already been settled,” Qi Heng replied.
Ren Baqian nodded his head in acknowledgement. Upon entering the deputy room, he saw a big man sitting behind the table. His face was dim-looking. If he was drooling now, he would be looking like a mentally challenged person.
Ren Baqian tapped the table and said, “Registrar Xi.”
The man jumped up and returned to his senses. When he saw that it was Ren Baqian, he quickly stood up and said, “Deputy Ren, you’re back. Have you settled your business?”
“Yes,” Ren Baqian replied plainly, “Did anything happen yesterday?”
This big man was the official registrar of the Honglu Bureau. He was Ren Baqian’s replacement for yesterday. It was very easy for Ren Baqian to come up with an excuse. He merely said that the empress had arranged other work for him to do. In any case, Registrar Xi could not find the empress to validate Ren Baqian’s excuse. Furthermore, the empress knew that Ren Baqian would disappear occasionally.
“I have already arranged the lodgings for the two groups of people that came yesterday,” the big man said.
“If there’s nothing else, I shall take my leave.”
“Thank you so much.” Ren Baqian gave him a smile.
The big man grinned back at Ren Baqian. Without saying anything else, he left the building.
Ren Baqian walked around the building and came to the backyard. Xiong Pi was indeed playing with the gigantic rock. When he saw Ren Baqian, he casually threw the rock away as though it was rubber ball.
“You can continue your training, I am just taking a look,” Ren Baqian said. He felt a tremor when the gigantic rock landed on the ground.
…
That afternoon Ren Baqian and Xiong Pi were staying in the room when, suddenly, a minor official from the relay station came over and reported to Ren Baqian, “Sir, a fight has broken out.”
However, he did not look like he was panicking. It was as though he was here just to notify Ren Baqian of this incident.
In any case, all of them were foreigners. As long they did not destroy the relay station, the people from the Honglu Bureau wouldn’t care about them.
“Has anyone been beaten to death so far?” Ren Baqian leaned back and inqired.
“Sir, when I arrived at the scene, no one was dead yet,” the man smiled. Ren Baqian’s current manner of speaking was extremely similar to the previous Deputy Qi Zhi’s.
“What’s the issue?” Ren Baqian asked.
“I am not too sure either. They began to fight after having a small quarrel,” that man replied.
“Which residences?”
“Number 2 and Number 8.”
Ren Baqian recalled that these two residences belonged to Mister Emptiness and the Lian Family.
“Let’s go and take a look.”
