Lu Tong paused, "Why..."
She rembered that Minister Shen was full of ambition and loved to make connections everywhere, which was quite incongruent with the hustling figure now busy at a street stall.
Shen Fengying rubbed his hands, walked under the colorful canopy in front of his stall, and invited Lu Tong and Pei Yunng to sit down at a small table. He poured each of them a cup of mung bean water and grabbed a handful of spiced peanuts, then straddled a small stool to sit.
"That thing at Fengle Building, you should know about," Shen Fengying popped a peanut into his mouth, "The fire at Fengle Building, the incident with Young Master Qi of the Grand Preceptor’s family, to be honest, I was the first to discover it."
Lu Tong exchanged a glance with Pei Yunng.
Unaware, Shen Fengying just patted his chest, his tone proud, but with his soot-dusted face, the pride also revealed a hint of pity.
"I was the first to discover it, and also the first to be unlucky. The Military Patrol Shop had to find soone to take the bla, and since I had neither status nor backing, naturally, I beca the scapegoat."
Lu Tong frowned, "You discovered Young Master Qi and saved his life, you should’ve been credited for your actions."
"Doctor Lu, ah, you clearly don’t understand officialdom!" Shen Fengying slapped the table, "Life and death are small matters, losing face for the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion is a big deal, they had to vent their anger sohow, didn’t they?"
After speaking, he slapped his own cheek, "Just look at , why am I so ddleso? If I hadn’t interfered in that extra business..." He choked briefly, then mused, "If I hadn’t interfered in that extra business, and sothing had happened to Young Master Qi, right now, I might not even be able to sell lamb."
His words carried a certain bitterness.
Lu Tong stayed silent for a mont, then said, "I’m sorry."
Shen Fengying looked at her, puzzled, "What are you apologizing to for?"
He sighed.
"Actually, I stayed in the Patrol House for over ten years, and in the end, all I got was a petty job. They wanted to fawn, I fawned; they wanted to flatter, so I flattered. In the end, ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, well done! "
He laughed loudly, "Over the years, I spent quite a bit of silver to honor those above , always pretending to have resources when I had none, and look at this ridiculous outco. Years ago, my mother had my fortune told; she said my fate was never to hold an office seal, and I didn’t believe it. Now it seems, one really ought to believe in fate."
"Forget it, too tired to struggle," he waved his hand, seemingly nonchalant, "If I had known earlier that all those years of honoring those above would amount to nothing, that I wouldn’t get anything in return, I might as well have gone ho earlier to sell at. With this face, who knows, maybe while selling, I could beco another ’at seller Pan An’."
He joked, as a custor behind him called out, "Boss, slice two lǐang of lamb!"
Shen Fengying responded with an "ai" and hurried to retrieve and slice the beef from the warming vat. Lu Tong sat and watched him smile and serve the sliced lamb to the custor, feeling quite conflicted inside.
The fire at Fengle Building had started because of her, and ultimately, it was because of her that Shen Fengying had lost his job.
She finished the mung bean water, left so money for the drink on the table, and without saying goodbye to the busy Shen Fengying, she slipped away quietly.
The streets were bustling with people, and Pei Yunng walked beside her, glancing at her, "Are you feeling guilty?"
He lost his job because of ," Lu Tong answered, "I didn’t expect the Grand Preceptor’s Mansion would take out their anger on the Patrol House."
After all, it was Shen Fengying who had saved Qi Yutai from the fire.
But a small figure in this absurd world, seeking "justice," was simply laughably foolish.
"The Qi family wouldn’t specifically target a Patrol Shop, but the Patrol House would try to guess the superiors’ thoughts. Such is officialdom," Pei Yunng said.
Lu Tong stopped in her tracks.
"Could the Marshal help him get back to the Patrol House?" she asked.
Pei Yunng was the Commander of the Palace Front Office, and now that Lu Tong was gradually seeing through the Shengjing officialdom, she realized that selling positions and titles was just a charade.
"It wouldn’t be difficult. But it’s best not to."
Lu Tong looked at him, "Why not?"
"Do you really think, letting him go back to the Patrol House now is a good opportunity?"
Pei Yunng said lightly, "He has no background, no status, and the relationships he has climbed up to through flattery are not firm. In the Shengjing officialdom, there’s no opportunity for him to pursue ambitions, and if sothing else happens next ti, he will still be the first one pushed out."
"Those who reach the high places of officialdom must either be clever or ruthless; honest people can’t survive here. He’s not suitable, at least not now."
Lu Tong asked, "What about you?"
He paused, then smiled, "I am one of the ruthless ones."
Lu Tong said nothing.
She understood that Pei Yunng made sense, but her heart still felt disappointed.
"Don’t worry too much," Pei Yunng spoke, "After so ti passes, I’ll figure out a way to help him find another job. The Military Inspection House might not be suitable for him."
"Really?"
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