Longing for Love (Twice Reborn) - Chapter 53

Meanwhile, at the Phoenix Pavilion.

Xue Wan had dispatched officials to deliver the performance evaluations to the Ministry of Personnel. Turning back, she noticed the golden incense burner in the side hall emitting wisps of smoke as Chief Physician Zhang carefully took the pulse of each female official from the Phoenix Pavilion.

Juchen sat quietly nearby, listening attentively and personally recording each diagnosis with brush and ink.

As soon as Xue Wan entered, Juchen beckoned her over. “You’re the last one.”

The physician felt her pulse and remarked, “Aside from some exhaustion leading to internal depletion, there are no chronic illnesses for now.”

“Can physical weakness lead to other ailments?” Juchen asked.

Chief Physician Zhang replied, “Prolonged neglect will bring nothing but harm. Weak constitution in women can cause insomnia, dizziness, lethargy, and in severe cases, cardiovascular diseases or even strokes.”

Juchen noted it down: “Xue Wan stroke risk.”

Xue Wan protested, “It’s not that serious yet!”

Juchen said, “I’m writing it down and posting it on the wall as a warning.”

The burdens of governance were relentless, and the female officials of the Phoenix Pavilion worked tirelessly. Over time, many developed health issues.

Though Xue Wan never suffered a stroke, her joints would ache and swell during rainy days, often making it difficult to even stand.

Yet in their youthful vigor, they were too focused on achievements to care for their health.

Recalling how she herself had aged prematurely in her past life, Juchen felt a rare pang of self-pity and inquired about longevity secrets.

Chief Physician Zhang teased, “Registrar Li, already thinking about preserving your youth at such a tender age?”

His lips curled into a gentle smile one Juchen seldom saw. She remembered how, in her past life, Ming Luan, hearing of his medical prowess, often summoned him to treat her. Once, when Ming Luan asked if he had any health preserving tips, he had cast a meaningful glance at Juchen and said, “I have no miracle cures for those who skip meals, stay up late, and overwork yet still wish to live long.”

Juchen coughed lightly. “A long life must be nurtured from an early age.”

As dusk approached, a crimson sun slowly sank behind the palace walls. Along the corridor leading to the Phoenix Pavilion, a figure stormed forward in fury.

That morning, the Phoenix Pavilion had abruptly returned the mountains of performance evaluations. Vice Minister Zheng had stared in disbelief as the palace attendants turned and left without another word.

The Phoenix Pavilion had dared to demand that they organize the remaining assessment materials themselves. Zheng slammed his desk and pointed angrily toward the pavilion, demanding to know what Li Juchen meant by this.

Sun Wenxuan wiped his brow. “From what the eunuch implied, they simply refused to continue.”

Zheng’s lips twitched several times in rage, but beneath his anger lay an unexpected unease.

“Perhaps we did push them too hard,” Sun Wenxuan mused. “The Phoenix Pavilion has indeed been swamped lately. All six ministries have been dumping trivial tasks on them, and the Ministry of Revenue even handed over quarterly summaries. Overwhelmed as they are, it’s understandable they might snap.”

Vice Minister Zheng sat silently at his desk for a long while.

Sun Wenxuan advised, “A true gentleman doesn’t quarrel with women. My lord, it’s best not to stoop to their level.”

As someone working at the lower levels, he understood best the benefits of collaborating with the Phoenix Pavilion and had no desire to see relations between the two sides deteriorate.

Deputy Minister Zheng wore a cold expression as he loudly ordered someone to relay a message: as long as the Phoenix Pavilion drafted the memorials on time and came to apologize, he would let today’s matter slide.

In the past, given the cautious nature of the Phoenix Pavilion, they would likely have come to apologize before long.

But they waited from dawn till dusk and there was not the slightest movement from Li Juchen’s side.

Deputy Minister Zheng grew increasingly uneasy. Unable to sit still any longer, he strode purposefully toward the Phoenix Pavilion.

He had come in a fury to demand an explanation, but as soon as he reached the courtyard gate, he saw Deputy Minister Liu from the Ministry of Revenue already standing at the corridor.

The two had never gotten along. Without so much as a greeting, Zheng walked past him with a frosty expression, lifting his foot to step over the threshold only for Liu to raise a hand and stop him. “Ah hold on.”

“Why are you stopping me?”

“Why are you here?”

“I’m here for the same reason you are.”

“Then get in line. Can’t you see I was here first?” Deputy Minister Liu gestured behind himself with a disdainful glance.

“You.”

Before Zheng’s accusing finger could jab at the other man’s nose, hurried footsteps sounded from inside the Phoenix Pavilion. Lu Yun emerged with a slight bow, handing a neatly stacked pile of documents back to Deputy Minister Liu. “Everything has been verified.”

“Thank you!” Liu hastily returned the courtesy before turning to leave, throwing Zheng a sidelong glance as he did.

Zheng gnashed his teeth and turned to enter the Phoenix Pavilion, but Lu Yun blocked the doorway. “Apologies, Deputy Minister Zheng, but we’ve closed for the day.”

Zheng glanced at the still setting sun in disbelief. “What time is it?”

Lu Yun followed his gaze. “It is indeed time to leave. Chief Secretary Li has given strict orders today, the Phoenix Pavilion must close on time. You know we’ve been working day and night without rest for days now.”

Zheng: “I want to see Li Juchen.”

“Chief Secretary Li has already left early.”

“She dares to leave before time?”

“Certainly not. As for where she went, this humble official does not know.”

Later, one day, Deputy Minister Zheng finally managed to corner Li Juchen at the entrance of the Historiography Institute.

In this life, Juchen disliked direct confrontation and had been avoiding him for days. She hadn’t expected Zheng to aggressively block her path truly, as tactless as ever.

Zheng stood before her with his hands behind his back and immediately launched into accusations of negligence and dereliction of duty.

Had this been the Juchen of her youth naive and impulsive she might have been cowed by his years of accumulated bureaucratic authority, believing she had committed some grave offense. But she was no longer that twenty-year-old girl.

Juchen calmly studied his haughty demeanor and couldn’t help but pity her younger self for being so humble and deferential that she had allowed him to become this way.

Yet she had long since learned that no matter how much she inwardly criticized, her words must always remain diplomatic.

Waiting patiently for Zheng’s tirade to end, Juchen solemnly said, “I’ve troubled the Deputy Minister greatly.”

She gave a proper bow. “It’s not that this humble official is unwilling to assist, but the Phoenix Pavilion truly has no manpower to spare. Several have already fallen ill today, and it was precisely to avoid delaying the Ministry of Personnel’s affairs that I had the documents promptly returned.”

Zheng’s expression darkened. “Fallen ill?”

Just a few days ago, he had heard Sun Wenxuan mention how they were calculating accounts for the Ministry of Revenue, their abacuses clicking away furiously.

“Surely you’ve heard that our office urgently summoned Director Zhang the other day? Everyone’s health has been poor,” Juchen sighed heavily.

Vice Minister Zheng pressed his lips into a thin line and flicked his sleeve.

“Even so, you shouldn’t have just abandoned your responsibilities, leaving the Ministry of Personnel completely unprepared. Reviewing performance evaluations is inherently a tedious and complex task, time consuming and labor intensive. The Phoenix Office took it on before, only to toss it aside now, needlessly delaying progress for so many days!”

Juchen nodded with a sigh. “It is indeed an extremely cumbersome task.

Previously, it took us several months just to preliminarily sort out a small portion.”

Vice Minister Zheng said arrogantly, “Precisely because we knew your efficiency was so lacking that we arranged this matter well in advance.”

As if she had anticipated he would seize the chance to mock them, Juchen replied gently, “That’s exactly why I thought we shouldn’t delay the Ministry of Personnel’s work any further. After all, this is the Ministry of Personnel’s core responsibility you must be far more adept and efficient at it than we are. My only concern is that if we cause any delays in submission, the Ministry of Personnel would ultimately bear the blame, leaving you unfairly disadvantaged.”

The phrase “the Ministry of Personnel’s core responsibility” essentially absolved the Phoenix Office of any further obligation.

Vice Minister Zheng was left speechless for a long moment. Having just criticized their inefficiency, he couldn’t now admit they were overwhelmed and might miss the deadline, lest the Phoenix Office appear more competent by comparison.

Taking a deep breath, Vice Minister Zheng said, “But you still shouldn’t favor one over the other. You handled the Ministry of Revenue’s affairs swiftly, yet when it comes to the Ministry of Personnel, you drag your feet like this!”

“Oh, Vice Minister Zheng, you mustn’t wrong me. Since the Shangdu incident, the Phoenix Office has always shared some responsibilities with the Ministry of Revenue. Minister Wang insisted all those documents bear the Phoenix Office’s official seal how could we possibly refuse?”

Though Wang Zhi was nitpicky, his accounts were impeccably clear. He never took credit that wasn’t his, and when collaborating with them, he made sure to include “in coordination with the Phoenix Office” in his reports a stark contrast to the Ministry of Personnel’s approach.

Vice Minister Zheng fell silent, his brow furrowed. Before he could speak again, Juchen had already stepped halfway through the door. Pointing to the “Silence” sign at the entrance of the archives, she pressed a finger to her lips. “If you have nothing further, I shall take my leave.”

Without waiting for a response, she bowed slightly and turned to leave.

Vice Minister Zheng’s eyes widened, his lips twitching in frustration. By the time he regained his composure, there was nothing he could do.

Matters concerning the Six Ministries were indeed outside the Phoenix Office’s purview. Previously, they had taken advantage of their seniority and authority, exploiting the office’s labor without ever acknowledging their contributions before the Emperor.

Now that the office had withdrawn, though the Ministry of Personnel appeared indignant, they had no grounds to criticize them when it came down to it.

Despite all his calculations, Vice Minister Zheng never expected Li Juchen, who seemed so docile, to dare defy him and with such a soft yet cutting approach. Unable to retaliate, he could only stomp his feet in anger.

Having suffered this defeat, Vice Minister Zheng left with a frosty expression. But just then, another female official emerged from the shadows, hurrying after him.

“Vice Minister Zheng, please wait.”

Turning, he saw a woman with delicate features and a faint smile, bowing gracefully to him.

“And you are?”

“Your humble servant, Li Wanyu, a newly appointed official under the Phoenix Office.”

Minister Zheng paused in his steps and said coldly, “May I ask what brings you to seek me out?”

Li Wanyu took a deep breath and asked, “Is Minister Zheng here to request Clerk Li to compile the performance evaluations of the officials?”

“There are indeed some documents that need organizing, but since the Phoenix Pavilion is busy, I won’t disturb them further.”

“I have been trained in household management since childhood and am quite familiar with compiling performance evaluations.” After a brief silence, Li Wanyu stepped forward and mustered her courage, “Perhaps Your Excellency could let me give it a try?”

—

As the bitter winter months arrived and the time for heavy cloaks came, the imperial city’s thoroughfares became even more vibrant. Graceful female officials draped in colorful capes resembled a springtime spectacle amidst winter, their dazzling beauty drawing all eyes.

The Phoenix Pavilion had no formal official attire, and everyone dressed as they pleased.

Juchen, with her fair skin and striking beauty, led her subordinates in wearing bright and flamboyant outfits. Over time, this naturally drew criticism from some conservative officials who submitted memorials of impeachment.

Song Mi sat at his desk, closed the impeachment memorial from Censor Fan, and tapped the stack of such documents as he addressed the censors: “Are they really as stunning as these memorials claim? Enough to make male officials stop in their tracks?”

Several officials recalled the scene and instinctively replied, “They are indeed beautiful.”

As soon as the words left their mouths, they flushed with embarrassment.

Song Mi asked, “When you discuss official matters with colleagues, do you normally pay attention to what they’re wearing?”

The officials fell silent. Then, as if remembering something, Song Mi added, “But there is one point you’ve made correctly. Since they also serve the court, they ought to have formal official attire.”

When this news spread, Juchen was the first to smile. Little did anyone know how many memorials she had submitted in her previous life after finally being recognized as a fourth rank official to petition Song Mi for distinct official robes for female officials, only to have each one rejected without hesitation.

His reasoning was always: unnecessary.

Juchen understood his thinking he simply treated them the same as other officials in the court, believing they should wear the same robes without needing special treatment.

But the red round-collared robe she had received was designed specifically for men.

To her surprise, in this life, Song Mi had agreed. Overjoyed, Juchen couldn’t help but find an official pretext after work to visit the Grand Secretariat and thank him.

Song Mi glanced at her and said gently, “Three days from now, during the break, I’ll take you somewhere.”

“Where?”

“Into the grove,” Song Mi murmured softly as he continued reviewing memorials.

Juchen only saw his lips move and didn’t catch his words. “Where?”

Song Mi smiled. “Didn’t you want a portrait painted?”