Chapter 56: The Purple Building [ Bailiff Office ]

Initially, Su Ze had planned to construct the [Yingtian Academy] (Orange), but after upgrading the Peach Blossom Cove, he was left with only 195 points of Vein Qi.

The imperial examinations were still at least a year away. Since studying within the [Yingtian Academy] could slow down the passage of time, there was no pressing need to start construction right now.

After all, the Qingli Reforms had not yet begun, and who knew whether the imperial examinations would be held next year or if the test format would change.

If he exchanged for the [Yingtian Academy] now, it meant Su Ze would not be able to acquire other high-tier blueprints until his next upgrade of the Peach Blossom Cove.

Yet the subsequent upgrade of the Peach Blossom Cove would cost a full one hundred points of Vein Qi, making this option thoroughly uneconomical.

Consequently, Su Ze questioned the guiding boy to see if there were alternative ways to obtain blueprints.

Faced with Su Ze's inquiry, the guiding boy was slightly stunned before shaking the radish leaf atop its head and saying:

[It's not entirely out of the question...]

Su Ze immediately asked:

"So as long as I develop Peach Blossom Spring, you can gift me another blueprint?"

The guiding boy thought for a moment and said:

[How about this, as long as the number of buildings in Peach Blossom Spring reaches twenty, I will gift you another blueprint.]

Su Ze pondered; twenty buildings was not an overwhelmingly difficult goal to achieve. He already possessed nine buildings, and if worst came to worst, he could simply reclaim a few more plots of farmland.

Su Ze nodded in immediate agreement.

He then turned his gaze toward the three reward blueprints.

Aside from the [Yingtian Academy] (Orange) and the [Ink Pond] (Purple), there was an additional purple blueprint this time—precisely the one Su Ze wished to exchange for.

[Department of Clerical Affairs] (Purple)

"Proficient in the brush and blade, deeply versed in the ways of administration."

Price: 100 points of Vein Qi.

Function:
Allows the employment of a Clerical Sprite to assist in handling official government affairs.

[Brush and Blade]: Can employ a Clerical Sprite well-versed in administrative procedures to assist with governmental yamen duties.

[Expansion]: The Department of Clerical Affairs can be expanded to employ more Clerical Sprites. Current employable limit: 1. Each expansion requires fifty points of Vein Qi.

He was about to assume office at the Bureau of Palace Buildings and Lands, and was precisely in need of such talent well-versed in bureaucratic administration. If he could recruit a reliable spiritual sprite to assist him with official duties, it would naturally be for the best.

More importantly, a spiritual sprite was completely trustworthy.

Furthermore, this [Department of Clerical Affairs] only cost one hundred points of Vein Qi and could be expanded and upgraded in the future, offering a high degree of flexibility.

Without hesitation, Su Ze chose this blueprint. The [Yingtian Academy] could wait until his building count reached twenty.

Extremely satisfied, Su Ze exchanged for the blueprint, unfurled the long scroll, expended one hundred points of Vein Qi, and selected to construct the [Department of Clerical Affairs].

As for the remaining architectural plans, Su Ze looked at his remaining ninety-five points of Vein Qi and decided to conduct some field research first. Since he had already shaken off the plight of starvation, there was no rush to build until a genuine need arose.

Su Ze then retrieved his brush, hung a plaque upon the Peach Blossom Cove, and began the recruitment of a Clerical Sprite.

Once the plaque was hung, ripples stirred across the water surface, and in the distance, a small black skiff appeared, slowly drifting toward the Peach Blossom Cove dock.

When the skiff came to a halt, a little radish-person dressed in the attire of a minor yamen clerk stepped out of the cabin.

This little radish-person wore a black bailiff's uniform, official boots upon its feet, holding a writing brush in one hand and a legal petition in the other.

Upon docking, the little radish-person tucked its brush behind its ear and nimbly leaped onto the Peach Blossom Cove pier.

Su Ze hurriedly unfurled the long scroll to inspect the quality of this Clerical Sprite.

[Meticulous Clerical Sprite], Purple.

A purple sprite!

Su Ze checked its skills, and as expected of a purple-tier sprite, the abilities were exceptionally practical!

[Master Accountant]: Capable of detecting the subtle traces of fraudulent accounts from a maze of ledgers, assisting the Master of Peach Blossom Spring in managing various account books.

Su Ze's eyes lit up. Wasn't this precisely what he lacked the most!

He addressed the Clerical Sprite:

"From now on, your name will be Account. Can you handle all kinds of account books?"

Account tilted its head upward and said proudly:

"Naturally! No fraudulent ledger can escape my eyes! There is always only one truth!"

Very well, looking at this chuunibyou-afflicted spiritual sprite, Su Ze had no doubts about its capabilities. A spiritual sprite produced in purple quality within Peach Blossom Spring was proof enough of its intrinsic value.

He only needed to wait until tomorrow when the construction of the [Department of Clerical Affairs] was completed, and Account would be able to begin working.

Today could be considered a harvest of bountiful rewards, and Su Ze contentedly exited Peach Blossom Spring.

However, tonight was exceptionally turbulent. Su Ze was awakened several times by the estate manager of the Zhang residence. Su Ze led the domestic guards on patrols several times before the situation within the manor finally stabilized.

By the time dawn broke, a visibly exhausted Zhang Ya佐 finally returned home.

Upon returning, Zhang Ya佐 uttered not a single word, directly leading Su Ze into his personal study.

Accepting a face-towel handed over by a trusted attendant, Zhang Ya佐 dismissed all the attendants from the study before speaking to Su Ze:

"Something major has happened!"

Zhang Ya佐 continued:

"A strange spirit caused a disturbance at the Bureau of Military Affairs yesterday, frightening a clerk into fainting. I spent the entire night on duty at the Hall of the Venting of Grievances Drum, terrified that a supernatural disturbance would break out there as well."

"I heard that His Majesty has already summoned Daoist priests from the Dongxiao Palace and grand masters from the Great xiangguo Temple to investigate the Bureau of Military Affairs. Who knows what kind of background this monster has."

Su Ze turned solemn. Dongxiao Palace was the most significant Daoist temple in the entire Song Dynasty, serving as the imperial Daoist temple where Emperor Renzong held ritual sacrifices and dragon-casting ceremonies—namely, Daoist prayer and blessing rituals. Senior ministers of the Song Dynasty frequently held the honorary additional title of "Commissioner of the Dongxiao Palace," such as Wang Anshi who held this post after stepping down as chancellor.

As for the Great Xiangguo Temple, it went without saying; it was the largest Buddhist temple within Bianjing City and an imperially commissioned monastery.

The Song Dynasty was in a period where mysticism was gradually fading. From emperors and scholar-bureaucrats down to the common citizenry, people no longer held the same fervent religious devotion as during the Tang Dynasty. At the very least, the era of the Tang Dynasty when people dared to instigate rebellions based on a single prophecy was long gone.

Consequently, most of these imperially commissioned Buddhist and Daoist temples served largely ceremonial functions—though, of course, the personal superstitions of the emperor himself had to be calculated separately.

Historically, although Emperor Renzong frequently conducted rain-seeking and blessing rituals, he was not fundamentally an emperor who devoutly worshipped Buddhism and Daoism.

The fact that His Majesty could dispatch Buddhist and Daoist clerics to investigate could only mean that the situation was exceedingly bizarre.

Furthermore, with a supernatural disturbance occurring within the Bureau of Military Affairs—the central administrative organ of the imperial court—the matter became infinitely more sensitive.

Su Ze asked: "Uncle, what sort of monster made a disturbance at the Bureau of Military Affairs?"

Zhang Ya佐 said with a mysterious air:

"His Majesty has already issued a gag order regarding this matter. We are only speaking of it here in the study today; absolutely do not let it leak outside!"

Zhang Ya佐 even walked to the study door to confirm that no one was eavesdropping before saying to Su Ze:

"According to the clerk who was frightened into fainting, the monster causing the disturbance in the Bureau of Military Affairs was a disembodied head capable of flight!"