{City Lord's Manor}
(Meng Tao POV)
I awoke to the sound of someone persistantly knocking on my door. As a veteran of many battles, I let loose my battle cry.
"Go away."
Hearing a response from the inside of the room, the knocking abruptly stopped. Taking in the newfound silence, I buried myself beneath the blankets once more. However, the knocking was instead replaced by a familiar voice.
"Lord Meng, forgive my interruption, but Lord Cao Peng has requested your presence to proceed with the exams." I heard the muffled voice of Maid Shi through the door.
'Exam? What was she talking about?' My mind, still in the booting phase, could barely comprehend what she was talking about.
"Lord Cao Peng told me to report to you that the exams have been graded and all that is left are the final interviews. He also wanted me to tell you that you specifically ordered him to have you there to do the interviews." The maid continued to speak as my mind finished booting up.
'Just do it without me and let me sleep.'
These words did not come out of my mouth no matter how much I wanted them to. I refuse to hire incompetent people, so it was imperative for me to be present.
"Ugggh. Give me a second." I let out a groan and used my arms to lift myself from the sweet comfort of my bed. After blinking my eyes clear, I stood up and made my way to the door and opened it.
Behind the door was Maid Shi holding a set of folded clothing in one hand and a towel giving faint steam in the other. Without thinking too much, I grabbed the towel and began wiping my face with it. The warm towel helped wake me up a bit. While I was cleaning my face, I asked her a few questions.
"How did the testing go this morning?" I asked her.
"The initial number of participants far exceeded expectations. There were over one hundred and fifty applicants at the start of the exam." She answered in that familiar professional tone.
At her answer I stopped momentarily. The idea of interviewing one hundred and fifty people made me want to do nothing but climb back into bed. I took a second to stare at her face, hoping that I would catch a hint of her joking. She was not.
Seemingly paying my look no mind, she continued.
"Lord Cao Peng, noticing the large turnout, created a preliminary test to weed out the greedy participants and those focused on short-term gain."
Letting out a relieved sigh, I finished wiping my face and placed the towel back into her waiting hand. I then reached for the clothing that she presented me. After handing me the clothing, without me having to say anything, she closed the door separating us until it was only slightly open and turned to face the wall opposite of my door.
"In that case, how many actually took the exam itself?" I asked while changing into the new clothes. I couldn't help but notice that they were a bit more formal than what I usually wore around the manor.
"There were a total of fifty people who took the exams, and only twenty people made it past the minimum score you set." She continued to report.
By the time she finished speaking, I had also finished getting dressed. Pressing the door back open, I was greeted by the woman turning around as well and handing me a comb while she took note of my discarded clothing. Taking the comb, I couldn't help but be grateful for having such a competent and considerate subordinate.
"Anything else to report?" I asked as I walked to the standing mirror in my room and began to groom myself.
"There was one more matter that requires your attention." She spoke, sounding hesitant.
"Oh?" I questioned lightly.
"Lady Meng requested to be a part of the interview process." She continued.
As I continued to comb my hair, I was confused by why she was hesitant to tell me this. Regardless, I considered my wife's request for a moment. I had originally arranged for Cao Peng and me to do the interviewing ourselves. However, having an odd number of judges guaranteed there would be no ties.
"That is fine. In fact, it is quite convenient. Where is my wife now?" I spoke as I finished combing my hair. Turning around, I waited for Maid Shi to answer.
"Lady Meng is waiting in the carriage by the front gate." She replied.
'Why do I have the feeling that Meng Mei didn't so much as "request" but rather "decided" to be a part of the interview process'
That explained Maid Shi's hesitation. Some may look at Meng Mei's actions as insubordinate; however, it didn't bother me much. In fact, her coming makes things more convenient for me.
"And my son?" I asked as we began to walk down the hall towards the gate.
"We have a group of maids watching the young master." Maid Shi responded as she followed behind me. When I stepped outside, the sun was hidden by an overcast sky, and there was a slight chill in the air.
Arriving at the gate, I see a carriage decorated with the same black and gold as my robes. Attached to the carriage were two massive horses that were easily twice my height. Shaking off any trepidation I entered the carriage and found my wife sitting on a velvet seat near the window opposite the door.
"Good afternoon, Meng Mei," I greeted her while taking a seat next to her.
She turned her head and looked at me with a bored look. For a second I was unsure if she was going to reply.
"Good afternoon, Meng Tao," she eventually replied. After saying such, she turned to look out the window.
Shrugging my shoulders, I didn't let it bother me. I never was fond of small talk anyway.
Eventually the carriage started to move, and I spent the rest of the ride thinking up interview questions while having no desire to fill the silence.
{Exam Venue}
When we arrived at the venue rented by Cao Peng, I looked out the window. I noticed groups of people waiting outside. Some were obviously just here for a show, while others were trying to cheer up what seemed to be examinees that failed. When we arrived, most of their attention focused on our carriage.
The guards stationed at the venue noticed the arrival of the carriage and cleared a path to the building. Once they deemed it safe, Maid Shi, who was driving the carriage, opened the door for me and my wife, and we made our way into the building.
I could hear the chattering of the people watching us, but I paid them no mind. I was still finalizing the questions that I was going to ask. After stepping into the exam venue, I noticed a podium with a sign on it. Walking closer, I saw what was written on it and started chuckling.
'Cao Peng has such a bad sense of humor. Thankfully it worked out for the best.'
I noticed my wife arrive beside me, and after looking at the sign, she cracked a small grin. However, it quickly disappeared as if it were never there.
"This way, my Lord and Lady." Maid Shi caught up with us and gestured towards the room on the left. After entering the room, I saw guards moving desks out of the room, leaving only three near the center. Sitting at one of the desks was Cao Peng arranging several stacks of papers.
Seeing us arrive, he stood up and greeted us.
"Lord and Lady Meng. I'm glad you finally arrived. Please come sit."
Seeing no reason not to, I sat at the desk in the center while Meng Mei sat at the desk to my right.
"I have finished grading the exams and made a list of their scores for each subject. I also included their answers to the personality questions you added to the exam," he said as he separated the stack of papers into three and placed a stack in front of me and Meng Mei.
Seeing the stack of papers, I started to get a headache, but I pressed on. I took a look at the first sheet and glanced through it quickly. Nodding my head, I spoke up.
"Thanks for the hard work, Cao Peng. Let's get this over with so I can go back to sleep."
He nodded and signaled Maid Shi to start letting the applicants inside the room.
{Thirty Minutes Later}
"Okay, Zhao Si, is it? What position are you applying to and why?" Already getting a headache from his name alone, I looked at the broad-shouldered man with the square-shaped head.
"Hmmph, this great one aims to become the marshal of the city." He spoke arrogantly with his head high as if he were looking down on the world.
"Looking at his score, which barely passed in any subject, I placed a professional smile on my face and replied.
"Next." "Next." I hear a female voice next to me echoing my reply. It was then that I noticed that Meng Mei was looking at the man with a look of disdain.
The man seemed to be ready to say something rude before his mouth was blocked by a guard and he was drug out of the room.
"Well, that's the tenth applicant. Has any of you found anyone interesting yet?" I asked knowing that it was unlikely. My wife simply shook her head while Cao Peng was still chuckling over the previous man's name. Shaking my head, I gestured for Maid Shi to call in the next person.
The next person who walked in wore a sleeveless vest and had short hair with red eyes. Looking at the paper containing his information, I noticed his high strategy score and perked up.
"Greetings, Lord Meng; Lady Meng, and Assistant Peng. I am Zhen Li of Martial Hall, and I am applying for the position of marshal." She spoke clearly without any perceived arrogance.
"Finally, someone who looks competent."
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