Now Mr. Qiu works while taking care of his great-grandchildren at home. He balances work and family, drinking a little wine and playing the pipa when he has nothing to do, living a fulfilling life.

The second-in-command of the Taiyue Bureau is another Taiyue Cheng, Lord Gu, who is said to be the strongest professional and technical talent among the Taiyue Bureau and a true master of zither art. When Tao Sheng came to report, he was playing the zither at a crucial moment.

After listening to Lord Gu’s music, Tao Sheng suddenly felt that those who regarded her zither playing as heavenly music might not have experienced the true work of a master.

However, Lord Gu was immersed in his own world. When he heard that Tao Sheng had come to report, he simply nodded. Tao Sheng and Li Lezheng didn’t want to disturb him, so they tactfully left.

After meeting several important leaders, Li Lezheng took Tao Sheng to the rest room and explained that since the Taiyue Office is a new organization that has just been restructured, there are many rooms. Unlike places like the Hanlin Academy, which only have two or three people per room, the conditions here are better.

After walking around, the last stop was to take Tao Sheng to her office.

After Li Lezheng’s introduction, Tao Sheng learned that one of her colleagues was named Yu and the other Zhu.

Mr. Yu was fiddling with a clay xun ^[1]a traditional Chinese wind instrument. and occasionally writing something on paper, whether it was inspiration or experiences. Mr. Zhu was looking for information, flipping through a thick stack of music scores.

Maybe due to the reorganization, several new people had joined recently, and the two had gotten used to it. After exchanging a few pleasantries, they buried their heads in their work again.

The other Taiyue Cheng was Shi Guan, whom she had already greeted, so there was no need to see him again.

Now, Tao Sheng had met the first and second chancellors of the Taiyue Bureau. Before leaving, Li Lezheng gave her several basic materials and then retired to return to his post.

Tao Sheng opened the materials and found she needed to learn some basic information about the organization and its regulations.

The music system of this dynasty is somewhat similar to the music institutions of the Ming Dynasty court.

One of them is Shenle Hall under the Taichang Temple, which is mainly related to sacrifices and religious activities. Another is Jiaofangsi, which specializes in opera, singing, and dancing and is the most entertaining.

Additionally, there is a Music Department in the palace, which is under the Shangyi Bureau and employs mostly female officials. There is also Changle Palace, located in the imperial city, a professional institution where the emperor and various masters listen to operas and music.

In addition to this, there is the Taiyue Bureau, which was separated from Honglu Temple.

It is also where she works now.

Shi Guan had no time to take care of Tao Sheng earlier; he was in a hurry to meet Guan Muyun.

Guan Muyun learned by chance from Princess Hui’an that Shen Ruojin could play the guzheng (refers to Chinese plucked string instrument)) and played quite well. He thought of buying one for her and placing it in his courtyard after marriage to please her.

Since the Guan family and Shi family had a good relationship, Guan Muyun thought of Shi Guan and asked him to help select where to buy a good-quality konghou^[2]refers to a traditional Chinese harp..

Shi Guan hurried to the reception room and explained to Guan Muyun: “I was busy just now. I received a newcomer who just reported to the Taiyue Office. I almost missed the time and made the prince wait here for a long time. I hope you will forgive me.”

“The Imperial Music Bureau is the most valued by the emperor. After several expansions, it is not uncommon for new people to report.”

Shi Guan sighed and said, “This time, the newcomer was not recruited from anywhere but was forced in by His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu.”

Guan Muyun also knew that His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu had been very active recently, but he had never expected he would even interfere in the affairs of the Imperial Music Bureau: “Sent by His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu? Who is that?”

Shi Guan smiled and said, “Perhaps the prince has heard of this person. She is the sister of the top scholar in the court.”

It turned out to be her.

Guan Muyun looked calm, but he was thinking.

Eventhough Tao Sheng has not returned to the Marquis’ Mansion yet, she is still a family member with Ruojin after all. They will have to return sooner or later, no matter how hard they try.

Now that Tao Sheng is in the public eye and spends time with these men, if anything happens that ruins her reputation, Ruojin will feel very guilty and worried. Her family will also face problems. As her future brother-in-law, he should give her some good advice.

After Guan Muyun finished talking about the konghou, he spoke to Shi Guan: “Miss Luo is a sister in the family and a relative of Old Master Luo. She will definitely need Lord Shi’s care in the future. Since I’m here, I can’t be lazy and not go say congratulations, so I hope Lord Shi can lead the way to let me speak to her.”

Shi Guan didn’t expect Luo Taosheng to have connections with the Guan family and the old Tai Shi Luo’s mansion. Even if he wanted to cause trouble later, he couldn’t do it openly.

“Sure thing,” Shi Guan said with a smile. “Please come this way.”

He then took Guan Muyun to Tao Sheng’s office. Thinking the siblings had something to discuss, he left after saying goodbye.

Tao Sheng was reading a book when she saw Guan Muyun. “What brings you here, Master Guan?”

“I heard from Lord Shi that you came to the Imperial Music Bureau, so I came to congratulate you.”

Tao Sheng smiled.

It turned out that Guan Muyun and Shi Guan knew each other and seemed to be on good terms.

Birds of a feather flock together.

After some polite words, Guan Muyun said, “Miss Luo is a young lady and will eventually be promised to someone. I heard from Madam Luo that she is very intelligent and polite. Living with these foreign men daily, she should know her limits and remember her status as a member of a famous family, so she doesn’t embarrass her family.”

Tao Sheng wanted to shout at Guan Muyun, “Who do you think you are?”

But since it was her first day, she didn’t want to curse in front of her polite colleagues and wanted to make a good impression.

As Tao Sheng struggled to think of a way to respond, Mr. Yu, who had been taking notes, became upset first.

“What do you mean?” 

Guan Muyun was taken aback. Did he say something wrong?

Another colleague, Mr. Zhu, also frowned and said, “Under the emperor, in the inner city office, what are you worried about? Are you praising openly and criticizing secretly?”

Mr. Yu added, “The people in the Imperial Music Bureau are all appointed by the emperor for their virtue and talent. What’s there to worry about working with gentlemen? Besides, who are you to Lady Luo? Her family isn’t here worrying about her, so why are you saying this? Are you just trying to upset her?”

He believed Guan Muyun was the Crown Prince and thought saying this was disrespectful to the officials of the Taiyue Bureau, which would lead to punishment.

Mr. Zhu didn’t want to say more: “This is the inner city office; not everyone comes here. If you have nothing to do, please leave.”

Tao Sheng was surprised that these seemingly gentle colleagues were so strong.

Yes, these people rely on their real skills. Unlike the Guan family, who depend on the emperor’s favor, these colleagues can stand up for themselves.

Watching Guan Muyun leave in anger, Tao Sheng smiled.

It feels great to have colleagues who stand up for her.

Her new job is really wonderful!