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The county magistrate looked at the Governor in astonishment. This was the first time he had heard the Governor mention taking care of a family.
“Your Excellency, are you saying that Jinhè has caught the Emperor’s attention?” the county magistrate asked curiously.
The Governor nodded, “Do you think I’m speaking on my own accord? This is indeed what the Emperor said. The fact that the Emperor is willing to grant such a reward indicates that Jinhè has gained favor on his side. In the next autumn harvest, the Emperor will surely have that girl in mind. As long as there are no issues with the yield from her land at that time, her future is bound to be bright, especially with Su Yu by her side.”
Su Yu?
The county magistrate paused, not quite understanding what the Governor was saying. “Your Excellency, Su Yu is just the young master of the Su family, and moreover, he’s a businessman. Why do you seem to value him so much?”
They have been collaborating for nearly six years, and their relationship is very good.
Speaking casually in private, the county magistrate couldn’t help but ask, seeing how concerned the Governor was about Su Yu.
“Although Su Yu is currently just a businessman, his achievements are still stuck in the past few years. He became a top scholar at the age of ten, a distinguished scholar at twelve, and a jinshi at fourteen, all of which were achieved with the first place. If it weren’t for him missing the imperial examinations twice due to being busy with business, he could have become a jinshi at the age of twelve. His three consecutive victories have yet to be broken by anyone,”.
The Governor recalled. He remembered his teacher expressing regret for a long time when Su Yu chose to become a businessman instead of continuing to take the imperial examinations.
“My teacher once said that if Su Yu were to participate in the imperial examinations, he would become the youngest prime minister in our dynasty. And his brother, Su Jiu, although currently only a fourth-rank official, has been serving in the Grand Court, always close to the Emperor. His future is also limitless, and his relationship with Su Yu is very good,” the Governor said, looking at the county magistrate with great seriousness.
Given Su Jiu’s abilities, he should have been a leading figure in the Grand Court. Why is he still in a stagnant position?
Is there really no issue in this? Who would believe that?
As the county magistrate listened to the Governor’s explanation, it seemed like a fantastical tale, something he had never heard or seen before. It was the first time he had encountered such information.
“Your Excellency, I understand your point.”
“That’s good. Building good relationships with them will only bring benefits to your future. Work hard, and the next promotion might not be out of reach. In the past, we lacked status and background, and opportunities for promotion were taken away by others. But this time, we’ve left an impression with the Emperor through our connections. It might not happen this year, but the next promotion is definitely within reach,” the Governor assured.
“Do we still not have a chance this time?”
“Definitely not. The Emperor is very interested in the high-yield rice after Jinhè. If others come in, he will definitely be uneasy. Our relationship with Jinhè is good, and the Emperor should let us stay here for another three years. This way, no one can interfere with Jinhè, and with us here, she can confidently do what she wants.” The next three years might bring promotions, but they might not necessarily leave this place.
However, the Governor didn’t tell the county magistrate about this. It wouldn’t have much effect to mention it now, and it might disturb his thoughts.
“Anyway, in a nutshell, work hard and don’t let the Emperor down,” the Governor said, patting his shoulder.
The county magistrate nodded quickly. For him, as long as he could continue serving the people, it didn’t matter where he was stationed.
The prefect must have his reasons for saying so; listening to him is probably the right choice.
In the Wang family, everyone stared at the imperial decree. Grandpa Wang’s hands trembled as he held the decree.
“Good, our Wang family has actually come to this day.” An imperial decree and land bestowed by the Emperor. Xiao He’s name was recognized in front of the Emperor. All of this was so good for their family.
Watching the excited demeanor of Grandpa Wang, Su Yu couldn’t help but tease, “Grandpa, you’re so happy now. When Xiao He grows high-yield rice next year, won’t you be so happy that you won’t know which way is north?”
As the Governor had mentioned, once high-yield rice emerged, Wang Jinhè’s position as the county Princess was secured.
“Grandpa, you’ll be the grandpa of a county Princess when I earn one. It’ll be quite prestigious to talk about it outside,” Wang Jinhè said, smiling at Grandpa Wang.
“All right, Grandpa is looking forward to you earning a county Princess title for Grandpa.”
“Sure, no problem.”
Originally, the people in the village didn’t know about this matter. However, the village Chief came to Wang Dagui for something, and upon arrival, he saw the imperial decree displayed in their main hall.
Xie Kui couldn’t help but swallow when he saw the imperial decrees on both sides. “Dagui, what… what is this?”
“Imperial decree. The thresher made by Xiaohe caught the Emperor’s attention, and the Emperor rewarded her with some land and other things,” Wang Dagui explained without much concealment regarding the village Chief.
Upon hearing this, Xie Kui quickly knelt on the ground. Seeing him like this, Wang Jinhè’s mouth twitched a bit. It seemed that the Emperor’s imperial decree could be quite intimidating.
Wang Jinhè looked at the imperial decree and wondered if she should put it away. It might be better to avoid people kneeling and bowing upon seeing it. It would be quite strange.
“Dagui, congratulations to you. From now on, who would dare to say anything against Xiaohe?” The imperial decree here served as a deterrent.
With a name recognized by the Emperor, those in the village who dared to trouble Wang Jinhè might think twice.
“Village chief, did you come here for something today?” Wang Dagui, recalling that Xie Kui had come to find him, quickly asked.
Upon this reminder, Xie Kui recalled the purpose of his visit.
“I came here to thank you. Your thresher is really excellent. In the past few days, our village has harvested a lot of rice, and people are willing to pay for the harvesting service. After the autumn harvest, I’ll bring the money to you. I haven’t forgotten,” Xie Kui said.
“You don’t need to give us the money, Village chief. Save it and use it later to renovate the ancestral hall,” Wang Dagui said, shaking his head.
They didn’t lack money at the moment, and whether they received it or not didn’t make a difference to Wang Dagui.
Renovating the ancestral hall in Xie family Village with the money wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Xie Kui didn’t expect him to say such words. “Dagui, how can I praise you enough for this?”
“It’s nothing,” Wang Dagui waved his hand.
“In that case, I’ll shamelessly accept it.” This was exactly what Xie Kui came to discuss with Wang Dagui, but he didn’t expect Wang Dagui to respond in this way. It was both unexpected and somewhat touching.
After a while, Xie Kui planned to spread the word about Wang Dagui’s generosity to prevent anyone from thinking they could easily take advantage of his family.
“Dagui, I’ll head back now. Congratulations to you all.”