Chapter 176: A Letter from Home

The village head greeted Ye Xin Ran before leading the county magistrate inside.

Ye Xin Ran served the magistrate the best tea and snacks she had, but when it came to the threshing machine, she kept saying that she wasn’t very familiar with it.

The magistrate, anxious for more details, drank two more cups of tea to calm his nerves.

It wasn’t until Lu Chang Qing returned home that the matter started to take shape.

Lu Chang Qing, the son of the Marquis, wasn’t from Yun Tong County, so he didn’t have any particular feeling toward the magistrate’s position.

When he heard that the magistrate wanted to see the blue prints for the threshing machine, he first looked at Ye Xin Ran.

Once she nodded in agreement, he went to the study and retrieved the plans.

The blue prints had been improved upon after the initial machine was built.

The new design was more light weight than the first one.

Lu Chang Qing, clear and organized, quickly explained the principles of the machine to Magistrate Qiao.

Magistrate Qiao nodded as he listened.

As the conversation continued, he couldn’t help but think about his own son.

Since the Ye family incident, Qiao Zi Yu had been listless.

Recently, he had been having nightmares, shouting that Ye Xin Yao was coming to take him away.

Seeing his son’s declining health, Madam Qiao cried every day.

Magistrate Qiao felt a pang of sorrow in his heart.

After all his hard work, it seemed he could no longer rely on his son in his old age.

He felt bitter and regretful.

If only he hadn’t broken off the engagement back then!

Had he not broken the engagement, the clever and capable Ye Xin Ran would have been his daughter-in-law.

The scholarly and talented Lu Gong Zi would have called him “uncle.”

Magistrate Qiao thought to himself.

…

After understanding the blue prints, the magistrate stood up to take his leave.

Out of politeness, Ye Xin Ran invited him and the village head to stay for dinner.

At the dinner table, Magistrate Qiao, after many years, once again saw Madam Lu.

Madam Lu hadn’t changed in appearance, but her presence as the head of the household had grown stronger with each passing day.

“I heard that you previously asked Ye Xin Ran and Huai’an to go to the county office to inquire about a case, and that you even tried to pin a neighboring family’s murder case on them,” Madam Lu began seriously as she picked up her chopsticks.

Magistrate Qiao nearly lost his grip on his chopsticks at her question, and hurriedly responded, “I only asked a few questions, it was part of the normal investigation process.”

“Didn’t the Marquis ask you to do this?”

Leng Qing Yu didn’t believe it.

The Marquis had always been in contact with Magistrate Qiao.

She didn’t believe that Magistrate Qiao would do such a thing without consulting the Marquis beforehand.

At that moment, Magistrate Qiao completely set down his chopsticks.

This wasn’t an invitation to a meal!

This was a trap!

He didn’t hesitate for a second and hurriedly replied, “Madam, you’re mistaken. The Marquis wouldn’t have asked me to do such a thing!”

He still wasn’t clear about the current situation of the Lu family.

However, he certainly couldn’t speak about something that could harm marital relations.

Seeing that he wouldn’t admit to it, Leng Qing Yu didn’t press further, but instead said, “Xin Ran is a child of the Ye family. No matter what mistakes she’s made or what actions she’s taken, the Ye family will take responsibility for her.

Children don’t always understand things, and I hope Magistrate Qiao, as the father figure of the county, can provide more guidance to my daughter and son-in-law.”

“Yes, yes, yes!”

Magistrate Qiao quickly agreed.

The Leng family’s financial power was well-known in Da Liang.

No matter what the current situation was between the Marquis and Madam Lu, the Ye family was not someone he could afford to offend.

Magistrate Qiao quickly flattered, “Young Master Lu is exceptionally talented. The threshing machine he created will definitely be recognized by higher authorities. I will report this matter and request a reward for Young Master Lu.”

Leng Qing Yu, having understood Magistrate Qiao’s attitude, smiled and said, “Then I’ll leave it to you, Magistrate Qiao.”

A small reward wasn’t important to her.

Lu Chang Qing was the legitimate eldest son of the Lu family, and the title would certainly be inherited by him in the future.

However, since Magistrate Qiao was willing to work hard for her, Leng Qing Yu wasn’t worried that he would later act against her daughter.

“Magistrate Qiao, please, no need for formalities. Eat more of the dishes. Xin Ran’s cooking is excellent, and she personally prepared these dishes.”

Magistrate Qiao felt very uncomfortable.

At that moment, even if delicacies from the mountains and seas were placed before him, he wouldn’t be able to taste anything.

Luckily, the people of the Xiao family ate quickly, and there was no need for toasts and pleasantries at the dinner table.

The ordeal ended sooner than he expected.

Back at the county office, Magistrate Qiao immediately instructed for another threshing machine to be made according to the blue prints.

Two days later, the machine was finished.

Magistrate Qiao traveled to the capital city overnight with the threshing machine.

Time was of the essence, and once the weather turned cold, the threshing machine would lose its importance.

At this time, the late rice harvest in the southern regions was still ongoing. If the threshing machine could be promoted, now was the perfect opportunity.

When Governor Liu saw the threshing machine, he was greatly shocked.

“Magistrate Qiao, all these years, Yun Tong County has been quiet, and now I see you were researching this threshing machine!”

Governor Liu teased.

Magistrate Qiao quickly explained, “To answer the Governor, this threshing machine was not researched by me. It was made by the young master of the Jing An Marquis’ household, who, seeing the hardships of the common people, worked day and night for a long time to create it!”

“It was made by the young master of the Jing An Marquis’ household?”

Governor Liu was astonished.

He had already thought the machine was quite useful and had wanted to promote it in several large counties under his jurisdiction.

But when he heard it was created by the Marquis’ son, he immediately realized this was an opportunity to showcase his own merits.

If he reported this to the court and the court adopted it, not only would the Tian Chang Prefecture be recognized, but also Young Master Lu!

In that case, his recommendation of Young Master Lu would ensure that the Marquis of Jing An would view him in a different light.

By climbing up the ladder of the Marquis’ household, wouldn’t it be just a matter of time before he got promoted?

Governor Liu’s mind was full of calculations, and he even fore saw his impending promotion.

…

The threshing machine was pushed up layer by layer, and the officials had already started to regard it as a treasure.

However, Ye Xin Ran and Lu Chang Qing did not pay much attention to this matter.

After all, they were too far removed from the court.

The promotion of the threshing machine had to go through several layers of recommendation, and they didn’t know at which level it would become the achievement of the officials involved.

In the bureaucracy, the higher the rank, the more power one had.

By the time the machine reached the top, they wouldn’t have the chance to argue their case with anyone.

Neither Leng Qing Yu nor Ye Xin Ran were interested in promotions or wealth, so they simply thanked the village chief for his recommendation and did not hold high expectations.

Soon, other villages in the county began using the threshing machine as well.

With the help of the machine, people quickly and easily harvested the remaining rice and stored it away.

The common people spoke highly of the threshing machine.

Lu Chang Qing was unaware that he had already become the subject of local legends among the common folk.

In the official dom, some started to praise Lord Lu for raising his son well.

However, before the village chief received his reward from above, Madam Lu had already received a letter from home.