Chapter 155

What to give as a gift requires some careful consideration.

When Wen Shi came to take up his post, he was not alone. He brought his wife and child with him. He had no concubines. Some people had private thoughts about this, but he probably wouldn't be interested in ordinary women.

Okay, that will require a lot of effort to find, and it won't be available anytime soon.

Wen Shi didn't say much, and those with good judgment wouldn't ask directly. They would usually have their wives try to get information from Yingxiang. There were also some rules to follow when giving gifts.

If the gift is good, that's fine, but if it's not good, they might be neglected and ostracized in the next few years, which wouldn't be good for them either.

Wen Shi was the prefect of Jiangzhou, the highest-ranking and most powerful official in the prefectural government. The entire Jiangzhou was under his jurisdiction, and the number of his direct subordinates was three times that of before, not even counting the county officials in the various county governments.

Performance evaluation and promotion are of utmost importance to officials. If they encounter a superior who is not kind to them, their career path is very likely to be hindered.

There was a reason why Wen Shi was able to be promoted to prefect.

Firstly, he was a fair and just person. When he was in Ping County, he never abused his power or committed bribery. He also did a lot of practical things to improve the lives of the local people and had a very good reputation.

Secondly, his superiors weren't petty, and Wen Shi had no conflicts with him. Regardless of what his two superiors thought in their hearts, he always showed them great respect.

He was a second-class Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), a graduate of the Hanlin Academy, and was considered a protégé of the emperor. The emperor knew of him, and the Ministry of Personnel had no reason to obstruct him.

The people in the Ministry of Personnel weren't stupid either. According to the rules, he was promoted smoothly this time. When the document was sent to the emperor, the emperor read it and stamped it with his seal, obviously agreeing with it.

If Wen Shi continues to work diligently and without any problems for the next five years, he can return to Beijing. Whether he can directly assume an important position in a powerful department is uncertain.

But he was already a fifth-rank official, and after returning, he was qualified to attend court. He had successfully transitioned from a low-ranking official to a mid-ranking official, no longer the insignificant minor official he once was.

Yingxiang wasn't stupid. Back in Ping County, she had interacted with some women. Among the social classes of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, she was considered an official's wife, and her status followed Wen Shi's.

She didn't want to lose sight of the bigger picture for a small gain. Wen Shi had come a long way, and the couple had supported each other all the way. She was also a bit confused.

She has plenty of money; she has enough on hand. Next spring, she plans to open a few shops in Jiangzhou and start operating them. There's no need for her to be idle these next few years; her two sons will both get married in the future, and there will be many expenses.

She needs to try her best to keep the bowl of water level.

At night, the room was warm and cozy, while the cold wind howled outside the window. Yingxiang had gradually gotten used to it.

Wen Shi hadn't returned yet. She sat in front of the charcoal fire, holding a storybook in her hand, reading it listlessly.

Half an hour later, Wen Shi pushed open the door and came in. He quickly took off his official robes, his expression unchanged.

"Why aren't you asleep yet?"

It was already dark outside. Looking at his wife not far away, he heard her gentle voice.

"I'm not too sleepy yet. There's a lot to do at the government office. Husband, you should also take care of yourself and not overwork yourself."

Seeing Wen Shi's exhausted face, Ying Xiang felt sorry for him.

There are many more things to do now than before. In addition, taxes from various places are gradually being sent over, and he needs to compile and statistically analyze them, as well as compare them with last year's data. All of these need to be sent to the capital, which is a big deal. He takes this very seriously, as he has just taken office and certainly cannot afford to make any mistakes.

Lately, he's been coming home late every night.

"Are you hungry? Here are some cakes, I saved them especially for you."

Upon hearing this, Wen Shi walked over to his wife, picked up a piece of cake, and although he wasn't hungry, he figured a few pieces wouldn't hurt.

The soft, sweet pastries paired with hot tea helped him gradually feel the chill dissipate, and he felt much more comfortable.

"You don't need to wait for me in the future. Go to sleep when you're ready. Yixin is getting older and older, and you're working hard too."

"It's alright, I can keep an eye on things. I don't have much to do here right now, but we did have a guest today, Madam Wan, the wife of Magistrate Wan."

The magistrate was a well-known figure in the prefectural government. There were two magistrates in Jiangzhou, and Magistrate Wan was one of them. Wen Shi remembered him.

What is she doing here?

"Of course I'm asking about you. I feel sorry that you have no one in your backyard, so I thought I'd send a few pretty maids to serve you and keep me company."

Upon hearing Yingxiang's words, Wenshi took a sip of hot tea.

"Nonsense."

"No, my husband, why would I lie to you?"

"Then I'll just reply directly, I don't need it."

Wen Shi bluntly stated that he was not interested in beautiful women. Anyone with eyes could see that he had a wife and children, and Wen Leqian was getting old and would be able to get married in a couple of years. Why would he take a concubine?

He couldn't let Yingxiang down. She had always been devoted to him, and it was only through their relationship that they had such a good life together.

The couple had a good relationship and had children. Yingxiang was his wife who had shared his hardships. He believed that one should not be without conscience, and deep down, he was a very upright and conscientious person, which Yingxiang could also see.

She wasn't afraid at all. In other words, if Wen Shi really wanted to take a concubine, she was a magnanimous person and could simply give up her position.

If our marriage ends because of this, I have no regrets, because at least our life before was truly happy.

She can't go back for the time being, but she can leave with the money; there's always a way to survive.

Even if she doesn't have the good life she has now in the future, and she goes from being an official's wife to an ordinary citizen.

But it's not that she can't accept it. That's just who she is. She's already very lucky to have had wealth and power. She's content with that. In her eyes right now, these things are far less important than herself.

There are some things she can try to accept, but she can't change what's in her bones.

Yingxiang nodded, but she didn't actually agree.

I thought the matter was over, but to my surprise, Madam Wan came again a few days later.

Yingxiang knew perfectly well what she was thinking.

"Madam, please rest assured, they pose no threat to you. They are only sent here to amuse you and your husband. You can also use them as maids; they are all quite good at serving people. As long as you agree, I will have someone give them a few bowls of safflower soup beforehand, and there will be no problem."

Yingxiang sat to the side, her tea not yet in her mouth, when she heard Madam Wan's words. She immediately put down her tea, her expression unchanged, but she couldn't help but be shocked.

This is harming people. They are all fifteen or sixteen-year-old girls, yet they are being abused like this. She can't control others, but she definitely can't agree to this.

In this day and age, women's lives are already difficult enough. We cannot allow them to become playthings just because of a few rights; that would be too much of a bullying.

She really couldn't accept this.

"Men's affairs are not something that women in the backyard can decide."

After Yingxiang finished speaking, her expression turned somewhat unpleasant. She couldn't afford to lose face over this, so she had to speak more tactfully.

Madam Wan was wearing a long purple silk gown. Upon closer inspection, the patterns on her dress shimmered with gold, and it was undoubtedly embroidered with gold thread.

Madam Wan smiled, appearing to be very well-mannered. She then pulled out a stack of silver notes from her sleeve and handed them to Yingxiang without making a sound.

"Please don't find this small token of my respect too much, Madam."

Yingxiang pushed it back to her; the bills were all fifty taels each, and this whole stack would amount to over a thousand taels, which she definitely didn't want.

"There's no need for that."

The spacious room contained only two people. Yingxiang was not someone who regarded money as dirt, but there were some kinds of money that she could not accept.

Judging from the current situation, the Wan family seems to be quite wealthy. The men in the family don't hold high official positions, but they are all dressed so richly and respectably, so the family must have some savings.

“I know what you’re thinking, Madam Wan. I’ll say it again: the things that happened before are really not up to me.”

"I was being presumptuous, Madam. Please don't take offense. The women in our household have it tough. It may look glamorous, but behind the scenes they have to rack their brains, spend money and effort for the men's careers. There's no other way."

Madam Wan changed the subject, as if nothing had happened. She quickly put the money away, looking somewhat helpless.

"Everyone has their own difficulties."

Yingxiang sighed inwardly, wondering what kind of mess this was.

Not long after, Madam Wan left. After leaving the government office, she sat in her carriage and, recalling her conversation with Yingxiang earlier that day, her expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

Inside the government office, she could still put on an act, but outside, her disgust was undisguised.

"This country bumpkin is just a country bumpkin. Madam, please don't get upset. You are a lady from a respectable family."

The old woman serving her immediately spoke up to comfort her.

"I really underestimated her before. She's quite resourceful. She doesn't even care about so much money. The master is the same. He insists that he's never seen money before and must love it. It would be easy to give it away. If you ask me, it's harder to get her to agree than to get it from the prefect. Anyway, I can't do anything about it. I've said all the nice things and made all the requests, but she doesn't appreciate it at all and doesn't want it."

Wen Shi's rank was one level higher than her man's, and correspondingly, Ying Xiang's status was also higher than hers. Although she was a young lady from a wealthy family, she looked down on Ying Xiang deep down.

This was the first time in recent years that Yingxiang had encountered such a direct person.

Later, after thinking it over carefully, she realized that this person also looked down on her. Otherwise, why would he be so direct? If she accepted his offer, it would be a handle against her. This person probably thought she was an ignorant and easily manipulated fool.

Thinking of this, she suddenly became a little angry.

When Wen Shi returned home at night, she immediately sat up and stared straight at him as soon as he got into bed.

Wen Shi was taken aback, and after hearing Yingxiang finish speaking, his expression changed.

The Wan family has gone too far. It's not that Yingxiang is overthinking it; he can understand it with just a little thought. They look down on them and want to use this to control them.

"Husband, is her husband a capable man?"

In recent days, Wen Shi has had contact with both of the magistrates. Compared to the other one, this one is indeed glib and adept at social skills.

"His abilities aren't bad, otherwise he wouldn't have gotten to where he is today; it's just that his character is flawed."

Wen Shi had been an official for many years. He had never seen it before, but he had heard of it. He recalled that when he was in Ping County, a merchant family was fighting over their property. That was the normal way to bribe.

Without leaving any evidence, as long as he accepts the lawsuit and secretly keeps the money, even if the matter comes to light one day, he can still defend himself. Ultimately, all of this requires evidence.

This person seems straightforward and magnanimous, clearly looking down on the couple. He's out there, Yingxiang is inside; they're a couple, what else doesn't he understand?

"How about we impeach him?"

"That's not necessary, but we should be more careful in the future."

Upon hearing this, his face darkened.

The officialdom is indeed not easy to navigate; the intensity of the conflict is not much different from that of a battlefield.

The following morning, he met the bloated and fat Magistrate Wan. In the government office, his official rank was not low, second only to the Prefect himself. The others were either at the same level as him or had lower ranks.

Wan Tongpan acted as if nothing had happened, talking to Wen Shi and working together as usual.

Wen Shi remained indifferent to him, neither warm nor cold, and his expression revealed no emotion.

It's almost the end of the year, and everyone is busy.

In the end, it seemed like the matter was over and done with. No one brought it up, and there was no unpleasantness. It was as if nothing had ever happened.

That afternoon, as snow fell heavily, a woman dressed in tattered clothes shivered from the cold on a street near the government office. Upon closer inspection, it was clear that she was limping.

She looked extremely unwilling. Just as she reached the entrance of the government office, she was driven away by the soldiers. She fell to the ground and cried incessantly.

"I want to see the prefect! I want to see the prefect!"

"You crazy woman, get out of here! Stop spouting nonsense. How dare you prefect the governor? Get out of here now!"

The soldiers guarding the government office treated her like a beggar. When she continued to make a scene at the gate, demanding to see them, two soldiers, under the command of their leader, picked her up and threw her onto a street some distance away.

The two men turned back without looking back, leaving the woman alone, kneeling on the ground, exposed to the cold wind.

After a moment, she slowly got up and walked towards another street.