Xu Di said, "It's getting late, let's go back and rest. If you want to see it, you can come back tomorrow."

When Xu Di entered the room, he saw that Li Yuexi had already placed the pillow made of several pieces in her sleeping spot. When she saw Xu Di come in, she quickly waved to him, asking him to come and see it.

Xu Di stood in front of the kang (a heated brick bed), frowning as he looked at her. Li Yuexi, holding her belly, lay down on the pillow and said with a smile, "Husband, look, lying like this, with my belly here and something supporting my waist, I feel much more relaxed."

Xu Di nodded and said, "I'm glad you're sleeping comfortably. I'll go wash up first and talk to you when I get back."

This pillow is truly a rare find, and most importantly, it's incredibly comfortable to sleep on. Li Yuexi would lie down, then sit up to look at it, then lie down again. By the time Xu Di came out of the corner room, she had gone through this process several times.

Xu Di sighed and said, "Your mother made you a new pillow so that you could get a good rest. But by tossing and turning and not sleeping, you're going against her original intention."

Li Yuexi was a little embarrassed and said, "I just find it novel. Husband, tell me, what was Mother thinking? How could she come up with the idea of ​​making such a pillow?"

Xu Di didn't answer, but he was thinking back to the past. If you wanted something, you could always find it by searching on Taobao. In order to make life better and more comfortable, those endless little inventions and crafts have really spread to every aspect of life.

After becoming pregnant, lying on one's left side is the most suitable position. Chen Zhaoci had told Li Yuexi this, so Li Yuexi lay down with her face facing Xu Di. Seeing the fatigue on Xu Di's face, she asked him, "Husband, you must be exhausted these past few days?"

Xu Di blew out the lamp, lay down, stretched, groaned comfortably, and said, "It's not too tiring, I can handle it. But we should be going to Dengzhou in the next few days. The journey is long, and I'm really worried about your health."

Li Yuexi smiled and said, "Mother is with us. Don't you trust her medical skills?"

Xu Di hummed in agreement and said, "I only felt at ease letting you come with me to Dengzhou because Mother is with me. Otherwise, how could I dare to take you? And there's Granny Lu. Granny Lu went from the capital to Hexi for our family, and then from Hexi to Yuezhou. She finally came back, and now she has to come with us to Dengzhou. She's so old, it's really hard on her."

Li Yuexi sighed softly and said, "Luckily, I have Granny here. Otherwise, I really wouldn't know what to do. No wonder people say that having an elder in the family is like having a treasure. These past few days, Granny has been helping me pack my luggage and arrange manpower. I think Granny is exhausted these days."

Xu Di thought about going to Dengzhou, and wondered what the conditions would be like there. He really didn't know if it was appropriate to take his pregnant wife with him.

But Xu Di was even more worried if he didn't bring them along. Sometimes he felt that he was being a little selfish. Just because he wanted his family to be by his side and to see his child come into the world safely, he asked his pregnant wife to come with him to Dengzhou, and even asked his mother and Granny Lu to come along. But if he went alone, Xu Di felt that both Li Yuexi and Chen Zhaoci would probably object.

It was rare for Xu Di to be so sentimental; he tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. Looking at Li Yuexi, he realized that the pillow was probably comfortable, and after yawning twice, he drifted off to sleep.

Xu Di still went to the Hanlin Academy to report for duty during the day. News from the court would soon reach the Hanlin Academy. Xu Di learned that Emperor Liang Cheng was furious about the Japanese in Dengzhou and dismissed the prefect of Dengzhou and the magistrates of the four counties under its jurisdiction for dereliction of duty. As for the general guarding Dengzhou, he was escorted back to the capital.

All the officials in Dengzhou, from top to bottom, have been escorted to the capital for trial. The most urgent need now is to send the officials in charge of Dengzhou and its four subordinate counties there.

After several rounds of negotiation, the Dengzhou prefect appointed in a time of crisis was named Wen Jinghuai. He was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the fifth year of the Yongkang era, the same year as Xu Rao. He was currently a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Personnel and was appointed as the fifth-rank prefect of Dengzhou.

Xu Di was appointed as the magistrate of Penglai County. The other three counties were all filled by Jinshi graduates from previous years, who now hold different positions in the Six Ministries in the capital. Xu Di can be considered the youngest magistrate.

After registering with the Ministry of Personnel, Xu Di was required to take up his post immediately. He had already started preparing long ago. With the appointment document from the Ministry of Personnel, he went home and began arranging his carriage and horses.

After agreeing to depart in two days, Xu Di went to the old lady's courtyard to tell her. The old lady took Xu Di's hand and said, "Di-ge'er, from now on, you have officially embarked on your official career. You must remember that no matter when, you must always remember why you chose to pursue an official career. Many people start this path with a heart for the country and the people, but they forget their original intentions as they go along."

Xu Di stood up and bowed deeply to the old lady. The old lady waved her hand and said, "I believe our Di-ge'er would disdain associating with those people. Our family is not short of money or manpower. Whenever you need money or are short of funds, just write home and we will scrape together some for you. It will always be enough for you."

Upon hearing this, Xu Di couldn't help but laugh and said, "Grandmother, are you afraid I'll become a corrupt official?"

The old lady rarely joked, saying, "People say that a clean magistrate can earn 100,000 taels of silver in three years. Our family's money must be earned cleanly. I'm telling you this now, if you really become a corrupt official, I'll have your legs broken."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!