Chapter 200 Congratulations, my lord, you mere man

Several village elders came over carrying the heavy giant umbrella, tears streaming down their faces. "We thank you on behalf of Fengxian! We wish you a smooth and successful career, rising to great heights!" They all prostrated themselves on the ground, raising the giant umbrella high above their heads.

"May you, my lord, be as adept as a fish in water and rise to great heights!" The dark mass of people, their eyes red with tears, looked at her and offered their congratulations.

One of them wiped away tears and sobbed, "Sir, we haven't read many books, but we made this with our own hands, stitch by stitch, stroke by stroke. It not only thanks you for your diligence and love for the people, treating us like family, but also represents the concern and blessings of all the people in the city."

"Over the years you've been here, you've worked tirelessly for us, braving wind and rain, worrying yourself sick and overwhelmed. Our lives have improved; the roads have been widened and repaired, the water is clean and sweet, crops are bountiful and granaries are full, everyone can make money in business, and children can go to school... This is all thanks to your great kindness. Please take this umbrella with you as you go; wherever you go, this will always be your home!"

"My lord... the mountains are high and the road is long, please take care. We will always remember you. You... you must come back to visit often!" the crowd said, choking with emotion.

Zhang Ting helped the elderly villagers up, took the umbrellas from their hands, and felt their heavy weight pressing down on her heart.

“I, Zhang Ting, have received the kindness of all my fellow villagers.” Her fingers tightened, and her gaze was complex. “It can be said that without you, I would not be who I am today. It is the people of Fengxian who have made me who I am, and it is the people of Zhangzhou Prefecture who have supported me.”

"Please accept Zhang Ting's bow!" In her two lifetimes, she had bowed countless times for fame and fortune, but only this time did she do so from the bottom of her heart.

"grown ups!"

"grown ups!"

The cries came from all directions, deafening with sobs.

Her eyes were slightly moist, and she pursed her lips. "At the moment of parting, I..." but she didn't know what to say.

Tun Tun rubbed her newly awakened eyes and quietly gazed at her mother in the center of the crowd, feeling bewildered yet filled with an indescribable sense of unfamiliarity and awe.

"I am fortunate to have the opportunity to serve as a local official in this prefecture, and I will not mince words." Zhang Ting looked at the people and said, word by word, "I have recommended a new magistrate and prefect of Fengxian County to the court. They are of outstanding character and dedicated to their duties. They will surely make this prefecture even more glorious. You need not worry."

Zhang Ting glanced around, his lips parted and closed, but he finally managed to say dryly, "I'm leaving. Fellow villagers... take care."

She mounted her horse and pulled on the reins, taking a few steps forward.

But the emotions in her heart kept churning her, and Zhang Ting took one last look at the place where she had lived for five years. Countless days and nights she had spent writing and painting at her desk, and countless times she had been under immense pressure. Everything she had done was for this city, and she had spent more than a thousand years here.

Controlling floods, rectifying official corruption, encouraging agriculture and sericulture, rebuilding the economy, and promoting the imperial examination system... This is the place where she has devoted many years of her life to, and it is also a brand new starting point for her career, her family, and her life.

Zhang Ting lowered her eyes and looked away.

May the world one day be at peace, with calm seas and clear rivers. May Zhangzhou Prefecture be prosperous and wealthy, and may its people no longer suffer from natural disasters and man-made calamities.

"Let's set off."

She has a brighter future ahead.

The procession of over a hundred people set off in a grand procession, their horses kicking up dust and yellow earth flying everywhere, gradually blurring their silhouettes.

"Please take good care of yourself, my lord!!"

The people watched as their loved ones departed for distant lands, their eyes red and swollen from crying.

She came carrying seeds of hope, scattering them across this barren and desolate land; when she left, the mountains and fields were already covered with lush forests and abundant fruit.

...

"Master, there are lots of wild fruits growing up ahead, I'll pick some!" Wang Wu was as excited as a wild horse that had been released from its reins.

“Go ahead,” Zhang Ting replied. “Rest here for fifteen minutes, everyone drink water and rest.”

She dismounted and found a rock to sit on and cool off. The May weather wasn't scorching, but it was still quite hot.

The accompanying maidservant thoughtfully brought over a water pouch, saying, "My lord."

Zhang Ting took a small sip of water. The servant came again: "My lord, the young master invites you into the carriage for a chat."

Having finally gotten out, Zhang Ting refused to go back.

"The carriage is stuffy, and I feel a bit palpitations. I need to get some fresh air outside. If there's nothing urgent, I'll talk to him again tonight."

The servant dared not persuade her and turned to report back.

Zhang Ting waited for a while, and when she didn't hear any crashing or strange noises from inside, she breathed a sigh of relief as she leaned against the tree stump behind her.

Before a woman as noble and powerful as her, everything else is just a paper tiger. So what if she's dealing with a man? A piece of cake!

Soon, Wang Wu returned with a bag full of wild fruits, and proudly presented them to Zhang Ting.

"These are raspberries. When I was little, my father often picked big bunches of them and brought them home. They taste sweet and sour. You should try some."

Zhang Ting had half of the food sent to the carriage, and then called Zheng Er, Li Ruilian, and others to come and share it. "This is the first time I've heard of such a flavor in the mountains. It's really good."

"Wild fruits that grow everywhere in the mountains. When I was a child, my family was poor, so we would eat these to fill our stomachs, hahaha... Please don't look down on them."

Zheng Er nudged her shoulder and laughed, "You brat, you were lucky to have wild fruits to eat when you were little! I never even got to eat any!"

On the other side of the official road, constables were escorting several disheveled, tattered prisoners to Zhangzhou Prefecture.

"This place, which used to be barren and where not even a bird would lay an egg, has now become a prosperous land. I heard that the people there are rolling in money, and the taxes are low... Especially Fengxian County, which made its fortune by selling bricks, tiles, melons, and fruits. If it weren't for its small size, it would be richer than Huzhou Prefecture! Everyone there lives in brick houses, drinks clean well water, and eats meat and drinks wine every meal. The food is indescribably delicious!"

"We're supposed to be half-officials, right? We receive salaries from the imperial court, yet we live in mud houses. We have to wait half a month to eat meat and drink wine. We live worse than ordinary people!"

"If only we were born in Fengxian! Or even Zhangzhou Prefecture would be fine, I heard that children there don't have to pay for school..."

"You actually believed that nonsense you heard? The truth of the world is that officials have two mouths. The big ones eat their fill, leaving some scraps for the small ones, and then nothing is left at the bottom. Where is the paradise you're talking about? You're just bragging!"

"Exactly, exactly. Zhangzhou Prefecture has always been a place of exile, a remote border region that no one wants to come to even if you offer them money. You can just listen to the officials' boasts and leave it at that, but you actually believed them?"

"If you two don't believe me, won't you find out if it's true or false when we get there?"

"Then hurry up!" The bailiff cracked his whip, striking the prisoner. "Move, move, move! Lift your legs faster, you old bastard!"

Suddenly another constable said, "We're really lucky; we've run into Lord Zhang's carriage."

"That Zhang Ting who brought down corrupt officials and became famous throughout the land? Where is she?" The constables followed her gaze, muttering to themselves, "I heard she was promoted to prefect because of her meritorious service in governing Zhang and Yin prefectures..."

The group looked over and saw the people opposite them waving and waving back excitedly.

Two people in the crowd hurriedly covered their faces with their hair, afraid of being recognized.

The constable gestured with his chin, "Even Lord Zhang is afraid of him, perhaps he's feeling guilty?"

Her companion whispered to her, "You guessed it, these are the two who used to bribe corrupt officials and frame Lord Zhang. Now that Lord Zhang has risen so high in rank, aren't they ashamed to face anyone?"

"What were their names again?"

"They are an aunt and nephew. The older one is named Xu Shan, and the younger one is named Xu You."

The constable said, "They even frame virtuous and good officials! Bah! They deserve it!"

Xu Shan and Xu You had been terrified along the way and resented the bailiffs' blunt words, but they still walked forward in a disheveled and hunched posture, not daring to make eye contact with anyone.

As for Zhang Ting, when the enemy is too powerful and overwhelming, they feel powerless even to harbor resentment.

The little incident passed just like that.

Zhang Ting and his party departed from Zhangzhou Prefecture, traveled to Tongzhou Prefecture, and then went straight to Yingzhou Prefecture.

Passing through Lvtian County along the way, it was like returning home in glory, with endless splendor.

There's still a memorial archway in front of the gate commemorating Zhang Ting as the top scholar.

The people cheered and crowded around her, greeting her and congratulating her on her promotion.

Some even tried to persuade him to come back, saying, "Why don't you come back to Lütian to serve as an official, Lord Zhang? You're so familiar with us now, you'll definitely listen to us... Our Lütian County has beautiful mountains and clear waters, it's definitely no worse than other places!"

Someone shoved her, grinning, "Don't you dare jeopardize the official's position. How can an official's rank decrease as they rise?"

"If Magistrate Zhou knew you wanted to bring Lord Zhang back to oust her, he'd skin you alive!"

The crowd was filled with laughter and cheerful conversation, creating a wonderfully harmonious atmosphere.

After peering out the window, Tun Tun turned back and asked her father, puzzled, "Why doesn't Mother come back often?"

Her father was threading a needle and said calmly, "Your mother is probably sick, but it's nothing, I'll take care of her." The needle fell like the wind, and the tattered cloth tore instantly.

Tun Tun looked up innocently and asked, "Dad's a doctor?"

He smiled slightly, "It will be soon."

Tun Tun thinks her dad is amazing, because he can become a doctor just by saying so!

"Then Father will definitely cure Mother!"

"It definitely will."

Unaware of this, Zhang Ting was still exchanging pleasantries with the villagers and seeing off a group when Magistrate Zhou arrived shortly afterward.

"My lord, you are passing through this place. I am so sorry for not greeting you properly!" He greeted her with a beaming smile, his words full of flattery.

Zhang Ting had no intention of wasting time getting entangled with her, so she casually dismissed her and set off again.

On the other side, the little girl pointed to the long procession outside.

"Mother, look! A high-ranking official has come to our neighborhood! What a grand procession! He's even more impressive than Magistrate Zhou!"

Liu Da was packing her things to go to Magistrate Zhou's mansion to work as a bodyguard when she heard the commotion and came out to see what was happening. Her expression froze. The person leading the crowd was none other than her master, and her current master was following closely beside him, groveling and fawning.

I heard that the boss has been promoted again. Zheng Er has become a criminal investigator, while Wang Wu has become a steward... and the eldest sister, they are all gathered around the boss.

She lowered her head.

In just three or four years, the mistress climbed from the bottom of the valley to the top of the mountain. If she hadn't left that day, where would she be now? Would she still be begging the magistrate to give her a lowly guard position?

An indescribable melancholy welled up inside me.

Traveling slowly with their families, they didn't arrive in Yingzhou Prefecture until early July.

The dusty carriage stopped at the official residence. Zhang Ting, being quite perceptive, went over and carried Tun Tun down, and then helped Zong Suyi down as well.

Upon closer inspection, his expression was exactly the same as usual.

Her heart sank back into her stomach, and she even blamed herself for making a mountain out of a molehill.

Ah, he's just a little boy; everything is under her control.