Chapter 30 Post to Help Mrs. Lu
Gu Wen got an official position, and so did the Tian family. Even though it was the busy spring season, the two families held a banquet together that evening to celebrate.
It was called a banquet, but in fact they just prepared a few dishes of chicken, duck and fish, and invited the Zhang family to have a drink together to celebrate.
After a glass of wine, Zhang Shinan praised, "I knew Brother Gu and Brother Tian were extraordinary. I never thought that in less than two years, you two have already made such a name for yourself."
Tian Qingde laughed heartily: "Brother Zhang thinks highly of me. I just talk and help Brother Gu. The main thing is that Brother Gu has the plan in mind."
Tian Qingde suddenly stood up, smiled and bowed generously to Gu Wen: "I am so lucky to have this day, thank you brother Gu for not abandoning me."
Gu Wen pulled him to sit down and said with a smile, "You're here again, sit down and have your drink."
The men were drinking in the courtyard, while the women sat at a table inside. Bai took Du's hand and said, "You still have to thank me. I'll toast you a glass."
Mrs. Du didn't hesitate and raised her glass to clink with Mrs. Bai's. "We will accept your family's thanks."
Mrs. Liu also smiled and raised her glass: "Your two families are gradually getting better. I hope you will take good care of them in the future."
"Doctor Zhang is from a renowned family, so he's a real talent. I think it won't take long for him to establish himself in Songjiang City. There's no need for us to help him. I think you're worrying too much."
"Hahaha, exactly, that makes sense."
"An An, quickly pour some wine for your Aunt Liu."
"Why."
A Xuan raised her glass: "Sister, I want one too."
Gu Youan poured wine for Aunt Liu first. Seeing Guo Su staring at the rice wine for several times, he also poured her half a cup to taste it.
"Sister, I want it." A Xuan shouted again.
"Here you go." Gu Youan poured a spoonful of soup into her cup.
Ah Xuan glanced at the soup and was about to make a scene when Gu Youan looked over. Ah Xuan immediately backed off and raised her cup to take a sip, exclaiming exaggeratedly, "Ah, it's delicious."
Seeing this, several people at the table burst into laughter.
There was laughter in the house, and the men drinking outside were talking animatedly.
Tian Erlang and Gu Wenqing ate while listening to their elders talk, while Tian Dalang poured wine for his father and several uncles.
Master Guo took a sip of his wine and said to Gu Wen and Tian Qingde with a smile, "Now that Doctor Zhang's pharmacy is open, he'll definitely be living in Songjiang City for a long time. What are your two families' plans?"
Gu Wen shook his head: "Although we have obtained official status, we are only in charge of Ping'an Town. There is no need for us to live in Songjiang City."
Tian Qingde said, "Brother Gu is a fifth-rank official, and I am a sixth-rank official. The salary I receive is barely enough to support my family. Instead of renting a house in Songjiang City and living there idle, it would be better for me to live in the neighboring mountain village, where I have farmland and can live a more comfortable life."
According to the rules of the Zhou Dynasty, vassal kings were not qualified to appoint officials, but King Qi controlled Songjiang City, so he could do whatever he wanted. Who dared to make any suggestions?
In Songjiang City, there are currently five main officials in terms of their responsibilities, namely the chief officer in charge of military affairs, the chief officer in charge of Songjiang City affairs, the chief officer in charge of taxation, the chief officer in charge of internal and external punishments, and the chief officer in charge of agricultural affairs.
Officials in Songjiang City are further divided into six levels. The five chief officers are at the first level, and so on. Gu Wen was promoted to the Ministry of Agriculture and is now a fifth-level official, mainly responsible for the planning and construction of canals in Ping'an Town.
When he was exiled to Songjiang City, Su Guang, as the former teacher of Prince Qi, immediately became a second-level official in charge of prisons. Now that he thinks about it, the identity of Mr. Qi is still quite valuable.
Master Guo was knowledgeable. He simply said, "That's fine. As long as you have the ability, there are plenty of opportunities for promotion. You just need to manage the business well. When Ping'an Town's population grows and it develops from a town into a county, your positions will definitely rise."
Tian Qingde raised his glass and clinked it with Master Guo: "Master Guo is a wise man."
Tian Qingde believed that if Gu Wen continued to develop smoothly, it would be easy for him to be promoted to a second-level official in a few years, just like Su Guang. Below the first-level agricultural officer, second-level officials included those in charge of farming, agricultural tool development, and river management. Gu Wen was capable of doing all of these.
Gu Wen smiled and nodded at Tian Qingde: "Yes, Ping'an Town can follow the path of Dongyuan County."
Initially, Dongyuan County also developed step by step from a village to a town, and from a town to a county. The first county magistrate of Dongyuan County is now a first-level official in Songjiang City.
Gu Wen and Tian Qingde's family will not go to Songjiang City for the time being, but Gu Wenqing and Tian Erlang are going to Songjiang City.
According to what Master Guo had agreed with Gu Wen and Tian Qingde, Gu Wenqing and Tian Jilang had studied hard for more than a year and had already acquired some skills. Although their hand and foot skills were not as good as those of masters, they were barely passable.
The reason they were taking them to the Guo Family Escort Agency in Songjiang City was mainly to allow them to practice martial arts with the young men there. Furthermore, the agency kept horses, and the spacious area outside the west gate of Songjiang City was also convenient for the two to practice archery.
Gu Wen and Tian Qingde trusted Master Guo and naturally had no objection to his arrangements.
Gu Wen glanced at Tian Dalang and said to Tian Qingde, "Songjiang City selects civil and military officials every two years. How about sending Dalang to the Songjiang City Academy this year to study and socialize with people. After he gets familiar with the situation for a year, we can give him a try next year?"
Tian Qingde said, "I'm just making this preparation. If I hadn't been busy with things at home and outside these days, I would have gone to the academy to inquire."
"It's not too late now. You have an official position now. Dalang will have something to say when he goes there and socializes with others."
Although most of the educated people in Songjiang City are descendants of exiled criminals, no one should look down on anyone else, but after all, it is still different if you have an official position.
Zhang Shinan said to Gu Wenqing and the others, "You all know my pharmacy. Don't be shy when you go to Songjiang City. When you have time, come to the pharmacy often to visit Yinshan."
Tian Erlang said with a grin, "Don't worry, Uncle Zhang. We will definitely come to your house to eat and drink as soon as we have time."
Tian Qingde laughed and scolded: "How old are you? Do you understand the rules? Your mother and I taught you to speak like this."
Tian Erlang ignored his father and turned to talk to Gu Wenqing.
The Su family lives on the second street west of Songjiang City.
Songjiang City is neither small nor big, and news spreads quickly. Gu Wen and Tian Qingde were recommended as officials. The news of their appointment was only sent out from the government office this morning, but Su Guang heard about it at noon.
They were all exiled from Luoyang, and their lives were saved by the daughter of the Gu family, so Su Guang had some kindness towards Gu Wen and Tian Qingde.
When he returned home in the evening, Su Guang talked about the Gu family and the Tian family with his wife, and laughed and sighed: "Gu Wen and Tian Qingde both came from humble backgrounds. They really have some abilities. It's only been one or two years, but they have risen to prominence." Mrs. Lu was a little surprised. How could those two families still become officials?
"What merits have they accomplished? How did they become officials? I've heard people say that Prince Qi's Mansion doesn't take criminal officials seriously, so why is this..."
"The Gu and Tian families weren't convicted of crimes; they were simply implicated. Besides, Gu Wen was a former official in the Ministry of Works. Songjiang City's wasteland is constantly being reclaimed, and they're in need of officials in this area. Appointing Gu Wen isn't surprising."
Su Guang had something else to say. In the court, many flatterers had been secretly suppressing Prince Qi in order to cater to the emperor's preferences. If the court cut off the military supplies of the Northeast Army, farming in Songjiang City would become particularly important.
Before the beginning of the year, Su Guang heard some people say that King Qi might relax his control over the land in order to reclaim more land and grow more food as quickly as possible, so as to avoid being caught off guard after the court ran out of food.
The land in the hands of the people outside Songjiang City was all allocated by Prince Qi's Mansion. They were only allowed to cultivate it, and were not allowed to buy or sell it. Su Guang once wondered to himself, is Prince Qi going to release the land and allow it to be bought or sold?
If this is the case, Songjiang City, a small country with a small population, may not be able to maintain its situation. The rich will annex land, and the poor will sell land for silver. In just a few years, Songjiang City will change.
What he thought might not be right. Perhaps Prince Qi had other ways of governing.
When Su Guang was thinking about ways to increase the cultivated land, Madam Lu suddenly laughed and said, "It's good that the Gu family and the Tian family have risen. If the master has any connections, it's best to support them. If they enter Songjiang City, it will also help our family."
The Su family bears the title of Mr. Qi Wang, but is still a second-level official. Mrs. Lu said that only a first-level chief officer is worthy of the status of her master, Mr. Qi Wang.
Generally speaking, Prince Qi rarely made direct appearances; appointing officials and assigning tasks fell under the purview of Zhou Chen, the Chief Clerk of Prince Qi's Palace. Occasionally, Prince Qi summoned officials, but most of the time, he only summoned the five top-level officers. Whenever this happened, her husband, Prince Qi's mentor, could only watch from the sidelines, his face truly sullen.
Su Guang glared at her: "I have my own reasons for what's going on outside, and I don't need you to interfere."
Madam Lu snorted coldly, "We've been in Songjiang City for quite some time now. Master, you know what the various families in Songjiang City are like. The Yuan family, who are related to Prince Qi's Mansion, and the Meng family, who occasionally stay in Songjiang City for a short period of time, are the most prestigious families in Songjiang City. If they hold a banquet, who in the city would dare not attend?"
"It's fine that they're related to Prince Qi, and I can tolerate their ridicule. But look at the Zhou family, the chief official of Prince Qi's palace, and the five first-class officials. Who do they think they are? Now they dare to look down on my Xiang'er, as if my daughter marrying into their family is a great loss for them."
"Master, you still have the title of Mr. Qi Wang. No matter what people outside think in their hearts, they still respect you on the surface. Why don't you think about how much we women have suffered in secret?"
When they first came to Songjiang City, they were honored guests at various banquets. After a year or two, those snobs saw that Prince Qi treated them just like ordinary people, and they changed their attitude.
Su Guang remained silent. Madam Lu wiped her tears with a silk handkerchief and said mournfully, "Our Xiang'er is eighteen years old this year. In Songjiang City, besides those few families, what other good families are there for us to choose from? If the master has no honor and no power, what will our Xiang'er do?"
"If not... marry Xiang'er back to the interior?" Su Guang said, "He is your uncle after all. You will feel more at ease if Xiang'er marries back to the Lu family."
Mrs. Lu's eyes were filled with tears as she glared at him fiercely, "You are one of the most promising children of your Su family. Has anyone from your family come to visit us since we were exiled here? If your Su family is like this, does that mean my Lu family is some kind of close relative?"
If her mother's family was reliable, Mrs. Lu wouldn't be so anxious.
Su Guang sighed and gently advised, "Don't blame me. If Songjiang City had a close relationship with the imperial court, it would be fine. But now the two sides are at loggerheads. Even if my uncle misses you, for the sake of the safety of both families, he will definitely not contact us, so as not to give them a handle and bring trouble to our family."
Mrs. Lu cried enough and said nothing else. She only asked: "How will you deal with the Gu and Tian families?"
Su Guang thought about it again and again before saying, "I'll write a letter to Gu Wen and Tian Qingde."
Mrs. Lu was immediately satisfied, and a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth: "If you are willing to give them a hand, they will agree."
The Su family has only one daughter waiting to get married, the Gu family has a son and a daughter, and the Tian family has two sons. Now it is time for them to get married, and the two families will only be more anxious than theirs.
The next day at noon, both the Gu and Tian families received boxes of snacks and two letters from the Su family. One was written by Su Guang, but Mrs. Du did not open it. The other was written by Mrs. Lu to Mrs. Du, but she had already read it.
"That's all right. Before, they were afraid that we would get involved with their family and couldn't wait to cut ties with us. Now, Madam Lu has actually written a letter personally to invite me to visit the Su family."
Gu Youan also read the letter and said with a smile: "Isn't this just like when you are poor in a busy city, no one cares about you, but when you are rich in the mountains, you have distant relatives."
Mrs. Du laughed and said, "Your father is just a minor official who works in the wind and rain all day long. How can our family be rich?"
As they were talking, Mrs. Bai came in, also holding a letter in her hand. Seeing them, she asked, "Did Mrs. Lu invite you too?"
Mrs. Du showed the letter to Mrs. Bai. After reading Bai's letter, she couldn't help laughing: "Songjiang City must have good feng shui. Mrs. Lu is now willing to lower herself to a peasant like us."
Mrs. Bai laughed at her mischievousness and said, "Stop talking now. I want to ask you, are we going to visit you in two days? Are you going or not?"
"Let's wait until An An's father comes back and discuss it before deciding."
Bai also said, "I think so too. Our family has no grudge against the Su family. When we first arrived in Songjiang City, we even received some kindness from the Su family. If my husband agrees, I will definitely go."
Gu Wen and Tian Qingde returned home in the evening, and before they even washed the dirt off their feet, they read Su Guang's letter. They were both thousand-year-old foxes, and they knew each other's intentions the moment they opened their mouths.
Gu Wen: "Since Lord Su is willing to help, I have no objection."
Tian Qingde also meant this: "With Lord Su's connections, if my son passes the imperial examination next year, he won't be outshined by someone else with connections."
After Gu Wen and Tian Qingde made their decision, they planned to go to Songjiang City in two days. As for Mrs. Lu's invitation to the two women, Mrs. Du used the excuse that the spring plowing was not yet finished and she was busy for the next few days. She said she would visit Mrs. Lu after the plowing was finished.
After Mrs. Du said this, Mrs. Bai was no longer in a hurry to go to the Su family. After all, the man in charge of the family had gone there, and the important business had been taken care of, so there was no need to rush about other things.
Gu Wen and Tian Qingde came to the house, and Mrs. Lu received the letter they forwarded. Mrs. Lu sneered, thinking that they were really praising them too much and even brought up Qiao. They were so petty that they would never change even if they died.
The Gu Jiatian family came to visit the Su family. Su Xiang, who didn't have many close friends in Songjiang City, knew about it and had been looking forward to Gu Youan coming to visit, but she didn't come.
Seeing that her mother looked unhappy, Su Xiang did not dare to go up and make her angry, so she ran away quietly.
Returning to her room, Su Xiang sent the maid out and sighed silently. Why didn't the younger sister of the Gu family come?
Mrs. Du was not being petty when she turned down Mrs. Lu's invitation. Firstly, it was because she was busy at home, and secondly, it was because she didn't have suitable clothes and jewelry to meet the guests at home, which would take some time to prepare.
Mrs. Du said to Mrs. Bai, "Although our official positions are low, we are still the wives of officials. We can't just come here in plain clothes and make a fool of ourselves."
Bai thought about it and realized that what she said was right. Mrs. Lu used to be very picky about these things. If they didn't dress appropriately when they came to visit, they would offend the other person.
Bai was worried. All the money in their family was reserved for their two sons' education. One was for literature and the other for martial arts, and money was needed. Because of this, the family was not even in a hurry to build a new house. She was unwilling to use the money to make clothes and jewelry.
Mrs. Du smiled and said, "Don't worry, I've thought of everything for you. I've prepared two sets of clothes, you can choose whichever you like."
"Oh, how can I do that? A set of clothes and jewelry costs a lot of money."
"Hey, it's not for you. I'm just lending it to you. Just return it to me later."
"Then...thank you very much."
Mrs. Du patted her hands and said, "I'll send you the clothes tonight."
When the house was searched, Du's mother and daughter were imprisoned in the main courtyard. Gu Youan was asked to send all her clothes, shoes, socks and jewelry to the space. There were more than a dozen pieces of silk cloth of various colors, several boxes of half-worn clothes, and two or three new clothes that had not been worn yet.
At night, after closing the door, Gu Youan took out his mother's clothes and jewelry and asked her to choose. Mrs. Du smiled and said, "It was Mid-Autumn Festival when we were exiled. I made three sets of autumn clothes but haven't worn them yet. It's not too hot in Songjiang City at this time of year, so it's just right to take them out and wear them."
He chose a set of clothes for Bai, some simple jewelry to match it, and even a pair of embroidered shoes to match it. He was really thoughtful.
"An An, are you going to the Su family tomorrow?"
Gu Youan shook his head: "I won't go, you and Aunt Bai can go."
Mrs. Du: "That's fine. It's just a superficial effort. It doesn't matter whether you go or not."
In the past, when one went out to a banquet, not only would he be surrounded by people, but he would also have a carriage and maids to serve him. Only then would he look presentable in such nice clothes.
Now if I go to the Su family for a banquet, I can't just walk to Songjiang City in nice clothes.
So, the next day, Gu Youan, her mother, and Aunt Bai took their bags to Songjiang City and found an inn to stay in. After asking the waiter to bring hot water for them to wash up, they dressed, packed up, and took the hired carriage to the Su family.
After her mother left, Gu Youan didn't wait in the inn, but went out to check out Zhang's pharmacy.
Gu Youan happened to meet Hu Changpu when she went to Zhang's pharmacy. Hu Changpu also saw her and greeted her with a smile.
"Congratulations. I heard that Miss Gu's father became an official."
"It's just a small official, nothing."
Gu Youan stared at the herbs he had brought and asked, "You still have quite a few at home. Why don't you keep them for the Han family? Instead, why are you selling them off?"
Hu Changpu waited for Zhang Yinshan to weigh the goods and smiled slightly, "Grandpa Han said in advance that the Han family will only make one trip to Luoyang this year."
Gu Youan said "oh". If Manager Han doesn't go to Luoyang in the second half of the year, the Hu family will have no place to sell the medicinal materials they have in stock.
"Have you sold out the mallets?"
"Do you have the money to buy it?"
What a true statement... Gu Youan gritted his teeth secretly.
Hu Changpu laughed and said, "If you have money, come and ask me."
At this moment, Gu Wenqing suddenly ran over from South Street and called Zhang Yinshan from a distance. Zhang Yinshan glanced outside and was about to ask him what he was calling for his life?
Gu Wenqing climbed a few steps and saw his sister. He was immediately delighted and said, "I'm busy today and was just thinking of asking Zhang Yinshan to go back to the village and pass on the news. I didn't expect you to come to the city today. It's just perfect."
"Brother, what good news makes you so happy?"
"Oh, Uncle Du has arrived in Songjiang City, and with him came our uncle. Oh, and there are more than a dozen Du family relatives here too, all carrying goods, like they're here to do business!"
Gu Youan was overjoyed and immediately turned to look at Hu Changpu: "Give me all the clubs!"
"As I said, one hand pays the other hand delivers the goods."
"make a deal!"
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