"Master Xu?" The man's expression shifted from joy to gloom in just three breaths. "May I ask, Your Excellency, where did this Master Xu come from?"
Who else is so audacious as to dare to steal from the Wang family of Fucheng?
The new magistrate, however, was not intimidated by him and said calmly, "He is an outstanding student I discovered in the county. He is exceptionally talented in literature, intelligent and insightful, and very suitable to be my advisor."
"Is that so?" The man held up the document. "But this Master Xu seems unwilling to keep you company, he didn't even put his fingerprint on it."
In the Great Yu Dynasty, any written contract required a fingerprint and approval from the government office to become effective.
This document only contains handwriting, but no fingerprints or official seals, clearly indicating that it is a document that has not yet taken effect.
The new magistrate's face fell.
He didn't look for Xu Mo because he hadn't decided whether to disturb the brothers, but it seemed he had no choice but to.
"Wang Xi, go and invite Master Xu here. Tell him that we talked all night and missed the last step," the new magistrate said coldly.
Wang Xi's scalp tightened, realizing that the county magistrate was serious. He quickly led several yamen runners over and "invited" Xu Mo, who was in class at the school, to come over.
At the entrance of the county government office.
Dressed in a fine cloth robe, Xu Mo stood tall and straight, holding a book in one hand, frowning as he looked at the scene before him.
"Master Xu is here." The new magistrate's face broke into a smile as soon as he saw him. "We talked all night yesterday and after much thought, we concluded that you are the most suitable person in the entire county to be the master of Xieyang County. I believe that Master Xu will also be willing to seek the well-being of the people and find good fortune for the county."
Xu Mo, “…”
Although he has some brains, you can't test people like that.
When did the magistrate become so familiar with him?
"My word is as good as gold, Master Xu. As long as you put your fingerprint on this document, your affairs will be my affairs from now on," the new magistrate continued to assure him, his eyes twitching as if they were about to twitch.
Xu Mo remained silent.
He already roughly knew what it was about, but the contents of the document were unknown. Out of caution as a scholar, he could not sign it carelessly.
The new magistrate was quite clever; he stuffed the document into the man's hand, then clasped his hands together in a gesture of supplication.
Xu Mo quickly glanced through the contents.
The text describes him as fair and intelligent, suitable to be a clerk in Xieyang County, with an annual stipend of one hundred taels of silver…
Wait, one hundred taels of silver.
Xu Mo was taken aback, remembering that Fang Heng had emptied most of Jiang Sheng's savings, and she had been a bit depressed these past few days. If she could earn a hundred taels of silver, she would probably smile again.
He closed the document, no longer hesitating. "Do you have any ink?"
Wang Xi presented it with a sharp look in his eyes.
Xu Mo lightly dipped his thumb in the paper and then left his fingerprint on it.
The new magistrate was overjoyed. He took out the official seal of the magistrate of Xieyang County from his pocket, stamped it with a "click," and that was the end of the formalities.
The newcomer's face had turned as black as charcoal.
I've seen polite refusals before, but I've never seen one so tactful—hiring a new advisor right in front of him.
"Bian Wenxuan, you've gone too far!" He addressed the new magistrate by his first name. "We're relatives, after all."
They were separated by vast distances, brothers-in-law and cousins, relatives whose names they couldn't even recall when they died.
Bian Wenxuan rolled his eyes and began to address him by his given name, "Sun Quanzhu, I already have a clerk, can't you see?"
“You…” Sun Quanzhu nearly had a heart attack, “What makes this person so special?”
What he meant was, what right does Xu Mo have to fight against the Wang family? They are the Wang family of Fucheng and related to the Fang family of Fengjing by marriage; they are an absolutely powerful family.
To Bian Wenxuan, this turned into a question about Xu Mo's merits: "Have you ever seen a twelve-year-old scholar? You, Sun Quanzhu, have been taking the exam for over thirty years and you're only a junior scholar. What makes you think you can compare to Master Xu?"
Sun Quanzhu took two steps back, clutching his chest, completely speechless.
This person is such a jerk, there's no way to communicate with him.
"Fine, fine." He gritted his teeth. "You're determined to go against the Wang family? Don't forget, the Bian family also has a daughter from the Wang family!"
Xu Mo suddenly looked up.
Bian Wenxuan suppressed a laugh, "There's nothing I can do. Master Xu is just too outstanding. Next time, the Wang family should send a scholar, or even better, a graduate. I'll definitely give the Wang family face."
Sun Quanzhu, "..."
What kind of scholar would give up a perfectly good official position to become a clerk in a mere small county town!
Knowing he had no hope of taking office, he stopped talking nonsense, clutched his chest, and left.
The tense atmosphere at the county government office had returned to calm and tranquility, and the onlookers were dispersed.
Xu Mo gripped his book tightly, preparing to take his leave.
Suddenly, Wang Xi started beating gongs and drums, and led several yamen runners in singing a congratulatory chant: "Welcome, Master! Welcome, Master! Congratulations, Master!"
Xu Mo, “…”
Bian Wenxuan also felt a little embarrassed, scratching his head, not knowing what to do.
After Wang Xi finally finished singing, he stammered and looked at Xu Mo, "Um... if you don't want to be a clerk, you can tear up this document."
Wang Xi, standing to the side, was dumbfounded, his mind screaming: No, no, no, the master is too unreliable! We need a strategist who is dedicated to the country and its people! Don't go!
Under everyone's gaze, Xu Mo looked around and sighed softly.
If it were somewhere else, he definitely wouldn't agree to be distracted by being a clerk.
But this is Xieyang County, the city that my parents truly love, the hometown that I long for even when I'm thousands of miles away, the land where my brothers and sisters met.
“I can’t be the clerk of Xieyang County forever,” Xu Mo said softly, raising his head. “But I will do my best for the people of Xieyang County before I go to take the imperial examination.”
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