The Emperor was consistently generous to the Li family, directly granting Li Lao Er the position of a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue, specifically in charge of all matters related to the Relief Office.
This was an unexpected surprise for Li Lao Er!
He thought that having a sixth-rank official position would be good enough, but he never expected that the emperor would give him a fifth-rank position!
Don't underestimate the difference of just half a grade; many people spend eight or ten years trying to climb up to that level and still don't succeed.
After the three men kowtowed to express their gratitude, Li Lao Er accepted the imperial edict and placed it on the makeshift incense table before inviting the chief eunuch into the room for tea.
The chief eunuch was very easygoing. He refused to drink tea, only admiring the flowers in the courtyard, and then casually reminded Li Lao Er not to disappoint the emperor's trust.
The Emperor spent a great deal of time and effort negotiating with the Grand Secretaries of the Central Government for this fifth-rank official position.
Moreover, the monthly allowance for the Relief Agency was changed to 100 dan of grain and 100 taels of silver, and doctors from the Medical Department would take turns visiting the Relief Agency every month...
Li Lao Er quickly calculated in his mind that the new standard of money and grain was enough to cover more than half of the Relief Bureau's expenses.
This arrangement, with the court as the main body and him as the assistant, is a very good situation.
Initially, he may have needed to sell flowers to exchange for supplies to subsidize the relief agency.
But we will gradually look for opportunities to get more people to donate, so that when the elderly and children in the relief department can recover and survive, everyone can support themselves.
At that time, we might not even need the Li family's help anymore...
A quarter of an hour later, the chief eunuch slipped a silver note into his sleeve, cheerfully returned to the palace to report, leaving Li Lao Er still somewhat dazed.
He actually succeeded in his scheme, and the result was unexpectedly good!
Mr. Wen and Liu Zhiheng couldn't wait to have another drink and celebrate.
But Mr. Wen still restrained himself and said, "Yusheng, go back to Suijintan first to share the good news and let your family be happy too."
"Moreover, the Relief Agency can't be managed with just a few words; there needs to be a strategy, and manpower needs to be coordinated..."
Liu Zhiheng nodded in agreement, "Yes, remember to let me know when you need money or food. Of course, my father is eyeing a Golden Lotus, so you'd better prepare one for me."
Li Lao Er couldn't help but laugh and said, "Don't worry, no matter who's missing, the old man won't be missing."
After a few more casual words, Li Lao Er gave a few instructions to Uncle Zhao and the Cao family of four, and then hurriedly left the city with the imperial edict.
In the Broken Gold Beach, dinner is being prepared in the Li family courtyard.
Li Zhensheng was not at home, Li Lao Er lived in Baihuayuan, and the third brother, his wife, and their children lived in Luo'an. In the end, only Li Laotai, Tao Hongying, and Jiayin, three generations of women, remained in the compound.
With so few people around, the food wasn't very appealing, so for dinner I only prepared congee, side dishes, and egg pancakes.
Three foxes, wagging their tails, lay at the doorway, rolling an egg. They looked both greedy and wanting to play, their faces full of conflict, which made everyone in the family laugh.
As a result, just as the food was served, Li Lao Er hurriedly returned.
"Oh, why is the second son back tonight?" Old Mrs. Li asked her son, who had just entered the house, with great concern. "Second son, now that you're back, what will happen to the flowers in the garden? Will they be stolen?"
"Don't worry, Mother, I've arranged everything." Li Lao Er smiled, washed his hands and face, tidied himself up, and sat down at the table. Then he gestured for Zheng Feng to bring out the imperial edict. "Mother, I received the imperial edict today. Please remember to enshrine it."
"An imperial edict?" Old Mrs. Li and her whole family were surprised. She continued to ask, "The Emperor has bestowed something upon you again? But didn't he give you something before?"
Li Lao Er coughed twice, trying his best to suppress his joy, and said, "Mother, no, this time the Emperor appointed me as a fifth-rank official, and I will take over the Relief Bureau from now on!"
Old Lady Li didn't quite understand the difference between these nominal and real positions, but she could still tell the difference between nominal positions, which sounded good, and real positions, which involved serving the emperor.
"Great, great! His Majesty has always been so good to our family. I've been feeling uneasy about it. When you get a job in the future, you must do your best to share His Majesty's burdens and live up to His Majesty's kindness!"
"Don't worry, Mother, I know," Li Lao Er quickly got up and agreed.
Tao Hongying smiled and said, "Congratulations, Second Brother! It's a pity that Eldest Brother, Third Brother, and Fourth Brother aren't here, so they can't have a drink with you to celebrate!"
Jiayin ran over, hugged her second uncle's arm, and said with a grin, "Congratulations, second uncle! You're a high-ranking official now! You'll be a minister and prime minister in the future!"
"Okay, your second uncle will work hard and definitely become a high-ranking official!" Li Lao Er ruffled his little niece's hair. "Eat first, and after you finish eating, your second uncle will take you for a walk."
After the family presented the imperial edict, they sat down together again, eating, chatting, and laughing, all in high spirits.
The title of Earl sounds prestigious and commands respect, but aside from attending a major court assembly, there's not much of a proper job to do.
Unfortunately, because of this title, Li Lao Er could not go to the hot spring valley more often, and it was even more difficult for him to work in the fields.
If he didn't open the Hundred Flowers Garden, he would really just lie around at home all day...
Now that he has a real job, whatever he does, he finally has a place to use his talents!
Soon, the meal was finished. Tao Hongying led the people to clear the table, and Old Lady Li busied herself finding fabric to make two new sets of clothes for her son.
As a mother, she couldn't help her son much, but she could still make sure he was clean and tidy so that others wouldn't look down on him because of such a small thing!
Jiayin held her second uncle's hand and walked out of the courtyard, heading towards the village entrance archway.
Li Lao Er didn't treat his little niece like an ordinary child. On the way, he explained clearly how he had schemed to get this real position and what his future plans were.
After saying that, seeing that he had walked quite a distance from home, he squatted down and carried his little niece on his back, afraid that she would get tired.
Jiayin listened attentively, and then hugged her second uncle's neck, praising, "Second Uncle is really amazing, he became an official without even passing the imperial examination! Brother Zhimin said that Uncle Liu often causes trouble in the yamen, and those officials who are with him always look down on him."
"If your second uncle becomes an official and anyone bullies you, your second uncle will tell Fu Niu'er, and Fu Niu'er will take care of them for you!"
Hearing this, Li Lao Er felt a warmth in his heart and couldn't help but smile. He lifted his chubby niece up even higher and said, "Your second uncle is an adult, and should be protecting and cherishing you, but I haven't done that. Instead, I have to use your flowers to exchange for money and food to help others. Even this fifth-rank official position was obtained through such means. Your second uncle is very ashamed..."
"But wait three months. After three months, your second uncle will make the relief agency self-sufficient, and we won't need to sell flowers to supplement our income anymore!"
"Second Uncle! I still have many of those flowers. I'm so happy that you used them to exchange for money and food to save people." Fu Niu patted her second uncle's shoulder. "Besides, I know that you became an official so that you could protect me, Grandma, and the rest of the family! Now that your eldest uncle, third uncle, and father aren't home, I want to help you!"
Li Lao Er's nose tingled with emotion, and he almost shed tears.
He wasn't feeling wronged; his tears were because someone understood his heartfelt joy.
Actually, he preferred drinking tea, reading books, taking walks in the valleys, and teaching children at the school.
Occasionally, I'd go into town to meet friends, in small groups, have a few drinks, and engage in lively conversation—how carefree!
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