Chapter 57: Xu Yaozu Promoted to County Magistrate

Xu Nian, who was far away in Lingshan County, knew nothing about what happened in Zhenbei Palace.

Because she was drunk, she didn't even stay up to watch the New Year's Eve, so she naturally got up late the next day. Almost everyone in the Xu family got up late. It turned out that the reason was that they played dominoes all night. If Wang hadn't been too old to hold on, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law would have played all night as well.

Fortunately, the Xu family lived on a farm, so no villagers came to pay New Year's greetings. Only a few tenants would come and kowtow to the owner outside the yard.

The restaurant was so quiet in the morning that you could hear a pin drop, with only the occasional clinking of bowls and chopsticks. Finally, Father Xu coughed and said, "Yesterday was New Year's Eve, so forget it. Don't be so unrestrained in the future."

Everyone in the Xu family nodded in agreement, even Wang Shi was too embarrassed to argue, and Xu Nian, who had made the dominoes, nodded repeatedly.

Officials of the Sheng Dynasty had a week off on New Year's Day, and Xu Yaozu also wanted to spend some time with his family. Since he came to Northern Xinjiang and entered the county government, he could count on one hand the number of days he had seen his parents and children. But he did not expect that the county magistrate would come to his house in person on the third day of the New Year.

County Magistrate Wu could not stop being shocked even when he arrived outside the Xu family's courtyard. The reason for this all started with the official appointment letter he received this morning.

Although it was a New Year's Day holiday, County Magistrate Wu could not leave the county government office to prevent any emergencies.

Early in the morning, County Magistrate Wu was originally sipping tea leisurely in the study. Of course, he was sipping the fine tea that Madam Shen brought back from the Xu family. Unexpectedly, his long-time attendant came running over with sweat all over his forehead. County Magistrate Wu almost killed himself with a sip of tea, thinking that something had happened in the city.

However, he learned from his long-time attendant that the royal city had sent a letter of appointment at full speed. County Magistrate Wu went to the front hall without even changing into his official uniform. When he saw the man who claimed to be the personal guard of Prince Zhenbei, County Magistrate Wu lowered his waist even more.

When County Magistrate Wu opened the letter of appointment and saw that Xu Yaozu was promoted to the position of Wansheng County Magistrate, he felt both expected and unexpected.

All officials in the northern border are aware of the special features of Wansheng County. Most of the land in the northern border is barren, but only Wansheng County has abundant fertile fields and the best harvests. This is one of its special features.

The imperial court had been in arrears with the Zhenbei Army's military pay for many years, and in recent years it had not received a penny at all. Therefore, the second special feature of Wansheng County was that its taxes were used to support the entire Zhenbei Army.

Everyone knew how much the prince valued the Zhenbei Army, so the Wansheng County Magistrate was the low-level official who had the most contact with the prince. No one expected that such an important position would be given to Xu Yaozu.

County Magistrate Wu came back to his senses and asked his attendant to knock on the Xu family's door. The Xu family was surprised to learn that it was the county magistrate who came to visit them. Xu Yaozu and his brothers hurried out to greet him.

County Magistrate Wu stopped several people from saluting and said to Xu Yaozu with a big laugh, "Congratulations to Xu Zhubo on his promotion."

Xu Yaozu was confused, not knowing where the joy came from. County Magistrate Wu told him about the official letter, and Xu Yaozu was also shocked to hear that it came from the palace.

County Magistrate Wu stayed in the Xu family's study for more than an hour, mainly introducing Xu Yaozu in detail the peculiarities of Wansheng County. Xu Yaozu was very grateful for this. After all, he had only been in Northern Xinjiang for a short time and did not have a deep understanding of the place.

The two brothers Xu Fugui, who got the news, informed everyone in the hall of the good news. The Xu family was stunned by the good news, except Xu Nian, who smiled happily.

"Old man, pinch me, I sound like the great master of Yaozucheng County."

Old Man Xu pinched his thigh, made a hissing sound, and laughed loudly, "The ancestral tomb of our Xu family is really smoking. My son got a promotion."

Tian was also very happy, but she couldn't help but feel worried when she saw the two old people were too excited. She went forward and poured two cups of tea to give them some time to calm down.

Zheng and Xiao Wang were also extremely happy. The more successful their eldest brother's official career was, the better off their children would be.

Because the two Xu Fugui brothers only knew the news of promotion but were not clear about the specific reasons, the entire Xu family was waiting anxiously in the main hall. Even the most noisy Xiao Liuzi did not dare to speak loudly.

After Xu Yaozu saw off Magistrate Wu and entered the main hall, he saw more than a dozen pairs of eyes looking at him.

"Yaozu, what did the county lord tell you? Was it about your promotion?"

"Dad, it is indeed related to this matter. Since the spring ploughing season is not far away, I must take up my post in Wansheng County within ten days."

Father Xu didn't expect it to be so urgent. "Then you should take your wife and leave early and go to Wansheng County as soon as possible."

Xu Yaozu knew that his family did not understand the system of the officialdom, so he explained: "Dad, Mom, it will take at least three years for me to take office in Wansheng County, and I don't know how long it will take longer, so our whole family must go to Wansheng County with me, and I will need help when I get there."

This really troubled Old Man Xu, as he was reluctant to give up the newly purchased farm, and the land in the farm also needed spring plowing.

Wang knew Old Man Xu best, and said dissatisfiedly, "Which is more important, my son's career or your land? I'll listen to my son and let the whole family go to Wansheng County."

At this time, Xiao Wang said, "Dad and Mom, why don't the rest of you go first, and the head of the family and I will stay in the manor.

One reason is that I am pregnant and it is not suitable for me to travel quickly. Another reason is that my parents are worried about me without someone to take care of the farm. We can wait until these tenants have planted seeds and my pregnancy is stable before we rush to Wansheng County."

Xiao Wang's suggestion touched the heart of Old Man Xu, and he was most relieved to have his third son taking care of the fields.

After a preliminary discussion at home, we began to prepare for the trip to Wansheng County.

First, Xu Yaozu returned to the county government and handed over the affairs in hand to the temporary person in charge. Moreover, the news of his promotion had spread. He could ignore other people, but he still had to attend the banquet hosted by his colleagues with whom he had worked for so long.

Old Man Xu and Mrs. Wang returned to Wanying Village, one to say goodbye to the neighboring villagers, and the other to talk to Old Man Wang and others about grain and seeds.

Although Xu Nian planned to take away some sweet potato seeds, there were still quite a few left in the farm, and she wanted to obtain data on grain production in different soil types, so she planned to let Old Man Wang and his family plant them on the newly cleared wasteland.

Xu Fugui brought Xu Ji and several younger ones to visit the teachers and masters. Even Xu Nian went to Fan's house specifically to explain why he could not attend the girls' school.

Not only did Tian visit several familiar ladies, she also went to the brokerage firm to buy back two servants, one was the old woman who took care of Xiao Wang, and the other was the boy who ran errands for Xu Youliang.

The Xu family unanimously decided to take Zhang Tian's family and Zhao Lan and her daughter to Wansheng County. The specific situation there was unclear, so it would be more reassuring to have more trusted people around to do the work.

Three days passed in a blink of an eye. More than ten horse-drawn carriages were lined up outside the Xu family’s gate. They were the Xu family members who were about to leave for Wansheng County.