"What's the urgent matter?" Guo Honglei was stunned and walked to the side as he was told.
The two men stepped away from the crowd. The captain wiped his sweat and spoke quickly, whispering, "Master Liu went out early to survey the farmland and fell, breaking his head and spraining his foot. It just so happens that the other masters are busy and have no time to entertain him. Master Liu wants you to host a welcoming banquet tonight. What do you think?"
Guo Honglei was completely bewildered. Glancing at the yamen carriage not far away, he asked, "Is Lord Liu injured? A welcoming banquet for whom? I'm not a county magistrate. It's not appropriate for me to entertain guests from the yamen, is it?"
"Ahem!"
"Look at me, I'm so busy I can't even speak clearly!" The captain, covered in dust, slapped his head awkwardly, wiped the sweat off his face, and explained, "Actually, this guy is the ambassador from the Xiping Warehouse, Liang. He's new to the job and has come to Heqin specifically to learn about the new grain planting. He's already busy in the suburban village and will no doubt be staying at the back office, so the county can't help but show some hospitality. But the other gentlemen are all busy these past few days, so I wonder if you're free?"
Guo Honglei nodded in realization, finally understanding what was said. He turned and strode towards the government carriage. "Oh, so it's the official from the military storage warehouse who has arrived?"
"right!"
The captain of the police followed on horseback, "The county magistrate, considering that your wife is the special envoy of Xipingcang, and she is not available at the moment, it is not surprising that you come forward to entertain her."
As a married couple serving in the same court, Guo Honglei was naturally happy to help his wife. He didn't immediately agree, but instead asked, "Is Lord Liu's injury serious? I'll go see him."
"Alas," sighed the captain, "that fall was quite severe, falling down the slope, and the injuries were severe."
After a while, the two men walked to the carriage, and Guo Honglei asked loudly, "Master Liu?"
The carriage curtain opened, and Liu Tong leaned forward with a wry smile. His right ankle was sprained, his head bandaged, and the blood on his forehead hadn't yet been washed clean. Pan Rui had been promoted, and the position of county magistrate had become vacant, so he was appointed to fill it.
Guo Honglei looked at him intently, slightly surprised, and asked with concern, "How badly is he injured? We should see a doctor."
"Alas, I just rushed back to treat my injuries. I accidentally fell while inspecting the fields. I'm sorry to have embarrassed you." Liu Tong was wearing the uniform of a seventh-rank official. His robe was covered in dust and he looked quite disheveled.
Guo Honglei shook his head. "No way! The county magistrate's dedication to his duties is truly a blessing to the people of Heqin."
"Just doing my duty." Liu Tong humbly waved his hand and got straight to the point. "You know, Lord Pan has been promoted and has taken his family to Yongzhou a few days ago. Lord Pei is out on business again. I've just taken over and don't have a county magistrate under me. It would seem a bit neglectful if I asked a minor official to receive the people from the military storage warehouse. After careful consideration, I can only trouble you once. Do me a favor and act as if I'm speaking for your wife. How about it?"
Guo Honglei smiled and answered readily, "Since your Excellency has spoken, how dare I refuse? Please allow me to move first and settle my family. As soon as I'm done, I'll go to the county government office immediately!"
"Okay, that's good." Liu Tong touched the wound on his head and apologized, "I'm really sorry. I knew you were moving into a new house today, but I still caused you trouble."
Guo Honglei smiled cheerfully, "No problem. I'll send you an invitation some other day. Just remember to honor me by visiting my humble abode."
"Full moon party, right? I'll definitely go!"
Guo Honglei urged, "Don't delay, go see a doctor and rebandage the wound."
After both sides said goodbye, Guo Honglei returned, explained everything to his mother and others, and boarded the third carriage with his wife.
"Lord Liang?" Jiang Yushu opened her eyes wide in surprise.
Guo Honglei nodded. "Yes. Ambassador Xipingcang, your colleague."
"He has actually started to investigate the food situation?" Jiang Yushu was very surprised.
Guo Honglei nodded again. "I heard he's busy out in the suburbs. The county is hosting a banquet tonight and asked me to act as your welcome host."
Jiang Yushu was excited and nervous for her first time as an official. She said in frustration, "Alas, Lord Liang has already started working, but I'm still in confinement after giving birth. This, this... Speaking of this, it really gives me a headache. I wonder if my colleagues will be dissatisfied?"
"What's the headache? What's there to be dissatisfied about? It's only natural for a woman to be in confinement after childbirth!" Guo Honglei hugged his wife and comforted her, "Don't worry, I'll go to the county government office later and explain everything to you. Anyone with even a little common sense wouldn't blame you."
Jiang Yushu was wrapped tightly from head to toe, even her mouth and nose were covered, leaving only her eyes exposed. She said nervously, "Please explain this to Lord Liang in detail. Tell him that I'll get back to work as soon as I recover! Also, give my regards to Lord Liu. He took over the position of county magistrate in such a hurry, and was injured on duty right after taking office. How unlucky."
"I understand. You should worry less and rest assured, so that you can recover faster." Guo Honglei did not allow any objection.
Jiang Yushu nodded rapidly, "Yeah."
Guo Honglei sighed, overwhelmed with emotion, and whispered, "During your exile, our whole family endured hardship together, and it took untold hardships to obtain a pardon. I had a plan in mind long ago: once you're cleared of this charge, I'll never let you suffer in public again. I'll definitely buy you a house so you can live peacefully at home, respectably and at ease."
"In the end, I never expected that the emperor would actually appoint a female official! You will still have to show up in public and run around everywhere in the future. I feel really bad."
No more public appearances? Staying home?
How is that possible?
That's impossible.
At such a young age, it would be boring to spend the rest of your life staying at home or in the county.
Suddenly, Jiang Yushu couldn't help but feel fortunate, and shouted out with sincere gratitude: "Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you for granting me an official position. From now on, I can legitimately "show my face" and focus on storing grain, and realize my ambitions."
She thought for a moment and said softly, "Isn't that the case now? We've bought a house and settled down there. From now on, we won't have to work hard and can just relax and enjoy ourselves. Moving into a new house is a great day, so be happy."
Guo Honglei was extremely worried and said solemnly, "I wonder how long the court will keep you busy? I hope it won't be too long. I hope you can resign and rest as soon as possible. You can chat and laugh with your mother and sister-in-law on weekdays, concentrate on raising the children, and relieve me of all worries."
Jiang Yushu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "I haven't even taken office yet, and you're already talking about 'resigning'?"
Guo Honglei's brows knitted together. As a husband, he truly wanted his wife to be a leisurely lady, not a court lady. So, he solemnly promised, "Just be patient. I'll keep an eye out. When the time is right, I'll resign and return home. I won't have to worry about crops and food anymore."
Jiang Yushu hesitated, knowing the other party's concern, and said politely, "Don't worry. I have some experience in grain storage, and I have colleagues to consult, so it shouldn't be too much trouble. But right now, there's no sign of the Xiping granary, let alone the grain. I have to build the granary and supervise the farming. It will definitely take more than a year or two to finish the work."
"Trouble." Guo Honglei frowned, extremely reluctant to let his wife show up in public, but he could not disobey the imperial edict.
After a moment's silence, Jiang Yushu suddenly remembered something and asked curiously, "Hey, I remember you once said that military depots usually have ambassadors and deputy envoys, and I am the newly added 'special envoy'. Now that the ambassador has come to Heqin, where is the deputy envoy?"
Guo Honglei shook his head. "Since Magistrate Liu didn't mention it, he must not have taken up his post yet. I'll ask Lord Liang about it when we get to the banquet tonight."
"Thank you very much!" Jiang Yushu smiled.
With the rumbling of wheels, a team of horse-drawn carriages passed through the street and arrived at Guangchang Lane after half an hour.
"Whoa!" the leading driver pulled the reins and shouted:
“Here we are!”
Guo Yu couldn't wait any longer. He lifted the curtain and peeked out. "Are we there? Is this our new home?"
"Follow the nanny obediently and don't run around!" Wang Qiaozhen supported her mother-in-law and slowly got out of the car.
"Mom, be careful." Guo Hongzhe and Guo Hongxuan had already rushed to the car and supported the old woman.
In the back, Guo Honglei carried his wife out of the carriage and said, "You and the child are afraid of the cold. Come on, go inside."
Jiang Yushu had not yet recovered. Together with the wet nurse holding the baby and Aunt Pan, she followed her mother-in-law and others in front of her and walked into the gate of the new house one after another.
The bricks, tiles and columns of the second courtyard are about 60% new, and they are clean inside and out, looking very tidy.
Although it is far less spacious and magnificent than the former Jingyang Marquis Mansion, it is large enough to accommodate more than 20 people.
According to the prior arrangement, the eldest daughter-in-law and her son and the second son and his wife lived in a row of houses in the east wing, the third and fourth sons lived in the west wing, and Wang lived in the main house.
The Gong family's wet nurse took Baozhu and two old concubines who had status in the marquis's mansion and had daughters, and moved into the south room.
Jiang Yushu's family of three, plus Nanny Pan and wet nurse Qiu, lived in two separate rooms to make it easier to take care of the children.
Naturally, a small celebration was planned for the evening, but Guo Honglei was out, bound for the county government office. Wang, accompanied by several of the younger generation, chatted and discussed arrangements for a full-moon banquet, a truly joyful occasion.
Jiang Yushu was busy and tired during the day, so she went to bed early.
While she was sleeping, she suddenly felt the mattress beside her sink and woke up with a start.
"Did I wake you up?" Guo Honglei lay down.
Jiang Yushu asked confusedly, "You're back? How's he? That, that—Oh, Lord Liang, what's he like? Is he easy to get along with?"
Guo Honglei explained carefully, "Lord Liang's given name is 'Bao', his courtesy name is 'Zuo Pu', he's over forty years old, and his rank is the same as yours. He was formerly the magistrate of Silu County. He is calm, experienced, gentle, and composed. After hearing my explanation, he immediately advised you to rest and recuperate, and not to rush into office."
Jiang Yushu felt relieved and said happily, "He sounds like someone easy to get along with! So, what about the deputy envoy?"
"I asked, and Lord Liang only knew that the deputy envoy was from the capital, thousands of miles away, and was still on his way to take up his post." Guo Honglei speculated, "It's estimated that the deputy envoy will arrive by the end of the month."
Jiang Yushu smiled happily, "The end of the month? That's perfect, I'll be out of confinement by then, and I can pack up and start my new job!"
At this moment. Zhuba Station
The inn was simple and the cold wind rushed in through the gaps in the doors and windows, causing the light of the oil lamp to flicker and almost extinguishing it.
A young man in brocade robe sat there, staring at the oil lamp for a long time, his eyes fixed and his face gloomy.
The door creaked open, and a servant entered the room carrying hot water. He placed it in front of the young man, knelt down to take off his shoes, and shivered as he said, "It's cold, young man, soak your feet. Rest early and get enough energy to continue your journey."
"One thousand five hundred miles." Wei Xu's face was expressionless, and his tone was flat. "It's still one thousand five hundred miles from here to Xicang."
"Yes." The servant held the young man's feet and washed them carefully, saying distressedly, "Xicang is too remote! I heard that most of the border areas are poor, and the government has been asking the court for food aid all year round. Now we have to build a military warehouse there? It's difficult just thinking about it."
Wei Xu sighed, "A place that has suffered from consecutive years of poor harvests is building a military storage warehouse for no apparent reason. What will they use to fill it? It's simply ridiculous."
"That's right!" The servant said with a worried look. "It's a tough job. What should I do? What if I don't do it well? Will I be punished?"
Wei Xu didn't answer, but sneered, "There's something even more ridiculous. The court ordered three people to take charge of Xiping Warehouse: an ambassador, a deputy envoy, and a special envoy—and the special envoy is actually a woman? A woman holding an official position, and one with a higher rank than mine, is truly bizarre."
"It's really rare."
The servant bowed his head and served, carefully washing each toe. "I heard that woman was the second wife of the former Marquis of Jingyang. Her husband was capable and had made many military achievements. The emperor was pleased and not only rewarded the Second Young Master Guo, but also gave his wife an official position. As a woman, she is virtuous and manages the household, supports her husband and raises children. In terms of talent, she can't even compare to you!"
Wei Xu was young and full of energy, full of disdain, and held his head high with pride. "Hmph, when I arrive in Xicang and take up my post, I will personally meet that 'Special Envoy Jiang' and see what makes her so special!"
The author has something to say:
Jiang Yushu: Okay, I'll wait.
Guo Honglei: You have to get past me first! [○? ｀Д? ? ○]
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