The group soon arrived at the prefectural governor's mansion, where all the officials of Yunzhong County had already arrived, including Jian Taiding, who was waiting there in advance.
Logically speaking, his cultivation as a Grandmaster, coupled with the power of his family, should be above Sang Hong's. However, he went out of the city to greet him beforehand and is now waiting for him ahead of time. He is truly giving this imperial envoy face. Obviously, he hopes that Sang Hong will reciprocate and grant him the title of Duke of Yunzhong as soon as possible.
Yunzhong County Prefect Zuo Su and Jian Taiding greeted Sang Hong and his entourage and led them inside, introducing them to the corresponding officials along the way. Previously, outside the city, it was too rushed, and only a few people had shown their faces.
"This is Prefect Xu Yu."
"I've heard so much about you!"
...
Upon closer inspection, Zu An saw that Xu Yu was a middle-aged man with a purplish complexion and a square face, who looked more like a good official than the pot-bellied Zuo Su.
The Prefectural Governor was the deputy to the Prefect, and was also responsible for supervising the Prefect and local officials.
Because of his high status, he did not ride in the same carriage as the prefect, but in a separate carriage, hence the title "Biejia" (別驾).
"This is Lord Yu Xuanqingyu, the Chief Administrator."
"So you're the Left Minister's cousin! I've heard so much about you!"
Zhizhong was roughly the third most important person in the prefecture, in charge of the selection and appointment of officials and various other matters. Although he was a high-ranking local official, he was not someone that Sang Hong, the imperial envoy, valued so highly.
Sang Hong was being so polite because the old man in front of him was a member of the Yu family. The Yu family mainly consisted of two branches, one of which held official positions in the central government, and the clan head was Yu Xuanchong, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.
The other branch of the family was in charge of Yuan Shi's family business at the Yunzhong County headquarters. This old man was also of the Xuan generation, and was obviously Yu Xuanchong's brother.
However, compared to Yu Xuanchong, Yu Xuanqing in front of him was far inferior in both cultivation and ability.
The clan leader of the Yunzhong County lineage passed away early, and the family is now controlled by the eldest daughter, Yu Yanluo. However, she is a woman and too beautiful, so it is often inconvenient for her to appear in public. Therefore, many family affairs are handled by several uncles, and Yu Xuanqing in front of us is one of them.
"This is Yu Xuansu, the Sima of the Yunzhong Prefecture."
"I've heard so much about you!"
...
This Yu Xuansu was also one of Yu Yanluo's uncles. Looking at the two old men, Zu An fell into deep thought. The Yu family's power was really great. They had people in high-ranking military and political positions in Yunzhong County. It was no exaggeration to say that they could control everything.
Zuan looked around, hoping to see Yu Yanluo, but unfortunately, he didn't see the beautiful figure he remembered.
At this moment, Sang Hong seemed to have the same thought as him and took the opportunity to ask, "Huh, where is Madam Yu?"
He wasn't lusting after her beauty, but rather because Yu Yanluo was now the head of the Yunzhongyu family, and since the investigation focused on her husband's disappearance, he wanted to take the opportunity to ask her about many things.
Then Jian Taiding, with his small mustache, said with a smile, "My sister-in-law has recently caught a cold and is not suitable to go out to receive guests. I hope Lord Sang will understand."
Sang Hong smiled and said, "Of course, health is the most important thing." He quickly changed the subject.
Next, Jian Taiding pulled Sang Hong aside to introduce the remaining officials, and the others began to greet the other members of the delegation.
The scene in front of Gao Ying and Pei You was the most lively, after all, one had the Liu family behind him and the other had the Pei family behind him, both of which were top-tier families in the capital.
These local officials naturally wanted to find ways to befriend the scions of these powerful and influential families.
As for Zu'an, everyone just exchanged a few polite words and then ignored him. Officials who rose from humble beginnings like him were never taken seriously by these powerful families.
The biggest weakness of those from humble backgrounds who rise to prominence is that they can only rely on the emperor's temporary favor. Once the emperor loses his favor, their fortunes can collapse at any moment.
Aristocratic families are different; countless members of these families hold official positions in the court, and their power is deeply entrenched. Even if the emperor dislikes them, it is difficult for him to make any moves against them.
"That's quite realistic." Zu'an naturally didn't take these things to heart. Instead, he took the opportunity to secretly observe the others, especially Pei Shao.
This guy seems to be interested in matchmaking his daughter with the heir of the Prince of Qi.
He noticed a young man with slanted eyes and a somewhat shifty appearance accompanying Pei Shao. Such a person was naturally not someone he could introduce to Sang Hong. However, he vaguely heard some low-ranking officials flattering Pei Shao, and this person seemed to be Pei Shao's son, Pei Xing.
"Da Manman's younger brother?" Zu An frowned. Was this really his biological son? Da Manman was as beautiful as a flower, how could her brother be born looking like this?
Soon the group arrived at the hall, where a roaring bonfire burned in the center due to the freezing weather. Various kinds of cattle and sheep were placed on it, their golden oils gleaming enticingly in the candlelight. The air was filled with the exotic aroma of spices and roasted meat.
"Lord Sang, please take a seat!" Soon it was time to sit down. As the imperial envoy, Sang Hong naturally had to sit in the main seat.
Sang Hong glanced around and saw that everyone had arranged Pei You and Gao Ying next to him, while Zu An was in a more distant position below him.
Having spent so long in officialdom, he naturally understood the intricacies of the system. Each seat was not randomly chosen; it was the tacit understanding formed over hundreds of years of struggle and compromise among various families.
Although Gao Ying and Pei You's official positions are temporarily lower than Zu An's, their family influence far surpasses that of a poor family like Zu An.
With the help of family resources, it won't be long before Gao Ying and Pei You rise to high positions, so it's reasonable to arrange their seats in a more grand manner.
It was reasonable, but Sang Hong was displeased. On the one hand, he himself came from a poor family and had suffered a lot of such humiliation in the past. On the other hand, his relationship with Zu'an was now even closer than that of allies, so he naturally did not want him to be wronged. So he said indifferently, "Zu'an, sit next to me."
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