Chapter 209 Moving to a New Home
The Linshui Cui family became the biggest joke in the entire Qinghe County. They were the first to be expelled from the family in hundreds of years.
The couple were both so angry that they lay in bed and couldn't get up, but the bad thing didn't end there.
Cui Qingyi, who was waiting for the Ministry of Rites to choose an auspicious day to move into the County Lord's Mansion, received another letter from Zhou Yanxiu. Cui Qingyi was not surprised at all that Zhou Yanxiu was going back to Beijing to take up his post.
She and Zhou Yanxiu had different backgrounds, which meant that they were destined to receive different rewards for presenting new grain seeds. In fact, if it weren't for Zhou Yanxiu, Cui Qingyi might not have been able to find a channel to present the things to the court, let alone obtain the title of village chief and successfully sever her ties with the Cui family.
Zhou Yanxiu was born into a clan family. His status destined him to rise to the top with just the slightest opportunity. This was the survival rule of this era.
Cui Qingyi's move to present the new grain seeds was actually a risky one, with a lot of gambling elements in it. In fact, during the days when she was protected by the officials in the mansion, Cui Qingyi was confused and frightened. She was also afraid that Zhou Yanxiu would destroy the bridge after crossing it, but fortunately, the final result was good.
Mr. Zhou is a gentleman.
But Cui Qingyi was a little amused and confused about the gift that Mr. Zhou had sent before he left. The letter was written in Zhou Yanxiu's elegant and handsome handwriting. Cui Qingyi read it through and the general meaning was, "Mr. Cui has helped me so much. I can't be so ungrateful now that I am so successful in my career.
After the spring, the imperial court would send the Minister of Agriculture to Qinghe County to survey the soil quality and first try planting potatoes and peppers in Qinghe County. After the harvest, they would promote their planting throughout the country.
As the first person in the Jin Dynasty to discover and successfully cultivate potatoes and peppers, the Dongping Township Master was specially granted a permit by the imperial court to travel within Qinghe County so that he could assist and guide the agricultural officials at any time.
Zhou Yanxiu's letter was full of righteous words and was full of conviction, but Cui Qingyi knew that the method of growing potatoes and peppers was very simple, and the ministers of agriculture in the court were all specialized in this. She would be able to master the method by trying to grow one crop according to the planting method he wrote.
Letting himself, the newly appointed Lord of Dongping Township, accompany him, isn't this just using public power for personal gain?
Just imagine, once I, the Lord of Dongping Township, set up my procession in Qinghe, how can I hide the messy affairs of the Chen family? It will be a very lively day. Besides, the Cui family and the Yuan family in Linshui will feel very uncomfortable seeing my arrogant appearance.
Cui Qingyi admitted that she was shamefully moved when she thought of this.
Sometimes one has to admit that power and fame are really good things. She once only wanted to live a peaceful and stable life in Dongping County and make some money, but she was harassed by the Cui family, Yuan family and Chen family from time to time. But now she is a well-known Dongping Township Lord throughout the country.
Even if Prime Minister Cui came, he could just refuse to see him.
Cui Qingyi held the letter and laughed to herself for a while, then felt it was boring. In fact, according to her real thoughts, the farther away from these bad things, the better.
Konjac happily entered the back room, wearing a cloak. Cui Qingyi looked at her and asked with a smile, "Did Qiao Yishi find a suitable house?"
Konjac nodded. "Yes, it's a two-story house right next to the County Lord's Mansion. The owner didn't want to sell it at first, but I asked Qiao Yishi to give him a few dozen taels of silver and he finally agreed."
Cui Qing was also happy to hear this news. The village lord's mansion given by the court was very large. She wanted Konjac to live there directly, but the people in the Qiao family had legitimate livelihoods. What was the point of living in her mansion? Would he be her servant?
So she didn't mention this. Now that Konjac has found a suitable house, the two families can live next to each other as before, and Cui Qingyi is also happy.
She put down her pen and chatted with Konjac: "What about the house the Qiao family lives in now?"
Konjac grabbed a few pine nuts and ate them, hiding nothing from Cui Qingyi.
"Both mother-in-law and Qiao Yishi want to keep this house. We can rent it out or leave it empty now. When my eldest brother finds someone he likes and gets married, this house will be given to them to live in."
Cui Qingyi nodded, thinking that this was fine. It was fine that the eldest son of the Qiao family was not married yet. If he got married and the whole family lived together, there would definitely be conflicts and frictions.
Even though we live separately in our own houses, it won’t hurt our feelings to get together for a meal during festivals.
As they were talking, Konjac suddenly sighed, "I thought we'd live in this alley forever, but I didn't expect we'd have to move to a bigger house in just a few years."
Cui Qingyi was also reluctant to leave. "Yes, that's why they say that misfortunes often bring blessings. If it weren't for the Cui family coming and causing a scene, I wouldn't even be able to get the position of village chief."
The date chosen by the Ministry of Rites officials for the Dongping Township Lord to move into his new home was the eighth day of the first lunar month. Cui Qingyi looked up the almanac herself and confirmed that it was indeed an excellent day, all suitable.
Chen Ma took the invitation written by Cui Qingyi and went door to door in the alley. Someone holding the invitation smiled from ear to ear and asked, "Are we really going to attend the village chief's housewarming ceremony?"
Ever since arriving at the Cui family, Aunt Chen's life has been getting smoother and smoother. "Of course. Back then, those people with bad intentions came to cause trouble, and you protected the village chief's friendship. The village chief will remember it all."
Everyone felt very relieved after hearing what Aunt Chen said. In fact, everyone wanted to go to the village chief's house to share in the good fortune, but would it be the same if they went there on their own or were invited by the host?
Especially since the village chief posted it himself, it will be so glorious to talk about it later.
With the help of people from the Ministry of Rites, the housewarming ceremony of the Lord of Dongping Township was very lively. Although there were not many people of high status in attendance, the local gentry and officials all sent gifts, making it a grand event.
But such a good thing was made unlucky by the arrival of an uninvited guest.
Cui Qingyi was in the main courtyard, letting her maid help her dress up in the clothes of the village lord. Although the rank of the village lord was not high, she was a person personally appointed by the court with a legitimate rank and fiefdom. Therefore, the court not only rewarded her with gold, silver and jewelry, but also sent a nanny and an older palace maid.
According to officials from the Ministry of Rites, both of them volunteered to follow him to Dongping County. If nothing unexpected happens, they will serve in the Dongping Township Lord's Mansion until they grow old.
Cui Qingyi had no objection. Both of them seemed to be contented people. Someone given by the court was definitely more reliable than someone she could find from outside. In addition, from now on, this person's life, property, and honor would all be in her hands, so she could use him with confidence.
The village chief's mansion is so big that it will be lively with so many people living there. After everything is done, she still needs to find a few security guards and maids.
Thinking of this, Cui Qingyi sighed quietly in her heart. This is the disadvantage of having a big house. If there is no one in the house, it will be easy to deteriorate because it is empty. If there are too many people, money will be needed everywhere. But fortunately, the court was considerate and gave her a lot of gold and silver.
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