After eating noodles at Yang Bo's, Zhao Hao and Lu Guangzu went to the Ministry of Literature to do some business.

I'm here to exchange resources today, how did it get to the point of railway?

The Heavenly Official enthusiastically escorted Zhao Hao out of the signing room, and then loudly instructed Lu Guangzu, "You can choose whoever Zhao Xianxi likes. If the place he likes is not vacant, you can tell me and I will make room for him."

Wang Bengu, who was standing by, quickly said, "Zhao Xiuzhuan, the top scholar, was demoted and sent to a distant place, and he even brought the God of Wealth with him. It is a great blessing for the common people wherever he goes."

"Yes." Lu Guangzu also nodded and smiled: "I hope that Zhao Zhuangyuan can come to our Huzhou to be an official."

"That depends on what they want. Mr. Zhao has already suffered enough, we can't make things worse for him." Yang Bo winked at Zhao Hao and said, "If my dear nephew doesn't mind, how about letting your father go to Shanxi? I ​​guarantee that he will rise to prominence!"

"My father and I have been asking for this, but it's not even two thousand miles away. What can we do?" Zhao Hao thought to himself, screw you.

"Oh haha, you sly fellow." Yang Bo patted Zhao Hao's back vigorously and said, "Before you leave, I will host a farewell banquet for you and your son. I want you to know that we Shanxi people don't just eat noodles."

Lu Guangzu was surprised when he heard this. He thought to himself that this stingy old man actually invited people to dinner. How much favor did he owe to the Zhao family father and son?

~~

After returning to the Wenxuan Division, Lu Guangzu took Zhao Hao into the Jiage Library.

In the storage room, rows of file racks, each about a meter high, are neatly arranged.

The outward side of each file rack is engraved with the names of the two capitals, thirteen provinces, as well as the names of local government offices such as the Salt Transport Commissioner's Office, the Salt Tax Commissioner's Office, and the Maritime Customs Commissioner's Office.

Lu Guangzu led Zhao Hao to wander in the ocean of local officials' archives.

"According to the imperial decree, your father will be sent to serve as an official two thousand miles away. Don't consider Northern Zhili, Shandong, Shanxi, or Henan. You can choose any other place."

As he spoke, Lu Quancao smiled and said, "I sincerely suggest that you and your son consider Zhejiang."

"Zhejiang is a good place." Zhao Hao smiled apologetically and said, "But my father already has someone in his heart, I hope you can help me."

"Of course it depends on your father's wishes." Lu Guangzu has been a doctor in the Ministry of Literature for so many years, but he has never been so easy to talk to.

There was no other way. Who could blame Mr. Zhao for his background? In addition to the Minister of the Ministry and Minister Wang, even Lu Guangzu's classmate, Mr. Zhang, had come to him specifically to ask him to help Zhao Hao.

"Ah, I've never seen a seventh-rank official with such a strong backing." Lu Guangzu sighed secretly, but this should be a problem that Zhao Zhuangyuan's future superiors should worry about, so why should he worry about it.

Zhao Hao's eyes swept across a row of file shelves and finally landed on the one belonging to Nanzhili.

"My father is thinking about going to Wu County."

~~

Chunsong Hutong, Zhao Mansion.

Zhao Shouzheng had just finished his lunch and was lying on a mat basking in the sun.

Although the swelling on his buttocks had gone down, he had to perform the full act and could not go out until he left Beijing.

It was such nice weather, but he couldn't go boating to enjoy the flowers and watch the mandarin ducks playing in the water. Mr. Zhao couldn't help but feel bored. He asked Fan Datong who was accompanying him:

"What kind of official position will my son choose for me?"

"Who knows?" Fan Datong slurped a ripe plum and answered vaguely, "My brother's words don't count anyway, so I can do whatever I want."

"That's just what you said," Zhao Shouzheng looked up and rolled his eyes at him. "I just don't want to worry about it. A good man has ambitions to be in all directions, so it doesn't matter where he becomes an official."

Fan Datong gave a thumbs up and said, "Brother, your realm is getting higher and higher now."

"But it would be best to choose a remote place with simple folk customs, few people and few things to do, and a quiet place." Zhao Shouzheng began to worry, "Don't go to a big city."

"Big cities are not good?" Fan Datong asked in confusion: "Big cities are lush and beautiful."

"Am I short of money?" Zhao Shouzheng rolled his eyes at him and said seriously:

"I have always been kind to others and I don't like intrigue. The people in big cities are unruly, competitive and litigious. There are countless powerful families, and if things go wrong, there will be higher-level government offices. Being a county magistrate is like being bullied by both sides of the chimney. How can it feel?"

"Brother, you see things so clearly?" Fan Datong was stunned. How could this be something a brother would say?

"I heard it from my classmates." Mr. Zhao said with innocent eyes, "How could I think so much?"

"But since brother thinks so, why don't you tell me about it?" Fan Datong asked curiously.

"Hey, my son has great ambitions." Zhao Shouzheng shook his head and smiled proudly, "Although I don't quite understand the books he wrote and the things he said, I know that this child is doing great things. How can a parent hold a child back? We will do whatever he tells us to do..."

"My dear nephew, you are so lucky to have a father like your brother." Although Fan Datong didn't understand, he didn't stop from flattering him.

"Of course." Zhao Shouzheng looked pleased. He suddenly stretched out his hand to scratch his buttocks and said thankfully, "It's so itchy. Fortunately, my son only gave me twenty strokes of the cane. Otherwise, my buttocks would be covered in blood."

"Oh, one hundred taels of silver for one stick, my brother's butt is really precious nowadays." Fan Datong also looked emotional.

~~

The Ministry of Literature and the Archives.

"Wu County... It's just over 2,000 miles away from the capital." After hearing Zhao Shouzheng's choice, Lu Guangzu thought about it for a moment, then asked in confusion, "Who would want to be an official in a place like that?"

Is Wu County good? Of course it is, it is a county affiliated to Suzhou!

Suzhou, the richest city in the Ming Dynasty, is a paradise on earth. Who doesn’t love it?

But being a county magistrate in Suzhou is another matter...

I am afraid that the father and son simply yearn for paradise on earth and do not know the hardships of officialdom. Lu Guangzu kindly reminded Zhao Hao:

"My family lives in Huzhou, which is close to Suzhou. I often hear a saying in Suzhou: 'Gold Taicang, silver Jiading, copper Changshu, iron Chongming, tofu Wujiang, beggar Kunshan, paper Changzhou, and hollow Wuxian'. It refers to the merits and demerits of the officials in the seven counties of Suzhou Prefecture."

"Oh, what do you mean?" Zhao Hao asked interestedly.

"Of course, it is best to be an official in Taicang. Taicang is known as the granary of the Ming Dynasty and a land of fish and rice. It is not only very rich, but also far away from the prefecture. The only people you see on a daily basis are coastal defense officials. Being an official there is the most comfortable... Of course, your father will be demoted according to the imperial decree, so he cannot go to Taicang Prefecture."

Lu Guangzu explained to Zhao Hao: "The situation in Jiading is similar, only slightly inferior. If your father must go to Suzhou, I strongly recommend it."

"Yeah." Zhao Hao nodded. Jiading was indeed an excellent place to go, but it was a pity that Suzhou City was calling him, so he could only let his father down.

"The third place is 'Tongchangshu'. It's also a good place. The soil is fertile, there are no droughts and floods every year, and it's right next to the golden waterway of the Yangtze River. In fact, it's richer than the first two places." Lu Guangzu then commented: "But the people of Changshu are unruly, the gentry and the people are extremely cunning, and the county magistrate is like being roasted on a fire...so it's not as comfortable as the first two."

Zhao Hao suddenly remembered what Wang Wuyang had said about the various bad deeds of his family and Wang Xijue's family in Taicang. It was simply unimaginable what Changshu, which was even more outrageous than Taicang, would be like.

Could it be possible that the world would turn upside down?

ps. First update. It's the last half day of this month, who still has monthly tickets? Don't let them expire~~~