Local gentry and wealthy families were all eager to seize this opportunity to get up close and personal with the prefect.
This is a rare occurrence, as it involves the prefect personally visiting the countryside.
It should be noted that the founding emperor of this dynasty stipulated that, in order to avoid officials harassing the people, even county magistrates were not allowed to go to the countryside easily. If there was a matter, the county assistant or registrar could be sent to the countryside to supervise.
(This was a regulation during the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty.)
If even a county magistrate is hard to find, a prefect is even rarer.
Even those who didn't know the Han family prepared congratulatory gifts, which were personally delivered by the family head.
The purpose was to be able to get acquainted with the prefect and ingratiate himself with him after arriving at the Han family.
Those who sent congratulatory gifts all coincidentally brought their own drum and music troupes.
The onlookers were quite amused.
This guy, seven or eight drum and music bands gathered outside the Han family's door and started playing together. The gongs and drums were deafening and the firecrackers were going off. The atmosphere was as lively as the New Year.
No, it's much more lively than Chinese New Year.
How can a village afford so many drum and music troupes?
In the surrounding villages, who else has ever enjoyed such splendor?
That day kept the housekeeper extremely busy.
He, along with his accountant and servants, received gift lists, counted gifts, and registered visitors and congratulatory gifts, without stopping for a moment.
The people who came today are all prominent figures in the area, so we must not treat them poorly.
For a moment, looking at the lively scene before him, he was momentarily dazed.
During the more than ten years that the master was alive, the Han family had never seemed to be so glorious.
He Youyou set up several tables of food and drink in the courtyard to entertain her guests.
Prefect Xie was invited to the head seat at the main table.
Those sitting at the same table were all officials.
During the meal, he observed He Youyou's words and responses.
Seeing that she acted with composure and showed no fear in front of others, he was even more satisfied.
future……
After they get married, as a fourth-rank noblewoman, she will surely behave appropriately among noble ladies and not lose face.
The subordinate officials at the same table, seeing the prefect's very satisfied expression, assumed it was because they had flattered him well, and became even more eager to fawn over him.
He Youyou also made sure to get Han Wenzheng to show his face in front of these officials.
According to the regulations of the Great Gan Dynasty, those who passed the provincial examination could be recommended by local officials to enter the Imperial Academy in the capital.
The more familiar we are with each other now, the more likely we will be to make a recommendation later.
Han Wenzheng had been welcoming and seeing off many people since he was a child, so he was not afraid of such occasions.
During his time at the Han family, he was raised by He Youyou as a proper young master, which made him less self-conscious and more poised and confident.
After several rounds of drinks and five courses of food,
He Youyou was socializing when she suddenly felt someone tug at the back of her clothes.
Turning around, I saw it was Matthew Yuan.
Although Ma Xiuyuan was famous in Jizhou, he did not hold an official position and could not sit at the table with the officials.
Seeing Ma Xiuyuan's hesitant expression, He Youyou immediately understood that he had something he couldn't say publicly.
She apologized to the guests at the table, instructed Han Wen to accompany her, and then left with Ma Xiuyuan.
He Youyou led him to a secluded spot in the backyard.
"What's up?"
Looking at the awkward expression on Ma Xiuyuan's face, she had a vague idea of what was going on.
Matthew reached into his pocket and pulled out a few silver notes, handing them to He Youyou.
"Youyou, give this money to Xiaoyu."
He Youyou was utterly puzzled.
"Why are you giving her money again? The dye shop's business is picking up now. They've already sold several batches of dyed fabric at high prices. She's not short of money."
Matthew Yuan said, "No, it wasn't something I wanted to give to her. It was...it was something she sent to me yesterday, saying it was to repay the money I owed her."
He Youyou remembers this.
Back then, Xiaoyu was short of money and asked Ma Xiuyuan to lend her some. Ma Xiuyuan gave her two hundred taels of silver.
"People who owe money should pay it back, isn't that the right thing to do? You can keep it, why do you want me to pay it back for you?"
“I…I gave her this money not as a loan…it was just a free gift,” Matthew said urgently. “She doesn’t need to pay it back.”
He Youyou was truly impressed.
"Zicheng, you're alright in other ways, but you're clueless when it comes to relationships. Why do you get so confused when it comes to feelings?"
"I...I didn't..."
"Money is money, and feelings are feelings; they are two different things. If she doesn't return these two hundred taels to you, she will always feel inferior to you. If she doesn't return the money, you will always be her creditor. Only after she returns the money will she be free of this burden, and you will be equals. She can then interact with you easily in the future. Don't you want to be friends with her again?"
Matthew Yuan said blankly, "Of course I want to."
"If you want to, then accept the money. Write a receipt later, have it signed and stamped, and send it to Xiaoyu to prove that the previous debt has been paid off. From now on, we owe each other nothing and have no further dealings."
"No, no, no... We can't be completely unrelated! We need to have some connection..."
He Youyou rolled her eyes.
"We have no further financial ties. As for other matters... you'll have to work hard yourself; I can't help you with that."
After hearing this, Ma Xiuyuan pondered for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Alright, Youyou, I'll listen to you. But she gave too much; it wasn't two hundred taels."
How much did she give?
"Two hundred and fifty."
He Youyou: ...She doesn't seem to be blind; she's quite good at judging people.
"Let's consider the extra fifty taels as interest, and write it on the receipt: 'Received two hundred taels of debt and fifty taels of interest,' so that there won't be any disputes."
Matthew Yuan interjected again, "Xiaoyu and I will never have any disputes. I will always give in to her."
hiss--
He Youyou felt a pang of toothache.
She frowned and waved him away, saying, "Fine, fine, go ahead and write it. Is there anything else?"
Matthew shook his head.
"From now on, avoid loitering on the streets and avoid hanging out in brothels and gambling dens," He Youyou instructed again.
"A brothel...didn't you go there too?"
ah……
This guy is still being stubborn.
He Youyou couldn't stand it and immediately adopted a fatherly tone: "Do you know how to make girls like you? Huh? Maintain a good image, understand? You're someone who goes to brothels all day long, do you think girls will think you're a decent person? Look at others... Let's not talk about outsiders, just take Minzhi for example. Minzhi is conscientious and hardworking, busy with his career every day, and he's also chaste and never goes to brothels or picks up any bad habits. What kind of impression do you think people have of someone like that?"
What impression?
"Down-to-earth, reliable, and reassuring—the kind of person you can entrust your life to at first glance. As a man, you have to make people feel safe, understand?"
"...Okay, I'll try my best to change it."
"Sigh, this is your life to live, there's no use in me worrying. You just need to know what's going on. I'm just your partner, only concerned with the safety of funds and the future of the business. If you can't even be a reliable business partner, we'll break up immediately."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
