Just as Wujia Village was thriving, the county magistrate, who had been stuck in the county for three or four years without a promotion, finally received an imperial decree to be promoted.
Magistrate Zhao, oh no, now we should call him Prefect Zhao.
"Congratulations, Prefect."
Congratulations!
The newly appointed magistrate was none other than the advisor.
The two complemented each other and helped each other achieve success.
"From now on, Peach Blossom County will be handed over to the clerk, oh no, Lord Liu."
"Prefect Zhao, please rest assured, I will manage Taohua County well."
......
Prefect Zhao was able to get promoted mostly because of his political achievements.
In recent years, Taohua County has far surpassed other counties in terms of tax revenue and other metrics!
Now that the former Prefect Liu has been promoted to Prefect, his position has been changed thanks to the other party's recommendation!
Before taking office, Prefect Zhao made a special trip to Wujia Village to bid farewell to Magistrate Jiang.
Upon arriving at Wujia Village, I was immediately surprised to see rows of impressive schools.
Without alerting anyone, he ordered his guards to remain where they were. As he approached the school, he was stopped.
"School grounds are off-limits to unauthorized personnel."
The person blocking the road was the school's gatekeeper and the old village chief.
His eyesight has deteriorated over the years, and he couldn't recognize who the person was.
"I am the former magistrate of Peach Blossom County. I will soon be going to the prefecture to take up my post. I came here to bid farewell to Magistrate Jiang, but I was attracted by this place. I wonder if you could let me take a look at this school?"
Prefect Zhao revealed his identity and politely inquired of the old man.
"So it's Lord Zhao! The flood washed away the Dragon King Temple, and we don't even recognize each other."
The old village chief squinted and carefully examined the young man, as if he had seen him before.
So he opened the door with a smile and personally led the person who was visiting the school.
"Your Excellency travels in such a low-key manner that I did not recognize you. My apologies."
"Not at all, it was my fault for not giving prior notice. Please forgive my intrusion."
"With your diligence and love for the people, Your Excellency is sure to rise rapidly in your career and have a bright future."
"Thank you for your kind words!"
The two chatted happily, and Prefect Zhao became increasingly interested as he looked around. This was a school.
Unlike the school he remembered, this school was divided into three classes with five or six teachers. Some classes focused on traditional Chinese studies, that is, studying for the imperial examinations, while others had extracurricular classes such as needlework and weaving.
To his great surprise, Lord Jiang was here with a class called Miscellaneous Studies, or rather, Science.
Seeing that this man was approachable and easy to get along with, the old village chief invited him:
"If you are interested, why not visit the county magistrate and then have a simple meal at my house in the afternoon, when Principal Jiang will be teaching the second science lesson?"
"I would be more honored to accept your offer. Thank you, sir."
Prefect Zhao was very happy to oblige and bowed deeply.
Since we have nothing else to do, we might as well stay and listen, and broaden our horizons.
......
Jiang Yue was playing with her grandson when she suddenly heard a report that Magistrate Zhao was requesting an audience.
Magistrate Zhao was a good official who upheld the law impartially. He was a decent person, and during the years he governed Taohua County, he did not cause her any trouble. His reputation was also quite good.
Request an audience with her?
Let's meet and see.
Da Xue, carrying her son, retreated to the backyard.
My mother-in-law has important business to attend to; she can't let the children ruin her dignity.
"It's been a long time. How is Your Highness doing?"
"Yes, thank you for your concern, Lord Zhao. I am well. I just don't know what brings you here today, Lord Xu?"
"In three days, I will be going to the prefecture to take up my post as prefect. Before I leave, I would like to say goodbye to the county magistrate."
"I see. Congratulations! It should be the county magistrate who hosts a farewell banquet for Lord Zhao."
"How could I trouble you, Your Excellency? I have a request for you, Your Excellency, please consider it."
"Oh? What is it?"
"I have heard that the county magistrate is serving as the principal of the school and is in charge of the science subject. This afternoon, I would like to bring my entourage to sit in on the class. I apologize for disturbing you, but I do not know if it is permissible."
"No problem. Lord Zhao loves the people like his own children. He is traveling incognito, and I will naturally cooperate."
......
After their conversation, Jiang Yue invited the other person to stay for dinner, but unexpectedly, the other person said:
"Thank you for your hospitality, Your Excellency. It would be impolite to refuse. However, I have already made an appointment with the old man guarding the school gate to have lunch at his house. Please forgive me, Your Excellency."
"No problem, see you in class this afternoon~"
Jiang Yue chuckled; the village chief was far more approachable than she was.
After seeing Lord Zhao off, she instructed San Tiao to find Granny Ge and deliver a pot of good wine to the old village chief's house...
The old village chief, upon receiving the wine, beamed with joy.
Old Mrs. Qin was busy cooking in the kitchen, preparing many of her signature dishes.
When it was served, I noticed an extra pot of wine on the table, and I quickly instructed the old man:
"A little drinking is fine, but excessive drinking is harmful to your health."
"I know, I know, there are still guests here, old woman, please give me some face."
"Hmph, if it weren't for the fact that we have guests at home, I would have thought..."
Old Madam Qin could tell that the young man in the lead had an extraordinary demeanor and had already restrained his temper.
Lord Zhao pretended not to notice, and smelling the home-cooked food, he felt a pang of longing for his family.
The old village chief smiled and poured himself a drink, then poured another for the other person, saying politely:
"Try it, it's all ordinary home-cooked dishes. Although there's not much fish or meat, the taste is alright."
"Thank you, sir."
Lord Zhao nodded, first offering a toast, then picking up a piece of vegetarian food. Hmm, the taste is not bad.
"Eat vegetables, eat more vegetables. It's hot, and vegetables won't keep well. If we can't finish them, it will be a waste."
Okay, thank you~
The servants dared not sit at the same table as the adults. Instead, they took their bowls and chopsticks, picked up their food, and squatted in the courtyard to eat. The food tasted delicious.
I must say, this farm-style food is really delicious.
"Woof woof woof~"
Jiang Yue's family had started having lunch, and Qingyao, who had covered herself in powder, arrived late after changing her clothes.
Da Xue caught a whiff of her sister-in-law's sweet fragrance and asked curiously:
"Yaoyao, what are you doing? You smell like medicine."
"Sister-in-law, I'm making pills. Grinding the herbs into powder took me a lot of time, but I've figured out the right proportions now. Once I've made the pills, I'll definitely let you try them. They're not bitter!"
Qingyao proudly raised her chin. She had experimented many times, cooking, sun-drying, air-drying, grinding into powder, and mixing into a paste. After all these experiments, she was finally close to success!
Jiang Yue coughed lightly and said reproachfully:
"Fool, your sister-in-law is perfectly healthy, without any illness or injury. How could you give her medicine!"
"I'm sorry, sister-in-law, Mother is right, I misspoke."
Qingyao stuck out her tongue and gave her sister-in-law a flattering smile.
She didn't think too much about it and just blurted it out. Now that she thinks about it, she really shouldn't have said it.
"It's alright. I know Yao Yao just wanted to share something good with me. She didn't mean it. Mom, please don't blame my little sister."
Da Xue shook her head; she didn't take it to heart.
The little one in her arms was babbling and trying to break free from her embrace, so she quickly held on tighter...
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