Chapter 920 Chapter 920, Different Choices
Capital, Yan Mansion.
After Yan Zhigao received the letter from his eldest daughter, he immediately called Yan Wenxiu to the main courtyard and handed him the letter. After he finished reading it, he asked, "What do you think?"
Yan Wenxiu thought for a moment, then looked at Yan Zhigao and Madam Li and said, "Father, Mother, I want to go."
Mrs. Li didn't know much about what was happening outside. She looked at her husband and son and didn't say anything.
Yan Zhigao was silent for a moment. "It's better for you to go to Xiliang. Our family's foundation in the capital is weak. If you stay in the capital, I'm afraid you will only be able to endure the hardships in the Hanlin Academy. Even if you seek a post outside the capital, you may not be able to go to a good place."
"Go to Xiliang. At least Yeyang and your sister are there. With their help, you can better gain a foothold. Yeyang should be in need of manpower right now. If you go there, you can help him too."
"Xiliang may not be as good as other provinces. Not only is it cold and barren, but the people of Western Liao are eyeing it covetously. However, the more problems there are, the easier it will be to get promoted if you govern well."
Yan Wenxiu also thought so. In the capital, all the good official positions were filled to capacity, and the Yan family could not compete with other families at all. It would be a waste of time to hold some idle official positions.
He is still young and has ambitions in his heart. He doesn't want to stay in the capital and get involved in intrigues with others. He also wants to govern a piece of land.
Xiliang is poor, and others are afraid of not being able to achieve political achievements, but he is not afraid.
There was no other way. He had a sister who was quite knowledgeable in farming, so he could get high-yield grain seeds more easily than others.
Yan Zhigao continued, "Once we're in Xiliang, I won't worry about anything else, but your safety. You must pay attention."
Yan Wenxiu nodded. "Don't worry, father. Wentao and Wenkai know a lot of retired soldiers from the battlefield. With Wentao's help, my son should be able to hire a group of people. Safety won't be a problem."
Hearing this, Yan Zhigao felt relieved.
Now, the older children of the Yan family can stand on their own feet and support each other.
Seeing that the father and son had reached an agreement, Madam Li interrupted, "Yiyi probably wants us to recommend a few more people. What do you think? Do you want to talk to the other sons-in-law?"
Yan Wenxiu did not express his opinion on this matter and waited for his father, the head of the family, to speak.
Yan Zhigao thought for a moment and said, "Just tell them. It's up to them whether they want to go or not."
The next day, Yan Yihan, Yan Yishuang, and Yan Yile returned to the Yan Mansion with their respective husbands.
After they had bowed and taken their seats, Yan Zhigao spoke, "Yi Yi wrote to say that Xiliang is short of officials to manage civil affairs. I'd like to ask if you'd be willing to go there?"
Upon hearing this, Xue Yi, You Kai and Fang Shuo's expressions straightened.
Xue Yi thought for a moment and asked, "Father-in-law, Xiliang has a garrison management system. What can we do there?"
Seeing that his son-in-law had hit the nail on the head, Yan Zhigao smiled and said, "Yeyang said that if you go to Xiliang, you will be responsible for the civil affairs of the garrison."
Xue Yi pondered for a moment. They were from a formal imperial examination background, so it wasn't difficult for them to manage civil affairs. However, the current situation in Xiliang was not very stable.
You Kai just passed the imperial examination this year. Although he was at the bottom of the top three, he could still serve as an official in the court. Unfortunately, the You family has no connections, so he is still waiting for the position.
You Kai looked at Yan Wenxiu and asked, "Brother, are you ready to go?"
Yan Wenxiu smiled and nodded: "I have been working in the Hanlin Academy for three years and I want to go out and try my luck."
You Kai's expression changed. He was somewhat tempted to go because his elder uncle was going.
The eldest sister would never betray her own brother.
At this time, Fang Shuo spoke up: "Uncle, is it not appropriate for us to go to Xiliang now?"
Yan Zhigao frowned slightly. He understood what Fang Shuo meant. Western Liao was eyeing Western Liang covetously and would sooner or later have a war with Daxia. If he went there now and happened to encounter a war, his personal safety would be in jeopardy.
But everything has to be given up. Once Xiliang is safe and stable, more people will want to go there, and they may not be able to get a good position.
He was not satisfied with his nephew-in-law.
Too smart and calculating!
"I'm just asking for your opinion. Whether you go or not is up to you."
"Xiliang is indeed a bit unstable right now. You should all think about it carefully, go home and discuss it with your families, and give me an answer as soon as possible."
After saying that, Yan Zhigao stood up and left.
As soon as he left, Xue Yi and the other two felt less restrained and immediately started discussing with Yan Wenxiu.
When Yan Zhigao came out of the yard, he met Yan Wenjie and Yan Wenbin. He knew that they might have come here because they received the news. After thinking about it, he went over and talked to them.
"Wenjie, although you are now a juren, you'd better prepare well for the next imperial examination. Although juren can be appointed as an official, it will be very difficult to get promoted in the future."
"Wenbin, passing the exam is just the beginning. Your most important task now is to concentrate on your studies and not be distracted by external affairs."
On that day, Yan Yihan and others had dinner at Yan's house before leaving.
On the way back, the three couples were discussing whether to go to Xiliang.
Yan Yishuang said to Xue Yi, "Based on my understanding of Big Sister, if Xiliang wasn't a good place, she probably wouldn't let Big Brother go."
"And then there's my eldest brother-in-law. He's actually quite arrogant. Since he went to Xiliang, he probably won't come back unless he does something."
Xue Yi listened carefully to his wife's analysis and said, "I'll discuss this with my father when we get home."
Yan Yishuang didn't say anything more.
On the other side, You Kai was also asking Yan Yihan for her opinion.
Yan Yihan thought for a moment and said, "Today, my uncle mentioned going to Xiliang. I observed his expression and he actually hopes we go."
"There are some things that my uncle may not be able to tell us directly, but if going to Xiliang would be disadvantageous to us, he would not say anything."
You Kai nodded: "Brother is going, I am actually tempted."
Yan Yihan added, "Didn't you always say that your uncle got promoted so quickly? Besides the fact that he had the support of your brother-in-law, it was also because the places where your uncle worked weren't very good."
"The more problems and the poorer the place, the more likely it is to achieve outstanding political achievements."
Hearing this, You Kai's eyes lit up, and he smiled and shook Yan Yihan's hand: "Madam is absolutely right."
The carriage where Yan Yile and Fang Shuo were was a little quiet.
Yan Yile was angry with Fang Shuo because of the concubine's matter. If she didn't want to be laughed at by her family, she wouldn't have wanted to come back this time.
Fang Shuo was silent for a while, thought about it, and took the initiative to speak softly, coaxing Yan Yile, and then asked: "Brother is going to Xiliang, what do you think?"
Yan Yile frowned. She knew that if Fang Shuo went to Xiliang, she would either have to go with him or stay at home, but she didn't want either of those.
She didn't want to suffer the bitter cold of Xiliang; if she stayed in the Fang family, her mother-in-law would dislike her, and now that her husband was gone, what else could she have to live with?
"Big brother must have let him go to Xiliang because his brother-in-law was in need of help. Big uncle naturally wanted more people to help his brother-in-law, so he dragged us along."
"But the conditions in Xiliang are so bad, and the people of Xiliao are eyeing us covetously. Why should we go and suffer like this? My husband, you have an official position in the capital."
Fang Shuo frowned and said, "But that's just a sinecure. I can't keep wasting my time."
Seeing Fang Shuo wanted to go, Yan Yile thought for a moment and said, "My husband, it will be difficult to return to the capital after you take up a post in the provincial capital."
This is exactly where Fang Shuo hesitated the most: "I'm thinking about it."
Two days later, Yan Zhigao received replies from his son-in-law and nephew-in-law.
"Xue Yi and You Kai are willing to go, but Fang Shuo is not going."
Mrs. Li was not surprised by the result. She smiled and said nothing.
(End of this chapter)
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