Wang Lizheng wasn't present at the time; if he had known that the imperial court had bestowed 5,000 mu of fertile land upon him, he would have gone mad.
The imperial edict announcer was not finished yet and continued reading the edict:
"Zhao Xian, a talented man from Shuixian Village, has developed a powerful weapon for the nation. He is hereby specially appointed as a ninth-rank clerk in the Ministry of Works' Ordnance Bureau..."
The people present were stunned. A ninth-rank official was an extremely low-ranking official, and such a minor official would not need an imperial decree to be appointed, yet the emperor did just that.
Because it was an official title conferred by the emperor, it was highly prestigious, and Zhao Xian thus obtained an official position.
The officials who were conferred titles were different from those who were appointed. This was the emperor's affirmation and commendation of Zhao Xian's achievements. It was a high honor, and he did not need to serve in the court. He was basically still a free man.
This was exactly what Zhao Xian wanted. Although his rank was not high, he now held an official position, which significantly elevated his status.
Everyone was still kneeling and listening to the imperial decree, and the official continuing to read:
"A golden crossbow made of pure gold will be awarded as a reward, along with ten thousand taels of silver, two hundred taels of gold, ten sets of writing implements, and ten bolts of brocade..."
Everyone listened mechanically. There were so many gifts bestowed upon them, many of which Zhao Xian had never seen before.
"...So be it?" The messenger finally finished reading the imperial edict.
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!" Everyone kowtowed in gratitude.
At this moment, Prefect Shen smiled and said, "Please rise, everyone."
Everyone stood up. Zhao Xian was completely bewildered; he felt like he was dreaming.
He only realized what was happening when Prefect Shen and Magistrate Cao came to congratulate him.
"Congratulations, Young Master Zhao. No, I should now address you as Lord Registrar."
"Congratulations! Thank you, Prefect! Thank you, Magistrate!" Zhao Xian said excitedly.
The gifts filled several large boxes, and the guards began carrying them home.
"Sir, the imperial edict has been read aloud, and our mission is complete. It's time for us to return." Prefect Shen prepared to take his leave.
Prefect Shen addressed him as "Recorder," which Zhao Xian found somewhat unsettling. It wasn't because the position was too lowly, but because he was unfamiliar with it and would need to study it later.
"Your Excellency, it's almost noon. Please have lunch before you leave," Zhao Xian began to persuade him to stay.
"You're too kind, Registrar. I'm on official business this time, and there's also an imperial messenger from the capital, so it's inconvenient to make arrangements. Let's leave it at that this time. I'll come specially next time, and you can bring out whatever good food you have," Prefect Shen said with a smile.
"Okay, it's settled then. You absolutely have to come."
"I'll definitely come. Until we meet again."
Magistrate Cao walked over, cupped his hands in greeting to Zhao Xian, and said:
"I need to take these people from the Ma family back first. I will interrogate them personally and then give the registrar an answer."
"Thank you, Your Excellency. Until we meet again."
After Prefect Shen and his entourage left, Zhao Xian finally breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at the villagers around him and said...
"Thank you all for your help in this crisis, which prevented the Ma family from succeeding. If you need any help in the future, please don't hesitate to ask, and I will do my best to assist you."
The villagers were also very excited. They had just witnessed the prefect and magistrate treating Zhao Xian very politely, and even addressing him as "sir," indicating that his official position must be quite high.
The villagers' perception had changed. Zhao Xian was an official appointed by the emperor, and people have always feared officials. They were no exception, and their eyes began to be filled with awe.
Zhao Xian saw through the villagers' thoughts and said, "My official position has no real power, so please don't take it seriously. I am still a villager of Shuixian Village. Please call me whatever you want, and don't be so polite."
At this moment, Li Guang walked over and said with a smile, "Congratulations, Brother Zhao."
Zhao Xian smiled, took Li Guang's hand and said, "It is indeed not easy to receive the Emperor's reward. Fortunately, this position of registrar is not a real post. If I were to enter the court as an official, it would not be a good thing for me. Once I went to the court, I would lose my freedom, and I would not be able to continue running these businesses."
Li Guang nodded: "Judging from the official position the court gave you, it's clear that those officials didn't want you to serve in the Ministry of Works. Brother Zhao is a man of great talent. Once you take on a real position in the Ordnance Bureau, your brilliance will overshadow most people. So they only gave you this ninth-rank clerk position in the Ordnance Bureau."
Zhao Xian was a little puzzled and asked, "Do you know what the duties of a clerk are?"
Li Guang began, “Our dynasty’s Ordnance Bureau is under the Ministry of Works. The Ordnance Bureau is in charge of the production of weapons. There is one Director, who is a fourth-rank official. Under him are positions such as Junior Director, Assistant Director, and Registrar. There is no position of Recorder.”
The appointment of Brother Zhao as a clerk is likely a newly created position by the Ministry of Works. This position is merely a title with no actual work to be done.
This must have been tailor-made for Brother Zhao. But that's fine too; being away from the imperial court is probably a good thing for him, at least there's no risk.
Li Guang's words impressed Zhao Xian. Although Li Guang was young, he was very knowledgeable.
“The Ma family just caused trouble, which was very dangerous. I asked Qin Shiyu and her sister to notify three family soldiers to come over and told you to stay at the farm, but you all came anyway. It’s too dangerous.”
"If the situation had gotten out of control and something had happened to you, I really couldn't have taken the blame. Fortunately, Prefect Shen and his party arrived in time, and the crisis was averted." Zhao Xian said, still feeling a little scared.
“We can’t sit idly by when danger strikes our home, and we certainly won’t allow these people to hurt Brother Zhao. If Brother Zhao isn’t afraid, what are we afraid of?”
Besides, Chen Daniu has been staying at the farm during this time. He practices his kung fu every morning and evening, and I follow him to learn. The results should be good. I have basically mastered all the kung fu that Daniu knows now, so I should be able to protect myself without any problems.
"So many people from the Ma family came today. They want to hurt me? It won't be that easy," Li Guang said excitedly.
"Really? That's great. I'll have Zhao Cheng teach you some kung fu later. It'll definitely be more effective than learning from Da Niu. The more kung fu you learn, the more self-defense you'll have."
"Okay, thank you, Brother Zhao."
"Come on, let's see what the Emperor has bestowed upon us," Zhao Xian said, pulling Li Guang into the house.
The Emperor's gifts filled five large boxes. Li Chun'e and the Qin sisters were sorting through these gifts, and a model of a pure gold crossbow was placed on the table.
Although the crossbow model was not large, it required at least two hundred taels of gold to make, which was quite valuable. The gold-made crossbow was very exquisite and the craftsmanship was also very high, which shows that there were indeed many skilled craftsmen in ancient times.
Zhao Xian looked at the golden crossbow with a modern perspective. If this work of art were placed in modern times, its value would be immeasurable.
Li Guang looked at the golden crossbow, which must have been specially made for Zhao Xian. Its symbolism was very profound. From this point of view, it can be seen that the court must have put some thought into how to reward Zhao Xian.
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