Chapter 246: The Road to High Office 46

Chapter 246: The Road to High Office 46

"The Journey of the White Fox Immortal" concludes with the White Fox Lord ascending to godhood, decreed as the Wise and Martial God who protects onlookers by the Celestial Emperor.

This is precisely why Xu Zeping dared to let Cheng Ge Er embroider handkerchiefs and coin pouches. These exquisite items would undoubtedly catch the eye of the ladies of the household. If an unknown man appeared on their handkerchiefs or coin pouches, the consequences would be predictable.

But if it were the martial god who protects peace, it would be a different story. The first thought that would come to people's minds would be to pray for safety.

Whether this figure is real or not, as the old saying goes, "sincerity brings results."

Concerning the image of the Wise and Martial God, Xu Zeping revised it many times, eventually adopting a style inspired by Blue Star's anime characters.

The Wise and Martial God wears a bright red official robe, with white hair and amber eyes, exuding majesty yet compassion.

"What's got you so excited? Did something fun happen?" Xu Zeping dismissed Autumn, who was standing behind Cheng Ge Er, and moved the bright candle from the bedside to the small table next to Cheng Ge Er. "It's getting dark; do less needlework; it's not good for your eyes."

Cheng Ge Er put down the handkerchief in his hand and smiled warmly. "I met an interesting person today..."

After a long spiel, Cheng Ge Er recounted what he had learned about the prominent families in Lingbei County to Xu Zeping.

The class distinctions in Lingbei are quite rigid, with scholars typically marrying within their circle and merchants marrying within theirs. The kind of official-merchant marriage that Xu Zeping was concerned about does not exist.

Moreover, there are no wealthy magnates in Lingbei County. The three largest merchant families here are the Qin, Cao, and Zhao families. Well, they are essentially large landowners.

At their core, these three families rely on their farmland, and none have the capability to organize commercial enterprises.

The Cao family, while appearing to be the most prominent in Lingbei, is actually in a precarious situation.

This is because the patriarch of the Cao family favors the son born to his concubine, and his first wife was literally driven to death by anger.

Thus, the patriarch has allocated most of his farmland to his youngest son. Although the eldest son, Cao Kang, is currently the head of the family, he only owns fifty acres of paddy fields and a tea plantation.

The other more than one hundred acres of paddy fields are under the name of the youngest son, Cao Jian.

Now, the Qin and Zhao families are seeking to take over the Cao family's business. The reason the Cao family can still compete with these two families is that the patriarch is still alive.

Once the patriarch dies, the Cao family will inevitably split in two.

The person who struck up a conversation with Cheng Ge Er today, Cao Zhou-shi, is precisely the wife of Cao Kang.

Everything Cao Zhou-shi said indicated that she had the means to support Cheng Ge Er. Her father, though only a scholar, has only one daughter.

Although the farmland cannot be officially given to her, her father can sell assets to give her money if necessary.

After hearing Cheng Ge Er's summary of the situation, Xu Zeping had a complete understanding of Lingbei County.

Xu Zeping lay back on the couch, patting the space next to him. "Xiang'er, come here."

Cheng Ge Er took off his shoes and nimbly nestled into Xu Zeping's arms, gently pinching his cheek. "What do you want me to do now?"

Hmm, using his charm once more.

Xu Zeping caught his mischievous hand and kissed it. "I don't want to burden you, but I need to go to the countryside tomorrow, and the return date is uncertain."

Cheng Ge Er instinctively widened his eyes. "Why so sudden? Pingping, aren't you going to work on your toothbrush workshop?"

"Today, I toured Lingbei County with Chen Zhubu and found a skilled artisan. I showed him the blueprints, and he guaranteed that the finished product could be made within three months, and the contract has been finalized," Xu Zeping said, pulling Cheng Ge Er closer with a hint of reluctance. "As for the drama, I'll leave that to County Magistrate Yang to oversee. So, in my spare time, I want to see how the locals are doing."

"I understand," Cheng Ge Er's slender fingers tightly gripped Xu Zeping's belt as he countered, "Why can't I come along?"

Xu Zeping learned from Clerk Chen that many places in Lingbei County weren't accessible by major roads, and you'd have to walk to reach the villages.

"Don't talk nonsense, aren't you still supposed to be fixing up the east wing?" Xu Zeping gently pulled him closer, using a bit of force to bring their eyes level. "Be a good boy and stay here until I get back, okay?"

"I don't want to be obedient, not at all." Cheng Ge Er turned and straddled Xu Zeping's waist, looking at him arrogantly. "You always make me wait for you, and I..." don't want to keep watching your back.

Before he could finish, his mouth was suddenly sealed by Xu Zeping's.

Xu Zeping wrapped an arm around his waist, his other hand undoing the buttons on his collar, kissing him until he was breathless...

Cheng Ge Er's face flushed slightly, his eyes dazed.

By the time he realized what was happening, he had already been stripped and tossed onto the bed.

"I don't..." want to.

Before he could finish, his mouth was sealed again.

That night, Cheng Ge Er finally experienced what it felt like when the "bad man" went all out. It was as if he was floating on a peak without end, his mind constantly blank.

He couldn't stop making those little sounds of pleasure. Even when he passed out from exhaustion, Xu Zeping kept waking him up.

Between the bed and the tub, Cheng Ge Er lost count of how many times it happened. Finally, Xu Zeping let him go, completely spent.

The next morning, when Cheng Ge Er opened his eyes, he felt sore all over. This was the first time he had experienced the "hardship" mentioned in those storybooks.

He tried to sit up but couldn't find the strength.

The spot next to him was already empty, and when he reached out to touch the cold bedding, Cheng Ge Er turned over in frustration, cursing inwardly, damn bastard.

Not even bothering to dress him properly!

Hearing the commotion from the inner room, Xia Tian quickly ran in. "Master, are you awake?"

"Hmm." Cheng Ge Er reluctantly responded, then dryly said, "Bring my clothes over."

Xia Tian, hearing Cheng Ge Er's hoarse voice, blushed deeply. He had been on duty the night before and knew exactly how long the commotion had lasted.

He handed the clean clothes to Cheng Ge Er. "Master, here you go."

Then he saw the hand peeking out from under the quilt, covered in love bites.

The marks made Xia Tian wonder how someone so refined could be so wild underneath.

Cheng Ge Er struggled to sit up, and the quilt slid down, revealing his bruised shoulders.

Looking up, he saw Xia Tian's wide eyes and gaping mouth.

"Get... out."

Cheng Ge Er was extremely embarrassed and wished he could drag that bastard over and beat him to death.

After some struggle, Cheng Ge Er finally got dressed, got out of bed, and went to the mirror to fix himself up.

"Come in," Cheng Ge'er said, gazing into the copper mirror at his alluring eyes, fully aware of how well-fed he was.

Xia Tian dutifully assisted Cheng Ge'er with his washing. He waited until Cheng Ge'er spoke. "Pingping, what time did he leave?"

"Young Master, he rose at 5:45 AM and departed with Little Tiger around 7:15 AM," Xia Tian replied in detail, trying to recall the events of the morning. "Clerk Chen's carriage came to pick him up. They went out to the countryside along with Clerk Chen, Officer Zhou, and Officer Zeng."

"Did they go in their official robes?"

"No, they were in casual clothes. The young master usually wore ramie fabric when going out."

Cheng Ge'er lowered his gaze, now understanding the situation. He said hoarsely, "I’m ready for my meal."

..

At that moment, Xu Zeping, whom Cheng Ge'er was thinking of, had already left Lingbei County and arrived at Xiaoman Town, the largest impoverished town under Lingbei County.

Lingbei County has close to 100,000 residents and 195 villages. Xu Zeping calculated the average population—about 500 people per village. With an average of five people per household, that makes about 100 households per village.

Of course, these were just Xu Zeping's average calculations, not the actual numbers.

The old county magistrate was tired of his duties, leading to many inaccuracies in the population records.

This is largely due to the strong preference for male children!

Given the severe class distinctions and the belief that women should be uneducated, it’s easy to see where this leads.

Xu Zeping’s next step is to conduct a comprehensive census once the economy stabilizes, to get an accurate count of Lingbei County’s true population.

Town divisions in Lingbei follow tradition, with each town comprising thirty villages.

Lingbei County has seven towns: Daji, Dali, Hexi, Dashun, Xiaojin, Xiaoli, and Xiaoman.

Among them, Daji Town is the most prosperous, with a growing population every year, reaching nearly 20,000 people.

Xiaoman Town is the poorest, with fewer than 8,000 people recorded in the population archives.

Every year in Xiaoman Town, people freeze to death or starve. Last year, nearly 180 perished.

"Ling, are you alright?"

Due to the rain, the carriage had to stop in town.

Xu Zeping wanted to inspect the farmland in Xiaoman Town, so he had to venture into the village wearing a straw raincoat.

Chen Ling and the others didn't trust Xu Zeping going to the countryside alone, so they all insisted on tagging along.

Halfway through, Xu Zeping looked at Chen Ling, who had a pale face, and couldn't help but ask.

Chen Ling waved his hand. He hadn't expected the county magistrate to have such good stamina. After nearly an hour of walking, Xu Zeping still appeared calm and collected.

Chen Ling was about to reach his limit. "Sir, I need to catch my breath."

They were hiding their identities while going to the countryside, and Chen Ling suddenly remembered this.

"It's getting really dark. Looks like we might get hit by a heavy rainstorm soon." Xu Zeping could vaguely see some smoke rising ahead. "Ling, hold on. We're close to a village up ahead."

Chen Ling looked at Officer Zhou. "Uncle Zhou, lend a hand."

With Officer Zhou's help, they barely made it under the eaves of a farmer's house before the heavy rain started.

They were quite lucky. As soon as they reached the eaves, it began to rain heavily.

Knock knock knock

Xu Zeping knocked on the courtyard door. When an old man with a cane came to open the door, Xu Zeping gave a friendly smile. "Old sir, we're a group of brothers visiting Xiaoman Town and got lost. Could we come in and rest for a while?"

Old Man Wang looked at Xu Zeping and Chen Ling, who were dressed as scholars, and then at Zhou Qiang and Zeng Long, who were tall and strong. He figured they were likely from a wealthy family. He stepped back a couple of steps. "Come in, but I don't have much to offer."

"Thank you, sir."