Chapter 266: The Road to High Office 66

Chapter 266: The Road to High Office 66

After the two exchanged greetings, they began to challenge each other with riddles.

Xu Zeping, noticing the simple bamboo crown on Qiao Yi's head, politely said, "Brother Qiao, I see you have already been crowned. Since you are older, please go first with your riddle."

Qiao Yi was surprised. He had thought that Xu Zeping, with his extraordinary demeanor and steady speech, would be a few years older, but it turned out he hadn't even been crowned yet... After a moment of hesitation, he said, "The Emperor's New Robe."

"Plunder," Xu Zeping casually replied. "Thirty-six hours."

"Crystal," Qiao Yi continued. "Close to ten."

"Mixed. The sun and moon in the sky."

"Zhao (a character meaning 'shine' or 'illuminate'). To grow flowers, one must remove weeds, one person comes with a knife."

"Transformation..."

They continued this back-and-forth for nearly half an hour, still without a clear winner.

The intense literary duel attracted more and more onlookers.

From a distance, Xu Zeping also saw County Deputy Yang approaching. He was afraid his identity would be revealed, which would spoil the fun.

So he suggested, "Brother Qiao, how about we call it a tie? All I want is that glass lotus lantern. Of course, I know this is unfair to you, but I can compensate you with two taels of silver (a traditional Chinese unit of weight)."

Qiao Yi waved his hands, "Brother Cheng, no need for compensation. If you like the glass lotus lantern, you can take it."

Cao Lao Si, seeing them discussing amicably, initially wanted to say it was against the rules, but under Xu Zeping's authoritative gaze, he swallowed his words.

By the time more people heard about the exciting literary duel and rushed over, Xu Zeping had already left with Cheng Ge Er.

Cheng Ge Er, clutching the beautiful glass lotus lantern, was overjoyed. "Pingping, I want to keep this lotus lantern and cherish it forever."

Perhaps, in the future, it could be buried with them as a companion in their shared tomb.

"Alright."

"There are more lotus lanterns up ahead," Cheng Ge Er said with bright eyes. "Pingping, let's go take a look."

"Alright."

"Hey boss, what's the price for this lotus lantern?"

At the end of Peony Lane, there was a small river that flowed through the underground waterways of Lingbei County and merged into the East Fork River.

The people of Lingbei County had a custom of releasing lotus lanterns on the Lantern Festival to pray for a prosperous year.

As a result, the lotus lantern seller's business was booming, with his shop encircled by two or three layers of customers.

Zhao Lao Wu, hearing the inquiries, loudly announced, "The bamboo lanterns on the outside are 2 coins each, the paper lanterns in the middle are 5 coins each, and the lotus lanterns inside are 10 coins each."

Xu Zeping thought the prices were quite fair. The bamboo lotus lanterns were the most popular, and even the slightly more affluent onlookers in the city would buy one for their children.

The so-called paper lanterns in the middle were bamboo lanterns covered with oiled paper, with simple drawings sketched on them.

Most of the buyers were young couples, exchanging tokens of affection.

The innermost lanterns were more finely crafted, though they were also made of bamboo and oiled paper, the craftsmanship was far more intricate.

There weren't many buyers, only occasionally one or two noblewomen would purchase a couple of lanterns.

Under the direction of Cheng Ge Er, Xu Zeping crouched down to select the lotus lanterns, finally settling on two: one depicting butterflies playing among the albizia flowers, and the other showing a bountiful harvest of grains.

The albizia flowers symbolize family happiness and blissful contentment.

The bountiful harvest signifies that the common people will have no worries about food and drink, living in peace and prosperity.

"Shopkeeper, could I borrow your ink and brush?"

After paying, Xu Zeping made a small request to the shopkeeper.

"Of course, you may."

May we live long and share the beauty of the moon, even if thousands of miles apart.

Cheng Ge Er wrote this line on a piece of red coarse cloth and then instructed, "Pingping, you must not peek."

Zhao Lao Wu was somewhat surprised to see Cheng Ge Er's skilled calligraphy. There were not many literate men in Lingbei County, let alone family members.

It was unclear from which scholarly family this young master hailed.

Looking at the extraordinary demeanor of this couple, they seemed quite well-matched.

After Cheng Ge Er finished writing, he tied the coarse cloth and placed it inside the lotus lantern, then handed the brush and ink to Xu Zeping.

May our family thrive, our business prosper, and our people flourish.

A strong country, strong people, and a strong society.

Xu Zeping's thoughts were always straightforward and unembellished. He wrote a pair of couplets and then asked Cheng Ge Er if he wanted to see them.

Cheng Ge Er shook his head, "Let's keep this secret and share it when we're old and gray, alright?"

Walking to the riverside, they released the lotus lanterns, watching them drift away.

Cheng Ge Er leaned gently against Xu Zeping's chest, his gaze fixed on the lotus lanterns floating down the river.

Xu Zeping stayed quiet, savoring the romantic moment shared only between them.

One, two, three... gathered together, forming a beautiful river of wishes, carrying people's most beautiful hopes towards the future.

"Pingping, do you think people have past and future lives?"

On the way back, Cheng Ge Er quietly posed this question.

"Perhaps," Xu Zeping thought of his own bizarre experiences and responded vaguely. This was his deepest secret, and he didn't know where to start. He couldn't possibly tell Xiang'er that we are living in a storybook, could he?

"If there is a next life, Pingping, will you still be with me?"

"Of course," Xu Zeping intertwined his fingers with Cheng Ge Er's, and the two followed the crowd towards home. He answered sincerely, "Cheng Ge Er, you are such a good person, I don't want to let go for all eternity."

"Me too."

Cheng Ge Er didn't know why he asked this question, perhaps it was the thought that emerged in his mind when the lotus lanterns gathered and they leaned quietly together—how do you know our meeting in this life isn't to make up for past life's regrets?

"Young master, young master, we are here!"

From a distance, Little Tiger stood at the entrance of Peony Lane, waving wildly and calling out loudly, worried that Xu Zeping and his husband might miss them.

After receiving Xu Zeping and his partner, seeing the lotus-shaped glass lantern in Xu Zeping's hand, Little Tiger immediately stepped forward eagerly to take the lantern: "Young master, let me carry it for you."

Seeing Little Tiger's sturdy figure, Xu Zeping suddenly remembered the playful remark he made years ago about marrying a beautiful wife. Calculating, Little Tiger was now about eighteen or nineteen, an age suitable for marriage in the Great Jing Dynasty.

"Be careful with it; if it gets damaged, you'll be held accountable."

Hearing this, Little Tiger dared not carry it carelessly and immediately hugged it to his chest, fearing punishment.

Xu Zeping and the others couldn't help but laugh at Little Tiger's childish antics.

Returning to the mansion, they saw four children sitting pitifully in the east courtyard...

"Teacher, why didn't you take us out for the Lantern Festival?"

"Teacher, you're playing favorites! You took Brother Autumn and the others out!"

...

At this moment, the adults, feeling a bit guilty, remembered they had sneaked out, not wanting to look after the children during the Lantern Festival.

Cheng Ge Er glanced at Autumn, who, like a magician, produced four hairpins and pushed the children towards the west courtyard: "Oh, look at these hairpins, aren't they pretty? I bought them especially for you~"

Once the Lantern Festival was over, Xu Zeping went back to his usual busy schedule.

On the sixteenth day of the first month of the Sheng'an era, Xu Zeping, after greeting his colleagues at the government office, gathered them in the office to discuss the policy of offering employment in lieu of relief.

Working hours were from morning to 5:45 PM, with a half-hour break in between.

For a full day's work, they provided three substantial meals, each including a meat dish.

For three full days of work, they earned a copper coin, to be settled at the end of the project.

Xu Zeping knew these terms were somewhat harsh, but the government office was strapped for cash.

...

After discussing among the government staff, they set a goal to finish the city wall repairs before the spring planting in May.

Once the policy was approved, Xu Zeping, Clerk Yuan, and County Deputy Yang drafted the announcements.

As for Chen Ling, he went to invite Zhang the Craftsman to discuss the detailed work of the city wall repairs.

By the time Zhang the Craftsman arrived, Xu Zeping and the others had already written dozens of announcements.

While Xu Zeping discussed the city wall repairs with Zhang the Craftsman, County Deputy Yang and others went to the villages to distribute the announcements...

While Xu Zeping was busy with the city wall repairs, Cheng Ge Er was also not idle.

The embroidery workshop had been renovated. To meet the deadline, Mrs. Cao Zhou had sent people to supervise, and it was said that the craftsmen only rested for three days during the entire New Year.

On the thirtieth, first, and second days of the New Year.

On the third day, they resumed work.

Qiao Yun and Wang Yingying progressed quickly; within half a month, they had mastered the needle techniques and could start embroidering simple patterns with Shu embroidery under Cheng Ge Er's guidance.

Wang Ye and Cao Qin also made good progress; they studied diligently and were now beginning to learn the needle techniques.

After the Lantern Festival, Cheng Ge Er arranged for the four children to stay at the embroidery workshop.

The sturdy women who guarded the courtyard and the patrolling long-term workers were all members of the Cao family.

The hands of the embroidery artisans were very important, so Cheng Ge Er earnestly instructed Mrs. Cao Zhou that the four children should not do heavy labor.

Mrs. Cao Zhou naturally understood the underlying meaning of his words and assured that the four children's food, clothing, shelter, and transportation would be carefully attended to by the maids.

Thereafter, Cheng Ge Er would come to the embroidery workshop at 8:45 AM every day to teach the four children embroidery skills and would leave at 5:45 PM daily...

At 8:00 AM on the 22nd day of the first lunar month, the loud bang of huge firecrackers erupted. Xu Zeping picked up the gavel and struck the gong. Hearing the loud sound of the gong, Xu Zeping shouted loudly, "Let’s get to work!"

As his voice rang out, twenty thousand residents holding bowls began to line up on their own to get their meals.

In the open space they were heading to, two large pots were operating, and the savory aroma of the noodles made many gaunt villagers’ stomachs growl.

The work meal consisted of a steamed bun and a bowl of meat porridge.

Forced labor in ancient times was harsh, with the lighter punishments being hunger and beatings, and the heavier ones resulting in loss of life.

Xu Zeping thought that with the implementation of his policy, he would not necessarily face public opposition, but it would not be easy to find laborers.

After all, the policy of work-for-relief sounded good on paper, but it was just an empty promise.

However, he did not expect that on the first day of work, twenty thousand workers would show up on their own, with fifty percent of them being residents of Xiaoman Town.

Xiaoman Town had a total population of just over eight thousand, and their turnout this time meant nearly all able-bodied workers in the town had come.

Another thirty percent came from Daji Town, as the Cao family's recruitment of embroiderers had allowed the families of those recruited to see firsthand the county magistrate’s generosity.

The remaining twenty percent were residents from the two neighboring towns, who had also heard about what happened during the recruitment of embroiderers.

They believed that such a kind county magistrate would truly fulfill what he had announced.

When the plump steamed buns and hot porridge appeared in their hands, they knew they’d made the right call.