Chapter 267: The Road to High Office 67

Chapter 267: The Road to High Office 67

Xu Zeping, wearing short work attire, followed the team out of the city to haul loess, acting as both a supervisor and a laborer.

After Zhang the Craftsman inspected the sites, two locations were chosen for the loess needed to repair the city walls: one near the shallow Lingbei Lake on the outskirts of Lingbei County, where the lake borders a maple forest, and the sediment there has the clayey soil they need; the second location was selected in the Liaohe Mountains, which are rich in vegetation, so digging there wouldn't risk causing collapses later.

The team Xu Zeping joined consisted of over a thousand strong men aged 20 to 30, all heading to the distant Liaohe Mountains to haul loess.

Traveling day and night, they dared not delay and finally reached the Liaohe Mountains on the evening of the fifth day.

Though exhausted from the journey, no one complained, as even their county magistrate, Xu Zeping, hadn't complained once.

Under Xu Zeping's command, everyone set up camp.

While the others set up camp, Xu Zeping, armed with a bow and arrows, led a dozen strong men into the mountains to hunt, hoping to get lucky and bag a rabbit or two.

They had decent luck, as they encountered a wild boar that had ventured out in search of food.

—Whoosh! Whoosh!

Xu Zeping drew his bow and fired two arrows in quick succession, hitting the boar in both eyes.

—Oink!

The boar let out a panicked cry and began thrashing wildly.

At Xu Zeping's signal, the men held back their excitement, though they couldn't help but swallow their saliva.

The boar weighed at least three hundred pounds, enough to provide a hearty meal for everyone.

After about half an hour, the boar finally collapsed from exhaustion.

Xu Zeping and the others closed in and swiftly ended the boar's suffering.

"Minister Xu, your archery skills are truly remarkable!"

"Yes, who would have thought that someone as scholarly-looking as you would be such a skilled marksman!"

Listening to the men's praises, Xu Zeping smiled and shared stories of his youthful travels to Jiangnan: "I'm not a martial artist, but I did excel in archery, one of the six arts of a gentleman..."

From Minister Xu, they learned about the six arts of a gentleman.

Xu Zeping's vivid tales of his travels added a glimmer of light to their otherwise mundane lives, and they silently vowed to raise their own children to be as outstanding as Minister Xu.

—Minister Xu, they're back!

—Minister Xu, they've returned with a huge wild boar!

The patrolling men, seeing Xu Zeping and the others carrying the massive boar, excitedly reported back to the camp.

The men who had finished setting up camp rushed out and began processing the boar.

They removed the dagger from the boar's neck and collected its blood in a basin.

With so many people around, the men weren't afraid of any wild animals approaching and eagerly prepared the meat.

Xu Zeping, however, remained cautious and instructed someone to bury the boar's pancreas in a safe spot.

The men looked at the stinking pancreas with some regret. If it weren't for the long journey, they would have really wanted to take it back.

After a hearty dinner, Xu Zeping split the patrol teams into shifts for the first and second halves of the night...

Lying on the large communal bed, listening to the snores of the sleeping men, Xu Zeping wasn't having trouble sleeping; he was just planning his next moves.

When he and Zhang the Craftsman inspected the city walls, Zhang mentioned that the wooden frame of the east wall had issues and needed new "ren wood" (a type of structural timber) to be replaced. He wondered if they had succeeded in replacing it by now.

If it weren't for the lack of suitable personnel in the yamen to oversee the work, he really wouldn't have wanted to personally come to the Liaohe Mountains.

County Deputy Yang was too old to endure such a long journey.

Yuan the Scribe was a weak scholar.

Clerk Chen was young and his ideas were immature, unable to hold the fort.

Liu Scribe was portly and would be winded after just a few steps.

As for the constables, they were ultimately unable to keep things under control.

Officer Zhou was good, but he had been sent to Yanjing.

Chaotic thoughts swirled in Xu Zeping's mind, and he didn't even realize when he fell asleep.

When he woke up, he found that the strong men had already started digging up the yellow soil on their own.

Upon closer look, a square-faced man in the crowd was digging the hardest.

He called someone over to inquire and learned that this man was named Wang Gui, from Little Wang Village in Xiaoman Town, and he was the first to suggest digging the soil.

They had brought four to five hundred carts with them this time.

Each cart could carry about four hundred pounds of yellow soil, so they could take back two hundred thousand pounds, or one hundred tons, in one trip.

This hundred tons of yellow soil, mixed with clay and gravel, would be enough to repair not just all four sides of the city walls, but at least two.

A thousand men took turns digging for three days and nights, finally reaching the required amount.

On the afternoon of the fourth day, after a morning of rest, everyone set off on the return journey.

On the seventh day of the second month, Xu Zeping and his team finally arrived at the west gate of Lingbei County.

As soon as Xu Zeping arrived at the city gate, before he could even take a sip of water, County Deputy Yang hurriedly pushed him into a carriage.

"County Deputy Yang, what's the matter?"

"Sir, we've finally been waiting for your return," County Deputy Yang said after getting into the carriage. "The envoy from Yanjing has arrived. To meet you, he has been staying in the county town for three days."

County Deputy Yang wanted to send someone to look for Xu Zeping, but was stopped by Huang Sizheng, who said he wanted to see the scenery of Lingbei.

Huang Sizheng was a high-ranking eunuch of the fifth rank and a favorite of the Sage. When he spoke, how could County Deputy Yang dare to refuse?

He could only carefully accompany him.

Whatever Huang Sizheng asked, County Deputy Yang answered, almost revealing everything Xu Zeping had done in Lingbei County.

Pointing at his rough linen clothes, Xu Zeping frowned, "This isn't fit for meeting guests. Shouldn't I go back and change?"

"Sir, it's fine to go like this."

County Deputy Yang also had his own selfish motives. A good official like Minister Xu should rise higher to do more practical things for the people.

Besides, Minister Xu wasn’t just putting on an act—he really had returned from an exhausting trip.

However, as soon as their carriage moved from the back gate to the city center, it was stopped by the constables from the county office, who said that the official from Yanjing had gone to the east gate to see the people repairing the city walls.

County Deputy Yang had no choice but to order the coachman to turn the carriage around and head to the east gate.

After about the time it takes to finish a cup of tea, their carriage stopped less than five hundred meters from the east gate.

The moment Xu Zeping stepped out of the carriage, he spotted Huang Sizheng in a blue robe. Compared to others, Huang Sizheng's skin was relatively fair, and his finely crafted cotton robe made it hard not to notice him.

"Sir Huang."

Xu Zeping strode over to Huang Sizheng's side and respectfully cupped his hands.

Hearing the slightly familiar southern accent, Huang Sizheng turned around and saw Xu Zeping in coarse linen clothes. He instinctively wanted to flick his horsetail whisk... but raised his hand only to realize he was wearing casual clothes today. Clearing his throat, he eased his own awkwardness: "No need for such formalities, County Magistrate Xu. I didn’t expect you to have grown so much sturdier after a year apart."

Hearing the somewhat familiar voice, Xu Zeping straightened up and realized that this Huang Sizheng was the same eunuch who had served him sobering soup at the Qiong Lin banquet.

"I must look quite a sight, Sir Huang," Xu Zeping rubbed his palms, feeling somewhat embarrassed. "It’s just that I returned in a rush and haven’t had time to tidy up."

"It's fine. You haven't disappointed the Sage's expectations of you."

Just as Xu Zeping was thinking of how to respond, Huang Sizheng suddenly said, "County Magistrate Xu, accompany me for a walk."

"Yes!"

"County Magistrate Xu, when do you plan to return to Yanjing?"

Xu Zeping chuckled, "Sir Huang, don't tease me. How could I return to Yanjing just because I want to?"

"County Magistrate Xu, I'm asking this on behalf of the Sage."

Hearing this, Xu Zeping felt a chill run down his spine, and his fingers trembled uncontrollably.

"County Magistrate Xu, don't be nervous," Huang Sizheng said with a smile. "The Sage values talent and won't make things difficult for you."

"For next year's assessment, I will follow the Sage's orders."

Even though Xu Zeping's heart was in turmoil, he maintained a smiling expression on the surface.

He didn't know when he had been exposed, but he knew he couldn't gamble with his family and career.

Isn’t freedom just a game of navigating rules and power?

Huang Sizheng looked at the clear eyes of the young man beside him. His black-and-white eyes were pure, untainted by the desire for power.

Unlike his elder brother's unfathomable eyes, the Sage was right. It would be a real pity if young Minister Xu were to be tainted by the desire for power.

"County Magistrate Xu, on the sixteenth of the first month, your elder brother was promoted to the fifth-rank position of Vice Director in the Ministry of Rites. I suppose you haven't heard this good news yet?"

Hearing this news, Xu Zeping felt a surge of joy, his eyebrows lifting slightly. "Thank you, Sir Huang, for the news. I indeed hadn't heard it yet."

..

Xu Zeping accompanied Huang Sizheng in small talk until noon when they returned to the county office for lunch.

After the meal, Huang Sizheng asked Xu Zeping to go back and freshen up so he could receive the edict in the afternoon.

The moment Xu Zeping got back to his residence, he found Cheng Ge Er waiting in the backyard, his belly bulging.

It had only been half a month since they last met, but Cheng Ge Er's belly had already swollen significantly, round and swollen to the size of a woman five months pregnant. Xu Zeping was so startled that he didn't even care about his own sour smell and immediately went to support him.

Cheng Ge Er smiled gently, "Pingping, you're home."

"Xiang'er, why is your belly so big?" Xu Zeping calculated the time; it hadn't even been four months yet. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but worry, "Have you not been watching what you eat recently?"

Cheng Ge Er shook his head, a joyful smile spreading across his face, "No, the doctor said I'm carrying twins."

Twins?

Xu Zeping's eyes lit up as he exclaimed happily, "Really?"

"Do you think I'm kidding?" Cheng Ge Er couldn't help but pinch his arm, "Does it hurt?"

Xu Zeping winced and said, "It hurts."

After taking a bath and drying his hair, Xu Zeping couldn't resist any longer. He pressed his ear to Cheng Ge Er's round belly.

Thump

Thump

Two heartbeats, one after the other, echoed in Xu Zeping's ears. At that moment, Xu Zeping was just a doting father, looking happily at Cheng Ge Er, "Xiang'er, I can hear the babies' heartbeats."

Cheng Ge Er urged him to hurry up and tie his hair back, "Alright, get up quickly. Huang Sizheng is still waiting for you at the office. When you get back tonight, you can listen to the babies' heartbeats all you want."

It was only after Cheng Ge Er's reminder that Xu Zeping remembered this important matter.