Chapter 79

Chapter 79

Thanks to the help of the bailiff and the respected elder, the scholar ultimately failed to harm the cats.

In truth, even without their intervention, Fu Shun and the kitten wouldn’t have been harmed.

Being cats, not humans, they were nimble enough to scale walls and rooftops.

The scholar was just a weak scholar; catching them would have been next to impossible.

But this outcome was for the best. Now everyone knew the scholar had tried to strike the cats, revealing his poor character.

This would prevent him from using his limited learning to take advantage of innocent girls or young men in the future.

The social atmosphere in Qiuping County had improved significantly, with many unmarried girls and young men venturing outside their homes.

Living in a feudal society, they had few interactions with men in their lifetimes, making them vulnerable to manipulation.

After Fu Shun helped the family settle the score, it stopped roaming about as much.

Not because it had become more obedient, but because it had grown old.

It was now ten years old—considered old for a cat.

Though it remained agile and appeared vigorous and spirited, old age was still old age. It no longer had the same playful urge to explore as it once did.

That autumn, Qiuping County’s concrete roads were stretched all the way to the prefecture capital.

There had already been a government-maintained road connecting Qiuping County to the prefecture capital.

Yun Zhangxie had it rebuilt with concrete, making it wider than before.

The costs were shared evenly between the prefectural and county governments.

Since many merchants frequently used the official road to transport goods, local businesses also donated substantial sums.

Once the county’s roads were completed, Yun Zhangxie didn’t disband the laborers.

The cement factory was now under the control of the imperial court.

The embroidery workshop primarily employed women and young men.

So Yun Zhangxie established a farm, leasing a small hill next to the Xilin Mountain.

This farm focused on livestock breeding. While searching through his Mustard Seed Space, he stumbled upon several multi-birth pills.

These pills could cause multiple births in humans or animals while ensuring the safety of both mother and offspring.

Yun Zhangxie had no desire to use them on women or young men. Thinking they’d just go to waste, he decided to apply them to farm animals instead.

He planned to raise more horses, cattle, and sheep on the farm.

With the pills ensuring multiple births and safety, the farm would thrive.

Building the farm was much easier than constructing the factory.

Yun Zhangxie redeployed all the road crew to the farm, completing it in less than two months.

Once the farm was ready, its vast scale required many workers to manage.

Yun Zhangxie, accompanied by Hunter Chen, personally selected hardworking, trustworthy farmers to work there.

Farm work was ideal for the poorest farmers.

As long as they were hardworking and willing to work hard, they could secure decent jobs on the farm.

Yun Zhangxie was unlike officials elsewhere.

Many officials would greedily embezzle funds for their own families.

But Yun Zhangxie invested his personal funds to establish the embroidery workshop and the farm for the county’s people.

The gold he had been rewarded by the emperor was nearly all spent by now.

Because he genuinely worked to improve the lives of the common folk, many had indeed become more prosperous under his governance.

Families that once struggled to make ends meet could now afford to build new houses.

Seeing this, many residents of Qiuping County grew apprehensive.

They couldn’t escape the feeling that Yun Zhangxie, being so capable and accomplished, would soon be transferred elsewhere.

And as it turned out, they were right.

Ever since Yun Zhangxie’s success in quelling bandits, the emperor had wanted to promote him.

Then came his innovations—cement, the embroidery workshop, and now the farm.

The emperor, recognizing his talent, decided to summon him to the capital and appoint him to the Ministry of Works.

The Ministry of Works was headed by a Minister, a third-grade official.

Below him were the Vice Ministers, fourth-rank.

Then came the Directors, fifth-rank.

Followed by Assistant Directors and various department heads.

The emperor assigned Yun Zhangxie the position of a fifth-rank Director in the Ministry of Works.

The ministry oversaw water conservancy projects, construction, manufacturing, iron smelting, textile production, casting, and other such matters.

It was a crucial but highly complex and demanding department.

Yun Zhangxie received his transfer order the year after the farm’s completion.

By then, the farm had already become well-established.

After appointing a competent overseer, he prepared to leave.

When news of his departure spread, the people of Qiuping County were sorry to see him leave.

They feared the next magistrate might prove incompetent, undoing all of Yun Zhangxie’s efforts. Moreover, they genuinely recognized him as an exemplary official but had no power to keep him.

If Yun Zhangxie stayed, he would remain a mere seventh-grade official, benefiting only one county.

Only by rising in rank could he wield greater influence and achieve greater things.

On the day Yun Zhangxie left with his family, it happened to be raining, and many townsfolk gathered to bid him farewell.

To avoid adding to the sorrow, Yun Zhangxie stayed inside the carriage to bid them a lengthy farewell.

Goodbyes—the more you say them, the heavier the heart.

By the end of July that year, Yun Zhangxie’s family finally returned to the capital.

As soon as he arrived, he was busy settling into his new official duties, with little time to reunite with the rest of the Yun family.

The previous year, the Yun family’s second branch had also returned to the capital from elsewhere.

Now, the first branch, the second branch, and Yun Zhangxie’s family were all in the capital.

If one day, Third Uncle Yun also brought his family here, the three branches of the Yun family could truly reunite.

At present, Yun Zhangxie’s grandmother wished for nothing more than to have all her children by her side.

Unfortunately, Third Uncle Yun had gone south to take up a post and wouldn’t be able to return anytime soon.

As for her two daughters, the eldest remained in their hometown, while the younger one had married off to the distant frontier.

A full family reunion was no simple matter.

Shortly after returning to the capital, Yun Zhangxie plunged into his official work.

Meanwhile, Su Qingruo and Liu Shi were occupied with domestic affairs.

Their home had been unoccupied for a long time, and despite the care from other Yun family members, the house had fallen into disrepair.

Liu Shi took Su Qingruo and scrubbed and mended the place from top to bottom.

Liu Shi hadn't forgotten her son’s request—to find a good doctor for Su Qingruo.

Over the years, she had never forgotten this task.

Liu Shi didn’t find it troublesome; their family now had money, and hiring a doctor or gathering information didn’t need her to lift a finger.

As long as she was willing to spend silver, plenty were willing to do the legwork and work hard on her behalf.

Before she could find a suitable doctor, Yun Zhangxie once was granted an audience with the emperor and personally requested a favor.

The emperor, magnanimous and talent-recognizing, found nothing amiss in Yun Zhangxie’s small request.

He dispatched two court physicians to accompany Yun Zhangxie home.

Imperial physicians were a cut above common practitioners—they quickly identified why Su Qingruo had lost her voice.

After careful discussion and obtaining consent from Yun Zhangxie and Su Qingruo, they began her treatment step by step.

Having missed the optimal treatment window, they made no promises of complete healing.

Fortunately, Yun Zhangxie and Su Qingruo kept their spirits up.

Later, as Su Qingruo adhered to the treatment regimen, Yun Zhangxie also administered generous doses of Spirit Spring.

To their great surprise, before long, Su Qingruo regained her voice.

Being able to vocalize was an encouraging development—with continued gradual treatment, full speech would come in time.

Su Qingruo was overjoyed by this, and her happiness spread to the entire household.

One day, Yun Zhangxie returned from the Ministry of Works and discussed his younger siblings' marriages with Su Qingruo.

Two more years had gone by, and both Aicao and Shanli were getting up in years.

If they continued to prevent their younger siblings from marrying, close kin might become resentful.

The attraction between men and women is only natural.

In a hundred people, ninety-eight would be willing to marry.

Clearly, Aicao and Shanli were among those ninety-eight.

They themselves wanted to marry, and now that Yun Zhangxie had risen in rank, it was high time to arrange their marriages.

Shanli wanted to marry an educated man, and coincidentally, the next Metropolitan Examination would be held the following year. Yun Zhangxie planned to wait until then and select a suitable jinshi candidate from the examinees.

Aicao had no major requirements; he simply wanted someone who wouldn't keep mistresses or carouse around.

Such a person was relatively easier to find, so Yun Zhangxie chose a former classmate from the academy who was from a simpler family.

Families with too high a status might not stay faithful and refrain from taking concubines.

Yun Zhangxie held slightly higher status than the other family, ensuring Aicao wouldn't be mistreated.

When selecting candidates for Aicao, Yun Zhangxie picked three potential matches and first let Aicao get a look at them from afar.

Whomever Aicao liked, Yun Zhangxie would arrange a meeting for them.

With Yun Zhangxie, as an elder, present to supervise, even a private meeting wouldn't damage their good names.