Sun Siwen was naturally overjoyed to receive the new transfer.
In January, he was promoted from the seventh-rank official to the sixth-rank official, and was promoted two levels. The important thing is that he was promoted from the original low-level official to a mid-level official.
This can be said to be a qualitative leap.
I don't know how many county magistrates there have been in this position for decades, and they may not be able to be promoted to another level.
But now that he is only thirty-two years old and has achieved such an achievement, how can he not be happy?
Even Lu Yuan was happy that he had been promoted to level three and became a commander.
It's not that he is addicted to powerful positions. The main reason is that after he rose to the level of commander, he was already the head of the military attache in the government.
With this status, he would have better official confidence by sending his disciples to other prefectures and counties to purchase medicinal materials.
Not only will you get more resources, but those who dare to make things difficult will also greatly reduce the benefits. It goes without saying.
The last New Year spent in Wugang County came to the third year of Hongdao. At the end of January, I completed the handover with the new county magistrate and county lieutenant.
Lu Yuan left behind eighty or ninety people from the county soldiers under his control who had settled in the local area and were unwilling to leave with him.
Then he took four hundred troops and went to Fucheng with Sun Siwen to take up his post.
The main reason why he brought a large army to his post was the intention of Governor Cui.
As a promoted commander, Lu Yuan was allowed to take charge of a thousand soldiers. However, all the soldiers from Shaoyang Prefecture were originally transferred to fight the rebels in Xichuan County. Now, except for some government officials, there are no soldiers in the city.
Therefore, these one thousand people need to be built from scratch after he takes office. Now he just has this establishment.
So Magistrate Cui calculated that Wugang County was already stable, and the small county town could not support five hundred county soldiers, so he left dozens of old and weak soldiers with a wave of his hand, and the remaining four hundred elites fell to the prefectural city. , officially converted into a government military establishment.
Lu Yuan naturally had no objection to this.
It is of course a good thing to be able to take these old subordinates who are familiar with their own hands to the appointment.
Moreover, they were converted into government soldiers. In the future, he and Sun Siwen would no longer need to support these soldiers. Naturally, Magistrate Cui would be responsible for their military pay.
You can also save yourself a lot of money.
Now that all the local medicinal materials that have been used for centuries have been bought up, Lu Yuan wants to purchase suitable medicinal materials and has to send people to purchase them further away. The cost of expenses and risks along the way has also skyrocketed.
Expenses were getting bigger and bigger, and he had to find ways to increase revenue and reduce expenditure.
Now someone is paying for the military expenses, which is just what he wants.
Here I have to mention a little thing.
That was his good friend Sun Sima. Before the handover, he specially took away another five thousand taels of money from the county government's books. He only left more than three thousand taels of silver for the next county magistrate.
According to Sun Siwen's meaning.
No one knows whether the next county magistrate will be corrupt or honest, but according to the current official atmosphere, he will probably be a corrupt official.
In this case, it is better to transfer most of the money and give it to Lu Yuan to support the army.
The soldiers patrolled the local areas, maintained law and order, and suppressed bandits. It is also appropriate to give five thousand taels of silver to improve the food.
Anyway, this money is not a public account and has never been recorded. The county government used special funds. Even if it was transferred, no one would know.
Lu Yuan naturally accepted this with pleasure.
It is naturally impossible to improve the food. But it’s still okay to buy a few more medicinal materials for yourself.
What, eating soldiers’ blood?
The salary he paid to each soldier was 50 taels per month, which was five times the salary of an ordinary family. It was paid monthly and was never in arrears.
His friends donated special funds to the camp, but now he just got a lump sum. Can this be called drinking the blood of soldiers?
After driving on the road for several days with the army, on the second day of February, we finally arrived at Shaoyang Fucheng.
There were officials sent by the prefect in Fucheng waiting for their response. After Lu Yuan asked soldiers to take soldiers to station in the military camp in the city, he and Sun Siwen went to meet the prefect.
…
Within the government office.
Cui Changqing was dealing with official duties at this time. This practical person who pursues reform concepts has been busy dealing with the accumulated problems in the government for more than half a year. He has to be busy until late at night every day before he can sleep.
Although he was so tired, this old man, who was over fifty years old, seemed not to notice the fatigue and was still full of energy and motivation.
However, it was precisely because of his due diligence that after an in-depth investigation, Magistrate Cui found out how bad the Shaoyang Mansion had become.
Corrupt officials are rampant, local bandits are everywhere, the people are getting poorer and poorer, and mountain seedlings are frequently in trouble...
It can be said that the entire land of Yifu is completely rotten.
No, I can’t say they all suck.
At least Wugang County, although it had just suffered a major chaos, had recovered well under the leadership of the new county magistrate.
Not only are the household registrations increasing and commerce and trade prospering, but local finance and public security have also been improved.
Especially in these troubled times, Sun Siwen actually led people to build water conservancy projects and build roads, which made him even more dazzling among the mediocre and corrupt officials.
Perhaps this is also the case. Seeing a bright light in the dark night undoubtedly gave hope to the prefect who was distressed by the government.
Therefore, after meeting with Sun Siwen, he made great efforts to promote him to the county government and transferred people to his side, intending to focus on cultivating this rising star in his eyes.
"I've met my lord."
"Meet the prefect."
In the Government Affairs Office, Lu Yuan finally met his friend Cui Zhifu, whom he admired endlessly.
He has half-white hair and a handsome face. It can be seen that he must have been a handsome man when he was young. His temperament is a little upright, a little bookish, and even a bit easy-going and elegant, not as arrogant as ordinary officials.
"Master Sun, after waiting for a long time, I finally have you here."
Hearing the voice, Cui Changqing put down his pen and raised his head. He saw the junior he was optimistic about at a glance, and a smile appeared on his face.
"I'm a little late, sir. Please forgive me, Lord Magistrate." Sun Siwen really admired Master Cui.
After meeting the person at this time, Lu Yuan obviously noticed that his friend's breath became more rapid and his heart beat faster. It was really like meeting an idol.
This made him amazed.
"It doesn't matter. Handing over official duties will take some time."
Cui Changqing waved his hand to appease his little fanboy. Then he turned to look at Lu Yuan, looked at him carefully and saw that he was so young. He couldn't help but feel a little surprised, but soon he said with a heavy smile on his face: "This must be Mr. Lu.
Everyone in the mansion said Mr. Lu was superb in martial arts. The year before last, he personally led the team and took the lead in eliminating the clan bandits and bandits in Wugang County. He also defeated the local Miao rebellion. He was regarded as the number one in Shaoyang in terms of martial arts.
I have admired him for a long time.
Today I finally got to see him, and he was indeed an extraordinary man, a strange man in the world. "
Different from the easy-going approach when talking to Sun Siwen, the prefect obviously paid more attention to Lu Yuan when talking to him.
Seeing his attitude, Sun Siwen next to him was obviously a little surprised.
I didn't expect that my friend would have such a status in the heart of the prefect.
"It's just a bit of recklessness. Don't expect praise from the government." Lu Yuan was so excited that he was not taken seriously. Faced with Cui Changqing's praise, Lu Yuan still responded calmly.
Think about it too.
Now that he is firmly in the first class, his status is comparable to those of the prefects of large prefectures. Now facing the praise of the prefect of such a remote and poor prefecture, what is there to be happy about?
And he doesn't have much desire for promotion.
The main thing is that the commanders who go up higher are either captains at the county level or generals directly under the imperial court's imperial army.
The captain of Dongting County was an innate master. Lu Yuan asked himself that even if he practiced for another twenty years, he might not be able to reach the innate realm, so naturally he did not dare to think about dethroning that master's official position.
As for becoming a general in the imperial court, you will be subject to more restrictions, but you will not have the freedom you have now.
Therefore, becoming the commander of a government is almost the pinnacle of his official career.
Cui Changqing was not angry when he saw Lu Yuan acting so neither humble nor arrogant. He knew that those martial arts warriors had always been like this.
People with ability always have some privileges.
Therefore, he continued to smile and said: "Being a top second-rate master in the world cannot be described by some recklessness. Especially since Mr. Lu is still so young, it is only a matter of time before he becomes a first-rate master in the future.
A first-class warrior is the leader of a clan's warriors, a famous figure in the world.
Even I, when I see you, I have to be my equals and don’t dare to drag him down. "
As an official from the imperial court, Cui Changqing's information channels and vision are far better informed and broader than those of local officials.
Therefore, he knew very well some secrets that were rarely heard in the local area.
For example, the imperial court has been fighting a three-year war with the Liang Kingdom and the Jinghai Kingdom. Not only are they facing each other head-on on the battlefield, but private duels with warriors from the two countries are also going on.
After three years, a large number of the official warriors of the Yue Kingdom had been lost on the battlefield.
Some imperial warriors were even frightened by the horrific casualties and even fled privately.
At the same time, in Dai Viet, with the great rebellion in Xichuan County and local riots in various places, the energy of a large number of experts in the imperial court was restrained, causing many casualties.
After this layer of wear and tear, the strength of the warriors in the hands of the imperial court has been greatly weakened. The deterrent effect against Jianghu warriors has also plummeted.
Nowadays, many Jianghu warriors and even Jianghu sects in various places are beginning to get ready to rebel, showing signs of rebellion.
In this situation.
The imperial court's attention to those top warriors in the world has naturally skyrocketed.
Originally a second-rate martial artist, his local status was no more than that of a county magistrate. But now, with the loss of the top warriors in the imperial court, in official terms, the status of a second-rate master is actually higher than that of the county magistrate.
Similarly, a first-class master's status naturally exceeds that of the prefect.
So Cui Changqing is right.
If Lu Yuan is really a first-rate master, then when he meets the other party, he will be polite to each other.
Um……
It seemed that the prefect accidentally told some truth, but Lu Yuan just continued to smile in response so that he would not reveal his identity.
As a time traveler and an immortal, it is smart to always keep a few trump cards for yourself so that you can continue to use them at critical moments.
In contrast.
A mere reputation is not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning.
After Zhifu Cui chatted passionately with Lu Yuan for a few words, he received very little response.
This allowed him to see that Mr. Lu, who was highly skilled in martial arts, did not seem to be a person who liked to talk.
So I was sensible enough not to bother him anymore.
Instead, he turned to Sun Siwen and chatted about poetry, articles, political experience, and the current situation in the world.
Compared to Lu Yuan's indifferent reaction, this little fan was so excited when he saw his idol talking to him.
So the two started chatting enthusiastically.
This conversation lasted from noon to afternoon, until dinner time in the evening, and it was almost nightfall.
At this time, some people in the back house of the prefect could not sit still.
…
"Father, you are busy with work again, so late at night."
In the distance, a clear and sweet voice was heard coming in.
At the side of the room, Lu Yuan, who was meditating with his eyes closed, heard the noise and raised his head to see a yellow skirt floating in from the outside, bringing with it a gust of fragrance.
A Miaohua woman, about 28 years old, walked into the room and looked at Cui Changqing a little angry.
"Wenxiu."
Hearing the sound, Magistrate Cui came back to his senses and became a little embarrassed when he saw that it was his daughter.
"We have guests." At this moment, Cui Wenxiu realized that there were two other people in the room. She realized that she seemed to have arrived at the wrong time and was a little embarrassed.
After all, as a daughter and a lady, she cannot disturb her father when he is discussing official business.
This is etiquette.
Fortunately, Cui Changqing rescued his daughter. He looked at the darkening sky outside and couldn't help but look at Sun Siwen and Lu Yuan and said, "Master Sun, Master Lu, it's getting late, why don't you stay and have dinner with me?"
"Ah..." Sun Siwen was stunned for a moment, glanced at the woman in yellow shirt in front of him, and said with a slight hesitation: "This is a family banquet for adults, why don't I wait for outsiders?"
Although martial arts flourished in Dai Viet, and the customs were also much more open, women were not prohibited from going out on the streets or meeting outsiders.
But it was a little out of line for two outsiders to attend a private family dinner.
"Eh." Cui Zhifu waved his hand and said with a smile: "I, the master, said there is no problem. What are you afraid of as a guest? Okay, it's settled, you will have dinner with me tonight."
As he spoke, he turned to his daughter and said, "Wenxiu, go and tell the chef to cook some more dishes. I want to entertain two adults today."
Cui Wenxiu glanced at Sun Siwen and Lu Yuan curiously, with a flash of surprise in his eyes.
After his father came to Shaoyang Mansion, he had never invited anyone to dinner, and he had never treated anyone so kindly.
It's really strange for these two people to let my father do this, and I don't know what they are capable of.
With this thought in her mind, she responded and bowed to the two of them: "Okay, my daughter will go now. The two guests will wait a moment."
After that, a gust of wind passed away.
It really comes in a hurry and goes in a hurry.
Cui Changqing saw his daughter's lively appearance and couldn't help but smile bitterly at the two of them: "I have no children, and I only got such a daughter when I was nearly 40 years old.
He had been very fond of her since he was a child and could not bear to be blamed, so he developed this naughty temper, which made the two adults laugh. "
As a fanboy, Sun Siwen immediately said: "What did you say, sir? Your daughter is extremely intelligent and filial. This is her pure nature, how can she be naughty?"
Lu Yuan nodded and smiled: "This character is indeed quite pleasant and not annoying."
Cui Changqing laughed when he heard what the two said.
Then, he looked at the young talent in front of him, and his eyes lingered on Lu Yuan for a moment, but thinking that this was a warrior who often fought life and death, he finally passed by and landed on Sun Siwen, and asked aloud: " If I remember correctly, Master Sun should still be single and unmarried, right?"
At the age of thirty, he is an official and not yet married, which is really eye-catching.
Sun Siwen thought that his boss was reminding him to start a family as soon as possible, so he felt a little embarrassed and said: "Sun made an ambition in his early years, like his ancestors, to first make a career and then talk about marriage, so as not to be affected by the affection of his children.
Later, he was promoted to the county magistrate, and finally achieved some success. I originally wanted to find a suitable marriage partner, but there was no suitable candidate, so I had to let it go until now. "
Cui Changqing nodded with a smile, stroking his beard and said: "I see. It's a good thing for a man to have great ambitions. With Master Sun's achievements and talent, he will find a suitable woman sooner or later, so there is no need to rush."
Sun Siwen said gratefully: "Thank you for your understanding."
Next to him, Lu Yuan was watching the conversation between the two, looking left and right, always feeling something was wrong.
Later.
Someone came to the back house again, but this time it was not Cui Zhifu's daughter Cui Wenxiu, but a servant, notifying that the meal was ready.
The three of them then went to the back house.
When they arrived at the dining table, Cui Changqing called out his wife and daughter and ate with them.
During this period, the old prefect said something in his wife's ear, and then Mrs. Cui couldn't help but look at Sun Siwen frequently during the meal, with a smile on her face from time to time.
However, Sun Siwen reacted a little late, probably because he was dining with his idol, and never noticed it.
After the meal was finished, Lu Yuan accompanied his friend and Cui Changqing had some more tea, talked for a while, and then stood up to leave.
All the way out of the government office and outside, many streets in the city were still lit with lights.
As a city, even if it is a poor city, Shaoyang City is still quite prosperous.
After walking out of the back door, feeling the night breeze blowing and feeling a bit cool, Lu Yuan turned to his friend who was still a little dizzy next to him and said with a smile: "Brother Sun, it seems your luck is about to come."
Judging from what happened tonight, Magistrate Cui clearly took a fancy to Sun Siwen and wanted to recruit him as his son-in-law. They even called the mother-in-law. This was a meeting with the parents.
And judging from what happened at the dinner table, it was obvious that the mother-in-law was very satisfied with her new son-in-law. She kept smiling during the dinner and even served Sun Siwen several dishes.
This is not even the same treatment as Lu Yuan, a handsome man.
As a result, Brother Sun, an ordinary-looking nerd, was still kept in the dark as to what was going on.
That Wenxiu girl looks like a fairy. She is really a good cabbage but a pig.
As the loser, Lu Yuan, although he never thought about getting married, was still a little angry at this time.
"What kind of luck?" Sun Siwen was a little confused.
He had just drank some wine, and he was still a little dizzy at this time. He had not yet recovered from the meeting with his idol.
Seeing that his friend was still stunned and didn't know what happened, Lu Yuan suddenly smiled: "It's nothing, you will know in a few days."
Then, he walked toward the sedan that had been prepared next to him.
"What on earth is going on? Just tell me clearly if you have anything."
Seeing this, Sun Siwen was slightly dissatisfied and hurriedly chased after him.
