20demayo Chapter 327 Vice Censor-in-Chief
Chapter 327 Vice Censor-in-Chief
The main hall of the county magistrate's residence
Zuo Mingxuan liked Rui Ge'er more and more as she looked at him: "Rui Ge'er, where are the little ones?"
Compared to his own son, Rui Ge'er is simply someone else's child.
Rui shook his head: "I don't know either."
They ran away in fright when they saw Zhi'er, and no one knows where she went now.
Anyway, it's right here in the county magistrate's residence, so it definitely won't get lost.
Having become a mother of two, Pei Rujing possessed an even more elegant and dignified air than before. Sitting upright in the main seat, she said, "Qinghe, go and bring the little ones back."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Years passed, and all of Pei Rujing's other maids were betrothed, but Qinghe had no interest in marriage and only wanted to stay by Pei Rujing's side.
Pei Rujing followed her wishes.
Of course, the other married maids continued to serve Pei Rujing. They did not leave the mansion after getting married unless they wanted to leave on their own.
None of Pei Rujing's four maids chose to leave.
Granny Feng is getting old, and Qinghe is now in charge of all the affairs of the inner quarters of the county princess's mansion. Granny Feng has entered retirement mode, and since she has no relatives left, she will naturally spend her retirement years in the county princess's mansion.
Pei Rujing and Granny Feng had a bond that had been cultivated since childhood, and it was also her duty to ensure that Granny Feng had a good old age.
Liu asked, "Rui-ge'er, An-ge'er hasn't done anything bad, has he?"
Liu distrusted the troublemaker in the family.
Rui Ge'er said, "Second Aunt, Second Brother is the eldest brother and takes good care of us."
Ange'er and Wei's eldest son, Hengge'er, were both six years old, making them the oldest among the children.
Mrs. Liu shook her head: "You don't need to speak well of him. Don't I know my own son?"
She had no confidence in her son at all.
Madam Wei hugged Zhi'er and laughed, "Our two families' rascals are equally bad."
Zuo Mingxuan raised her hand: "Including my son, he's only four years old, but he's already infuriating. Every night before I go to bed, I go to see him and see him sleeping soundly. I just think he's so cute and I can't help but want to kiss him. But the next day when I wake up, I hear him chattering and calling for his mother, jumping around and making a mess, so I can't help but grab him and give him a beating."
Upon hearing this, both Madam Wei and Madam Liu nodded, sharing similar sentiments.
As Mei Yilan listened, she thought about her two sons and suddenly felt that she was quite lucky.
Although her two sons are not as well-behaved and sensible as Rui Ge'er, they are not to the point of being a headache.
……
While Zuo Mingxuan was complaining about her child, Wen Zongji and Wu Fengyuan were hosting a welcome dinner for Lu Nian'an at Wangchunlou.
"Congratulations, Brother Lu, on your transfer back to the capital and your promotion to the rank of Vice Censor-in-Chief, a fourth-rank official."
Although Lu Nian'an had been away from the capital for several years, they had maintained correspondence and had not lost contact.
They were the top three in their class, and their friendship as classmates was extraordinary.
Lu Nian'an had just returned to the capital today, so Wen Zongji and Wu Fengyuan hosted a welcome dinner for him.
Lu Nian'an raised his glass in return: "Thank you, Brother Wen, Sixth Brother."
Wu Fengyuan said with a self-deprecating smile, "You and Brother Wen are both now at the fourth rank, while I'm still stuck at the fifth rank."
Lu Nian'an's years in the local areas were not in vain. He assisted the Censorate in purifying the local areas and served as a local official for several years, earning the appreciation of Wei Zhengsong, the Left Censor-in-Chief.
Lu Nian'an's promotion to the rank of Vice Censor-in-Chief (a fourth-rank official) was due to the combined efforts of Wei Zhengsong and the Wu family.
Wen Zongji looked at him and said, "Don't try to play the victim. The reason you haven't been promoted is simply because there are no suitable vacancies in the Ministry of Personnel. Grand Secretary Wu is giving you a few more years of experience for your own good. I believe news of your promotion is not far off."
Wu Fengyuan said, "I don't know my father as well as you do."
"It's just that bystanders have a clearer perspective."
Wu Yangeng had high hopes for Wu Fengyuan, and by letting him progress slowly, he hoped that Wu Fengyuan could go further.
"Brother Lu, tell us about your experiences over the past few years. I've heard that some local officials are incredibly audacious, deceiving their superiors and subordinates, and even daring to disrespect the imperial envoy?"
Wu Fengyuan, who had never been to the grassroots level, was very curious about this.
Lu Nian'an said, "What's the point of not giving them face? Sometimes, even before an imperial envoy arrives at his destination, he's already dead."
Wu Fengyuan's pupils contracted.
"In the years I've been away from home, what I've learned most is that the result is far more important than the process."
To get a good result, some underhanded methods can be used, as long as the result is good.
Being too rule-abiding won't get you far in officialdom.
This is an insight that Lu Nian'an gained from his own experience.
For Lu Nian'an, who once had a pure heart, to say such a thing, Wen Zongji could guess without asking that Lu Nian'an must have experienced something that changed his personality.
Wen Zongji tactfully refrained from asking further questions and simply reminisced with Lu Nian'an.
Wu Fengyuan laughed and said, "Now that Nian'an is back, we can get together more often... It feels like time has flown by. It seems like the day we passed the imperial examination was just yesterday, but we are already married with children, and it has been seven years since we passed the imperial examination."
Wen Zongji laughed at him, "People say that as people get older, they like to reminisce about the past. Brother Wu, you're so young, why are you like that too?"
"It was just a spontaneous remark... Brother Wen, are you planning to make another move?"
Wen Zongji had been in the position of Assistant Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture for four years. During these four years, he had already established himself firmly in Shuntian Prefecture. Although he had not made any great achievements during these four years, he had made steady progress and his performance in the Ministry of Personnel's evaluations was always excellent.
Wen Zongji chuckled: "It's still uncertain, don't talk nonsense."
Wu Fengyuan nodded and changed the subject: "Nian'an, your father has already bought a house for you in the capital. You will live in the new house from now on... In recent years, because the Ministry of Revenue has been selling houses, it has affected the housing prices in the capital, making them much cheaper. The people of the capital are full of praise for the Ministry of Revenue."
Because the Ministry of Revenue launched residential buildings, which not only provided excellent service but also had lower prices than those in the capital, the Ministry of Revenue quickly gained the reputation of offering high-quality products at low prices.
Lu Nian'an raised his glass: "Thank you, Brother Wen, for giving me a courtyard."
Wen Zongji was speechless: "Grand Secretary Wu gave you houses simply because of Brother Lu. What does that have to do with the housing prices in the capital?"
That's all nonsense!
With the Wu family's capabilities, they can afford to buy property in the capital, whether prices rise or fall.
"Anyway, Brother Wen deserves a lot of credit for the drop in housing prices in Beijing."
Both men raised their glasses, and Wen Zongji, not wanting to be left out, joined them in a toast.
……
As night fell, Wen Zongji returned to the county magistrate's residence.
My two children are already asleep.
Wen Zongji first went to the bathhouse to bathe and change, then went to check on Rui Ge'er and Ling Jie'er, and finally returned to the inner room: "Was it lively today?"
Pei Rujing said, "When the little ones get together, how can they not make a fuss? With the maids here, we don't need to worry about them."
"My wife is becoming more and more stable."
Wen Zongji praised her.
Pei Rujing gladly accepted: "It's all thanks to my husband's excellent teaching."
Wen Zongji stroked his newly grown short beard and laughed, "In that case, I also deserve credit."
In an era where people in their thirties or forties can call themselves "old men," Wen Zongji, nearing thirty, also began to grow a beard to appear more mature and composed.
Pei Rujing nodded seriously: "Of course."
After saying that, the two looked at each other and smiled, the tacit understanding between them flowing between them like that of an old married couple.