The first time in history

After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Qian Mingduo and Tian Huijie had already chatted very well. But just as the two raised their glasses to toast each other, several imperial guards came to their table. One of the eunuchs said, "Tian Huijie, the prefect of Jiankang, secretly colluded with foreign thieves and conspired with the Liao people to plot against our Song Dynasty. Now I have been ordered to arrest him and immediately send him to the capital. I have ordered the Censorate to try him."

"I am innocent!" Tian Huijie struggled and shouted loudly.

"Lin'an Prefecture Tongpan Lü Zhengyi, listen to my order." The eunuch unfolded the imperial edict, "I hereby order Lin'an Prefecture Tongpan to be promoted to Jiankang Prefecture Governor, and granted the rank of Fourth Grade. You will take office immediately."

The eunuch walked up to Qian Mingduo and said, "Lord Lu, please go to the palace and express your gratitude before the emperor!"

Qian Mingduo, who was kneeling on the ground, was bewildered. He never thought that he would become a prefect now. Moreover, he was promoted directly from the fifth rank to the fourth rank.

Seeing Qian Mingduo's bewildered look, the eunuch handed him the imperial edict. "Prefect Lu, please come to the palace to express your gratitude as soon as possible."

Qian Mingduo took the imperial edict and followed the eunuch into the hall with a bewildered look on his face. When he arrived in front of the emperor, Qian Mingduo knelt on the ground and said, "Your Highness Lü Zhengyi kneels to thank God for His Grace. Long live the emperor, long live the emperor, long live the emperor!"

"Please stand up, Lord Lu." Emperor Gaozong stepped down from the throne and came to Qian Mingduo's side. He took the wine glass from the tray held high by the eunuch next to him and said, "You have the talent to help the world. From your articles, we can also see your lofty ambitions."

Emperor Gaozong helped Qian Mingduo up and handed him the wine glass. "I hope that you can manage the money and grain of the Song Dynasty for the court in this ancient capital of five dynasties while serving as the prefect of Jiankang, so as to comfort me!"

"I will always remember Shengyu and will live up to His Majesty's expectations." Qian Mingduo took the wine glass and drank it all.

Qian Mingduo returned to his seat, still unable to believe this was true. He had not worked in Lin'an for a full year when he was promoted by the emperor to Jiankang prefect. Jiankang was Nanjing Prefecture, the most important tax collection place for the court.

In the eyes of others, this is a lucrative job, because being an official in such a prosperous place can undoubtedly use the power in your hands to gain huge benefits for yourself.

But Qian Mingduo didn't think so. He himself didn't know how to be an official in the Southern Song Dynasty. He just relied on his identity as a time traveler to achieve the miracle of winning the top three prizes in a row. But he knew nothing about the officialdom of the Song Dynasty.

Qian Mingduo returned home with a nervous mood. Li Shishi and others were waiting for him in the hall.

Seeing Qian Mingduo looking worried, Li Shishi asked softly, "What happened? Did something happen at the imperial banquet?"

Qian Ming took another sip of tea and nodded. "During the banquet, the Emperor detained Tian Huijie, the prefect of Jiankang, and sent him to the capital for a thorough investigation by the Censorate."

"Why is this man being detained?"

"This is all important," Qian Mingduo sighed, "The important thing is... the emperor has appointed me as the prefect of Jiankang, and promoted me directly from the current fifth rank to the fourth rank."

Everyone was overjoyed when they heard this. Li Shishi said, "This is good news! Why do you look so worried, sir?"

"I used to be the judge of Lin'an Prefecture, and I had a relatively quiet life. My brother-in-law made all the decisions. I just wanted to live in peace and quiet." Qian Mingduo shook his head. "In fact, I know nothing about being an official. Now I've been promoted to the prefect of a state. I have to make all the decisions by myself, but I'm afraid I can't do it!"

"No one is born knowing how to be an official," Lu Shishi said softly, "With your extraordinary talent, you will definitely be able to achieve something in the future."