Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

Ma Tianmao took a sip from the teacup, then raised his eyebrows slightly, a hint of surprise in his eyes, indicating that this tea was indeed a top-grade choice. Then, he gently put down the teacup, slowly spread his palm, and said bluntly, "Return my 100,000 strings of cash!"

Hearing this, Zhang Jingwei smiled and nodded repeatedly in response: "Okay, okay!" He reached out calmly to open the exquisite lock box again, carefully took out a silver note with a face value of 100,000 strings of cash, and handed it to Ma Tianmao respectfully.

Ma Tianmao took the banknote but didn't put it away in a hurry. Instead, he picked up the teacup again and took another sip. After savoring it carefully, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Hmm, this tea is really good! It's a little bitter at first, but then a burst of sweetness surges onto the tip of the tongue, and the fragrance of the tea is overflowing, leaving a lingering fragrance in my mouth. I wonder where this tea is produced?"

Zhang Jingwei smiled and replied, "This tea is carefully brewed from a flower called 'Shengchunhua'. I still have quite a bit of it in stock at home. If Brother Tian Miao likes it, I'll have someone send you a few ounces to try later."

However, Ma Tianmao seemed unsatisfied with this. He curled his lips and said, "It's only a few ounces? That's too much! You should at least give me a few buckets so I can drink as much as I want."

Zhang Jingwei was stunned at first, but then readily agreed: "Very good! Since Brother Tian Miao loves this tea so much, I'll have someone do it right away. Qian Ming, you quickly run to Hunyuan County and ask Sister Yang to bring back two or three buckets of tea."

Qian Ming, who was standing by, quickly bowed and agreed: "Yes!"

After Ma Tianmao left, Zhang Jingwei could no longer suppress his inner feelings. He took out the banknote and looked at it carefully.

"One million...is enough to buy an army." Zhang Jingwei murmured.

At this time, a gatekeeper came running over and said, "Sir, someone from the prefectural governor's residence wants to see you!"

Zhang Jingwei was slightly startled when he heard this, then frowned and asked, "Oh? Why did they come to see me?"

The servant quickly replied, "I don't know. I just heard from someone that the governor wants you in to discuss an important matter."

Zhang Jingwei thought for a moment and nodded, then instructed, "Well, let him wait at the door for a while." Then he turned to Qian Ming and said, "Qian Ming, go and do your thing. Let Mu Tou accompany me."

Qian Ming replied, "Master...but the money for the tea hasn't been given to me yet."

Zhang Jingwei slapped his forehead and said with a sudden smile, "Oh, look at my memory! I forgot about this. How much does tea cost now?"

Qian Ming quickly replied, "In reply to your question, Master, tea is relatively cheap here in Hedong. A pound of ordinary tea costs between fifty and eighty wen. If the quality is a little better, it might cost a hundred wen."

Zhang Jingwei stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and then said, "I see. Then let's calculate it based on the tea price in Hebei. I'll give you a hundred taels of silver, and see how much you can buy. After all, this time we're buying scented tea, which is a rare commodity. I heard that the small package of the tea Sister Yang sent over yesterday was worth two strings of silver!"

Qian Ming's eyes widened in shock, and he stammered, "This...this is too much, Master! How can you spend so much money on tea?"

Zhang Jingwei waved his hand and said disapprovingly, "It's okay, it's okay. Just take this money and buy it."

Qian Ming hesitated for a long time, but finally took the heavy banknotes and carefully put them in his pocket. Then he asked, "Master, since you want to buy such a large amount of tea, I'm afraid you'll have to rent a carriage."

Zhang Jingwei smiled and shook his head, confidently saying, "No need to rent a car. Didn't Dahai build a new cart a while ago? I can just use my donkey to pull it."

……

The prefect's mansion, it has been a long time since I last came here. Zhang Jingwei waited here politely. A servant in the mansion invited Zhang Jingwei and Mu Tou into the house.

Lu Hui and Liu Yanzhi were chatting animatedly in the room.

Seeing Zhang Jingwei come in, Liu Yanzhi raised his hand and pointed to the seat next to him and said, "Jingwei, sit down!"

Zhang Jingwei bowed and thanked him: "Thank you, teacher!"

After Zhang Jingwei sat down, Mu Tou stood behind him.

Liu Yanzhi said to Zhang Jingwei earnestly, "Jingwei, in three days, the students from Yunzhou will have to go to the prefecture to take the examination. Your Juren documents will be issued soon. Now is the time to think carefully about entering the government."

Zhang Jingwei listened to this and thought to himself: So they want me to become an official? But he remained calm and replied respectfully: "Your Excellency is right, but this is a matter of great importance and it is entirely up to you gentlemen to decide."

At this time, Lu Hui, who was standing by, took over the conversation and said, "The position of Yunzhou Tongpan has been vacant for a full month. During this time, your teacher and I have been discussing whether you should take on this position."

Zhang Jingwei responded modestly, "I know that I am not talented enough to take on such an important position."

Lu Hui waved his hand and said with a smile, "Jingwei, in terms of fame, you are now a dignified Juren. And in terms of knowledge, you are also the best among the students in Yunzhou. It's just that you still lack a little bit of qualifications."

Liu Yanzhi then added, "And right now, we're in the midst of a reform of the official system, with official ranks extending all the way to the ninth rank. If you can seize this opportunity and quickly become an official, it will be much easier to get promoted in the future!"

Zhang Jingwei remained humble and said, "I still stand by what I just said. I will obey your arrangements and decisions on all matters."

Lu Hui nodded with satisfaction and praised: "Well, Jingwei, your character of being neither arrogant nor impatient is truly worthy of the title of 'filial and honest'."

Seeing this, Liu Yanzhi decisively said, "In that case, let's hand over the recommendation letter to him."

After bidding farewell to the two adults, Zhang Jingwei couldn't wait to open the recommendation form and take a look at it while walking on the street.

This recommendation form is similar to a resume, but the difference is that a resume is kept simple, describing one's academic qualifications and past work experience in the shortest possible words. This recommendation form, on the other hand, is about describing one's achievements and past deeds in detail.

Seeing Zhang Jingwei frowning, Mu Tou said flatteringly, "Young Master, from now on I should call you Master Zhang."

Zhang Jingwei sighed with a worried look on his face, "Ah, it's like taking a backdoor, Wood, don't call me Sir from now on, it's a bit embarrassing."

Mu Tou thought this was a good thing and didn't quite understand why Zhang Jingwei was so disappointed, but he still said, "Yes, Master, such good news should be told to Sixth Master to make him happy!"

When he returned to the Marquis' Mansion, everyone knew about Zhang Jingwei's official position.

Huangfu Changshui looked at Zhang Jingwei in surprise and shouted, "Sixth rank! What makes you so special?"

Zhang Jingwei waved his hand and explained, "Don't get excited. This is a joint recommendation from the prefect and the deputy governor."

Huangfu Changshui felt a little aggrieved and asked again, "I fought against the Chahar for so long before I was promoted to a seventh-rank captain. How could you, a scholar, do that?"

Huangfu Ling advised from the side: "Dad, this is a good thing. Your son-in-law is an official. Isn't this a great honor for you? Why are you still not convinced?"

Huangfu Changshui still held his breath, shook his head and muttered: "But... starting from the sixth rank! Unheard of!"