The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

Such a large-scale inspection is extremely rare, and it also shows the court's determination to tour the south.

Zhang Ping'an immediately informed the entire government office of the news and ordered his subordinates to prepare for the reception.

County Magistrate Yang was complaining bitterly. In the past, Ci County was a relatively transparent place in the imperial court, and being an official here was comfortable. However, since the imperial court moved its capital, Ci County had become a place close to the emperor's feet because it was only 200 miles away from Lin'an. As a result, Ci County came into the eyes of all senior officials.

It has become even more so since Zhang Ping'an took office. He feels like he has never had a break. Now there are so many naval forces stationed there, and his superiors are going on a southern tour. He has to be extra alert and not let his guard down. He is so exhausted!

However, he still responded respectfully and went downstairs with Tao Zhubo and others to make preparations.

At noon, when Zhang Ping'an was about to return to the back yamen for lunch, a yamen runner suddenly ran in excitedly and reported, "Sir, Master Hua is back, and he's brought his family with him!"

"Oh? They're here so soon. Please invite them in," Zhang Ping'an ordered.

After a while, Hua Wanli came in, supporting a young woman, followed by two servants.

"Wanli, I guess this must be my sister-in-law, right? I'm sorry for not welcoming you in person! I couldn't rush back to congratulate you in person when you got married. Now I'm congratulating you again. Please don't blame me," Zhang Ping'an stood up and walked forward and said with a smile.

Hua Wanli waved his hand and said gently, "You are busy with official duties and can't get away. How can I blame you for this? If I blame you for this, then I am being unreasonable!"

After that, he introduced himself to his wife, "Madam, this is the brother Zhang I mentioned to you. Although he didn't come to the wedding, he sent us a gift."

Zhang Ping'an knew that Hua Wanli's wife was his cousin, whose surname seemed to be Wan. She was a few years older than him and came from an ordinary family. Now, after seeing her in person, he found that this cousin also looked ordinary, a little stout, with a very simple expression. It can be seen that she was a straightforward person.

Judging from her appearance, family background, and talent, she is definitely not worthy of Hua Wanli, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and Zhang Pingan will not say anything about these things.

"Greetings, Mr. Zhang," after Hua Wanli finished his introduction, Mrs. Wan bowed and saluted.

"Thank you for your courtesy, sister-in-law. Let's go. You must have been tired from traveling on the road. Come with me back to the back hall to have lunch first," Zhang Ping'an made a gesture of invitation.

So they returned to the back court together.

Qian Youyi had already received the news and had just instructed the chef to prepare a few more dishes. This banquet would be a presentable feast for the guests.

When Xu and others saw Hua Wanli coming back, they were very enthusiastic. They were also very enthusiastic about Hua Wanli's new daughter-in-law, Wan, and expressed their concern for her.

However, Mrs. Wan was obviously a little reserved and didn't talk much.

Xu was not someone who was completely unaware of the expressions. After patting Wan's hand to show comfort and closeness, she stopped asking questions.

After finishing his meal, Zhang Ping'an ordered his servants to take Hua Wanli to a courtyard that had been arranged in advance. It was not far from the government office, only a few minutes' walk away, and the environment was also good.

Hua Wanli didn't say anything polite, and turned around and said, "Then I'll take my wife to sort out the luggage first, and then I'll come to the government office to find you."

"There's no need to be so anxious. You can accompany your sister-in-law to familiarize yourself with the surrounding environment today. It won't be too late to take up your shift tomorrow." Zhang Ping'an said with a smile.

"You know, I can't sit still. It's settled. I'll come this afternoon. From what you said in your letter, a lot of things have happened in Ci County recently. I want to find out about it first," Hua Wanli said gently but firmly.

"That's up to you," Zhang Pingan replied.

Sure enough, in less than an hour, Hua Wanli returned to the yamen.

"So soon? You're newlyweds, and didn't you say you should stay at home and spend more time with your sister-in-law?" Zhang Ping'an joked.

Hua Wanli smiled bitterly and said, "Stop talking now! Thanks to you for sending me the letter in time, you saved my life!"

"No way, what's going on?" Zhang Pingan was curious.

"It's the age-old problem of conflict between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. My mother originally didn't agree with me marrying my cousin, and we finally managed to arrange this marriage. I thought everything would be fine, but it turned out to be just the beginning. My mother loves to set rules for my cousin, and my cousin has a strong personality. I'm stuck in the middle, and I can't please either side. They all think I'm biased. Either my mother cries or my wife cries. It's so difficult for me." Hua Wanli felt his scalp tingling when he thought about the past days. It felt more troublesome than taking the imperial examination.

"Won't your mother be very angry when you leave?" Zhang Ping'an asked.

Hua Wanli's father had passed away a long time ago, and he was raised by his widowed mother. It is obvious that the old lady would not be happy about her son going out of town.

Hua Wanli spread his hands, somewhat helplessly: "Then what should I do? Continuing to stay in Lin'an is an unsolvable problem. But fortunately, my mother is in good health and has a broad perspective. She knows that I should prioritize my career. I plan to have a baby with my wife in Ci County before returning. By then, my mother will be enjoying her grandchildren and will definitely not have the energy to interfere in our affairs. Besides, it's convenient to go back to Ci County. It's only two days' journey, not too far, so I'm quite relieved!"

"My mother is okay. There aren't many conflicts between her and me," Zhang Pingan said thankfully.

After that, he got down to business: "By the way, the imperial envoy from the court will be coming down on a southern tour in a few days, and Ci County is the first stop. What do you think about this?"

Hua Wanli thought for a moment and said, "Although Ci County is now a county seat, due to the merger of the other two counties and its advantageous geographical location, it is actually no worse than the provincial capital. Now they are vigorously training the navy here and expanding the shipyard and salt fields. I feel that this is all in preparation for the northward advance. Therefore, the people in the court will definitely keep a close eye on Ci County. As the county magistrate, you will have no choice but to take care of all these things. If you do well, you will have a promising future. If you don't, it's hard to say!"

"Indeed," Zhang Pingan nodded, "I don't know when the horn of war will be blown, so I need you to help me."

"If you have any mission, I will not refuse," Hua Wanli replied.

A few days passed in the blink of an eye, and in the blink of an eye it was the day for the imperial envoys to arrive.

Those who can be imperial envoys must be at least of the third rank or above. Moreover, this time there are not just one person coming, but five or six people. Zhang Pingan, a seventh-rank official, is not good enough in front of them, so he has to prepare and welcome them with great care.

In addition to Zhang Ping'an, County Magistrate Yang and others, Lieutenant General Zhou also came with his men. After breakfast early in the morning, everyone waited at the Shili Pavilion outside the city.

I waited until the sun was shining brightly, but still didn't see anyone until almost noon.

During the dog days of summer, the heat was so intense that even crickets could hardly be seen. Everyone's official uniforms were soaked with sweat, and even the most patient people would become impatient while waiting.

"Damn it, where did they go? Didn't the people from the county ahead send someone to report that they set out early in the morning? It's already noon, and it's only a few dozen miles away!" Lieutenant General Zhou couldn't help but pace back and forth.