Zhenguan: I, Dou Fengjie, will not be the first cuckold.

Chapter 85 "I'm quitting being an official with a deputy!"

Located in the southwest corner of Changlefang in Wannian County, adjacent to the northern city wall of Chang'an, was the garden of the Director of the Imperial Garden of the Ministry of Agriculture.

"No, you can't do that!"

His slightly strange tone was full of anger.

Du Bois, the chief clerk of the Imperial Garden, got into a dispute with the Imperial Garden Director's office and the Imperial Garden Director Shi.

Both sides—the nursery, transplanting, and direct sowing in the field—have their own arguments and neither is willing to back down.

Agricultural techniques have different standards in the East and the West.

More importantly, this Frankish clerk was of low rank and young age, and could not control his subordinates.

Without some skill and temper, even an outsider monk can't expect to recite good scriptures.

The sounds of the four arguing echoed through Chang Le Fang. Du Bois's fair skin swelled up and turned red, and he almost blurted out, "I quit!"

However, he also knew very well that the joint pressure from one prefect and two clerks was intended to make him back down, so that the credit for cultivating cabbage and scallions would naturally go to these officials outside the capital.

The Frankish Kingdom was embroiled in fierce internal strife, and the Tang Dynasty was no exception; there were always unpleasant incidents like power struggles and sabotage.

"If an official has a deputy, he can't control anything, let alone with an inspector added on top of that."

Dou Fengjie's languid voice drifted out from a corner of the garden.

"The deputy supervisor should not underestimate himself. In the territory of the chief supervisor of the capital, the deputy supervisor's word is law. Even I am willing to obey the deputy supervisor's orders."

Li Wei, the director of Jingyuan, stopped stroking his beard and spoke with a forced smile.

Li Wei wasn't particularly capable, but he knew who his true benefactor was.

Dou Fengjie offered repeated pointers, and the efficiency of the Director of the Imperial Garden was improved, with production about to increase significantly. With this achievement, Li Wei still dared to covet the position of Vice Minister of Agriculture.

With a forced smile, Dou Feng shifted the program's focus to Du Bois, and said no more.

Li Wei gritted his teeth: "You three, go back to the Ministry of Personnel's Office for Out-of-Service Officials and await your assignment!"

"Why? What were you instructed to do? Follow the registrar's orders!"

"Heh, now you're the ones in charge, aren't you? Quite something! The Jingyuan Management Office is too small to accommodate big shots like you!"

The officials were dumbfounded when the usually amiable Li Wei suddenly turned hostile.

In particular, one of the Shis was related to Li Wei!

Besides fearing that Dou Fengjie would turn against him and no longer consider Jingyuan Director for future good opportunities, Li Wei also knew very well that the seeds brought by Du Bois were limited and could not withstand failure!

The safest approach is to plant them according to Du Bois's experience. When you have more seeds next year, you can set aside some to try other planting methods.

These greedy fools dared to openly disobey orders for their own selfish gain!

Once Li Wei spoke up, the matter was settled.

He's just a minor official outside the official ranks. There are plenty of such officials in the Ministry of Personnel's offices. You can just ask the Assistant Minister of Personnel and they'll replace him.

Unlike in the early years of the Zhenguan era, vacancies in official positions are not as serious now. Even officials outside the official system who want to take up substantive positions need to be filled.

After all, each year, nine officials in various departments and prefectures are required to hold substantive official positions.

After this incident, Du Bois, the chief clerk of the Jingyuan Bureau, finally secured his position.

Even if the officials in charge of the Imperial Gardens looked down on Dubois, they only dared to gossip in secret and dared not contradict him to his face.

"This mound of soil has a clogged drainage ditch, which makes it prone to silting up and waterlogging when it rains."

"Fermented fertilizer can be mixed with plowed soil, and it's best to break up clods of soil with the back of a hoe."

Dou Fengjie walked along the edge of the field in his hemp shoes, occasionally pointing at the two men, which looked quite intimidating.

Dou Fengjie politely declined the title of "expert," but his words were quite reliable.

Many officials and clerks, upon seeing Dou Fengjie's hemp shoes, which were covered in at least two ounces of mud, unconsciously developed a greater sense of respect for him.

A cartload of farm tools passed by Dou Fengjie with light steps. Dou Fengjie, feeling childlike, jumped onto the cart.

Sharma seemed oblivious to the sudden increase of over a hundred pounds, merely snorting as a greeting.

This kind of gentle horse can pull at least three thousand catties, so Dou Fengjie's weight is as light as a feather to it.

"The deputy warden is unaware that the mare is already pregnant. In eleven months, my Jingyuan Director will be welcoming a new member to the family!"

Li Wei stroked the horse's neck, his smile somewhat smug.

A Shire horse can save the director of the Imperial Garden a lot of manpower, but more importantly, it can be shown off.

Competition among departments is everywhere. Even if you don't have outstanding achievements, you should at least have something to show for yourself.

"The four guards of the Imperial Garden came to demand horses from the Director of the Imperial Garden."

Dou Fengjie delivered a fatal blow to Li Wei's throat, silencing his laughter.

The Chief Supervisor of the Imperial Garden also oversees four other supervisory offices, including the Eastern Supervisory Office of the Imperial Garden, as well as supervisory offices in eighteen prefectures of the capital region. All of them can reach out to Li Wei.

With so many subordinates under his command, it's no wonder that the Director of the Imperial Garden is a fifth-rank official.

The Duke of Zanguo's Mansion.

Li Tai gestured wildly: "Uncle, you didn't see the look in my mother's eyes—"

"Minister Du of the Ministry of Works took the opportunity to request permission from the Prince of Yue to establish a literary academy, but unfortunately the Crown Prince took the opportunity to throw a tantrum and ruined it."

Dou Fengjie smiled and said, "By establishing a literary academy, the Yue King's Mansion will be clearly showing its opposition to the Crown Prince's Palace."

"But you don't even have a substantive position. Is it worth it?"

Li Tai's smile froze.

The Grand Commander of Yangzhou, a position held remotely;

The Left Guard General will not take office.

These are all empty titles; they're useless except for earning a few extra coins in salary.

Although the Prince of Yue's mansion also has a thousand soldiers, they are all just for show. They can only scare the commoners on the roadside. If a real fight breaks out, they might run away faster than Li Tai.

My uncle is right. If you want a horse to run, you have to feed it grass!

If I'm not given a real official position, I'm not going to be this whetstone anymore!

Li Tai muttered, "What a loss! What a loss!"

It feels like I've lost a fortune.

If I had figured this out earlier, wouldn't I have been able to generate more revenue?

"I think it's better to get your body in good condition than to indulge in unrealistic fantasies."

"See a reliable doctor from time to time. Once your body has recovered enough, you can stop taking Yougui Pills."

"If you take good care of your health and keep a good mood, you might even be able to hold your grandchildren."

That's all. Dou Fengjie only dared to estimate that, under the best-case scenario, Li Tai could live to be in his forties or fifties.

That's already pretty good; the average life expectancy on the plateau is only thirty-five.

"Uncle, I want to learn Tai Chi from you."

Li Tai had figured out something.

Dou Fengjie's Tai Chi, which allowed him to spar with Shi Li, was not just for show.

Li Tai's hope of becoming a master and achieving great success from then on is nothing but a pipe dream.

Tai Chi is an excellent choice for fitness and physical activity.

"Silent and formless, the whole body is empty and transparent, responding naturally to things, like a hanging chime in the western mountains, the roar of tigers and the cry of monkeys, the clear water and still river—"

"Stand upright with feet together, arms hanging down, fingers slightly bent, chin slightly tucked in, tongue touching the upper palate, eyes looking straight ahead, and the whole body relaxed —"

Dou Fengjie, carrying Li Tai, slowly moved his body.

Even the starting posture of the simplified Tai Chi Chuan—left foot out, arms raised forward, knees bent and palms pressed down—was still difficult for the obese Li Tai.

Although Tai Chi emphasizes intention over form, basic postures are still necessary.