A Good Country Wife-Chapter 672 - 665_1

The Family Head’s original intention was to have Magistrate Ceng curry favor with Eunuch Li. A person of Eunuch Li’s standing had considerable power in the palace, and currying favor with him was definitely advantageous. If it were the old days, the Family Head would have directly analyzed to Ceng Lu the threats and benefits of this matter. But now there was Quan An; in order to compete for status in front of Ceng Lu, the Family Head had no choice but to coax Ceng Lu into doing so. With his head full of straw, Ceng Lu only knew indulgence, eating, drinking, and merrymaking. If he was coaxed properly, he would cheerfully do anything. The Family Head and butler had followed Ceng Lu for quite some time, and they had brought him over from the main family; they inherently hoped that Ceng Lu would do well. If Ceng Lu could make headway in his official career, it would only benefit them. The greater the authority Ceng Lu held, the more they could rely on him.

"That makes sense. Although my cousin enjoys the Emperor’s favor in the palace, she is a favored concubine and has many things to attend to. I shouldn’t bother her with ordinary matters. If I had Eunuch Li’s help in moving around the palace, it would indeed be much more convenient. I should certainly strive to win him over. Advisor, go arrange it for me. This magistrate will immediately go to Zhao Family Village to see Eunuch Li." The more Ceng Lu thought about it, the more he felt the benefits of befriending Eunuch Li. This was not something to delay. He didn’t know how many days Eunuch Li would stay in Zhao Family Village, so he ordered the advisor to prepare and immediately set out for Zhao Family Village. At this moment, he did not forget to bring Quan An along.

The advisor and butler exchanged glances, clearly both displeased with Ceng Lu’s action. Quan An, on the other hand, remained composed, bowing to the advisor and butler before following Ceng Lu. The curve of his lips betrayed his current good mood.

Quan An was well aware that the advisor and butler were not fond of him, but what of it? As long as Magistrate Ceng was willing to trust him, that was enough. No matter how long the advisor and butler had been with Magistrate Ceng, he had advantages they could not match. Though born a poor Scholar, at least he was educated, and with the slightest chance, he could climb higher. Sooner or later, he would obtain what he wanted. While the advisor and butler were not without their skills, they originated from the Ceng Family’s servants, with their contracts held by the family. This determined they would always be servants, and could not compare to him. While he usually appeared very respectful to the advisor and butler, it was only superficial; in his heart, he looked down on them somewhat.

The butler needed to stay at the Government Office to oversee affairs. Watching Ceng Lu and Quan An walk some distance away, the advisor and butler exchanged a glance full of understanding. The advisor hurried to catch up with the leading Ceng Lu, intentionally squeezing Quan An out behind. Seeing the advisor do this, Quan An merely frowned slightly, his mind occupied with another matter: upon arrival at Zhao Family Village, how to secure more benefits for himself.

Quan An was different from the butler and advisor, who had followed Ceng Lu from Capital City. He was born in Xin’an City, and his home was not far from Zhao Family Village, just a village away. When the Zhao Family recruited workers, many people from his village had also gone there. They had worked for the Zhao Family for a few months and earned higher wages than elsewhere. The Family Head treated people kindly and generously; there were few who didn’t praise the Zhao Family, as if they were something special.

At that time, Quan An had felt unbearably uncomfortable, thinking that they were just peasants who happened to get lucky with some unexpected wealth. They simply mustered some extra Silver Coins, and yet they managed to allure the nearby villagers as if they were some noble patrons. What’s more, after the flood, many more villagers sought work at Zhao Family Village, receiving numerous favors. Those foolish villagers nearly venerated them as saints. Quan An, having passed his scholar exams, didn’t see the village people showing him the same respect, even when he started working at the Xin’an Government Office; the situation remained unchanged.

Quan An seemed amiable on the outside and liked making friends, never easily offending anyone. But inside, he was someone who meticulously calculated every move, with a very strong sense of self-esteem. He was also proud, so in his heart, he was truly uncomfortable. He had long set his sights on the Zhao Family, and in front of Ceng Lu, he had often incited thoughts of targeting them. However, he didn’t expect the Zhao Family to have such strong backing that even the Magistrate dared not touch them, which forced him to abandon the idea, albeit unwillingly.

This time, he saw a rare opportunity. Even if the Zhao Family couldn’t be harmed, acquiring some Silver to spend would be beneficial. The Zhao Family had grown wealthy by going out to sea and had apparently made a fortune. Considering his current status with the Magistrate, if the Zhao Family were sensible, they shouldn’t be stingy in spending Silver for a bribe.

Quan An was born a poor scholar; even the Silver he had used to bribe the butler came from selling his ancestral property, as he had virtually no family wealth. Even though he now followed the Magistrate and had gained his trust, with the advisor and butler around, they greatly restricted him, limiting the amount of Silver Coin he could acquire. The Zhao Family was wealthy, and this was a golden opportunity for him.

Lin Yue was busy preparing things for Eunuch Li when a servant reported that the Magistrate had arrived. Lin Yue paused for a moment, surprised. The Magistrate and their family didn’t usually have much to do with each other. Strictly speaking, there had been grievances in the past, and it was only because she had connections in Capital City that they could coexist peacefully. Why had the Magistrate come now?

Lin Yue was momentarily stunned and didn’t react at once. But then she thought of Eunuch Li staying in their home, and enlightenment dawned. "It seems he has come for the person from the palace. Let’s go. Since the Magistrate has come, accompany me to the front gate to welcome him."

Even though Lin Yue had reservations about Ceng Lu, one was a government official and the other a civilian. She had to fulfill the required courtesies as Ceng Lu was her local government head; it wouldn’t do otherwise. It would be inappropriate on many levels, even with the support of several persons of influence from the Capital—unless Zhao Erhu could one day receive an imperial appointment from the Emperor for his service, warranting equal status and identity with Ceng Lu.

"This humble woman pays respects to the Magistrate." When Lin Yue arrived at the front gate, Ceng Lu had already reached it. However, keeping up the airs of a government official, he waited for the Family Head of the Zhao to personally greet him at the gate, and thus he did not enter.

Seeing Lin Yue kneeling to welcome him, Ceng Lu did not tell her to rise. Although he couldn’t trouble the Zhao Family because of their connections in Capital City, it was still possible to trouble a peasant woman and vent his anger. During his days in office in Xin’an City, who didn’t fawn over him? Only the Zhao Family never took him seriously. As local notables, they had never once come to visit him in his role as the parent official. And the whisperings of Quan An against the Zhao Family in front of Ceng Lu, though they hadn’t convinced Ceng Lu to act against the Zhao Family, did have some effect.

"I’ve heard that Eunuch Li has arrived and settled down at your place. I’ve specially come to visit Eunuch Li. Take me to meet with Eunuch Li now."