Chapter 524

"Gourd County Magistrate Hua Qingfeng pays his respects to Imperial Envoy Daren!"

"Gourd County Magistrate Xu Boyi pays his respects to Imperial Envoy Daren!"

Hua Qingfeng hurried, but he was still half a step behind Xu Boyi. In a moment of desperation, he could only speak first. Xu Boyi spoke first while Hua Qingfeng spoke first. Speaking of which, although the two of them had the desire to compete, they shouldn't be so childish. It was just that this was the first time in their lives greeting an imperial envoy. Their excitement, coupled with their concern, caused them to lose their composure.

The imperial envoy's procession of honor stopped. The procession parted to the left and right, and a carriage appeared in the middle. The curtains of the carriage were raised, and two people sat side by side inside. One of them was holding a scroll of yellow silk in his hand. Presumably, it was the imperial edict.

Hua Qingfeng and Xu Boyi quickly swept their eyes over the carriage and only saw the two people in the carriage. One of them was dressed in a bright and beautiful flying fish robe, and the other was dressed in a dark red official's robe. They didn't dare to look too long, and immediately bowed to the ground in a very respectful manner.

Inside the carriage, Imperial Uncle Li and Assistant Minister Lin modestly gave way to each other. In terms of status, Assistant Minister Lin's status was higher than Imperial Uncle Li's. In addition, he was slightly older, so he didn't decline and stepped out of the carriage first. Soon after, Imperial Uncle Li walked out with the imperial edict in his hands.

The two of them walked down the steps and arrived in front of Hua Qingfeng and Xu Boyi. Assistant Minister Lin smiled and raised his hand. "There's no need to be so courteous. Dispense with the formalities, dispense with the formalities. Please rise."

Hua Qingfeng and Xu Boyi's official robes were the same color, and the only difference was the patch in front of their chests. Assistant Minister Lin only swept his gaze over them, and then said to Hua Qingfeng, "You are Magistrate Hua, correct?"

Hua Qingfeng was overwhelmed by the favor and said, "That is this lowly official."

Assistant Minister Lin nodded, then looked at Xu Boyi and asked, "And you are County Magistrate Xu?"

Xu Boyi respectfully said, "That is this lowly official."

Hua Qingfeng's thoughts were too sensitive. Hearing the imperial envoy address him as you and Xu Boyi as you, he felt uneasy. The court is indeed dissatisfied with me.

In reality, these important personages had all cultivated to the point where they didn't show their emotions on their faces and were all extremely shrewd. Moreover, not only did Assistant Minister Lin not have a good impression of Xu Boyi, he even felt some disgust. That "Sir" was not polite, but ridicule.

Bypassing one's direct superior to gain credit and gain favor — any official would instinctively dislike this kind of behavior. If Assistant Minister Lin had the opportunity to work with Xu Boyi in the future, and Xu Boyi would be useful to him, this kind of dislike would gradually disappear. But right now, they had only just met. Assistant Minister Lin's impression of him was completely based on his previous behavior, so it was different.

Assistant Minister Lin saw the sea of people in front of them and smiled at Imperial Uncle Li. "Imperial Uncle, I didn't expect so many people to be waiting for us in Gourd County. Don't disappoint everyone. Let's follow the local officials to greet everyone. Oh, that's right! "

At this point, Assistant Minister Lin lightly slapped his forehead and turned back to Hua Qingfeng and Xu Boyi with a smile. "Look, this old man is confused and forgot to introduce myself. I am the Right Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Lin Siyan. This is the Third Imperial Uncle of the court, Li Xuancheng. "

Hua Qingfeng and Xu Boyi had already heard him refer to the handsome young master as Imperial Uncle. Hua Qingfeng was shocked and afraid when he heard this, while Xu Boyi was pleasantly surprised. The Emperor had sent the Imperial Uncle of the court as an imperial envoy to witness the grand event of the people changing their surnames. This showed how much importance the Emperor placed on this matter.

The more importance the Emperor placed on this matter, the happier Xu Boyi was. Correspondingly, Hua Qingfeng was even more vexed because he hadn't done anything in this matter. On the contrary, the more importance the Emperor and court placed on this matter, the more dissatisfied they would be with him. What was he doing as an official with the seal? Why was it that the second official could think of this, but he couldn't?

No matter what the two of them thought, they had to force themselves to remain calm. They once again bowed to the two officials and then led them forward, one on the left and one on the right. As Xu Boyi walked, he introduced the people in front of them to the two imperial envoys with a smile on his face. He purposely emphasized that the leaders of the various races had arrived today. When Assistant Minister Lin and Imperial Uncle Li heard this, there was indeed some joy on their faces.

Hua Qingfeng accompanied him to the side and didn't have the heart to compete with him. He only hoped that Ye Xiaotian's plan would work. Otherwise, it would be useless for him to jump around here and would only make people think he was a clown.

When they reached the front of the welcoming group, they first had to introduce the officials of the county to the two imperial envoys. When it was Ye Xiaotian's turn to be introduced, Ye Xiaotian flashed out of the ranks and bowed deeply to Assistant Minister Lin. He respectfully said, "This lowly official, Hulu County's Warden Ye Xiaotian, greets Assistant Minister Daren!"

Lin Siyan had long known that he had been transferred back to Hulu County. After Lin Siyan returned to the capital, he had paid special attention to Ye Xiaotian's matter and wanted to find an opportunity to transfer him back to Hulu County. He hadn't expected that when he had sent someone to investigate his information, he would find that Ye Xiaotian had actually been transferred away. Lin Siyan was shocked but also couldn't help but admire him. This kid really had a way.

At this moment, seeing this young man who had left a deep impression on him again, Assistant Minister Lin was in a very good mood. He twirled his beard and said with a smile, "Yeh Dianshi, since we parted at Jinling, you are still as elegant as ever. This is worthy of celebration."

Ye Xiaotian also smiled and said, "Old Official is as healthy as before. This lowly official is also very happy."

After exchanging a few words with Assistant Minister Lin, Ye Xiaotian turned to Imperial Uncle Li and bowed deeply, saying, "This lowly official greets Imperial Uncle Li."

When the officials of Hulu County heard the exchange between Ye Xiaotian and Assistant Minister Lin, they couldn't help but click their tongues in wonder. This angel was actually the current Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites. This was an extremely high-ranking official, and it was truly frightening. But such a high-ranking official actually knew Yeh Dianshi, and the two of them even spoke intimately. This Yeh Dianshi's power was too great.

Li Xuancheng really hadn't expected to meet Ye Xiaotian here. When he saw Ye Xiaotian bow, he quickly hid his astonished expression and said indifferently, "Haha, I really didn't expect that this Imperial Uncle would meet you here again. As the saying goes, 'Mountains and rivers will meet again'. It really isn't false at all!"

When Li Xuancheng thought of how he had been teased by Ye Xiaotian like a street rat, he couldn't suppress the hatred in his heart. When Xu Boyi saw that Assistant Minister Lin knew Ye Xiaotian and seemed to have a good impression of him, he couldn't help but be surprised. When he saw how Ye Xiaotian and Li Xuancheng greeted each other, he paid even more attention.

Li Xuancheng's words were filled with hatred that couldn't be concealed at all. When Xu Boyi heard this, he was immediately delighted. This Imperial Uncle actually knows Ye Xiaotian. He must have gotten to know him in Jinling. However, it seems that Imperial Uncle has a grudge with him …

Both imperial envoys were acquainted with Ye Xiaotian. One seemed to admire him a lot, while the other viewed him as a thorn in his side. Xu Boyi only needed to think for a moment before he made a biased decision: to rely on Imperial Uncle's thigh.

Xu Boyi led the two imperial envoys to meet the representatives of the local gentry, and Assistant Minister Lin read the imperial edict in front of everyone. When everything was done, he accompanied the two imperial envoys into the city and set up a banquet in the third hall of the county yamen to welcome the two imperial envoys.

The banquet for the gentry and tribal chiefs was set up in the side rooms and in the courtyard. There was only one table in the main hall, and it was accompanied by a few ranking officials of Hulu County. Among them, the only minor official who wasn't ranked but had the right to sit here was Ye Xiaotian. After all, he was the Warden.

After three rounds of wine, Imperial Uncle Li said to Xu Boyi with a smile, "According to what this Imperial Uncle knows, it's only been five years since Hulu County was reformed and you've already achieved such great results. Ha ha, those mountain barbarians were willing to follow the teachings of the Central Plains and change their surnames. You've done a great service! "

As he said this, Xu Boyi's small face immediately smiled like a chrysanthemum. Beside him, although Hua Qingfeng forced himself to be calm, he couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable. These words should be said to him.

Xu Boyi hurriedly said, "The imperial court has pacified Anyi and its prestige has spread to the four seas. This lowly official and I only relied on the imperial court's power to do something that was within our power. We don't deserve such praise from Imperial Uncle. "

Assistant Minister Lin couldn't bear to watch this act of casting aside the official seal. He coughed and said, "This official and Imperial Uncle have come under the imperial edict in the hope that this matter can be carried out to perfection. This is the honor of the imperial court, and also a meritorious service from you. What are your plans for this matter? Do you have a plan? "

Hua Qingfeng's spirits rose. He hurriedly said, "Official Lin, Imperial Uncle, please do not worry. This lowly official and I will fulfill our duties and make meticulous arrangements. We will definitely carry out this matter smoothly. We have already made a detailed plan for this matter. The two imperial envoys have worked hard from afar. Please rest well today. We will take care of this matter as soon as possible. "

Assistant Minister Lin frowned. He hadn't come to this remote mountain ravine for a holiday. He had only been an assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites for half a year. In the end, he had been sent to Jinling to welcome the Ke Zhi Kingdom's envoy and then to preside over the customs change ceremony in Hulu County. His time in the capital was very limited.

This wasn't a good sign for him, especially since his current position was not yet stable. He hadn't built up his own team yet. He wanted to resolve this matter as quickly as possible and return to the capital as soon as possible. The Fall Quarter Examination was approaching. Because the Minister of Rites was also an assistant minister of the Imperial Cabinet, according to the rules, he couldn't be the chief examiner. He only needed to fight for this position and there was hope.

Once he fought for the position of chief examiner, the candidates for this year's imperial examinations would be his students. In the future, in the officialdom, they would be a great help to him. Assistant Minister Lin was eager to return home. How could he waste time here? This Magistrate Hua's words were all official words. Not a single one of them was useful.

Xu Boyi waited for Magistrate Hua to finish speaking before he smiled slightly. He calmly said, "Don't worry, Assistant Minister Lin. This lowly official has already made detailed arrangements. Before the two imperial envoys came to our county, this lowly official had already summoned the heads of security and village officials of all the villages and towns and explained this matter in detail to them. Through them, I also found out the attitude of the common people.

This lowly official plans to gather the people in charge of each village and town tomorrow, such as the heads of security, village officials, village elders, and tribal leaders. They will be the first to respond to the government's call and change their surnames. These people have great prestige in their local areas. As long as they are willing to change, the common people will naturally follow their orders. "

Assistant Minister Lin inwardly nodded his head. Although he somewhat despised Xu Boyi's utilitarian behavior, from the moment he met him until now, he could see that this person was indeed a smart and capable person. As for the county magistrate, Assistant Minister Lin could only shake his head inwardly.

Assistant Minister Lin silently evaluated the County Magistrate and County Magistrate of Gourd County and suddenly thought of Ye Xiaotian. He was well aware of Ye Xiaotian's actions in Jinling. It was precisely because he had specifically investigated Ye Xiaotian that he wanted to recruit him. Now that the official and assistant officials of Gourd County were not on good terms, how could this monkey, who caused trouble in the heavens, behave like an obedient child?

Assistant Minister Lin couldn't help but stare at Ye Xiaotian. Ye Xiaotian was currently engrossed in eating. As if sensing Assistant Minister Lin's gaze, Ye Xiaotian suddenly raised his head and grinned at him. His smile was very bright and very … pure. Assistant Minister Lin suddenly had a bad feeling. "This old man still wants to return to the capital as soon as possible. You monkey, please don't cause any more trouble!"