Be a small county magistrate in ancient times

Not long after receiving Song Qingfeng's memorial, the emperor received news from Liangzhou.

This is Sun Xiang's letter of apology for resigning from his official post.

In his letter of apology, he stated that he had been poisoned and his health was deteriorating day by day, making him afraid that he would be unable to serve the Great Liang. He requested that the court allow him to resign and return to his hometown.

After reading it, the emperor slammed Sun Xiang's memorial of apology onto the table.

They all openly apologized, but in reality, they were all there to file complaints.

Wei Fangyun had been in Liangzhou for many years and everything had been peaceful. Liu Dexiang had only been gone for a short time, yet he dared to cause so much trouble.

The emperor summoned his close advisors and asked where the official who was supposed to deliver the imperial decree was. The advisor replied, "Judging by the days, he should arrive in Liangzhou in the next couple of days."

"Send a message: have him bring Liu Dexiang to the capital immediately, without delay along the way!"

"Yes!"

Meanwhile, messengers from the capital were again dispatched at breakneck speed to Liangzhou to deliver the message.

A single word from above always leaves those below running themselves ragged.

On the same day, Meng Changqing from Beishan County met Lai Cai, whom he hadn't seen for a long time.

"Why did you come back alone?" Meng Changqing asked worriedly.

Lai Cai had been following Mo Lixiao to Wanzhou to seek instruction from a teacher for more than half a month. Although they had been in contact, Meng Changqing did not know beforehand that Lai Cai was coming back, so he was naturally anxious.

Lai Cai said, "Miss Mo asked me to come back first to give you a message. She will be delayed for a while."

"It's nothing serious." Meng Changqing got up and poured tea for Laicai. "Just send a message back."

“Miss Mo asked me to come back to explain to you.” Lai Cai took the teacup and covered it with his hands for a while. “She found a very prestigious gentleman in Wanzhou. It will take some effort to persuade him.”

"No rush," Meng Changqing said. "Does Miss Mo have enough money for her travels?"

“That’s exactly why I wanted to make this trip myself,” Lai Cai said. “The money allocated by the government has long been used up. The accommodation, food, and gifts I had to deliver these past few days were all paid for by Miss Mo herself.”

Meng Changqing went back behind his desk and pulled out the yamen's accounts to look at them. Unfortunately, the yamen didn't have much money. Meng Changqing calculated and calculated, but there was really no extra money to allocate to this.

After thinking for a moment, he took out a silver note himself and said, "Take this and use it first."

Lai Cai took a couple of sips of tea before accepting the gift. "Then I'll say it was given by the county government."

“That won’t do,” Meng Changqing said. “I paid for it myself, so I’ll just tell the truth.”

Lai Cai was surprised to learn that "Miss Mo is probably unwilling to accept the money you offered."

“We accepted it when we were short of money,” Meng Changqing said. “Miss Mo isn’t Lord Qi; she doesn’t have much money.”

Lai Cai explained, "The gentleman that Miss Mo wants to invite is very famous in Wanzhou Academy. If he leads the way to Beishan County, his followers will also come."

Miss Mo said that it was worth putting in some effort for this person.

“I understand. Tell her to do it without worry.” Meng Changqing then said to Lai Cai in front of him, “You are the same age as Bafang. He should have told you what I told him earlier.”

Lai Cai asked, "Is it about the provincial examination?"

Meng Changqing nodded.

“I agree with what you said. I think what you said makes sense. No matter what the result is, we should try it. It will make all those years of studying worthwhile.”

“If you have time, talk to Bafang more,” Meng Changqing said. “There are some things he’d rather hear from you.”

"I know."

The next day was the second day of the second lunar month.

The Liu family servants who had been captured by Song Qingfeng arrived in the capital.

The emperor just said yesterday that there were many things going on in Liangzhou, and today Liangzhou sent another spy to gather military intelligence. Upon investigation, it turns out he's connected to Liu Dexiang as well. (End of Chapter)