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Chapter 450: Rain Before Rain (Part )

What is the standard meal?
A seventh-grade classic meal? !
The Princess's attendants had no official rank. The Chief Minister was a proper official appointed by the imperial court, and a seventh-rank official in the royal palace. Compared to the seventh-rank county magistrate, he was only higher, not lower.

If a newly-appointed scholar wanted to enter the government through the imperial examination, he would have to spend at least five to seven years training himself to achieve such an official position, not to mention the talent and hardships he had to endure on the road to study.

According to normal channels, Ma Yaozong would never be able to obtain such an official position in his lifetime. Now, with the princess's request, Ma Yaozong could fill the vacancy and become a formal official of the royal palace. What a great and honorable event this is!

Magistrate Ma's narrowed eyes suddenly widened, and he thanked the princess with great energy: "I am grateful to the princess for her support of the Yao clan and the Ma family. Please rest assured, I will raise 3,000 war horses every year at the cost of my life."

Jiang Shaohua smiled slightly, "The Ma family is very loyal, and this princess has seen it all. This official position of chief chef is what Ma Sheren deserves. In the past few years, Ma Sheren has done his job efficiently. In my opinion, he has great potential and his future will definitely not be limited to this. Therefore, County Magistrate Ma must not risk his life, but live to be a hundred years old, watch the Ma family prosper, and perhaps even become a prominent family in Daliang."

Magistrate Ma, who prided himself on having a heart as calm and deep as well water, became so excited that his blood boiled and his eyes lit up after hearing this.

Decades ago, he led the Ma family to the border areas, risking more than a dozen lives to build a horse farm and a trade route to the border areas. After several decades of operation, the former merchant Ma family has become one of the top families in Nanyang County.

If one day, the Ma family can truly become a prestigious family in Daliang, why would he be stingy with his life? Why wouldn't the Ma family work hard and die for the princess?
Magistrate Ma stood up and bowed solemnly: "I appreciate your words, my lady. I also look forward to seeing that day with my own eyes. The Ma family is loyal to you and will do our best to serve you."

Jiang Shaohua was satisfied.

Ma Yaozong was young and passionate, but Magistrate Ma was a real old fox. It was easy to persuade Ma Yaozong, but it was not easy to convince Magistrate Ma. She had to offer real benefits and a bright future that was within her reach.

At this point, the Ma family was truly of use to her.

"Ma County Magistrate, please stand up." Jiang Shaohua smiled and helped Ma County Magistrate up: "Then it's settled. This year, the Ma family is looking forward to double happiness."

Magistrate Ma grinned, his old eyes narrowed into a line.

……

"What did the princess say to grandfather today?"

That evening, after finishing his work, Ma Yaozong went to Magistrate Ma's house and asked questions out of curiosity.

Magistrate Ma smiled and glanced at his eldest grandson: "Is this what you want to ask, or did Chen Sheren ask you to ask out of curiosity?"

Ma Yaozong had been through a lot for a few years and was much more thick-skinned than before. He smiled and replied, "The Ma and Chen families are discussing marriage. Chen Sheren and I will soon be engaged, with no distinction between inside and outside. The future granddaughter-in-law wants to ask a question, but grandfather won't tell her?"

Magistrate Ma laughed and patted his eldest grandson on the shoulder. "You rascal, you still know how to provoke your grandfather with words. However, since the princess hasn't said anything about this important matter, don't ask."

Then, he talked about the position of chef in the palace that the princess had promised.

Ma Yaozong was somewhat surprised, but more excited: "After Qiu Dianshan resigned, the court repeatedly sent people to fill the vacancy, but the princess refused. I never thought that the vacancy was reserved for me by the princess. It seems that in the princess's heart, I am a person who can be of great use."

County Magistrate Ma: “…”

Magistrate Ma didn't know whether to be angry or amused, and patted him again: "It's okay to say this in front of your grandfather, but you must keep a low profile outside to avoid arousing jealousy."

Ma Yaozong chuckled, "Don't worry, Grandfather. I usually don't show off. I just couldn't help but speak a few words in front of you because I heard the good news." "I thought the princess would let me go to the workshop and work with Shen Gongzheng. Just like Tang Youyin, who has been following Feng Changshi. I never expected that the princess would respect me so much."

"and many more!"

Ma Yaozong finally sensed something was wrong and frowned, "Did the princess assign some difficult task to grandfather?"

Magistrate Ma frowned, "There is a job, it will take some effort, but it's not that difficult. The Ma family originally raised horses for the princess and the palace. Buying more horse slaves, more fodder, and raising more horses is part of our job."

Ma Yaozong fell silent for a long time before he whispered, "From the incident in Pingzhou, I feel that the princess is different from before."

"I, the princess, don't know the true military strength of Nanyang County. Anyway, no prefecture in the north can compare to Nanyang County. But the princess is still not satisfied and wants to expand the horse farm. Naturally, she has to continue to expand the military strength."

"Grandfather, I am excited and scared."

Who says it's not?

He had lived for more than seventy years, and at this moment he was still a little frightened.

Magistrate Ma looked at Ma Yaozong deeply and said, "There is nothing to be afraid of. The sky won't fall, and even if it does, the princess will hold it up. More than 30 years ago, our Ma family bet all of our wealth on the Nanyang Palace. Now, we can't retreat, and we must not retreat."

"We will follow behind the princess. The higher the princess goes, the higher our Ma family will fly."

"On the contrary, it's just that our Ma family is unlucky, there's nothing to complain about."

"Think about the Chen family, their entire family has already boarded the princess's ship. And Feng Changshi, Shen Gongzheng and others, who hasn't staked all their wealth on the princess's side? They are not afraid, so what should we be afraid of? Fortune and wealth are sought in danger, and our Ma family has made this bet."

Ma Yaozong was excited and nodded vigorously.

……

The next day, Ma Yaozong went to work with dark circles under his eyes.

Jiang Shaohua pretended not to see it, and smiled and ordered: "This princess wants to go to the horse farm today, and the horse herder will make arrangements. Also, ask the horse herder to find a horse slave from the Rouran tribe, because this princess wants to learn the Rouran language."

The Rouran cavalry massacred Pengcheng and abducted tens of thousands of people as slaves. For Daliang, this was an irreconcilable blood feud.

The princess wants to learn the Rouran language. Does that mean she plans to lead the troops to fight the Rouran herself in the future?

Ma Yaozong muttered to himself for a while, then replied, "I can speak Rouran language. If the princess wants to learn, I can teach her."

Jiang Shaohua glanced over with a smile and said: "Not only do you want to learn to speak the Rouran language, this princess also wants to understand Rouran customs, habits, geography and topography. You can find a Rouran horse slave who is old enough to speak Chinese and behave like a decent person."

Only then did Ma Yaozong accept the order and leave.

On this day, Jiang Shaohua rode to the horse farm and watched it for half a day. In the afternoon, Ma Yaozong came with a Rouran horse slave.