Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 105 Comes and goes in a hurry
After practicing the calming and health-preserving exercises in the morning, Chen Xuan and Gao Jingming read and did their homework together after dinner. The big and small matters of the Gao family had no effect on them at the moment.

Gao Jingming is blessed with a dragon horn pendant, and Chen Xuan's physique and energy far exceed those of his peers. He also has the thinking and self-discipline of an adult, so both of them complete their homework very quickly.

When the sun rose above the treetops, Mr. Gao and Mrs. Gao came to the courtyard together.

Gao Jingming was so happy about their arrival that he wanted to drop his pen and run over, but Mr. Gao smiled and warned him not to be distracted, to be humble and calm and to complete his homework. Gao Jingming had no choice but to continue in a depressed mood.

Chen Xuan noticed that after a night, Master Gao was in good spirits and showed no signs of fatigue. He didn't know whether it was because he was still as strong as ever or because of the help of secret medicine or secret techniques. On the other hand, Mrs. Gao's face was flushed, as beautiful as a flower in early spring with morning dew. The couple was so harmonious that others envied them.

Their arrival did not affect Chen Xuan and the others. They just watched silently, occasionally took the manuscripts completed by the two to look at and discuss in a low voice, but did not express any opinions.

It was not until noon that Chen Xuan and his classmates had almost finished their homework. Their wrists were a little sore from the long hours.

Master Gao then nodded and smiled, "My son is diligent and hardworking, which makes me very happy. You must persevere and never slack off."

"My son will remember this," Gao Jingming nodded, looking at his parents with a somewhat resentful look, probably still struggling with the fact that he was kicked out last night.

Seeing that the couple acted as if nothing had happened, I couldn't explain the reason to the child, so I could only pretend that I didn't notice his little resentment.

Butler He came quickly and reported a few words to Mr. Gao in a low voice.

Then Master Gao nodded and said, "I understand." He then looked at Gao Jingming and Chen Xuan and said, "Ming'er, pack up and follow me to the banquet."

Chen Xuan naturally had no right to make any suggestions and could only obey orders.

Gao Jingming asked out of curiosity, "Dad, where are we going?"

"It's a rare opportunity for you to come back, so naturally you have to maintain some relationships. Next we will go to Deweilou. Your uncle Zhou and some people from the county government will be there. Invitations have already been sent, so you need to be polite tomorrow," Master Gao touched his head and instructed.

Gao Jingming immediately asked expectantly, "Will Lin Zi and Tian Yu be there too?"

"Of course," Mr. Gao nodded.

Then Gao Jingming couldn't wait to change his clothes. With his friends around, he didn't care who his father invited.

Chen Xuan could guess some of Mr. Gao's intentions. He brought Gao Jingming to such formal occasions, which clearly showed that he was training him as the successor. It should be noted that other young masters of the Gao family did not receive such treatment.

It seems that Mrs. Gao is also going with them. In the past, when Mr. Gao was not around, it was not convenient for her, as a woman, to show up in public. But now that her husband is accompanying her, she naturally has fewer concerns. It is also a good opportunity for her to get close to other people's families.

As the saying goes, a county magistrate is not as good as a local manager. Even if the Gao family is prosperous, they still need to maintain certain relationships in the area where they live. Maybe it's not a big deal in normal times, but at critical moments, you might worry about someone getting dissatisfied and trying to trip you up. If they're doing things according to the rules, what can you do? If you can't do it, you can force them to do it, but that will only create resentment and cause resentment.

Chen Xuan also accompanied Gao Jingming to the banquet. He was Gao Jingming's servant. In the future, Gao Jingming would take over the family business, and Chen Xuan would often have to represent him in matters of the heart. Naturally, he had to become familiar with interpersonal relationships from a young age. No matter what the future held, at least he had to slowly adapt now.

But the children sat at the table at the back, some other female relatives sat at one table, and the men like Master Gao sat at another table.

During this time, Chen Xuan got to know a team of members of the Yang County government, including County Magistrate Zhou, the county lieutenant, the chief clerk, and the clerk. Mr. Gao was naturally the core figure at their table, but Chen Xuan was not qualified to talk to them at present. At most, he would nod in acquaintance when they were introduced.

Secretly listening to their conversation, Chen Xuan heard a lot of big and small things happening in Yang County, such as gangster murders, riots by robbers, and some people fighting over trivial matters and going to the government office. These things happened frequently, but being in the Gao family was like a filter that separated everything.

Chen Xuan also learned that Master Gao had time to return home because he had been promoted and had a break in his assignment, which gave him the opportunity to come back and spend some time with his family. Chen Xuan suspected that his promotion was related to Miss Gao giving birth to a son for Prince Qing, but such matters were known to everyone and there was no need to talk about them openly.

Before this, Mr. Gao was just a county magistrate. Although the position may seem low, it is actually the end of life for most officials. He is still young and strong, and for some unspoken reasons, the end of others may be just the beginning of his.

But then again, Mr. Gao does have some ability, otherwise he would not have been able to succeed in his career relying solely on nepotism. You must know that there is only one job for each person, and officialdom values ​​personal connections, but many times what is valued more is ability. If one's own ability is not enough, no matter how much support he receives, it will ultimately be limited.

Mr. Gao has now handed over the post of county magistrate. The next step is to be transferred to a place called Anluo County to serve as the county lieutenant, and concurrently serve as the chief priest of Anluo County. The rank is sixth, which may not seem high, but the power is enormous. It should be noted that the county lieutenant is in charge of the military power of a county, while the chief priest is in charge of education, both civil and military affairs. In this way, after a few years of adaptation, and for some reasons, if everything goes well, it should not be difficult for him to be further appointed as a county governor!
It should be noted that for officials in the court, there is a watershed between the seventh and sixth ranks. Once you cross it, you will be in the middle third rank, which is considered the backbone of the bureaucratic system and has a promising future. Many people waste their entire lives and cannot cross this hurdle.

However, although he now has great power, he also has heavy responsibilities. A county has a population of over one million. In terms of education, the number of talents who can pass the imperial examinations, and in terms of military affairs, whether the country is peaceful, all these will affect his future career. Once a major disturbance occurs, such as cheating in the imperial examinations, or even the emergence of rebels in the country, even his daughter's status cannot protect him. Only the personal intervention of Prince Qing will have a certain possibility.

The banquet lasted from noon to evening. During the meal, both the hosts and guests enjoyed themselves to the fullest. In terms of dealing with people, both Mr. Gao and Mrs. Gao were good at it and handled it just right. In any case, Chen Xuan couldn't even catch up with them.

If it were him, he and his buddies would probably be arm in arm and bragging loudly after drinking to their heart's content, but Master Gao would remain sober even after drinking to his heart's content. He knew what to say and what not to say, and he would not make promises easily, nor would he offend others easily.

After the banquet, everyone went back to their homes.

On the way back home, Mr. Gao did not take a car. In his words, he had been away from home for too long, so he wanted to take a walk and take a look around to sober up.

During this time, he did not forget to teach Gao Jingming in person that people like County Magistrate Zhou are worth making friends with. They are not boastful, are sensible, magnanimous and not fussy about details. They will do what they promised. But people like the County Lieutenant should be watched with caution. They are talkative, frivolous, and obviously lustful. They are used to changing their attitude according to the situation, bullying the weak and flattering the strong, and are obviously petty. They should be guarded against.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand now, just remember it. Watch and observe more in the future, and you will naturally have a better understanding of people.

After returning to the Gao family, Gao Jingming clamored to stay with his mother. He was not rejected, but Mr. Gao did not stay there. Instead, he went to the Fourth Madam's place. There were several women in the family, and they had to be treated equally. For a man like him, although he had his own happiness, it was sometimes very tiring. How many people could understand such troubles...

The next day, Master Gao was still in high spirits and took Gao Jingming and others to entertain guests. They were local gentry and wealthy families, as well as some people with connections in the underworld. Deng Lingfeng's family was among them. All these people would flock to Master Gao's invitation.

However, Mrs. Gao was not brought to such occasions. These people were not even enough for a lady of noble birth to accompany her. Moreover, Mr. Gao was somewhat arrogant in front of these people and was not friendly to everyone.

Moreover, you have to be more relaxed when interacting with these people. After the show, it was already dark, and someone sent Gao Jingming and the others back. A group of grown men continued to have fun, and they might go to another place to have some fun. The children were not old enough, so they naturally stayed aside.

Poor Third Lady, she dressed up carefully and waited anxiously for two days, but now she was afraid that she would have to stay alone in the empty room again.

Being a man is difficult. You have to deal with social interactions outside and maintain family harmony at home. It's really hard to do everything at once...

The three-day holiday passed in a flash. On the day of going to school, Mr. Gao actually went with him. Of course, his main purpose was not to send his son to school, but to visit Mr. Yushan.

In terms of affection, Mr. Yushan is Gao Jingming's master and mentor. It is rare for him to go home, so Mr. Gao naturally has to visit him. In terms of etiquette, Mr. Yushan has difficulty walking and is famous, so it is necessary to have some exchanges with him. He has not yet taken office and has the position of chief priest. In terms of knowledge and education, he can also learn from Mr. Yushan.

On the afternoon of the day they arrived at Yushan, Mr. Gao hosted a banquet in the villa to entertain Mr. Yushan. Chen Xuan and others were also there, and they talked about the children's learning problems. At night, they returned to the mountain to attend school. Chen Xuan and others had no idea what they talked about afterwards.

Mr. Gao stayed in Yushan for about three days. When he left, he went to the school during the break to say hello to Gao Jingming. He said that the time for taking office was approaching and he had to take up the post. He asked his son to study hard and not let him down.

His father had to leave a few days after returning. Gao Jingming was reluctant to let him go and cried his heart out, but no matter how reluctant he was, Master Gao had no choice but to leave.

After returning home and resting for two days, Master Gao left home to take up his post. When he left, he took the third wife with him. He had not visited the third wife in the past few days since he came back. Taking her away was a kind of compensation, and he compensated her generously after taking her away!
When he left, the Third Lady was so reluctant to leave that she cried, but in fact, her face was so bright that she almost wanted to laugh out loud. From now on, the Master would be hers alone...

(End of this chapter)