I proved immortality through the imperial examination.

Chapter 71 The Choice of Printing
Du Yuandao said, "The decision on the seal, specifically, is when the two seal-bearers have different opinions and a confrontational decision-making situation arises."

At the meeting at the Temple of Seals, all the seal masters simultaneously projected their thoughts onto the fragment of the seal. The fragment glowed, and whoever it pointed to was the recipient of their vote. The one with the most votes won, and the agreement was thus reached.

"I see."

Xue Xiang bowed and accepted the instruction.

Du Yuan drank three cups of tea, feeling a lingering fragrance in his mouth, and then asked where he had come from.

Xue Xiang's tea was all obtained from Xie Haiya, without his knowledge.

Du Yuanming expressed his liking for it, and Xue Xiang, not being stingy, shared half a bucket with him.

Du Yuan, holding the fragment of the document, strode away.

Xue Xiang had always been extremely eager for the position of the seal-bearer, and after hearing Du Yuan explain the wonderful uses of the seal, his desire became even stronger.

But no matter how unbearable it was, he knew that it was impossible to achieve in the short term.

After all, the head of a town is already on par with the vice dean of Yunmeng City.

That was a true celestial official-level figure who was already comparable to a tenth-grade celestial talisman.

He could only dream about it if he passed the county examination.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Enter."

Xun Sizhou walked in. "Manager, the luggage is settled. The rented place is a detached house, just across an alley from here, about a short walk away. Here is the key."

Xun Sizhou's advance preparations were brilliant, saving Xue Xiang a lot of trouble.

Xue Xiang accepted the keys but wasn't in a hurry to see the new house; there was a meeting with Room 11 that afternoon.

He took a nap on the table until Xun Sizhou woke him up.

At 1:15 PM, the meeting was held on time in the meeting room on the west side of the compound.

Those attending the meeting, besides Xue Xiang, included Deputy Director Wang Anshi, First Squadron Leader Tong Sheng, Second Squadron Leader Zhang Leng, Third Squadron Leader Liu Xiao, Chief Clerk Chen Jun, and Chief Clerk Gong Bei.

Tong Guonan, the deputy director who was supposed to attend the meeting, still claimed to be sick and asked for leave.

After giving a brief self-introduction, Xue Xiang handed over the floor to Wang Anshi.

This man was in his early thirties, but looked older than his age. He spoke slowly and deliberately, introducing the main tasks of the Eleventh Division.

There are roughly two:

First, cooperate with the joint task force to investigate and crack the military pay case.

Second, complete the task of clearing out the shops at the ferry crossing.

After explaining the situation, he asked each squadron leader to report on their current work.

The three company commanders also gave a brief account.

The main reason for the high number of cattle loss incidents is during the farming season.

In addition, with the recent prevalence of illicit worship, some people with ulterior motives have created evil spirits to disturb the local area.

But they are all minor demons and monsters, nothing to worry about.

Subsequently, Chen Jun, the chief clerk in charge of the document, asked Xue Xiang about the selection of his personal clerk. Xue Xiang asked him to make a recommendation, preferably a student who had just finished school.

Finally, Gong Bei, the chief secretary in charge of finances, raised a crucial question: the Eleventh Division's accounts were empty, and there were only thirteen days left until payday.

Xue Xiangqi was surprised; it was the first time he had ever heard of a department paying its own salary.

Wang Anshi explained that the special task force had made many demands in order to solve the military pay case.

One of these measures is to set up a cordon at the ferry crossing to prevent pedestrians from interfering.

But once the cordon is set up, the merchants at the ferry crossing can't do business, and they start making a fuss.

Left with no other choice, we had to clear out these merchants.

The territory at the ferry crossing was taken over by the Eleventh Division from the garrison years ago.

After the town was relocated, the Eleventh Office funded the construction of those shops, which were then rented out.

Now, to clear out shops, the lease must be terminated first.

The Eleventh Office had some money in its accounts, but not enough. They had to borrow this month's salary from the Fifth Office (which was in charge of finance) to raise enough money to clear out the merchants.

"I arrived penniless?" Xue Xiang thought to himself.

He didn't believe it was such a coincidence, but without evidence, he naturally wouldn't say anything.

Seeing that no one had anything to report, he immediately adjourned the meeting and left first.

Seeing Xue Xiang walk away, Tong Sheng sneered, "See? He's furious. I heard he's a city student who just passed the imperial examination."

How incredibly stupid must someone be to accept the position of head of the official branch office, especially the eleventh branch office in Suiyang Town?

“If he hadn’t come, Boss Tong would have been fine. But he had to come out of nowhere. He’s just asking for trouble.”

Second Squadron Leader Zhang Leng echoed in agreement.

Wang Anshi scolded, "What time is it? Stop talking nonsense. Captain Tong, if you can't solve the cattle theft case in Xiahe Village, you'll have to use all your team's wages to buy cattle and return them to the thieves."

Also, Captain Zhang and Captain Liu, you should stop gambling and drinking all the time.

I urge you all to take a walk around the streets more often and see your men; they're all so idle they've become as fat as winter melons.

"You still think it's the same old story? This new guy, who knows what kind of personality he has."

"Grandma!"

Tong Sheng said loudly, "I don't care what his personality is. When we get to Suiyang, dragons have to coil up and tigers have to lie low."

This is because it wasn't committed by someone surnamed Tong.

"Exactly, young and inexperienced, unreliable, don't bother with him."

"Chief Wang, you won't change your mind and side with the enemy, will you? You've already taken the food from Master Ding, so it's not good to spit it out."

The three squadron leaders, used to being arrogant, openly laughed and joked without restraint in the meeting room.

The two clerks remained silent, neither interfering nor offering any advice.

…………

The small courtyard rented by Xun Sizhou is truly lovely; it's spacious, with lush flowers and trees, and a tranquil and pleasant atmosphere.

The key point is that the courtyard is by the lake, and the public housing is also by the lake; they are both by the same lake.

To take the proper route, one must cross a street and two alleys, then walk across the lake; by boat, one can only traverse a distance of thirty zhang (approximately 15 meters).

Xue Xiang easily discovered the shortcut between his rented room and the public room, so he simply got a small boat and rowed back and forth.

Clearly, Xun Sizhou put his heart into it.

Before Xue Xiang moved in, the courtyard was spotless, and even the mattresses and blankets were new, fluffy, and full of the smell of sunshine.

Xue Xiang's favorite thing was the swing set in the yard. Above him was a lush green melon trellis. When a breeze blew through the yard, the branches and leaves swayed. He wouldn't trade a moment on the swing for even a god.

As the moonlight began to shine, Xue Xiang was pacing in the courtyard when there was a knock on the door.

Xue Xiang opened the door and was startled to find Liu Mei standing outside, surrounded by bags and packages, her hair disheveled, her face smeared with dirt and black stains.

Upon seeing Xue Xiang, Liu Mei breathed a sigh of relief and awkwardly explained, "The mistress was worried about you being alone outside, so she asked me to come and take care of you. Xiao Wan and the son-in-law are at home, so you don't need to worry."

"Is it Mother who is worried about me, or Sister who is worried about me?"

Xue Xiang stared intently at Liu Mei, feeling that the ancients' description of a beautiful woman was absolutely accurate: even in rough clothes and with disheveled hair, her beauty could not be concealed.

"No nonsense."

Liu Mei reached out and gently pinched his waist. "Aren't you going to make way?"

Why do you look like you're fleeing a disaster?

Xue Xiang carried large and small bags of luggage.

Confucius said, “If you carry a white jade disc through a bustling market, you will not be at ease. It is better to dust it off.”

Liu Mei slipped into the kitchen.

Xue Xiang was secretly surprised. It hadn't been long, and they already knew "what the Master said." He teased, "Then who is the white jade? Surely no one would boast like that?"

"Mr. Lang..."

Liu Mei turned around with a spatula in hand, tripped on the threshold, and fell straight into Xue Xiang's arms.

(End of this chapter)