A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

Everyone else was amused by Wang Wei. "Yeah, if you want to eat, why don't you just go over there yourself?"

It's not necessary to have someone deliver it from afar. If it's something simple and easy to deliver, and has a long shelf life, that's fine too, like lychee fritters, which can be made in any quantity you want.

Even if the journey is long, it doesn't matter.

But asking for fresh lychees is too much to ask!

"I wonder who will get this unfortunate assignment. Sigh, probably some ordinary official with no connections. I'll see if I can lend a hand."

The group of men drank in frustration, denouncing Yang Guozhong, yet another treacherous minister.

Meanwhile, the Vice Minister of Revenue at this time was an official named Li Shande. (He had been promoted.)

He was an honest and frugal official who lived a frugal life. He had just borrowed money to buy a house in Chang'an and settled there with his family.

Over the years, his ambitions and aspirations have long been extinguished, and he only wants to live an ordinary and peaceful life in Luoyang.

Contrary to his wishes, trouble found him even though he didn't seek it out.

That day, after Li Shande finished his shift and was about to go home, he was suddenly stopped by several people.

"Minister Li, please wait! Please wait!"

Liu, the head of the Shanglin Bureau, stopped him with a smile and reached out to support Li Shande's arm.

"Director Liu, what brings you here?"

Li Shande asked in confusion.

Liu Shuling laughed heartily: "Li Sicheng, you've been a Sicheng for over ten years now, haven't you?"

Li Shande nodded, also feeling somewhat wistful.

"Eighteen years have passed in the blink of an eye; I've already passed the age of forty."

"For eighteen years, I have seen Li Sicheng work diligently and conscientiously."

"I also petitioned my superiors to promote Li Sicheng, but although Li Sicheng was a diligent official, he had no outstanding achievements, which is why he has been unable to get promoted for many years."

"However, we currently have a task that can be accomplished in a simple way, with significant benefits, and the potential to reach the highest levels of government. I immediately thought of you, Minister Li. Are you interested, Minister Li?"

Liu Shuling said with a smile, looking just like a weasel.

A weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken has ulterior motives.

Li Shande was kind to others and always believed that suffering a loss was a blessing. He never thought of people in a dark way.

But he also knew that the pie would never fall into his lap.

"May I ask, Magistrate Liu, what is your duties?"

Li Shande asked suspiciously.

Commander Liu chuckled, "We've arrived."

"The angel is inside. Come on, you'll find out soon enough."

After saying that, he grabbed Li Shande's hand and led him inside without further ado.

Facing the blinding sunlight, Li Shande saw a beardless, pale-faced, and rosy-cheeked eunuch sitting at the head of the table.

Li Shande had met this person before; he was Yu Chaoen, a eunuch who was quite close to Emperor Xuanzong of Tang.

When Yu Chaoen visited the Ministry of Revenue, the Minister of Revenue and all the officials of the Ministry received him with utmost respect, fearing that Yu Chaoen might show the slightest dissatisfaction.

From that moment on, Li Shande knew that Yu Chaoen was an important figure he absolutely could not afford to offend.

Li Shande immediately knelt down, staring straight ahead, and kowtowed repeatedly.

"Is this the person you recommended?"

Yu Chaoen glanced at Li Shande and asked Liu Shuling.

"This is Li Shande, the most conscientious and responsible official in our entire Shanglin Bureau."

Liu Shuling quickly replied.

Yu Chaoen nodded. "He looks like a responsible person."

Only then did Li Shande dare to raise his head and look at Yu Chaoen.

Hearing this high-ranking eunuch, who even their Minister of Revenue had to accompany him, praise him, Li Shande was flattered.

Liu Shuling took the pardon from Yu Chaoen with both hands, opened it, and presented it to Li Shande.

"Then it's settled. I'll send Li Sicheng's name back to the palace when I get back."

Even after Yu Chaoen left, Li Shande was still full of doubt. What kind of job was it that hadn't been told yet?

"What exactly is Liu Shuling's job?"

"Such a trivial matter doesn't require Lord Yu to speak personally; just look at the pardon decree."

Liu Shuling said with a smile, while opening the amnesty decree in his hand.

"June 1st is the Imperial Concubine's birthday. The Imperial Concubine said that she wanted to eat lychees, so this job was given to me."

"You are to deliver ten catties of lychee decoction to the palace before June 1st of this year."

"If this matter is handled well, we might gain the favor of the Imperial Concubine and rise to prominence."

Seeing that Li Shande was still hesitant, a look of heartache flashed across Liu Shuling's face.

"To celebrate Mr. Li's meteoric rise to prominence, I'm hosting a drink for everyone today."

After Liu finished speaking, he ordered someone to buy wine and dishes, and he and Li Shande drank and chatted happily.

At the dinner table, everyone toasted Li Shande under the guise of celebration.

Li Shande was tongue-tied and not good with words, so he could only drink one cup of wine after another.

When Li Shande's face was flushed and his eyes were glazed over, Liu Shuling gave him a wink, and no one else dared to toast him anymore, for fear that Li Shande would get drunk and pass out there.

"Old Li, how many strings of cash do you get per month now?"

Liu Shuling handed Li Shande a large pancake, put his hand on Li Shande's shoulder, and spoke in a friendly tone, as if he were an old friend.

"It can be counted as fifteen strings of cash."

Li Shande stammered in response, saying that he had drunk a bit too much and was a little slurred.

"I heard you settled down in Luoyang, Lao Li. It must have been tough. You must have accumulated a lot of debt."

Liu Shuling sighed, looking like someone who had been through it all.

These past few days, Li Shande has been struggling to breathe under the weight of his enormous mortgage payment, and the alcohol has only exacerbated his discomfort.

"Yes, the principal and interest will amount to 250 strings of cash. I originally wanted to buy the smaller house, but the broker said that since I am now an eighth-rank official instead of a ninth-rank official, a smaller house would be unsuitable and would embarrass the court."

"He then recommended a slightly larger house to me. Although I had some savings over the years, it's not easy to live in Luoyang, so this place was much worse."

Commander Liu patted Li Shande on the shoulder with empathy, "This is a mission sent down by the Emperor. There's money to be made at every step. You might just pay off your mortgage in one go."

Li Shande swallowed hard. Even though he was drunk, he still had some self-awareness.

"But how could such immense wealth possibly fall to me?"

Commander Liu adopted a sincere and earnest tone, saying, "Brother, I know you've had a tough time in Luoyang. You can't possibly misunderstand my favoritism, can you?"

Although Li Shande's rational mind told him that there's no such thing as a free lunch, under the heavy pressure of mortgage payments and the future life of his wife and daughters, and under the numbing influence of alcohol, Li Shande couldn't help but think that perhaps luck was on his side this time?

He felt that his years of working day and night, writing documents for numerous officials, and taking over their work, had finally paid off.

"Thank you, sir. I will certainly live up to your expectations!"

"Your kindness and virtue will be forever etched in my heart."