Eternal Immortal Dynasty: Starting as a Petty Official

The moon was high in the sky when the banquet ended and the guests departed.

Before the vermilion gate, a tall, magnificent horse was already waiting, facing the wind.

The Yan family saw the group of officials from the village out of the house. As they looked up, a fine horse came into view.

Its fur was as black as ink, and its four hooves were snow-white, as if it had come treading on snow.

"A horse over eight feet tall is called a dragon, over seven feet tall is called a steed, and over six feet tall is called a horse!"

"This horse is over seven feet tall; it can be called a steed!"

All the officials praised the fine horse.

"Yan Jun, this~"

Chen Yuancheng looked surprised and asked, feigning ignorance.

"Mr. Chen's horse is old and worn out. This horse is a fine steed in my household, and I present it to Mr. Chen for his use as a means of transportation!"

Yan Heng smiled faintly and said gently.

"It was just a joke made during the meal, why did you take it so seriously, Lord Yan!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuancheng immediately smiled and waved his hands repeatedly in refusal.

"Hey!" Yan Heng grabbed Chen Yuancheng's hands and said sincerely, "When Chen Jun took office as the head of Shanghu Pavilion, he fought against bandits many times to protect the people of the pavilion."

"Now that I have assumed the post of Chief Clerk of Wohu Township, riding this horse will naturally bestow upon me an air of authority, allowing me to protect the people of the township!"

"This~"

Chen Yuancheng pondered for a moment, his face showing hesitation.

Seeing this, Cao Miao, the village official, stepped forward and said with a smile, "Mr. Yan's kindness is appreciated, Mr. Chen, why don't you accept it?"

"Moreover, Lord Yan is extremely wealthy and influential in the region. To him, a mere fine horse is but a drop in the ocean!"

"Haha, Mr. Cao, you jest! How can my family compare to yours!"

Yan Heng also spoke modestly.

After some initial hesitation, Chen Yuancheng accepted the fine horse.

The saddle was already prepared, and Chen Yuancheng immediately mounted the horse. Zhao Xian also took the reins from the servant of the Yan family and led another old horse.

The remaining officials and clerks, some on horseback, some in carriages, and some on foot, bid farewell to Yan Heng and departed.

As Yan Heng watched Chen Yuancheng and his group gradually disappear into the distance, the smile on his face vanished completely.

Glancing at Yan Su, who had remained silent to this day, Yan Heng then flicked his sleeves and strolled leisurely toward his home.

In the main hall, the banquet had already been cleaned up by the servants. Bright light shone through the room, and a wisp of smoke rose from the bronze tortoise-shaped incense burner.

Yan Heng sat upright in the main seat, looked at Yan Su who stood respectfully below, and said indifferently, "The position of the magistrate of Wohu Township has already been occupied by the Chen family. Since you are interested in taking office, you should wait a little longer."

"While Chen Jiazi was in office, you studied the Daoist scriptures at home."

Having said that, before Yan Su could speak, Yan Heng raised his hand and waved for him to leave.

Seeing this, Yan Su had no choice but to suppress his resentment and respectfully retreat.

Yan Su was Yan Heng's eldest son. He came of age last year and was eager to take up an official post. After Zhu Ran left office, he set his sights on the position of the magistrate of Wohu Township.

According to the Qian Law, officials in charge of a region, regardless of their rank, must follow the policy of serving in a different region.

But now the Qian Dynasty no longer exists. Although the Qian laws are still enforced, how many people actually abide by them?

It simply depends on how many spirit stones are used.

In Yan Su's view, it was because his father had given too few spirit stones that the Chen family had taken away his position.

This led to the relentless pressure they exerted in the courtroom earlier.

Now that the matter is settled, Yan Su's actions can be described as a major loss.

......

Crouching Tiger Village.

The group returned to their country house. Chen Yuancheng went straight to the backyard to rest, while Zhao Xian and another minor official led the horses back to the stable.

The officials' rest area was in the central courtyard, which had several rooms on the east and west sides. Zhao Xian's room was in the northeast corner.

Pushing open the door, Zhao Xian looked around the room, which was about ten feet in size. Inside, there was only a bed, a couch, and a small table with an oil lamp on it.

Zhao Xian walked to the table, flicked his fingers, and a flame rose from his fingertip. He then flicked it lightly, and the flame landed on the oil lamp.

In an instant, the room became much brighter.

He opened his baggage and spread it on the bed, then placed the ring-pommel sword beside the bed and hung the iron bow on the wall.

After tidying up, Zhao Xian was about to meditate and cultivate when suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"Zhao Jun~"

A low gasp came from outside the door.

Zhao Xian immediately got up and opened the door.

But then they saw an official standing outside the door, a slight smile on his face, carrying a package in his hand.

The two entered the room and closed the door. Zhao Xian sat on the bed, while the official sat on the couch, facing each other.

"Mr. Liu, what brings you here so late at night?"

There were no tea sets in the room, so after some polite exchanges, Zhao Xian went straight to the question.

"Bozhang, you displayed your divine power tonight, making us village officials look good in front of the Yan family's guests."

"We have prepared a small token of our appreciation; please accept it, Lord Zhao."

Upon hearing this, the clerk immediately pointed to the package on the table and smiled faintly.

"This~"

Zhao Xian pondered for a moment, unsure of what to do.

Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he immediately declined, saying, "I was recommended by Lord Chen to serve as an official, and I have not yet worked with you all. How can I accept such a generous gift!"

"We should also receive the proper courtesy from the Lord!"

The clerk was astute and then made a pointed remark.

It seems we absolutely must accept what's in our bag.

A thought quickly crossed his mind, and Zhao Xian immediately cupped his hands in a salute, smiling as he said, "Bo Zhang thanks everyone for their kindness!"

"Haha, we'll be working together in the future, so I hope we can support each other!"

After exchanging a few polite words, the clerk surnamed Liu got up to take his leave, and Zhao Xian saw him to the door.

Suddenly, the clerk surnamed Liu turned to Zhao Xian again and said with a smile, "Now that Bozhang is a local official, your family will no longer need to pay land taxes."

"A small amount of land tax is nothing more than a line of ink written by our pens."

After saying this, the official surnamed Liu bowed again, turned around and slowly left.

Zhao Xian returned the greeting and watched him leave the country house, but then suddenly felt a little puzzled.

According to the law, village officials are allowed to take a bath every five days and can only go home on their days off. They must eat and live in the village residence on other days. Why did this Mr. Liu leave the village residence late at night?

Shaking his head and closing the door, Zhao Xian realized that if land taxes were so embezzled, why should the rule of bathing once every five days be followed?

Sitting upright on the couch, Zhao Xian opened the package in front of him, and a small pile of bright yellow talisman coins came into view.

After careful counting, there were exactly 1,040 talisman coins, which was the amount of land tax paid by Zhao Xian's family last year.

With a chuckle, Zhao Xian looked up at the backyard. "Even I, a minor official in this village, can get a thousand coins. I wonder how much the village magistrate should get?"

Suppressing his thoughts, Zhao Xian flicked his finger, sending a gust of wind towards the oil lamp flame.

"Pfft!"

The room was already dark, and Zhao Xian was sitting upright on the bed, his eyes slightly closed, meditating in peace.

......

The backyard of a country house.

At this moment, another figure walked out from the main hall. Judging from his clothes, it was Cao Miao, the village assistant.

"Chen Jun, stop here. Cao Miao will go home on his own."

Standing at the foot of the steps, Cao Miao respectfully bowed, then turned and walked towards the central courtyard.

Chen Yuancheng watched Cao Miao leave, then turned and returned to the hall.

On the hall, a bamboo basket was prominently displayed, containing a pile of bright orange talisman coins stacked into a pointed shape.

"Wohu Township is the poorest place in the county. As a newly appointed township magistrate, he can receive so much money."

"Bo Zhang's words still resonate in my ears today!"

With a sigh, Chen Yuancheng slowly closed the door.

I would rather be a village clerk than a patrolman serving a hundred bushels of grain; this is truly the case.