Transmigrated into a minor official in a county government, with children at home waiting for rice t

Zhang Sanlang picked up his pen and continued writing: "He didn't mention anything. He just said that the front of the ceremonial room was still empty, and he was considering it."

Fang Zhong'an withdrew his gaze and lowered his head to copy, but the ink on his pen was somewhat messy and no longer as neat as usual.

He copied several pages without speaking again. He would only occasionally raise his head to glance at Zhang Sanlang's desk before lowering it again.

Only the faint sound of a brush gliding across paper remained in the official's office.

Ma Tiesi sat in the corner copying a list of stipends, never raising his head from beginning to end, except when he heard the words "gift room," his pen slowed down for a moment.

He knew exactly what Fang Zhong'an was planning. In the past two years, Fang Zhong'an had sent gifts to Feng Jian and asked him to pass on messages on two occasions, simply because his brother-in-law had some connection with Feng Jian.

But the few coins he sent were like stones sinking into the sea. He had long felt that the matter was unreliable, so he naturally refused to speak now and pretended not to hear it.

The county government office wasn't particularly large, but it wasn't small either. It was filled with one or two hundred officials and servants. Even the most inconspicuous gatekeeper had a lot of responsibilities; it wasn't something you could just bribe your way into.

Fang Zhong'an suddenly put down his pen, stood up, said "I'm going to the outhouse," and then pushed open the door and went out.

Turning the corner of the corridor, he walked straight toward Feng Jian's office.

He stopped at the door, straightened his collar, took a deep breath, put on his habitual ingratiating smile, and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Fang Zhong'an pushed open the door and entered, bowing low, his smile even more ingratiating than usual. "Clerk Feng, are you busy? I came to ask if there's any progress on the matter concerning the rites department?"

Feng Jian was reviewing a document and didn't even look up when he heard this. He continued writing, and only put down his pen after finishing that line. He picked up his teacup, blew on the tea foam, and glanced at Fang Zhong'an. "What's the rush? I have my own plans."

Fang Zhong'an's smile froze for a moment, then he quickly put it back on. "No rush, no rush. I was just afraid you'd be too busy to remember."

"I can't forget it." Feng Jian sipped his tea.

Fang Zhong'an stood there, wanting to say something, his lips moved, but in the end he didn't dare to speak again.

He bowed as he left the office, gently closing the door behind him.

The moment the door closed, the smile on his face completely vanished, the lines at the corners of his mouth drooped, and his whole face shrunk.

As they turned to the corner of the corridor, they saw Zhou Qianxing in the distance, carrying a scroll of documents under his arm, walking towards Feng Jian's office.

Fang Zhong'an slipped behind the wall and peeked out. Zhou Qianxing knocked on the door and went inside.

He stood against the wall, holding his breath and listening intently.

The office door was ajar, and the sounds of conversation could be faintly heard from inside.

First came Feng Jian's voice, praising Zhou Qianxing for his hard work in the Household Department. He said that the Household Department was short of Qianxing at the beginning of the year, and after looking around at several departments, he felt that Zhou Qianxing, who had been a private tutor, was the most suitable because he was knowledgeable and courteous.

The affairs of the ceremonial office were of high status, and the staff regularly exchanged poems and songs with local gentry, making their work much easier than those of the household office.

In the end, Feng Jian said, "I am in charge of both the Personnel Department and the Rites Department. The Rites Department is usually managed by the Assistant Director." The meaning is clear: although he was nominally the Assistant Director of the Rites Department, he was actually the head of the department.

Zhou Qianxing was visibly taken aback after hearing this, then his voice revealed barely suppressed joy as he hurriedly said, "I am deeply grateful for Clerk Feng's kind words."

But he soon hesitated again, saying that he had been in the Household Registration Office for two years and that Tao Yashi had treated him well. During the two tax seasons, the Household Registration Office was extremely busy, and he was afraid that if he left, he would be letting Tao Yashi down.

Feng Jian smiled and accepted the message, telling him to rest assured.

He mentioned that Zhang Sanlang was an expert in money and grain, and that he had helped with the household registration department during the autumn tax settlement. He suggested that Zhang Sanlang could be seconded on a long-term basis to take over the household registration department's work, thus balancing the manpower situation for Tao Yashi and also facilitating Zhou Qianxing's promotion.

Zhou Qianxing was finally relieved and readily agreed.

There was a moment of silence inside the door. Fang Zhong'an heard footsteps approaching the door and quickly slipped back to the corner of the corridor.

He stuck it to the wall, his heart filled with resentment, grinding his teeth in hatred.

He spent several months trying to find the missing piece in the gift room, sending six or seven strings of cash. Each time, Feng Jian would say he remembered and told him to wait patiently.

As it turned out, no sooner had he left than Feng Jian promised himself to Zhou Qianxing.

A torrent of thoughts surged through his mind; he understood everything, yet dared not say a word.

He dared not go in and make a scene, not even daring to make a sound with his footsteps. He quietly moved away from behind the wall and tiptoed back towards the office of the clerk.

He paused for a moment at the door, rubbed the muscles on his face vigorously, and forced out his usual relaxed expression before pushing the door open and going in.

He sat down at his desk, picked up his pen and put it down again, repeating this several times, before finally managing to utter, "Zhou Qianxing from the Revenue Department just went to see Clerk Feng."

Zhang Sanlang and Ma Tiesi both looked up at him, but neither of them said anything.

"I ran into him on the corridor. He was beaming and practically walking on air." Fang Zhong'an chuckled dryly. "Clerk Feng made a good move this time. He's probably going to transfer Zhou Qianxing to the ceremonial office."

Seeing that Zhang Sanlang didn't respond, he added, "The household registration office is about to settle accounts, and Clerk Tao specifically asked for your help. Zhang Sanlang, you've really hit the nail on the head."

Zhang Sanlang put down his pen, glanced at him, and said, "Brother Fang, what are you saying? It's just that we're short-handed for the autumn tax collection. Clerk Tao needed someone to copy the documents, so he just asked me to do it. It wouldn't have mattered who did it."

Fang Zhong'an's lips twitched slightly as he lowered his head to dip his brush in ink.

The ink was too thick and dripped onto the table.

He wiped his hands haphazardly with his sleeve and muttered, "That's for sure. You have beautiful handwriting, quick fingers, and are also proficient in arithmetic. Every household is vying for you. Once you go to the household office, your future is limitless."

"If Zhou Qianxing is really transferred to the Department of Rites, you might be able to fill the vacancy left by Qianxing in the Department of Household Revenue! I have nothing to say, I just hope that you, Zhang Sanlang, will not forget these old brothers in the Department of Personnel in the future."

Seeing his dejected expression, Zhang Sanlang thought for a moment and finally reminded him, "Brother Fang, in all these years in the clerk's office, you've handled everything from personnel exchanges between departments to document filing and the issuance of stipends."

"When it comes to connections, you're number one in the entire yamen. However, Clerk Feng is always cautious in his personnel selection. It's good that Brother Fang is well-informed, but some things travel too fast and reach Clerk Feng's ears, overshadowing Brother Fang's abilities."

Fang Zhong'an was stunned for a moment.

In a flash, he went through all the things he had said over the years in his mind, and he couldn't even count which words had slipped out of his mouth.

It turned out that Feng Jian hadn't forgotten the vacancy in the ceremonial office; he had simply removed him from the roster elsewhere. All the six or seven strings of cash he had saved were wasted from the very beginning.

He lowered his head, not rushing to reply as he usually did.

He rubbed the pen between his fingers several times, and spoke in a slightly softer voice than usual: "I've taken Sanlang's words to heart. Thank you for your guidance!"

He picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and this time no more ink dripped onto the table; the handwriting was much neater than before.

Ma Tiesi glanced up at him from the corner, then looked down again.