Chapter 1742: Recruiting an official and marrying a powerful family
The system of recommendation and recruitment was an important system for selecting officials after the Qin and Han Dynasties and before the Sui and Tang Dynasties.

Among them, the officials selected through the recommendation system were equivalent to formal state employees, and most of them served as senior officials.

As for the officials selected under the conscription system, half of them could only serve as assistant officials unless they accepted the emperor's conscription.

This is also the main reason why Su Mingzhe was unwilling to accept the invitations from provincial governors and prefects.

Now, Su Mingzhe accepted Wang Yun's invitation to serve as an assistant official in Wuxing. In Wang Shiyu's view, this was giving himself face.

Thinking of this, Wang Shiyu looked at Su Mingzhe with more appreciation and kindness:
"Mingzhe, don't worry. Wang Yun said that if there is a chance, he will recommend you as a virtuous person (one of the subjects of the recommendation system) and will never let you stay in the position of assistant official in Wuxing for too long."

"Thank you teacher!"

Su Mingzhe doesn't care about it.

After all, he knew that the little emperor would die within a few years.

When the Prince of Langya ascends the throne, Wang Yun's status will surely rise with him, and by then, he will no longer have to worry about not having an official job.

……

Su Mingzhe returned to the house, found Zhu Yingtai and Liang Shanbo, and said goodbye to them.

When Zhu Yingtai and Liang Shanbo heard that Su Mingzhe had accepted the appointment as an official, they were both reluctant to let him go.

During the few months they spent together, Su Mingzhe helped the two of them a lot.

Especially Liang Shanbo, he felt that Su Mingzhe, his sworn brother, was his mentor and friend, and he couldn't wait to follow him to Wuxing County.

Zhu Yingtai's emotions were not that strong.

During this period, they lived under the same roof. Zhu Yingtai had more respect and admiration for Su Mingzhe than any romantic relationship between them.

Before leaving, Su Mingzhe called Xun Jubo, Wang Lan and other friends, and they gathered together before packing up and going down the mountain.

……

Yuyao Su Mansion.

As Su Mingzhe's fame grew, more and more literati and scholars came to visit the Su family.

Although it's not as exaggerated as having so many customers coming to visit, the locals have already regarded the Su family as the most prestigious family in the area.

Now, Su Mingzhe was going to Wuxing to accept a recruitment. He originally wanted to go home to visit his parents, but he was immediately surrounded by local literati and talented people.

It took him a full half month to have time to do his own things.

……

Mid June.

Su Mingzhe went to Shanyin County and got engaged to Xie Daoyuan.

Although an engagement ceremony is not as grand as a wedding, it still requires inviting a lot of people.

As the prime minister of a country, Xie An also rushed back.

After the engagement ceremony, according to the etiquette of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the wedding had to be held within three months to six months.

……

End of June.

With Xie Daoyuan reluctant to leave, Su Mingzhe rushed to Wucheng County, the capital of Wuxing County.

Wang Yun was the prefect of Wuxing.

Wuxing County is located in the middle of Hangzhou, Kuaiji and Wu County.

It has jurisdiction over ten counties, namely Wucheng, Dongqian, Wukang, Changcheng, Yuanxiang, Guzhang, Anji, Yuhang, Lin'an and Yuqian.

Wucheng County is located directly south of Taihu Lake.

When Su Mingzhe rushed to the prefect's mansion, he did not see Wang Yun. He was received by An Bo, the housekeeper of the mansion.

……

"Amber, you said that the governor and the famous scholars of this county went to visit Taihu Lake. I wonder how long it will take them to come back?"

After hearing what Amber said, Su Mingzhe was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

He was the prefect, the chief official of a county, but he actually abandoned his official duties and went out for fun with a group of people, and he didn't even know when he would return.

This is too unruly.

After thinking for a while, Su Mingzhe asked again:

"So who is in charge in the prefect's mansion now?"

This time it was Amber's turn to look embarrassed:

"Mr. Su, the master instructed before he left that if you arrive, the official seal of the yamen will be delivered directly to you!"

Well, that’s because no one was assigned to take charge.

……

Because there was no welcoming ceremony, no handover ceremony.

On the first day Su Mingzhe arrived at the Wuxing County Governor's Office, he had no choice but to take the initiative.

With the help of Amber, Su Mingzhe held a banquet and invited many important officials in the government to come and get to know each other.

At night, after Su Mingzhe finished his banquet and returned to his residence, he saw two concubines who looked similar to him in his bedroom.

"Mr. Su, this is what the master picked for you before he left."

Amber explained, then considerately exited the courtyard.

……

As for the gifting of concubines, not to mention the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, even in the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, it was common for high-ranking officials to give women to each other.

For example, the great writer Su Shi, when he was demoted, gave away more than 20 concubines around him, including one who was pregnant.

It was completely reasonable for Wang Yun to give Su Mingzhe two concubines.

Of course, in this era, some people not only gave concubines as gifts, but also gave men as gifts.

For example, some princesses and some noble ladies whose husbands had died would often send (concubines) to each other.

……

Su Mingzhe looked at the two sisters. They had willow-shaped eyebrows and red lips, fair and delicate skin, slender figures, and petite and exquisite figures. They were quite in line with his aesthetic taste. He smiled and asked:

"Which one of you is the older sister and which one is the younger sister?"

"Sir, I am your elder sister Hua Zhu, and this is your younger sister Hua Ying."

When the sisters Huazhu and Huaying saw the man waving at them, they smiled shyly and moved closer, lifting their skirts.

……

The next day.

Had breakfast.

Su Mingzhe asked his servant Mingyan to return to Hangzhou to pick up Yu Wuxia, Gu Xinlian and others.

Afterwards, he asked Amber to help find various documents and materials in the prefect's mansion.

Before officially assuming his duties, he needs to know as much as possible about the local area to avoid political chaos and doing good things with bad intentions.

……

In the blink of an eye.

Ten days passed.

The governor Wang Yun has not returned yet.

Mingyan brought Yu Wuxia and other women with him.

Su Mingzhe also traveled around the ten counties of Wuxing and gained a general understanding of the situation in the county.

The jurisdiction of Wuxing County was roughly similar to that of Huzhou in later generations, with half of the terrain being rugged hills and the other half being plains dotted with rivers.

Needless to say, the hills can only be reclaimed into terraces or planted with mulberry fields.

As for that half of the plain, because of the long rainy season, it is often cloudy and rainy during the heading season, which leads to low yield.

If we encounter another flood, all our work for the whole year will be in vain.

Faced with these situations, Su Mingzhe was not impatient, but calmly gathered people through Amber and prepared to "contract" five hills and one hundred hectares of land for experimental transformation.

……

mid-July.

Wang Yun finally returned from his trip and hosted a welcoming banquet for Su Mingzhe, introducing him to some local celebrities and talents.

After the welcoming banquet, Wang Yun rewarded him with two concubines.

In fact, Wang Yun originally wanted to give her fourteen-year-old illegitimate sister, Wang Yanzhi, to Su Mingzhe as a concubine to deepen their relationship.

However, Su Mingzhe politely declined, citing the fact that he was already engaged and that taking a concubine required the consent of Wei Lai's wife.

……

Su Mingzhe originally thought that Wang Yun would take over the county's government affairs after returning from his trip.

Unexpectedly, less than five days after Wang Yun returned, he went out to play with his friends again.

Faced with such a hands-off boss, Su Mingzhe could only smile bitterly and take responsibility.

……

Autumn passes and winter comes.

The wedding of Su Mingzhe and Xie Daoyuan was held.

Xie Daoyuan brought one hundred acres of fertile land in Shanyin County and three hundred slaves as a dowry.

As Su Mingzhe's benefactor in the officialdom, Wang Yun also rewarded him with a hundred hectares of fertile land in Wuxing County and a hundred slaves as a gift.

……

Soon after marriage.

Mrs. Wang Yun came to Xie Daoyuan for some communication, and finally gave Wang Yun's sister Wang Yanzhi to Su Mingzhe to be Teng's concubine.

At this point, Su Mingzhe was connected to the two largest aristocratic families in the Eastern Jin Dynasty.