Do you know: I, a commoner prime minister

Chapter 71 Gift Giving

After having lunch at the Sheng family's house, Zhou An took Shulan home.

Inside the carriage, seeing Zhou An lost in thought, Shulan asked with concern, "My lord, what are you thinking about?"

"It's nothing. My father-in-law reminded me beforehand to pay my respects to the officials, both big and small, in Qinghe County."

Zhou An snapped out of his reverie and said, "I'm thinking about what kind of gift I should prepare."

"I'll arrange these."

Shulan said, "Every year-end, my father would send gifts to many people, including some officials. These were all prepared by my mother and me."

"Then I'll trouble you to put in some extra effort, my wife," Zhou An said with a smile.

That wasn't what he was really thinking. Visiting the county magistrate was just a formality, a way to save face.

His status as a scholar who passed the imperial examination was not equal to that of an official.

If it weren't for the fact that his passing the imperial examination added a positive aspect to the county magistrate's evaluation, they might not have had time to see him.

When Zhou An paid a visit, the officials said some encouraging words.

To outsiders, it appeared that he had connections with those officials and was highly regarded by them.

Officials also demonstrated their emphasis on education.

It's just a show put on by everyone working together.

If you really have any trouble and ask them for help, they won't pay any attention to you.

Therefore, the gift doesn't need to be expensive; something presentable is fine.

Sheng Wei had reminded him of all these things, and also told him that the most taboo thing when giving gifts to officials was to give lavish gifts when the relationship was not good enough.

What Zhou An was really thinking about was that Sheng Hong was about to go to the capital to report on his duties.

This means that the young prince is not far from dying.

For a long time to come, the imperial court will be in constant turmoil.

Zhou An pondered whether he could utilize the prophet and gain any benefit from it.

But after careful consideration, he couldn't find anything he could use.

Although he knew some of the future's direction, he only knew that after the young prince's death, a struggle for succession would erupt in the court.

After a stalemate of several years, the emperor finally chose Prince Yong, while Prince Yan launched a palace coup, which was then exploited by Zhao Zongquan, who was far away in Yuzhou.

Based on his understanding of the future, it seems that whether he sides with the Prince of Yong or the Prince of Yan, or prepares for a potential rival, it's all possible.

But upon closer reflection, he realized that he couldn't actually access any of these three things.

Needless to say, the Prince of Yong and the Prince of Yan were beyond Zhou An's reach, let alone his ability to become their confidants.

If you're not a confidant, you can't influence their decisions at crucial moments, and their fates will remain unchanged.

Contacting Zhao Zongquan was even more unrealistic. The Great Zhou Dynasty had very strict restrictions on its imperial clansmen. Zhao Zongquan was a descendant of Emperor Taizu, and the emperor had always been walking on thin ice, fearing that he would be caught red-handed.

Zhao Zongquan would avoid a scholar like Zhou An at all costs, so why would he accept him?

Fortunately, although it would be difficult to profit from it, he doesn't even have an official position yet. Even if he were to pass the imperial examination and become an official, he would be assigned to a local post.

For someone without connections, being promoted from a local official to a high-ranking official in the capital is almost impossible.

Even with some connections and networks, it still takes eight to ten years.

Only by being recommended by a high-ranking official in the court can one be promoted quickly.

By the time I am able to enter the capital in the future, everything will have been settled, and I will not have to worry about being affected by the turmoil in the court.

Upon returning to Qinghe County, the carriage stopped at the back gate, and the couple entered the house through the back gate.

According to the servants, Zhou Li has returned, and Zhou Shi has been driven away by the officials. As for where they went, the servants did not know.

When the two arrived at the main hall, they saw their parents looking worried and talking about something.

"Big Brother, why are you back so early?"

When Hao saw the two of them come in, she said reproachfully, "You haven't been there for so long, why don't you stay one more night before coming back?"

"Mother, something has happened at home, how can I leave without worry?"

Zhou An said, "I heard from the servants that the person had been driven away by the officials. I wonder where they are now?"

"They were driven away, but with so many people watching, the officials couldn't just kick them out of the city. Your mother and I were just saying that they might come back to cause trouble."

Zhou Li sighed and said, "Your mother and I have discussed it. If she comes again, we'll take her back to Youyang, call the entire Zhou family out, and come up with a solution!"

"it's useless!"

Zhou An shook his head and explained the method Sheng Wei had suggested.

"Wouldn't this be a bit inappropriate?" Zhou Li asked with some concern.

If this is exposed, it would be tantamount to their family harming the Zhou family.

"What's wrong with it? I think it's great!"

Hao said irritably, "Our family doesn't owe her anything. If we talk to the other members of the Zhou family, they're all afraid she'll cause trouble at their homes, so they'll definitely side with her."

"Father, Mother is right!"

Zhou An said, "I think this is also helping her family. The couple spoils their son so much. Even if we help them pay off their debts and redeem their land, when their son comes back, he will still want those lands. Even if he becomes a tenant farmer, at least he can eat and survive."

"Well, let's do it this way then." Zhou Li sighed.

"Father, don't overthink it."

Zhou An comforted them, saying, "There's an old saying that spoiling a child is like killing a child. They spoiled them themselves, so who can they blame?"

If they had raised me as well as you and Mother have, things wouldn't have come to this."

His father, while not exactly a saint, was somewhat soft-hearted.

"You brat, are you praising me and your mother, or yourself?" Zhou Li said with a laugh.

"Was my son wrong?"

Madam Hao proudly said, "My son is now a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations). The Sun family's son passed the Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examinations) at the age of twelve. Everyone said he had the talent to be the Zhuangyuan (the top scholar in the imperial examinations), but he failed the exams three times."

Upon hearing Hao mention Sun Zhigao, Zhou Li looked at Zhou An and asked, "Elder brother, wasn't Sun the scholar you were guarantor for? Did he pass the exam?"

"No, he's been held up by some things and will probably be back in a few days," Zhou An said.

Although the people who cheated Sun Zhigao have been arrested, the two of them have not yet been released.

After all, they are also witnesses, and they can only leave after the case is over.

"Father, has Mother told you about moving to Tongzhou?" Zhou An asked.

"Your mother said that now that there's a solution, we won't move."

Zhou Li said, "Although the family's land has been rented out, someone still needs to keep an eye on it. Besides, we don't know anyone in Tongzhou. Your mother and I wouldn't even have anyone to talk to if we went there."

Upon hearing this, Zhou An did not try to persuade them further. Tongzhou was not a small place like Qinghe County, and it was better for his parents to stay in Qinghe.

After chatting with his parents for a while, Hao urged him to go back to his room to take a bath and rest.

I was thinking of letting the young couple have a private chat.

The two returned to their room. Zhou An went to take a bath, while Shulan busied herself preparing gifts.

After Zhou An finished bathing and came out of the washroom, Shulan walked in.

"My lord, I have already instructed people to prepare the gifts. Here is the gift list for you to take a look."

Zhou An, dressed in his undergarments, took the gift list, sat down by the bed, and began to read it.

Shulan sat down next to him and said, "I've prepared gifts not only for the officials, but also for several important minor officials in the county. You don't need to go in person; just send someone to deliver them."

"Yes, my wife has considered everything very thoroughly."

Zhou An put down the gift list and smiled.