Qing Yao

Chapter 152 Old Ding, Your Wisdom Has Increased! (Bonus Chapter)

The young lady is indeed pregnant, because her period hasn't come this month.

The woman's intuition told her that she was definitely pregnant.

The young lady was overjoyed even in her dreams at the thought that she would give birth to a child for her husband before the county magistrate's granddaughter.

She didn't even know that her "husband" had an accident in Jiangyin.

Upon receiving the news, Ma Xuezheng strictly kept the news of the principal's accident under wraps to prevent the school from becoming panicked because of the principal's misfortune.

Ma Xuezheng had mentioned this matter before at the restaurant, and Zhao An had even praised Vice Principal Ma a couple of times.

At critical moments, we must have the ability to act decisively; special measures are needed in special times.

If the news isn't kept quiet, and the students' parents think Principal Zhao is finished, the transfer application will most likely fall through, and they might even come to the school demanding a refund.

Where does Zhao An get the money to refund?

All the money was given to him as a share of the cake.

The hired teachers might back out, worried that they won't get paid and will have to leave.

If there are no teachers, who will teach the students?

In short, this matter has a significant impact.

Therefore, Zhao An's evaluation of Vice Principal Ma's abilities rose considerably, and he felt that Ma could be his successor.

He will be the next professor at Yangzhou Prefectural School.

He won't be able to hold this professorship for much longer.

As Professor Lou once said, committee members are officials appointed on a temporary basis. Once their term expires, the court will reclaim their authority, and nine out of ten officials who serve as committee members will be promoted.

Zhao An's academic qualifications were not very strong, he was not very old, and his seniority was also much weaker, so the old master would not promote him to the position of provincial education commissioner.

Teacher Lou gave two relatively reliable analyses. One was that Zhao An was transferred to the Imperial Academy for his meritorious service in promoting the policy of allowing students to study elsewhere, which was the best way for an academic official to get promoted.

Spending a few years studying at the Imperial Academy greatly increases one's chances of entering the Hanlin Academy. If one's performance evaluation after completing their studies at the Hanlin Academy is good, they might even become a Reader-in-Waiting.

If you can get to this level, you really have a chance to become a high-ranking official.

Even at the worst, one could still retire as a third-rank official.

The second possibility is that he was transferred from a civil service position to a local government position.

Zhao An is currently a seventh-rank professor, and also a supervisory committee member equivalent to an imperial envoy. Therefore, he will not be directly transferred to the position of county magistrate of the same rank, as this would be a demotion rather than a promotion. Thus, there is a high probability that he will be promoted one or two ranks to become the prefect of a directly governed prefecture, or the director of a directly governed hall.

Prefect or Circuit Intendant? No need to even think about it.

His rank is too high, his power too great; countless people are waiting in line.

But Zhao An thought, why can't I think about it?

You can't look at the old man from a normal person's perspective.

What if the old master thinks that Xiao Zhao is good at making money for him, and is both loyal and filial, and really rewards him with a position as a Daotai (a high-ranking official)?

The old man had a fit of madness a few years ago.

He promoted a common soldier directly to the rank of general, a second-grade official.

He's been promoted fourteen ranks!
Therefore, anything is possible.

To ensure he could once again be favored by the old master and become a rising star in the Qing Dynasty's officialdom, Zhao An just gave He Zhongtang a tribute of 80,000 taels of silver.

Let time tell.

He didn't plan to tell his wife about his month-long imprisonment. The matter was over, and he hadn't gotten into any trouble. Telling her would only upset her.

He tiptoed into the room and suddenly hugged the young lady from behind. This action startled the timid young lady, who opened her mouth to scream. Fortunately, Zhao An covered her mouth in one swift motion. When she realized that the person hugging her was her husband, the young lady was even more delighted than Vice Principal Ma and the others.

What should we do at this time?

Talking while embracing?

No, we must be intimate. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Why do people say that couples who quarrel in bed make up before they get out of bed?

How to combine them?
Isn't it enough to relieve a thousand worries in a day?

Zhao An had been holding back for so long, and his anger was finally about to burst forth.

As a result, the young lady stubbornly covered her mouth and wouldn't let him touch her.

She was afraid that her hot-tempered husband would exert himself too much and cause her to miscarry.

Zhao An was so anxious that he tried to coax and deceive him, saying that it would be fine if he did it lightly. In the end, he compromised and said that he would only let his head in.

After a lot of rambling, I finally got what I wanted.

The young lady was genuinely worried, and she reached out and forcefully pinched Zhao An's hand, stopping him in his tracks.

It's like controlling the scene.

The whole process was like a movie playing at a much slower speed. When it was almost time, Zhao An couldn't take it anymore and desperately buckled up.

Perfect in an instant.

Afterwards, he took out two gold hairpins, each weighing about two ounces, from his pocket and stuck them into the young woman's hair.

It was given by Tong Xundao.

Old Tong was quite thoughtful. Knowing that the headmaster might have forgotten to buy a gift for his wife, he took the gold hairpin that he originally intended to give to his lover and presented it to the headmaster instead.

"You said you were only going to put the head in, why did you have to put it all the way in just now? What if you hurt the child?"

The young woman grumbled as she cleaned herself, occasionally touching her belly.

Zhao An found it amusing; it's only been a month or so, at most it's an embryo, why be so nervous?

He hugged her tightly and lovingly for a while, then looked at his sleeping daughter Xiaoxiao before finally falling asleep himself.

The next morning, after breakfast, I went straight to the Ganquan County Government Office.

They're here to settle scores with Lao Ding.

When Zhao An arrived, Old Ding hadn't gotten up yet. Upon learning that his prospective grandson-in-law had returned, he quickly got dressed and went to the study.

Before Old Ding could even speak, Zhao An angrily said, "I've been through such a terrible thing, and you didn't even come to see me, but you could at least send someone to check on me! Do you know how I survived over a month in jail?! Let me tell you, I almost starved to death!"

Old Ding was taken aback by what he said, then chuckled and said, "What's so interesting? You're not going to die."

"Uh?"

Zhao An was speechless at Lao Ding's nonchalant words.

"You were promoted by the Emperor, and your academic title was also bestowed by the Emperor. You've also established connections with the Imperial Household Department and the Grand Secretary. Is it the Emperor who can get you into trouble, or the Grand Secretary? And that Provincial Education Commissioner, why did he have to pick a fight with you for no reason? In the end, the old master became a vice minister. He lost out big time."

Old Ding yawned irritably. He was very grumpy when he woke up, and if it weren't for his future grandson-in-law disturbing his sleep, he might have given someone else a good beating.

Zhao Anti was speechless for a moment, then muttered, "Your political acumen is quite high now."

"."

Old Ding was speechless, not understanding what it meant.

He casually picked up a feather duster and started sweeping the dust off the desk, saying as he swept, "Go and tidy up quickly."

"what?"

Zhao An changed into a new official robe made by a tailor, and wore new official boots. The young lady said he looked very smart, and asked how much more he should dress.

Old Ding put down the feather duster and, in the tone of an elder, told Zhao An that the house had been bought and everything in the house was ready, and that they would get married today.

"So urgent?"

After glancing at Old Ding, who was now looking at him with the eyes of a grandfather, Zhao An thought for a moment and asked weakly, "Are you in such a hurry for me to marry your granddaughter because you think I, as a committee member, am destined to become a governor or a prime minister? Or even a minister or a high-ranking official? So you're taking advantage of my cheap price to buy me into your Ding family?"

(End of this chapter)