Do you know: I should be fat and you should be thin!

next day!

As usual, Yu Yanran personally helped Zhou Ning put on his official robes and watched him leave the courtyard!

"Lead the way, I need to see Chief Wei," Yu Yanran said to Xiaoqing.

Xiaoqing dared not say no, and took the lady to Banmu Yunlu!

When Wei Zhi saw Yu Yanran arrive, she remained calm, performed the greeting, and stood respectfully with her hands at her sides, not sitting on equal footing with her.

"All of you, get out!" Yu Yanran ordered.

Xiaoqing, Xiaomei, and Xiaoma all withdrew upon hearing this.

"Please sit down," Yu Yanran said.

Wei Zhi then sat down, personally served her tea, and said, "Madam Zhou, it's been a long time."

"So this is Xiao Ma. My husband treats you very well." Yu Yanran said with a hint of jealousy.

He had only four trusted maids in total, and he brought three with him to Tianchang County. He himself only had two, but a concubine who had not yet entered the household was also given one.

Even though she had accepted his taking a concubine, she was still a little jealous.

"Madam looks much healthier and more radiant. She must be happier and more carefree now than when she was in the Yu family mansion," Wei Zhi asked.

Yu Yanran said, "You cannot become a man's mistress; it will affect his future."

"Did Ninglang tell you that I was his mistress?" Wei Zhi asked.

Yu Yanran was a little nervous, but forced herself to remain calm and said, "Otherwise what? Could it be his concubine? I don't remember ever having concubine tea!"

"Madam, you cried last night, didn't you? The marks are still there!" Wei Zhi said.

Yu Yanran was startled. She had clearly checked this morning and there were no traces.

"Please don't worry, Madam. I come from a humble background and have seen all kinds of people. Ning Lang is definitely special; he would never do something like favoring a concubine over his wife. I only care about his kindness and want to do some small things for him that I can. I believe you can accept me, right?" Wei Zhi asked.

Yu Yanran sighed, "Now that things have come to this, how can I refuse? What kind of contract do you want to sign, and how much?"

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, taking a concubine was a lifelong contract of servitude!

According to regulations, doctors of the rank of Daifu are not allowed to have more than three concubines. High-ranking officials may have their restrictions appropriately relaxed, but violations will still be investigated and held accountable.

There are also concubine contracts, with a standard term of three years. The contract will specify the price, term of service, content of service, ownership of offspring, and conditions for termination. After the term of service is completed, the concubine can be restored to the status of a free person.

"A contract will do for one string of cash," Wei Zhi said.

Yu Yanran asked in surprise, "Are you sure?"

"Sure!"

......

Zhou Ning finished his official duties for the day and returned to Shanyue Xianting in the evening!

"You're here too? What's going on here...?"

Zhou Ning watched the two women exchanging embroidery tips with a pleasant surprise.

Yu Yanran said, "You should go back first!"

After bowing, Wei Zhi gave Zhou Ning a reassuring look and left with Xiao Ma.

"My wife, I've missed you so much!" Zhou Ning picked up Yu Yan and spun her around!

"You only think of me?" Yu Yanran asked.

Zhou Ning said, "I have thought about her, but most of the time it's my wife. If my wife doesn't believe me, I can swear!"

It's all Sima Yi's fault. Anyone who believes the oath is a fool!

Sima Yi: "..."

"No need! This is a copy of the contract. Go and stamp it." Yu Yanran handed the contract to Zhou Ning.

Taking a concubine is essentially a legal human transaction. After the transaction, a copy of the contract must be submitted to the government for verification and stamping to complete the registration process.

Otherwise, the transaction will not be protected by law, and the person may be held accountable for illegally buying and selling people.

Zhou Ning was an official, so naturally he couldn't have such a stain on his record.

However, there are also a large number of unregistered "white contracts" in the common people of the Great Zhou Dynasty. However, when disputes arise, these contracts are difficult to obtain official support.

Zhou Ning asked, "Why is it one string of cash?"

"Your husband did this good deed, why are you asking me about it?" Yu Yanran said, embarrassed and annoyed.

God knows how you managed to get that courtesan to willingly sell herself as a concubine.

"My lady is so kind. I still have several thousand taels of silver in my private treasury, and I am willing to hand it all over to you to manage," Zhou Ning said, moved.

Achieving the goal of having one wife and one concubine, how wonderful!

"My lord, you should keep it for yourself... um... no, you're still injured."

"Then I'll lie still, you do it yourself!"

......

The following day, Zhou Ning verified and stamped the contract, completing the registration.

Wei Zhi kowtowed to Yu Yanran and offered tea as a gesture of respect.

Yu Yanran drank the tea meant for her concubine and allowed her name to be recorded in the family genealogy.

With a great weight lifted from his heart, Zhou Ning gave the two women some instructions and then set about working hard to achieve political success!

He spent his mornings overseeing the construction of water conservancy facilities, and at noon patiently persuading displaced people to settle down and increase the county's population. In the afternoons, after presiding over court cases, he personally led teams to apprehend thieves. He was so busy all day that he was practically running around naked; you could only see him at night!

Yu Yanran was both pleased and distressed to see that Zhou Ning had not become obsessed with women after taking a concubine, but instead had become even more diligent in his duties.

Since Wei Zhi started helping her manage the household servants and handle daily chores, she has become increasingly relaxed.

In the end, she only kept the family finances in her own hands, and simply handed over all other rights to Wei Zhi, living a carefree life like Old Mrs. Yu.

A year has passed!

It was the seventh month of the sixth year of the Jiayou era!

Due to a severe drought in March, the autumn harvest in Yangzhou's counties has decreased by 50%!

Mu Qiufeng, the prefect of Yangzhou, looked at the reports from various counties, shaking his head as he read each one.

Everyone used waterwheels to irrigate the fields and relied on manpower to draw water from rivers and canals, but this only reduced the losses caused by the drought; none of them were any good!

It wasn't until he opened the report from Tianchang County that Mu Qiufeng finally couldn't sit still any longer!

The harvest is 20% higher than last year! (The wasteland has been reclaimed.)

He carefully read the contents of the report. Zhou Ning wrote that he and his colleagues had built 46 convenient wells last year, and this year the number had reached 106.

He painstakingly drew water from the river and canals in advance and sealed the wells for most of the public use, saving manpower and effort.

Each sealed well can provide irrigation for more than 20 acres of farmland for two months!

The local water wells have been consistently short of water, leaving the entire county with nowhere to drain water in case of floods!

"No wonder he's clearly a capable man, yet he didn't do well in Tianchang County last year! This year he's given us a real surprise! I must petition the court to commend him!"

Mu Qiufeng was in a great mood, so he ground the ink and began to write!

He can finally report back to his superiors; at worst, he'll be transferred to a lateral position!

Second Hall of the Tianchang County Government Office!

"Your Excellency, to this day, our county has reclaimed over two hundred mu more wasteland than last year. The displaced people have been properly resettled, adding over three thousand households to our county, bringing the total population to over ten thousand. I believe Your Excellency will certainly reward us if you know this!" said Registrar Wang congratulatingly.

"Indeed, this year, only Tianchang County in the entire Yangzhou has fully completed the tax collection quota stipulated by the imperial court. Under the leadership of the county magistrate, the county is safe and secure, and thieves have disappeared. It is truly a relief and a pleasure for me! Colleagues, I propose that we all toast the county magistrate!" said Magistrate Gao.

"Please, Your Excellency!" the officials said with a smile.

Zhou Ning, offering tea instead of wine, laughed and said, "Congratulations! It's all thanks to the help of my colleagues and the cooperation of the people. However, the drought is not over yet, so we cannot be careless. Our water reserves are almost empty, barely enough to get through this year's autumn harvest. I hope the rain will come soon and stop the suffering of the people of our Great Zhou."

I can only take a shower once a week for a month, it's so miserable!

We're modern people who love cleanliness, how can we stand it?

It smells amazing!

Zhou Ning paid for his colleagues' three-day team-building activity out of his own pocket, and then went back to spend time with his wife.

This year has been too busy. Wei Zhi is still considerate, but the gentle Yu Yanran is becoming increasingly difficult to coax.

There was nothing she could do; a year had passed and she still hadn't gotten pregnant, and Madam Zhou was getting anxious!

Fortunately, Wei Zhi's belly showed no signs of pregnancy, otherwise it's hard to say whether Yu Yanran would be crying every day!

Another year has passed!

Mid-August of the seventh year of the Jiayou era!

On this day, the official document issued by the Ministry of Personnel, after being transmitted through local levels, finally reached Zhou Ning.

"Promoted to the position of Supervising Secretary (Fifth Rank)! Return to the capital to assume your post after the new Magistrate of Hua has taken office and handed over the duties!"

......