Military Official Appointment

After reading the letter.

Wei Tu felt a bit surprised. The four brothers had stood against Prefect He together back then, deciding not to join Wu Yun Tower, and had endured considerable pressure.

Now that they had already offended Prefect He, joining Wu Yun Tower would seem rather unwise.

"Then why did Fu Zhizhou mention it? Could it be because... the elders of Wu Yun Tower set their price too high..."

After much thought, Wei Tu found this speculation to be the most plausible.

Every year, the Martial Scholars were the elite of a county, with bright futures. If Wu Yun Tower hadn't asked for too much, other Martial Scholars wouldn't have joined this major Martial Way sect, becoming thorns in the side of the government.

"To waver between two minds is to court disaster. No matter how high Wu Yun Tower's price, I will resolutely refuse!"

Wei Tu's resolve was firm.

After reading the letter, Wei Tu pondered for a short while, then threw Fu Zhizhou's letter into the charcoal basin, destroying it immediately.

The next day.

Wei Fei came calling, and he and Wei Tu plotted for half a day.

First, they unified their stance on refusing Wu Yun Tower, then they discussed the matter of the "appointment letter" for a short while. They decided to bring gifts together to find Jian Liang, a clerk of the Household Registry Office, to inquire about some inside information.

Seven or eight days had passed since the two of them changed their martial status, but they still hadn't received their "appointment letter" from the County Yamen.

This timing was rather late compared to previous years.

While giving gifts, Wei Fei noticed Wei Tu's financial difficulties and suggested that he buy two sets of gifts this time. Once Wei Tu's official salary came in, he would treat Wei Tu to a good meal to settle the matter.

Hearing this, Wei Tu didn't insist. After thanking Wei Fei, he went with him to the west market of the county town to purchase gifts.

Thus.

Each of them cut three catties of mutton and two catties of pork, carried a few boxes of pastries, and went to Jian Liang's house to pay a visit.

Seeing the generous gifts, Jian Liang was very accommodating and immediately revealed the reason why the County Yamen had been slow to grant them their official positions.

"Brother Wei, as a Second-class Martial Scholar, according to the usual practice of previous years, you should be granted the position of Yasi. This is a miscellaneous official, a civil post within the military, not ranked, but it's a good job within the garrison troops, sheltered from wind and rain..."

"And Brother Wei, as a Third-class Martial Scholar, although the official position granted to you is not as good as Brother Wei's, you will also receive a military envoy for rewarding merit and punishing faults."

"But now..."

At this point, Jian Liang shook his head and pointed in the direction of the prefectural city.

"Brothers, have you offended any important figures in the prefectural city?" he asked in a low voice.

Clerks are like iron, officials come and go.

The Jian family had been clerks for generations in Qingshan County. Although not exceptionally wealthy in the county town, their connections were intricate, and they were not afraid of the distant officials from the prefectural city.

Therefore, Jian Liang spoke without much reservation.

"Offended someone?"

"We haven't offended anyone?"

Wei Tu and Wei Fei had already suspected Prefect He's suppression of them when they came. Thus, they had prepared their story and were ready.

When speaking, they feigned ignorance.

Seeing this, Jian Liang immediately understood. He nodded secretly and pointed out a way forward for Wei Tu and Wei Fei.

"The garrison troops of Qingshan County are all managed by County Lieutenant Xu, and Madam Xu has always been greedy for money. Brother Wei and Brother Wei can find Steward Liu at the Xu Residence and offer some money."

"However, the money offered is only to get your appointment letters issued. As for whether your specific official positions will be Yasi or military envoy, that's hard to say."

He said.

Upon hearing this.

Wei Tu and Wei Fei immediately expressed their gratitude to Jian Liang. Wei Fei then took out a silver ingot from his money pouch and slipped it into Jian Liang's hand.

"Thank you, Brother Jian, for showing my brothers and me a way."

Wei Fei bowed and thanked him.

It's easier to get things done when you have connections in the yamen.

Without the path Jian Liang pointed out, even if they had gone to give gifts, they would have had difficulty finding the right channels.

"We are all colleagues. I help you today, and you will help me in the future." Jian Liang chuckled and returned the silver ingot in his hand to Wei Fei.

"I'll accept the gifts, but you don't need to give me the silver."

He added.

Leaving Jian Liang's house.

Wei Tu and Wei Fei decided that the sooner the better, so they immediately went to a jewelry shop in the county town. After selecting their gifts, they went to the Xu Residence where County Lieutenant Xu lived.

After taking care of Steward Liu at the Xu Residence, Wei Tu and Wei Fei had Steward Liu deliver the gifts they had chosen to Madam Xu.

That afternoon, they received word that Madam Xu had asked them to wait at home, and that the County Yamen's appointment letters would be issued soon.

The next day.

While practicing his Stance Training at home, Wei Tu received the appointment letter delivered by a soldier from the garrison troops.

He opened it to read.

The letter bore the three large characters: "Commander."

"The official position has dropped by one rank. This must be the County Yamen's response to the Prefectural Yamen, they can't truly ignore Prefect He..."

Wei Tu mused.

Only a Third-class Martial Scholar would be granted the military official rank of "Commander."

He, being a Second-class Martial Scholar, was supposed to be appointed to the rank of "Yasi."

"The appointment is secondary. The County Yamen can't keep delaying things. Prefect He's true suppression of us four lies in our promotion..."

Wei Tu sighed inwardly.

For Martial Scholars like them who participated in the Martial Arts Examination and achieved success, they were highly sought after by the local garrison troops. After being appointed as miscellaneous officials, their promotion speed was not slow.

Within ten years, they could hope to become ninth-rank officials.

Within twenty years, they could hope to become eighth-rank officials.

However, due to Prefect He's interference, if they didn't get an opportunity in this lifetime, they would be stuck at the bottom of the garrison troops until death, with no hope of promotion.

Even if Prefect He was transferred out of Qing Feng Prefecture after a year, it would be of no use.

Within the system, if you don't do anything, you won't make mistakes.

In Qing Feng Prefecture's officialdom, Prefect He still had his old acquaintances. Therefore, even after Prefect He was gone and forgotten, the little bit of residual influence he had could still suppress Martial Scholars from humble dwellings like them, preventing them from ever getting ahead in life.

"But... I am different."

"As long as I pass the next Provincial Examination and Martial Arts Examination and become a Martial Graduate, the officialdom of Qing Feng Prefecture won't be able to suppress me!"

Wei Tu's eyes gleamed, and he struck the willow tree planted in the courtyard with a palm, splitting it in two.

A Martial Graduate from the Provincial Examination would be granted an official position.

The Martial Arts Examination Top Scholar would be awarded a seventh-rank military official position, the same rank as a local County Magistrate.

The top twenty would be granted an eighth-rank official position, the same rank as a subordinate official in the County Yamen.

Once his Health Cultivation Technique was perfected, and he cultivated internal energy from the outside in, entering the Qi Sensing Realm, and placing within the top twenty of the Martial Arts Examination, it would not be difficult.

"I'll endure for three years first."

Wei Tu walked into the house and asked Xinghua to carefully store his appointment letter.

"Commander..."

"Brother Wei, you've finally made something of yourself."

Xinghua saw the appointment letter and reacted differently from Wei Tu. She didn't understand the intricacies of military official appointments.

"Yes, I've made something of myself."

Seeing the smile on Xinghua's face, Wei Tu's inner gloom vanished by more than half, and his mindset returned to peace.

Yes, he had been suppressed by Prefect He.

But compared to last year, his status and class had clearly leaped forward by a large margin, and his life had also undergone earth-shattering changes...

There was no need to dwell too much on these minor matters.

After all, he possessed the "Late Bloomer" Destiny. In a few years, he would be able to turn things around again. Dwelling on these minor matters would only bring him annoyance and nothing else.