Putting on Airs

At Shang Rao Wharf Yi Xing Town Yixing Town, a gentle river breeze blows, and fine, continuous waves lap against the bluestone, reflecting the white light of the sky.

As the multi-story ship passed by the dock, its banners waving, it attracted the attention of the fishermen, who forgot to reel in their nets.

"What a huge ship! It must be at least thirty feet long! Where did this big shot come from, acting so grandly?"

"It's probably four or five stories high, even taller than Lang Yun Tower, the tallest building in Ping Yang County! Won't it collapse if it's that tall?"

"Wait! Run! Run! There's Demon Beast! Run!"

A terrified scream echoed across the dock. The fishermen stared in disbelief and saw that the area around the fleet of boats was teeming with giant finless River Dolphin! The fishermen, who had never been to school and had spent their entire lives fishing, had never seen anything like it.

The five- or six-meter-long River Dolphin were bigger than the fishing boats; no man could stand a chance against them. They grabbed the oars and hurriedly fled to the shore.

"Don't panic, folks! The River Dolphin is not Demon Beast and won't harm you! It's even more docile than a dog!"

A merchant ship drew closer to the dock, and the young men on board shouted loudly.

The fishermen were taken aback.

Those who dared to take a closer look could see that the River Dolphin, though seemingly chaotic, were actually in a well-organized manner, protecting the two large ships in the middle.

The people on the merchant ship seemed completely unfazed, some drinking, others enjoying the river breeze, showing no sign of alarm at the sight of the Demon Beast.

"Wow, even fish can be tamed? Martial Master arts masters are truly Divine Ability!"

The fleeing fishing boats stopped one after another, whispering among themselves.

"I heard that the River Dolphin is not a fish."

"Nonsense, why would a fish swim in the water? Stop yelling."

"River Dolphin River Dolphin, it's like a pig in the river!"

"When will my son be able to achieve that? Those two from the Li Family and Chen Clan both broke through their cultivation levels yesterday and today, and they're also Martial Artist now. They're saying they're going to throw a banquet!"

"The Li Family and Chen Clan are nothing compared to the Liang Family. I heard they've all become officials! They ride big red horses every day, so powerful and imposing! Their old little house has been renovated into a three-courtyard house. I even helped them with the roof tiles! It's like their ancestors' graves are emitting auspicious Green Smoke."

"That's right. My sons are half as good as him. I can't sleep at night and I often wake up laughing in the middle of the night."

"Hey, things change so fast. This morning someone bought something at the market but didn't pay. They went to the Village Elder to argue, and guess what? The elder just spat at them and ignored them completely."

"Is that so?"

"There are too many people, Village Elder is no use anymore."

"That's right. I heard the person who moved in next door is Martial Artist. Would Martial Artist listen to the Village Elder?"

A fisherman stood at the bow of his boat, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Brother! Where did the boat come from, and where is it going?"

The one who responded was still the young man who told his fellow villager not to panic.

"We're heading from the Imperial Capital! We're heading to Ping Yang County! See those warships? They're full of officials from the River Conservancy Office!"

"River Conservancy Office, does that mean we won't have to worry about Water Demon anymore? Can we fish in deeper waters?"

"Ping Yang County, come quick, let's go see what's going on!"

"Call some men, there are so many ships, they can work as laborers and earn a good living!"

Fishing boats joined the fleet.

When merchants inquired about their catch, the fishermen seized the opportunity to sell one or two Big Fish.

As they approached Ping Yang County, every household in the county came ashore to watch the spectacle, just like in Yi Xing Town.

Tens of thousands of people lined up in rows would be dazzling, let alone a fleet of tens of thousands of ships, an unparalleled spectacle.

From afar, two large ships could be seen linked together by iron chains. Each ship had two small boats lowered into the dock, with two soldiers rowing each boat. They sped towards the shore like arrows and glided into the newly built dock.

The soldier took out several long bamboo poles and inserted them into the water to check the depth, then nodded to the other soldier.

Several small red flags were held in the hands of the soldiers, who stood up and gave a signal.

The signalman on the ship responded by waving a flag, and commands were passed down. The sails were lowered, the anchor was lowered, and long oars extended from the side of the ship. Under the control of the sailors, the ship slid very smoothly into the dock.

As the massive ship, hundreds of meters long, slid into the dock, the crowd on the shore was so awestruck by its imposing presence that they all retreated.

The long ladder slid down.

"A remote and impoverished place, inhabited by ignorant villagers."

At the bow of the ship, Wei Lin, wearing Que Jin Qiu, looked down at the ship, his face hidden in the shadows of the ship's deck, making it impossible to discern his emotions.

Ping Yang County was a first-class prosperous county in the entire Huaiyin Prefecture, with everything one could need.

But for Duke Wei Lin, who came from the Imperial Capital, that was a remote and impoverished rural area.

Looking around, there were no pavilions or towers more than ten feet high, let alone those hundred-foot-tall pavilions built with Treasure Wood.

In the entire county, the ship beneath him was the tallest, standing at the very top.

Looking down, one could see that Yang Dongxiong, the local historian, Yu Dun, the County Commandant, had received the news and were waiting for him early in the morning.

For a long time, no one disembarked.

The people were talking about it.

Yu Dun glanced at Yang Dongxiong's expression and asked in a low voice, "Didn't the envoy say it was an acquaintance? This..."

If we're really acquaintances, why would they put on such airs?

Enemy? Yang Dongxiong shook his head, indicating that he didn't know either. The envoy only said that there was an acquaintance, but did not specify who it was. Moreover, he had been away from officialdom for a long time, and the information he could get from the court was very limited.

On the ship, Wei Shaozi, dressed in black, knelt on one knee.

"Godfather, shall we disembark?"

After gazing at the river for a long time, Wei Lin waved his arm, lifted his cloak, and walked into the room.

"Let my boots get dirty, and tell them I've been running around for a long time, I'm exhausted, I'm not going to get off!"

"Yes!"

Another multi-story ship.

Ran Zhongshi looked at the guards. "Haven't you found Big Brother Xu yet?"

"This humble servant is ashamed."

A woman in a light blue dress stood to one side. "Brother, shall we go down first?"

Ran Zhongshi shook his head. "No, if the chief and deputy commanders don't show up, what kind of order would we make? If we really do it, we'll only be ridiculed for not knowing manners, and those people are waiting to see us make a fool of ourselves."

If Wei Lin doesn't step down, how can they overstep their bounds and take over?

River Conservancy Office were impassable, even the merchants on the merchant ships couldn't disembark.

For a moment, the entire wharf fell into an eerie silence. Countless large ships docked, but no one disembarked.

Ran Ying said dejectedly, "Are we just going to have to wait forever?"

"We can only wait."

"Hey, what's wrong with Big Brother Xu? He's so unreliable at crucial moments."

Ran Zhongshi smiled wryly, "If it were up to standard, General Xu wouldn't have sent Big Brother Xu over to hone his skills."

"So you're talking badly about me when I'm not around, huh?" A slightly teasing voice came from behind the two of them.

Ran Zhongshi and Ran Ying turned around in surprise.

"Big Brother Xu, you've finally arrived." Ran Zhongshi breathed Chang Song of relief. Rank is everything, and without Xu Yuelong around, he felt immense pressure. Then he saw Liang Qu beside Xu Yuelong. "And this young man is?"

"Let me introduce you. This is Liang Qu, a disciple of my Uncle Yang, who is the River God of the River Conservancy Office River Earl. These two are the grandson and granddaughter of Marquis Feng Ning, Ran Zhongshi and Ran Ying Ran Zhongshi is your superior, and he has been appointed as a Zuo Ling (a military officer).

The highest leader of the entire River Conservancy Office was the Water River Governor-General, Subordinate First Rank official and a high-ranking official in the imperial court.

The Water River Governor Subordinate Second Rank.

The Shuiheng Commandant was in River Conservancy Office, and Principal Fourth Rank.

Below that are the fifth-rank Zuo Ling (Hengshui Guard, and the sixth-rank Hengshui Envoy.

The seventh-rank Dushui Official; the Eighth Rank River Earl; and the ninth-rank official is the River Chief.

Each rank is divided into principal and deputy ranks, that is, the principal rank and the subordinate rank, and there are often many clerical positions mixed in, such as the story of Yang Dongxiong.

Historical anecdotes are not teachings.

Stories are events from the past, things of yesteryear. In a state, there are officials in charge of governance, just as a prefecture today has a judicial office to manage criminal matters, the laws of which are already detailed in history.

His position was equivalent to an advisor, Principal Fifth Rank official, similar to a "side attendant" or "horse-washing attendant," and it would not be an exaggeration to say that it was a nominal position.

It wasn't that the imperial court couldn't offer better opportunities; with Yang Dongxiong's qualifications, he was more than qualified to be an official with real power.

The emperor mainly considered that Yang Dongxiong had originally requested to resign and return home, and his youngest son had died on the battlefield, so he had made many contributions. The emperor could not bear to burden him with such a task, so he gave him the position of historian.

In the River Conservancy Office, Xu Yuelong served as the deputy commander, which was equivalent to the Subordinate Fourth Rank Shuiheng Commandant.

Ran Zhongshi, being three ranks higher than Liang Qu in Hengshui Guard, was indeed his superior.

Xu Yuelong's move was to make him recognize who the members of his faction were.

Both sides knew the truth and bowed with clasped hands.

Ran Zhongshi pondered for a moment, "Are you the inventor of the Pinyin Method?"

Liang Qu bowed slightly. "It's just trivial stuff, not worth mentioning."

"Brother Liang is too modest. It's not some trivial matter," Ran Zhongshi said with a smile. "I have a younger brother who is in the early stages of his education. He learned the Pinyin Method and can now read any book with pinyin annotations. He learns characters very quickly, several times faster than the Fanqie Method. He is truly a great talent."

Unfortunately, I didn't have such a quick way of learning to read when I was young. It took me two or three years to recognize most of the characters. It's a real pity that this method appeared so late, otherwise I wouldn't have been getting beaten with a stick by my father every few days.

The distance between the two sides immediately closed considerably.

Liang Qu bowed again. "Lord Ran, you flatter me."

"From now on, we're all on the same side, no need for this. Let's hurry down and not keep Uncle Yang waiting!"

Xu Yuelong interrupted, taking the lead in disembarking from the ship.

Seeing that someone had finally come down, the crowd on the pier, who had been standing in the cold wind, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The businessmen were also delighted; they were there to do business, not to engage in politics.

If the business doesn't go through, then what's the point of coming all this way? "Uncle Yang!" Xu Yuelong stepped onto the dock and immediately went forward to pay his respects to Yang Dongxiong, bringing his hands together in front of him and bowing deeply at a ninety-degree angle.

Yang Dongxiong was stunned by being called "uncle." He looked Xu Yuelong up and down carefully several times before tentatively asking, "Yue Long?"

"Hahaha! Uncle Yang, you still remember me!"

Xu Yuelong had no official airs. Born into a military Aristocratic Clan, he had been involved in hunting and gathering since childhood. He was a lawless man and responded loudly.

"So it's you, kid! When I left, you were only a teenager, weren't you? You've grown so much in the blink of an eye! You've become strong and handsome. Have you married yet? How is General Xu doing?"

"I'm unmarried, and my father is well. Before he sent me here, he told me to take a good look at you. You're still as sharp as ever, just like I remembered you from my childhood!"

"Okay, okay!"

Yang Dongxiong was delighted to see an old acquaintance and uttered several "good"s.

He never expected that the acquaintance the envoy mentioned would be his old general's son.

After exchanging pleasantries, Yang Dongxiong, being a man of few words, asked Xu Yuelong why he hadn't disembarked for so long, making him feel embarrassed.

Xu Yuelong bowed in apology, then leaned down and whispered something in Yang Dongxiong's ear.

A glint of light flashed in Yang Dongxiong's eyes.

No wonder they gave him a hard time right from the start.

It turns out the Chief Supervisor someone else!