A Steady Stream Flows Long

Outside the Prefectural Office, the crowd erupted in uproar.

Who is Liang Qu?

He is a famous figure from the River Conservancy Office! Not to mention his previous deeds of killing bandits and destroying the Whale Gang, he also won a swimming contest against Wei Shao that day, despite being a whole realm apart. It was no small feat.

He knew everyone in the River Conservancy Office, whether they knew them or not, whether they wanted to be part of the community or not.

The Eighth Rank River Earl, Galloping Horse Martial Master, was a disciple of Yang Dongxiong, the Hunting Tiger Great Martial Master in Ping Yang County and the head of the River Conservancy Office...

His fame at such a young age was truly remarkable. Many people Qi Ingestion his ability to become a seventh-rank Dushui Official, seeing him as a role model for the rise of the common people.

But... not everyone.

Wei Lin's side, in particular, was already at odds with Wei Lin, and upon hearing the contents of the reward, they had many complaints.

How old is Liang Qu? Has he come of age yet? Putting aside his Great Merit, he has been promoted two ranks to the seventh grade and even has a fourth-grade Dragon Blood Horse. Isn't that too generous?

The River Conservancy Office was not a purely military office; those with the strongest abilities rose quickly and to higher positions.

It includes elements of clerical work.

Why did the Da Shun Dynasty hold the imperial Imperial Examination?

The principle is very simple: a person with great power may not necessarily know how to govern a place.

Even in the military camp, if you want to become a general, you have to understand military strategy. If you only know how to charge headlong, you can at most become a vanguard general!

Aside from the martial arts aspects of dealing with Water Beast and the Ghost Mother Sect, the River Conservancy Office also has jurisdiction over civil affairs such as water conservancy construction, river management, and water control and dredging.

Those two River Opening Ox are still helping to clear irrigation channels for summer planting in the fields today.

In addition, some people were dissatisfied, not because Liang Qu was young and did not command respect, but because they felt it was unfair.

The Ghost Mother Sect has a total of eighteen branches. How can you jump two ranks after wiping out just one branch? Once the entire Ghost Mother Sect Ghost Mother Sect is wiped out, will the nine-rank, eighteen-level official system be enough for him to advance? Besides, Liang Qu's main role on the battlefield was merely to provide support with arrows. It can't be said that his role was insignificant, but he never engaged in close combat, risked his life, or experienced true danger. What do the other Martial Master with missing limbs think?

In short, some people Qi Ingestion, while others are Qi Ingestion.

There were many reasons for their Qi Ingestion, and the various expressions of discontent were endless. So much so that even before the envoy from Southern Zhili had finished reading the official announcement, some discussion had already begun below.

A simple country bumpkin, yet utterly fearless! A terrifying surge of murderous intent erupted and splashed forth, thick and viscous as if it were a tangible substance.

The few people who had spoken up felt as if they had fallen into an ice cave, their legs trembling and collapsing.

The line was so tight that they were blocked by people in front of and behind them, so they were half-squatting and half-lying down. Some were unlucky and fell to the ground as they stood on the sides of the line.

No one dared to help.

The sound of the tide is faint and clear.

Silence returned.

"Please excuse my poor performance."

Wei Lin cupped his hands, his face expressionless.

The middle-aged man had heard of Wei Lin's style, and even in the Imperial Court there was often a commotion, with people arguing until their faces turned red. He didn't care about the "unorthodox" people present and continued reading.

Liang Qu's eyes gleamed as he stood in the queue.

"A person's name is like the shadow of a tree..."

Needless to say, no one turned to look at him in front of him, but he could feel many eyes on him from behind.

There were clearly two other people before him, and their rewards were similar, except that they didn't have the Dragon Blood Horse. No one spoke up about it.

There's no other reason than that he's not very famous, so naturally he receives less attention.

Not to mention that Liang Qu himself was somewhat surprised.

I thought I would only get promoted one rank at most, but I never expected to jump two ranks and get a fourth-rank Dragon Blood Horse Grade-Raising Pill. It was really unexpected.

Dragon Blood Horse are a symbol of honor, and many people would rather forgo a Great Merit in order to own one.

Southern Zhili is really generous.

How did Xu Yuelong write his application for commendation?

I'll learn from this another day. No matter how much others say, it's not as good as having an extra mouthful of rice in my bowl.

After the middle-aged man finished reading, Xu Yuelong stepped forward and invited him to rest in the Prefectural Office.

"It's hot, Lord Pei. You've come from afar. Why don't you stop by for a while and have Iced Milk Drink to cool off?"

The middle-aged man waved another booklet, politely declining the man's thanks.

"I will go to the River Conservancy Office first. The Demon Subduing Division has not yet received its reward, so it is not convenient for me to stay any longer."

"I see. It is not appropriate to keep my colleagues in the Demon Subduing Division waiting for long. I respectfully see you off, sir."

Xu Yuelong bowed deeply.

"Congratulations, my lord."

Everyone bowed together.

The middle-aged man nodded, mounted his horse, and led most of the procession away, leaving a small number of accompanying officials to distribute rewards.

Several Record Keeper flipped through the roster and called out names.

Liang Qu was among the first to hear his name called. When he came forward, he received a small sandalwood box, an identity document, a token, a seal, official robes, and so on.

The official distributing the rewards asked Liang Qu to check for any omissions or errors.

The token and seal were both in order. Liang Qu opened the sandalwood box containing the Dragon Blood Horse Grade-Raising Pill and looked surprised.

"What a huge pill!"

He thought that swallowing Qilin Pill the size of a human eye was already quite large, and that his throat felt uncomfortable afterward. He never expected that the Dragon Blood Horse's Grade-Raising Pill was the size of Fist! A horse's throat isn't that thick, is it?

"Won't he choke to death?" Liang Qu looked up at the Record Keeper had given him the box.

"How should I feed it? Should I swallow it whole?"

Upon hearing this, the Record Keeper bowed and said, "Lord Liang, the Grade-Raising Pill is not to be swallowed whole. It should be crushed and mixed into the fodder, or made into a paste, so that the Dragon Blood Horse can swallow it all. But rest assured, this is something we should do. Please wait a moment."

"Thank you for your trouble."

"You're too kind, Lord Liang."

The Record Keeper bowed, quickly arranged the matters at hand, and while his colleagues were still distributing items, he took another minor official to the River Conservancy Office Stable.

When Liang Qu came, he rode Red Mountain. During the several hours of waiting, he naturally left it in the stables of the River Conservancy Office, where the River Conservancy Office servants looked after it.

On the way, the Record Keeper bowed and congratulated him. "Lord Liang a young hero. He has risen to the seventh rank before he even reached adulthood. He is truly the envy of others."

"What's so enviable about it? As you can see, there are many who disagree."

"Those who know others are wise; those who know themselves are enlightened. As for those who are neither wise nor enlightened, Lord Liang need not concern himself with them."

Moreover, from my observation of people below, there are many who are dissatisfied, and quite a few who are satisfied. The reason why some people can talk about it now is simply because Lord Liang's official rank is not high enough to control them. If he were promoted two more ranks and become the Hengshui Envoy, who would dare to object?

They're nothing but frogs in a well, completely unaware of Lord Liang's achievements. You should know that in Southern Zhili, Lord Liang's reputation is far greater than it is in Ping Yang County.

Liang Qu asked, puzzled, "What do you mean?"

He was a well-known figure in Yi Xing Town, having accomplished many things. As for the situation in Southern Zhili, he had never even been there himself.

The Record Keeper was surprised. "Has Lord Liang forgotten about the Pinyin Method? After the summer solstice this year, almost all the academies in the entire Southern Zhili began to implement this system."

Everyone who teaches literacy uses this method; even my son knows it. Learning characters using Pinyin Method is extremely convenient.

"That's how you obtained your Grade 4 Grade-Raising Pill, didn't you know?"

Liang Qu looked completely bewildered.

He really didn't know, and even thought that the Grade-Raising Pill was given to him by his superiors because of his good performance at the River Conservancy Office.

This is the third time, right?

The first time, it was given to Red Mountain, who became the River God of the River Conservancy Office and River Earl.

The second time, I was promoted to Da Zao Marquis, even if it was low, it was still a rank.

"It's a fourth-grade Dragon Blood Horse right now, will there be any lingering effects?" Liang Qu boldly speculated.

No matter how fast the Pinyin Method is, it still takes most children about a year to learn to read.

He had a good foundation and received systematic education in his previous life, which allowed him to complete the recognition in two or three months.

This reward is truly a steady, long-term commitment.