Four red lanterns hung at the entrance of the Agricultural Administration Office, lending a festive air to the New Year. Zhang Tie's arrival immediately set everyone in the office bustling.
Elder Mu An had only recently assumed office as You Province's Minister of Agriculture, and he was not presently in the Agricultural Administration Office. Thus, the ones who came forward to receive Zhang Tie were the Agricultural Vice Minister, the highest-ranking official currently in the office, and two departmental vice ministers.
The Agricultural Vice Minister was the Minister of Agriculture's deputy. This post, too, was presently held by a deacon from Huaiyuan Hall, while the departmental vice ministers were the heads of the various departments under the You Province Agricultural Administration Office.
In an imposing flower hall within the Agricultural Administration Office, Zhang Tie leisurely drank tea and chatted with the Agricultural Vice Minister and the two departmental vice ministers while everyone else hurried about. Within mere minutes, a land registry official from the office entered carrying a stack of documents and placed them before Zhang Tie.
The Agricultural Vice Minister waved the land registry official away, then personally began introducing the pile of documents to Zhang Tie.
"Elder Mu Shen, this is the master deed for the lands you purchased. With this master deed, any land deeds you draw up when you later wish to subdivide and sell those lands will be legal. This is the transaction document approved by the You Province Agricultural Administration Office, this is the receipt for your land purchase, and this is the map of that land that the Agricultural Administration Office has just drawn up..."
As the Agricultural Vice Minister spoke, Zhang Tie picked up the documents one by one and examined them. The land deed was made of a material similar to