"Dean Chen!!"
Seeing that the other party had come to visit in person, Liu Xie's heart nearly jumped into his throat. He clearly realized that what his uncle and the others had said was true!
Seeing that Liu Xie had opened the door himself, Chen Ying said directly, "I'm here to inform you that there's a major reshuffling of positions in Liuzhou, concerning the appointment of officials in Earth Yin the Southeast Commandery. Because of your outstanding performance, you've been selected as one of the candidates. A new regent will be coming to report to you tomorrow. Please make sure you hand over your duties properly and set off for Liuzhou as soon as possible."
"Ah?"
"Didn't you understand?" Chen Ying frowned at the other person. She was very busy. She had just returned from Southeast Commandery and had to deal with the research topics that Ziyue had left at the Dragon Palace Academy. She also had to inform these county officials along the way not to miss the selection. She didn't even have time to drink water.
"Ah, no, no, it's just that the news came too suddenly," Liu Xie stammered. "Dean, please come in and have a cup of tea."
"No need," Chen Ying shook her head. "I'm in a hurry to get to Whitewater County, and then I have to go to the West Sea. Just know that, and remember to make sure the handover is done properly and don't disrupt the local people's livelihood."
"Yes, please rest assured, Dean."
"Um!"
Chen Ying responded and then transformed into a streak of green light, disappearing from the spot. Liu Xie was stunned and didn't even have time to ask what precautions should be taken during the selection process of the Underworld.
But thinking about it, the dean is so busy that he probably doesn't have the patience to explain things to him in detail. I should go to Liuzhou as soon as possible and figure out the details!
It took him quite a while to come to his senses. He quickly walked into the inner hall, where the elders hurriedly asked, "Who was that outside just now? Why were you in such a hurry to go and greet them?"
"It's Dean Chen from the Jiangnan Academy!" Liu Xie suppressed his excitement and said, "Uncle, it seems the intelligence you received is true. The dean just informed me that after handing over administrative duties tomorrow, he will immediately go to Liuzhou to participate in this Underworld selection!"
"Is this Dean Chen in person?" Liu Xie's father hurriedly said, "Then why didn't you invite him in for a seat? You child, you have no manners at all, what have I taught you?"
"The Dean was in a hurry to go to the next place and declined my invitation." Liu Xie quickly said, "Father, I'm afraid I can't entertain you here this time. I need to quickly find the Sixth Branch to handle the county government's accounts and other matters. The regent who will replace me will arrive tomorrow, and I need to make handover arrangements as soon as possible."
"Business is more important!" Upon hearing this, Liu Wenlong quickly nodded. "You don't need to worry about us here, go and get on with your work!"
"Yes, then I'll take my leave." With that, Liu Xie bowed to each of the elders before hurrying outside.
" Lao'er, it looks like our family will have to rely on Liu Xie!" Liu Xie's uncle stroked his beard and laughed.
"No, not at all." Liu Wenlong quickly shook his head modestly, "Brother, you heard me. It's just a selection process; whether he gets selected is another matter entirely. Don't flatter that brat to the skies."
Although he said that, anyone with eyes could see that Liu Lao'er's eyes were full of smiles. This was probably the happiest time he had been in the past two years.
"There's a high probability there won't be any problems," said another thin, middle-aged man. "Before we came, didn't we see the list posted in Liuzhou? It's the list of the twenty outstanding regents, and our nephew Liu Xie ranked fourth in terms of achievements. This is a genuine official ranking. Rumor has it that every county in City God southeast will be honored with a City Underworld this time. With our nephew ranking so high, he's sure to be selected."
"How can you say for sure?" Liu Wenlong shook his head with a smile, "We can't be too optimistic until things are finalized."
"That's true." Liu Laoda nodded and said, "But no matter what, His Lord King of Qin has finally come to his senses. We, the students who have studied the classics so diligently, shouldn't be treated like this."
Liu Wenlong sighed as well. His family had been farming and studying for generations and used to be a prominent family in Liuzhou. Now, however, they were almost worse off than a farming family, and many of the younger generation in the family had given up on themselves.
"That's true, but the cultivation of Neo-Confucianism cannot be stopped." Liu Wenlong sighed, "As you have all seen, even if one enters officialdom and wants to achieve political success, one must understand the things taught in academies. Take Liu Xie, for example. If he hadn't been sent to the academy for those few years, how could he have imagined making Luming County rich by cultivating deer?"
"That's true."
The others nodded, but their smiles remained. They weren't afraid to learn new things. Back then, Jiangnan focused on engineering, and their Liu Family was among the first to follow suit. However, engineering required a lot of aptitude and talent, and none of their children had any particular talent in this field, which meant that several promising young men who were originally suited to become officials were now in a state of near-disability.
If Liu Xie can become the City God Underworld, it will greatly inspire future generations. There is more than one path in this world. With this system of promotion in the Underworld, the desire for politics among the common people will surely be rekindled. These old-established official families will finally have a place to use their talents.
Liuzhou was very lively that day.
There are two reasons for the excitement. First, the Lord King of Qin personally announced that this day is the Spirit Return Festival, with Liuzhou as a pilot area, and will be gradually opened up in the future. On this day, spirits from the Underworld can return to the mortal world and use their own Power of Merit and Virtue to manifest themselves and meet their relatives.
The news caused an immediate uproar after it was released the day before.
Some cheered with joy, while others had mixed feelings.
Those who survived in Jiangnan had all experienced the loss of loved ones to varying degrees. When they learned that their loved ones were living well in the Underworld, most of them had healed their wounds in the past three years, but they still had regrets. If they could see their deceased loved ones once a year and chat about how they were doing, it was something they had never dared to dream of.
Of course, there are also some awkward situations, such as when former couples remarry or the woman remarries. If they encounter their deceased ex-wife or ex-husband again, it can be quite awkward.
After the news spread, not only Liuzhou was in an uproar, but many people from outside Liuzhou also wanted to come and see this grand spectacle.
The idea of a departed ghost returning to the human world and spending a day there like an ordinary person is something I have to see with my own eyes.
Of course, people from other places come here for more than just this one attraction.
The second exciting event is the long-rumored selection process for the Underworld!
On this day, Liuzhou officials finally posted notices in major markets, announcing the selection process.
Ten Underworld City God selected this time to share the burden of the Liuzhou Underworld City, and they were distributed in ten counties outside Liuzhou.
The best-performing officials from the surrounding counties of Liuzhou were selected to conduct the final assessment in Liuzhou. The assessment was personally conducted by the Prince of King of Qin, Chen Ying, the dean of the Jiangnan Academy, and Wei Gongcheng, the lord of the Underworld of Liuzhou. Afterwards, all the residents of Liuzhou who were willing to vote voted!
This method of letting the common people determine an official's performance and whether he gets promoted has sparked heated debate. Many members of the upper class believe that Chen Qing's actions have disrupted the order of things and confused the hierarchy, but many common people are so excited that they can't sleep all night.
They never imagined that they would one day be able to participate in such an important event. This sense of participation kept many people who hadn't slept all night still excited and energetic on the day itself!
On this day, almost everyone in Liuzhou put down their work, and even farmers from Great Azure Mountain came to Liuzhou City to witness this grand spectacle.
Not only the surrounding mountains, but even the usually busy students of the academy put down their experiments and walked curiously on the streets.
Wei Gongzhan brought Xiaoli to Liuzhou City early in the morning. The little one was very excited and looked around curiously. She rarely had the opportunity to go down the mountain, so everything seemed new and interesting to her.
In fact, Wei Gongzhan was also quite intrigued. He often came to Liuzhou City, but this was the first time he had ever seen such a scene. A large number of spirits were floating in the streets, and there were sounds of people crying with joy everywhere. Parents saw their long-dead children, husbands saw their wives and daughters whom they had been thinking of day and night, and grandfathers saw their lively and lovely grandsons. Each scene was filled with warmth and tears, and the true feelings of humanity were fully displayed at this moment.
Of course, there are also some more bizarre situations, such as a man excitedly floating home only to find that his beautiful wife has remarried and his child is so afraid of him that he keeps shrinking back.
It was quite awkward and sad.
There were also domineering women who cursed and berated their dead husbands for marrying new, beautiful wives. Wei Gongzhan found these scenes of human reality quite amusing.
" Gongzhan, where are we going?" Xiaoli asked curiously, looking in the direction Wei Gongzhan was heading.
"Going to the academy?" Wei Gongzhan said with a smile, "To see an acquaintance."
With Yuchi Feihu absent, Shen Yuan was the person he was closest to in Liuzhou City.
He heard about the selection process and found it quite interesting. He had discussed it for a long time with his neighbors in Great Azure Mountain yesterday. However, his neighbors worked in the fields all year round, and their discussion of this matter was just about how strange it was, without rising to any political level. He felt like he couldn't get to the point. At this time, Shen Yuan, who was well-read and knowledgeable, was the best person to talk to.
Before the selection process began, he wanted to invite some friends to join in the fun.
As they were walking, suddenly, Xiaoli tightened her grip on Duke of Wei Zhan's hand, causing Wei Gongzhan pause slightly and look over.
He rarely saw a tense expression on the little guy's face, which immediately made Wei Gongzhan nervous.
This little one is carefree and incredibly capable. It's rare for anything to make her this nervous. The last time she was this nervous was when she almost died at Master Ziyue's hands.
Thinking of this, he followed the little guy's gaze and looked ahead warily.
Upon seeing the target, he was momentarily stunned.
They were a group of ghosts, but they looked very different from the people of the Central Plains. They looked very different from the barbarians of the Northern Wasteland, let alone the people of the Central Plains.
They were all blond and blue-eyed, with fair skin and features that were vastly different from those of traditional Central Plains people; they didn't look like people from Jiangnan at all.
But didn't the message say that only Earth Yin were released on this day?
" Xiaoli, do you know them?" Wei Gongzhan asked softly.
Xiaoli shook her head. She didn't know what was wrong with her. She didn't recognize any of these faces, but for some reason, she felt a sense of familiarity, as well as an uncomfortable sense of rejection!
Sorry for the late update.