My Chance to Become an Official Has Come

Are there more good people or more fools in the world?

Seeing Sang Hongyang pay the money and drive away in the carriage, Xu Yuan was still incredulous.

He just felt that making money was too easy, so easy that he couldn't even complain about it.

He cultivated the land for several months before harvesting a batch of millet, which amounted to eight bushels. He then had to pay two bushels as rent and to cover expenses such as borrowing grain.

In other words, after several months of hard work, Xu Yuan finally obtained six shi of millet, which could be converted into sixty and a half liang of cash.

But on their very first day of operating the shop, they earned sixty-five and a half taels of silver.

And this only kept them busy for an hour.

He felt he had met a wonderful person on his first day of business, or perhaps he could say he had met a complete fool.

If the other party had traveled even one more mile, Sang Hongyang wouldn't have had to spend an extra sixty-five and a half taels of silver.

"He's incredibly good at mental arithmetic; how could someone like that be stupid?" Zhang Xuezhou shook his head and said, "You see us reselling, but he's probably doing the same, and he might be making even more money than us!"

"He resells it too?" Xu Yuan exclaimed, his mouth agape. "Who can buy grain at a higher price?"

"He speaks very logically and doesn't like to reveal his identity, so it seems he's taken the official route," Zhang Xuezhou pondered. "You need to understand that the standard of living in the West Market and near the Imperial City is completely different, and consequently, the prices of many things are also different."

"I know that. We had a big meal back in the capital, which cost over a hundred and a half taels of silver. But since we came here, even when we've been eating and drinking lavishly, we haven't spent more than twenty and a half taels of silver!"

Rong Tianding answered quickly.

Xu Yuan had never been to Chang'an City and had never seen the world, while Rong Tianding had followed Zhang Xuezhou around.

"Cousin, should we do this ourselves?" Rong Tianding asked eagerly.

"Snakes have their paths, rats have theirs. He can take those paths, but we can't," Zhang Xuezhou shook his head. "There's no need to be greedy in these matters. Honestly collecting scattered grain is far safer!"

Large grain traders all have connections and are subject to restrictions on the sale of grain, while small-scale, unregulated grain sales are a way for some people to profit.

Zhang Xuezhou and others rarely paid attention to this kind of business where the price difference was between one and a half taels and two and a half taels, but once someone started doing it, it was like picking up money off the ground.

At least for now, Xu Yuan has no interest in farming.

The place called Liesi wasn't large, but it could easily store three or four hundred bushels of millet.

With the new money and the working capital provided by Zhang Xuezhou, Xu Yuan's eyes lit up. He felt that the most important thing was to quickly buy enough millet and pile it up in the store.

Money isn't everything, but you can't do without it.

Good health is the foundation of spiritual practice. Few people who are weak and sickly become great practitioners, and very few people who are lame or crippled are extremely powerful.

If you could eat meat, probably no one would want to chew on dry, hard millet rice.

Xu Yuan had only heard that the cost of living in Chang'an City was extremely high, with a single night's lodging in an inn enough to feed many people a month's worth of millet cakes. Xu Yuan never imagined that there were so many business opportunities in Chang'an City.

For them right now, this is like picking up money off the ground.

All it takes is to buy up the loose grain that the farmers are selling cheaply, and then wait for Sang Hongyang to haul it away in a horse-drawn cart—that's real money.

Sang Hongyang would never cheat them on something like this. Even if Sang Hongyang stopped buying them one day, it wouldn't be difficult for them to dispose of the millet at a fair price.

Moreover, this allows for the rapid selection of a large number of high-quality millet seeds.

Xu Yuan's head was throbbing with blood, and he felt like he had inexhaustible energy. He kept urging Rong Tianding to find a farmer selling millet.

The two discussed it excitedly for a while, then took their money pouches and left the shop.

"People like us, living an ordinary life, are just enough to make a living!"

Zhang Xuezhou wasn't particularly strong, but he wasn't weak either; he was considered a mid-level cultivator.

It's not difficult for someone like him to make a living; everything he's experienced is normal. Earning a few dozen or a hundred coins a day is considered an ordinary income.

He thought it over and realized that this was no big deal; no one would bother small businesses like theirs.

He tended the shop, occasionally glancing at passersby to see if there were any business opportunities or to gather any useful information.

When he was bored, Zhang Xuezhou would casually rub some stones together, then crush them into dust and repeat the process.

It wasn't until nearly dusk, when Rong Tianding and Xu Yuan delivered two batches of millet back to the market, that Zhang Xuezhou finally emerged from the gossip of passersby.

This time, he heard some strange noises.

A few gossips were discussing how the imperial court had begun issuing edicts to recruit talented individuals.

"My chance to become an official has come!"

Zhang Xuezhou was overjoyed.

He felt that although he wasn't a genius, he was still quite capable, and getting a minor official position shouldn't be a problem.

Once he entered the official rank system, his goal was to meet the new emperor, win his favor, and gain his favor by being granted the title of "Attendant-in-Ordinary".

It would be difficult for a minor official to meet the new emperor, but after exchanging a few words with Li Guang, Zhang Xuezhou felt that the new emperor would likely go to the Chang'an City for inspection in a few months, which might be the opportunity to meet him.

If he can gain recognition, his goal will be achieved.

"We need to go to the Office of the Jingzhao Intendant and submit a petition!"

Remembering Zhang Qian's instructions and how to make his self-recommendation sign more eye-catching, Zhang Xuezhou, having grasped the essence of the matter, couldn't wait to run to the Office of the Jingzhao Intendant and get things done.

Zhang Xuezhou acted immediately, tearing apart a bamboo scroll and then carefully writing on a bamboo slip, "Seeking official position, Dongfang Shuo".

After writing the five large characters, he also looked at this concise yet profound self-recommendation letter.

His brand name suggests he has a powerful background; people might assume he has some influential connections, which explains his ability to overcome obstacles and eventually reach the emperor.

"If Your Majesty is interested after reviewing this, please summon me to choose an official position..."

Zhang Xuezhou was still a little excited. He put down the partition on Lie Si and went straight out the door.

The distance from the West Market to the Office of the Jingzhao Intendant is not short, but self-recommendation can be done anytime, as long as it is placed in the designated location as required.

Zhang Xuezhou walked briskly and jogged all the way. When he arrived at the Office of the Jingzhao Intendant), he saw a large group of Confucian scholars outside the Office of the Jingzhao Intendant. The crowd was bustling, and some were submitting their self-recommendation letters in order.

The self-recommendation letters were either small bundles of bamboo slips as thick as a forearm or large rolls of bamboo slips as thick as a thigh. Some people even added flowers to the bamboo slips, while others, being particularly clever, put a few coins inside.

"Vulgar and tasteless!"

Zhang Xuezhou brandished his self-recommendation letter, a single bamboo strip, feeling that he had become the leader among those seeking official positions.

Thanks to Zhang Qian's close connections with the emperor, his self-recommendation letter was the most compliant with regulations.

After silently criticizing it in his heart, Zhang Xuezhou obediently followed the crowd.

"People's hearts have changed; everyone's dreaming of becoming officials. There are far more visiting cards like this than in Master Dong's courtyard!"

Upon entering the area where self-recommendation letters were placed, Zhang Xuezhou noticed that there were at least several thousand bamboo slips piled up there. He couldn't help but glance at his own rather small bamboo slip.

This made him extremely cautious, so he chose a prominent and good location.

"From this day forward, I will become an official, moving freely in and out of the imperial court, facing good fortune, and enjoying the warmth of spring and blooming flowers!"

After submitting his self-recommendation letter on a bamboo slip, he looked at it with satisfaction, admiring its unique style, and then leisurely left.