Chapter 890 - 891 Bestowal of Name_1
About half an hour later, the Emperor finally stopped.
He looked at Ye Zi’an for a few moments, then said, "Since you have already thought it through, I shall approve. However, as for which county you will go to..." Saying this, the Emperor quickly summoned a eunuch to bring the geographic records of Great Zhou, and after leafing through them, his hand finally settled on a place, "Go to Jiangsu’s Mianyang."
Upon hearing that it was Mianyang, Ye Zi’an’s eyebrows twitched slightly. He knew about the place; if properly managed, it could be an easy place to make achievements. The difficulty lay in the fact that the area had been suffering from repeated water disasters, leaving the people unable to sustain a living, and Great Zhou’s water control measures were outdated, offering no resistance to the disasters. As a result, no matter how much effort you had put in previously, a single flood could wash it all away. The previous County Magistrate had been stationed there for ten years without being moved.
However, since the Emperor had made the decision, he had no choice but to go.
"Thank you, Emperor!"
The Emperor said, "Hmm, Mianyang is indeed a fine place, I have given you the place where it is easiest to make a name for yourself. If you still can’t make it to the Capital City, just roll back home."
Even after leaving the palace, Ye Zi’an was still internally complaining. The former County Magistrate had stayed there for ten years, His Majesty really did have high expectations for me.
However, this Emperor was truly inscrutable. He had thought that there would be a discussion about the porcelain incident, but unfortunately, the Emperor never brought it up, so he could not confirm if the person he had saved on a whim was the Emperor or not.
But judging by the Emperor’s attitude toward him, he seemed quite affable, even a bit affectionate.
When he returned to the other courtyard, Old Mu immediately asked anxiously, "How did it go? Which department did the Emperor assign you to?"
Ye Zi’an glanced at the several people in the room and thought to himself that they were all indeed there, not one had left.
"I’m not going to any department. I’ve been assigned to Mianyang in Jiangsu."
"What?" Old Mu was shocked, "Why would he send you to that godforsaken place?"
Baili Yan felt the same, "The Mianyang County Magistrate was there for ten years and has now been sent home dishonorably. It shows how difficult the place is to govern. What is Father Emperor thinking? It just doesn’t make sense."
"I asked to be assigned there," not wanting them to make wild guesses about the Emperor, Ye Zi’an simply told them the truth.
Mu Shaoling immediately said, "Are you out of your mind? You want to be assigned there? Others can’t even stay in the Capital City if they wish, and you actually want to be sent away?"
"It’s your brain that’s been kicked by a donkey," retorted Ye Zi’an, casting Shaoling a glance, "I’ve been to that place before; it’s not as bad as you think. Just as the Emperor said, it’s the place where it’s easiest to make a name for oneself."
He was well aware that the main issue there was water management, something he was confident about, but it had to be implemented on-site.
"If it’s as you say, why did the former County Magistrate stay there for ten years?" Old Mu was still concerned, "Why don’t I go to the palace and talk to the Emperor? You should stay in Capital City."
Old Mu didn’t quite believe that Ye Zi’an had asked for this himself, and always felt his nephew must have offended the Emperor somehow, who was deliberately making things difficult. He mentioned that during the Qionglin Banquet, the Emperor had spoken with even the top scholars, so why would he leave out a runner-up?
"Uncle, please don’t go. I really did ask for it myself," Ye Zi’an insisted, pulling out a decree from his bosom, "Look, this is from the Emperor."
Upon seeing it was a decree, everyone quickly knelt.
"Don’t be nervous, this is the Emperor bestowing names on the children, along with some rewards. Someone will deliver them shortly."
At this point, Ye Zi’an was no longer merely complaining internally but found it absurd. His children’s genders were still unknown, yet their names were already bestowed.