Chapter 1315 - 1317: Do You Think You Can Become a General Just Because You Want To?_1
After the imperial edict promoting Brother An arrived, First Madam Li acted as if she were playing a game of dramatic transformations, visiting every other day or so. At first, Yang Chuxia wondered what conspiracy this woman might have; she couldn’t believe that after Yunyun and Linyu had beaten her younger son’s legs, First Madam Li would harbor no resentment, and still maintain friendly relations with her.
As it turned out, First Madam Li did have a plot, but it wasn’t to avenge her younger son; it was to secure a future for him.
Her younger son was no good at business and wasn’t very studious, so he considered donating money to secure an official post at the Mianyang County government offices.
The Li Family had carefully inquired about the situation at the county offices and knew that Ye Si and others were going to leave with Ye Zi’an, which would leave some positions vacant. Thus, they contemplated a plan. However, Yang Chuxia consistently refused their proposals, which didn’t stop them from persevering.
"What do you mean by that?"
"She wants to help her younger son secure a position in the county offices through donation, anything from Principal Clerk to archivist to steward would do."
Ye Zi’an understood upon reflection, suspecting that since people like Ye Si were able to hold such positions, she thought her son could as well, not realizing that those roles were temporary, not permanent.
"If she wants her son to donate for a post, why not seek the Prefect instead of troubling us? Isn’t this a case of neglecting what’s near while seeking what’s far?"
Yang Chuxia shook her head slightly and said, "First Madam Li is very calculating indeed. At the end of the year, officials from all over will undergo examination; the Lord Prefect too will be examined, and our Lord Prefect is likely to be promoted, right? At such a juncture, how could he use his power for personal gain? She thinks that your promotion is certain, and securing a little favor won’t be an issue, so that’s why she’s here."
"But don’t worry, I’ve refused her every time."
She would absolutely never agree to such a thing; with the character of that young master from the Li Family, if he became an official, all the young ladies in Mianyang County would be in danger.
"Hmm, I trust my wife’s judgement."
However, both Ye Zi’an and Yang Chuxia had underestimated the Li Family’s resolve to secure a position for their son.
In the following days, invitations from the Li Family came daily.
After Yang Chuxia started avoiding them, the Old Master of the Li Family thought about ambushing Ye Zi’an on the road.
If it weren’t for Ye Er giving prior warning each time, the Old Master might indeed have succeeded.
"Ah, this Old Master Li is truly putting me in a difficult position," Ye Zi’an said with a dirt-covered face as he entered on the last day before his leave from the office.
"What, did you get caught squarely?"
Ye Zi’an just shook his head, "Not quite, but it was close."
"Well, as long as you weren’t caught, it’s fine. Especially now, you don’t need to go to the office for a while, so even if he wants to ambush you, he won’t be able to."
As they were speaking, Yangyang came in with a small wooden sword, "American dad, American dad!"
"What is it?"
"American dad, mom taught me a new martial art." When he mentioned the new martial art, his eyes shone with little stars. "American dad, I want to be a super-ranked officer. Once I perfect my martial arts, I’m going to become a General."
Ye Zi’an looked at him surprisingly for several moments. "The rank of General isn’t super-grade."
"I know!" Yangyang nodded vigorously. "But it’s easier to become super-grade after becoming a General."
"It might sound easy to go from General to super-grade, but it actually requires good fortune. Also, about being a General -- do you think you can just decide to be one? First, you have to enlist, starting from a common soldier and working your way up. At the beginning, you’ll have no rank, and then climb up slowly. Some people make it to the third rank as an Assistant General and then their promotion slows to a crawl; it’s very possible that they’ll spend their entire life at that rank. Talking about super-grade when you’re dreaming, huh?"