About half an hour later, the Emperor finally stopped.
He looked at Ye Ziāan 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 Jiangsuās Mianyang."
Upon hearing that it was Mianyang, Ye Ziāanās 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repeated water disasters, leaving the people unable to sustain a living, and Great Zhouās water control measures were outdated, offering no resistance to the disasters.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 canāt make it to the Capital City, just roll back home."
Even after leaving the palace, Ye Ziāan 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 Emperorās 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 Ziāan glanced at the several people in the room and thought to himself that they were all indeed there, not one had left.
"Iām not going to any department. Iāve 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 doesnāt make sense."
"I asked to be assigned there," not wanting them to make wild guesses about the Emperor, Ye Ziāan simply told them the truth.
Mu Shaoling immediately said, "Are you out of your mind? You want to be assigned there? Others canāt even stay in the Capital City if they wish, and you actually want to be sent away?"
"Itās your brain thatās been kicked by a donkey," retorted Ye Ziāan, casting Shaoling a glance, "Iāve been to that place before; itās not as bad as you think. Just as the Emperor said, itās the place where itās 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 itās as you say, why did the former County Magistrate stay there for ten years?" Old Mu was still concerned, "Why donāt I go to the palace and talk to the Emperor? You should stay in Capital City."
Old Mu didnāt quite believe that Ye Ziāan 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 donāt go. I really did ask for it myself," Ye Ziāan insisted, pulling out a decree from his bosom, "Look, this is from the Emperor."
Upon seeing it was a decree, everyone quickly knelt.
"Donāt be nervous, this is the Emperor bestowing names on the children, along with some rewards. Someone will deliver them shortly."
At this point, Ye Ziāan was no longer merely complaining internally but found it absurd. His childrenās genders were still unknown, yet their names were already bestowed.