In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 653 The Only Unchanging One

"My son's success in the imperial examination this time is entirely due to Lord Li's impartial examination."

Zheng Qing replied, "If I go to the capital to participate in the imperial examination, there will be no chief examiner like Lord Li."

As Zheng Qing said this, he actually felt a little regretful. As a scholar, how could he not want to pass the imperial examination with flying colors? How could he not want to be the top scholar, the second-highest scorer, or the third-highest scorer?

Unfortunately, reality is cruel. Born into a family of street vendors, he could never become the top scholar, no matter how many times he studied.

"You're quite clear-headed."

Li Mingyuan nodded slightly. His understanding of officialdom far surpassed that of Zheng Qing. He knew very well that what Zheng Qing said was not unfounded. The main reason why so many poor scholars passed the provincial examination in Qingzhou was because the chief examiner was Li Mingyuan.

Upon arriving in the capital...

The examiners were from powerful and influential families, and they wouldn't provide a fair competitive environment for students from humble backgrounds like Li Mingyuan did.

In fact, looking at the imperial examinations over the past decade or so, more than 90% of those who passed came from aristocratic families, while students from humble backgrounds...

Even those with exceptional talent would find it difficult to achieve corresponding results in the imperial examinations.

"Since you don't plan to continue participating in the imperial examinations, are you planning to enter officialdom directly?"

Li Mingyuan asked.

"That is indeed what the young man intends to do."

Zheng Qing nodded, "Lord Li once asked me why I wanted to be an official. I've thought about it a lot these past few days and I have an answer in my heart."

"What's the answer?"

Li Mingyuan asked with great interest, as everyone has their own desires in life, and he, Li Mingyuan, was no exception. He was very curious about what Zheng Qing's desires would be.

"I want to be like you, a respected and beloved official!"

Without hesitation, Zheng Qing replied that it wasn't that he didn't dislike money, power, and beautiful women, but compared to these shallow desires, what he wanted most was to be loved by the world and supported by the people, like Li Mingyuan.

Li Mingyuan gave Zheng Qing a deep look, and after confirming that Zheng Qing's expression was genuine, a hearty smile appeared on his face.

He hadn't misjudged him; Zheng Qing was indeed just as he had imagined—a promising candidate to be a good official.

"In that case, you shall start as a county magistrate."

Thus, under Li Mingyuan's arrangement, Zheng Qing, who had just passed the imperial examination, was appointed as the magistrate of Dingjun County and quickly took office, transforming from a poor scholar into the magistrate of a county.

Zheng Qing originally thought that becoming an official was a very simple thing. He had even met the magistrate of his county. The magistrate was fat and bloated, and spent his days frequenting brothels. He left all political affairs to his secretary and lived a life almost like an immortal.

It wasn't until he became the county magistrate that Zheng Qing realized that being a good county magistrate was by no means an easy task.

The reason that bloated and fat magistrate could live so comfortably was because he completely disregarded the lives of the people under his jurisdiction, while Zheng Qing...

It is clearly impossible to disregard the lives of ordinary people.

On the contrary, Zheng Qing knew that as the county magistrate, every decree he issued would affect tens of thousands of people under his jurisdiction. Therefore, Zheng Qing was very careful in handling political affairs, for fear that he might harm the people under his jurisdiction due to a momentary lapse in judgment.

Whenever Zheng Qing encounters a problem, she will write to Li Mingyuan for advice, hoping to gain some experience from him.

Each time Li Mingyuan received a letter, he would reply to Zheng Qing earnestly, sharing his experience in governance with him.

With Li Mingyuan's help, Zheng Qing gradually transformed from a naive new official into a seasoned county magistrate, governing Dingjun County in an orderly manner.

In Zheng Qing's heart, Li Mingyuan, who changed his life and constantly taught him, was not only a benefactor in his life, but also his teacher. His respect and admiration for Li Mingyuan have not diminished in the slightest, even after decades.

"Brother Zheng, it's been a long time."

"Brother Li, it's been a long time."

Zheng Qing gave Li Qiao a big hug. The friendship between him and Li Qiao was pure and untainted by any self-interest. Therefore, even though they hadn't seen each other for decades, there was still no awkwardness between them.

"Brother Li."

Zheng Qing took a step back, looked Li Qiao up and down, and laughed, "Brother Li, you look much thinner. Is your teacher not giving you any meat?"

"you do not say!"

When it came to eating meat, Li Qiao's face was full of resentment: "Uncle Li is so stingy. If I follow him, I'll go hungry three times a day, and I won't be able to eat a single bite of meat for ten days or half a month."

"Ha ha!"

Zheng Qing couldn't help but burst into laughter. Now that he was also a martial artist, he knew how big a martial artist's appetite was, not to mention a high-level martial artist like Li Qiao. So when he heard Li Qiao say that he hadn't been able to eat a single piece of meat for ten days or half a month, Zheng Qing couldn't help but chuckle.

Teacher Li Mingyuan has always been frugal. Even when he was the prefect, his family didn't have much meat. After losing his official position, he probably became even more frugal, which made things difficult for Li Qiao, the martial artist who had always been by his teacher's side.

"Is Li Qiao complaining about me again?"

Just then, the carriage curtain was lifted, and an elderly figure stepped out.

Looking at the teacher with his aged face and somewhat hunched posture, Zheng Qing's eyes flashed with a very complicated expression.

When he first met his teacher, the teacher was a middle-aged man in his prime. Now, decades later, the teacher looks much older, with many wrinkles on his face and a hunched back, like an old farmer who has been engaged in manual labor for many years.

The only thing that remained unchanged was the teacher's eyes; they were still bright and clear, without the slightest hint of cloudiness.

"teacher."

Zheng Qing stepped forward and helped Li Mingyuan down from the carriage, saying softly, "It's been many years since we last met, you've aged a lot."

"Everyone gets old, that's nothing to be ashamed of!"

Li Mingyuan waved his hand dismissively, looked at Zheng Qiuyan and Qingying not far away, and said, "Young Zheng, is this your daughter?"

"Exactly!"

Zheng Qing pointed at Zheng Qiuyan and said, "This is my daughter Zheng Qiuyan and her maid Qingying. Qiuyan, why don't you come over and pay your respects to your teacher?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Qiuyan quickly stepped forward and respectfully bowed, saying, "Greetings, Grandmaster."

"No need to be polite!"

Li Mingyuan nodded, indicating that Zheng Qiuyan did not need to be so polite, and then said with a smile, "Young Master Zheng's daughter is quite lovely. Is she married?"

"Not yet!"

Zheng Qing shook his head.

Zheng Qiuyan felt a chill run down her spine, fearing that Li Mingyuan, like other elders, would try to arrange a marriage for her.

Fortunately, Li Mingyuan was not the kind of elder who liked to meddle in other people's business. In fact, having lived his whole life alone, with only Li Qiao as his "relative" with no blood relation, Li Mingyuan rarely arranged weddings for others.