The ninth day of the ninth month, auspicious for sacrifices, weddings, and ground-breaking. All good omens were present.
On such a day, Yuan City County naturally had its share of joyous weddings.
However, listening to the sounds of gongs and drums from outside, Tang Ke could only feel vexed.
Several letters he had sent to the Crown Prince a few days prior had yet to receive any reply.
This left him feeling uneasy from the bottom of his heart, as such a thing had never happened before.
After all, while his position was not as important as Xu Churen's, he was still considered one of the most capable individuals by the Crown Prince's side, aside from Liang Shicheng.
"My Lord, my Lord!"
Just as he was lost in thought, contemplating how to handle the matters ahead, Li Yan's hurried voice suddenly came from outside the door.
"What is this great haste? What kind of demeanor is this!" Tang Ke frowned and said.
"My Lord, this is an official document just received from Bianliang, instructing you to return to the capital for reporting!" Li Yan said excitedly.
"Reporting? At this time?" Tang Ke's brows immediately furrowed. How could this be?
Although the war had not yet begun, the entire Hebei region was filled with troops. Transferring him, the Commissioner of Transport, at this moment would be a joke.
Furthermore, he had only just settled in here, and had only recently begun handling substantive matters.
What was there to report at this time?
"My Lord, I just heard someone say that Prime Minister Li recommended you to His Majesty, preparing to transfer you to the Ministry of Revenue as the Left Vice Minister of Revenue!"
"What did you say? Left Vice Minister of Revenue?" Tang Ke was stunned.
How could this be possible?
His current official position was Attendant of the Bao Wen Ge, Grand Master of Lun Fu, and Commissioner of Transport for the Hebei Circuit. In essence, he was only a fourth-rank official.
He had only recently taken office and had barely settled in, let alone possessed any extraordinary abilities or achieved any notable accomplishments.
To know that the Vice Minister of Revenue was a third-rank position!
Moreover, in the official system of the Great Song Dynasty, the left held precedence. Even though both were Vice Ministers of Revenue, in terms of seniority, he, as the Left Vice Minister, would rank ahead.
Although the Huizong era was indeed chaotic in all aspects, for a civil official like him, who had no outstanding contributions, special talents, nor knew how to flatter, to be promoted from the fourth rank to the third rank, it would have taken him at least seven or eight years of arduous effort.
For him, this was truly a windfall from the heavens, and the windfall was so great that it left him somewhat bewildered.
"Congratulations, my Lord, congratulations!" Seeing his bewildered expression, Li Yan mistook it for excessive joy and immediately cupped his hands towards Tang Ke.
"Is this news reliable?" After taking a deep breath, Tang Ke managed to stabilize his mind and suppress his excitement, asking again.
"This matter has already spread throughout Bianliang, and even the low-ranking officials who delivered the letter are aware of it. It shouldn't be false..."
"Let's not discuss such baseless rumors!" Hearing this, Tang Ke had a rough idea, but he was still unwilling to be too conspicuous about such matters.
After all, this matter had not yet been truly confirmed. It would only be considered final once the official document from the Ministry of Personnel arrived.
"My Lord, someone outside has delivered a letter for you, saying it's from Bianliang!" Just as Tang Ke finished speaking, a bailiff's voice came from outside again.
"Let him in!" After saying this, even Tang Ke himself felt a sense of anticipation. It seemed this should be the Crown Prince's reply to him.
"My Lord, this is a letter from my master!"
"You've had a long journey. Please rest in the side courtyard first. After I write my reply, I will trouble you to take it back with you!"
"Yes!" Hearing the person speak with his sharp, high-pitched voice, Li Yan immediately understood. It seemed this was a confidant from the Eastern Palace.
"My Lord, is this a letter from His Highness the Crown Prince?"
"That's right!"
"Then why doesn't my Lord read it quickly? Perhaps the letter contains..." After sending the messenger away, Li Yan urged impatiently.
"Let me take a look first." Looking at the thin envelope in his hand, Tang Ke's hands were trembling slightly.
After confirming that the seal was intact, Tang Ke took a small knife from the side and slowly opened the envelope.
Familiar handwriting, familiar signature. After confirming it was a letter from the Crown Prince, Tang Ke began to read its contents.
"How is it?" Li Yan was even more excited than Tang Ke himself. He was Tang Ke's confidant, and Tang Ke's promotion would bring him nothing but benefits.
"The rumors are true..." After reading the contents of the letter three times quickly, Tang Ke could hardly contain his own excitement.
This was the esteemed Left Vice Minister of Revenue, and it had so coincidentally fallen into his lap.
"Congratulations, my Lord!" Li Yan said excitedly.
"Alright, you can go and prepare as well. His Highness has also secured a vacancy for a Departmental Overseer of the Directorate of Granaries for me. You will accompany me to take up the post in three days!"
"Thank you for the promotion, my Lord!" Li Yan was now extremely excited. The position of Departmental Overseer of the Directorate of Granaries was a fifth-rank official position.
"As long as you serve me well, I will not treat you unfairly!"
"My Lord, rest assured, your subordinate will follow your lead!"
"Alright, just do your job diligently!"
"Oh, by the way, my Lord, if we leave like this, what about the matters in Hebei Circuit..." Although he had been promoted to the position of Departmental Overseer of the Directorate of Granaries, Li Yan was truly reluctant to mention the matters in Hebei Circuit.
After all, who didn't know that the Commissioner of Transport was truly a lucrative position!
Especially since the Hebei Circuit Commissioner of Transport had only just been established, and all matters were in their infancy. The loopholes within were not ordinary. If they could operate here for another year or so, just the normal wear and tear would be enough for them to live in abundance.
"Tomorrow morning, Xu Churen will send someone to take over."
"The Hebei Circuit Commissioner of Transport was given to Xu Churen?" Li Yan's eyes widened.
"How is that possible? He is merely holding the position in an acting capacity. Li Bangyan wanted this position. As for who will take over later, that remains to be seen!" Although it was indeed a bit regrettable to give up such a good opportunity to establish merit, Tang Ke also understood that vacancies for Vice Ministers of the Six Ministries were not easily obtained.
"Then what about the matter of Neihuang County..."