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Officials were divided into three types.

One type was the workers who handled various tasks for the government offices; these were known as menial workers and belonged to the lowest stratum. They could also be called helpers.

Some officials with slightly more power oversaw more matters and might employ twenty or thirty helpers and menial workers. These people did not receive a salary and relied on assisting with government affairs to scrape together some extra benefits.

A popular ancient saying was, “When the government office opens its doors, come in if you have rice but not if you have no money.’¹

Ordinary people, without strong backgrounds, were essentially left to be exploited.

Those officials all had salaries.

The salaries of the officials were partly disbursed by the higher authorities in the form of silver money and partly borne by the branches of the government offices themselves.

For instance, under normal circumstances, a Historian was only allotted four official positions.

These four officials were on the payroll, with wages provided by the government office, and the rest had to be taken care of by the Historian himself.

In reality, to conduct work normally, a Historian would find four subordinates insufficient; not to mention ten might still not be enough.

In those days, without advanced technology, there were only two types of transportation: either ride horses or walk.

Most of the time, these officials and menial workers had to walk to fulfill their duties.

Then, all sorts of data required manual compilation, necessitating face-to-face communication with the common folk, you can imagine how low the efficiency was.

It had become a common phenomenon for officials to support a large number of subordinates, who in turn supported an even larger number of helpers.

The second type were clerks, divided into those with positions on the official staff and those without. They were of higher status than the errand runners.

The number of clerks under an official would not be particularly large.

For example, if the higher-ups allotted four positions and they recruited seven or eight additional people, the total would only be around twelve at most.

Therefore, the status of a clerk wasn’t low, as they were considered to have one foot in the officialdom.

The third type were the officials, ranging from Grade Nine to Grade One high- rank officers.

Even the lowest rank official at Grade Nine, dismissed as a nonentity on the official scene, was counted as a person of significance locally.

The young man who alighted from the carriage wore an official robe with an empty red patch on the chest area, devoid of any design.

This had a particular significance.

It was referred to as waitlisted.

This meant he had entered the waitlist of formal officials, and when the time came for a promotion or a formal appointment, the patch on his chest would be adorned with a corresponding pattern.

“Master Qin, we brothers don’t have any valuable gifts, so please don’t disdain these two large jars,”

The money earned by the Tang brothers was hard-earned.

They were somewhat less affluent compared to Wang Furen and Xu Zhenchang.

The two large water jars they carried were high-temperature fired and glaze-colored. They certainly weren’t cheap in the market, worth at least three or four silver coins.

For the Tang brothers, this was already a most generous gift.

The extent of their relationship with Qin Niu was the construction of this house.

They had only made some wage earnings from it.

With regards to purchasing materials, they had put in great effort and diligently ensured the quality, without making a single copper coin in profit.

Presumably, they noticed that the water jar Qin Niu had been using to raise his turtles was broken and thus decided to gift him two superior quality water jars.

“Thank you, thank you! It was hard work for you brothers to build my house, and now you’ve brought me such a heavy gift, really, how can I accept this with good grace!”

After Qin Niu finished speaking, he invited the brothers inside for tea.

However, they did not rush in.

“This is our youngest brother, Tang Yan, who hurried back home especially to congratulate Master Qin on the completion of his residence,”

Tang Fang introduced his brother’s identity.

It was clear that the three brothers were very united.

In this world, it is only through unity that one can become stronger and live better.

“I have long admired the great reputation of Master Qin Niu; hearing it a hundred times is not as good as seeing it once, and finally today, I have met the true genius!”

Tang Yan had a way with words.

Officials generally possess excellent eloquence and high emotional intelligence.

Otherwise, they would hardly be able to climb to high positions.

“Master Tang, too much praise! Your distinguished visit truly honors and overwhelms me, and it brings brilliance to my humble abode. Please, come inside and have a seat!”

Qin Niu did not know Tang Yan’s true identity.

He felt it should be at the Historian’s level.

However, the patch on his chest was still empty, which puzzled him further.

The Black Tiger Gang’s officials are divided into two types: Civil Officials and Military Officials.

Civil Officials manage affairs, while Military Officials command troops, responsible for patrolling and defense.

Tang Yan appeared to belong to the Civil Officials.

It was not that Civil Officials were necessarily weak.

Some Civil Officials’ cultivation was extremely high, with formidable strength.

No matter Civil or Military Officials, they all could gain access to the Black Tiger Gang’s advanced cultivation resources.

They could even rise to the upper echelons of the Black Tiger Gang.

“I have heard that Master Qin is fond of controlling insects, so I have specially selected some Insect Control Books as a gift. Many of them are ancient texts that are difficult to find on the market. I hope they can help Master Qin reach a new height, and promote to a Middle-rank Insect Master, or even a high-rank Insect Master sooner rather than later.”

Different people give different gifts.

The congratulatory gift from Tang Yan was rather unconventional.

It was actually a box of Insect Control Books.

“Thank you, I really couldn’t be more grateful! With these Insect Control Books from Master Tang, I’d be loath not to put in the effort!”

“Haha, the sea of study is endless and arduous as a boat, the mountain of books has a path made diligent as a way indeed! Master Qin is one of the rare Insect Masters in Jade Stream Town, with heavy responsibilities resting on your shoulders. If you can rise, the local people will all benefit from it. Take the current pestilence, for instance, I’ve heard praise from our hometown elders about you! They say you’ve already successfully helped Shuangfeng Village stop the locust disaster and now you’ve helped stabilize the situation in Daoyuan Village, which is situated in our area. This is an act of great merit for the state and a monumental endeavor concerned with people’s well-being.”

Tang Yan was extraordinarily skilled in delivering such formalities.

An official’s heart lies with the people.

His words never strayed from the welfare and governance of the state.

He invited these people in to sit down and have tea.

One after another, more people came to deliver congratulatory gifts.

They were mostly villagers from the same village.

Compared to the wealthy and the nobles, the ordinary villagers’ gifts were much humbler.

Even Qin Niu’s next-door neighbor, Sister Mo, whom he had dealt with before, brought over a basket of eggs.

In this period of locust plagues, the chickens and ducks ate their fill daily, enjoying an excellent diet.

Their eggs, both chicken and duck, were laid frequently.

People offered congratulatory gifts voluntarily, and Qin Niu naturally responded with polite courtesies.

It is better to reconcile with an adversary than to persist in conflict.

The dispute with Sister Mo’ s family was merely over them stealthily encroaching on some of his homestead land. Now that he had reclaimed the land and vented his anger, Qin Niu had no desire to hold a grudge against such a petty individual.

Nevertheless, there were those who did not bring Qin Niu any gifts.

For instance, Wang Haikun and Xie Laizi.

Xie Laizi was now living worse than a dog, moving around crawling all day, naturally without the means to give Qin Niu a gift.

As for Wang Haikun, he probably harbored hatred for Qin Niu in his heart.

It was only because his brother pressed him down and he was less capable than Qin Niu that he swallowed the grudge of his severed arm.

That is how it is with people; if you offend someone untouchable, you either endure it or die.

If Wang Yue hadn’t been sensible, Wang Haikun would probably be dead by now.

After seeing all the guests off, Qin Niu locked the main gate and hurried into the city with Xiao Qing.

They had already been delayed quite a bit, and whether they could return overnight was uncertain.