Shennong Dao Master

The first grassman he tied staggered and could hardly stand steadily.

The second grassman, though wobbly, managed to maintain its balance.

The third grassman moved with increasing swiftness.

…

When Xue Wenzhong returned from the front yard, he was taken aback to see one grassman in the back yard walking briskly, another leaping among the haystacks, a third swinging under the locust tree, a fourth turning grain, and a fifth weeding in the vegetable garden.

Although several "failures" had knocked over baskets, toppled clothes poles, and frightened chickens and ducks, Xue Wenzhong ignored them.

He fixed his gaze on the few grassmen that had already shown some semblance of spirit and swiftly walked over to Zhao Xing, who was straightening a clothes pole and picking up a vegetable basket, "I was out for less than an hour, and you made these?"

Zhao Xing glanced at the somewhat chaotic backyard and apologized, "I'm sorry, Mr. Xue. I'll clean it up soon. It's just that one duck has flown over the fence... I'll compensate you with one!"

The wrinkles on Xue Wenzhong's face crinkled together as he smiled. He grabbed Zhao Xing and said, "What is one duck? Don't worry about it!"

He patted Zhao Xing's shoulder, "Work hard in the winter evaluation, strive for first class, and pass the Spring Temple Examination. Then, you'll surely have a place in the officialdom."

Zhao Xing was momentarily stunned, but when he realized that the Old Minister of Agriculture wasn't blaming him, he smiled and bowed, "Thank you, teacher."

"But the Ministry of Agriculture is full of capable people, and I am of low rank. I might not be able to compete with them..."

Xue Wenzhong understood Zhao Xing's unspoken concerns, about the other Ministers of Agriculture receiving benefits and favoring their own disciples.

"You have such talent; it was my oversight to have neglected you in the past. From now on, you can come to the backyard every day and learn for an extra hour."

Zhao Xing had been hinting for this outcome. Xue Wenzhong's words indicated that he intended to treat Zhao Xing as his disciple; Zhao Xing naturally jumped at the chance.

His address changed at once as he bowed deeply, "Disciple thanks teacher for your guidance and support."

Xue Wenzhong, struck by a sudden burst of inspiration, realized that in his old age, he had become more motivated upon seeing such a budding talent. He graciously accepted the respectful bow, "Keep working hard. Don't waste your talent. Do your work well, and it's only a matter of time before you rise to prominence. I don't care about others, but if you still don't advance next year, I'll step down and leave the position for you!"

If some other leader had said this, Zhao Xing would have thought it was an empty promise.

But coming from Xue Wenzhong, it seemed credible, first because of his trustworthy nature, and second because he was already elderly and could choose to retire at any time.

If the situation arose where there weren't enough positions and Zhao Xing's rank was just on the edge, Xue Wenzhong might indeed step down.

"Thank you, teacher. I will work hard and will not disappoint your expectations."

.......

Over the next three days, Zhao Xing learned the fourth grassman tying method from Xue Wenzhong.

Even Xue Wenzhong was astonished at Zhao Xing's progress. Zhao Xing was studying "Liu's Technique of Weaving" during just one extra hour of practice each day!

Zhao Xing also felt very grateful:

"With the dual support of Qi Fortune and treasure, not only has my cultivation speed increased, but I have also gained the favor of the Old Minister of Agriculture. The Dream Palace truly is a wonderful place. Just a tiny bit of benefit has led to such significant improvements."

However, during the past few nights when he tried to enter the Dream Palace again, he found even the Heart Inquiry Platform hidden. He wondered if he was too weak and there weren't any suitable checkpoints for him to pass.

At this moment, Zhao Xing was walking through the eastern fields.

The clerks in the Ministry of Agriculture usually studied in the morning and worked in the afternoon.

Besides advising farmers and inspecting produce, they also had fields to manage. This all depended on which tasks their superiors assigned to them.

Having many people had its disadvantages but also its advantages. Under Xue Wenzhong, things were relatively relaxed. The more people there were, the less the work supervisors assigned, making it less busy.

It allowed more time for studying and preparing for evaluations.

The process of transforming into an official of the Ministry of Agriculture had several components.

First was the harvest of the township under one's jurisdiction, which was tallied by the county government and not supervised by the Ministry of Agriculture.

Most townships had average yields, but some lands were categorized into high, middle, and low grades. Good lands naturally resulted in better yields. Xue Wenzhong never competed for these; the better fields were all divided among the other Ministers of Agriculture.

Second was the morality assessment, which encompassed many aspects, including the completion of tasks assigned by superiors, learning attitude, and reputation—there was no specific standard as all authority lay with the superiors.

Third was the ability assessment, which was based on the twenty-four solar terms, with the Four Seasons and Eight Solar Terms being crucial: the Start of Spring, Spring Equinox, Beginning of Summer, Summer Solstice, Start of Autumn, Autumnal Equinox, Start of Winter, and Winter Solstice. Other key planting and harvest seasons were also included.

For instance, a month ago, during the Grain in Ear period, the evaluation was on whether the last round of Primordial Rice planting had been completed and its survival rate.

Both the person setting the exam and those evaluating were Ninth Grade Ministers of Agriculture, headed by Chen Shijie.

These three assessments counted as "ordinary scores." Those who scored highest would, at the end of the year, be recommended by the Minister of Agriculture Supervision to the "Nanyang County Government," combining the scores for the "Winter Evaluation."

Sometimes the winter evaluation would include an additional assessment based on the overall performance of Nanyang County in the previous year. If the county outperformed others and the court allocated enough positions, there might not be a need for further evaluation.

In the coming spring, they would still have to undergo a Temple Examination.

Questions set by the court further filtered the names submitted by each county.

Passing the Temple Examination would settle the matter.

Afterward, they would receive the official appointment documents from the court, undergo the Qi Fortune Baptism in the divine temple, and become part of the Fortune Dynasty system of Great Zhou.

In essence, this was a series of successive transformation tasks.

In his past life, Zhao Xing had transformed during the Emperor Jing Period and was very familiar with this process, which was somewhat challenging at the time.

In the revitalized version, it became much simpler.

However, the difficulty had its advantages. Many things would become obsolete in later versions.

"With Qi Fortune and treasure supporting me, transitioning should not be hard." Zhao Xing was confident as he walked briskly toward the public fields.

......

The Summer Solstice had passed, and Minor Heat was coming soon.

Fields managed by the county government already had Primordial Rice beginning to ripen.

This year's winter evaluation ability assessment did not include the Summer Solstice, so Minor Heat definitely would not get "skipped," otherwise, they would not meet the basic assessment scenarios for the winter evaluation.

At this time, most clerks of the Ministry of Agriculture spent their time running around public fields. The exam wouldn't wait, so the public fields in Gucheng were already packed with clerks waiting.

"Everyone is here waiting for the Minor Heat exam. This scene is quite similar to my past life," Zhao Xing observed, reminiscing about when he had fought for public elective courses during his university days.

It made sense; missing one assessment wouldn't get them eliminated, but it would significantly impact their scores. No one could guarantee they'd pass without missing a component.

As Zhao Xing entered the public field, he clearly felt the heat rising, making him sweat. Even after casting the "Moving Cloud" spell for shade, it hardly helped.

After waiting for a while, he saw that Chen Ziyu, Qian Dong, Li Chengfeng, and Wen Nanxing had also arrived for the exam.

Everyone, without exception, was panting and sweating at the field's edge, genuinely as hot as dogs.

"It may only be Minor Heat, but the sun is as scorching as during Great Heat. Minister Chen truly has a peculiar taste. Brother, what do you think his tricky question will be this time?" Chen Ziyu asked.

"How should I know? Aren't you also surnamed Chen?"

"We may share the same surname, but he's an appointed official from West Mountain County, unrelated to me," Chen Ziyu retorted.

"Best conserve your energy and wait," Qian Dong said weakly, waving his straw hat.

As everyone languished in the heat, an exclamation suddenly arose from the south.

"Look! What's that?!"

"It's the exam question! The exam question is here!"

"Oh my god, it's..."