Chapter 154 It seems unreasonable, but it also seems very reasonable
"This is right, the civilians should not be under our control." He Chunhua did not forget to take more than a hundred villagers to escape during the crisis. He Chunhua considered his kindness and justice. Of course, Wuliu County will take over the follow-up arrangements for the villagers' return to their hometowns. With him, this summer
The state governor doesn't have a copper connection.
"So Magistrate Wuliu's meal is also a thank-you banquet. A squire named He invited us to spend the night in his mansion. My parents have already gone down to wash and change clothes. Let's not be late."
While he was sleeping soundly, He Chunhua not only led the team through Qianteng Town and arrived at Wuliu County, but also established good relations with the county magistrate and others.
Dad is really energetic. He Lingchuan yawned again.
The carriage had stopped at the door of Squire He's house. Two young men came up to greet them and led the brothers to a quiet courtyard.
The two of them washed up here. Qian's mother came over with new clothes and asked them to change into their old clothes. Especially He Lingchuan's clothes were stained with blood, splattered with mud, and had several holes. He could smell the fishy smell of the boss even if he didn't have to get close to smell it.
Son.
When Qian's mother was about to tie the brothers' hair, someone knocked on the door.
He Lingchuan opened the door and saw that it was Zhu Xiuer.
Zhu Xiuer had finished cleaning up a long time ago and put on Mrs. Ying's clothes. They say people need clothes. She originally had a dark complexion and a red face, but after dressing up in beautiful clothes, the country girl's rusticity faded a lot, showing a calm and quiet demeanor.
This is probably her background, and it has not been polished off by a difficult life.
She smiled at He Lingchuan and said, "Young servants, I'm here to help Mother Qian."
He Lingchuan was so worried that he took two steps back to let her enter the house: "You live here too?"
He didn't know how to call Zhu Xiuer, girl, madam?
"Yes, Mrs. Ying insists." Zhu Xiuer raised the wooden grate and motioned for him to sit down, "But the people of Wuliu County, including the county magistrate and the owner of He House, don't know my origin."
He Yue answered: "Father has issued a hush-hush order to the whole army. This matter must not be spread outside. Miss Zhu will follow us north and only tell the outside world that she is our cousin."
Concealing what happened to Zhu Xiuer? Not only that, they even concealed the existence of Zhu Xiuer, so that after she returned to the family, rumors unfavorable to her would slowly spread here. The behavior of He Chunhua and his wife could be said to be very generous to Zhu Xiuer.
Zhu Xiu'er untied He Lingchuan's knotted hair and said, "Xiu'er is so heartbroken that it's hard to repay this kindness. From now on, if the He family is offered a job, they won't dare to say goodbye!"
"To be serious, God will save those who save themselves. We are just following the laws of heaven." He Yue asked her, "Are you really not willing to go to the banquet with us? As a cousin, there is no harm in going together."
Zhu Xiuer smiled and said: "I won't go. It's better if I show less face and rest more."
He Yue was slightly surprised when he heard her brisk voice and saw the light in her eyes and her completely relaxed look.
This "cousin" really seems like a new baby.
After cleaning up, the brothers went to Hongtai Building for the banquet.
…
After a meal, the guest and the host enjoy themselves.
He Lingchuan came out with a full belly. The mutton stewed with tripe buns here was crispy and delicious. It was really hot. Officials from the entire Wuliu County came, and there were more than a dozen country squires to accompany them.
They took He Chunhua and his family to the entrance of Hongtai Restaurant to board the carriage. When the carriage left, He Lingchuan could still see their enthusiastic smiles.
This kind of enthusiasm had long been familiar to him in Heishui City, but it was still strange to see it on the faces of officials from other places. As they walked from Heishui City to Wuliu County, the local officials along the way were very polite, but they still
Not so diligent.
Well, maybe it's more appropriate to say it's flattery.
"Hey, Dad, what benefits did you give the county magistrate to put a smile on his face?"
"When I sent a letter to the capital about the suppression of bandits, I would mention him by the way, saying that he promptly compensated the victims and hunted down the remaining bandits." He Chunhua was tired after working all day and night, so he leaned on the carriage and closed his eyes to rest.
He Lingchuan was amused: "Did he pursue him?"
"Those mountain roads will have to be cleared several times in Wuliu County later to ensure that there are no more thieves. Many people died in Desheng Town and Xianling Village, and they are related to the rebels. If they are not handled properly, the county magistrate's hat will be worn.
It's unstable." He Chunhua smiled and said, "If I give him a boost, his merits outweigh his faults, so of course he has to thank me."
Mrs. Ying was surprised: "How come there are so many officials in Wuliu County?" From the county magistrate, the county magistrate, to the bookkeeper, the arrester, and all the way down to the servants, there are more than thirty people, "Master
Your original county governor’s office didn’t have that many people.”
"Madam, you are attentive." Madam Ying likes to wear flowers, He Chunhua pointed to the red rose on her temples, "A flower plate needs twenty-five or six petals, and if you include the calyx, it will be more than this number."
"This is still famous." He snorted softly, "There are even more people who are not famous."
He Lingchuan knew that the "famous" he was talking about was the establishment. In fact, the official establishment in the county was very small, no more than seven or eight people at most, but there were only thirty or forty people in Wuliu County, and the extra ones were all non-staff. They were responsible for collecting taxes.
, those who patrol, those who compile household registrations, those who run schools, there are all kinds of people, and the county cannot function without them.
He Yue frowned: "I don't think Wuliu County is rich, so how can we afford it?"
Earlier, the carriage entered the territory of Wuliu County. The old man, who was tired after working hard all day, just slept soundly, but he walked and watched all the way.
Wuliu County is no different from other small rural places, it seems to be a little thinner.
"There are at least twenty candidates in this county." He Chunhua slowly explained the routine to him, "They are all bought with money. The big family will have face, and the treasury will have money. Everyone is happy."
There are so many non-staff, although some are recruited by the county and local governments to serve, and some are donated by local large households, which is commonly known as buying an official position, becoming an idle official to put some money on their face.
"This place is not far from Woling Pass. It must have been affected a lot by the war between officials and bandits, and people's livelihood will inevitably be in decline. Now that finances are tight, do you think the county will tighten its belt and torture itself?"
He Yue blinked: "The county doesn't care?"
"How come the county doesn't know this? It's just some bad rules. When the county runs out of money, it will naturally change." He Chunhua laughed and patted He Yue on the shoulder, "Son, you are too young. Being an official is a skill.
Very profound knowledge." Although the second son is smart, he is only fourteen years old and has not yet realized the sophistication of the world.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! He Lingchuan also felt magical listening to it.
The county's finances are tight, and the solution that comes to mind is not to streamline the army, streamline administration, and cut costs, but to exchange money for food delivery jobs, which makes government personnel more redundant.
It seems unreasonable, but it also seems very reasonable.
He Yue was speechless and asked after a long time: "Why didn't the people from Zhechong Mansion come to the banquet? I heard that some of them have returned to Qianteng Town."
"Then most likely Captain Zhao will rush back to report earlier." He Chunhua said without thinking, "Zhe Chong Mansion will report this matter to the royal court as soon as possible."
He Yueruo had some realization: "Strive for merit?"
"Yes, when it comes to the important matter of sending troops to quell the rebellion, whoever reports it to the royal court first will probably get the benefits first."
"These are all routine methods." He Chunhua didn't take it seriously. "This Captain Zhechong hasn't moved anywhere for several years. If he doesn't make some achievements, he will probably die in a remote place in a remote country."
But He Lingchuan exclaimed: "The county magistrate here and the captain of Zhechong Mansion are busy submitting memorials, so aren't you afraid that your credit will be robbed?"
He Chunhua saw him acting indignantly and just smiled: "It should be mine, so of course it's still mine."
With a well-thought-out plan in mind, you can naturally be calm about honor and disgrace.
Then, he asked about what happened after He Lingchuan fell off the cliff.
"It's a long story." There were so many things that happened, He Lingchuan had no choice but to say, "My son fell into a hole under the cliff, which happened to be the crocodile demon's lair, and rescued the dying Wu Shaoyi there. He was grateful for his son's kindness.
Thinking that there would be no other place to go in the future, I simply accepted the offer!"
At this point, he remembered: "By the way, where is Wu Shaoyi?"
"Rest in another private house, under special supervision." He Chunhua praised the eldest son, "You did a good job in recruiting Wu Shaoyi, and you did it beautifully!"
He Lingchuan had nothing to hide, so he told everything that happened next, but omitted what he had learned in the Immortal Cave, and only said that there was nothing in it.
He Chunhua looked out the window and saw that the carriage had returned to He Zhai: "It's time to get off the car. Madam, you need to rest first. The children and I have something to discuss."
Mrs. Ying nodded and took Mother Qian to change her clothes.
He Chunhua took the two brothers through the backyard to the woodshed: "I borrowed the woodshed from Mr. He, Qingjing."
This house is not comparable to their luxurious house in Blackwater City. There are several acres of vegetable land in the backyard and they raise more than a dozen chickens. The advantage is that it is a big place and there are few people.
The woodshed was remote and few people came near it, but the lights were on at the moment. As soon as He Chunhua and his son approached, the door opened and Zhao Qinghe stood at the door.
He Lingchuan walked in and saw a man kneeling in the woodshed, claiming to be Lu Yao's confidant.
It was this guy that Zhao Qinghe caught in the woods near Zhuma Slope today. He was also unlucky. Before he could run far away from Lu Yao, his horse accidentally broke his leg.
He Lingchuan asked curiously: "What are you looking for this person for?"
"He claimed to know many inside stories about the rebels and confessed in order to seek leniency."
As soon as He Chunhua nodded, the prisoner quickly spoke:
"After the defeat at Woling Pass, the rebels were disheartened. General Lu relied on his remaining power to gather more than a thousand people, but he did not lead them well. Every day, everyone worried about where the next meal would be and whether they would be surrounded by officers and soldiers. General Lu
But he was drunk all day long."
"Once we passed through a town, there was a wealthy family named Zhao. The cattle and sheep in his village were too much to eat, and the gold, silver, and silk in the house were all piled up in a small mountain. The family took the initiative to donate them to the general, just asking for
We don’t kill people. The general agreed at that time, but he drank too much at night and took a fancy to Old Zhao’s grandson. He caught him and roasted him and ate him, praising him for his softness and tenderness. Old Zhao was so angry that night that he belched." He smiled bitterly, "
Later, the local government issued arrest warrants to arrest us, and the officers and soldiers chased us like chicken blood, which made us exhausted. Only then did we know that old man Zhao was actually a high-ranking official the year before last.
Retire your old age and return to your hometown. Unless the local state herdsman arrests you, we will not be able to account for it."