Chapter 353: A real man should directly gain merit in his life.
Sizhou is less than 200 miles away from Huai'an Mansion, where the governor's office is located. It is also an extraordinary period, and official documents are delivered very quickly. The memorial and application written by Mr. Li only took one day to reach the governor's office, and another two days later, the reply was approved.
It was in his hands.
The general idea of the governor was: Your memorial for moving to a prefecture has been submitted to the imperial court, but Wang Zhizhou of Sizhou already submitted a memorial for this matter a month ago, so you don’t need to submit a memorial for this matter again in the future. The imperial court has its own rules and regulations.
.In addition, the local civilian service in Sizhou is sufficient, so there is no need to send additional officers and soldiers.
There was nothing else. What caught Li You's attention and alert was that Wang Zhizhou actually happened to have moved to another state some time ago. What does this coincidence mean?
Li You came up with the idea that Wang Zhizhou might not have the same thoughts as him? If so, what would Wang Zhizhou want to do?
Sizhou City is surrounded by water. To the west is water, and on the other side of the water is the ancestral mausoleum that Mr. Li has been worrying about for several days. On the east side is water, and on the other side of the water is the county seat of Xuyi.
Sizhou City is very close to the county seat of Xuyi, and they are almost right next to each other on the map. Sizhou City is located in the southernmost corner of Sizhou territory, next to Xuyi, and is only separated from Xuyi City by a river.
The distance is less than ten miles. Going southeast from Sizhou to Xuyi is closer than going northwest to the ancestral mausoleum.
However, Xuyi has a high terrain, with mountains and hills, and its disaster situation is much better than that of Sizhou City. When it is occasionally flooded, it does not turn into a basin like the low-lying Sizhou. At least in Li You's impression, Sizhou is flooded.
After sinking to the bottom of Hongze Lake, Xuyi became the Binhu County seat and survived until the 21st century without any pressure.
Mr. Li looked at Xuyi across from him in a daze, thinking about something in his mind. Suddenly a greeting came into his ears: "Long time no see, Mr. Li, how are you doing?"
It sounded familiar, so Li You turned around and saw an old man in his sixties with white hair as white as snow, but full of energy, a glowing face, and a high-spirited old man strolling towards him.
They are really old acquaintances. Li You, who was still deep in thought, subconsciously said: "It's Old Man Wang."
The old man met Mr. Li happily, but when he heard the rude words, he could only smile generously. It turned out that he was Li You's former boss, Mr. Wang, the prefect of Suzhou, who had shared the joys and sorrows with him. There was also a man beside him.
An old man about the same age as him.
"Why is Mr. Boss here?" Li You woke up and was shocked, and quickly changed his title.
The prefect Wang replied: "I went to Beijing and took a detour to Xuyi to visit my old friend. I also heard that you were in Sizhou, so I crossed the river to visit you."
Li Youqi said: "Didn't you go to Beijing for pilgrimage last year? Why are you going again this year?"
Prefect Wang couldn't hide the pride on his face, "Oh, I'll have to work hard to find a job."
Li You thought again of Old Man Wang's incredible luck... This old man was digging a river channel out of anger with others, but he encountered heavy rain this year in Suzhou Prefecture. As a result, the flood discharge was smooth and saved Suzhou Prefecture's money and food. He was commended by the court for making up for any shortage.
Then he asked with great interest: "What gap did you fill?"
Mr. Wang was waiting for this question. For some reason, he showed off his enthusiasm in front of Li You very strongly. "The luck is pretty good. Ding You, who participated in politics in Su Songdao, returned to his hometown. Thanks to the favor of the court, I was directly replaced by Su Songdao.
"
Li You was speechless for a long time. His luck was not only good, he was simply blessed by heaven! It had only been a year since Su Songdao joined politics and took office, but Ding You went home to make way for Old Man Wang... Old Man Wang, who was forty years younger, would be the protagonist of the Internet article.
ah.
Su Songdao, Su Songdao is in charge of half of the world's money and food... and he was promoted to Su Songdao from the prefect of Suzhou, so he can get started immediately without having to worry about adapting to the place again.
What's more, the fourth rank to the third rank is a gap in the officialdom that separates mid-level officials from high-ranking officials. Old Man Wang was only a scholar and a tribute supervisor, but he has already crossed this dividing line. It is hard to say whether Li You will have such an opportunity in the future.
.
Li You suddenly understood again why Mr. Wang didn't take up the post immediately but had to go to the capital. This was also a kind of grace from the imperial court. It seemed that the appointment would be issued in front of the imperial court at the imperial meeting.
Looking at Mr. Wang's old face that was about to burst into laughter, Mr. Li, who was rarely outcompeted by others in terms of official career, looked at the people around Mr. Wang and asked, "Who is this..."
Mr. Wang introduced him: "This is the magistrate of Xuyi County, and I am an old classmate."
It turned out that he was the magistrate of Xuyi County. Li You was suddenly overjoyed. He took a step forward and held his hands in greeting, "I've admired you for a long time! I heard that Mr. Shang is an outstanding talent. We meet each other today. It's really a blessing!"
Before the Xuyi County Magistrate came, he had been told by the Wang Magistrate that Li You was not easy to get along with and he had to be careful. But now that he saw the famous Mr. Li, he was so enthusiastic that he was flattered.
Mr. Wang saw this and thought knowingly, Li You seems to be asking for help from his old classmate? If so, this is an opportunity for his old classmate. He asked: "I just saw you from a distance."
Rong is worried, why are you here? Is there something wrong with the river affairs?"
The relationship between Old Man Wang and him was different from others, and Li You didn't hide it. He smiled bitterly and said: "Without him, the water situation would not be good. I am afraid that the ancestral mausoleum will be in danger, so I worry about it all night. Five years ago, there was a flood, and the water overflowed into the ancestral mausoleum shrine."
, although the embankment was raised the year before last, everyone thought it was safe. But looking at the situation this year, the water is more ferocious than five years ago. It is hard to say whether the embankment can stop it. "
Hearing this, Magistrate Wang put away his smile and felt very nervous for Li You. "I didn't expect that you would encounter such a thing. In critical moments, finding a way to divert the flood is the key."
"One way is to build the Sizhou levee and release floodwater into Sizhou. This is equivalent to widening the river channel and alleviating the danger of the ancestral mausoleum."
Magistrate Wang breathed a sigh of relief and asked again: "Since there is something to think about, why are you worried?"
Li You sighed: "I turned over some documents and found that Sizhou City has been hit by floods many times and flooded the city many times, but the floods will eventually recede. Now the water level of Huaihu Lake is already one foot above the ground of the city, which is very different from the past.
If water is released to flood Sizhou, where will the floods recede? I am afraid that the city will sink into the water and never see the light of day, and the people of Sizhou will be displaced and have nowhere to go."
The prefect Wang thought for a while and advised: "Which one is more important than the ancestral mausoleum or the state city? Obviously the ancestral mausoleum is as heavy as Mount Tai. You must not be merciful as a woman, because it is small and loses the big. What's more, if you save the ancestors
Mausoleum, that means you have made great contributions and will be rewarded by the court. How many people want this opportunity but cannot get it."
"You actually take it for granted?" Li You didn't quite understand.
Prefect Wang didn't quite understand Li You, "I think you have always acted decisively, no matter in the temple or between prefectures and counties, you are always strong and decisive. How can you be hesitant and hesitant on this issue?"
"People's words are terrible." As a traveler who came halfway, Li You fundamentally lacks the spirit of scholars of this era who think that they are right and "even if there are thousands of people, I will go", and his concern for the destiny of his family and country.
The spirit of awe and belief is still entangled here, what reputation will be incurred if Sizhou City is destroyed and tens of thousands of people are turned into refugees for the sake of "mere" ancestral mausoleums.
A technical analysis from the perspective of being an official shows that Mr. Li has experienced too much sweetness in promoting his reputation, and his psychology has gone too far, and he has gone astray.
"You are worrying too much. The ancestral mausoleum is where the dragon's veins are located, and the destiny of the world lies here. Who dares to say more? Who dares to say that you are not doing the right thing? This is enough." Wang Zhifu was a little worried about Li You's inexplicable confusion.
Why is a person who seemed so flexible in the past so confused now? "I have been an official for thirty years and have earned a lot. I would like to talk to you today."
"It's right to cherish feathers, but do you care too much about the so-called reputation? Yes, reputation is the foundation of your career in the officialdom. But so far, your reputation in the officialdom is still greater than your achievements, so what you lack is not
Fame is not merit, saving the ancestral mausoleum is a merit given to you by God, how can you give up?"
"Actually, it's not wrong for you to pursue fame. In the eyes of outsiders, your official reputation seems to be flawless. You are decorated with imperial staffs and other decorations, and you are famous for your talents. You are also well received by the people in Jiangdu County. It is simply to the extreme.
. But I know your true nature, and you are not that person as your reputation appears. Fame is just a tool in your hand. If you really want to unite your inside and outside, you will become like Hai Rui, but are you?"
"For a minister like you, I searched through history books and only found one similar one..."
"Who?" Li You couldn't help but ask.
The prefect Wang chuckled, "That's Wang Mang before he was usurped! He had a flawless reputation in the eyes of the people of his time, but what is his true nature?"
Do you describe Wang Mang as an official friend like this? How should he handle himself when others hear this? Li You almost jumped up and refuted it.
The prefect Wang didn't care about Li You's expression and asked seriously: "Do you want to be Wang Mang?"
Do you want to be Wang Mang? Just like Huang Zhongda Lu, Li You, who was still struggling, was suddenly enlightened.
What Old Man Wang said is right. Although the danger of the ancestral mausoleum is a troublesome thing, saving the ancestral mausoleum is an even greater achievement. It must be recognized by everyone from the emperor to the court. Isn't it wrong to ignore the merits and not take them, but to care about the reputation before and after death?
Abandoning the good and chasing the bad?
Are there any saints in the world who are flawless? Are there any ministers with perfect merits and virtues?
A real man should directly achieve merit in his life! Li You finally made up his mind to resolutely perform his duties as an official of the Ming Dynasty.
Mr. Shang, the old magistrate of Xuyi County, was listening silently. He could not interrupt these conversations. However, he saw Li You saying to him: "If Sizhou is in trouble, can the people avoid Xuyi temporarily? Mr. Wangshang County will not hesitate.
A helping hand to save the people from hanging upside down."
Shangzhi County and Mr. Wang looked at each other and agreed: "This county should do its best!"
Temporarily sheltering disaster victims is a very troublesome matter. It consumes money and effort, but it is not necessarily profitable. In the end, most of the victims will have to be returned to Sizhou, which will not benefit Xuyi. However, Shangzhi County was encouraged by Wang's classmate Lao Laiwang and decided to
He worked hard before taking up his post in order to exchange for a letter of recommendation from Li You.