The county magistrate of Anping County was surnamed Du, and his family was said to be a family that passed down poetry and books.
His ancestors were once wealthy and held high-ranking official positions.
But that was all two or three hundred years ago. Now, Magistrate Du is one of the most outstanding members of the Du family in Taizhou.
However, what the people in Taizhou didn't know was that after Magistrate Du arrived in Anping County, he had no hope of promotion and spent most of his time farming. He didn't get the title of a just and upright official, but many people called him Du Shennong (the Divine Farmer).
When Gu An'an was led there by Master Liang, Magistrate Du was reading "Essentials of Agricultural Economics".
"Didn't you say you were going to get on good terms with Manager Gu? Why are you back so soon? Didn't you eat anything there?"
Master Liang: "..." Not only are their masters bad at eyesight, but they're also incredibly unreliable.
Gu An'an was amused by these words, but fortunately she covered her laughter.
"Sir, Manager Gu has come over and says he wants to discuss a business deal with you."
Magistrate Du didn't even look up. "I am an official appointed by the imperial court, not some merchant. What business are we talking about? No business." He waved his hand. "Move aside. You're blocking my view. My eyesight is bad, and it's all your fault."
What does this have to do with him?
Master Liang felt utterly wronged. Seeing the person beside him barely able to suppress their laughter, he quickly reminded him, "Sir, Manager Gu is coming over. Don't you think..."
Magistrate Du was taken aback upon hearing this. "You've come over?"
His expression changed several times, and when he looked up, he was all smiles. "Manager Gu is truly a rare guest. Master Liang, aren't you going to offer Manager Gu some tea?"
He put down the book in his hand and quickly stood up, saying, "Let me go change my clothes first."
Upon receiving the look, Master Liang apologized repeatedly, "Manager Gu, please wait a moment, I'll go make some tea."
This is the front office; family members are not here, nor are there any servants.
Gu An'an glanced at it briefly, her gaze falling on the book "A Study of Agricultural Economics" on the desk.
In the back room, Magistrate Du pinched Liang, the clerk, and said, "Why didn't you tell me beforehand?"
Master Liang was also wronged. "Sir, you have no idea what I've encountered today."
He recounted the whole story of how Bai Qiaoyin killed Su Sanniang in prison, which made Magistrate Du's expression turn solemn.
"My lord, Bai Qiaoyin is Young Master Lin's person. You'll have to be careful when you deal with her later."
"Even the emperor is subject to the same laws as commoners. What's wrong with Lin Zixing's people? Does that mean they can kill people at will? I will naturally handle this impartially. By the way, what brings Manager Gu here?"
How could Master Liang not know what his superior was thinking?
Anping County is a good place; there aren't any major cases, so you don't have to deal with those disgusting things.
But this is a good place; you can enter but not leave.
It's not easy to become an official here, and it's even harder to get out.
After the fall of the previous dynasty and the establishment of the new dynasty, there was no way to grant land and territory to meritorious officials. Even the princes and princesses of the Longqing Emperor did not receive such treatment.
Throughout the entire Daye Dynasty, only General An had a fiefdom.
Anping County was his mini-court.
The situation in the court was complicated. Everyone knew that after General Han's death, in order to stabilize the court, Emperor Longqing promoted General An, whom General Han had personally promoted, to win over the people.
Furthermore, he granted General An the land and territory he had longed for, fulfilling General Han's expectations.
But how can one allow others to sleep soundly beside one's bed?
Although General An had been trying to resign and leave all these years, how could the Longqing Emperor dare to actually let him go?
The power struggle between the emperor and his ministers was truly intense.
Anping County, such a small county, has become extremely important.
It was also extremely awkward.
Magistrate Du had offended officials in the Ministry of Personnel, which led to a transfer order that sent him to Anping County, meaning he might never be promoted again.
Even the most good-tempered Magistrate Du was worn down to the point of losing all hope.
He even harbored a lot of resentment.
Unfortunately, Bai Qiaoyin was Lin Gongzi's woman, and Lin Gongzi's sister was the favored concubine of Emperor Longqing, a concubine whose favor was so great that all the beauties in the six palaces paled in comparison.
I'm afraid his upright and just magistrate didn't intend to use Bai Qiaoyin to negotiate with that young master Lin to transfer him away from Anping County.
They want to make an example of someone.
This is not a good thing.
Master Liang originally wanted to offer some advice, but then he remembered that Gu An'an was still waiting ahead, so he quickly explained, "Manager Gu heard that our county government makes a living by digging for food in the soil, so he said he wanted to cooperate with us and could give us a stable harvest."
"She's just a woman, what can she do? Does she think an acre of land can produce ten more bushels of millet?"
"Is Master Liang sure about this?" he said. "Manager Gu didn't tell me either. Why don't you go and talk to her, sir? By the way, I did ask Manager Gu. The person who accompanied her to the county office that day was the eldest son of Prefect Chen, General Chen Yuan."
Upon hearing this, Magistrate Du, who was drinking tea there, spat out his tea all over the ground. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"
He quickly changed his clothes and went to the front. When he saw Gu An'an standing there, flipping through the book "A Study of Agricultural Economics" that he had just been reading, Magistrate Du's eyelids twitched. He was afraid that this person would destroy the book that he had finally obtained.
"Manager Gu is reading a book."
Gu An'an came to her senses and said, "I was bored just now, and I picked up this book on the table to read. I hope you don't mind."
"You can read?"
"I do recognize a few characters, but I can't write them very well." Gu An'an smiled. "This book is interesting, but there are some parts that could be improved."
"Improve?" Magistrate Du's expression darkened upon hearing this.
Master Liang brought out the tea, never expecting that such a thing would happen when he was only a step or two late.
You should know that the adults went through great lengths to find this "Essentials of Agricultural Economics," and they regarded it as a golden rule, treasuring it immensely.
To say that his book is bad is just asking for trouble.
He quickly stepped forward and interrupted Gu An'an, "Manager Gu, have some tea, have some tea."
Could Magistrate Du not see through Master Liang's little scheme?
"Manager Gu just said that this book is not perfect. Why don't you tell me more? I'm all ears."
Gu An'an laughed when she heard this. To be honest, as a biology PhD, she had spent a lot of time with the agricultural college, and as a result, she was very familiar with these ancient farming tools.
Taking the tea offered by Master Liang, Gu An'an nodded her thanks, "Thank you, Master Liang." Then she brought up the matter of the book, "Our Anping County doesn't have that much water, so this waterwheel is useless here. As for the plow inside, the plow head should be bent a little more, and two plow heads can be used, which would be more efficient."
Magistrate Du turned to that page and even started underlining it with a pen, saying, "Then why not make another plowshare?"
"Sure, but there's no such thing as a field that's been over-plowed, only oxen that have died from exhaustion. If you add four or five more plows, I'm afraid the old oxen won't agree."
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