Chapter 848 Zhao County Magistrate's Exceptional Promotion
County Magistrate Zhao is currently in the capital city's recruitment office meeting with officials.
With 30,000 people enlisting in the army, registering their household registration information alone is an extremely tedious task.
Fortunately, Zhao Ergou and Zhao Dashan had already organized all the information on their way to Beijing, so the officials only needed to copy it into a booklet.
Just as they were busy, an imperial edict arrived from the palace.
"Where is Magistrate Zhao of Dahe Town, Huzhou? His Majesty orders Magistrate Zhao to come to the palace immediately for an audience!"
County Magistrate Zhao nearly fell to the ground in shock.
Before coming to the capital, he did think he might meet the emperor, but he was content with just a glimpse of him from afar when the emperor saw the army off.
But now, the Emperor is actually allowing him to enter the palace?
How could a country bumpkin like him be summoned to the palace to meet the emperor?
He walked out stiffly and followed Xiao Guozi, who had come to deliver the imperial edict, into the carriage.
After boarding the carriage, Magistrate Zhao was stunned once again. He could say that in all his years, he had never ridden in such a comfortable carriage. It was even softer and more comfortable than his bed at home. There was even a table in the carriage, which was filled with all kinds of food and tea...
He finally understood why Old Man Zhao had been showing off for more than half a year after his trip to Beijing at the beginning of the year...
The carriage soon arrived at the gate of the imperial city.
Looking at the majestic imperial palace, Magistrate Zhao cowered once again.
His legs kept shaking, and he could barely walk.
Xiao Guozi said helplessly, "County Magistrate Zhao, cheer up and don't be disrespectful in front of the Emperor. This audience with the Emperor is a great thing, don't let it turn into a bad thing."
"Yes, yes, yes, what you say is true, Father-in-law."
County Magistrate Zhao's voice trembled uncontrollably. He took more than a dozen deep breaths before he finally calmed down a bit.
As I walked towards the Imperial Study, I gradually calmed down.
He followed Xiao Guozi inside, not daring to raise his head. When he saw a pair of bright yellow boots, he immediately knelt down with a thud, prostrating himself on the ground and shouting, "This humble subject greets Your Majesty, pays respects to Your Majesty, may Your Majesty be blessed... No, no, no, long live the Emperor!"
Hearing his trembling voice, the emperor couldn't help but chuckle: "Mr. Zhao, please rise."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
County Magistrate Zhao moved, only to find that his knees were numb. In just a short while, his hands and feet had become unresponsive.
He lay prostrate on the ground, on the verge of tears, and said, "I... I'll just kneel. When I was farming in Dahe Village, I knelt in the fields every day to pull weeds. This position is more comfortable..."
The emperor did not insist, but opened a booklet and said, "I have heard that Dahe Town donated a total of six million catties of grain and more than one hundred thousand taels of silver this time. In addition, 30,000 people voluntarily joined the army. This time, Dahe Town has made great contributions, and County Magistrate Zhao deserves credit."
"This humble commoner dares not claim credit," Magistrate Zhao replied with his head bowed. "The six million catties of grain were collected from every household in Dahe Town. It's just the autumn harvest, so everyone has surplus grain. Even the stingiest Zhang family donated four hundred catties of grain. Some merchants who do business in Dahe Town also bought a lot of grain to donate... In addition to donating grain, those merchants also donated silver. Plus, every household contributed three or five taels, so the total donation was fifty or sixty thousand taels of silver. The largest portion of the silver came from the money earned from repairing the canal, and we brought it all with us..."
"As for the 30,000 people who joined the army, only 3,000 came from Dahe Town. The rest were young people from other counties and villages in Huzhou... The fact that 30,000 people could be recruited is thanks to the prefect of Huzhou. It has nothing to do with ordinary people..."
Perhaps because he couldn't see the emperor's face while looking down, or perhaps because he was talking about familiar things in Dahe Village, Magistrate Zhao gradually became less nervous and his speech became more fluent.
The emperor looked at him with great admiration.
It's rare to find someone who doesn't seek credit.
It is precisely because of these simple and honest people that Dahe Town is developing better and better.
In the past two years, driven by the canal, the flow of people has surged, and commerce has become extremely prosperous. The tax revenue of Dahe Town alone is almost equal to that of five counties...
"Regardless of the circumstances, Magistrate Zhao has rendered a great service," the Emperor said calmly. "Whatever reward Magistrate Zhao desires, I will grant it to you."
County Magistrate Zhao looked utterly incredulous.
If he weren't kneeling in the Imperial Study at this very moment, he would have slapped himself to see if he was dreaming.
That old bastard Zhao got a calligraphy piece from the Emperor and is showing off like he owns the place in Dahe Town. He has to put that old man's arrogance to a halt.
"These are all things a commoner should do, and I dare not accept any reward. However, if Your Majesty insists on bestowing a reward, then, then I will shamelessly ask," Magistrate Zhao said in a low voice, not daring to raise his head. "I would like a piece of Your Majesty's calligraphy, which I wish to pass down as a family heirloom from generation to generation. I wonder..."
The emperor couldn't help but laugh.
How could I bear to refuse such a simple request!
So, he picked up a brush and, with a few strokes, wrote the perfect decree: "Tranquility leads to far-reaching goals; great ambitions unfold."
When Magistrate Zhao saw this, his eyes lit up.
Old Zhao's calligraphy only had four characters, but his has eight. He's won big.
"By imperial decree—" the emperor put down his brush and began, "Since taking office, Magistrate Zhao has worked diligently and conscientiously, making Dahe Town well-organized and prosperous, exceeding the standards expected of a town. Therefore, the town has been upgraded to a county, and from now on, Dahe Town will be Dahe County. Magistrate Zhao is hereby promoted to Magistrate Zhao, an exceptional promotion. So be it!"
County Magistrate Zhao... no, at this moment, he is already County Magistrate Zhao. He suddenly looked up, his mouth agape, his face filled with disbelief.
The news that the ninth-rank county magistrate of Dahe Town, Ping'an County, Huzhou, had been promoted two ranks in a row, spread like wildfire throughout the capital.
"I heard that this County Magistrate Zhao is already sixty years old. At such an age, he could retire and go back to his hometown. Why would he need to be promoted?"
"What do you know? It's said that Dahe Town donated grain and money this time, and even brought 30,000 people to join the army. Such a great achievement deserves a reward, doesn't it?"
"To get 30,000 people to voluntarily join the army is no small feat. Although Magistrate Zhao has never been to school and doesn't know many words, his achievement has perfectly captured the Emperor's heart."
"Many county magistrates have worked diligently in their posts for decades, from their teens to their fifties, without ever being promoted. This County Magistrate Zhao is just too lucky."
"It's not that they're lucky; it's that they're willing to mobilize the people to donate money and grain, and that the people in their jurisdiction are willing to join the army. That's their skill."
"The opportunity to make a contribution only comes once every few years. Those county magistrates failed to seize it, so they can't blame others."
"..."
The conscription had not yet ended, and the county magistrates who had heard about it could no longer sit still.
Originally, they hoped that ordinary people would spontaneously donate money and grain to join the army, but now that they've seen the benefits, they've started visiting households one by one...
While preparations were being made in the capital for the war against the Western Rong Kingdom, it had already begun to snow in the Western Rong Kingdom.
November has arrived before we knew it.
November in the Northwest is even colder than the coldest time in Dahe Town. Heavy snow falls, breath turns to frost, and water freezes instantly.
Icicles hung from the eaves of the palace, and although a stove was burning inside, the atmosphere was extremely cold and solemn.
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