The matter of Chapter 126, Zhao Zhi, is resolved.
"The villagers of Dahe Village have done a great service by digging canals to bring water and by controlling and killing locusts. After consulting with the prefect, it has been decided that the land tax revenue of Dahe Village will be reduced to one-fifteenth for the next three years!"
As soon as Master Yuan finished speaking, everyone in Dahe Village was stunned.
In previous years, the tax rate was one-tenth, and in bad years it could even rise to one-fifth. They were worried that the imperial court would take away all the grain this year due to its heavy taxes and levies, but unexpectedly, the tax was reduced or exempted for three years.
Thinking about it carefully, they didn't do anything special. They just did their duty and protected their own land. So why were they rewarded?
Master Yuan coughed: "Continue to follow orders—"
Originally, Dahe Village had also made a contribution in suppressing the bandits, but Zhao Lizheng dared not accept the credit. The main reason was that there were other bandits in the jurisdiction of Ping'an Town, and Zhao Lizheng was afraid of being targeted by other bandits. He earnestly requested the county magistrate not to publicize the matter, but the reward should still be distributed.
"The villagers of Dahe Village are honest and kind, and Zhao Lizheng is a model of good governance. The whole village is united in overcoming the famine, which is truly exemplary. Therefore, Your Excellency the County Magistrate hereby grants 1,000 mu of unclaimed wasteland near Dahe Village to Dahe Village!"
These days, there are few people and a lot of land, especially wasteland. This thousand-acre plot of land is right behind Dahe Village, and it's all overgrown with weeds and rocks.
Zhao Lizheng's lips twitched slightly. Although wasteland could be sold for money, the people in Dahe Village were poor. Most of their land was passed down from their ancestors. Unless someone had many sons, they would think of buying wasteland to cultivate. Over the years, there were still more than 100 mu of wasteland in the village that no one had bought. With this additional 1,000 mu, he was afraid that it would be stuck with them again.
However, the village head was not a greedy person. The county magistrate himself came to reward those who had contributed to the village, which was a great joy for Dahe Village. No one in the neighboring villages had ever been rewarded by an official.
Previously, Zhao, the village head, felt inferior to other village heads because his village didn't have a school. Now, he can stand tall and be a person of integrity.
Master Yuan continued, "The magistrate has heard that the method of digging irrigation ditches to kill locusts was proposed by Zhao Chengshi after experimentation..."
Cheng Wanwan knelt in the crowd, trying to minimize her presence. She secretly sat on her heels so that kneeling wouldn't be too tiring. But then her name was suddenly mentioned, and she immediately knelt down obediently.
"Zhao Chengshi is exceptionally intelligent and capable, and the magistrate hereby bestows upon her one hundred taels of silver!"
Master Yuan waved his hand.
A yamen runner brought over a red lacquered tray. The red cloth was lifted to reveal ten ingots of gleaming silver, totaling one hundred taels.
The villagers mustered their courage and looked up. When they saw so much silver, they all gasped in astonishment... My goodness! One hundred taels of silver! No one in the entire village had ever seen such a huge sum of money. With so much silver, would they be able to eat their fill every day from now on?
Cheng Wanwan was also startled.
Her proposed method of digging canals to kill locusts was actually for her own protection, and also to pave the way for Cheng Zhao.
She never expected that the magistrate would be so generous, actually rewarding her with one hundred taels of silver. This was silver that had been openly handed over to her; she could buy land, build a brick house, and do many other things...
After Master Yuan finished distributing rewards and honors, Magistrate Shen finally spoke up: "I am a person who clearly distinguishes between rewards and punishments. As long as there is merit, one can receive a reward. I welcome wise advice, and you are welcome to come to the county office with any suggestions you may have."
Cheng Wanwan secretly gave him a thumbs up in her heart. Generally, officials hate their subordinates nagging and offering opinions, but Magistrate Shen took the initiative to ask the people to come to the county government to speak, and the people he spoke to were the farmers in the village. In other words, Magistrate Shen did not look down on farmers at all. He should be a good official.
"Everyone, please get up."
Magistrate Shen waved his hand.
Only after the villagers knelt on the ground did they dare to stand up, and everyone secretly peeked at what the county magistrate looked like.
This wasn't the first time Magistrate Shen had come, but last time the distance was too great for the villagers to see him clearly. This time, they got a close-up look, and the villagers remembered what his eyes, nose, and mouth looked like, planning to show them off to people from the neighboring village next time.
As Magistrate Shen strode into the winding courtyard, the villagers automatically parted to make way for him, silently keeping their distance. Ordinary people naturally fear and revere officials.
Magistrate Shen stopped in front of Cheng Zhao: "I have inquired about your matter. It was just a child's nonsense. The headmaster of Nanfu Academy also indulged them in their nonsense. Tomorrow I will speak with Magistrate Zheng of Fenghuang Town, and you will be able to return to Nanfu Academy to continue your studies soon."
Cheng Zhao's eyes were filled with disbelief.
He thought that he had to take the initiative to go and ask for justice from the county magistrate.
He bowed and said, "Cheng Zhao thanks the County Magistrate for his help. However, Cheng Zhao has decided to study on his own and will no longer attend the Southern Palace Academy. Please forgive me, County Magistrate."
Old Madam Cheng, standing nearby, was initially shocked. Her second daughter had actually received a reward from the county magistrate. She was thinking of finding an opportunity to claim the 100 taels of silver, but before she could even figure it out, she heard with her own ears that the county magistrate was going to stand up for her precious grandson. She was instantly overjoyed, but before she could finish her joy, she heard Zhao'er say he didn't want to return to the Nanfu Academy...
Nanfu Academy is the best academy in all the nearby counties. How can I not go back to study!
Old Mrs. Cheng was about to stand up and speak, but was held back by the head of the Cheng family.
Grandma Cheng realized that the magistrate was still there, so she couldn't say anything that would embarrass Zhao'er. She could deal with this later.
“It seems you have your own plans,” Magistrate Shen said. “Don’t worry about the provincial examination; I will personally send someone to vouch for you.”
The Cheng family patriarch pulled everyone in the Cheng family to kneel down: "Thank you, Your Excellency, the Cheng family is deeply grateful..."
Cheng Zhao was completely impressed. If he were to become an official someday, he would want to be a benevolent official like Magistrate Shen, serving the people and standing up for them...
Zhao Lizheng stepped forward with a smile and said, "Magistrate, why don't you stay for a meal before you leave?"
Their village should be considered relatively wealthy now. Wasteland costs eight cents an acre, and one thousand acres is eight hundred taels of silver. With such a huge sum of money in hand, how could they not invite the county magistrate to stay for a meal?
Magistrate Shen waved his hand and said, "Every household has no surplus grain, so I will not stay here to eat the people's life-saving food. After the autumn harvest, when the grain is stored in the granary, I can shamelessly come and ask for a meal."
When the autumn harvest was mentioned, Cheng Wanwan's eyes flickered.
She raised her head and said, "Your Excellency, I have something to say."
Magistrate Shen's expression immediately turned serious. Several of the methods proposed by Zhao Chengshi had been proven to be correct. Since she had spoken up, it must be no small matter.
Cheng Wanwan was talking about the matter of ratooning rice, but she brought it up under the guise of eliminating insect eggs.
The first step in regenerating rice is to leave enough rice stubble. In less than ten days, regenerated tillers will grow, and everything else will follow...
The magistrate rewarded her with one hundred taels of silver, so she didn't mind telling him about it. Besides, the rice might not even grow back.
She said methodically, "... Leave the rice stalks at least eight inches tall. After the autumn harvest, when the rice stalks have been dried in the sun, turn the soil over and burn the fields. This will kill the insect eggs hidden in the soil..."
Magistrate Shen nodded repeatedly: "Master Yuan, write down what Zhao Chengshi said, and read it aloud to all the village heads tomorrow..."
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