"Brother Huang?"
"Brother Yang?"
"Sir, is the magistrate of Quannan County visiting?"
"Him? Let him in."
Before long, Yang Luobai bowed and said, "This humble official, Yang Luobai, greets Your Excellency the Prefect."
No need for formalities.
Zhu Sheng was fat and chubby, and he always spoke with squinty eyes.
Yang Luobai bowed and said, "Thank you, Prefect. I am unlucky. The paper mill under my jurisdiction was destroyed by fire, and I lost a lot of goods. Originally, the tax revenue from the paper sold by these merchants would have been enough to bring in a large amount of silver for the county treasury. It's a pity."
I know that the Prefect is worried about the refugees in the southern prefectural city and has asked us to take in some of them.
My abilities are limited. I wish to help the Prefect, but I lack the strength to do so.
"I recently acquired some wild mountain tea from the mountains. Please, Your Excellency, use it to soothe your throat when you are tired."
Zhu Sheng's advisor, surnamed Lü, smiled and took the tea bag, then opened it and held up five fingers.
Zhu Sheng smiled and said, "Oh dear, Magistrate Yang's achievements are obvious to all. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Yang Luobai continued, bowing his head, "I believe my performance in Quannan County is satisfactory. I wish to realize my ambitions, but unfortunately, besides Yingzhou Prefecture, there are more than a hundred other prefectures and thousands of counties. Compared with those who have truly outstanding achievements, my meager performance is still like an ant compared to a giant tree."
Master Lü whispered to Prefect Zhu, "Master, this man has served as magistrate of Quannan County for seven years, and his performance has been mediocre."
Prefect Zhu understood perfectly well that, according to the unspoken rules of the Ming Dynasty officialdom, a county magistrate could serve for a maximum of thirteen years and a minimum of two years.
These past two years, I've naturally had connections in high places and a strong backing. The path to success is simply a matter of following the established procedures and waiting for the right time.
Others mainly rely on a bit of background and a bit of ability. Taking an average of six years, if you actually have connections, you should be able to move up a rank.
Little brother, you're not up to par.
He smiled and said, "Magistrate Yang, this matter is rather difficult..."
He tapped the exquisite tea box in his hand.
Yang Luobai immediately understood. Damn it, five hundred taels of silver isn't enough to satisfy you, how come you don't choke to death!
He then smiled faintly, dropped the pretense, and laid his cards on the table: "My father, Yang Yuanxi, is a close friend of Instructor Xu of Lushang County. Instructor Xu has already asked Mr. Wanfeng for help."
Zhu Shengyue grew increasingly irritated by this convoluted relationship.
Who is Mr. Wanfeng?
How ridiculous! Your father's friend has asked another person for help.
Your relationship is really too complicated.
Master Lü's expression suddenly shifted, and he whispered, "Sir, Mr. Wanfeng, could it be Minister Xu Heqing?"
Zhu Sheng was slightly surprised, "Lord Xu, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel?"
That's pretty strong of a connection.
Although both of them were fourth-rank officials, one was a government official in the capital and the other was a local official, so they were not comparable.
Zhu Sheng chuckled and pushed the wooden box forward. "Nephew Yang, you've governed this county diligently for seven years; it's truly not easy. There's no need to give me the fine tea you've painstakingly accumulated..."
Yang Luobai looked down and saw that on the right side of the wooden table, there was a faded track mark that had been worn into the surface... turning white.
He gave a slight grin.
"This is just a small token of my appreciation, sir. If I am fortunate enough to be transferred to a higher position, I would be grateful if you could give me a brief comment when someone from the Ministry of Personnel comes."
Quietly move the tea box back.
Zhu Sheng smiled and said, "No problem."
Before long, Yang Luobai turned around, lowered his head and stepped over the threshold. Although it was pitch black outside, the stars were twinkling.
The man felt relaxed and straightened his back, thinking that his back, which had been bent over for more than 30 years, might finally straighten out.
Father, you must stay calm over there.
Before long, a handsome middle-aged man entered the mansion.
Master Lü gave a strange smile and said in a low voice, "Master, Huang Bangchang, the acting county magistrate of Bozhou, pays his respects."
Zhu Sheng chuckled: "Let's meet. It seems I'm having a lucky day today."
The same script.
After seeing Huang Bangchang off, the clerk glanced at the tea box on the table and smiled slightly: "Does the master really believe that Vice Minister Xu can give them a hand?"
Zhu Sheng smiled and said, "It's almost like a favor between people. I don't think it's a good match. Minister Xu is someone who sees the Emperor's face every day. Why would he care about the life or death of a nobody like me?"
But what if, what if Vice Minister Xu really agrees to Xu Pingchao's request, this direct descendant of the Xu family?
Wouldn't it be better to create a positive connection?
"Master, I have a question. Since Xu Pingchao is a close associate of Vice Minister Xu, why hasn't he been mentioned by Vice Minister Xu?"
"Who knows? Maybe Xu Pingchao is just too useless. He didn't even rank among the top candidates in the imperial examinations. His abilities are mediocre. Oh well... let's rest. We still need to arrange things for the refugees tomorrow..."
If every official in the world were as concerned as I am, wouldn't the ideal of universal harmony, as described in the books, be within reach?
Master Lü looked quietly at the two tea boxes on the table and smiled.
He nodded in agreement.
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