Chapter 217 The Art of Speaking
County Magistrate Fu and his legal advisor exchanged a glance, their eyes lighting up. The chief clerk sat beside them, listening to them with a slight frown on his face. This was the third time the county magistrate had mentioned tax reductions and exemptions. The first two times they had discussed it privately, but this time it was in public. It seemed the county magistrate was very determined.
The chief clerk glanced at the people sitting in the hall, sighed slightly, and fell silent.
Reducing or exempting taxes isn't a bad idea, but I'm afraid the county magistrate wouldn't be very happy about it...
The people at the table thought carefully, but it only took a moment. After Manbao finished speaking, everyone was silent for a moment, and then County Magistrate Fu burst into laughter, looking at Manbao and then at Shanbao.
Finally, he patted their round heads and turned to ask Master Bai: "How old is the young master this year?"
Mr. Bai immediately said, "Eight years old."
This is the age in lunar calendar. Before children grow up, adults like to calculate their age in lunar calendar, as if this will make them grow up faster.
County Magistrate Fu naturally knew this, and since he was already a year older, he couldn't help but feel a little envious. "When I met him last year, he wasn't even seven yet, was he? He showed me an article then, and I already felt he was extraordinary. Now, after reading it again, I can see that his knowledge is indeed extraordinary. Wouldn't you consider sending him to the county school?"
Lizhi is Bai Li's courtesy name, which was given to him by Bai Qi and his teacher. They had no father, so their courtesy names were given by their teacher when they came of age.
The name that County Magistrate Fu called him was a very familiar name.
Bai Li smiled with relief, and was also a little moved. But when he looked down at the child who was blinking at him so hard that his eyes were almost cramping, Bai Li shook his head and said, "The child is still young. Let's wait until he's a little older."
He said, "Besides, his affairs are all decided by my aunt. He is my cousin's only child. I'm afraid his family is worried about him being out there alone."
County Magistrate Fu laughed and said, "The county school is in the city, not too far away. You can send a capable servant to accompany them. If all else fails, you can move your whole family to the city."
When County Magistrate Fu mentioned this, he became excited and tried his best to encourage Mr. Bai to move to the county town.
It’s not just because of Bai Shanbao, the more important thing is that if the Bai family moves to the county town, it will be much more convenient for him to hire people to do things.
The reason why Bai Li settled his family in Qili Village was because it was quiet and livable. Of course, he would not move back to the county town for trouble, so he smiled and refused.
County Magistrate Fu felt regretful and after a moment's thought, he said, "Why don't I take him in as my disciple and let him study by my side."
Bai Shanbao was not happy. Although Mr. Zhuang did not formally accept him as a disciple, he was treated the same as Manbao. He also liked Mr. Zhuang very much, but he did not like going to a county town to study.
So he reached out to pull the corner of Bai Li's clothes.
Manbao was also anxious, but this was someone else's business, and it was two adults talking, so she didn't want to interrupt rashly.
Bai Li's expression remained unchanged. He lowered his hand calmly, patted Bai Shan's, and said to the county magistrate with a smile, "It's a blessing for him that the lord has taken a liking to him. I'm afraid my aunt can't bear to let him go. You don't know, this child only goes from here to Dali Village to attend the market, and my aunt asks about him three times a day. And the lord is in his prime, and he has made great achievements in government in the past two years. I'm afraid he will be demoted soon. When that happens, my aunt will definitely not let the child leave with the lord. Letting him become your disciple now would be taking up a position for nothing."
Bai Li smiled and said, "If my Lord doesn't mind, I will let him come to you for help if he has any doubts in the future. I hope you will be generous with your guidance. In the future, I will let him serve as my master. In this way, although my Lord and Shanbao may not be master and disciple in name, they can be master and disciple in reality."
County Magistrate Fu agreed without thinking and laughed. It was not because he was convinced, but because Bai Li's words made him very happy.
Now he was thinking about promotion, and Bai Li's flattery just hit the spot.
Bai Li smiled and raised his glass to toast him, thinking to himself: He is not stupid. Yes, County Magistrate Fu is a Jinshi, which makes him better than Mr. Zhuang, who graduated from the provincial school but failed to enter the Imperial College or become a Jinshi.
But the key is, does County Magistrate Fu have time to teach Shanbao for six hours a day?
Obviously impossible.
Being a county magistrate is not something that can be overwhelming, but at least it is not an easy job.
How much can Shanbao learn by studying with him?
If he had asked this question ten years later, Bai Li would have agreed on Shanbao's behalf without a second thought, because what Shanbao, who was seventeen or eighteen years old, needed was guidance from an official like County Magistrate Fu.
By becoming his disciple, one can not only learn academic and official knowledge, but also benefit from the connections of Fu County.
But Shanbao is only eight years old now, no, actually he is only seven and a half years old.
Following County Magistrate Fu at this time would do more harm than good.
Although he could also get something from County Magistrate Fu, at this stage, he would definitely not learn more than from Mr. Zhuang.
and……
Bai Li lowered his eyes and drank the wine in one gulp. He admired Mr. Zhuang, not only for his knowledge, but also for his character.
After finishing the glass of wine, the matter was over. Magistrate Fu put down his glass and told Bai Shanbao, "Come to the county office to see me when you have time. I can also test your homework from time to time."
Bai Shanbao nodded obediently. Manbao, who was relieved beside him, tilted her head and smiled sweetly at him, thinking to herself: If Shanbao left, she would not have a very good friend. Fortunately, he didn't leave.
Magistrate Fu saw her smile and said, "Come with Zhou Man when the time comes. I remember you and my second daughter are good friends, right?"
The last sentence was said to Manbao.
Manbao nodded.
County Magistrate Fu asked with a smile, "Are you still communicating?"
"Yes, she didn't know that the master was coming to our village, otherwise why didn't she bring me a letter?"
County Magistrate Fu: “…I don’t know.”
I'm here to inspect, not to deliver a letter to you.
"I knew it. Sir, when you leave later, I'll write a letter to Second Sister Fu. Can you take it back to her for me?"
"……Can."
Manbao happily agreed and whispered to Bai Shanbao, "Second Sister Fu is so kind. Do you want to write a letter to her with me? You two can become good friends after writing letters."
Although it was a whisper, everyone sitting at the dinner table heard it.
The head of the detachment, the village chief and Old Zhou didn't think it was a big deal, but County Magistrate Fu and the others all felt their foreheads twitch.
County Magistrate Fu coughed lightly, and Bai Li quickly said to the eager Bai Shanbao, "Shanbao, the county town is not far from the village. If you want to make friends, you can naturally meet him when you go to the county town to pay your respects to the master. I remember that the master's young master is about the same age as Shanbao, right?"
County Magistrate Fu laughed and said, "That's right. He's eight years old this year, but he's very naughty and hasn't read much. When Bai Shan goes there, he can study with the boy and teach him."
Wrong word used: Right transfer is promotion. I used it wrongly in Chapter 213. I have corrected it, but I will also inform you here.
Answer to the question: It's not that Qidian is down, but it was first released on Yunqi, so the main recommendation is on Yunqi. There is no recommendation on Qidian during the public period, so I think it's great that I can rely entirely on book friends to cast 50,000 recommendation votes.
(End of this chapter)
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