Chapter 3218 Happy
It is a great pleasure to have friends coming from afar.
Tang He was warmly welcomed by everyone as soon as he got off the horse. This enthusiasm made Tang He, who had been wandering outside for more than two years, feel a little flattered.
He sat comfortably in the open pavilion in the backyard of the county government office, holding his wine glass and letting out a long sigh. "Although I have received such warm welcomes in other counties, the feelings were false and the intentions were fake. Only you guys really welcome me."
Bai Shan also leaned comfortably on the couch behind him, crossed his legs and said, "Back then, my senior brother promised Manbao that he would come to me as soon as he left the capital. In the end, we waited and waited, but you turned around and went to Jiangning."
"That's not my fault," Tang He said immediately. "I was originally heading to Qingzhou, but when I was inspecting Jizhou, His Majesty asked me to go to Jiangning to check on the dike construction funds. So I had no choice but to go to Jiangning. Fortunately, there is the Grand Canal, so I took a boat all the way down. Otherwise, I would be exhausted to death traveling from Jizhou to Jiangning in one go."
Because of this, Mrs. Tang was unable to go with him and only went to Jiangnan to visit him after the New Year.
However, because of the Jiangning case, Tang He had been traveling around Huainan, Jiangnan and Henan in the past two years, and had witnessed many cases that were so bizarre and bloody that they could not even be described in storybooks.
Bai Shan had long been envious of Tang He's abilities and hurriedly said, "Brother, you've arrived just in time. Why don't you help me investigate the cases in the county? It would be best if we could clear up all the old cases as well."
Tang He asked, "Are there any unusual or important cases?"
Bai Shan shook his head, "There aren't any unusual or major cases, but there are quite a few."
Yin Huo laughed and said, "Beihai County used to be poor. After Bai Shan took office, he had great prestige and the administration was clean, so there weren't many major cases. But in the past two years, because of the Longchi Wharf, there has been a lot of merchants and travelers from all over the country, and with the Dajin's largest salt transport bureau here, there have been many cases involving money."
Yin Huo glanced at Bai Shan with a half-smile, "Our County Magistrate Bai is fine in other aspects, but he's a bit behind when it comes to judging cases. Cases always take a long time to investigate before they come to a conclusion. In the past two years, he's been reprimanded by Governor Guo for this."
Bai Shan: "...Am I slow? I'm obviously very fast, okay? A case always requires evidence and a review. Last time, in the robbery and murder case, it only took me two months to catch the murderer. Is this slow?"
Tang He nodded, and when he saw Bai Shan turned and stared at him, he stopped nodding midway and said reluctantly, "It's not that slow. It's considered above average among many county magistrates. As long as it's not a wrongful conviction, and the murder case is solved within two months and the perpetrator is apprehended, it's considered acceptable."
Bai Shan looked at Yin Huo complacently.
Tang He glanced outside the pavilion and said with a smile, "Look at your garden, it's full of flowers. When Manbao and the others came here, we saw many merchants along the way, and many people carrying baskets on their shoulders and selling things on the official road. With such good customs, it seems that you have governed well."
Bai Shan smiled and said, "Brother Tang, do you want to go to Longchi Wharf? It's really prosperous over there right now. It's newly built and there are a lot of people coming and going. It looks more like a county town than my county town."
Tang He raised an eyebrow, "Okay, let's go check it out sometime. Is Dragon Pond far away?"
"About seventy miles."
"Not close," Tang He asked. "Since it's so prosperous there, there must be a lot of things going on. There must be a lot of conflicts, even robberies and the like. Are they all reported to the county government?"
"No," Bai Shan said, "I've posted two teams of yamen runners there, giving them discretion. Unless it's a major case, all the minor disputes and cases are handled there and then reported to the county government. After review, the criminals are taken into custody."
"Is that the two shifts of yamen runners that the local government is managing?" Tang He raised his eyebrows and smiled, "A county government office only has three shifts of yamen runners. If you give out two shifts at once, only one will be left at the county government office?"
"No, that's under the management of Yin Huo. I've recruited a new team here at the county office," Bai Shan said. "I've already applied to the governor's office to upgrade Beihai County from a lower county to a middle county."
"So fast?" Tang He sat up slightly straighter. "Back then, Changbo ran Luojiang County for several years. When he left, he didn't upgrade Luojiang County to a medium-sized county. It wasn't until the past two years, due to the high yield of new rice seeds, that it was promoted."
Bai Shan nodded and said, "Beihai County now has the Longchi Wharf and such a large salt field. The economy has reached a certain level and will not decline in the future. It is enough to be promoted to a medium-sized county."
If it weren't for his pressure, Governor Guo would have wanted to be promoted directly to the county magistrate.
However, although promotion to the county magistrate would be beneficial to Bai Shan's career, the tax burden on the local people and the county government would be too great, so he did not agree and kept it under control.
Tang He knew from his expression that there might be something unknown to him. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "What is Governor Guo's proposal?"
Bai Shan smiled.
Tang He tutted, then looked at Yin Huo and said with a smile, "I didn't expect that Junior Brother Yin would get involved in government affairs." He then looked at Bai Shan and said, "Since he has given you the power to manage the yamen runners, why don't you give him a position as a county lieutenant?"
Before Bai Shan could say anything, Yin Huo had already shaken his head and said, "I'm just helping out when I'm bored. It's not like I have to report to the county office every day. Besides, Beihai County has a county lieutenant. I can't just push them away when I show up."
Bai Shan smiled and said, "He not only does the work of a county lieutenant, he also does the work of a county magistrate."
Tang Hele said, "Isn't that just a county magistrate? What have you done?"
Bai Erlang, who was standing by, immediately raised his hand and said, "I've also done a lot of work as a county magistrate."
He said, "I don't know where all the trouble is coming from in Beihai County. How do other counties manage with only one county magistrate? Beihai County has so many people, and we still feel like we don't have enough."
Tang He smiled slightly and said, "You have spent three years to accomplish what others would take ten years to accomplish. Aren't you busy?"
Wu Yue came over and said, "My dear, my wife wants to know whether the food should be served in the open pavilion or in the dining room?"
Bai Shan glanced at Tang He and smiled, "Let's put it in the open pavilion. The wind is nice today, so it's a little cooler here, and we can also enjoy the scenery."
May agreed and turned around to pass on the message.
Not long after, Zhou Man and Mingda came together, carrying food with their maids. Tang He quickly stood up and glanced at Zhou Man.
He actually asked the princess to serve the dishes. Could he be more reliable? He was afraid that he would not be able to digest the food.
Zhou Man gave him a puzzled look. "Now is a great time to eat abalone. It's rare for you to come to Beihai County, so I asked someone to buy some seafood. Today's dishes are half Beijing flavors and half local specialties. Do you like them?"
Tang He's eyes lit up slightly, "Abalone..."
"Yes, there are also sea urchins and Spanish mackerel. You can try them all," Zhou Man said. "If you stay long enough, we can go to Longchi to eat seafood. The seafood there is fresher and better."
(End of this chapter)
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