"Are you afraid of the inspection?"
Jiang Yushu nodded, lowered her head, and studied the official document carefully, mumbling, "I've never been through this before. I have no experience, and I'm naturally afraid because I'm unsure. It would be terrible if I was rated 'incompetent.'"
"Madam, you worry too much."
Guo Honglei smiled, picked up a document from her lap, glanced at it briefly, and said soothingly, "The previous Tuning County Magistrate, Lord Sun Jie, was far less dedicated to his duties than you are. He was so lazy, yet he managed to pass the assessments throughout his tenure and was even transferred to a more prosperous area as he wished after serving for three years. You are much more capable than him and are truly qualified for the job. What is there to be afraid of?"
In his mind, his wife is extremely capable, so capable that her husband is teased by relatives and friends as "marrying a tigress" and "henpecked."
"Thank you for your comfort, General. You are so kind."
Jiang Yushu had been looking down for too long, her neck aching. She leaned back in her chair with her eyes closed, rubbing the back of her neck with her backhand. She confided, "Actually, Lord Sun isn't lazy. From what I understand, while Lord Sun doesn't pay much attention to things like agriculture, litigation, and population, he's adept at cultivating relationships and achieving political success. I hear he gave away countless precious medicinal herbs during his tenure, and his connections were so wide that even your commander, General Song, gradually became his friend. Then, the government and the army joined forces to dig the canal, and ultimately, the canal became a shining political achievement, allowing the magistrate to be successfully transferred to a more prosperous area."
"When it comes to socializing and managing, I'm far inferior to him."
Guo Honglei said calmly, "Cunning and scheming is a skill in official circles, but it's nothing to be commended. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that Lord Sun is intent on reassignment. He hasn't accomplished a single tangible thing during his tenure, and he slipped away at the first opportunity. He's unfit to be the people's 'parent official.'"
Jiang Yushu twisted her neck and quickly gathered up the documents. She sighed, "I guess it's because the local tyrant is so powerful, his subordinates are corrupt and taking bribes to enrich themselves, causing chaos in the government office. He's also at odds with Instructor Jing, so he's so exhausted that he just left."
"Cowardly behavior." Guo Honglei raised his hand, grabbed the back of her neck, and kneaded it with moderate strength.
The back of my neck felt sore from being rubbed, and then my tense body gradually relaxed.
Jiang Yushu hissed, her whole body swaying. She narrowed her eyes and smiled, feeling truly relieved. "Fortunately, the government office is much more upright now. The corrupt officials have been completely eradicated. I feel at ease now. I don't have to worry all the time."
"Sun Jie is timid, but you are too bold." Guo Honglei had a fierce face, but his eyes were full of admiration and indulgence.
Jiang Yushu swayed left and right as he kneaded her, and said slowly, "I'm just doing my duty to punish the criminals. Otherwise, the local tyrants would be gloating while the county magistrate swallowed his anger. What kind of talk would that be? It would be both cowardly and a cause for ridicule."
"Forget it, as long as you don't put yourself in danger, I have no objection."
After a moment, he simply pulled her to lie on his legs, lifted her hair so that he could knead her slender white neck.
The wheels were rumbling and the weather was cool and pleasant. Jiang Yushu lay comfortably on his legs and was massaged until she fell asleep.
General Xuanwei willingly served as a cushion, his palms slowly stroking the slender back, pausing at the soft waist, and whispering with a sigh, "You've never been able to gain weight. Did you use all your energy to gain courage?"
Just as she was about to fall asleep, she suddenly remembered a household matter. Her long eyelashes fluttered rapidly and she asked lazily, "Hey, what do you think of Fourth Brother's marriage and future?"
Guo Honglei's face changed, and he felt annoyed. "He won't change, and beating and scolding him are useless. I can only let him do what he wants. If I continue to persuade him and use the family rules, Mother will be angry."
"Everyone has their own ambitions, and they can't be forced. Hongxuan is determined to go into business, and there's no stopping him. Let him try his luck. Maybe he'll turn back after hitting a wall. As for marriage, the old lady has already chosen the niece of County Magistrate Liu. She's well-educated, beautiful, and virtuous. Her family says they don't mind having a concubine or illegitimate children."
"I heard Miss Liu is quite old?"
"Twenty-three, I think she's young. She wasted her youth in mourning for her mother, otherwise she probably wouldn't have chosen to marry Hongxuan."
"Alas, the fourth brother has a flawed personal morality, so I have no right to criticize him. He simply deserves it! I guess he will suffer the consequences in the future."
Jiang Yushu lay down comfortably and advised, "Come on, calm down. Let alone your own brother, even if your own son doesn't listen to our advice when he grows up, there's nothing we can do."
Guo Honglei raised an eyebrow, feeling very disappointed. "Hmph, if it was my son who was being willful and mischievous, I would have fewer concerns. I would simply break his legs. I would rather support him for the rest of his life than let him do whatever he wants."
"You can scold me, but you can't break my legs!"
"Madam, have you ever heard of 'A loving mother often spoils her child'?"
She immediately pinched his arm and said angrily, "Don't hit children unless they have made a serious mistake."
"When did I ever 'hit the child casually'? How could I bear to do that?" Guo Honglei pinched her, but not her arm.
"Hiss~" Jiang Yushu subconsciously curled up, quickly lying down, and protected herself with her hands. "You pick on places to pinch, it hurts!"
"Does it hurt? Get up, let me take a look."
"Stop it! Be careful people outside the car might hear us and laugh at us."
"That's strange. Who started it first? I'm just accepting the attack. I'll fight to the end."
"Sit still and let me pinch you back, and then we'll be even!"
"Hmph." He easily trapped her, jokingly admiring her futile struggle, and asked majestically, "Are you convinced? Admit defeat and I'll spare you."
"No, I don't accept it!"
…
The two pushed and shoved each other for a while, and it ended with Guo Honglei holding her firmly for the umpteenth time. They hugged each other affectionately, and their love was as strong as before.
"It was because of the fourth child's repeated absurd behavior that I decided to bring my son and nephew to Yongzhou. I want to take advantage of the free time in the past two years to discipline the children strictly and prevent them from developing bad habits and annoying us."
Jiang Yushu agreed greatly, "Good idea!"
A few days later, Tuning County Government Office
Before the carriage stopped, the doorman recognized Guo Honglei from afar, his face instantly filled with smiles, and he ran to greet him.
"Hey, look, the magistrate is back!"
"Captain Guo is here too. Hurry and report this to the County Magistrate and the others."
"Why are you still calling me 'Captain'? You should call me 'General'."
"Yes, yes, look at me, I'm used to it and I can't change it in a short time."
The gatekeepers and several yamen runners greeted him enthusiastically, competing to pay their respects and saying in unison, "Sir, you're back. You must have had a hard time traveling. Please slow down."
"I pay my respects to you, sir."
"General Guo!"
"Congratulations, General, you've been promoted again."
…
Guo Honglei had stepped down from his horse. His family had been through many hardships, and he had long since developed a composure to remain calm in the face of adversity. He nodded to the crowd, strode back with his head held high, and helped his wife out of the car.
Jiang Yushu stood still, brushing her hair ruffled by the autumn wind. Her mind was on official business, and her first question was, "Did anything serious happen at the government office while I was home visiting my family?"
The concierge, well-informed, shook his head vigorously, "Don't worry, nothing serious has happened!"
"That's good."
Guo Honglei walked towards the second carriage without stopping. Seeing that his nephew had already gotten off, he picked up his eldest son and walked towards the third carriage. He asked gently, "Mingcheng, are you feeling better?"
"Much better." Jiang Mingcheng, a frail scholar who had devoted himself to studying since childhood, caught a cold on an autumn night, his nose stuffy and his voice hoarse. He had been taking medicine for several days and said awkwardly, "Alas, I can handle everything, big or small, but I'm the only one who's sick. I'm so ashamed."
Guo Honglei patted his brother-in-law on the shoulder and warned him, "Why are you ashamed? You haven't adapted to the weather at the frontier yet. Let's go to the back office to rest first. The county office is crowded and noisy, and if it disturbs your studies, I have a small courtyard in the north of the city. It's very quiet there. Don't hesitate to ask if you have any trouble."
"Okay, thank you, brother-in-law." The uncle and aunt talked and laughed as they walked side by side towards the corner gate leading to the back yamen.
"Is this Tuning?" Guo Ye touched the ground, rubbed his eyes, looked around curiously, and pulled his cousin towards his mother, "Mom!"
Jiang Yushu turned her head and waved, "Did you just wake up?"
"Yeah." Guo Ye pulled his cousin and looked around excitedly.
In an instant, the county magistrate led several minor officials and hurried out to greet them, bowing and greeting them respectfully.
Jiang Yushu introduced them with a smile: "This is my son, this is my nephew, and that is my younger brother Mingcheng."
Jiang Mingcheng stepped forward and saluted the county magistrate in a polite and courteous manner as a junior.
"Oh, I don't dare. I don't deserve it." Huang Yichun immediately returned the greeting, not daring to neglect the son of the Minister. "Master Jiang, please, please come in."
The servants were busy carrying the luggage, and Guo Honglei called out loudly, "Let's go."
A large crowd of people rushed to the back hall, exchanging pleasantries, while yamen runners and clerks bustled about, trying their best to curry favor. Not only those in the yamen, but also the gentry and merchants who heard the news and had something to ask for, tried every possible means to get close to them, trying to take advantage of the opportunity to establish some friendship.
So Jiang Mingcheng lived in the back court, where he sometimes studied, sometimes discussed knowledge with the new teacher and others, sometimes stayed in the county school for a few days, and also practiced riding and shooting under the guidance of his brother-in-law. His days were fulfilling and happy.
In a blink of an eye, it was mid-October.
In late autumn, the wind is bleak, the weather is getting colder, and yellow leaves are falling all over the mountains. Towns and villages in Tuning are busy harvesting crops, working day and night, for fear that the food will be ruined by frost and snow.
That morning, Jiang Yushu led a group of subordinates to inspect the grain workshop.
The workshop was spacious and clean. The first batch of workers were busy working, each of them working hard. Bundles of vermicelli were piled up in the bucket carts, and were transported to the warehouse like a stream.
Jiang Yushu picked up a bundle, weighed it, sniffed it closely, broke off a small piece, tested its hardness, and said with satisfaction, "Very good, it's getting neater and neater!"
"This autumn's harvest is good. Once the tax grain is collected and piled up, I'm afraid we won't be able to finish it before the New Year." Huang Yichun also broke off a small piece and put it directly into his mouth to chew. "By then, it will be icy and snowy, and we need a stove to make flour, so firewood will be a problem."
Jiang Yushu sighed, "Yes. Tuning has few mountains and forests but many grasslands. Making charcoal powder is impossible. It's too extravagant and requires a large number of people to collect firewood."
"However, considering that I successfully exchanged potatoes and dry food for a batch of ironware last month, it's worth the effort!"
Jiang Yushu couldn't help but laugh, "The Chujie County Magistrate was quite straightforward. He barely bargained and got the deal done."
The clerks said cheerfully, "We are honest and offer a fair price, so there is no need to bargain."
"Chujie is blessed with many iron mines. If I want to learn skills from Tu Ning, I should pay some tuition."
"Everything has its ups and downs. Chujie has iron ore, but the soil is poor. I heard the harvest was very poor this year."
"Haha, our Tuning is still the best! It's a vast area with fertile soil. According to current conditions, as long as there's no war, in a few years, the people will have enough food and clothing."
"I hope so."
The officials talked as they walked, and the workshop managers led the group respectfully. The group walked and stopped, inspecting the inside and outside of the workshop.
The next moment, two yamen runners suddenly approached quickly, bowed their heads and reported, "Sir, the Lingpu County Magistrate and the Anshan County Magistrate are here to visit..."
"They have already gone to the government office. What do you think we should do?"
Jiang Yushu stopped and looked at the yamen runner intently, wondering, "It's just a visit, why are you all so panicked?"
The petty officials looked at each other, some frowned, some curled their lips, and talked among themselves.
Huang Yichun approached and whispered, "Sir, have you forgotten? Lingpu is Tu Ning's biggest creditor, and they also owe Anshan a lot."
"In times of hardship, two or three county magistrates borrowed money and property from neighboring counties, leaving them deeply in debt. Therefore, unless there was war or chaos, at the end of each year, several creditors would take turns coming to collect their debts."
Oh, the creditor! Jiang Yushu suddenly realized it, slapped her forehead, and said frankly in embarrassment: "Well, it's not owed by me. I was so busy that I actually forgot."
"The debt is too great. The government office can't pay it back anytime soon. The longest debt has been owed for more than ten years. I'm afraid the creditor won't be very happy." When the creditor came to the door, the county magistrate frowned and whispered a suggestion:
"How about you just follow the example of the previous Lord Sun and go out of town and hide?"
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