Once the lottery was over, the village head continued with a serious expression: "Recently, I've heard some people gossiping with me outside, saying that they even hugged a scholar when they were young, and that they can talk to him about anything. Bah! I'm making this clear to you all right now: if any of you dare to say such nonsense again, don't blame me for being ruthless! If anyone dares to use the scholar's name to commit crimes outside, I'll kick them out of the village!"
The village headman spoke at length, and Meng Zhao listened attentively below, nodding in agreement. As the saying goes, "When you're poor, no one cares even if you live in a bustling city; when you're rich, distant relatives come even if you live deep in the mountains." Ever since Shen Qinghe passed the imperial examination, the news has spread like wildfire. It would be fine if those who had some contact with him came to congratulate him, but many "relatives" he didn't even know suddenly appeared.
Some claimed to be distant relatives of the Shen family, some said they were Shen Qing's childhood playmates, and some even said they had done a favor for Shen's father. In the end, they were just trying to curry favor and get closer to him.
But they couldn't just kick them out, otherwise the reputation of Shen Qinghe being ungrateful after passing the imperial examination would immediately spread. However, his daily visits were really annoying, especially those who kept asking Shen Qinghe for favors, which was a real headache.
They themselves couldn't say these things, so now the village headman spoke them out, warning those with ill intentions not to use Shen Qinghe's name to do evil. At the same time, by distributing tax-exempt land, he made the villagers remember Shen Qinghe's kindness. In this way, people were grateful but dared not overstep their bounds.
After the banquet, the village head found Meng Zhao and said, "Meng Zhao, what do you think of what I said?"
"It's really troublesome for the village head, but don't worry, Erlang will have a great future. In the officialdom, one person can't make a difference. If you really want to find someone reliable, you should look for someone from our own village. As long as the village head manages the village well, the future of the village will be limitless."
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