Chapter 44 You've gone mad!
The next day.
Su Jingge reconsidered the timber that had been transported down, and found it to be of good quality.
Both the quality and the wood density meet the standards.
She ordered that the timber be used for the final repairs of the roofs of the first-class houses.
At the same time, she also selected a wooden board and shaped the person into a long board that was two meters high and one meter wide.
Those who participated in the renovation and construction of Yuxiang County will all be listed on this honor roll.
It was placed near the notice board close to the city gate.
People coming and going can see this list.
After giving these instructions, she went to find Xie Mo.
The matter of building Renyi Hall was discussed and agreed upon with Xie Mo.
Since Zhao Zhou was punished by the princess yesterday, the position of county magistrate has been vacant, and Xie Mo has temporarily taken charge of county affairs.
In other words, he is currently serving as a temporary county magistrate.
A yamen runner at the gate asked, "Is Magistrate Xie here?"
The constable replied, "Lord Xie is inside. I will inform him immediately."
“No need,” she said. “I can go in by myself.”
"Please proceed, Assistant Manager."
The young master was writing down his thoughts on a case while sitting on a side chair, not even noticing Su Jingge enter.
Xie Mo only realized Su Jingge had arrived when she was right in front of him and he felt the sunlight in front of him being blocked.
“Assistant Su, you came in without announcing yourself. I… I…” He looked at the messy desk. “Please forgive me, Assistant Su.”
Su Jingge smiled and looked at the table, which was covered with complaints from the people, from Wang Wu stealing Li Si's chicken.
The move to the county level has indeed caused a lot of inconvenience to the people.
It concerns the matter of repairing the county's grounds in a lawsuit.
Su Jingge noticed that it just so happened that she had come today for these two matters.
"Lord Xie is dedicated to serving the people, and I admire you greatly. I have come today for two reasons: first, to discuss with you the matter of repairing the city's grounds; and second, to renovate the abandoned temple in the west."
“Yan Shu and the others now have legal status, so they can’t just wander around the city aimlessly, nor can they be homeless. Therefore… we’ll give them that place.”
"They have also volunteered to join the ranks of those repairing the city. They will be stationed in Yuxiang County as craftsmen. What does Lord Xie think?"
After thinking it over, Xie Mo said, "Xie's idea is more thoughtful. Yan Shu and the others do need a place to stay. The dilapidated temple at the west end has been abandoned for a long time. It can be repaired without taking up too much land."
"Let's go along with the assistant manager's suggestion."
Xie Mo paused, his brows furrowing slightly: "But repairing the county's grounds is no small matter. Does the assistant manager have a list of the materials needed?"
Su Jingge smiled slightly: "I've been waiting to give it to you."
He then took out the list and gave it to Xie Mo.
This includes not only the source of the ingredient list, but also details of how the materials were made.
It can be said that it was clear at a glance.
Su Jingge asked, "How can I thank you, sir?"
Xie Mo's eyes lit up: "Excellent, excellent! I have never seen such an efficient person before."
He sighed, “In the past, these matters were always reported to higher authorities first, and then awaited approval from the county magistrate.”
“But I saw something different in the assistant manager. Once he had a plan in mind, he would implement it. He would wait until he had already set off and was fully prepared before applying for approval.”
"In this way, the efficiency will be several times higher, and it's not just empty talk."
"I admire your skill!"
Su Jingge smiled and said, "What you did was not wrong. You followed the procedures step by step and approved things little by little. It's just that I'm straightforward and acted first and reported later. I hope Lord Xie will forgive me."
Xie Mo took out his seal and said, "I approve this document!"
Just as he was about to finish writing, Xie Mo stopped again.
He glanced at Zhao Zhou's spot; the official seal was gone.
Su Jingge asked, "What's wrong, Lord Xie? Do you have any objections?"
Xie Mo said, "My lord, even if the official seal is affixed, I'm afraid some people will object. Let's wait for my Zhao Fantong to bring Zhao Zhou's official seal."
After saying this, Xie Mo cupped his hands in greeting and walked towards the back door.
Su Jingge followed her out.
She saw Fan Tong drinking freely from a small teapot in the backyard.
"Registration Officer, where is Lord Zhao's official seal?" Xie Mo asked.
Fan Tong leaned against the wall and glanced at him: "The official seal must be with you, sir. What do you want from me?"
Suppressing his anger, Xie Mo said in a calm voice, "Registrant Fan, as the county clerk, you should actively cooperate in handling the paperwork. Look at yourself now, where is the demeanor of a clerk? You're just going through the motions."
Fan Tong got angry upon hearing this and spat.
He spat out a mouthful of tea that he had just put in his mouth.
"How bitter!" Fan Tong slowly raised his eyes, a mocking smile on his lips. "Lord Xie, why don't you tell me, what exactly are the duties of the registrar?"
Xie Mo straightened his sleeves, put his hands behind his back, and said with his back straight: "You should be responsible for the drafting, writing, receiving, sending and keeping of all kinds of government documents, including decrees, official documents and registers."
"You are a crucial link in the transmission of official documents."
"Furthermore, there is the task of assisting in administrative management. The registrar should assist the county magistrate or chief official in handling daily administrative affairs, such as organizing government records, registering household registration and land, and compiling basic data such as taxes and corvée labor to provide information support for decision-making."
At this point, Fan Tong stood up: "Are you saying that Mou is incompetent? This is the prevailing attitude in the county. What are you pretending to be so high and mighty for? You even dream of governing Yuxiang County well with that Su Jingge? Are you out of your mind?"
"I don't have the seal. If you're so capable, go find Lord Zhao!"
A surge of anger welled up in Xie Mo's chest, rising from the depths of his heart.
He clenched his fists. For so many years, he had been a county magistrate, the second-in-command of Yuxiang County.
He and Zhao Zhou were originally on equal footing.
They were not lowly soldiers or yamen runners who could be summoned and dismissed at will.
No matter what I do or what decisions I make, my colleagues always laugh at me.
And you even said that you actually believed the emperor's order to repair the city.
With so many cities in the Great An Dynasty, could it possibly maintain them all?
Do you think this is all the greed is about?
That's the same all over the country!
Self-righteous and aloof.
Xie Mo grabbed Fan Tong's shoulder.
Fan Tong turned around and saw two pairs of almost crazed eyes pointing at him and cursing:
"You're a complete glutton, you're just a glutton!"
"After seven years of hard study, I became the third-ranked scholar in the imperial examinations. I should have been a fourth-rank official, but it was people like you who caused trouble and made me wait for my assignment. I waited for another three years before I was assigned to Yuxiang County three years ago as a seventh-rank official, and even then, I was just a deputy."
"I was asked to assist the magistrate in all matters, and I was determined not to fail him. Who knew I would run into a bunch of bastards like you!"
"I have a wealth of knowledge, but nowhere to put it to use."
"You are acting on the orders of the sage to repair the city for the people. You have to hand over your official seal whether you like it or not!"
Fan Tong's eyes trembled, as if a thunderbolt had exploded in his mind, as he watched the man suddenly point his finger at him and curse him.
Startled, he slumped down behind the threshold and rolled over.
"You...you...you've gone mad, Xie Mo?" Fan Tong stared at him blankly from inside the door.
Suddenly, Xie Mo grabbed him by the collar, his face turning purple: "Go get the official seal, get it for Mou!"
"Take it, I'll take it right now."
Fan Tong's lips trembled slightly as he scrambled and crawled towards the backyard.
Su Jingge was driven mad by what she saw; years of pent-up emotions exploded at this moment…
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