Chapter 267 The First Step in Governing Luhua Town
Cui Qingyi is inexperienced, but there is still the county magistrate Wang Xiaoqian.
Yesterday, when Captain Wu's men went to arrest someone, Wang Xiaoqian thought for a moment and asked his men to go with them. Arresting people was the military's job, and his men only needed to loot the gamblers' homes of their valuables.
After everyone returned to the camp, Wang Xiaoqian went to ask Captain Wu for the stolen silver that was seized when they raided the brothel and casino yesterday.
The words were also nice, "Alas, it is not easy for the village master to get such a piece of fief. In the future, not to mention the food and money given by the fief, I am afraid I will have to spend a lot of money myself.
The village chief has discovered a new crop. Once this year's first crop of potatoes is planted, the people of Dajin will all enjoy the benefits. I admire the village chief, so I'm thinking of doing more for him. I'm sure you, Captain Wu, share the same sentiments."
Captain Wu naturally looked down upon this small amount of silver, so it was easy for him to collect the stolen silver. He immediately sent someone to take Wang Xiaoqian to count the stolen money.
Originally, Wang Xiaoqian didn't have much hope. Although everyone knew that casinos and brothels were profitable businesses, the basic situation of Luhua Town was there. How much money could he make by opening a casino?
But the three large boxes spread out before him dazzled Wang Xiaoqian. Looking at the amount, if there wasn't two thousand taels, there must be at least one thousand.
Wang Xiaoqian registered the silver and went to find Cui Qingyi.
He looked worried: "Village Master, the people in Luhua Town live in poverty, but now we have only seized this much gambling money, so where did the rest of the money go?
Do you think there are other people behind Luhua Town? Otherwise, how could these illiterate common people really accomplish such a great feat?"
Cui Qingyi's attention was focused on the silver Wang Xiaoqian had sent. She didn't even raise her head when she heard this, and her words were even more cold and ruthless: "Then I'll trouble County Magistrate Wang to check it out."
Luhua Town is her fiefdom, which determines whether she can eat filial piety comfortably in the future. Things outside Luhua Town are none of her business!
She cut the Gordian knot and dealt with the leader of the trouble in Luhua Town directly. Regardless of whether there was someone behind these people, this time she had completely cut off their thoughts. She would either not do it or she would keep Luhua Town firmly in her own hands.
From now on, no one can interfere with her fiefdom, not even Zhou Yanxiu.
Hearing her words, Wang Xiaoqian's mouth twitched, and he threw down the account book and left.
Cui Qingyi didn't bother to pay attention to Wang Xiaoqian. Don't think that helping her with something can offset the conspiracy between her and Zhou Yanxiu.
She really doesn't hold grudges, but when she does, she can be very difficult to deal with.
That afternoon, Uncle Fan brought a group of people to Luhua Town.
Uncle Fan was a little nervous as he walked in, mainly because the camp was heavily guarded. Even though they were led by the village chief's men when they entered, they were still questioned by the soldiers guarding the gate.
Uncle Fan finally felt relieved when he met Cui Qingyi in person.
After a brief conversation between the two sides, Uncle Fan took his men to the town to look at a location. According to Cui Qingyi's instructions, the brothel in the town was demolished, and the ancestral hall of Luhua Town was built at this location. As for the school, it was built next to the ancestral hall.
Uncle Fan wanted to ask if the location of the ancestral hall was not very good, but then he changed his mind and gave up. After all, it was the people of Luhua Town who did it themselves, so why should he be afraid of being embarrassed?
As for the teacher, Qi Moxuan actually found a very influential person for Cui Qingyi, who was Master Zhang, who had been rejected by Dongping Academy in the county.
Qi Moxuan accompanied Master Zhang to Luhua Town. The old man stroked his goatee and looked around without saying anything extra. He only asked Cui Qingyi where she would teach in the future.
Cui Qingyi pointed to the newly erected tent in the center of the camp and said, "The school has just begun construction, so I'll have to excuse myself for the time being."
Master Zhang stroked his goatee again and said, "When I was young, I studied and practiced calligraphy outdoors. Now, I am very content to have a place to shelter from the wind and rain."
Having lived in Dongping County for several years, Cui Qingyi had naturally heard of the deeds of Mr. Zhang. He had a good reputation for running a private school in the county, but he was also very strict in accepting students. Unexpectedly, he was quite easy to talk to.
Master Zhang was old after all, and even riding in a carriage along the way was a little too much for him to bear. Taozhi personally took him to rest, leaving Qi Moxuan and Cui Qingyi to talk.
As if knowing Cui Qingyi's thoughts, Qi Moxuan spoke before she could ask, "The teacher's private school closed at the beginning of the year. I wanted to spend my retirement there. I went to his house and told him about the Luhua Town incident. The teacher said he would try it himself.
The Master also asked many questions about new grains. He was a kindhearted man. During the famine more than ten years ago, he often gave his own grain to help the people.
After hearing this, Cui Qingyi probably understood why Master Zhang came to Luhua Town. She felt warm in her heart, thinking that there are still many good people in this world.
Because of the murder at the inn, the children's school start time was delayed by one day.
The next day, Master Zhang took office. The people of Luhua Town also cooperated and sent all the children of school age, both boys and girls, to the temporary school.
Looking at the little faces below, some of which were childish and some were frightened, Master Zhang had a blank expression on his face, but he sighed in his heart. All the children were good, but it was a pity that they were not born in a good environment.
After a brief exchange with the village chief yesterday, Master Zhang had fully grasped Cui Qingyi's intentions. He admired the village chief's foresight and also agreed even more with his words, "Parents are a child's first teachers."
If the customs of Luhua Town are not interfered with, these children may follow the same path as their parents when they grow up.
The two children of Lu Dahu, the former owner of the inn, who had been killed, had changed their previous overbearing and rude temperaments. They huddled together and carefully observed their surroundings.
In the past, relying on the support of adults, these two boys often bullied other children of the same age. Now that they are no longer protected by their unreasonable parents, the two little guys have learned to keep a low profile without any guidance.
When Master Zhang wasn't smiling, he looked very serious. With a stern face, he rapped his ruler on the makeshift podium. "The village head is kind enough to open a village school in Luhua Town. You must study hard and don't let him down."
Nowadays, "Thousand Character Classic" and "Three Character Classic" are mostly used for the enlightenment of young children, but after discussing with the village chief last night, Master Zhang prepared a book "Collection of Famous Scholars".
As the name suggests, "Collection of Famous and Sages" uses the sayings and good deeds of famous and wise men throughout history to explain the fundamental principles of human conduct. Composed of four-, five-, six-, and seven-character verses, it is easy to recite and memorize, and reads easily. While being accessible and easy to understand, it also subtly instills correct values in students.
Compared with reading enlightenment, Cui Qingyi believes that the most important thing for children in Luhua Town is to learn to distinguish right from wrong.
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