There were candles lit in the room.
Zhao Jun and a young official sat on the porch, soaking their feet and watching the raindrops dripping outside. He smiled and said, "God won't let me leave."
The young official, about twenty years old and very immature, also smiled and said, "When the governor came to Changsha, the people were all happy. When they heard that he was leaving, they were all sad. It's not that God doesn't want the governor to leave, it's that the people don't want him to leave."
“Hahahahahahaha.”
Zhao Jun laughed and pointed at him, saying, "You're quite good at talking. With such ability, how come you've only been a county magistrate for six years and haven't been promoted?"
A young woman came over with a wooden basin and squatted on the ground to wipe the young official's feet. After hearing what Zhao Jun said, she boldly said, "There are too many corrupt officials in the officialdom. The more corrupt they are, the more they get promoted. Gong Bi has been a seventh-rank county magistrate for six years, but he has never been promoted."
The young official was Chen Xiliang. When Zhao Jun first arrived, he met with him. Although he had already investigated him, he still liked him very much when he saw him in person, because both his political ideas and personal ethics were admirable.
According to Zhao Jun's investigation, Chen Xiliang hated evil and did not consider personal gain or loss. He was praised by the common people and frightened the nobles. In Changsha County, he would hunt down anyone who dared to break the law.
Among them was a monk named Haiyin Guoshi, who had been a guest of Liu E and had close connections with many dignitaries. Because he was from Changsha, he used his power to seize the land of local people. Chen Xiliang, who had just arrived in Changsha to take up his post, learned of this and immediately brought Haiyin Guoshi to justice.
As a result, Chen Xiliang served as a county magistrate in Changsha for six years. According to official practice, he would have been transferred after three years at most. But the court seemed to have forgotten him. Apart from a two-year stint as a sinecure judge in the Dali court, he had received a Jinshi degree at sixteen, came to Changsha at eighteen, and now, at twenty-four, had not received any promotion or transfer.
Historically, he was promoted to the position of Dian Zhongcheng during the Qingli period.
In a sense, it can be regarded as a miracle on another level in officialdom.
"What do you, a woman, know?"
Chen Xiliang scolded: "The court has its own considerations, so please don't talk too much."
Zhao Jun took a towel and wiped his feet, then said with a smile, "Madam is right. This is the officialdom."
"Look, the prefect said so."
As Madam Yang wiped Chen Xiliang's feet, she said, "If you ask me, being an official is really tiring. He might as well resign and return home. After all, he's not the only Jinshi in his family. But he says he can't let go of the common people. Magistrate, look at what a fuss this is."
"Oh, you chatterbox."
Although Chen Xiliang knew that his wife was deliberately helping him with a complaining tone, he was still very angry.
The Dean is a man of great observation, and he knows clearly who should be promoted and who should not be promoted. Helping him in this way makes an upright person like Chen Xiliang feel ashamed.
"Hey, Gongbi, I agree with Madam on this point."
Zhao Jun laughed and said, "If an official doesn't serve the people, he might as well go home and sell yams. There are too few people doing their job in this officialdom, and too many people who are corrupt and unable to do anything about it. I just can't stand this place, so I want to move on and make some changes."
Chen Xiliang corrected him: "That's called Dioscorea."
"For the rhyme."
Zhao Jun put on his shoes, stood up from his chair and said, "The Song Dynasty is plagued by serious problems. What it needs is a young, promising and hardworking leader like Gong Bi. I think you won't have to wait too long before you get promoted."
Madam Yang's face was filled with joy, and she quickly nudged Chen Xiliang. Chen Xiliang had also wiped his feet and put on his shoes. He bowed helplessly and said, "Thank you for your appreciation, Dean."
"Don't say it's my appreciation, it's your ability."
Zhao Jun smiled and said, "If your abilities and achievements are mediocre, even if you're an honest official, promoting you would harm the country and the people. Although you're young, your abilities and achievements are outstanding. This means I'm entrusting you with a higher level of power, and you're worthy of my trust."
The rain outside was getting heavier, pouring down like a bucket, almost seeping through the eaves. It seemed that Hunan Province had a long rainy season every year, and sometimes, if the drainage system was not well developed, even the entire city would be flooded.
The two men walked into the house. Chen Xiliang followed Zhao Jun and said with a smile, "No matter how good one's abilities and achievements are, if no one appreciates them, what good are they? If there were more officials like Zhiyuan in this world, even if they weren't touring the local areas, even if they were just in Bianliang reviewing the documents on the achievements of various places, it would be better than sitting in the government hall."
“Hahahahahahahahahaha.”
Zhao Jun laughed heartily. "You're right. Those guys are just a bunch of clay puppets. They keep saying they're serving the country and the people. Why don't they go out into the fields and see for themselves? They're just talking slogans, but their hearts are only focused on vying for power and profit."
The room was dimly lit with only a single candle. The government office was old and had not been repaired. There were even spider webs growing in the backyard, and dust was everywhere, no one had swept it.
It's not that they are lazy, but Chen Xiliang brought his wife with him after he took office. He had no possessions and no servants. The yamen was so big, but they only had one bedroom to live in, and at most there was a study for Chen Xiliang to work in. There was no need to clean the other rooms every day.
When Zhao Jun came this time, it was Mrs. Yang who temporarily cleaned up a room for him to stay in.
Chen Xiliang's family was not poor. His brother was a big landlord and a loan shark. He once asked him to collect 300,000 coins (about 400 strings of cash) collected from loan sharks. However, he simply burned the interest documents and exempted the people from paying the interest.
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