With so many new people in the family all of a sudden, things have become completely different from before.
Because they had to learn the rules, during meals, Granny Lu would stand by the table with others, explaining everything one by one. This made the diners feel quite embarrassed. Xu Rao and Zhang Zhaoci were not used to being served and preferred to do things themselves. Seeing those little figures standing around them made them feel uncomfortable.
These were all things that Granny Lu insisted on doing. Even if it was uncomfortable, she could only endure it. After the New Year, Xu Rao suddenly became very busy. Spring plowing, repairing defensive fortifications, everything required money, and Xu Rao had to come up with ideas for everything.
It was at this time that the prefect and assistant prefect of Ganzhou Prefecture were exposed for corruption.
The case was initiated by a minor official in the Ministry of Revenue. The Ministry of Revenue, in charge of land taxes nationwide, was quite lucrative, and it conducted routine audits annually, usually at the end of the year. Last year, during the audit, some irregularities were discovered with this official. Because the seals were to be sealed for the New Year, the matter wasn't alerted. After the seals were reopened after the New Year, Emperor Liang Cheng personally supervised the investigation, and they followed the clues from this official all the way to the Northwest.
Every spring, the imperial court would allocate funds specifically for the repair of water conservancy projects. Just two years ago, continuous rainfall in the northwest region caused river channels to collapse, and floods swept across the country, submerging large areas of fertile land and displacing many families. Bai Kou lost her home in that flood.
Then the court allocated a special fund to resettle disaster victims in the northwest, and the fund for repairing water conservancy was also increased by 30%. As a result, this money was embezzled at every level, starting from the Ministry of Revenue. Emperor Liang Cheng was furious and ordered the Court of Judicial Review to investigate the matter thoroughly. The investigation implicated most of the officials in Ganzhou, and finally all the evidence pointed to the Third Prince.
The Third Prince was born to Consort Wan, who was Emperor Liang Cheng's most favored concubine. When the people from the Dali Temple came to report to Emperor Liang Cheng, he immediately ordered his secret guards to arrest the Third Prince. As for the officials in the Northwest region, he sent people to arrest him and bring him back to the capital, where he was imprisoned in the Dali Temple to await judgment.
As for the leaders of Ganzhou, Emperor Liang Cheng immediately issued an edict appointing Xu Rao as the acting prefect of Ganzhou, to take office immediately.
Xu Rao has been promoted from the seventh rank to the seventh rank, while the Assistant Prefect of Ganzhou is a sixth rank. This means that Xu Rao was promoted to a higher rank, and after taking office, he was not under the jurisdiction of the Prefect. He was the highest-ranking official in the entire Ganzhou Prefecture.
The one who came to deliver the imperial decree was an apprentice of Chen Wufu, the chief eunuch of Emperor Liang Cheng. Naturally, he knew the relationship between Xu Rao and Chen Wufu. In addition, Emperor Liang Cheng had personally selected Xu Rao to take up his post in Ganzhou Prefecture, so he was naturally extremely polite to Xu Rao.
Ganzhou is extremely important to Daliang.
Ganzhou is located on the border, and the several counties under its jurisdiction are all border counties. The west bank of the river borders the northern Di people, while the counties east of the river border some nomadic peoples. The easternmost county borders the territory of the Jurchens, and there are often some minor conflicts.
As the northern gateway to Daliang, the officials of Ganzhou Prefecture are extremely important. They not only have to appease the people, but also shoulder the heavy responsibility of defending the country. When war breaks out, these people are the most loyal support for the soldiers on the front lines. Therefore, the highest leader of Ganzhou Prefecture must not only have management skills, but also a strong sense of responsibility and loyalty to the country.
Since Xu Rao caught the eye of Emperor Liang Cheng, he has never done anything to disappoint the emperor. In particular, he and Wei Lang framed the fifth prince of the Northern Di, causing a major turning point in the Northern Di's political situation and preventing the Northern Di from gaining access to the capital for decades. Therefore, when trouble broke out in the officialdom of Ganzhou, Emperor Liang Cheng did not hesitate and made an exception to appoint Xu Rao to his post immediately.
After receiving the imperial decree, Xu Rao's biggest concern was who would succeed him as the magistrate of Hexi County. However, Chen Gonggong's apprentice gave Xu Rao another decree, emphasizing the importance of the position of magistrate of Hexi County and instructing Xu Rao to find someone who could quickly get up to speed to take over the position. The matter was sudden, so special arrangements were made, and he could take office first and then go to the Ministry of Personnel to complete the formalities.
Lord Li is the only suitable candidate. The main reason Xu Rao appointed Lord Li as the magistrate of Hexi County is that Lord Li will not overturn some of the policies he has already implemented without reason. Many policies were implemented by Xu Rao together with Lord Li. At this time, the virtuous should be recommended regardless of kinship. Besides, Lord Li is a scholar who has passed the imperial examination and is fully capable of serving as the magistrate of a county.
After receiving the imperial decree, Xu Rao began to make various arrangements. As for his family, with Granny Lu helping Zhang Zhaoci pack their luggage, they could slowly pack before heading to Ganzhou. However, Xu Rao could not do that. He needed to hand over all his current affairs and then hurry to Ganzhou. The matter was urgent, and there were countless other things waiting for him to do. Xu Rao dared not delay any longer.
Lord Li never imagined that he would be able to become the magistrate of a county at his age. He originally thought that he would follow Xu Rao in the future, and even if there was no suitable position for him by Xu Rao's side, he would follow him as an advisor. When he got old, he would return to his hometown, buy a few acres of land, enjoy his grandchildren, and live out his old age in peace.
Who would have thought that such an opportunity would come? Every man has ambition, especially someone like Lord Li who has already entered the officialdom and has done so many exciting things with Xu Rao. Lord Li also wants to have this opportunity to realize his ambitions. However, when this opportunity is actually presented to him, Lord Li becomes timid.
Xu Rao was so busy he felt like he could fly. He still had many things to deal with with Wei Lang, so he really couldn't pay much attention to Lord Li. Seeing the slightly panicked look on Lord Li's face, he reassured him, "Lord Li, don't be afraid. Just do as I say. Hexi County has stabilized now, at least for the next ten years. It's been a stable period. Don't worry about doing anything wrong. I'll give you a development plan for Hexi. If you follow this plan, there won't be any problems."
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