Chapter 26 You understand Jimin
Ms. Zhen discovered something strange.
Xie Lingjiang even started calling Tanlang "Senior Brother".
It was quite sudden. I remember before, she always called him "Brother Lianghan," but Tanlang called her "Brother Lingjiang" or "Junior Sister" all at once, whatever sounded natural to him.
Inside the main hall of Meilu Pavilion, Zhen Shi, dressed in a blue dress and with a green shawl draped over her shoulders, turned her head to look at the two people who were chatting and laughing as they walked past her, her face full of suspicion.
When this somewhat arrogant young lady from the Xie family came to ask her about Tanlang's whereabouts in the afternoon, didn't she call him Brother Lianghan with a stern face? Why did she change her address when she came back in the evening?
Could this be some kind of feigned indifference tactic by Tanlang, deliberately ignoring the young lady for a few days before suddenly showing her some warmth? Just like how she usually scolds her maids… The woman in the silk skirt subtly adds to the scene.
Finally figured it out?
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zhen pulled Ouyang Rong outside and asked:
"Why are you all dirty again? What's Tanlang up to? Go take a bath before you sit down at the table. Be more presentable. I'll have Banxi boil some water..."
Ouyang Rong shook his head, "No need for now. I'm just going back to Luming Street to pick up an official document from the government office, and I'll bring my junior sister over for dinner. I also have to go to the suburbs tonight to take care of some things, so I might be back quite late. Aunt, get some rest early and don't wait up for me."
Zhen: "You..."
"Oh, right." Ouyang Rong turned around and handed her a small jar of pickled radishes. "Bring some to the table and let your junior sister have a taste."
"She likes to eat this?" The woman's attention was diverted. She lowered her head to sniff it and said with a happy expression, "Okay, okay, okay."
Ouyang Rong was a little worried and reminded him, "Don't go all out on the plate, leave some for me."
"Really, a man should be more generous."
"..."
At dinner at Meilu Garden, Ouyang Rong also invited Yan Liulang. The latter rushed over midway, nodded to Ouyang Rong, Xie Lingjiang, and Zhen Shi, and then sat down and grabbed a bowl of rice.
Just like Ouyang Rong when he first sat down at the table, he looked like a starving ghost, devouring everything in sight.
These past few days, Ouyang Rong has sent him to lead the county constables to maintain order at more than a dozen disaster relief camps on the outskirts of the city. Every day, he runs around catching thieves and apprehending criminals. There are tens of thousands of transient people gathered in and around the city, and there are a lot of trivial matters to deal with. He has to sit down for a moment, which is really hard work.
Moreover, Longcheng has been part of the Wu and Yue regions since ancient times, and the people of Wu and Yue are known for their strong sense of gratitude and hatred, and for valuing promises over life.
This does not mean that the local people are uncivilized. On the contrary, Ouyang Rong has found that the local people are simple and honest.
But honest people are the most fiery, once they're ignited.
"They're not busy with any fierce or violent cases, but rather with a mess of grudges and hatred. I really don't know where they've hidden so many swords. It's a dispute left over from their fathers more than ten years ago. When the opportunity arises, their sons and grandsons will go back and dig out a sword to take revenge."
Yan Liulang wiped his mouth and sighed, "We're so busy with the floods that we can barely afford to eat, and we're still thinking about these grudges."
Xie Lingjiang picked up a piece of pickled radish and nodded: "The northern Yan and Zhao regions are full of generous and tragic heroes, while the southern Wu and Yue regions are lands of revenge and vengeance, not places to hide filth and corruption. Throughout history, both of these places have produced many assassins and death warriors who can achieve great things with little effort."
"It's good to have guts," Ouyang Rong muttered as he ate his rice.
Yan Liulang put down his bowl and asked, "Your Excellency, the work-for-relief program has indeed reduced the number of refugees and thieves, and the city's security has improved a lot. But won't it cause some trouble if we gather so many refugees in the suburbs?"
"Are you talking about the plague or the rebellion?" Ouyang Rong asked without looking up.
The overly direct words almost made Yan Liulang choke.
"Well, Your Excellency, I'm just a little worried. No county magistrate has ever done this before. I guess it's because they're afraid that it will be difficult to manage if there are too many people."
"This doesn't sound like something you would have thought of. Did your father tell you this?"
"Yes, he was worried too."
"Since County Magistrate Yan has the mind to consider these things, it seems he still has plenty of energy. Why doesn't he return to the yamen to report for duty?"
"I don't know. He said he's getting old and wants to retire, so he asked me to take over the police station for him this year."
Ouyang Rong nodded, glanced in the direction of the city outskirts, and said softly:
"Don't worry, Liu Lang. I will go to the disaster relief camp every day. With me here, nothing will happen. But if even I, the county magistrate, can't do anything and can't fill the gaps, then even if we disperse them all, the problems will still occur."
Xie Lingjiang nodded, "That's right. Moreover, our Great Zhou Dynasty is not like the end of the Qin Dynasty or the end of the Sui Dynasty, where gathering people to repair the Yellow River would cause public outrage and rebellion."
Ouyang Rong continued, "Besides, everyone just wants to have enough to eat. What's wrong with that? This is what the Great Zhou Dynasty and our local area should do, and it's not difficult. Now there are no powerful enemies outside and no war on the border. Luoyang and Chang'an are filled with people from all over the world paying homage and singing and dancing. Don't the officials of the Zhou court all say that this is a peaceful and prosperous era? There are so many surplus grains in the granaries in various places. If we work together, the flood will be controlled."
He felt full of energy again, so he buried his bowl and ate a couple of mouthfuls of rice. Zhen Shi, who was standing next to him, quietly served him some food.
“What Senior Brother says is true.” Xie Lingjiang nodded earnestly, her eyes shining.
The image of hardworking and vibrant life she had witnessed that afternoon was still vivid in her mind.
Yan Liulang couldn't help but glance at the Xie family girl, who was usually not very active when the group chatted.
Without giving it much thought, he smiled and said, "Alright, I'll be leading a team to deal with security matters next, so I won't be able to stay by your side all the time. I'll have to trouble Miss Xie to look after you."
"good."
Everyone was in a good mood at dinner. After finishing the last bite of rice, Ouyang Rong took Xie Lingjiang and Yan Liulang out without stopping for a moment.
Tonight he has to inspect the newly built Frost Camp. In addition, he also needs to deal with the medical care of some refugees. The county doesn't have enough doctors. He's considering whether to go to Donglin Temple... Ouyang Rong only now realized that this "green lamp and ancient Buddha" Donglin Temple is damn rich.
Before leaving the Deer Park, Zhen had Banxi grab a handful of candied fruit and stuff it into Ouyang Rong's pocket so he could have something to eat that night. However, Yan Liulang, who was standing nearby, knew to keep his own money hidden away and would distribute it to the refugee children every time he returned to the camp gate.
The three of them left the Deer Park and went to the Longcheng County Government Office. Ouyang Rong approved some documents in the temporary office, stamped them with the official seal, and handed them to the clerk. He then met up with Xie Yan and the other person who were waiting outside the door, and they prepared to leave.
Just then, a flustered County Magistrate Diao, accompanied by two men dressed as post station clerks, hurriedly rushed into the county government office, waving a few thin sheets of paper in his hand.
Before they even reached them, Ouyang Rong and his companions heard:
"Your Excellency, Your Excellency, something terrible has happened! News has come from Jiangzhou that the Jimin Granary, which was prepared for disaster relief, was opened three days ago by imperial decree, but hundreds of thousands of shi of rice stored inside have vanished, leaving the entire Jimin Granary less than a quarter full!"
The county government office and its surroundings fell into complete silence.
Whether it was a yamen runner passing by on his way home from get off work or a clerk in the office preparing to write, they all froze as if a pause button had been pressed, their expressions filled with astonishment.
On the open ground outside the main hall of the court, the three young men closest to Magistrate Diao, who had delivered the news, were so shocked that the two on the left and right couldn't help but turn their heads to look at the young magistrate in the middle.
“You…say it again.”
The calm tone of the man standing in the shade of a grove of trees made Magistrate Diao instinctively take a step back. However, with the matter at hand, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and repeat himself, then hurriedly said:
"The entire city of Jiangzhou is in complete chaos. The head of the Jimin Granary has committed suicide out of fear of punishment. A large number of officials below the governor of Jiangzhou have been suspended from their posts. The Jiangnan Inspector, who was sent to supervise the disaster relief, has also entered Jiangzhou City and has already investigated and imprisoned 130 people..."
"Stop talking about that," the young magistrate suddenly said. "Just tell me how much grain is left in the Jimin Granary? And how much of the promised disaster relief grain can be allocated within three months?"
"The Jimin Granary only has a little over 70,000 shi left, but it has to be divided with Jiangzhou City and several surrounding disaster-stricken counties. We can only get... 3,000 shi."
“Three thousand…stones?” the young magistrate muttered to himself, head bowed.
“Furthermore…” Magistrate Diao hesitated for a moment, “The disaster situation is urgent right now, and with such a major case in Jiangzhou, everyone is too busy to help themselves. The higher authorities have ordered the county magistrates to take charge of local disaster relief and flood control…”
"How can we provide relief if there's no food or money?" came Xie Lingjiang's cold voice.
"The higher-ups instructed the county magistrate to devise various methods. If funds and grain are insufficient, he should solicit donations of surplus grain from local landlords and wealthy households, or requisition grain from temples and monasteries... anything is acceptable, as long as it alleviates the burden on the prefecture and county and helps them weather this difficult time together. Once the disaster has passed, some welfare policies can be granted to them, such as tax exemptions or levies. These are all matters for the county magistrate to decide. He could even borrow some grain from local gentry and landlords for now, which can be repaid once the disaster relief grain arrives..."
"So you're just leaving us to fend for ourselves?" Xie Lingjiang nodded. The other person remained silent.
Magistrate Diao said helplessly, "That's what the higher-ups instructed. This is an official document for the Prefect... Moreover, the higher-ups also instructed on the most important thing: during disaster relief, it is absolutely crucial to maintain order at the grassroots level, especially... among the displaced people. There must be no mistakes in this regard. This is the bottom line of the imperial court and the most important aspect of post-disaster supervision and assessment. Apart from that, it is understandable if other places are not doing so well."
After Magistrate Diao finished speaking, the entire room fell silent.
No one spoke, and no one dared to speak first, because one person remained silent.
Xie Lingjiang silently turned her head.
In the open space of the county government compound, the vegetation behind them blocked the candlelight shining from the main hall. Most of the young magistrate's body was in shadow, and Xie Lingjiang couldn't see his expression clearly at the moment, only that a pair of eyes were staring at the ground.
"Your Excellency, would you like to take another look?" County Magistrate Diao pulled out an official document and handed it over.
Seeing that the man beside her hadn't moved for a long time, Xie Lingjiang was about to reach out to take it, but the next second, a cold hand suddenly snatched it away. It was so fast that it even touched the back of her hand, so she knew that his hand was cold and a little painful.
Ouyang Rong held the official document between two fingers, flicked it, and asked with a curious expression, "Are you saying that within three months, I and 12,981 disaster victims only have this one official document and less than 12,000 shi of grain?"
Knowing that the grain was only enough for their own consumption and not enough to rebuild the ruins through work-for-relief, Magistrate Diao didn't know how to answer and stammered, "It should...it should be."
Ouyang Rong suddenly wanted to ask, if the imperial court doesn't provide disaster relief during famine years, then what's the point of having this court? Is it just for the people to support and decorate? Like the pagodas in those temples? But at least those temples that donate to pagodas get a few meals of vegetarian food in the morning, noon, and evening.
But the words that came out were just a simple "thank you":
"Jimincang, what a wonderful name!"
Ouyang Rong chuckled and left the county government office with the official document in his hand, leaving everyone looking at each other in bewilderment.
(End of this chapter)
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