Chapter 208 Arranging the Aftermath and the People from Luoyang
The clerks and runners of Longcheng County noticed that a certain young magistrate had recently become much more agreeable.
Even when he bumped into Magistrate Diao dozing off yesterday morning, he didn't say anything, just walked away silently with his hands behind his back. He only joked with the old magistrate afterwards and fined him a little.
These changes seem to have started after I recovered from my cold and returned to my post.
In addition, it seems that Lord Mingfu has been enjoying some leisurely sightseeing these past two days.
However, unlike the Confucian scholar magistrates of the past, he did not use public funds to hold literary gatherings or invite scholars to compose and write at scenic spots.
Instead, he took his entourage of officials and, under the guise of investigating the local conditions, strolled from the Yue Nu Gorge upstream of Butterfly Creek to the sandbar at the farthest point downstream where the Yangtze River flows into the river.
Relying solely on his own two legs, he silently traversed the Butterfly Creek, visiting places like Digong Sluice, Zheyi Canal, Xiaogushan, and Dagushan. He even ventured into remote villages and towns in the surrounding mountains, eventually completing a tour of the entire Longcheng County.
He looked left and right along the way, said very little, and then silently returned to Luming Street.
Some county officials couldn't help but wonder if this magistrate, who loved to stir things up and always did things unexpectedly, had any new measures or policies to announce.
However, after his journey, the young magistrate returned to the Longcheng County government office and settled down to rest, going about his shifts as usual.
The only thing that caught everyone's attention was that he inquired about the progress of the Zheyi Canal, which was nearing completion, and held a routine meeting in the county government hall with some grain merchants and gentry who had invested in the Zheyi Canal to discuss future plans and some minor changes.
Besides these, if we had to name any other major moves...
That is, the magistrate suddenly incorporated Liu Ashan and other young men from the militia into the county government, and for this purpose, a new department was established in the government to prevent floods and provide disaster relief, which can be considered an expansion.
However, no one in the county government was surprised by this matter. Such things were within the jurisdiction of the Longcheng County Magistrate. The Magistrate had also consulted with Jiangzhou according to procedure, so the procedures were reasonable and compliant, and there was nothing to say about it.
Moreover, everyone in the county government knew perfectly well that Liu Ashan and the other men were Ouyang Rong's closest confidants and henchmen besides Yan Liulang.
Generally speaking, in the various prefectures and counties of the Great Zhou Dynasty, when a new official takes office, he will bring some trusted advisors into the government office, assign them duties, and do some simple tricks to streamline or expand the staff.
The fact that Ouyang Rong took so long to make personnel changes after taking office, and then resorted to half of the usual three-pronged approach, surprised everyone in the county government.
But then again, this magistrate was a righteous gentleman who stood up to the princess and spoke up for the people; it's not surprising that he was a bit exceptionally incorruptible...
Ouyang Rong was unaware that his every move was being watched so closely by his subordinates and colleagues; even if he had known, he probably would have just laughed it off.
In the evening, Ouyang Rong returned to the county government office on Luming Street as usual.
He went to inspect the Zheyi Canal again this afternoon.
Entering the courtroom, Ouyang Rong removed his hat, sipped his cold tea, and stared at the plaque above the main hall that read "Upright and Honorable," muttering to himself:
"This Liu Zian seems honest. He promised to invest in Zheyi Canal without missing a penny, and even paid out of his own pocket. He's a law-abiding citizen. If he's still pretending to be a coward, then he's putting on a show for too long."
He lowered his head and pondered for a moment, frowning for a long time before relaxing his brow and gently shaking his head.
"I've dismantled the Liu family into this state, and the public trial in the whole county has ruined their prestige among the people. And then there's Junior Sister and Sixth Brother sharpening their knives."
"There's only one dilapidated sword shop left. I've also poached half of the craftsmen in the shop, using the pretext of repairing the sluice gate to register them as workers in the county government. Liu Zian was all smiles when he saw me today, and didn't mention this at all."
"Speaking of which, was I a bit too much? You can't hit a smiling person... Oh well, I'll hit the smiling person then."
"However, I really can't think of any other way that the Liu family could pose a threat."
Ouyang Rong held his teacup, stood quietly for a moment, and nodded slightly.
These past two days, he's been checking for any omissions or oversights, and after looking around, he realized that there really wasn't anything he needed to do personally.
A moment later, without turning his head, he gave an order to Liu Ashan outside the door, and immediately a head official from the county government's household registration department was summoned.
Ouyang Rong turned around and asked directly, "How much salary do I still have to withdraw?"
The head of the household affairs office was taken aback.
Half an hour later.
The officials of the Household Department withdrew, leaving only Ouyang Rong sitting upright at the head of the table in the spacious county government hall.
On the desk in front of him, a small gray cloth bag and a small stack of papers were quietly placed.
This is Ouyang Rong's salary as a seventh-rank official, consisting of a salary in silver, rice, and some allocated official land.
The salary wasn't much; it was all on the table. The rice rations and the harvest from the allocated official land were all recorded in a book, which could be used to collect the money.
Ouyang Rong looked down and examined it, then sighed and shook his head:
"No wonder local officials all want to accept tributes of local specialties and make extra money. They handle projects worth thousands or tens of thousands of taels of silver, but their salaries are only a pittance... Even a seventh-rank official has no surplus grain."
Having worked so hard in Longcheng for so long, he received the salary of a "seventh-rank civil servant" in the Great Zhou Dynasty, and made a self-deprecating joke amidst his bitterness.
He weighed the small cloth bag in his hand, pondered for a moment, then took out several strings of copper coins and carefully laid them out in a row on the table.
"Ah Shan".
Ouyang Rong looked up and beckoned Liu Ashan, gesturing with his lips to the copper coins on the table:
"This is the cost of renting the boats; you can take it and distribute it to the boatmen."
Liu Ashan hesitated, but someone who disliked "using public resources for private gain" had already gotten up and left.
The setting sun cast long shadows on the official desk in the main hall, and also on the young county magistrate near the entrance.
Ouyang Rong stopped in front of the door, glanced back at the familiar court hall, and, as if moved by the scene, felt a slight sense of reluctance, knowing that every day he stayed was one day less.
"Goodness, it's not much money, but you've got yourself hooked, haven't you?"
Ouyang Rong made a self-deprecating joke, then left with the remaining salary to go home after his shift.
He first went to the Household Department to exchange for rice, and then, with the help of Liu Ashan and others, carried it back to the Deer Park.
In the courtyard, after bidding farewell to Liu Ashan and the others with laughter, Ouyang Rong glanced at the white-haired maidservant who was quietly nestled in front of the door.
Ouyang Rong reached into his robes, pulled out the small cloth bag that was now mostly deflated, and pointed to the rice and other items, indicating to Ye Weilai and the maids to put them away.
These were all taken back to the Zhen family and the Ouyang family of Nanlong. Although they weren't worth much money, they didn't rely on his salary, but on his official position and fame.
Ouyang Rong went inside to wash his hands and then went to have dinner.
Ye Weilai, accompanied by a group of maids, silently followed and surrounded them to serve them.
At the dining table, only the occasional clinking of chopsticks against porcelain bowls and plates could be heard; no one spoke.
Ever since that evening when Ouyang Rong firmly gave the order for Ye Weilai to take the remaining maids back to Nanlong, this has been the atmosphere between the master and servant for the past two days.
In the past two days, Ye Weilai kept her head down while making the bed, serving tea and meals, washing clothes and mopping the floor in the Meilin Courtyard. She would occasionally turn her head to look at the male master of the house who was engrossed in his work, and she was very careful.
However, the white-haired maid's timid, obedient, and ingratiating behavior did not shake the man's firm attitude in the slightest.
The atmosphere at home grew increasingly silent.
Ouyang Rong was unusually silent, even though it should have been a long farewell speech.
Dinner tonight ended in a tacit silence between the two.
After taking a bath, Ouyang Rong went to his study. Recently, his desk had been filled with Taoist and Buddhist scriptures and books written by hermits of metaphysics.
They were all borrowed by Ouyang Rong from Donglin Temple and some local scholars and gentry. He just did it for show and didn't really have any interest in looking at them.
At his desk, Ouyang Rong, dressed in a pristine white undershirt after his bath, glanced at the books and calligraphy piled high on the bookshelf. After a moment's thought, he got up and began packing up the books.
"It would be too much trouble for Wei Lai to take these books back, so let's give them to Su Dalang to encourage him to study hard. After all, they are a gift from the youngest Jinshi Tanhua of the Great Zhou Dynasty. You're welcome."
Just thinking about the rich expressions on Su Dalang's weathered, stubble-covered face when he received these books in a few days made Ouyang Rong chuckle, and his mood improved considerably.
Without further ado, Ouyang Rong spent the entire night tidying up the house and packing up books and notes.
As night deepened, there was no moon tonight, and it was pitch black outside the door, with gusts of cold wind blowing.
Ye Weilai, dressed in a thin nightgown, silently entered the room carrying an oil lamp in both hands. Her large blue eyes were slightly swollen and red. She glanced at Ouyang Rong's busy figure by the desk, then lowered her head and walked into the inner room, put down the lamp, and made the bed.
Soon after, the fire was extinguished and everyone went to bed.
The inner room was plunged into darkness, and the air was completely silent. Ouyang Rong lay on his back with his eyes closed, covered by the quilt and his hands folded.
The small blanket next to him, near the outer edge, was bulging out, and it was unclear what his sleeping position was.
"I weigh 80 pounds."
Suddenly, a small, raised "blanket" spoke.
That evening, Ouyang Rong and Ye Weilai had only exchanged a handful of words, mostly casual conversations. This was the first time Ye Weilai had spoken up in the past two days.
Ouyang Rong also noticed that the little girl used "I" instead of humble terms like "slave".
"What?" In the darkness, Ouyang Rong, with his eyes closed, turned his head slightly toward her.
“When my husband bought me, I weighed 60 jin (30 kg), and now I weigh 80 jin (40 kg),” she said.
Ouyang Rong remembered that the little girl was locked in an iron cage at the time. He exchanged rice for her, and when she was taken out of the cage and weighed, she weighed the same as 60 catties of five dou of rice.
He remained silent for a long while:
"oh."
The little girl seemed to be counting on her fingers under the covers, her earnest voice coming through:
"From sixty catties to eighty catties, Tanlang didn't lose out."
"..."
Ouyang Rong, who was initially feeling a bit melancholic about parting, was immediately amused. He suddenly sat up, pulled back the small blanket next to him, and vigorously ruffled the fluffy silver-haired little head, utterly speechless:
"So the rice you ate doesn't count, right?"
In the darkness, the little girl seemed to tilt her head and pause for a moment.
She raised her little hand, the back of which seemed to be preparing to wipe her eyes, but stopped halfway and instead scratched her little nose randomly. She lowered her head, said "Oh," and didn't say anything more.
Ouyang Rong withdrew his hand, hesitated for a moment, and said seriously:
"You're at the age where you're growing, so eat more. 100 pounds is normal."
"Okay." Ye Weilai tilted her head back, involuntarily puffing out her little chest, and asked, "When I weigh 100 pounds, how will I tell my love? Can I write you a letter?"
Ouyang Rong lay down again, closed his eyes, and said, "You should grow up first."
Ye Weilai also lay down, staring at the ceiling with her blue eyes for a while. Suddenly, she reached into the neckline of her nightgown, took out a necklace from her bosom, twirled it between two fingers, and quietly bit it.
There is a slight "clucking" metallic grinding sound.
The little girl has good teeth.
Ouyang Rong turned his head warily, leaned back slightly, and said with a look of disdain:
"What are you doing?"
Ye Weilai, looking rather naive, handed over two copper coins and asked softly, "Do you want them?"
Ouyang Rong misheard a word, and a black line appeared on his forehead: "I won't bite it, it's too dirty, take it away."
Having misheard another word, and then hearing him say "dirty" in a rude tone, the little girl's shoulders trembled.
Ouyang Rong reacted quickly, his voice softening:
"I mean I won't bite, not that I don't want it. I want it, but you can keep it with you and keep it for me."
"Okay, okay!"
Ye Weilai nodded hurriedly, stuffing the two copper coins tied with red threads back into her chest. These were the "goals" that Ouyang Rong had initially given her, and now she had something to strive for again.
"sleep."
"good."
The two lay down to sleep again.
But after a moment, Ouyang Rong, who had suggested "going to sleep," suddenly spoke up:
"Would you feel better if I escorted you all the way there?"
The little girl was taken aback. "Huh?"
Ouyang Rong paused for a moment, then calmly repeated:
"I mean, I'll take a leave of absence to send you back to Nanlong, but only to ensure your safety on the way. Once we get there, I'll light some incense and then turn around and leave."
"This way of saying goodbye shouldn't be so painful, so please stop crying secretly, okay?"
Ye Weilai shook her head, then nodded, seemingly giving no clear answer.
Finally, she buried her face in her hands, her soft voice stammering, "Okay... my love... go to sleep."
There was no more sound from inside the house.
In the darkness, Ouyang Rong silently turned his head to glance at the desk, where a bronze mask lay, seemingly ready to be used...
The next day.
As usual, Ouyang Rong went to the county government office early in the morning to take his shift.
However, today, the desk in front of him was covered with stacks of envelopes.
Ouyang Rong sat upright, laid out paper, ground ink, and began to write.
The morning flew by, and Ouyang Rong continued writing, occasionally glancing up at the sunlight streaming through the corridor outside, his lips moving slightly as he carefully chose his words.
As noon approached, he put down his brush and twisted his right wrist with his left palm.
"Ah Shan".
"Yes, sir."
Ouyang Rong pushed a thick stack of neatly arranged envelopes toward Liu Ashan and calmly instructed:
"Send them all out."
Liu Ashan was taken aback, then nodded, "Yes, sir."
Take the letter and leave.
Ouyang Rong leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath.
These letters were all sent to the original owner's childhood friends and teachers. He wrote to anyone whose name and address he remembered.
Ouyang Rong was, after all, a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), and he had many connections among these literati. They were neither too distant nor too close, but maintaining correspondence was not a bad thing. He mentioned the Ouyang family of Nanlong in his letters.
Who knows, some of these people might become high-ranking officials or ministers in the future? Let's leave a trace of kinship; it's better than nothing.
As the only person in the family who had ever been educated, this was all he could do.
Watching Liu Ashan's figure disappear into the distance, Ouyang Rong silently sat down and looked at the last blank sheet of paper on the desk.
"I also need to leave a letter for my junior sister and teacher... This one needs to be written carefully... What should I say? I'll skip anything too mushy."
Ouyang Rong stared blankly for a moment, then picked up his brush again and began to write.
But he had only written half of it when he heard hurried footsteps coming from outside the county government hall.
Several officials rushed to the magistrate's desk. The one leading them, Magistrate Diao, tripped over his own feet and fell hard to the ground. Before he could get up, he hurriedly straightened his hat and reported:
"Your Excellency, Your Excellency, something terrible has happened! People from Luoyang have arrived! And there are people from the palace too, they seem to be the ladies-in-waiting serving Her Majesty the Empress!"
Ouyang Rong's hand holding the brush paused, and the thick ink gathered into a small blotch on the paper.
He slowly raised his face, looked towards the bright sunlight outside the door, frowned, and said softly:
"Why would anyone from the palace come here for no reason?"
A bit short... (orz Day 6 of abstaining from pornography)
(End of this chapter)
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