The county magistrate found He Zifeng. He admired He Zifeng, who was young, capable, and daring. He said to He Zifeng, "Several big merchants praised you yesterday, saying that your porridge shop is very popular."
He Zifeng said, "It's all thanks to everyone's support!" He spent a little money distributing porridge, but other items in the shop sold out quickly, making up about 70-80% of the cost of the brown rice and other grains.
Add in lunch and drinks in the evening, and the initial labor costs are covered.
The county magistrate said, "If you need anything, just get it from the Lin family's spice workshop in the county town! I've already made arrangements."
"Thank you, sir." He Zifeng expressed his sincere gratitude.
This shop was the Lin family's pledge of allegiance to the county magistrate. The Lin family held a stake in it, and the county magistrate was considered one of the owners.
He Zifeng definitely needs to find some spice suppliers to cooperate with. Vegetables and grains are cheap; the high prices are mainly due to the seasonings and spices. The county magistrate's move is truly thoughtful.
The county magistrate said to He Zifeng, "This afternoon, I'll have Constable Zhu gather people from those villages that didn't pay their taxes this year to repair the city walls!"
He Zifeng was slightly taken aback. Winter was approaching, and repairing the city wall was hard work. The city wall in their county was built thirty years ago, and after years of wind and sand erosion, some of the edges were already crumbling when he climbed the tower. It definitely needed to be repaired, but it was already late autumn. Why did he suddenly think of this?
He Zifeng paused for a moment, then said, "Okay." Once the construction of the city gate tower begins, everyone will be busy.
The county magistrate liked subordinates like He Zifeng very much. He was capable of carrying out tasks without asking many questions.
He said to He Zifeng, "Do you know why I am levying grain on such a large scale this year?"
This year's grain requisition is more stringent than ever before; the higher-ups have issued a firm order. Those on the ground are showing no mercy. There are many poor villages like Lingshan Village, where local produce is meager, and a year's earnings aren't enough to feed themselves.
This time, violence was used in the requisition; I heard that the grain that was pulled out filled the county's granaries.
The people below were saying that the county magistrate was collecting so much money because he was new to the area and wanted to make his political achievements look good.
He Zifeng had once thought so too. But now that the county magistrate had asked, he couldn't tell the truth: "This subordinate doesn't know."
The county magistrate said, “I have a classmate who passed the imperial examination in three years and went to the Imperial Observatory to monitor the climate change across the country. He said that there might be heavy snow this year, which could easily lead to snow disasters. Knowing that I was sent to this post, he wrote me a letter specifically for this purpose.”
He Zifeng looked somewhat surprised.
He had never witnessed a snow disaster since birth; his few memories were passed down from the older generation. No matter what it is, a disaster can kill many people. As the local official, the more grain he controlled, the greater his power.
The Imperial Observatory was full of eccentrics, some skilled in the I Ching, others in some kind of divination. It was only late autumn, yet they were already predicting a year of severe snow disasters—it sounded far-fetched. Many people didn't believe in their theories, not even the county magistrate, but he trusted his old classmates and friends; many things needed to be prepared for early.
The magistrate considered his advisor a local strongman, and although Constable Zhu was loyal to him, he was a seasoned veteran of the yamen, and the magistrate feared he might leak information about important matters, causing panic among the people. After considering all options, He Zifeng was the youngest and a newly promoted member of his inner circle. He was humble and composed, and had even performed acts of charity like distributing porridge. The magistrate had high hopes for him, both for his abilities and his character.
He told He Zifeng the truth, and the county magistrate said, "I've only told you this. If you've done anything wrong, I'll hold you accountable."
He Zifeng said, "Okay, is there anything I can do?"
The county magistrate liked clever people like He Zifeng. He said, "I don't need you right now, but I'll need you in the future."
He Zifeng said goodbye after a brief chat with him.
He had only taken a few steps when he was stopped by the clerk's men, who called He Zifeng to go to the clerk's place.
The clerk knew He Zifeng was the county magistrate's man. He cut to the chase: "What does the county magistrate want with you?"
He Zifeng said, "The county magistrate said that the city wall has been in disrepair for many years and needs to be repaired."
Upon hearing this, the clerk scoffed, "As expected of someone from a big city, completely unaware of the hardships of ordinary people. Where did he get the money?" He was rather displeased; the better the county magistrate performed, the more passive he became. He then said to He Zifeng, "From now on, whatever the county magistrate says to you, you must reply to me."
Then the clerk put on a smile and said, "I know you're a smart man. The county magistrate is just a figurehead. My connections in the county are far greater than his. If you're obedient, I'll dote on you." Then his gaze shifted, and his eyes became somewhat sharp: "I heard you have a son studying in the county... If he gets hurt, it's natural for a father to feel heartache."
He Zifeng's expression changed, and he said, "Master, my son is still young."
Seeing that his words had a deterrent effect, the advisor said to He Zifeng, "Don't worry too much, I was just saying." Everyone has a weakness; if you can exploit that, you can control someone. Then, waving his hand with a tired look on his face, he said, "I'm sleepy too," and dismissed He Zifeng.
He Zifeng left the clerk's room, his body still trembling slightly. The clerk had initially thought he was frightened. In reality, it was because he was trying his best to control his emotions.
Ranran and Qiuyu are the most important people to him, and the fact that the advisor actually wanted to use his son to threaten him made him very unhappy.
The advisor deserves to die for even having that thought.
He really needs to be dealt with properly. The clerk is determined to compete with the county magistrate, and if this man isn't eliminated, he'll definitely face a lot of obstacles in everything he does.
He Zifeng's mind went blank.
On the way, he met two young yamen runners who greeted him: "Hello, Brother He."
He didn't hear it at all.
The two were quite surprised. They exchanged a glance and asked, "Who offended him?" His aura was intimidating, like he was about to kill someone.
But the two were only shocked for a moment before forgetting about it. They went back to the county government office to get the silver and continued drinking in the red-light district. They heard that two young men from the Western Regions had arrived there, and that they were both very handsome and well-built, so they went over to see for themselves.
He Zifeng returned to his residence in the county; he needed some peace and quiet. His advisor was a big shot in the county, and his relationship with the Gong family was ambiguous. With money, power, and years of scheming, many people in the county, from top to bottom, were now his subordinates.
For He Zifeng to challenge him was utterly a pipe dream; an arm can't twist a thigh. But he didn't need to completely eliminate the advisor. He only needed to remove him from his position, and then whoever he was would be irrelevant.
He Zifeng's expression was unpredictable, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Author's Note: Just a heads-up, this story will likely be completed by the end of this month or the beginning of next month.
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