On the pleasure boat, Zhao Hao and Zhao Shouzheng were stunned. They didn't expect that a gatekeeper would have so many tricks.

Isn’t that the old man from the message room?

"You say, can just anyone do this job? The few doormen who used to work in the government office can only do odd jobs for them!"

It was rare for County Magistrate Zhang to chat with others about government affairs, but once he started, he couldn't stop.

"As for the chief attendant, he is the leader of the signing room. He is responsible for signing all the documents and handling all kinds of official business. He knows everything and handles everything. The requirements are even higher. To put it bluntly, the government office can still function without the master, but without them for a day, it will be helpless!"

Zhao Hao heard this and thought, isn't that the Prime Minister of the Cabinet? The nine attendants below are the nine cabinet ministers.

It seems that what people say about the county magistrate being a local tyrant is quite true.

Magistrate Zhang briefly pointed out the key points that his people who were doing miscellaneous tasks should pay attention to.

Basically, we must keep a close eye on the six offices and three shifts of the yamen, as well as internal and external affairs. We must not let the clerks and runners who are doing their jobs fool us, but we must also guard against them colluding with each other and deceiving ourselves.

How to prevent it? It's nothing more than rotating on time, monitoring each other, rewarding reports, divide and conquer... those old-fashioned routines.

Zhao Shouzheng was ashamed. I can't do this even if it's just a cliché...

"If you really can't do it yourself, you can ask your friends for help." But Magistrate Zhang said sympathetically: "As masters, it doesn't matter if we are kind-hearted. As long as someone can give us advice and be more careful, isn't that enough?"

"I know this, my father originally invited these few people." Zhao Shouzheng nodded. Although it was useless.

"In addition to being the master's think tank and eyes, these assistants should also be able to take charge of specific matters." County Magistrate Zhang listed them all, "For example, in my place, I have hired four assistants to take charge of letters, money and grain, criminal law, and the account office."

"Uh..." Zhao Shouzheng asked in confusion: "Brother, aren't money and grain the same thing as the account office?"

"How can this be the same thing?" Although Magistrate Zhang seemed to know everything, he actually didn't leave any room for words. He took a sip of the wine, smiled at Zhao Shouzheng and said, "Try it, taste it carefully."

"Oh, I see..." Zhao Shouzheng nodded as if he suddenly realized something, and thought to himself that he would ask my son later.

"With the help of the advisor and the attendant, and the help of the wife and the son, the power that a county magistrate should have can be exerted. Otherwise, you are nothing!" Magistrate Zhang laughed and said, "Of course, the expenses are huge. It's not as simple as just paying these people monthly wages..."

"Brother, let me tell you this. The gatekeepers and draft signers in the yamen are all called masters, and they all have servants to serve them. If you don't let them get this treatment, no one will work for you." After a pause, he lowered his voice and laughed:

"In today's world, officials are not rare. Those who can do these jobs well are in great demand."

"Oh." Zhao Shouzheng nodded, not quite understanding.

He didn't force it. Since his son cared about it, it didn't matter if he didn't understand.

~~

Before they knew it, it was getting dark and the boatman rowed his boat out of the Qinhuai River and headed to the street in front of the Shangyuan County Government to see off County Magistrate Zhang.

Zhao Hao lit a glass lamp, and the bright yellow light illuminated the cabin with shadows.

"In short, brother, you should give the benefits to your own people as much as possible. You can't buy off those local tyrants in the county, so there's no need to waste your feelings. In one word, 'beat'!"

"Whenever we give you an errand, we'll catch you up every three days and compare you every five days. If you exceed the limit, you'll get a beating. If you beat him until he doesn't dare to come to the government office, we'll replace him with someone else to beat him... no, we'll do it again. In short, don't treat them as human beings. If you treat them as human beings, they'll take advantage of you and make things difficult for you."

"Won't they rebel against us?" Zhao Shouzheng asked in amazement.

However, Zhao Hao thought of Li Jiutian's pitiful limping appearance... Fortunately, he is now a clerk in the sixth room and basically does not have to fear the master's beating.

"What can they do? They are just lowly clerks born with a guilty conscience. How dare they turn the tables?" Magistrate Zhang sneered and said, "Since they are born without fear, it is better to make them fear!"

Looking at County Magistrate Zhang's serious expression, Zhao Hao thought to himself that he must have been badly cheated by the clerks in the past.

"Don't worry, brother. Anyway, we will leave after a few years... They have this hope. If they can tolerate it, they will tolerate it. If they can't tolerate it, they will hide. If the situation gets out of hand, they will be the ones who suffer the most."

"Brother, I have spoken my heart out to you today. I think you should now know how to be an official." Magistrate Zhang patted Zhao Shouzheng on the shoulder with an expression that said, 'I have passed on the world's secret book to you.'

Zhao Shouzheng was naturally very grateful.

Zhao Hao also gave some compliments.

Perhaps because he enjoyed being photographed too much by the father and son, County Magistrate Zhang, who had originally planned to stop there, could not help but return.

"It's basically the same with the subordinates, and it's actually even simpler with the superiors. The province is too far away, so we just need to send someone to keep an eye on the news and make sure the government doesn't get caught off guard. It's always good to have sharp eyes and ears."

"In fact, we only have two gods above us, the prefect and the inspector. We just need to worship the latter as a god. Burn incense to him on time and don't offend him. At other times, just pretend he doesn't exist... They will work for a year and then leave. It's not worth the effort to curry favor with them."

"As for the former, it's true that he is your immediate superior, but his daily orders are all exchanged through documents, not in person. You only see him a few times a year, so as long as you remember three points, it won't be difficult to deal with him."

"Which three?" Zhao Shouzheng asked hurriedly.

"One is that the county has nearly a hundred tasks every year, but there are only five or six that are really important. You just need to focus on the most important one or two - taxes and criminal law. It's enough if you don't make mistakes in these two. You can muddle through the rest, and the higher-ups won't say anything. If you have extra money, invest in culture and education. That's the easiest way to achieve political achievements, and it's also good for your reputation."

Zhao Hao couldn't help but think of the contributions he and Mr. Liu had made to the county's cultural and educational undertakings... although his share was contributed by Mr. Zhang when he was away.

The money that County Magistrate Zhang collects in a year is probably enough to provide compulsory education in the entire county, right?

Forget it, I won’t think about it anymore, let’s just take it as it is.

"The second is that, in addition to muddling through, you have to have something special. But you have to choose the right point to start with, otherwise it's better not to do it."

"So how do I choose?"

"It's simple. Before you do something, you should first think about it from the perspectives of yourself, the court, the wealthy people in the county, and the common people." Magistrate Zhang said leisurely, "If it benefits both parties and does no harm to the other, you can do it. If it benefits one party and does no harm to both, you can do it. But if it harms one party, don't do it, otherwise you will surely face disaster."

"What if we encounter something that benefits all three parties?" Magistrate Zhang asked himself and answered: "You should work as hard as you can, and work hard with all your might. If anyone dares to make trouble, I will kill his entire family!"

"Hiss, so serious?" Zhao Shouzheng gasped.

"Do you know how rare it is to encounter such a thing? Many people have been officials for their entire lives and never encounter such a thing. Our rapid rise to prominence and our names in history all depend on such things!" Magistrate Zhang said with saliva flying, and then smiled at Zhao Hao, twirling his beard, "Friend Zhao, this is very scientific, isn't it?"

"Senior, you really have the talent for science. Why don't you come back and join our science department?" Zhao Hao said with a half-seriously smile.

"Forget it. I just like to think about things. It's better to do science than to do...haha, that's off topic." Magistrate Zhang smiled awkwardly and waved his hands.

ps. Second update, please give me monthly votes and recommendation tickets~~~

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