The carriage sped along and returned to Zhengyang County in less than two hours.
It was not yet noon, and Magistrate Cao wanted Zhao Xian to stay for lunch, but Zhao Xian declined.
Left with no other option, Magistrate Cao had to send Zhao Xian back to Shuixian Village.
When they arrived home, it was lunchtime. Zhao Xian asked the driver to eat before continuing the journey, but the driver refused.
It turns out that the county government had a rule that rickshaw drivers had to return immediately after completing their mission and were not allowed to linger outside.
Zhao Xian had no choice but to give up. Just as he and Zhao Cheng were about to enter the house, they saw Zhao the wealthy man quickly walking over from the corner of his own house.
He came to Zhao Xian and knelt down with a thud.
Zhang Da Hu's action startled Zhao Xian, who took a half step back. Zhao Cheng, not knowing what was going on, quickly stood between the two to prevent Zhao Xian from being hurt.
"Scholar, please save me! I have offended the prefect. Please speak on my behalf and ask him to let me go."
As Zhang Dahu spoke, he kowtowed to Zhao Xian.
Zhao Xian was completely confused, not knowing what Zhang the landlord was talking about.
"Master Zhang, get up and speak quickly. What exactly happened?"
“I won’t get up. You can make me kneel and talk. I don’t want the twenty taels of silver. I’ll return the house deed and the IOU to you. I just ask you to put in a good word for me with the prefect and make him let me go.”
Zhao Xian remained completely bewildered, increasingly unable to understand what Zhang the landlord was saying.
Hearing the commotion outside, the whole family came out of the house and saw Zhang the landlord kneeling and kowtowing in front of Zhao Xian, which made them feel very relieved.
"Brother, you're back."
His family was overjoyed to see him return, but they were even more puzzled when Zhang Da Hu knelt and kowtowed to them, ignoring it completely.
Qin Shiyu noticed Zhao Xian's confusion and spoke up.
“Master, there’s no need to worry about him. This man has ill intentions and is reaping what he sowed. He has offended the Prefect. Let’s go inside first and then talk about this matter.”
"Brother, let's go back inside first. Dinner is ready and we're waiting for you to come back so we can eat and talk." Zhao Xiaosheng said as he pulled Zhao Xian into the house.
The courtyard gate was closed, but Zhang the landlord was still kneeling on the ground. Some villagers were secretly watching from a distance. It was truly gratifying to see the once ruthless man in the village in such a sorry state.
After Zhao Xian entered the house, the family gathered around the dining table to eat, and everyone started talking about what had happened the previous afternoon.
Gradually, Zhao Xian understood what was going on. Zhang the landlord had been plotting against him all along. This is what is meant by "those who do many evil deeds will surely perish." Zhang the landlord's fate was entirely his own fault and he did not deserve any sympathy.
But he didn't know why the prefect had come to the village to see him.
The last time I met them in town, the three of them claimed to be merchants who had encountered some trouble, and I even lent them one or two taels of silver.
After encountering some events, I basically guessed the identities of those people. They were probably the newly appointed prefect and his entourage.
When the prefect came to the village to find him, he encountered Zhang, the wealthy man, who came to collect a debt. However, Zhang refused both banknotes and silver coins.
Prefect Shen took out twenty taels of silver to pay off his debt, but Zhang, the wealthy man, was ungrateful and was severely punished by the prefect.
I heard that Prefect Shen is coming to see me again this afternoon. What is the reason for this?
If even the prefect can't solve it, how could I possibly solve it?
Zhao Xian thought for a long time but couldn't come up with a solution. It was definitely impossible for him to ask him to return the money. The prefect was so busy, how could he possibly make several trips for a mere tael of silver?
It seems the prefect has encountered a very troublesome matter and wants my help.
Zhao Xian had a headache. Since he couldn't figure it out, he decided to stop thinking about it. Eating was the priority, and he was indeed hungry.
I had only taken a few bites when I heard someone knocking on the courtyard gate.
Is Young Master Zhao at home?
Everyone was taken aback. The prefect hadn't come earlier or later, but of all times. It seemed they wouldn't be able to eat. Zhao Xian quickly put down his chopsticks and went out to check.
The courtyard gate was pushed open, and three people walked in. They were dressed the same as when they were last seen in town; they still looked like merchants.
"Zhao Xian greets Your Excellency the Prefect." Zhao Xian stepped forward and bowed.
The whole family followed and knelt down on the ground.
"This humble subject greets Your Excellency the Prefect."
"Please rise quickly. This isn't my first time here. There's no need for such a grand gesture."
Everyone stood up, and at this moment, Prefect Shen began to look Zhao Xian over and nodded slightly.
"Young Master Zhao is still the same, with a refined demeanor and extraordinary temperament," Prefect Shen exclaimed sincerely.
"You flatter me, Prefect. I am but a scholar who has no hope of passing the provincial examination. I have no choice but to do odd jobs to make a living. I never expected that you would come to visit me in person. I am truly unworthy of such praise."
"Young Master Zhao built a waterwheel without asking for any reward, which solved the drought in various counties of Qing'an Prefecture. Of course, our prefecture must pay a visit to express our gratitude."
"The Prefect is concerned about the country and its people, and as a member of the public, I should share the burden of the government."
Zhao Xian and Prefect Shen flattered each other.
"I heard that Young Master Zhao went to Xinkou County yesterday with Magistrate Cao to address the drought there. I wonder how it went?"
“Xinkou County is mostly mountainous, and drought relief methods used in other places are not applicable in Xinkou County. After surveying the terrain, I designed a two-person foot-operated waterwheel by digging ditches and building reservoirs to bring lake water to higher ground and solve the irrigation problem.”
Currently, Magistrate Gao is promoting this irrigation method and manufacturing a large number of these high-efficiency waterwheels, which should alleviate the drought in Xinkou County soon.
"Alright, what would your design for a two-person foot-operated waterwheel look like? And why do you call it a highly efficient waterwheel?" Prefect Shen seemed intrigued.
"To be honest, you can't fight city hall. Using your feet to drive the waterwheel is of course superior to using your hands. Secondly, I added a wheel design to the waterwheel to further improve its efficiency, making it easier to pump water from lower elevations to higher elevations."
After listening, Prefect Shen nodded and looked at his advisor.
The advisor frowned, seemingly deep in thought.
Zhao Xian didn't know what they meant, but he didn't want to ask.
Seeing that the group was just standing there talking, Li Chun'e invited them into the house.
"Prefect, please come inside for a chat." Zhao Xian only then realized what was happening and immediately invited him in.
Prefect Shen nodded, and the group followed Zhao Xian into the house.
After everyone was seated, the family served tea.
"Yesterday, someone plotted against us and tried to seize the Zhao family's old house. Fortunately, the prefect intervened and punished the villains, thus saving our ancestral home."
Zhao Xian recalled what had happened yesterday and expressed his gratitude to Prefect Shen.
“Zhang the landlord is a cunning and treacherous fellow, no different from a bandit. Since I have encountered him, I will punish him severely. However, I would like to trouble Young Master Zhao to arrange for someone to go to the county government to handle this matter in two days.”
"Thank you very much, Prefect. I will definitely go then. I wonder what brings you to my humble abode today? Please give me your instructions, and I will do my best to assist you."
Prefect Shen nodded. He did indeed have something important he wanted Zhao Xian to help with. He looked at his advisor, who then began to explain.
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