Chapter 75 The New Official [Second Update]
It is truly rare for Prince Zheng to express his emotions so openly.
The eunuch Qi paused for a moment before saying, "Your Highness, should we discuss this with Lord Su?"
Qi, the palace official, was at his wit's end.
Three months ago, someone found this woman and presented her to the emperor.
At first, they kept it hidden.
In recent days, as the Guangyue Prefecture has been withholding tax payments, the Emperor has allowed the woman to move freely within the palace.
The concubine had to deliver the herbal medicine to him every day.
Anyone who has seen the favored concubine can recognize that she looks remarkably like Lord Su.
The more the Emperor favored him, the more insulting it was to Lord Su.
I imagine that soon more people will find out.
How will you view Lord Su then?
The relationship between Qi Neiguan and Su Qing goes without saying.
Yunxi and Lülan addressed Qi as "Uncle Qi" repeatedly, treating him almost like their own children.
Su Qing also took very good care of them.
Besides, Lady Su herself is a very good person; she is truly dedicated to serving the people.
Therefore, upon seeing the face of this favored concubine, Qi, the eunuch, felt a chill in his heart.
Lord Su was wholeheartedly devoted to the people and to the prosperity of the nation.
This is the humiliation they received.
The news spread.
This will inevitably discourage officials with patriotic aspirations.
In any case, Qi, the palace eunuch, had already changed his opinion of the emperor.
Yan Zhengzhou said, "There's no need to hide it from her."
There's really no need to hide it from Su Qing.
Because she had already received a letter from the capital.
Fang, a member of the Guangyuefu Fellow Villagers Association, is the eldest son of Wu, the head constable.
Even Gu Congsi wrote to him.
Gu Congsi appeared the most furious.
The others weren't much better off.
"What a despicable tactic!" Wu Husi cursed aloud.
Registrar Luo was furious.
Most of them were unaware that Su Qing had almost been summoned to the palace by the emperor for his favor when she was in the capital.
On the contrary, Quan Jingwu, who was brought back, knew the whole story.
Quan Jingwu was a servant in the household of the Minister of Personnel.
He was sent to summon Su Qing to the palace.
Because the matter had become so serious, they took him back to his hometown.
He now works in the government office.
Inside Su Qing's study.
Needless to say, Yunxi and Lülan both wished they could slap the Emperor.
When Registrar Luo and Registrar Wu learned of this, their first reaction was: "Our Guangyue Prefecture doesn't pay taxes, yet they treat people like this."
Quan Jingwu, who delivered the letter, thought to himself.
They are indeed humiliating people.
But there's probably another reason: the Emperor wanted to annoy Lord Su, but also genuinely wanted him to enter the harem.
I definitely won't let go of the opportunity in the future.
Quan Jingwu didn't say it aloud, but he exchanged a glance with Lord Su and understood that the lord knew what was going on.
Speaking of which, Quan Jingwu returned to Guangyue Prefecture in May and rested at home for half a month.
This is the first time I've come back since I left home at the age of twelve or thirteen.
Seeing that their family now had farmland, several houses, and raised chickens, ducks, and geese.
He doesn't even want to go out and do any work anymore.
But he was not a lazy person. He came to the prefectural city with Lord Su's visiting card and became a gatekeeper at the prefectural government office.
The longer he stayed at Guangyuefu, the deeper his gratitude towards Lord Su became.
He worked in the office of the Minister of Personnel.
I have met countless officials, both high and low.
Those who understand this know that most of the officials here are genuinely concerned about the people's welfare.
Some are also dutiful and want to gain the appreciation of their superiors, so they will work diligently.
In the capital, those officials who only knew how to flatter were given important positions.
An official like Lord Su was humiliated.
Quan Jingwu felt indignant just thinking about it.
The four or five people in the study were silent, but clearly getting angrier.
Su Qing said with a smile, "Don't be angry. He's the one who should be embarrassed by what he did."
"I don't care."
"Why not use this opportunity to finalize the tax issue completely?" Su Qing said, bringing the conversation back to the main topic.
Quan Jingwu silently withdrew and hid at the second gate, making sure no one stepped closer.
Su Qingyuan, who was in Guangyue Prefecture, knew that there was a concubine in the harem who looked six or seven parts like her, let alone others.
If that's the case, then we should be even more determined not to pay taxes.
Actually, this has been going on all along.
Wu Husi kept the military accounts.
One issue is unpaid wages, which started last November and continues until October of this year.
Ten months' worth of provisions and pay, totaling 400,000 taels.
This winter, we'll prepare winter clothes and supplies for the Lunar New Year, including pigs, cattle, and sheep.
There was also a supply of weapons and medicines.
It will cost 700,000 taels of silver.
Just looking at these figures, this year's tax revenue of 1.86 million taels of silver has already been spent.
We also need to reserve for next year; it's not good to continue to owe wages and pay next year.
Take this ledger up.
This further demonstrates the determination of the Guangyuefu.
If they are in charge of military expenses, they will not pay money to the imperial court.
Upon seeing this, the Emperor and the Ministry of Revenue simply said, "Let the Guangyue Prefecture take charge of this matter."
Upon hearing this, the Minister of War immediately stood up and said, "If we don't let them take responsibility, then who will pay for the military expenses?!"
The people in the Ministry of War thought to themselves.
Stop changing policies so frequently.
The Ministry of War had just breathed a sigh of relief.
After Guangyuefu received the order, the people began to transport the grain and salary owed by the imperial court over in succession.
Starting in August or September, and now it's October.
The 160,000-strong garrison has been receiving several months' worth of back payments.
With General Chai no longer pressing for repayment, his subordinates could finally sleep soundly.
There is constant infighting between the government and the people.
Guangyuefu was determined not to give it.
However, the emperor could not recall her to the capital, and the matter reached a stalemate.
Until one minister suggested, "In that case, why not take this opportunity to reduce the number of soldiers?"
"Both Guangyue Prefecture and Gaoqing Prefecture are now at peace, so we don't need so many soldiers anymore."
The old story is being brought up again.
That hit the Emperor right on the head.
Ultimately, the problem is that military spending is too high and the budget needs to be reduced.
Of course, this matter should still be left to the Ministry of War.
The required funds will come from the Guangyue Prefecture.
The emperor thought himself very clever after saying this.
Apart from the Minister of War suddenly going black out, everything else was fine.
The Ministry of Revenue specifically named Tongmin Prefecture and several other places, all of which were in arrears with their taxes.
After discussing them one by one, I felt that everything was difficult.
"Difficult everywhere? Isn't it difficult for me?" the emperor sneered. "I have already given them many preferential treatments, yet they are still not satisfied."
"Go and tell them to give us a deadline—when exactly should they pay their taxes?"
Among these matters was even the affairs of Gaoqing Prefecture.
"Doesn't Gaoqing Prefecture have iron mines? I heard they're supplying iron ore to Guangle Prefecture, so why can't they pay taxes?" the Minister of Revenue said slowly.
The emperor remained silent, but nodded in satisfaction.
This matter reached the ears of Wang Jia, the prefect of Gaoqing Prefecture.
The Wang family of the capital.
His son just passed the imperial examination this year and will depart from the capital in September to take up his post in Gaoqing Prefecture.
When this family used their connections to send Wang Jinshi to Gaoqing Prefecture, none of their relatives and friends understood.
They say it's chaotic over there, what's so great about it, especially since it's located on the border.
But in July and August, news spread that Gaoqing Prefecture had seized the iron mine and sold the iron ore to Guangle Prefecture.
This made Gaoqing Prefecture different.
Therefore, Wang Jinshi hurriedly took office, fearing that someone else would snatch it away.
The Wang family members also looked grim.
It's unreasonable to impose taxes so soon after the recapture of Gaoqing Prefecture.
Wang Jinshi has arrived at his post and sent a letter saying that his post is indeed difficult and that money is needed everywhere.
The money from selling ore was all used to dig irrigation canals and build roads and bridges.
Moreover, local prices are extremely high, and only with this money can prices be stabilized.
Seeing that he was able to handle government affairs so well as soon as he arrived, his family naturally knew that this was thanks to Wang He, the head of the household affairs office in Gaoqing Prefecture.
Moreover, judging from Wang He's attitude, it seems he wants his son to become the second Su Qing.
This couldn't be better for the Wang family.
Don't be fooled by the fact that everyone laughs at Su Qing because she's a woman; it's mostly out of jealousy.
If any family's son could do that, they would have been praising him to the skies long ago.
With such a reputation, one is bound to rise rapidly in rank.
Even the Emperor dared not touch Su Qing without permission, so he could only resort to underhanded methods to annoy her.
It's because of her good reputation that people have to think twice before taking action against her.
The child is just starting to do things now.
Is it reasonable for the imperial court to demand taxes in silver?
The old patriarch of the Wang family had a gloomy face. He only had this one promising grandson in the family, and he couldn't let those money-grubbing people in the Ministry of Revenue ruin him.
"I need to submit a memorial to the throne. Please take out your pen and ink."
The Wang family members immediately answered yes.
With the old master stepping in, the tax revenue of Gaoqing Prefecture will definitely be put on hold.
In reality, Gaoqing Prefecture was not as miserable as they thought.
Prefect Wang himself was not in such distress; on the contrary, he felt that the place was vast and open, perfect for composing poetry while riding a horse.
To be fair, Prefect Wang was only so-so at being an official, but he did have some talent for poetry.
They saw the migrant miners and the local people.
The already talented Prefect Wang, with his personal experiences, wrote poems that became widely popular.
Several poems related to miners are even more heart-wrenching.
Encouraged, he became even more enthusiastic about writing poetry, leaving other matters to Wang He and the others.
Prefect Wang understood that they were all sent by their families and were all one of his own.
Moreover, they did their job quite well.
It makes little difference whether he's there or not.
But Prefect Wang and his wife had a wish that was not easy to talk about.
That means if I have the chance, I'd like to visit the Guangyuefu next door.
Guangyuefu has more abundant local products, and they want to go there to buy some writing implements.
And then there's the legendary Lord Su.
Wang Jinshi had seen her at the Qionglin Banquet, but only from afar.
After all, Lord Su was surrounded by top scholars and the like.
Someone like him, a scholar who has passed the imperial examination, can only watch from the sidelines.
Besides, his wife hasn't seen it.
Back in the capital, their families were very strict, unlike now, where the two of them often go out riding horses.
It was Wang He, the head of the household affairs office, who understood Prefect Wang's thoughts and said, "We can ask Lord Su when he will go to Nanjiang County."
“Her mother lives there, and she visits her every month.”
"Moreover, the products of Nanjiang County are no less than those of the prefectural city, so it's the same to buy them there."
With this in mind, the two began to inquire when Lord Su would be going to Nanjiang County.
Having learned that Prefect Su would visit Nanjiang County on the 25th of every month, they dressed in ordinary clothes, intending to go and see him.
Of course, I sent the message in advance so I wouldn't come up empty-handed.
On October 25th, the two sides finally met.
There was a lot to say between Prefect Wang and his wife and Prefect Su.
For example, the imperial court kept pressing for tax payments, completely disregarding the local situation.
In addition, newly appointed scholars were sent to various places to take up their posts.
He also remarked that both Guangyuefu and Gaoqingzhou were doing well.
Everyone knew about the favored concubine, but Prefect Wang and his wife would never mention it.
I just feel that she is really petty.
Su Qing listened to the complaints, and with Yun Xi, Lü Lan, and Quan Jingwu beside her, she nodded in agreement.
While Prefect Wang and his wife went shopping, Wang He quietly went to Mei Niang's house.
Wang Hesong said, "Lord Su, it's been a long time."
Although we've been communicating, it's still better to talk about many things face-to-face.
“This Prefect Wang is indeed soft-hearted and doesn’t like to manage routine affairs, so everything is in the hands of Fei Kaiyu, Wenrui, and me.”
"Don't worry, we'll obey any orders you give us."
Wang He looked very energetic.
Prefect Su arranged for him to go to Gaoqing Prefecture, saying it would be beneficial to Guangyue Prefecture.
Subsequent events proved that it was indeed beneficial.
If the ore from Guanglefu is replaced with that from Gaoqingzhou, the price will be one-fifth lower.
It's just about saving money.
They also used this incident to force the Hua family to sell their land and admit defeat.
This is the best thing about Guangyuefu.
That's the Hua family.
This place has been shaken.
Therefore, Wang He became more and more enthusiastic as he worked.
We must make sure that Gaoqing Prefecture is well-developed.
The only downside was the other newly appointed scholars. Wang He complained, "There are two county magistrates who are both newly appointed scholars in the new year. They don't know anything and they like to curry favor with the powerful and flatter the rich."
"Officials like them are utterly incompetent in their duties."
Governing a local area without experience is indeed a big problem.
If someone lacks experience but loves to give orders, they're doomed.
But these are all minor matters.
It's not a big problem.
Su Qing said, "This batch of newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) not only became county magistrates, but also prefects and other positions."
Gaoqing Prefecture is special because it has a person like Wang He who is in charge of household affairs.
Su Qing also arranged for Fei Kaiyu and Wen Rui.
These people could stand alone anywhere.
Other places weren't so lucky.
This year, a total of 436 people were newly appointed as Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations).
Wang He opened his eyes wide.
Four hundred and thirty-six people?!
How could he have forgotten about that?
These people were all the emperor's disciples, as the emperor himself had described them.
They were all his "own people".
Many of them hold important positions.
Wang He was met with complete darkness.
Your Majesty is being far too hasty.
They were eager to seize power for themselves.
Thinking back to the questions for the provincial and palace examinations, they were basically all about praising the emperor.
Most of the selected people are opportunists who blindly follow the crowd.
Of course, there are definitely some truly talented and learned individuals.
But their rankings won't be very high.
Wang He was a veteran official with many years of experience and had witnessed a great deal of events.
Such a scene is not a good thing.
Wang He sighed, "This matter must be kept from Lord Wen Ruiwen."
Wen Daren is good at everything: he's good at handling affairs, he's knowledgeable, and he's good-looking.
However, he showed extreme disrespect to the imperial court.
Sometimes they would have a few drinks in private and then shout that they wanted to rebel.
Seeing that neither he nor Fei Kaiyu reacted, and that they were muttering about rebellion even when they weren't drinking.
If he knew, he would definitely shout that he would do the opposite.
Su Qing and Lord Wang both laughed, taking it as a joke.
With official business finished, Su Qing could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Everything is going smoothly in Gaoqing Prefecture.
Things are going quite well in Shanyang Prefecture too; they'll be holding the girls' preliminary examination next year. With Prefect Shen in charge now, the people are living a better life.
The Guangyuefu goes without saying.
It has become a place that everyone in the surrounding area longs for.
Just a few years ago, it was a time of war.
It has now become a desirable place, even favored by Prefect Wang. The changes are so dramatic that no one can help but marvel.
Seeing that Qingqing had finished her errand, Mei Niang came over with a smile.
She was still holding the letter from the Tongmin Prefecture in her hand.
"Things at home are getting better and better."
"The new prefect is a very good person, and the garrison commander is also in charge. He has wiped out all the bandits in the surrounding mountains."
Even Fei Yang.
He's quite capable of leading troops.
Su Qing listened quietly, occasionally offering some responses.
After Mei Niang finished speaking, she hugged her daughter with heartache: "Guang Le Prefecture used to be worse than Tong Min Prefecture, but you have managed to govern this place so well. You have worked so hard."
Su Qingpo found it funny; what did this all mean?
When it comes to other things, I feel sorry for her.
It's unlikely.
The mother and daughter chatted and laughed, talking about recent events.
In other words, Magistrate Zhu led people to repair the irrigation canal and also punished a group of thieves.
There were also some more learned teachers who came from the local county schools, brought over by the new educational administration.
Su Cheng and Su Xi both studied there, and they talked about it quite a bit.
"The new education commissioner does have a handsome beard," Mei Niang remarked instinctively.
Su Qing raised an eyebrow.
She knew her mother would definitely praise her.
After praising her, Mei Niang suddenly felt a little embarrassed and quickly changed the subject.
Something's not right.
Mei Niang is always very generous in praising people.
When did you become embarrassed?
Is there something she doesn't know?
While Mei Niang went to cook, Su Qing called her younger brother Su Cheng over.
Su Cheng is ten years old this year, and she knows everything she needs to know.
Asking him is definitely the right thing to do.
To be honest, the siblings didn't spend much time together.
He was only five years old when Su Qing took charge.
With her older sister leaving early and returning late every day, Su Cheng could only focus on her studies, and her admiration for her sister grew stronger day by day.
So whatever Su Qing asked, Su Xi answered immediately.
"When my mother went to the orphanage near the county school, she happened to run into the school official who was dizzy and lightheaded."
"When his mother saw that he had heatstroke, she immediately went to help him."
Everyone knows Mei Niang's personality; how could she not help when trouble comes?
Once the academic affairs have resumed somewhat, I will quickly express my gratitude.
Those around recognized her as the mother of Prefect Su, who was in charge of the orphanage and the wounded soldiers in Nanjiang County.
The wounded soldiers in Nanjiang County are all veterans who were disabled due to war. Mei Niang not only subsidizes their household expenses but also helps them find a way to make a living.
Wang Xuezheng listened with great admiration.
After spending more time together, the two became familiar with each other.
However, Wang Xuezheng is now on inspection tours of county schools in other places and is no longer in Nanjiang County.
Su Qing pondered for a moment, then said, "I understand."
If Mei Niang is willing, then she will investigate the other party.
The siblings were whispering to each other when they heard an unexpected voice from outside the door.
"Su Qing! Prefect Su!"
"Long time no see."
It really has been a long time.
Last January, Ye Shanming came to Nanjiang County to move boxes.
It's already late October this year.
It's been a year and a half since I last saw Ye Shanming, and he looks so dark and thin.
Su Qing asked instinctively, "You went out to sea?"
Ye Shanming was taken aback, then laughed: "As expected of you, so perceptive."
Su Cheng asked, puzzled, "Sister, how did you know that Young Master Ye went out to sea?"
"You wouldn't get this tanned on land," Su Qing added. "Fortunately, it's not bad-looking."
Ye Shanming looked dark and thin, but he was noticeably more muscular.
Ye Shanming smiled again, clearly much more relaxed.
Seeing that he clearly had something to say, Su Qing told Su Cheng to go play with Yun Xi and Lv Lan.
The two of them should talk to Madam Zhu and pester her to cook something delicious.
Seeing this, Ye Shanming sat down and said directly, "I came to see you this time because I want to ask you for a favor."
What kind of help?
"I would like to deposit some of my family's belongings in Yangzhou in Nanjiang County."
"We beg Prefect Su to grant us protection."
Upon hearing this, Su Qing said seriously, "Is there going to be unrest in Jiangnan?"
Ye Shanming smiled wryly: "The officials sent by the imperial court, new officials always make a big show of themselves when they take office, can this be considered a disturbance?"
Logically speaking, the local authorities shouldn't have to worry about them.
But these people kept saying they were acting on the emperor's orders, using the emperor's name to pressure them.
They were determined to confiscate all of the wealthy merchant's assets before they would stop.
If it were someone like Su Qing, who seized upon the Hua family's mistakes and forced them to return their ill-gotten gains, some people might understand.
But Ye Shanming's two ships carrying spices, timber, and jewelry that he had taken out to sea for trade were all seized.
That doesn't make sense.
"These are the things we brought back from nearly a year at sea."
“They all seized it by those hotheads, and they even said they could ask the Emperor for it if they dared.”
"They took my money and donated it to the emperor to build his mausoleum. How could they even think of that!"
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