Xiao Bei, who was full, waited for the child to continue sleeping. He wanted to have enough energy to face Gongsun Moyu and see why he was so capable.
An Yi was also exhausted. He shivered from the cold wind outside. He found a tent and laid down, thinking about things. He secretly rejoiced that he had worked hard recently and trained his body. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to hold on. The result would be the same whether he died of exhaustion from following the team or couldn't keep up halfway.
The next day, when the sun rose, it was indeed a sunny day. All kinds of birds chirped in the mountains, looking for insects that woke up early and didn't sleep in.
The sun shone down from the top of the mountain, reflecting the dewdrops on the leaves into a dazzling scene. A few clouds flew into the distance. The scenery was really good.
Xiao Bei helped the children wash up. Looking at the beautiful scenery, he frowned slightly, clearly unhappy.
An Yi, who had only slept for half the night, had dark circles under his eyes. When they were waiting for breakfast, he went to the group of inspectors and took a deep breath. He slowly exhaled and praised, "Beautiful, really beautiful. The mountains are green, the water is clear, the grass is green, the flowers are red, the clouds are blue, and the birds are singing in the wind. What do you think?"
"Nothing." Xiao Yuan took out his binoculars and looked back and forth. He came in a hurry last night and couldn't see clearly in the dark. Now that he saw the scenery, he was worried.
"Is it not good?" An Yi put away the smile on his face and asked cautiously.
Xiao Yuan put down his binoculars and said, "What we want to see is smoke rising in spirals, bustling, endless traffic, horses neighing, market noises, dogs barking and chickens crowing.
For example, Sanshui County. Before entering the county, you can feel the liveliness. No matter where you go, you won't feel cold. You'll always be in a warm and comfortable environment. Of course, there's nothing you can do about the loneliness in your heart. "
"Oh! How many places dare to compare with Sanshui County? Wenshan County is remote and without the help of the Zhang Family and Wang Family, it's already not bad. If we go further, we'll see the lively scene in the county. "An Yi also frowned, regretting what he just said. It was wrong to have different administrative views.
Xiao Yuan nodded and didn't say anything else. After breakfast was served, they hurriedly ate and the group continued on their journey towards Wenshan County.
After traveling for more than an hour, they finally saw people. There were several dozen people scattered around the terraced fields on the mountain. When they saw the large group of people, they stopped what they were doing and straightened their backs to watch the excitement.
When they saw a flag with the pattern of rice seedlings rise up, they were very happy. They stepped on the furrows and gathered on the road in front of the team. Each and every one of them had an excited expression on their faces.
"You're always so enthusiastic. It's so embarrassing. You're holding up my work." Xiao Bei swung his arms and walked to the front with a grin. He said to the locals, "You're welcome. Have you had breakfast? I brought some steamed buns. Try them all. "
Someone from the team immediately brought the buns over. Actually, they didn't bring them on purpose. They hadn't eaten them in the morning. The leftovers were placed in a box covered with a quilt. They were still warm even now.
The locals were not polite either. They surrounded Xiaobei and the others and happily talked about all kinds of things. They picked up the big meat buns and ate them quickly.
They had indeed not eaten breakfast. If they had eaten in the morning, they would be hungry at noon. They would eat at noon. Would they eat at night? Normally, they ate two meals a day.
While eating, they didn't stay idle. They constantly asked the children if they were tired from the journey. Topics like whether they were cold or not seemed very natural. It didn't seem at all like they were meeting for the first time.
An Yi felt a sour feeling in his heart. He was keenly aware of the reason for this situation. The locals were constantly thinking about the Zhang Family and the Wang Family. They were always fascinated by them, so even if they were meeting for the first time, they didn't feel the slightest bit of unfamiliarity.
Of course, the officials were also thinking about Xiaobei and the others, but they were thinking about different things. They were more afraid than friendly.
In order to get along well with the locals, Xiaobei, who had clearly eaten his fill, still took a steamed bun and bit into it. Then he asked the locals what they were doing in the fields, whether they were doing well, and what problems they needed his help with.
The locals didn't understand how to consider problems from the perspective of the country's general situation. They only thought about the matters before their eyes.
Some asked for his help in building two bridges over the Wenshui River. Others said that they had heard of something called a water pump and that they should get a few. In the summer, the terraced fields in the mountains were short of water so that they could pump the water up. Others asked for thermometers. This year, their families planned to raise more ducks and adopt the method of artificial incubation.
The only matter that directly involved national politics was to have County Magistrate Gongsun Mo take over as county magistrate. The original county magistrate was to be demoted and stay in the way.
Xiao Yuan followed at the side, taking out a small notebook and pencil and earnestly taking notes. Occasionally, he would stop to ask where the best place to build the bridge was, or talk about what one should pay attention to when raising ducks.
When the locals saw Xiao Yuan writing, they felt even more assured and ate their steamed buns even faster.
Among the crowd, Provincial Governor An Yi began to observe a moment of silence for the local county magistrate. Although the appointment and removal of officials here were not like in Sanshui County, where they were supervised by the common people, as long as they didn't do a good job and didn't receive any support from the public budget, they would immediately be removed.
But since Xiao Bei and the others had come and heard what the common people said, when the time came for them to be questioned, one bad answer was certain to be removed.
After a while, everyone was full. Xiao Bei also finished off the steamed buns in his hands and said to the crowd, "Okay, we've noted everything down. We'll arrange it later. Everyone can continue working. We'll also continue on to the county. See you later."
The locals' stomachs were much more comfortable, and their moods were also much better. After greeting each other and watching the procession pass, they returned to the fields and continued working.
Xiao Bei's group continued to walk forward. When they saw the house up ahead, a large group of people came out to welcome them. There were blue-clothed yamen runners, and there were also people wearing official robes. Presumably, someone had come back to the county to report.
As expected, while they were waiting for the people in front of them to come over, a local came over and explained to Xiao Bei in embarrassment. He said that he had come back to report to Gongsun Mo Yu and didn't plan on letting anyone else know. Who would have thought that Gongsun Mo Yu would tell someone else?
"It's fine, it's fine. We're not here to visit incognito. The situation in the county is for all to see. Poor is poor, rich is rich. I've never asked for Wenshan County to be the same as Sanshui County.
Help introduce the main officials. If you have time later, we'll invite you to accompany us on a tour of the county. You're a local and are familiar with the county. "
As Xiao Bei spoke, he lowered his head and looked at his clothes. After thinking for a while, he decided not to change into his official robes.
The person who came over to speak naturally wouldn't say that he didn't have time and wouldn't accompany them on a tour. He followed the group of children and began to introduce them when the yamen people came closer.
"This is the county deputy, Lord Gongsun, Gongsun Mo Yu." The first person to be introduced was the county deputy.
The expressions of the two people beside Gongsun Mo Yu clearly darkened. Normally, they were always suppressed. Now that a big shot had come, they, Gongsun Mo Yu, knew to follow behind when they went out of the county to welcome them. They didn't expect that they would introduce him first.
As the two of them cursed in their hearts, they glanced to the side and saw that everyone had a very normal expression. Their mood worsened.
"This official greets the Patrol Envoy. When we heard that the Patrol Envoy had arrived, the county magistrate was very happy and quickly gathered us to welcome you. With the support of the county magistrate, the lives of the county people this year were much better. This is Wang Chang, county magistrate Wang. "
Seeing that he was introduced first, Gongsun Mo Yu quickly stepped forward and introduced the county magistrate.
Hearing Gongsun Mo Yu's words, county magistrate Wang Chang's mood improved a little. When he saw Xiao Bei looking over, he also stepped forward and bowed with his hands folded. He said, "This official didn't know that the Lord was here and was late to welcome you. I deserve to die ten thousand deaths."
"So you're saying that you've confessed? You've confessed to a capital crime, right? You don't have to die ten thousand deaths. You can choose your own way of dying. Hurry up. "Xiao Bei nodded to Wang Chang and said.
Wang Chang was stunned. The surrounding people were also stunned. What was going on? They had just met and they wanted to kill him?
"Lord Zhang, what is this official's crime? Why must I die?" Wang Chang swallowed his saliva and asked with a trembling voice.
"You said that you deserve to die ten thousand deaths for coming late. Are you kidding? Deceiving the Emperor? We are patrolling on behalf of the heavens. "Xiao Bei was still aggressive. She was angry because Wang Chang was too fat.
The surrounding people were all thin and weak or had normal physiques. Only Wang Chang had a big belly and a round face. He looked like a big steamed bun, fair and tender. If there was no problem with being a businessman, how could an official be so fat?
How could he be so fat when he was under the pressure of the county magistrate? His heart was too big. Looking at Gongsun Mo Yu again, his eyes were full of spirit, the lines on his face were clear, and his hands were very rough. When he bowed just now, one could see the crack on his upturned thumb.
It was understandable that he was not capable, but why didn't he go down there more often? Who wouldn't be angry when they saw a lazy and stupid official?
Wang Chang didn't know that it was because of his body that caused trouble. He stood there in a daze, not knowing how to respond. He couldn't really die, right? That would be too sullen. If he died because of a polite sentence, it would be recorded in the history books.
The scene suddenly became quiet. No one made a sound, and even their breathing was controlled.
"County Magistrate Wang, tell us about Wenshan County. We will stand here and listen. At the same time, we can discuss with the locals." Xiao Yuan spoke at the right time. He knew very well that Xiao Bei didn't intend to kill anyone. That would be too unreasonable.
Wang Chang heaved a sigh of relief and looked at Xiao Yuan gratefully. He nodded his head vigorously and said in a trembling voice, "My county is Wenshan, under the jurisdiction of Maozhou. My original province is called Wenshan County, and the county is called Wenshan County. The county is called the Governor's Office …"
"I asked you to talk about Wenshan County. Why are you talking about Maozhou? You want to be the provincial governor? If you want to know about the prefecture, you can ask Xiao Yuan. Xiao Yuan has already memorized it. We want to know about the current county's population, geography, production, economy, humanities, education, medical care, taxes, and policies. "
Cold sweat flowed down Wang Chang's forehead. "Yes, yes, I know my mistake. There are about four hundred households in this county, and the population is estimated to be … about two thousand five hundred people. There are mountains, snow on the mountains, and sea. Oh, I remember, Longquan Mountain and Min Mountain are also under the jurisdiction of the county, right?"
Speaking of this, Wang Chang looked at Gongsun Moyu. Seeing him nod, he continued, "Production refers to the tribute, right? There is gold, cinnabar, and medicinal herbs. Yes, cinnabar is also a medicinal herb, yes."
"Gold is also a medicinal herb. The entire prefecture's tribute is medicinal herbs." Xiao Yuan couldn't help but speak.
"Yes, yes, Sir is right. As for the economy, the word economy is so familiar. I seem to have heard of it before. It's not about taxes, right? The economy is quite good. Our county's economy has always been good under the care of the imperial court. What does humanities mean? It's also very good. Education, we have a school. The school is big, and we can also have houses.
Medical care, there are two doctors sent by De Yi Medical School. What are their names? Anyway, their medical skills are very good. In terms of taxes, they were exempted by County Magistrate Gongsun and reduced by half. Otherwise, our county magistrate would be very rich now. Gongsun Moyu, do you admit it? "
Wang Chang was angry when he talked about taxes. Although the county's income was many times more than before, if they didn't exempt taxes and didn't reduce taxes, wouldn't it be even more?
Gongsun Moyu didn't deny it and nodded in agreement.
After Wang Chang finished complaining, he thought that Xiao Bei and the rest would teach Gongsun Moyu a lesson. However, he found that Gongsun Moyu was indifferent, so he could only continue, "Policy, policy. We plan to make the people rich and increase the county's income. We don't want the imperial court to worry, and we want others to praise us. What do you think?"
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