The construction of ships and warships was a matter of the distant future. What was more important was that when it was almost time for dinner, the four judges who had disappeared returned. They were all dressed in official robes and had come together in a carriage. Apart from the driver of each carriage, there was also an attendant in each of the carriages.
The four of them got off the carriage and brushed off the non-existent dust on their bodies. They smiled in unison and walked up.
"I am Military Advisor Liu Shaoqing. I didn't know you were coming," one of them said first.
The person beside him immediately introduced himself, "Sir, I am Military Advisor Cao Herui and Military Advisor Liu Shaoqing."
"Military Advisor Liu Shaoqing and Military Advisor Liu Shaoqing," the third person said.
The fourth person had the brightest smile, "Milord, you're finally here. I thought it would take a few more days. Oh, I'm Jiang Huanshi from the Judicial Army. Milord, you can leave everything to us in the future."
Zhang Zhong didn't smile. He looked at the four of them with a serious face and asked, "What are the four of you busy with when you're not in the prefecture?"
"Thank you for your concern, sir." Military Advisor Liu Shaoqing and Military Advisor Liu Shaoqing replied, "Sir, even though there are no soldiers in the prefecture, we still have to do water conservancy. There is a lot of rain in the prefecture. If we're not careful, we can cause a disaster. These days, I've been guarding the foot of the mountain. As long as the sky is cloudy, I'll be worried."
"Yes, sir. Even though the tax has been paid, those things still need to be sorted out. I'm going to look around to see if anyone found anything. Otherwise, it will be difficult to handle the earth tribute this year."
The ones who said this were Military Advisor Cao Herui and Military Advisor Liu Shaoqing. Military Advisor Liu Shaoqing also said, "Sir, you don't know. The people here are not well-educated. I have to look around and teach the people what is good and what is bad."
Without waiting for the last person to speak, Zhang Zhong asked, "Is Officer Jiang busy investigating the case at various places? Not bad, this official likes this kind of deputy who puts all his focus on his duties. Otherwise, he would be letting down the Emperor's grace and the common people. The four of you have worked hard. It just so happens that the food over there is ready, let's eat together. "
Hearing that it was a meal, Fan Jianxi burped. Facing Zhang Zhong's inquiring eyes, he explained, "Haha, sir, I've already eaten. I just ate a little. I'm busy, so I have to take some time to eat. Otherwise, I won't have time to eat."
"Well, this official is not very busy and has some free time, so I can eat during mealtime. The rice here will be harvested in half a month, and the next batch will be planted immediately. Everyone will have to work hard. Oh, since everyone has already eaten, why don't you tell this official how things are going with your respective tasks? This official will listen while eating."
Zhang Zhong didn't seem to understand the meaning behind Fan Jianxi's words. He walked towards the food area and called for the four people.
The four people looked at each other. Suddenly, a smile appeared at the corners of their mouths. Fan Jianxi quickly followed and said, "Provincial Governor Zhang, we don't care about this specific matter. We just look around. There are county magistrates below. If you want to know more about the situation, you can ask them in each county."
"So you can't say? Right? Then what is the use of you? Why don't you transfer to a useful place? This official will submit a memorial to the court tonight. "Zhang Zhong was still expressionless. When he spoke, he didn't give the four people any face.
"Thank you, Milord. We really don't want to work here anymore. Why don't Milord take over our work now? When the time comes, we won't have to worry about the state's affairs." Cao Herui also interjected.
They thought that Zhang Zhong didn't dare to do this. Otherwise, the entire prefecture would be in chaos. It was impossible for Zhang Zhong to do things well by himself. They used this method of retreating to enter to force Zhang Zhong.
As Cao Herui spoke, he even took out the seal. It seemed that he really wanted to do this.
The other three people followed suit and brought the seal to Zhang Zhong. Zhang Zhong glanced at the four people and sneered, "Since the four of you think you can't do it anymore, then I won't hold back anymore."
As Zhang Zhong spoke, he swiftly snatched the six seals. Then, he turned to the people in the inner courtyard and said, "Take the seals. From now on, all of Lu Zhou's members will be ready. Xiangyun, since I've brought you here, it's only natural that I'll assign you a task. You'll help the others figure out what they don't understand."
Zhan Kaijin stepped forward happily. He used to be the county's chief secretary. Although he didn't have a specific position now, since he was here, he would probably be given an official position. Even if it was an empty position, at least he could do something.
More than 20 people stepped forward from the crowd in the inner court. If each of them had a position, they would be able to support the prefecture.
At this moment, Zhang Zhong said, "Since you don't have the seals, I'll take back the Yongyetian. I'll write on the memorial that the four of you have resigned because you feel that you can't do a good job. I'll find someone to replace you."
"Please wait, Provincial Governor Zhang. We only said a few words to make you laugh when we saw you pulling a long face. Why would we resign? Please return the seals to us, my lord."
Liu Shaoqing was slightly flustered when he saw Zhang Zhong came prepared. If he handed in the seals, how was he going to do his job in the future? Zhang Zhong was too bold. He actually took back the seals. Releasing and taking back the seals was a matter for the imperial court.
"Then come and take it back yourselves. Each of you can take one seal. I have other arrangements for the secretaries and soldiers. Remember in the future that I don't like it when my subordinates joke and tease me."
Zhang Zhong naturally didn't have the authority to take back the seals, but he had the authority to arrange for the empty positions. It was obviously wrong for four people to take up six positions. He took back two so that he could arrange for his subordinates.
As he spoke, Zhang Zhong took back the seals of the secretaries and soldiers. He only gave the remaining four seals to Liu Shaoqing.
"Provincial Governor Zhang is right. We won't joke around in the future." Liu Shaoqing's face was gloomy. He went forward and took back the four seals. There was no need to count on the remaining two seals. Provincial Governors had the authority to arrange for the empty positions to be filled first. As for whether they could really get the positions, that would depend on the arrangements of the imperial court.
The four of them had suffered a loss. They didn't manage to intimidate Ren Baqian. Instead, they were taught a lesson. This made the four of them in a bad mood and they prepared to go back.
However, Zhang Zhong didn't plan to let them off so easily. He handed the seals of the secretaries and officials to Zhan Kaijin. "Xiangyun, in the future, you will be in charge of money, grain, tax, and other matters."
Zhan Kaijin didn't expect things to be arranged so quickly. He happily took the seals. "Sir, don't worry. I will definitely do everything well. I know how to do this. After all, I was once the registrar."
Zhang Zhong nodded at him. He looked at the four of them and said, "Since you've already eaten and don't have anything to do, stay here and wait for me to finish eating. Then we can go back to the prefecture together. I still have something to ask. How is the residence in the prefecture?"
"Provincial Governor Zhang is asking about the residence? There is. The place isn't small. It's just a bit trendy. The previous Provincial Governor Shi wasn't used to it. " Fan Jianxi replied from the side. However, she was laughing in her heart. That place was more than just a bit trendy. Needless to say, the sea was very humid. Just the place of residence was slightly sunken. There was always water seeping out of the ground.
In those people's houses, when the seepage was bad, two inches of water would accumulate. There was no place on the body that didn't hurt. The previous Provincial Governor didn't have the money to buy a house outside, so he could only live there. She didn't know how this newcomer was like.
Zhang Zhong and Weiwei nodded. He wasn't worried about the humidity at all. When he came, he had already made preparations. There was nothing better than lime to absorb moisture. When the time came, he just had to sprinkle some everywhere.
Zhang Xiaobao stood to the side and frowned. He wondered how trendy that place could be. The Zhang family didn't want to buy a house outside to live in. If something suddenly happened, they wouldn't be able to react in time. For example, if there was an unexpected situation and they didn't have time to deal with it in time, it would be two different things if they didn't live in time in the yamen. If they lived outside, it would be easy to be impeached.
At this time, it was already time for dinner. Like before, the common people were eating first. When there were fewer people, Zhang Zhong would get a portion. Zhang Xiaobao, Wang Juan, and Li Xun were also waiting. This time, Li Xun found an excuse to come out for treatment. He didn't want to reveal his identity. When the time came, he would buy a house next to the yamen and live there. When he was free, he would find Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan to play.
There were still four dishes in the evening. The main dish was pork pancakes and some wine, which made the common people feel Zhang Zhong's kindness. Especially the wine, which they couldn't drink at ordinary times. It was too expensive. The fishermen liked to drink some wine. In the morning, they would go out to sea before dawn. When the sun rose, some fishing boats came back one after another.
The water was still cold. With the fog, drinking some wine made people feel much better.
Regardless of whether they were working or not, they were all given half a bowl. There was no other way. The alcohol content was too high. It wasn't rice wine, the kind that had been distilled.
The common people didn't care what kind of wine it was. As long as there was something to drink, it was fine. They took small sips and occasionally ate some dishes. The pork pancakes were also good.
When it was time to eat, the old man also came over. He also held a bowl and took small sips. After taking a sip, he smacked his lips and stopped coughing. He moved closer to Zhang Zhong who was eating and said, "Lord Zhang, this wine is good stuff. Many fishermen will feel sore in their joints. If they can drink some wine in the future, they will feel much better."
Zhang Zhong was eating and couldn't speak. He nodded to show that he understood. He glanced at his son. His son returned a confident look. Zhang Zhong was relieved.
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