When night came, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, who had just woken up, went out with two people, not forgetting to bring gifts.
On the way, Wang Juan asked Zhang Xiaobao, "What's your plan for bringing him food? It's okay if it's good stuff, but why do you have to buy food from ordinary people? Can he eat it? "
"I want to see what kind of person he is and whether he's worth my efforts. If he's just not afraid of power, even you and I won't take a liking to him. I'll help him and get him to the Censorate. He'll do something there. It's better to have a different voice in this country.
If he's just putting on an act and doesn't really care about the people, then there's no need for him to stay in this position. First, he offended Grandpa Bi, then he offended you and me. How can we let him go? "
Zhang Xiaobao explained to Wang Juan.
Wang Juan opened the box next to her and said with a smile, "You're a powerful person. You're very unreasonable and not a good person. If someone offends you slightly, you'll make it difficult for them."
"If I have the ability to be powerful, why can't I be powerful? What's more, I don't have power over the people. Li Longji isn't powerful? Zhang Shuo isn't powerful, and our Yao Chong isn't powerful? According to what you said, no one in this world with a little ability is a good person. Why don't you talk to him nicely, and I'll wait for your good news outside? "
Zhang Xiaobao was really like what he thought. If Feng Changgong didn't satisfy him, he would get rid of him. Of course, he wouldn't directly find Li Longji to impeach him, but through other means. After all, he needed to find a good reason to impeach him.
Wang Juan was just saying. She was a powerful person. She looked at the night and said, "The night here is really good. It's better than Shuzhou. Of course, it's not as good as Sanshui County. If we can build a good restaurant near the Ru River and draw water to form a small lake, the night will be bright.
In this kind of night, the stars are sparse, the moon is bright, and the lights of the ships are bright. It is really a beautiful scene. Find more craftsmen to help build a small bridge. I estimate that the tax collected in one night will not be small. Very soon, this place will become a county. Many people will break their heads to come here, and Feng Changgong will be promoted. "
Wang Juan said so. She really didn't expect that the most powerful of the three officials in Xincai County really wanted to turn Zhongxian into Shangxian and be promoted. However, the three people didn't have the ability to accumulate experience like her and Zhang Xiaobao. She didn't know that many times, after seeing a certain situation, they could immediately find a feasible way to apply it.
At this time, it was already night, and the front door was closed. Unless it was a very important matter, no one would go to the front door. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan went to the back door of the yamen and asked someone to knock on the door, saying that they wanted to see County Magistrate Feng.
Feng Changgong didn't find an excuse to not see them this time, but he didn't come out to greet them. He sat in the study and asked someone to bring them in.
When Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan entered the study room, Feng Changgong was holding a book and reading it. Zhang Xiaobao didn't know if he could read it. Anyway, Zhang Xiaobao didn't think he could read the contents of the book because there was only a small oil lamp. It was still far away, so he couldn't see the words in the book.
Zhang Xiaobao asked someone to send the box to the servant, and then he said to Feng Changgong, "Greetings, County Magistrate Feng. I didn't expect that County Magistrate Feng is still studying poetry. You are very respectable."
He was younger than his biological age, but at this time, he had to learn to speak like an adult. This was not the case of a junior meeting an elder. They were on the same level, and they were all officials.
At this time, Wang Juan also said, "I wonder if County Magistrate Feng has eaten dinner yet. We brought some side dishes for Lord Feng."
Speaking of side dishes, Wang Juan wanted to laugh. The food Zhang Xiaobao bought at a high price was really good.
Feng Changgong couldn't pretend that he didn't see them this time. He acted as if he had just found Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. He hurriedly put down the book and said, "I didn't expect that County Magistrate Wang and Registrar Zhang would come so late at night. When I finished my work outside, someone reported to me. I thought it was dark, so I planned to visit you tomorrow, but you two actually came.
You even brought food. I'm so sorry, so sorry. Come on, please sit down. Come on, serve tea. Please. "
Although he said "please sit down," he didn't sit on the chairs that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan usually used, but on a futon. Feng Changgong didn't have a chair himself. He just put a small table in front of him.
Soon, the servants served tea to Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, and also put a small table in front of them. They respectfully left and closed the door.
Zhang Xiaobao picked up the tea bowl, but didn't drink it. He looked at Feng Changgong and said, "County Magistrate Feng is really devoted to the people. When I came here in the daytime, I heard many people say good things about County Magistrate Feng. I wonder how County Magistrate Feng did when you looked at the water in the daytime."
"Oh, it's difficult. The county is short of water, and there is only one river. Obviously, it's not enough. I can't think of a good way at the moment. I can only look at the water every day and try to think as much as possible. If there is a little idea that can make the people's life better, I will be satisfied.
I heard that Registrar Zhang is very resourceful. I wonder if you can help me think of a way? I'll wait for the people in the county to thank me first. Oh, and County Magistrate Wang, I also need to help a little. "
Feng Changgong heard the reproach in Zhang Xiaobao's words, but he didn't care. He emphasized that the county was short of water, and he was lying through his teeth.
Zhang Xiaobao's impression of him suddenly became bad. What kind of reason was this? Was it because he looked down on him and Wang Juan that he was obviously making things up?
Zhang Xiaobao glanced at Wang Juan and saw that Wang Juan was staring at the tea bowl. He said, "When I came here, I saw that the Rushui River was not bad. There shouldn't be a shortage of water. Is it possible that the Rushui River can't supply the entire Xincai County? To be honest, the real shortage of water is in Baoxin County. This time, we came here to discuss with County Magistrate Feng about the diversion of water.
Once the diversion is successful, not only will the people in Baoxin County have better lives, but the people in Xincai County will also have better lives. What do you think, County Magistrate Feng? "
Zhang Xiaobao didn't want to beat around the bush anymore. He directly pointed out the purpose of his visit and wanted to see how Feng Changgong would answer.
Wang Juan didn't look at the tea bowl this time. She added, "County Magistrate Feng, you probably haven't thought of the benefits of diverting water to Baoxin County. I'll talk to County Magistrate Feng now. If you divert the river, you can let the model land in Baoxin County receive more guests.
If people come from the Rushui River, they can directly go to the model land. If there are more guests, you can build a sightseeing land between the two counties, or at the place where the Rushui River is diverted, so that people who have finished visiting the model land can find a new sightseeing land. At that time, not only can it provide more income for the people in your county who can't find work, but it can also increase your county's tax revenue.
You can even build a night market there for people to trade. You can also look for memorable handmade products in your county to buy and sell. It can also improve the economy of the two counties. If it's possible … "
"County Magistrate Wang's idea is good, but many things can't be done with just a seemingly good idea. There are too many things involved. There are many people coming and going between the two counties, but with so many people coming and going, it's not easy to manage. We don't have enough Yamen Runners, and we can't let the Yamen Runners from Baoxin County work in our county. It's very, very difficult.
County Magistrate Wang just said that he would bring me some food. Coincidentally, I'm a little hungry now. Why don't we try it together? When I go to Baoxin County next time, I'll definitely bring some food for you two. "
Before Wang Juan finished talking about the specific plan, Feng Changgong suddenly interrupted Wang Juan very rudely and changed the topic to food.
Wang Juan was interrupted, so she didn't say anything. She signaled Zhang Xiaobao to do the talking, while she drank tea and chatted.
Zhang Xiaobao's impression of Feng Changgong became worse. When Feng Changgong's servant brought the food to Feng Changgong's small table, he said, "It's not delicious food. We just happened to pass by a family, so we bought it by the way. We just ate and didn't eat it."
"Then I'll monopolize it." Feng Changgong didn't know what was in the box. He first opened the first box, and there was a rice ball in it. To be exact, it was a vegetable ball. It was stuck in the pot with wild vegetables and noodles, and it was a little mushy.
Seeing the rice ball, Feng Changgong was unhappy. He thought that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan deliberately came here to laugh at him, so he took off the top layer of the rice ball, revealing the soup of wild vegetables. It was really wild vegetables, and there was no oil at all.
Feng Changgong glanced at Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan, but did not say anything. He continued to open the second box. This time, there were no wild vegetables inside, at least not on the top. Instead, there were two dishes. The first dish was four sparrows, which could be seen, especially the heads. The second dish was a worm that was not too big, the larvae of silkworms. They were green and a little black, which was disgusting to look at.
He took off the top layer again, revealing the two dishes below. One was a wild vegetable with a little fat, and the other was a kind of wild vegetable that could always be seen by the river.
There were a total of four dishes and one soup, plus the staple rice ball. Looking at these dishes, Feng Changgong asked with a sullen face, "I wonder what Registrar Zhang and County Magistrate Wang mean? Do you want to make fun of me with these dishes? "
"County Magistrate Feng, just say that you don't like them. What do you mean by making fun of you? If you don't want to eat them, you can send them to us. We just came here in the evening and haven't eaten enough."
Zhang Xiaobao had a 60% idea in his mind that he was going to punish Feng Changgong. He didn't want to eat these dishes, especially the sparrows and silkworms, which were all good things, and the wild vegetables were also green food.
When he went to buy them, the family said that he was in a good time to eat so many good things. He gave Feng Changgong one last chance to see if he could grasp it.
While talking, Zhang Xiaobao went to take the dishes himself. There was only a pair of chopsticks, so he picked up the food and fed it to Wang Juan. They ate happily in front of Feng Changgong. After a few mouthfuls, Zhang Xiaobao said to Feng Changgong,
"County Magistrate Feng, you may think that these dishes are not good, but when I went to buy them, they were the best things in their houses. Except that the cooking skills are not as good as that of the chef, they are really good. What do you think, County Magistrate Feng? I think that since the food can be eaten by the people, the officials can also eat it. If you don't know the suffering of the people, how can you work for the people? "
"Yes, you can take them back and eat them slowly. As for whether I can work or not, you don't have to worry about it. Registrar Zhang, don't you think that you are meddling too much? It's late at night. Forgive me for working hard in the daytime and can't accompany you. Take care. "
Feng Changgong's face was so gloomy that it was going to rain. He was taught a lesson by a little kid today and was driving them away.
Zhang Xiaobao took two more boxes and put the unfinished food in them one by one. He said to Wang Juan, "There will be supper tonight. Since County Magistrate Feng is very tired, why don't we go back now?"
"Well, County Magistrate Feng, sorry for bothering you today." Wang Juan picked up a box and said to Feng Changgong. Before leaving, she looked at County Magistrate Feng with pity in her eyes.
She admitted that Zhang Xiaobao's meddling was indeed too broad, and his reach was a little too far. But so what? Zhang Xiaobao's personality was like that. Besides, who said that others were not allowed to meddle? In public, it was for the people. In private, it was to vent the anger of waiting for half an hour in the daytime.
The two people left Feng Changgong's house without being sent off. They walked on the road without street lights. The two people behind them didn't want to break the quiet atmosphere.
After walking a hundred steps, Wang Juan asked Zhang Xiaobao, "When will we do it?"
"We'll do it tomorrow. Since he can't be a good official and won't let us guide the river, then we'll change to a better one. How dare he say that I'm meddling too much?" Zhang Xiaobao said unhappily.
"Not at all. You're just using your identity as a county's registrar to teach another county's county magistrate a lesson. How can that be considered too much? Then what were you in the past?"
Wang Juan said with a smile.
"That's right. Not at all. Tomorrow, I'll ask Li Longji to be an imperial censor. Let's see who still dares to say that about me. As the registrar, I have the responsibility to supervise. Who cares which county it is? In the past, there were people who chased after me across provinces.
Zhang Xiaobao was determined to continue meddling.
After Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan left, Feng Changgong sat alone in the study room. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Today, not only was he questioned, but he was also played. Who dared to treat him like this in Xin Cai County?
"No, I can't let this go. I, I … I won't let you guide the river." Feng Changgong slapped the small table and said angrily. He originally wanted to send people to capture the two people and then teach them a lesson. However, when he thought about the hundred mounted guards Wang Juan brought, he dismissed the idea.
He originally wanted to sleep, but now he couldn't sleep. He ordered people to invite the registrar and county magistrate to discuss the matter. He had to find trouble for Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan.
Feng Changgong's call came at the right time. The registrar of Xin Cai County and the county magistrate were not resting either. The two of them were drinking together. They arrived at the same time and asked people to serve the wine and dishes.
"Sir, you don't want to rest early?" The registrar asked Feng Changgong as soon as he entered the study room.
"I want to sleep, but I was almost angered to death just now. I can't sleep." Feng Changgong repeated what Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan said to the two people. After he finished speaking, he was still panting. It was obvious that he was even angrier.
"How dare they come here? This is really too much. Sir, why don't you think of a way to teach them a lesson? I'll ask the yamen runners to investigate."
The registrar was also very angry. He was about to leave as he spoke, but he didn't leave quickly. He gave the others time to stop him.
As expected, the county magistrate stopped him. "How can the yamen runners beat them? We should plan for the long term so that we won't be taken advantage of and ruin the big thing in Xin Cai County. "
"That's right. Come, come, come. Let's drink and discuss while we eat." Feng Changgong couldn't really let the registrar go out. If this kind of conflict really happened, the first one to be unlucky would be him and the others.
After the registrar sat down angrily again, Feng Changgong said, "The first thing to do is to prevent Baoxin County from diverting the water no matter what. The second thing is to quickly gather enough people in the county to avoid trouble. As for the third thing … you two should think about it more."
Feng Changgong couldn't think of two points.
He couldn't think of any. The registrar and the county magistrate also didn't have any good ideas. The two of them felt that the usual way to deal with people didn't seem to work on Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. They had connections in the capital. Although the three of them also had connections, their connections wouldn't take the initiative to provoke them for such a thing.
After eating for a while, the registrar finally came up with a good idea. He said to Feng Changgong and the county magistrate, "Why don't we send people to the county and the counties around Baoxin County to say that Baoxin County wants to become a prefecture? Say that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan feel that their positions are too low. I believe that there will be people impeaching them."
"No, no, no. How can other people believe it? Why don't we change another one? Why don't we say that Baoxin County wants to divert water so that other people can't use it? Also, they don't want to continue farming and only want to do business. "
The county magistrate rejected the registrar's idea and put forward his own idea.
However, Feng Changgong and the registrar shook their heads at the same time. Feng Changgong said, "This won't work. It won't affect other counties. Besides, other people are not stupid. How can they not know that the water in Ru River is enough?"
After saying this, Feng Changgong's eyes suddenly lit up. He said, "I have an idea. Come closer."
While the three of them were thinking of ideas, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan also returned to the courtyard. Zhang Xiaobao sat there and thought for a while. Then he said to the guard standing at the door, "Find two more people. I have something to ask you to do. Remember to be discreet when you do it. Don't let other people find out."
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