Little Bei had a lot of questions. She wanted to know the general economic situation of Zhuah County and the number of merchants coming and going.
However, even after she finished eating, the stall owner went to a nearby restaurant to give her the change. She didn't get any useful information from him.
Zhuah County didn't have any public announcements, so naturally, they wouldn't tell the people how much money was left in the county and where it came from.
From this, Little Bei concluded that Zhuah County's County Magistrate Yan had dirty hands. She planned to deal with an official before the arrival of the army.
At this time, it was too late, and the children's group was full of children. Some people couldn't help but yawn. Like a contagious disease, one person yawned loudly, and everyone who saw him yawned as well.
Little Bei rubbed her sore eyes and smacked her lips. She lowered her head and walked toward an inn with the brightest lights. As she walked, she muttered, "You took advantage of me for one night. I'll deal with you tomorrow."
Early the next morning, Little Bei and her group ate breakfast leisurely. They came out of the inn and headed straight for the local yamen. On the way, they attracted the curiosity of many people. A group of children came out of nowhere and didn't look like students from school.
At the entrance of the yamen, two yamen runners were looking at the sky in boredom. They wore thick cotton-padded clothes and looked listless. When they saw Xiaobei and the others, one of the yamen runners' eyes lit up and a smile appeared on his face. He realized that the children who were being protected were about the same age as his children, but they were much more energetic than his children.
Just as he was about to ask them kindly, he heard the voice of the smartest girl in the group.
"I'm a doctor in the imperial court. I'm an imperial censor and …"
The yamen runner was only focused on Little Bei's pleasant voice and didn't understand the specific content. When Little Bei glared at him and repeated herself, the yamen runner finally reacted. First, he didn't believe her.
"I don't care if you believe it or not. Go in and report to your county magistrate that we're here to check the accounts. Tell him to prepare himself and don't lie. Go quickly. You can't bear the consequences."
Little Bei hated it the most when others treated her like a child. After all, she was an official.
The yamen runner did not think that these children were officials. He thought that they were the children of some wealthy family who knew the county magistrate and came to play. He smiled and nodded, then ran inside to report.
He didn't go to the signing room, nor did he go to the study, nor did he run to the empty hall. Instead, he went through two courtyards and came to the third courtyard at the back. He said to a person wearing coarse clothes with a greasy face, "Sir, please take a rest first. I don't know which family's child is playing outside. Judging from his clothes, he should be from a rich family. Sir, can you go and identify him?"
An official with a greasy face was adding coal to the stove under a large iron pot. When he heard the bailiff's words, he straightened his back and let out a sigh. After a while, he relaxed and asked, "What do you mean? Come, give me more. "
The yamen runner took the shovel and started to work as he replied, "Daren, there's a girl among them. She says she's a doctor or something. She's surrounded by a group of children. She says she wants to check the accounts. I don't know which of Daren's old friends she belongs to."
The yamen runner spoke casually, but when the words reached the ears of the official with a greasy face, it was not easy at all.
The official, who had an indifferent expression just now, grabbed the yamen runner who was still working and asked nervously, "How many children?"
"A group. There's at least 180. Daren, you …?"
"How many are best dressed? Think carefully." The official asked again.
"Let me think. Seven? No, it seems to be eight. That's also not right. Oh, I remember now. I remember now. It's nine. The group of children outside is in a circle, and in the middle is a square. The girl who spoke just happened to be standing in the middle. Daren, have you guessed who it is? "
The yamen runner still did not take it seriously. He thought for a while and wanted to say it.
The official staggered, and his face immediately turned pale. He muttered, "It's over. They've finally set their sights on me. Sigh! If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have chosen Zhu 'a county magistrate. Add coal, don't stop. I admit it. "
"Daren, Daren? Daren, what are you …? " The yamen runner was startled. He did not understand why the official, who was usually very indifferent to everything, would be so evil today.
"No, nothing. That girl is a traditional Chinese physician. You don't know. You don't know. This road leads to Jili Province and the capital. I've been feeling uneasy recently, but I never thought that it would happen to them."
County Magistrate Yan muttered, waved his hand, and walked out with his back hunched.
He knew who had come and thought of the consequences. He was greedy. He was really greedy. If another official came to investigate, he might have heard the news in advance and made some preparations. There would not be too big of a problem.
But who would have thought that it was the nine children of the Zhang Family and the Wang Family who came? The news had just come from the capital along the road, but they had already arrived.
When County Magistrate Yan moved to the entrance of the yamen with his legs that had almost lost all strength, Xiaobei was using a colored pen to paint the edge of the door. He stepped on a big stone and seemed to be using a lot of effort.
County Magistrate Yan saw the goldfish bag hanging from the waists of Xiaobei and the others. He looked at the group of children and confirmed that there was no doubt.
"Daren, I am County Magistrate Yan, Head Foreman Yan. I didn't know you were coming and did not welcome you. Please forgive me."
As he spoke, Foreman Yan no longer thought about bribery or fraud. He waited for the final judgment.
Xiaobei spent a lot of effort to paint the parts of the drum where the paint had peeled off bright red. He jumped down from the stone and shook his hands vigorously. He looked at Foreman Yan with dissatisfaction and said, "County Magistrate Yan, why is this drum so high? Do you want to tire the person playing the drum to death? That old man is so old. How can he beat it? "
"Yes, I will order someone to lower the height." Foreman Yan agreed. He stopped talking and waited there.
Xiaobei rubbed his arms and looked at Foreman Yan. He said unhappily, "Why are you standing outside? Why don't you invite us in? "
"Yes, yes, we'll go in now. Please. I will immediately have someone bring the accounts." Foreman Yan gritted his teeth and hoped that his attitude was better. The child was easy to coax. If he admitted his mistake, he could be dealt with lightly. He didn't want to lose his position. He planned to continue being greedy. Otherwise, his plan would not be able to succeed.
Xiaobei was invited in. He humphed as a sign of agreement. Foreman Yan ordered someone to bring the accounts.
After entering the yamen, Xiaobei didn't follow Foreman Yan's instructions to rest in the living room. Instead, he walked straight to the back. As he walked, he said, "I heard that your yamen is always making a lot of noise. Let me see what you're playing at."
"Xiaobei, look behind you. It's smoky." Xiao Zhu, who was the most observant, pulled Xiaobei and pointed to the sky.
Xiaobei looked up. Of course, it wasn't the smoke from the kitchen. He listened carefully. There was also a rumbling sound. Without another word, he rushed inside.
The group of children followed closely behind. Foreman Yan's face was full of bitterness. He was afraid that Xiaobei and the others would take a fancy to his things and take them as toys. Those were the fruits of his hard work. He wanted to stop them, but he didn't dare.
When Xiaobei and the others entered the third courtyard, the obedient yamen runners were still sending coal into the stove.
"Eh? This thing is fun. It's so big. Brother, don't you think it looks a little familiar? "Xiaobei saw the jar that was almost as tall as the house. He suddenly felt that it looked familiar.
"It does look familiar," Xiao Yuan said.
"I'm not asking you. I'm asking my brother." Xiaobei didn't give him any face.
Xiao Hai was also looking at the thing. He nodded. "It looks familiar. Isn't this the steam engine that brother and sister asked Foreman Yan to research? They haven't finished researching it yet. I didn't expect to see one here. I wonder how far they've come. "
At this time, someone had already brought the county's account book and handed it to Foreman Yan. Foreman Yan squeezed the thin account book and handed it to Xiaobei helplessly.
Although the account book was thin, it was real. There were also fake ones. If it were another official checking, Foreman Yan would take out the fake ones. Even if the other party really checked seriously, they would have to spend a lot of effort to find the problem. Moreover, it would only be a small problem.
Today, he was facing Xiao Bei and the others. Craftsman Yan didn't plan on taking out a fake account book, nor did he dare to. Otherwise, this group of little fellows would tire themselves out from checking the account book. If they couldn't find any problems in the end and started crying, Zhang Xiaobao would definitely be angry. When he came to investigate, it wouldn't be so simple.
It was better to be straightforward. In any case, if they were greedy and bad ideas were found by the nine people, they wouldn't be able to count on any luck.
"What is this?" Xiaobei looked at the thin account book and asked.
"It's an account book. It records the county's income and expenses this year, as well as the portion that I spent on myself." Foreman Yan sighed and introduced.
"Oh! Let me see. " Xiaobei opened the account book as she spoke. She didn't recognize some of the words, but fortunately, she knew the key numbers.
After flipping through two pages, she exclaimed, "Wow! Zhu 'a County's tax income reached 820,000 strings of cash this year? How did you do it? How much was it last year? "
"I just … I just figured out a way to do it after hearing about Jili Province and Boxin County from my younger brother. In the first half of last year, it was 140,000 strings of cash, and in the second half, it was 60,000 strings of cash. I invested all the money into breeding. Naturally, this year's harvest was more."
Foreman Yan was very proud of the county's income. In one and a half years, the amount had quadrupled.
Xiaobei was very surprised. If this result was achieved by her brother or sister, it wouldn't be a big deal. However, an ordinary official could do it, so it was definitely different.
"Then how much did you report?"
"760,000 strings of cash," Foreman Yan answered honestly.
Xiaobei nodded. "So you took a full 60,000 strings of cash? That's the entire revenue for the second half of last year, right? "
"Yes."
"What did you do with the money?" Xiaobei didn't feel any sense of accomplishment when Foreman Yan admitted to it right away. Instead, she was more interested in what Foreman Yan did with the money he took.
Foreman Yan pointed at the big thing in front of him. "I'll do this. A few broke, and this is the last one. I'm about to succeed. Can you give me a few days?"
"Okay, okay. This big thing only cost 60,000 strings of cash." Xiaobei started to spin around the steaming thing. She returned the account book to Foreman Yan and stopped paying attention to it.
After spinning around a few times, Xiaobei stopped and turned to ask the nervous Foreman Yan, "What can this thing do? Can it be put on the car and let the car move on its own? Can it be put on the boat and let the boat move on its own? Can it help generate electricity and turn on the lights? Can it be put on the lathe to help make tools? "
Foreman Yan's eyes lit up with every question Xiaobei asked. After Xiaobei finished asking, Foreman Yan nodded at Xiaobei as if he had found a confidant.
"Then why isn't it moving? Is there a switch or something? Hurry up and turn it on. Don't hold it until it explodes. "Xiaobei suddenly thought of a very important question.
Foreman Yan was stunned. Weiwei rushed to the round thing and picked up a stick from the ground. She stuck it into the air and started to spin it. Then, she shouted at the yamen runner who was still stupidly adding coal, "Stop, stop, stop adding coal."
Only then did the yamen runner throw down the shovel and wipe the sweat off his forehead.
Following Foreman Yan's actions, more steam came out. Then, the group saw the rods connected to the pot start to move up and down. A wheel on the other side also started to spin.
Xiaobei and the rest widened their eyes when they saw this scene. They could always see the craftsmen at home working. They knew that as long as something could move, it could be turned in different directions. The most common example was a washing machine.
"Yay!" Xiao Bei happily rushed in front of Craftsman Yan. He reached out to grab Craftsman Yan's hand and slapped it. He said to Craftsman Yan, "County Magistrate Yan, we did it. We did it. The steam engine is out. How did you seal the place? Did you use gum? "
Craftsman Yan was also dazed by the joy. He picked up Xiao Bei and kissed him hard, saying, "No need for gum, just seal it with iron. Find a piece of iron that is tough and make it into a piece. Just press it on the key points. If there are any leaks, use another type of glue."
"Yes, you're so smart. Let's go to the best restaurant in the county to celebrate. We'll tell my brother and sister later." Xiaobei hugged Foreman Yan with one hand and waved his other hand excitedly.
Foreman Yan nodded and walked out with Xiaobei in his arms. When he reached the front hall, he suddenly stopped. Only then did he remember what they were doing.
"Let's go. The best restaurant. My treat." Xiaobei was still wondering why they stopped.
"This …" Foreman Yan put Xiaobei down and pointed at the hall. "Lord Zhang, aren't you here to check the accounts?"
"Huh? Check the accounts? Ah! I'm done. I know everything. "Xiaobei only reacted after being reminded.
"Then, then are you going to impeach me?" Foreman Yan said what he didn't want to say the most.
"What impeach? The county's accounts are clear. The local economy is prosperous, and Lord Yan deserves the most credit. If there are more officials like Lord Yan in our court, why should we worry about the people not being able to live and work in peace?
Xiao Yuan, help me draft a memorial and have someone send it to my brother first. When the time comes, send it to the capital. If Lord Yan doesn't reward such a good official, how can we spread the world? "
Xiaobei's righteous appearance stunned Foreman Yan. In a daze, he shook his head and asked, "Then what about the sixty thousand strings of cash?"
"Sixty thousand strings of cash? Which sixty thousand strings of cash? Oh, it's the special department fee for the Ministry of Works to research the steam engine that Lord Yan mentioned. Yes, it's a bit low. We should increase the investment. A person of Lord Yan's insight can't lose his determination to continue research because of money. "
Xiaobei raised his hand to pat Foreman Yan's shoulder, but found the height difference. He could only pat Foreman Yan's leg to show encouragement.
Foreman Yan stood there and pondered for a while. He finally understood Xiaobei's words. Not only did he not pursue the matter of his corruption, but he also made it sound so righteous. It seemed that everything was because of the steam engine.
Xiaobei didn't care what Foreman Yan thought. There was finally a steam engine. His family hadn't developed it yet. His brother and sister only gave him an idea and didn't have the time to personally guide him. Now that it was done, his brother and sister would definitely be very happy.
Thinking that this joyous matter could allow him to drink a small cup of wine, he excitedly pulled Foreman Yan outside. "Hurry and find a good restaurant. I brought some wine from my collection. I'll treat you to a cup."
Foreman Yan followed Xiaobei out. He didn't care about the grease on his face. He pulled a bailiff over to give him directions and headed towards the restaurant closest to them.
He wouldn't foolishly disagree with Xiaobei's words. He managed to escape a calamity.
It was still early in the morning, so it wasn't time for lunch yet. There weren't many people in the restaurant, and there wasn't a single person on the third floor. A group of people rushed up and occupied the entire third floor. They removed the partition screens and opened the doors to the rooms. They ordered a table full of dishes.
Xiaobei had someone bring out the wine he brought with him. He personally poured a cup for Foreman Yan and a small cup for himself. He raised his cup and shouted, "For the birth of the steam engine, let's have a small sip. Lord Yan, do as you please. Later, tell us how you came up with the idea of making this steam engine."
Everyone else was eating. Only Xiaoyuan drank a sip with him and continued to write the memorial. He had fewer mistakes than Xiaobei.
When Foreman Yan, who hadn't eaten anything since he woke up in the middle of the night to figure out the final steps of the steam engine, was about 30% full and began to talk about his original idea, Xiaoyuan finished writing the letter, blew it dry, and handed it to Xiaobei.
Xiaobei crumpled the letter into a ball and threw it out of the window. "Send this memorial to my brother as fast as you can. Then pass it to General Gao and have the Ministry of Works send someone here."
He turned around and was about to listen to the story when he saw Foreman Yan's confused expression. He smiled and explained, "It was for the person my brother sent. I didn't know about it before, but I accidentally found out. I just happened to help deliver the letter."
Foreman Yan nodded. That was right. If a group of children didn't have anyone to protect them, it was easy for them to get into trouble when they encountered danger. No wonder they dared to barge into the yamen. If he really wanted to detain them, he would have been shot to death long ago.
The people sent by the Zhang Family and the Wang Family were definitely not ordinary people. There might be a gun aimed at him from somewhere outside the window. Fortunately, he wasn't too ambitious.
Xiaohai guessed what Foreman Yan was thinking and comforted him, "Don't worry, they won't do anything to good people. Even if you didn't make the steam engine, they won't arrest you. Brother and sister will at most make you spit out the money you coveted. When your term ends, they will think of a way to reward you with more money."
Xiaohai's words confused Foreman Yan again.
Xiaobei echoed, "That's right, that's right. They won't arrest you. The county's income has more than doubled, so it's reasonable to be a little greedy. We can see that the people in the county are living very well. No one has sounded the drum for a long time, which means you are doing a good job as the county magistrate. It's inevitable for people to make mistakes. We can't just kill a capable official."
The other children nodded. They had been with Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan for a long time. They knew how their brother and sister did things, so they tried their best to imitate them.
Foreman Yan looked at the children and his eyes turned red. He was touched. He was finally recognized. Although it was only by a group of children, it was more precious than being recognized by adults.
He didn't know how these nine children were taught. They spoke like adults. Perhaps with his performance, his younger brother would have a better life.
Xiaobei peeled the salted prawns cooked with fresh prawns and took a sip of wine. He smacked his lips and said to Foreman Yan, "Tell me, how did you think of running the county well? Where did you learn how to make the steam engine?"
"I have a younger brother, also surnamed Yan. He is the county magistrate of Yiying County in Jili Province. He was the one who told me about the Zhang Family and Wang Family's method. I changed it a little and used it in our county. I didn't expect it to be so useful.
"Steam engine is a good name. My father was a carpenter, and so was my grandfather. By the time my younger brother and I reached an official position, I still liked to make all kinds of things. Later, when I was waiting for an official position in the capital, a classmate of mine was assigned to the Ministry of Works. He knew that I liked to make things, so he gave me a small booklet to read.
"After reading that booklet, I realized that there was such a vast world. Two years ago, I saw a washing machine and electric light in a rich family's house. I began to think about it. One day, when I was making something, I found that the steam in the can moved the small model of the wind generator.
"Then I thought, whether it is wind power or water power, they are all limited by the environment. Is there a way to get rid of the environmental restrictions? So I began to think about it from the perspective of steam. Then, I came up with that steam engine. "
Foreman Yan didn't care about the age of the audience. He finally found a place to vent the things that had been bottled up in his heart for a long time. He began to tell Xiaobei and the others some of his stories.
"It seems like you can't be a county magistrate anymore. You can either come to our family or go to the Ministry of Works. Otherwise, it would be a pity," Xiaoyuan said to Foreman Yan.
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