Chapter 575

From the dense forest on Fan's Pure Mountain, two clear streams flowed out. The streams gradually merged into two rivers. One was called the Big River, and the other was called the Little River. The two rivers meandered through the mountains, through the jungles, and through the fields. They twisted and turned, and then they converged. That was how Jinjiang and Tongren came into being.

In ancient times, Tongren was known as the Five Streams. It was the place where the barbarians lived, so it was also known as the Five Streams Barbarians or the Five Hills Barbarians. The Tongren of today was no longer the desolate scene of the past. Boats came and went, and merchants gathered. It naturally couldn't compare to the prosperity of the big cities in the Central Plains. However, in Qiandongnan, it was a bustling place.

Ye Xiaotian rushed to Tongren Province. He didn't go directly to the Prefectural Yamen to see Prefectural Magistrate Zhang. Instead, he went to visit his teacher, Professor Li Zhongyin. He wanted to understand the situation from him and know what was going on. The prefectural school wouldn't start classes until after the first month, so Ye Xiaotian went directly to Professor Li's home.

Professor Li lived on Qing Lang Street. Qing Lang Street was a very prosperous place. It wasn't the end of the first month yet, so Tongren City was still in a festive atmosphere. Before reaching Qing Lang Street, the crowd gradually thickened. People came and went on the street, and the merchants and vendors were shouting one after another.

Ye Xiaotian and the others slowed down their pace. When they reached Qing Ping Street, they had no choice but to dismount and lead their horses on foot.

At the corner of the street, a beautiful woman in a red dress in her twenties walked slowly on the street with a servant girl in a green coat. Next to her was a man in a white robe in his thirties. He was tall and had a scholarly appearance. He walked shoulder to shoulder with the beautiful woman. They looked like a perfect match.

The beautiful woman in the red dress looked around uneasily and whispered, "It's broad daylight, why are you following me? We're almost at my house. Be careful not to be seen."

The man in the white robe smiled and said, "What are you afraid of? The more careful you and I are, the more people will see through us. So what if we walk together openly? It's just a coincidence. "

The woman in the red dress spat and glared at him coquettishly when he wasn't paying attention. However, the man in the white robe looked lazy and didn't care at all. The woman in the red dress had no choice but to stamp her feet and let him be.

"Songyue, we haven't seen each other since the new year began. I really miss you. Let's go to Brahma's Pure Mountain to relax."

The man said in a soft voice and secretly gave the woman in the red dress a flirtatious look. The woman naturally understood what he meant by 'relaxing'. She couldn't help but blush and embarrassedly said, "What nonsense are you talking about? How can I go on an outing with you to relax?"

The man heard and He and Songyue Pure Songyue Mountain. "Heaven" Songyue Songyue Songyue You. "Songyue World Mountain"

The woman's face turned pale when she heard that, and she said nervously, "Your wife? Songyue Songyue and said...

The white-robed man hurriedly said, "How is that possible? You don't have to worry. I only said that I invited you to travel through her in order to get closer to your father and husband. Heh heh, when the time comes, let my wife invite a few more madams from other families, then your husband won't be suspicious. "

The woman in the red dress frowned and said, "Going up the mountain with your wife, how can we … how can we …"

The man in the white dress said, "That wife of mine does not care much about my business. As long as we have the opportunity to climb Fan's Pure Mountain together, do you think we won't have a chance to love each other?" As he said that, he stretched out his hand to grab the woman's hand.

The woman reacted as if she had been stung by a scorpion. She quickly withdrew her hand and glared at him. "How can you have the guts to do that in front of so many people?"

The white-robed man rubbed his nose and said resentfully, "I don't know what you're afraid of. How many people on the streets know who we are?"

The woman in the red dress could not tell him apart, but she was afraid that he would not be careful and make another inappropriate move, so she said, "We're almost at Qing Lang Street, you should go first."

"Hey, wait!"

The white-robed man suddenly saw a persimmon stall by the roadside. He hurriedly called out to the woman in the red dress and quickly walked over.

Sir, do you want to buy persimmons? "

The white-robed man bought a few persimmons and wrapped them in oiled paper. He excitedly returned to the red-dressed woman's side and said, "Songyue, these are your favorite persimmons from a young age. Have a taste."

How could the woman in the red dress be willing to be lovey-dovey with him on the street? She said nervously, "Quickly take it back. You're no good when you're crazy."

The man in white was still holding the dried persimmon in his hand. He said with a smile, "When I was studying in the capital school, there was a little girl who was shameless and came to steal my dried persimmon to eat. Today I bought it for her to eat, but why won't she open her mouth?"

The woman in red remembered the first time she met him. She was six years old at that time. She was greedy and tried to steal his persimmon to eat, but he caught her red-handed. Back then, how could she have imagined that years later, this man would become her present day lover and nemesis?

The woman in red felt a sweetness in her heart, but she immediately became alert. She felt that such an act was too explicit, and she was afraid that people who knew her would see it. She said, "Alright, alright. I'll accept it." As she said that, she reached out her hand to take it. The white-robed man's hand shrank back and said, "No way! You must eat it with my hand!"

The woman in red was angry and embarrassed. However, if this stalemate continued, it would only attract more attention. She hurriedly looked around, and when she saw no familiar people around, she leaned over and took a bite of the persimmon with his hand.

At this moment, Ye Xiaotian had just turned around with his horse and a few guards. When he saw this scene, he could not help but think, "This couple sure is lovey-dovey. However, this can only happen here. If this was the Central Plains, even newlyweds would not dare to be lovey-dovey on the streets."

The woman in red hurriedly took a bite of the persimmon and raised her head. Her almond-shaped eyes were curved, and she looked shy and angry. She was very charming. The white-robed man lifted up the crescent shaped persimmon and teased, "A beauty is a beauty. Even the persimmon that a beauty has bitten is so beautiful."

As soon as he said that, he did not wait for the woman in red to react. He stuffed the half eaten persimmon into his own mouth. The woman in red glanced at him. Her eyes were bright and there was a hint of shyness between her eyebrows. She looked like a pink apricot flower that had just bloomed in early spring. By this time, Ye Xiaotian had already walked past them with his horse.

…

When Li Zhongyin saw that Ye Xiaotian had come to visit, his heart was filled with joy. Although he said that Ye Xiaotian was only a Elementary Scholar to keep up appearances, Ye Xiaotian was very lucky and actually managed to become a High Scholar. He was then appointed as the Warden of Hulu County. After that, he used his abilities to defeat two County Magistrates and a Registrar. Finally, he became an Eighth Rank County Magistrate. This was one of the most promising disciples of Professor Li. When he was teaching in the prefectural school, he often talked about him.

Li Zhongyin happily invited Ye Xiaotian to sit down and asked him about the situation in Hulu County. As he listened, he clapped his hands and sighed. Ye Xiaotian said, "Mister, don't be so happy. I was originally just a Warden. All I needed to do was to ensure the safety of the county. Now that I've become a County Magistrate, I've encountered some difficulties. I'm here to ask for your guidance."

Professor Li was stunned for a moment, then he suddenly said, "Ah! Are you here for the Imperial Court's relief funds? "

Ye Xiaotian said, "Mister is wise and farsighted. I'm here for this matter. In the past years, the Imperial Court has given the least amount of relief funds to Hulu County. Now that many people in Hulu County have responded to the Imperial Court's change of customs, their taxes have been reduced. As a result, Hulu County's finances are even more strained. If we can't bring back more money this year, I'm afraid we won't have a good time. "

Professor Li shook his head like a rattle drum, repeatedly saying, "It's difficult! Difficult difficult difficult difficult difficult … "

Ye Xiaotian frowned and said, "Mister, what's the difficulty? Is there no room for discussion? "

Professor Li explained, "Little Tian, you and I have a teacher-student relationship. If there's anything I want to say, I'll say it to your face. There's no need to hide it. The relationship between Hulu County and other places and Tongren Province is very different. I don't think I need to explain this to you.

Even if you have some relationship with the Prefectural Magistrate, it can't be compared to this relationship. It's a relationship that goes back many generations. In addition, there's many years of marriage. If it were you, who would you favor more? If other people's children don't have food to eat, will you give half of your child's bowl to him? I don't think you're such a good person, right? "

Ye Xiaotian said, "But, the situation in Hulu County this year is different from previous years. Because of the change of customs, the people who changed their surname to Han have their taxes reduced. This year, the taxes collected by Hulu County will be reduced by at least half. If Tongren Province doesn't support them, if something goes wrong …"

Professor Li interrupted him and said, "What does that have to do with the Prefectural Magistrate? In the beginning, the ones who benefited from this matter were the bureaucrats in Hulu County. The people in Tongren Province didn't get any benefits. Moreover, how the counties and counties distribute the relief funds has long been a set of rules. This ratio is the result of the constant competition between all parties and the Prefectural Magistrate's office. After many twists and turns, they finally reached a balance that all parties can accept. Now, even if you only want ten percent more, who will get the share from? The whole distribution ratio will be overturned and the game will be restarted. Think about it, will the Prefectural Magistrate be willing? It's not feasible, it's not feasible. "

Ye Xiaotian's heart suddenly turned cold. After a while, he tentatively said, "If teacher can help me say a few good words …"

Professor Li's head became like a rattle drum again, "No, no, no. Little Tian, you don't know, my school is very short of money. At first, we agreed that every three years, a sum of money will be allocated from the relief funds to subsidize our school. This year, I'm going to ask the Prefectural Magistrate for money, how can I help you."

As he said this, a manservant ran in and reported, "Teacher, Miss is back."

Professor Li softly said, "Ah." He said to Ye Xiaotian, "My daughter and son-in-law are back. You can meet them and take care of each other in the future. Don't be in a hurry to leave today. In a while, I'll arrange a banquet. You and my son-in-law can drink a few cups. "

The manservant said, "Teacher, the son-in-law didn't come. It was Miss who came back alone."

Professor Li frowned and said unhappily, "This child, going back to her parents' home alone. Isn't she afraid that her in-laws won't like it …"

"Father, isn't it good that I often come home to see you!"

A coquettish voice came from outside the hall, and then a beautiful figure in red floated into the hall. Ye Xiaotian looked up and couldn't help but be slightly startled. The woman in red in front of him was the woman eating persimmons at the intersection of Qing Ping Street.