Chapter 242 – The Road to High Office 42

Chapter 242 - The Road to High Office 42

"Subordinate Xu Zeping pays respects to the Prefect."

Xu Zeping looked at the seated official and respectfully bowed.

Upon hearing the name Xu Zeping, Prefect Xu roughly understood what was going on. This year's top scholar should have joined the esteemed Hanlin Academy, but for some reason, he had offended the Sage and was demoted to this impoverished Liaobei Prefecture... The Sage values talent, which is why he reminded me to keep an eye on him.

Looking at County Magistrate Xu's proper and respectful manner, Prefect Xu couldn't see any arrogance that would warrant a punishment from the Sage. Why would the Sage send him here to toughen up?

"County Magistrate Xu, you are too polite. Please rise." Prefect Xu stood up and raised his hand, as if helping Xu Zeping up from a bow. "You must be tired from your long journey. Please take a seat."

"Thank you, Prefect." Xu Zeping followed Prefect Xu's gesture and sat below him.

"May I ask the purpose of your visit, County Magistrate Xu?"

"Prefect, I've thickened my skin for this request; please don't laugh at me." Xu Zeping said with some embarrassment. "I'm not familiar with the route to Lingbei County. Could you spare a few bailiffs to escort me there? I have my family with me, and it's truly not easy."

In the Great Jing Dynasty, there were strict limits on the number of bailiffs under local officials: sixteen for a prefecture, twelve for a prefect, and eight for a county magistrate.

The salaries of these officials were paid from the local government treasury and could be decided by the local officials. They did not have ranks and were not considered to be on the government payroll.

However, as they worked for the government, they were considered respectable people in the local area. In wealthier areas, it was not uncommon for the position to be passed down from father to son.

In less affluent areas, like Lingbei County, they probably didn't even meet the limit.

To make such a request was quite bold, but seeing the hopeful look in the young man's eyes, Prefect Xu found it hard to refuse. "Alright, I'll spare two bailiffs... But what about the food for the journey?"

"This subordinate will cover it all." Xu Zeping said with a smile. "Prefect, two bailiffs might not be enough. How about four bailiffs? For this round trip, I can also offer them a labor fee of one or two taels!"

According to their ranks, a prefect's monthly salary was ten taels of silver, fifteen stones of rice, and twenty jin of pork.

A prefect's monthly salary was seven taels of silver, ten stones of rice, and fifteen jin of pork.

A county magistrate's monthly salary was three taels of silver, seven stones of rice, and ten jin of pork.

One stone of rice weighed about 112 jin, so a county magistrate could receive 840 jin of grain per month. At current grain prices of 3-5 wen per jin, that would be equivalent to three or four taels of silver.

Prefect Xu was surprised by Xu Zeping's generous offer. Could County Magistrate Xu come from a prominent and wealthy family? He seemed unfazed by spending so much money.

Prefect Xu had been in Liaobei for many years, and the annual salary he could spare was far from the expected eighty-four taels because Liaobei was truly impoverished. Many of the expenses for his subordinates came out of his own salary.

"Very well." Since Xu Zeping was willing to cover the costs, Prefect Xu readily agreed to provide the bailiffs. "Then where will my bailiffs meet you tomorrow, County Magistrate Xu?"

"This subordinate is currently staying at the Donghe Inn. I plan to depart at the hour of the dragon tomorrow. I hope Prefect Xu can assist me with this."

After giving the time and location, Xu Zeping exchanged pleasantries with Prefect Xu for a while before leaving the government office around the hour of the dog.

Wealthy local officials often bought separate estates, but Prefect Xu's family lived in the rear courtyard of the government office. Xu Zeping could already imagine the situation in Lingbei County.

As he walked from the government office to the main street, it began to drizzle again.

In this impoverished town, nightlife was not vibrant. Apart from a few taverns still lit with lanterns, most shops had closed for the night.

Gazing into the misty night, Xu Zeping realized that revitalizing Liaobei Prefecture would require attracting merchants and investment. He might not be able to attract large commercial enterprises.

But we can start with the peddlers who roam the streets.

Back on Blue Star, Xu Zeping hadn't studied much and knew nothing about agricultural ecology. One could say that hybridization technology was his weakness.

If he had experience in agronomy, his first thought would have been to cultivate cold-resistant grain species... or to create fertilizers for grain cultivation.

These shortcomings led him to devise a basic plan to attract merchants and generate buzz.

"How did you get soaked?" Cheng Ge Er looked at the drenched Xu Zeping with concern and quickly pulled him to a chair. He took the fine cotton cloth handed over by Xia Tian to dry Xu Zeping's hair, while instructing Autumn to have the waiter bring up some hot water.

After Xu Zeping had a bath, Cheng Ge Er couldn't help but ask, "Did you eat yet?"

After Xu Zeping had settled Cheng Ge Er and the others, it was already past 5:45 PM. He was afraid that disturbing Prefect Xu too late would be inappropriate, so he hurried to the government office.

During the small talk with Prefect Xu... well, Prefect Xu saw him as a generous person, so he likely wouldn’t treat him poorly. Thus, Xu Zeping didn’t dare to invite him to dine.

Since the host didn’t invite him to dinner, Xu Zeping figured it was too late and didn’t give it another thought.

"Is there any food?" Xu Zeping thought that the East Harmony Inn stopped serving food at 7:00 PM and said, "Forget it, I'm not very hungry."

"Even when you're busy, you need to eat," Cheng Ge Er gave him an unhappy glare. "I borrowed the inn's kitchen and have been keeping the porridge warm. If you forget to eat again next time, I won't let you off."

Cheng Ge Er had a limited understanding of the officialdom. He kept the porridge warm, worried that Prefect Xu might have given Pingping the cold shoulder by not inviting him to dinner... Now, since Pingping said things were settled but hadn’t dined, Cheng Ge Er couldn’t ask further.

After nodding, Cheng Ge Er had Xia Tian bring up the warm fresh meat porridge.

After having the porridge, Xu Zeping blew out the candle, and the couple settled down for rest.

It is said that when one is full and warm, lust follows. Xu Zeping was no exception.

The journey had been tiring, and it wasn’t convenient to do anything along the way. After three months of abstinence, now safely lying in the inn and holding his fragrant husband, Xu Zeping naturally felt aroused.

His slightly calloused hand slid under the hem of the clean clothes, and Cheng Ge Er instantly softened at the waist, as his abdomen was a sensitive area for him.

"Pingping.." In the darkness, Cheng Ge Er bit his lip, feeling very uncomfortable.

With a little force, Xu Zeping turned Cheng Ge Er to face him.

"Xiang'er," Xu Zeping kissed his ear tip, his voice very hoarse, "Is there still hot water in the inn's kitchen?"

Cheng Ge Er clung to his neck and whispered, "Yes."

Outside, the autumn rain softly fell; inside, their love filled the room. After a high note, the rain ceased for a while.

Afterward, Xu Zeping asked Xia Tian to bring up some hot water.

He cleaned Cheng Ge Er, and the satisfied couple entered dreamland.

The next morning, around 5:45 AM, the four bailiffs sent by Prefect Xu arrived at the East Harmony Inn. Xu Zeping invited them to have breakfast together.

At around 7:00 AM, Little Tiger arrived at the East Harmony Inn with the purchased carriage.

At first, Xu Zeping considered renting a carriage, but since they’d need one in Lingbei County anyway, he had Little Tiger use the official token to buy a used one instead.

With the time pressure, finding a high-quality carriage wasn’t feasible.

"Trouble you all for this journey," Xu Zeping said after helping Cheng Ge Er onto the carriage and getting off to exchange pleasantries with the four bailiffs.

"Minister Xu is being too polite."

After a few pleasantries, Xu Zeping boarded the carriage and took his seat inside. Little Tiger kept the horse at a steady pace, while the four bailiffs matched the carriage's pace with long strides.

During the early meal, Xu Zeping exchanged pleasantries with the four bailiffs and learned more about the four robust men.

Lin Da and Lin Er were brothers. Their father was a hunter, and they had inherited their father's large physique. Guided by their relatives, they traveled to the prefecture city to take an exam and became bailiffs.

Xu Si was a relative of Prefect Xu, so he had a blood connection.

Jiang Yuan, on the other hand, followed in his father's footsteps. His father was a retired old bailiff.

Once the carriage left the prefecture city, the road became muddy. The journey took five days instead of the expected three to reach Lingbei County.

As Xu Zeping had expected, Lingbei County was indeed very poor.

Heluo County couldn't be considered a wealthy county, but it still had sturdy earthen walls and roads paved with blue bricks. As for Lingbei County...

Surveying the dilapidated county walls, Xu Zeping took a deep breath, relieved that there were no external threats nearby. Otherwise, with these walls, the entire city could be wiped out in a single night.

After entering the county, the entire route was paved with rammed earth, with not a single blue brick in sight.

No wonder no merchant caravans were willing to come to Lingbei County.

If the county was so impoverished, what about the towns and villages under its jurisdiction?

The old county magistrate of Lingbei County, hearing that the new magistrate had arrived, eagerly awaited the opportunity to transfer his responsibilities to Xu Zeping.

Seeing the gaunt old county magistrate in his worn-out blue robes, Xu Zeping felt deeply moved. "Magistrate Li."

"Ah, it's Minister Xu."

The old county magistrate was an affable man. Seeing Xu Zeping with his family, he first arranged for the family to stay in the rear residence of the county government office.

The rear residence was a two-section courtyard, located to the right of the third hall of the government office, divided into east and west courtyards. Having received news of the new magistrate's appointment half a month earlier, Magistrate Li's family had already returned to their hometown.

The east courtyard was prepared for the new magistrate's family to stay temporarily.

As for the west courtyard, it would become available once the old magistrate completed the handover, and it would be up to the new magistrate to decide how to arrange it.

The county government office occupied the most central and prosperous area of the county and spanned approximately 200 hectares.

From the front gate to the rear courtyard, it was roughly divided into four parts:

The first part was the front gate to the ceremonial gate, with a long passageway in between. On the left were the prison cells, and on the right were the shrines for the government deity and the land deity.

The second part was the first hall, where the six departments of the county government (military, penal, works, personnel, revenue, and rites), the clerks' quarters, and the area for the magistrate to handle cases and conduct interrogations were located.

The third part was the second hall, with the offices of the financial advisor and legal advisor at the front. Beyond the offices were the offices of the recorder and the deputy magistrate.

The fourth part was the third hall, with the government treasury on the left and the rear courtyard residences on the right.