Chapter 255: The Road to High Office 55 (Catching Mistakes)

Chapter 255: The Road to High Office 55 (Catching Mistakes)

"A man who cherishes his wife is generally not a bad person."

Cheng Ge Er gently scratched Xu Zeping's palm with his smooth nails and nodded obediently, "I understand."

Happy times always fly by, and in the blink of an eye, it was the next day.

Xu Zeping looked at Cheng Ge Er, who was still sound asleep, put on his official robe, and went out to wash up.

After having breakfast, it was already the hour of Chen.

"County Magistrate Xu."

"County Magistrate Xu."

As soon as Xu Zeping stepped into the government office, a crowd of people rushed up to greet him eagerly, the noise deafening.

Chen Ling approached Xu Zeping, looking ashamed, "Sir, I apologize, I couldn't stop them."

Xu Zeping noticed that six out of the twelve or thirteen people were wearing long robes and could roughly guess who the leaders were. He coldly said, "Silence!"

His commanding voice cut through the noise, and except for the six in long robes, the others all knelt down, "Sir, have mercy!"

Xu Zeping flicked his sleeve, sat down on the high seat, and slammed the table, "What kind of conduct is this, causing such a commotion in the government office!"

"Sir, have mercy!"

Now the six men in long robes also began to panic. Wasn't the new County Magistrate Xu supposed to be easy to talk to? They exchanged glances, could the information they heard be wrong?

They quickly bowed and apologized, "County Magistrate Xu, please spare our lives. We came to seek your help."

"The court is now in session!"

Xu Zeping slammed the table again, and the bailiffs immediately picked up their staffs, ready to shout—"Mighty!"

One of the elderly men in long robes quickly said, "Sir, we are the town chiefs from under Lingbei County. We came to seek your help not for grievances, but to ask for your assistance in managing the farmlands."

"Please help us manage the farmlands!"

As soon as the old man spoke, the rest of the dozen or so people echoed in agreement.

They all looked at Xu Zeping eagerly, their desire impossible to hide.

Xu Zeping sneered, "Is this how you ask for help? It's like putting a knife to my throat!"

Xu Zeping wasn't a tyrannical person, but he knew that as a local official, if he didn't show some temper, he wouldn't be able to suppress these people.

A new official still needs to make a strong impression!

He hadn't even summoned these old fellows, and yet they had the audacity to barge into his government office.

"Sir, have mercy!" The old man said with a bitter face, "We beg your forgiveness, it is indeed our mistake. Previous new county magistrates would invite us for tea upon taking office... You've been in office for over two months and haven't invited us for tea, instead focusing on managing the farmlands in Xiaoman Town, which makes us very anxious."

Xu Zeping understood his underlying message and their thoughts.

When he took office, his elder brother had reminded him that if he was short on funds, he could invite the county officials for tea once.

Although this practice wasn't exactly honorable, it was somewhat tacitly accepted.

After all, most children from poor families are financially strapped, and compared to embezzling from the treasury... such exploitation of minor officials is not too severe, and the higher-ups often turn a blind eye.

Even when Xu Songlin took office, he had engaged in such practices.

However, Xu Zeping's inherent pride would not allow him to engage in such behavior, so when County Deputy Yang proposed hosting a tea banquet, he directly refused.

He had the means to earn money and ensure his family's sustenance, so he did not need to resort to such despicable acts.

More importantly, Lingbei County was poor. If even he, the county magistrate, could do such things... what about the town heads and village chiefs below?

Indeed, in the court, if the water is too clear, there will be no fish. He could not guarantee that after his arrival, such things would be eradicated in Lingbei County, but he could ensure that he would not be complicit.

"Hmph," Xu Zeping sneered, "So you're instructing me on how to do my job now?"

"This old man wouldn't dare!"

The old man dared not wipe the sweat from his forehead and bowed again to apologize.

Seeing Xu Zeping's cold expression, the group that followed the old man dared not offer any comfort, standing dumbfounded like wooden chickens.

Xu Zeping knew he couldn't go too far, so he glanced at County Deputy Yang.

The cunning County Deputy Yang immediately understood his meaning and stepped in to mediate: "Town Head Cao, today's incident was indeed due to your impulsiveness. Didn't you think about what kind of place the government office is? This is the important place where we officials handle cases. Isn't it better to communicate privately?

Making such a noisy scene in the government office is just embarrassing. Ah, Town Head Cao, quickly apologize properly to the county magistrate.

Our county magistrate is the most amiable person, with a sensitive disposition. As long as you apologize properly and promise not to make such a mistake again, the county magistrate will surely forgive you."

County Deputy Yang's rapid-fire speech, like a machine gun, left Chen Ling stunned.

What's going on? Didn't County Deputy Yang always claim he was not good with words and let me handle it? Why is he so eloquent now?

Under County Deputy Yang's barrage, the old man referred to as Town Head Cao also reacted, saying that their commotion was for the sake of the townspeople, and if the people weren't on the verge of survival, they wouldn't have barged into the government office... and so on, starting to play the victim.

In short, he made it sound as pitiful as possible, finally promising with teary eyes that such a mistake would never happen again.

After all the commotion, Xu Zeping had established his authority and put down his airs to ask, "Town Head Cao, we will be working together in the future, so let's speak frankly. What is the real reason you came here?"

A hint of red flashed across Town Head Cao's pale face. He rubbed his hands and stammered, "Well, this, Minister Xu, isn't it that the craftsman Lu from Xiaoman Town has created a water-powered wheel?

That, that craftsman Lu has also built one for free for the twenty-seven villages in Xiaoman Town. Our idea is, could you help us persuade him to build one for each of our villages?

Of course, we're not asking for it to be free, but could the cost be a bit cheaper... five taels of silver for one water-powered wheel is really too much."

Town Head Cao and the others came knowing that the county magistrate had a hand in the water-powered wheel project.

As Minister Xu's subjects, the town heads discussed and decided to approach Minister Xu.

Each of their towns has over twenty villages, and arranging one for each village would cost over a hundred taels of silver!

Thinking about it, they were also distressed. Where could they gather so much silver in such a short time?

If they were to borrow from the landlords... they feared they would be burdened with heavy interest.

Five taels of silver?

This fee is quite reasonable. A water-powered wheel has a lifespan of nearly twenty years, averaging about two and a half coins per year.

As for the carpentry tax, if Xu Zeping remembered correctly, it was one-tenth.

In other words, the actual amount of silver that Craftsman Lu received was four taels and five mace.

According to their 70-30 split, Craftsman Lu's net profit was one tael, three mace, and fifty wen.

"Very well, I shall write a letter for each of you town heads. Take the letters to Craftsman Lu, and he will understand what's going on when he receives them."

For the first waterwheel in each village within the six towns, Xu Zeping gave up his own profit.

This means they only need to pay one tael, eight mace, and fifty wen in copper coins for each waterwheel.

Of course, they need to provide the materials themselves.

Upon hearing that they only need to pay one tael, eight mace, and fifty wen, the dozen or so people in the hall were extremely excited, repeatedly kowtowing and thanking Lord Xu Zeping.

Xu Zeping quickly had County Deputy Yang and others help the dozen or so people up. After resolving this matter, Town Head Cao looked at Xu Zeping hesitantly: "My lord, when might you grace our town with an inspection?"

"Yes, my lord," Town Head Hu from Xiaoli Town rubbed his hands and added nervously, "Our town is also in great difficulty."

"Rest assured, as the parent official of Lingbei County, I will not abandon you," Xu Zeping assured them. "In governing Lingbei, I will start from the most troubled towns. I will not give up on any town in Lingbei."

...

Half an hour after Xu Zeping left, Cheng Ge Er also woke up.

Recalling the small banquet he had arranged with Mrs. Cao Zhou at noon, he didn't delay and immediately got up from bed to start preparing the banquet's dishes.

Autumn had learned some pastry skills from Madam Jiang, and with the plum blossoms blooming beautifully these past two days, Cheng Ge Er had an idea: why not pick some plum blossoms and have Autumn make flower cakes?

Although the former county magistrate had not achieved much in his official career, he was quite skilled in gardening.

Spring had tulips, summer had lotus flowers, autumn had osmanthus, and winter had plum blossoms.

Living in this residence, Cheng Ge Er was never lacking in flowers and plants.

After some busy work, he managed to prepare the banquet's dishes just before noon.

"Lord Xu, these pastries are truly exquisite!"

Mrs. Cao Zhou looked at the various flower cakes on the platter, her eyes clearly expressing one thought—she wanted to eat them!

Lord Xu, being from the south, was indeed more refined in both attire and cuisine compared to the remote and rustic Lingbei.

Cheng Ge Er smiled modestly and said politely, "I wasn't sure what you liked, Mrs. Cao, so I had Autumn make both sweet and savory pastries."

As he spoke, Cheng Ge Er used bamboo chopsticks to place a small plum blossom cake on Mrs. Cao Zhou's plate: "I personally love these lightly sweet flower cakes. Mrs. Cao, please try one."

Mrs. Cao Zhou couldn't wait to pick it up and put it in her mouth. The fragrant aroma of plum blossoms burst in her mouth, instantly captivating her taste buds. It was delicious.

"Lord Xu, if I didn't know that these chefs were brought from the south, I would really want to take them back with me," Mrs. Cao Zhou said. Knowing that honesty was key in front of a superior, she didn't play any tricks and presented herself sincerely to Cheng Ge Er.

"If Mrs. Cao is interested, you can have your cook come and learn."

"Really?" Faced with Cheng Ge Er's kindness, Mrs. Cao Zhou was overjoyed and couldn't believe it, covering her mouth in surprise.

"Of course."

No matter how delicious the pastries were, they couldn't serve as the main course.

In no time, Autumn brought in the prepared silver ear and bird's nest osmanthus porridge...

After the meal, Cheng Ge Er invited Mrs. Cao Zhou to play chess.

The attendants, Autumn and Xia Tian, took the initiative to withdraw, and Mrs. Cao Zhou knew that the serious matter was about to begin. She dismissed her personal maid who was serving in front of her.

Cheng Ge Er picked up a black chess piece and placed it in the center of the board. Looking at the blooming plum blossoms outside the window, he said lightly, "Mrs. Cao, what do you think of embroidery?"