Walking the Path of a Workaholic in Cliché Novels (QT) Chapter 87

“Mother, Mr. Tian said to flee from the famine…”

After nightfall, the Crown Princess came to see Empress Qi. She was really curious about the official she met today. He was completely different from those people in the court. Even the way he looked at her was very unique. It was a very peaceful look, not awe or pity.

Empress Qi patted her daughter’s shoulder and said, “When Tian Yinong was fourteen, he fled the famine alone with his fellow villagers. He made this wish because of what he saw along the way. He had helped many people in his hometown before, and he was the first to compile a book on the method of raising fish in rice fields. But…”

“But what?”

“However, he had the opportunity to take the imperial examination during the old dynasty, and his teachers urged him to do so, but he did not take the examination for three years. It was not until the founding of the country that he took the examination and passed directly.”

Empress Qi gave a meaningful smile: “He is a capable minister who can be used, but he is also difficult to use.”

The Crown Princess understood: “He was selecting his ruler.”

He was so proud that he refused to take the exam just because he looked down on the last emperor of the previous dynasty. If the previous dynasty had always existed, would he refuse to be an official?

“Only you, mother, can subdue such a man and make him willingly serve as an official in the court.”

Empress Qi thought about his plan and said, “I brought you to see him not only because he is capable, but also because he does things from his heart instead of following rigid rules.

“Tian Yinong’s father was a son-in-law. His father and his nephew conspired to starve him to death and monopolize the family property of his wife’s family. Tian Yinong directly called the clan elders to teach him a lesson. Later, his father stole the money and ran away. Tian Yinong directly cancelled their household registration and regarded them as dead. He never asked about them again.”

To put it bluntly, if the ruler was capable and did not deceive, Tian Yinong was a very useful minister. If the ruler was unjust and deceived his ministers, it was hard to say what would happen next.

“The words ‘Son of Heaven’ are the biggest lie. Nothing is taken for granted. You choose people, and people choose you.”

“I understand, mother. I will always reflect on myself, not be carried away by praise, and not be easily fooled by those around me.” The Crown Princess seriously looked at her mother, “I will personally deal with the palace maids who led me to indulge in fun last time.”

“You don’t have to tell me, just handle it yourself.”

While the mother and daughter were talking, they did not notice that there was a crow perched outside the window.

“You have fulfilled your promise that day.” Gu Zhengzhong’s cold fingers slid across the sleeping person’s face. He could “see” a layer of golden light, every bit of which was a sincere gratitude.

Although An Yinong always jokingly called himself a big gangster who ate small gangsters, which people didn’t want such a big gangster?

He gently held the quilted hand, the white jade-like fingers had a thin layer of calluses on the fingertips. Even with the help of the ghost servants, An Yinong worked hard for Dingsha County.

Gu Zhengzhong lowered his head and kissed the back of his hand: “You come to protect your people, and I will protect you.”

Empress Qi stayed in Dingsha for three days. Afterwards she left, leaving behind her private seal with the words “The world belongs to the public” and taking away three barrels of brewed wine.

“Didn’t you say tribute wine? Why haven’t you delivered it yet?”

An Yinong was not unhappy at all that his superiors were eating and taking bribes. Anything chosen as tribute could be used to offset part of the tax, so he liked to offer tribute so much. Empress Qi and the Crown Princess came quietly and left quietly without disturbing anyone.

It wasn’t long before the wine from Dingsha County was selected as a tribute, and the wine with the royal winery certificate became a sought-after commodity. An Yinong also just found out that Empress Qi took the Crown Princess to worship their ancestors, but they took a detour and stayed in Dingsha for three days.

As he was about to leave office, An Yinong went out more frequently. He particularly liked to go on “incognito visits”, so today he was dressed in businessman’s clothes and stuck a beard on himself.

“I remember the first time I left the county government office, I also walked this road.” An Yinong said to Gu Zhengzhong with a smile. He also met a ‘hero saving the beauty’ that day, but unfortunately this ‘hero’ was uncooperative.

Gu Zhengzhong also thought of what happened that day. He looked down at the two people’s hands naturally clasped together, then looked at An Yinong. An Yinong’s eyes turned into a crescent shape. Being with An Yinong, he would never be disappointed or have any doubts, because An Yinong will not allow any misunderstandings to occur between them, nor will he give other ambiguities the opportunity to grow.

The houses on both sides of the long street were renovated later. Because the road was widened and two rows of roadside trees were added, the government paid to move the nearby families to the other side, and each family was compensated with a large house. The shops that have been rebuilt here are all two-story, with the upper floors used for living or as warehouses.

At that time, these people were very easy to talk to. When An Yinong said he wanted to move, there was not a single stubborn person. He said he would give them compensation, but they were still very apprehensive. Probably because Dingsha County was poor, and An Yinong had just killed a group of people, with heads rolling all over the ground and murderous aura filling the air. At that time, in the hearts of Dingsha people, An Yinong was not a kind and talkative county magistrate, but a killing god.

The merchants who came and went on the road were leading camels, often accompanied by a proud Dingsha hound. Sometimes these animals could not help but defecate on the road, and the owners would skillfully take out dustpans to sweep and collect the feces. They saw that the fine was thirty copper coins each time, or they would be made to sweep the streets.

When An Yinong first arrived, there were not many women on the street because of bullies. Even if there were women, they were all elderly or deliberately dressed in gray. But now when he walked around again, he saw many female shopkeepers on the street, wearing light blue embroidered tops and pomegranate red skirts, with jewelry made of local gemstones on their heads, openly showing off their beauty. Their beauty embellished the city.

There were fewer children on the street because they were all taken away to study. In the evening, when school was over, one could see these chicks coming out of the cage.

Not only in the county, but also in the villages, there were such voluntary schools. An Yinong invited teachers back from the Central Plains, and the government funded the repair of houses and salaries. Around half of the annual tax revenue was invested in education.

An Yinong was even willing to accept children from nearby grassland ethnic groups and let them receive local education, so as to subtly change the current situation of confrontation between ethnic groups. In the past two years, many grassland ethnic groups have joined Dingsha’s household registration. For him, as long as they became citizens of Qi, paid taxes, worked and lived peacefully, and didn’t cause trouble, they were Chinese.

“Come and have a look. We have the newly arrived Zhongyuan sugar, as well as condensed milk and candy made from sugar and milk. We sell them cheaply if you buy more.” The waiter at a dairy store was calling out. The sweet aroma attracted many people.

“Is this the condensed milk our magistrate was talking about?” A buyer picked up some condensed milk with a wooden stick and tasted it. His eyes lit up and asked, “Is this easy to preserve?”

“It’s easy to preserve. It’s in a porcelain bottle that’s been scalded with boiling water and sealed with a rubber cap. It can be eaten for a long time.” said the waiter.

An Yinong watched from afar as they rushed to buy up the cane sugar, as well as condensed milk and milk candy made from the ingredients.

He also squeezed in and bought a small bag of candy, one in his mouth and one in his sweetheart’s mouth. Gu Zhengzhong, who didn’t like sweets, frowned and said “too sweet”, which made him laugh. Passersbys looked sideways, wondering what the bearded man was laughing at.

“It’s a pity that we didn’t find sugar beets, otherwise the Northwest could use beets to make sugar, and then we could build a local sugar factory. Sugar wouldn’t be so expensive.” Not finding sugar beets was a regret in An Yinong’s heart.

Beet, sugar beetroot. Gu Zhengzhong silently wrote down the information and prepared to ask someone (a ghost) to look for it.

After strolling along the street, they went to the Dingsha cattle breeding base. The magistrate tore off his beard and entered by scanning his face. The large pasture enclosed here was the breeding base, but the Dingsha cattle were not free-range, but kept in pens. The cowshed where they are kept must be cleaned every day and disinfected every ten days.

In addition, each cow needed to be cleaned and massaged every day, and a special veterinarian would come to check its physical condition. He came over to look at the black cows one by one, adding various halos to them. The cowherds didn’t know, they just felt that the cows were in better spirits after the magistrate came to see them.

An Yinong carefully checked the record sheet next to the cowshed. It was clear on the record sheet what responsibilities were taken and when, and the division of labor was very detailed and clear.

“Cows are kept in the cowshed and have little exercise, so their hooves must be checked and trimmed in a timely manner.”

“Don’t worry, sir. We just checked and trimmed the cows yesterday. The pen is clean, and none of the cows have hoof disease.”

The cowherds all admired their county magistrate very much. Apart from anything else, the fact that they could have this job, a house and a home now was all thanks to the county magistrate. Otherwise, they would still be starving.

He went to check the feed again. Dingsha cattle were basically still grass-fed after weaning, but they will be fattened by grain feed for a period of time before being marketed.

An Yinong himself had eaten local grain-fed and grass-fed beef. Grain-fed beef had more marble and fat, while grass-fed beef was chewier and had a stronger meaty flavor. In fact, part of his understanding of beef came from his first love. When he thought of Tang Yu, he would still smile, because that was the first person he fell in love with. It was also because of the loss that he faced his heart and was more honest in his feelings.

So since he liked Gu Yu, he would let him feel his feelings without any discount. The people he loved made him a better person.

The days that followed were relatively peaceful, and finally his three-year term was completed.

The people of Dingsha County were very worried: “Is our county magistrate leaving? Why is he leaving? Isn’t it good here?”

It’s not that they didn’t understand. Previous county magistrates also left after their three-year terms were up. But this time was different. The people of Dingsha County would rather play dumb than let their county magistrate leave.

“Mr. Magistrate, please don’t leave. What will we do if you leave?” As soon as An Yinong went out, he was surrounded by people. They were reluctant to let him go.

“Bah, what are you talking about? The county magistrate is going to be promoted, and we can’t hold him back.”

“That’s right. An official like the county magistrate should be a high-ranking official. The higher the official rank, the more people he can take care of.” Some people also wished him a bright future with a sad heart.

“Brother Wei, when I leave, you will…”

Before An Yinong finished speaking, Wei the concierge glanced at him and said, “I’d better continue to be your concierge. If you are an official like you who always likes to offend the powerful, you might get ambushed at any time if you don’t keep an eye on it.”

That’s fine. If one worked as a county magistrate for three years, one could also earn a martial arts master for free.

“The population, the amount of land, and the tax revenue has increased. Although the number of students and scholars has not increased, it is not difficult to get a top evaluation. I just don’t know whether it will be a lateral transfer, or a promotion by one or half a level in the future.” An Yinong secretly guessed.

Not long after, a messenger arrived on a fast horse, bringing the emperor’s decree.

“Xizhou Zhizhou?” Along with the imperial edict came a message: “You proposed the trade fair, and you will build it.”