Chapter 154: Officials Don’t Repair Yamen
Those officials are not stupid either. It is impossible to focus on Zhao Xing.
This requires someone to take the lead.
As long as someone focuses their impeachment on him, even if others don't, they will think so in the eyes of the emperor.
Unfortunately, Luo Hui did not agree and could only arrange for someone else to do it.
.........
Although Weishi County is just a county town, it is less than a hundred miles away from Bianjing and is quite prosperous.
Qi Heng, accompanied by Bu Wei and several maidservants as escorts, left Bianjing and headed for Weishi County, accompanied by Duke Qi and Princess Ning.
This was the first time Qi Heng left Beijing, and he was not in a hurry. He did not enter Weishi County until the evening of the next day.
"Sir, it's a good thing we caught up, otherwise we would have spent the night outside the city tonight." Buwei looked back at the slowly closing city gate and said with some luck.
Qi Heng got off the carriage when he entered the city and walked instead. At this time, he was looking at the pedestrians on the street with interest and said with a smile: "It's the same as staying overnight in a village outside. You can also learn about the customs and customs of Weishi County." "
"Sir, shall we go to the county government now?" Buwei asked.
"Don't go to the county government yet, find an inn to stay for one night, and we'll talk about it tomorrow." Qi Heng said.
Hearing the words and not saying much, the group found a nice inn to stay.
Qi Heng did not go to the county government office the next day, but took Bu Wei to play in the city.
"Sir, what's so interesting about this small county town?"
After walking around for a while, I felt a little boring.
Weishi County is in front of Bianjing. Bianjing City has some of them in Weishi County, and some in Bianjing City that Weishi County does not have.
Because the distance is not far and the local customs are the same, I don’t know what is there to see here.
"His Highness often says that many things, different identities, will be seen differently." Qi Heng said with a smile.
Buwei scratched his head, not understanding something.
Qi Heng had no intention of explaining. He was not visiting me just for fun, but to understand the situation in Weishi County.
After he takes over as county magistrate, I don’t know how many pairs of eyes are staring at him. What he sees then may be what others have arranged and want him to see.
The weather is hot now, and I started sweating after walking around Qiheng for a while.
He would not listen even if I tried to persuade him to rest.
It was almost noon when Qi Heng ended his wandering and returned to the inn.
After the weather got cooler in the afternoon, I took Buwei out of the inn again.
After a day of walking around, he had a pretty good sense of Weishi County. He didn't find any problems, only some minor and innocuous problems.
In this way, Qi Heng became more confident in serving as the county magistrate and governing Weishi County well.
I returned to the inn in the evening, washed up and rested early, preparing to go to the county government to take office early tomorrow morning.
While Qi Heng was resting, in the main hall of a house covering an area of more than ten acres in the east of Weishi County, seven or eight men of different ages, holding beauties in their arms, were drinking from cup to cup.
At this time, a young man came in, walked around from the side, came to the middle-aged man in charge, and whispered a few words in his ear.
After listening, the middle-aged man waved his hand, and the boy bowed and retreated.
“Papa!”
The middle-aged man clapped his hands, and the eyes of those who were teasing the woman in his arms were attracted.
"You go down first." The middle-aged man said to the woman in his arms.
“Yes!”
The women stood up, bowed, and withdrew.
"Everyone, if you like it, you can take the beauty back with you when you go back. But now we should get down to business." The middle-aged man at the head smiled and said: "Our new county magistrate has already I'm going back to the inn to rest, I guess I'll take office tomorrow."
"Haha, I heard that our new county magistrate is still a son of a lord, and he is very easy to fool." "No, he is still here. What kind of private visit was he doing? Didn’t he know that he was discovered after entering the city?”
"These Lord's children are like this, they have high ambitions but low abilities."
"This is a good arrangement by Mr. Huang."
Everyone started talking about it, and their words were full of enthusiasm. He was very disdainful of Qi Heng.
The middle-aged man at the head, also known as Mr. Huang, flashed a hint of amusement in his eyes, pressed his hands and said: "Don't be careless, after all, this new county magistrate has a distinguished status, we It's better to be coaxing. And I got news that His Royal Highness has ordered all counties to check their fields. As the saying goes, if the sky falls, there will be a tall one. Our new county magistrate has a distinguished status, so isn't he a tall one? ? Everyone must give the new county magistrate enough respect and not make any mistakes. ”
"Don't worry, Mr. Huang, we will handle whatever the new county magistrate gives us."
…………
Early the next morning, Qi Heng packed up and took his subordinates with him. The people followed him to the county government office.
Instead of stepping forward to check his identity, the yamen officer at the door quickly went in to report.
After a while, Huang Xuan, the county magistrate, led the officials of Weishi County to come out in a hurry.
"Huang Xuan, the magistrate of Weishi County, I wonder if the county magistrate can show me the appointment document?" Huang Xuan said.
“This is as it should be.” Qi Heng nodded slightly and asked Buwei to take out the appointment document.
Huang Xuan checked it carefully, returned it, bowed and said: "It is my responsibility, I hope the county magistrate will not blame you."
"What did Huang County Cheng say? It just needs to be verified." Qi Heng said indifferently.
Huang Xuan welcomed Qi Heng in with a smile, came to the county magistrate's office, and introduced all the officials one by one.
"I wonder if the county magistrate has found a place to live?" Huang Xuan asked.
"Isn't there a place to live in the county government office? I can just live in the county government office." Qi Heng said.
"This..." Huang Xuan looked confused when he heard this: "But the county government office has been in disrepair for a long time, and I am afraid that the county magistrate will be wronged. It is better for the county magistrate to stay at the lower official's house temporarily, and the lower official will have someone repair it. Repair the county government house."
"No need, as long as there is a place to shelter from wind and rain," Qi Heng waved his hand.
As soon as he took office, he suspended his official duties. When word spread, what did the people of Weishi County think of him?
After hearing this, Huang Xuan tried to persuade him again, but when he saw Qi Heng persisted, he stopped trying and said, "The county magistrate has just arrived. At noon, a few of our colleagues will host a banquet to welcome the county magistrate. The county magistrate deserves a reward. "
"I should be the one to invite everyone. I just took office and don't understand anything. I still need your help," Qi Heng said.
"Your Majesty, you are welcome. This first meal must be treated by us. If you want to invite me in the future, there will be plenty of opportunities."
"Yes, Your Majesty, this is for Your Excellency to receive the wind and wash away the dust. How can I invite you?"
Seeing everyone's persuasion, Qi Heng agreed.
After chatting for a while, they agreed to have dinner together at noon, leaving a small official to wait for Qi Heng's orders, and Huang Xuan and others took their leave.
Qi Heng was surprised when he followed the clerk to Houya.
The ground in the back office is overgrown with weeds and the houses are dilapidated.
Qi Heng heard Huang Xuan say that the county government office was in disrepair for a long time, so he was mentally prepared, but he did not expect that it would be in such a state of disrepair.
Qi Heng didn’t know that there was a saying in local officialdom that officials should not build yamen.
Because officials stay in one place for a short time, no matter whether it is to show their integrity or the money is embezzled, no one will repair the official office.
"Sir, how can we live in such a broken place? Why don't we rent a courtyard nearby?" Buwei said.
"No need, I'll take someone to clean it up." Qi Heng came back to his senses and shook his head.
He had already said that he wanted to live in the county government office, how could he just give up.
Buwei opened his mouth and saw Qi Heng's firm face, so he could only respond: "Yes!"
(End of this chapter)