"Oh, it's ten cents a day, including food and accommodation. If I work for a month, I can save all this money, and I can have a prosperous year this year."
"Yes, it's a pity that the government only recruits villagers who have been affected by the disaster."
"That's for sure. The imperial envoy has a good heart. He just wants to help the villagers. Otherwise, where would you find such a job?"
"The imperial envoy is indeed a good man. It would be great if he could always stay in our Lu'an County."
The crowd was talking a lot. As a large number of people left the scene, order was restored again, and the victims began to queue up in long lines to register.
Not long after, it was the turn of an old man at a registration place. The clerk took a writing brush. After asking, he frowned slightly and said: "Old man, you are in your fifties, so you should not work anymore. You also know that this new man Repairing the dam, but the imperial envoy ordered it to be a hundred times stronger this time than before. It's all heavy work, and I'm afraid your old body won't be able to bear it."
"If you can do it, you can do it." The old man said repeatedly, almost pleading: "Little old man, I am a good worker and can endure any hardship. Just do it, sir."
"This is not a question of whether it will work or not. I'm afraid your body won't be able to bear it. If something goes wrong, the county magistrate will blame me," the official said.
"No, no, sir, the fields and houses at my little old man's house have been flooded by the flood. If we don't have food and rice, we really can't survive. You are kind-hearted, so please be accommodating. "The old man said and was about to kneel down.
"Okay, okay." The clerk sighed helplessly and thought for a while and said: "In this way, you don't have to do other heavy work and just pick the dirt. But having said that, this one-penny job is impossible. It’s said that you don’t do a good job, but you need a lot of wages, so let me tell you this first.”
"That's the reason, that's the reason. The official is kind-hearted, and I'm very grateful." The old man thanked him repeatedly.
Most of the people present were young and middle-aged. After all, it was impossible for old women and children to dig mountains and dig canals. Old men were considered to be on the edge of the government's age limit and belonged to a very small minority.
Of course, some women who were better at cooking were also employed.
Everything is going on in an orderly manner here. The 400,000 taels of silver allocated from Suhe and Jiujiang are enough for the county to operate. With the grain transported from Huainan, it goes without saying that the disaster situation is stable.
Two days later, the official document was signed, and the construction of the water conservancy dam began. Workers sweating profusely could be seen everywhere on the site. Some were digging trenches and canals, some were moving rocks and stacking materials, and some were clearing soil and transferring it in full swing.
Things have stabilized, and there won't be any changes if this continues. Zhang Jingrui, the Jianghuai inspector, cannot stay in Lu'an County forever, so he is ready to leave after dealing with the overall situation.
Before leaving, he naturally told Yu Dongqing: "The flood has passed. Help the people tide over the difficulties, manage county affairs, and do a good job in water conservancy. These will be your future political achievements. Being a good official is more important than anything else." The people's livelihood and the country are worthy of my recommendation to you in front of His Majesty."
"Teacher, don't worry. In your humble position, you must serve the public and be self-denial, be diligent and love the people, and live up to His Majesty's holy grace and the teachings of your teacher."
Yu Dongqing saluted him seriously. Seeing how smart he was, he immediately changed his mind and bowed to the big tree.
This is the second rank of the current dynasty, an important minister in front of the emperor.
Zhang Jingrui said: "Don't yell nonsense, be a good official to your parents. If you harm the people's livelihood and I know about it, I will definitely not spare you!"
After saying that, he waved his hands and walked away.
"Yes!" After Yu Dongqing responded, he quickly followed up: "I'll send you my humble duty."
When we arrived outside the county government, the carriage was ready and the imperial guards were waiting.
"Okay, go and get busy." Zhang Jingrui said and got on the carriage.
Yu Dongqing stood aside, respectfully, and until the team disappeared without a trace, he straightened up and muttered to himself happily: "My luck is pretty good, too."
In September, Zhang Jingrui arrived in Suhe. Naturally, the county magistrate led a group of officials to greet him and hosted a banquet in the county mansion.
What kind of person is Zhang Jingrui? He is different from Liu Changqing who scolded him for being too extravagant until he met Feng Feng at the banquet. He is also different from Jiang Yi, who has the style of a high-ranking official visiting someone. He is approachable, seemingly gentle, but in fact he is violent.
At the banquet, he did not show any disappointment, chatted happily with all the officials, and gave the Suhe County Sheriff enough face.
The banquet ended in a harmonious atmosphere. The next day, just after Zhang Jingrui had finished breakfast, Suhe County Sheriff came over and asked about the schedule.
Zhang Jingrui thought for a moment: "I won't read it today. Sheriff Tang, let's discuss the official issue of Suhe first."
"I obey my order." Suhe County Sheriff said: "I must have inspected the transportation connecting the county and the city to various places. In my opinion, the land route is fine, but the waterway may be opened up separately."
Zhang Jingrui rejected this suggestion: "The waterway in Suhe is very convenient and complete, so it is not suitable to make any further changes. Although land transportation is not seriously affected, the renovation of official roads across the country still needs to be done. After all, it is related to national policy."
"Yes, please give me your instructions, Lord Shangshu." Suhe County Sheriff's attitude was very humble.
Next, the two had a detailed discussion on official issues. Zhang Jingrui also sorted out some files and drawings, and then chatted about inspecting water conservancy projects.
Suhe County Sheriff was well prepared for this and said: "After the official received the order, the county organized a comprehensive self-inspection. The Ministry of Works also sent people to inspect the previous time. There were no problems with water conservancy. There are no hidden dangers in the flood control dam.”
"That's good. The inspection documents from the Ministry of Industry have been sent back, right?" Zhang Jingrui said.
"Yes." Suhe County Sheriff responded.
After a while, when other things had been discussed, he did not leave, but stood beside his subordinate, looking like he was hesitant to speak.
Zhang Jingrui glanced at him strangely: "Do you have anything else Governor Tang has to do, but it doesn't matter."
"This" Suhe County Sheriff hesitated for a while, but finally braved it and said: "Zhang Shangshu, regarding the previous allocation of 200,000 taels of silver, I wrote to Chang'an. I hope you won't mind it."
He was afraid of offending Zhang Jingrui.
When the latter heard this, he was stunned at first, never taking it seriously: "What are you talking about, Governor Tang? This is because you are fulfilling your duties, so don't worry about it."
"Ah, Zhang Shangshu is magnanimous, and the subordinates admire him greatly." The county guard flattered him.
Zhang Jingrui secretly smiled bitterly and shook his head.
There was nothing going on here in Suhe. After an inspection, Zhang Jingrui visited Jiujiang again, and then went to Lujiang, Huaining and other places. He walked around the entire Jianghuai area before setting off back to Chang'an.
This trip not only allowed him to grasp the official traffic situation in various places, but also dealt with many water conservancy and people's livelihood matters. He was worthy of the post of imperial envoy and his contribution was to the country. (End of chapter)
