After the immortal disappeared

"This is only right. Civilians should not be under our control." He Chunhua did not forget to take more than a hundred villagers to escape in times of crisis. He Chunhua thought that he had done his best. Of course, Wuliu County would take over the follow-up arrangements for the villagers' return to their hometowns. With him, this summer The governor of the state doesn't have a penny connection.

"So Magistrate Wuliu's meal is also a thank-you banquet. A squire named He invited us to spend the night in his mansion. My parents have already gone down to wash and change clothes. Let's not be late."

While he was sleeping soundly, He Chunhua not only led the team through Qianteng Town and arrived at Wuliu County, but also established good relations with the county magistrate and others.

Dad is so energetic. He Lingchuan yawned again.

The carriage had stopped at the door of Squire He's house. Two young men came up to greet them and led the brothers to a quiet courtyard.

The two of them were washing up here. Qian's mother came over with new clothes and asked them to change into their old clothes. In particular, He Lingchuan's clothes were stained with blood, splattered with mud, and had several holes. He could smell the fishy smell of the boss even if he didn't get close enough to smell it.

When Qian's mother was about to tie the brothers' hair, someone knocked on the door.

He Lingchuan opened the door and saw that it was Zhu Xiuer.

Zhu Xiuer had already finished packing and put on Mrs. Ying's clothes. It is said that people need clothes. She originally had a dark complexion and a red face, but after dressing up in beautiful clothes, the country girl's rusticity faded a lot, showing a calm and quiet demeanor.

Perhaps this is her background, and it has not been polished off by a difficult life so far.

She smiled slightly at He Lingchuan and said, "Young servants, I'm here to help Mother Qian."

He Lingchuan was worried and took two steps back to let her enter the house: "You live here too?"

He didn't know how to call Zhu Xiuer, girl, madam?

"Yes, Mrs. Ying insists." Zhu Xiuer raised the wooden grate and motioned for him to sit down, "But the people of Wuliu County, including the county magistrate and the owner of He House, don't know my origin."

He Yue answered: "Father has issued a hush-hush order to the whole army, and this matter must not be spread outside. Miss Zhu will follow us north, and will only be known to the outside world as our cousin."

Concealing what happened to Zhu Xiuer? Not only that, they even concealed the existence of Zhu Xiuer, so that after she returned to the family, rumors that were not good for her would slowly spread here. The behavior of He Chunhua and his wife can be said to be very generous to Zhu Xiuer.

Zhu Xiu'er untied He Lingchuan's knotted hair and said, "Xiu'er is so heartbroken that it's hard to repay this kindness. From now on, if the He family is offered a job, they will not dare to say goodbye!"

"Serious words, God will save those who save themselves. We are just following the laws of heaven." He Yue asked her, "Are you really not willing to go to the banquet with us? As a cousin, there is no harm in going together."

Zhu Xiuer smiled and said: "I won't go. It's better if I show less face and rest more."

He Yue was slightly surprised when he heard her brisk voice and saw the light in her eyes and her completely relaxed look.

This "cousin" really seems like a new baby.

After cleaning up, the brothers went to Hongtai Tower for the banquet.

…

A meal for both the guest and the host.

He Lingchuan came out with a full burp. The mutton belly buns here were stewed to a crispy and flavourful state. It was really hot. Officials from the entire Wuliu County came, and there were more than a dozen country squires accompanying them.

They took He Chunhua's family to the entrance of Hongtai Restaurant and boarded the car. When the carriage left, He Lingchuan could still see their enthusiastic smiles.

This kind of enthusiasm had long been familiar to him in Blackwater City, but it was still strange to see it on the faces of officials from other places. They walked from Heishui City to Wuliu County. The local officials along the way were very polite, but not so attentive.

Well, maybe it's more appropriate to say it's flattery.

"Hey, Dad, what benefits did you give the county magistrate to put a smile on his face?"

"When I wrote to the capital about the suppression of bandits, I would mention him in passing, saying that he promptly provided compensation to the victims and hunted down the remaining bandits." He Chunhua was tired from working all day and night, so he leaned on the carriage and closed his eyes to rest.

He Lingchuan was amused: "Did he pursue him?"

"Those mountain roads will have to be cleared several times in Wuliu County later to ensure that there are no more thieves. Many people died in Desheng Town and Xianling Village, and they are related to the rebels. If they are not handled properly, the county magistrate will wear his hat. It's not stable." He Chunhua smiled, "If I give him a boost, his merits outweigh his faults, so of course he has to thank me."

Mrs. Ying was surprised: "How come there are so many officials in Wuliu County?" From the county magistrate and county magistrate, to the bookkeeper, the arrester, and all the way down to the servants, there were more than thirty people, "Master Your original county governor’s office didn’t have that many people.”

"Madam, you are attentive." Madam Ying likes to wear flowers, He Chunhua pointed to the red rose on her temples, "A flower plate needs twenty-five or six petals, and if you include the calyx, it will be more than this number."

"This one is still famous." He snorted softly, "There are even more people who are not famous."

He Lingchuan knew that the "fame" he was talking about was the establishment. In fact, the number of officials in the county is very small, no more than seven or eight at most, but in Wuliu County there are only thirty or forty officials, and the extra ones are all non-staff. There are all kinds of people, including tax collectors, patrollers, households, and schools. Without them, the county cannot function at all.

He Yue frowned: "I don't think Wuliu County is rich, so how can we afford it?"

Earlier, the carriage entered the territory of Wuliu County. The old man, who was tired after working hard all day, just slept soundly, but he walked and watched all the way.

Wuliu County is no different from other small rural places. It seems to be a little thinner.

"There are at least twenty candidates in this county." He Chunhua slowly explained the routine to him, "They are all bought with money. The big family will have face, and the treasury will have money. Everyone is happy."

There are so many non-staff, although some are recruited by the county and local governments themselves to serve, and some are donated by local large households, which is commonly known as buying officials, becoming idle officials to put some money on their faces.

"This place is not far from Woling Pass. It must have been affected a lot by the war between officials and bandits, and people's livelihood will inevitably decline. Now that the finances are tight, do you think the county will tighten its belt and torture itself?"

He Yue blinked: "The county doesn't care?"

"How come the county doesn't know this? It's just some bad rules. Whenever the county runs out of money, it's natural to adapt." He Chunhua laughed and patted He Yue on the shoulder, "Son, you are too young. Being an official is a skill. Very profound knowledge." Although the second son is smart, he is only fourteen years old and has not yet realized the wisdom of the world.

He Lingchuan felt like it was magical when he heard it.

The county's finances are tight, and the solution that comes to mind is not to streamline the army, streamline administration, and cut costs, but to exchange money for food delivery jobs, which makes government personnel more redundant.

It seems unreasonable, but it also seems very reasonable.

He Yue was speechless and asked after a long time: "Why didn't the people from Zhechong Mansion come to the banquet? I heard that some of them have returned to Qianteng Town."

"Then most likely Captain Zhao will rush back to report earlier." He Chunhua said without thinking, "Zhe Chong Mansion will report this matter to the royal court as soon as possible."

He Yueruo realized something: "Strive for merit?"

"Yes, when it comes to the important matter of sending troops to quell the rebellion, whoever reports it to the royal court first will probably get the benefits first."

"These are all routine methods." He Chunhua didn't take it seriously. "This Lieutenant Zhechong hasn't moved anywhere for several years. If he doesn't make some achievements, he will probably die in a remote place."

But He Lingchuan exclaimed: "The county magistrate here and the captain of Zhechong Mansion are busy submitting memorials, so aren't you afraid of being robbed of your credit?"

He Chunhua saw him acting indignantly and just smiled: "It should be mine, so of course it's still mine."

With a well-thought-out plan in mind, you can naturally remain calm about honor and disgrace.

Then, he asked about what happened after He Lingchuan fell off the cliff.

"It's a long story." There were so many things that happened, He Lingchuan could only say vaguely, "The son fell into the hole under the cliff, which happened to be the crocodile demon's lair, and rescued the dying Wu Shaoyi there. He was grateful for his son's kindness and wanted to I thought there would be no other place to go, so I just accepted the offer!”

At this point, he remembered: "By the way, where is Wu Shaoyi?"

"Rest in another private house, under special supervision." He Chunhua praised his eldest son, "You did a good job in recruiting Wu Shaoyi!"

He Lingchuan had nothing to hide, so he told everything that happened next, but omitted what he had learned in the Immortal Cave, and only said that there was nothing in it.

He Chunhua looked out the window and saw that the carriage had returned to He Zhai: "It's time to get off the car. Madam, you need to rest first. The children and I have something to discuss."

Mrs. Ying nodded and took Mother Qian to change her clothes.

He Chunhua took the two brothers through the backyard to the woodshed: "I borrowed the woodshed from Mr. He, Qingjing."

This house is not comparable to their luxurious house in Blackwater City. There are several acres of vegetable land in the backyard and they raise more than a dozen chickens. The advantage is that it is a large place and there are few people.

The woodshed is remote and few people come near it, but the lights are on at the moment. As soon as He Chunhua and his son approached, the door opened and Zhao Qinghe stood at the door.

He Lingchuan walked in and saw a man kneeling in the woodshed, claiming to be Lu Yao's confidant.

This was the guy Zhao Qinghe caught in the woods near Zhumapo today. He was also unlucky. After escaping from Lu Yao's side, before he could get far, his horse accidentally broke his leg.

He Lingchuan asked curiously: "What are you looking for this person for?"

"He claimed to know many inside stories about the rebels and confessed in order to seek leniency."

As soon as He Chunhua nodded, the prisoner quickly spoke:

"After the defeat at Woling Pass, the rebels were disheartened. General Lu relied on his remaining power to gather more than a thousand people, but he did not lead them well. Everyone worried every day where the next meal would be and whether they would be surrounded by officers and soldiers. General Lu But he was drunk all day long.”

"Once we passed through a town, there was a wealthy family named Zhao. The cattle, sheep, and grain in his village were too much to eat, and the gold, silver, and silk at home were all piled up in a small mountain. The family took the initiative to donate all of them to the general, just asking for We don't kill people. The general agreed at that time, but he drank too much at night and took a fancy to Old Zhao's grandson. He caught him and roasted him, and even praised him for his tenderness. Old Zhao was so angry that night, he said with a bitter smile. Later, the local authorities issued wanted orders to arrest us, and the officers and soldiers kept chasing us like chickens. It was then that we found out that this old man Zhao was actually a high-ranking official only the year before last. Resign and return to his hometown. We won’t be able to explain it to him unless he is arrested by the local state pastor.”