Ambition
County magistrate Fu took a few steps back, clenched his fist tightly, pressed it on the desk, and said, "Mr. Wei is bringing relief grain to Yizhou. It is said that this time he is not only here for disaster relief but also to investigate the Jin Di embankment breach case.
County Magistrate Fu paused and continued, "As we all know, the Jin Di embankment breach involves too many counties and states." "The whole Yizhou, and even the entire Jiannan Road, are significantly affected. From here to Yizhou, it is neither close nor far."
The steward understood. He was afraid of becoming an innocent victim.
After some thought, he whispered, "Has the master consulted Mr. Fu from the capital?"
County magistrate Fu shook his head and said, "I'm afraid my uncle can't influence anything here." "It's better to rely on oneself rather than others."
He wasn't actually his uncle, just a distant relative of the Fu family.
The steward comforted him in a low voice, "My lord, the casualties in Luojiang County are not severe, at least compared to other affected areas." "So, I believe the master doesn't need to worry too much."
"What if I want to seize this opportunity to delve deeper?"
The steward looked at County Magistrate Fu in surprise.
County magistrate Fu walked back with his hands clasped behind his back, pondering before speaking, "This year marks my sixth year as the magistrate of Luojiang County." Normally, by early spring, I should have received some news, but there has been no communication from the higher authorities. "I sent someone to the Ministry of Personnel to inquire, but they found no information."
He had discussed this topic with the steward. Both of them leaned towards the Ministry of Personnel, hoping to be appointed for another term or had already been overlooked, so there was no significant concern about promotion.
County Magistrate Fu, however, did not want to serve another term. According to convention, a magistrate serves two terms, with a promotion or a transfer back to the capital afterward. But I am about to serve three terms, totaling nine years. How many nine-year-olds do I have, Wenbo?
Usually, a magistrate with unlimited terms faces two situations: either they are elderly and unfit for further promotion, so they remain in office until retirement, or they have offended someone in a higher position and have been indefinitely suspended.
But County Magistrate Fu felt that he did not belong to the first category, nor the second. He felt forgotten. If he did nothing, he might indeed continue to serve in Luojiang County for four or five terms. By then, even if he were transferred, it would most likely be to another county as a magistrate.
That wasn't what the county magistrate, Fu, wanted.
The steward naturally did not want his employer to be idle. After a moment of thought, he understood and asked, "Does the master have a direction in mind?"
"I mentioned it to the county magistrate the other day." I would like to request an exemption from this year's autumn taxes and apply for relief grain from Mr. Wei. Our county is currently sheltering many refugees, and the people under my governance have also suffered. Without relief, we might see cases of child selling again. County magistrate Fu considered, "They agreed on the latter, but couldn't come to a decision on the former."
The inability to make a decision was likely caused by both agreement and opposition.
The steward knew that not all autumn taxes would be sent to the capital. Most of the funds would stay within the local community for financial expenditures.
County Magistrate Fu wanted to achieve more political accomplishments at this point. Most of the officials under him, however, were locals who would likely remain in the area for life. Therefore, having money and supplies readily available to them was more important.
Furthermore, the application would need to go through the governor, who might not be willing to exempt taxes.
"However, today someone suggested the same thing," County Magistrate Fu's eyes deepened, and he continued, "Although it was just a child, if even a child had such ideas, how many people among my subjects are thinking the same?" "If there is no relief in the end, no reduction in taxes, and an increase in refugees under my jurisdiction, once someone stirs trouble, then..."
The steward was shocked and pondered, "My lord is right." Currently, the entire officialdom of Jiannan Road is in turmoil, with no end in sight.
"I am also concerned about this," County Magistrate Fu lowered his voice. "My uncle wrote to me, saying that the Sage and the court are very angry about the Jin Di embankment breach incident." Not only the military commander and the governor but also the Prince of Yizhou may be implicated.
These are either second-rank feudal lords or royal relatives. They were all on the verge of collapse, not to mention the small fish and shrimp below.
County Magistrate Fu was fortunate. Luojiang County was remote and nestled in the mountains, so the great flood did not reach it. Since the Jin Di embankment breach, three magistrates have already died. One person drowned while fighting the flood, another was killed by the military commander, and the third person hanged himself.
Despite Yizhou being far from Luojiang County, County Magistrate Fu was trembling in fear, concerned about being made a scapegoat.
It was because of this that he wanted to take advantage of the situation to make some achievements, not just for promotion, but also for self-preservation.
County magistrate Fu and the steward discussed for half the night before sleeping on the trestle bed in the study. The next day, as soon as the rooster crowed for the second time, he got up from bed.
The exhaustion and lack of sleep in the past few days made him look as if he had aged ten years, but he simply had a light snack before heading to Dali Village with his companions.
When Manbao saw the county magistrate, he was stunned, almost mistaking him for the magistrate's father. If he weren't in the magistrate's official attire, Manbao would have definitely called him grandfather.
Manbao sighed with Keke and said, "Our magistrate doesn't seem so bad, even though he always collects the entry fee from us."
Keke did not reply.
Manbao was accustomed to it and joined the other children in surrounding them.
County magistrate Fu was there to investigate the extent of the disaster. This was his first visit to Qili Village, after having been to Dali Village three times before.
Since the village head of Qili Village resided in Dali Village, and the two villages were adjacent with shared fields. Therefore, to persuade and educate the farmers, County Magistrate Fu only went to Dali Village.
This time, he came to Qili Village for three reasons: to meet Bai Laoye, assess the disaster situation, and visit Zhou Man and Bai Shan, especially after the proposal they made.
During the flood, three houses collapsed, and twelve houses were damaged in Qili Village. With the coordination of the village head, the villagers supported each other in rebuilding and repairing the houses.
Although the situation wasn't too severe, the affected households, especially the three whose houses had collapsed, were facing tough times.
After their houses collapsed, many items were damaged, including the grains that got wet.