Exile at the beginning: I rule the world by drawing cards

Chapter 62: Rewards based on merit (two updates in one)

The news that the county government had caught the water bandits quickly spread throughout the town.

While the people were surprised that the county magistrate had finally done something, the merchants who had been running boats in the Xunjiang River for many years also brought back a new news - the second head of Qianfeng Village died.

"I don't know who slashed his neck with a knife. I heard that his eyes were wide open when he died. It was really scary!"

Jiang Xun squatted on the roadside, eating pancakes and gossiping with Qin Meng.

It was a coincidence that Qin Mengshang happened to be going to the brick kiln today to pull the nailed tiles he had ordered earlier. When he arrived in the town, he met an acquaintance.

Jiang Xun didn't sell any fish today. There had been a lot of commotion about water bandits in recent days. Many fishermen didn't dare to go out of the boat, so naturally he didn't dare either.I went into the city today to get medicine for my old mother. I happened to meet Qin Mengshang and chatted with her for a few words.

"You don't know, the second master of Qianfeng Village relies on his eldest brother's influence to do a lot of bullying of men and women! I heard the old fisherman on the river said that the water area near Qianfeng Village is full of The skeletons of the girls!”

"This man really deserves to die! I don't know what kind of hero got rid of such a big disaster for us, but we have to thank him very much."

As Qin Mengshang listened, why did he feel that that heroic man looked like Zhou Lingqi?
That man came back in the middle of the night, with blood on his face and picking up a lantern. Maybe it was really him who did it.

Jiang Xun chewed the pancake and spoke a little slurred: "By the way, boss lady, I remember you seem to be from Sanjiang Village, right? Have you seen the water bandits? Did the second boss have his neck wiped by the government? "

Qin Mengshang said truthfully: "I didn't dare to go out at home last night. I only heard voices and saw no one."

"makes sense."

Jiang Xun chuckled. People in the town didn't call her "Cold Noodle Xishi" randomly. It would not be a good thing if the bandits saw her like this.

The two chatted briefly and went about their own business.

Qin Mengshang took Sun Dawang and Lu Ximing to the brick kiln to pull tiles. The 1000 yuan tiles were just enough for the ox cart, so there was no need to bother the brick kiln guys to make another trip.

Sun Dawang looked at the pile of pointed nails and tiles and couldn't help but click his tongue: "Sister-in-law, your posture is too exaggerated! If a bird falls from the sky one day, I'm afraid it won't be able to fly out of your house alive."

"The village just encountered water bandits. Can't we take precautions in advance?"

Although the water bandits have withdrawn, Qin Meng Shang did not dare to take it lightly.You only have one life, and it’s always good to plan ahead.Besides, there were quite a few people watching them outside. When they first came to Yongzhou, the group of killers were the best example.

In this way, Sun Dawang can also understand.After all, Zhou Zizai was extremely weak. How could he protect his sister-in-law against those vicious water bandits?

He helped carry the tiles into the car and left the city smoothly.

The water bandits suffered such a huge setback at the hands of the government this time, and even lost a second in command. They were so angry that they almost broke their teeth, but they did not dare to act rashly, for fear that the government might still have some big tricks up their sleeves.

For several days in a row, it was calm on the river.

On the other hand, at the county government, Ye Zhizhang changed his past dejection and decided to pursue the victory and destroy the water bandits' lair in one fell swoop!

"Sir, why don't we rest for a few days?"

The master was so frightened by this battle that he was afraid that the dozens of people in the yamen would rush into the water bandit's den if his brain got hot.

This time, a few water bandits were captured, but there were at least five to six hundred water bandits entrenched on the Xun River.In addition to Qianfeng Village, there are many large and small water bandit villages in the surrounding area. Although the water bandits usually dislike each other, when facing the government, they will unite to deal with the enemy.If the southwest garrison didn't send people and wanted to rely on the county government to suppress the bandits, they would have to go there and die.

Ye Zhizhang took a deep breath and calmed down: "You are right. The suppression of bandits needs long-term consideration. I will write another letter and send it to the capital to report the capture of the water bandits to the governor."

He picked up the pen and was about to put it down. Suddenly he thought of something and put the pen down again.

"Sir, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Ye Zhizhang chuckled and shook his head, "The governor is very busy with official duties, so he just caught a few minions. To send the letter in such a hurry seems like I am asking for credit."

The master looked confused. How could catching the water bandits not be regarded as a great achievement?

In recent years, the government has killed many people on the Xunjiang River, but in the end, they didn't even get a finger from the water bandits.Even though I only caught a few small fish this time, why worry about not being able to catch big fish in the future if I have small fish?
If the person who caught the water bandits today had been the magistrate of Shantang County next door, I'm afraid the letter asking for credit would have been sent out long ago.

Ye Zhizhang folded the unfolded letter and stopped continuing the topic, "Pass this order, Tonghua Village was robbed by water bandits, and the tax this autumn will be reduced to 20 per cent. In addition, [-] taels will be given to each of the families of the victims. Half of the money will be credited to my private account."

"Understood, sir." The master wrote them down one by one.

"Sanjiang Village has made great achievements this time, and it should be rewarded. You can bring my officer's warrant and -" Ye Zhizhang paused, "No."

"??"

"I have to go there myself."

Ye Zhizhang straightened his official hat and stood up to walk out. After taking two steps, he suddenly turned around and almost bumped into the master who was following him, "Sir, what's wrong with you?"

"No, I can't go like this. You go and get the official uniform that was just sent this year, and I'll wear it."

"."

Is it worth changing into a brand new official uniform just to meet a few country people?

The master didn't understand, but he did it anyway.

After packing everything up, Ye Zhizhang led a large group of people to Sanjiang Village.

Sanjiang Village finally survived the water bandits, but Li Zheng couldn't be happy.

Wasn't it just to get funds for the village patrol team when I went to report the news to the county magistrate?Now that the water bandit was caught, he forgot to mention it to the county magistrate.

Li Zheng felt regretful and walked around the house several times without thinking of a way to get along with him. He immediately went out and went to Zhou's house.

Qin Mengshang has been recording the growth process of konjac these days.

The wasteland at the foot of the mountain has been completely reclaimed. Two acres of the land are planted with konjac, and the rest is planted with courgettes, eggplants and radishes.

In a few days, it would be the day to deliver the goods to Changxing Restaurant. The growth of this batch of konjac was related to whether she could cooperate with Changxing Restaurant for a long time in the future, and she had to keep an eye on it personally.

When Li Zheng came over, she was sitting on the field ridge writing something, holding a goose feather in her hand, and the words she wrote were all incomprehensible to Li Zheng.

"Daughter-in-law of the Zhou family, what are you writing? I have something I want to discuss with you." "What happened, Uncle Li Zheng?" Qin Mengshang stopped writing, patted the grass clippings on his skirt and stood up.

Li Zheng sighed and told her the truth, "Why did you think I was confused at that time? Now that the water bandits have been captured, if I open my mouth again, wouldn't I be asking the magistrate for money!"

"But aren't we doing this just to ask for reward from the county magistrate?" Qin Mengshang spoke very straightforwardly.

"That's true, but -" Ask him to ask the county magistrate for money. Even if he is beaten to death, he won't be able to ask for money.

Li Zheng shook his head and sighed, and said melancholy: "Daughter-in-law of the Zhou family, what do you think we should do now? Are we working in vain?"

"It's not in vain. Water bandits have been running rampant in the Xunjiang River for many years, and passing merchants and surrounding people have suffered greatly. We helped the county catch the water bandits this time. It is a meritorious service. Even if we didn't get the money, the county magistrate The adults will also remember our village.”

If you can leave an impression in front of your leaders, they will be the first to think of you next time something happens.

Li Zheng thought about it carefully and thought it made sense, so he asked again: "What should we do about our patrol? We can't cancel it, right?"

Qin Mengshang didn't want to cancel the patrol. He thought for a moment and was about to speak when a man suddenly ran over in a hurry.

"Grandpa, the magistrate's carriage has arrived at the entrance of the village! My father asked you to hurry over!"

The person who came was Brother Ping, the second grandson of the Chen family.

Li Zheng's eyes lit up, as if he saw a big silver ingot waving to him, "Daughter-in-law of the Zhou family, is the county magistrate here to give us -"

He was too embarrassed to say the next words and couldn't stop smiling: "Come on, let's hurry up and greet the magistrate!"

Qin Mengshang put away his paper and pen and followed him.

When the county magistrate came to visit again, the villagers immediately dropped their work and rushed to the entrance of the village to watch the excitement.

This time Ye Zhizhang came by carriage, wearing a brand-new official uniform and a black gauze hat, with his head held high and his chest high and high.

When everyone saw the magistrate who looked like this, they felt awe, and they all knelt down to salute and greet him.

Ye Zhizhang smiled warmly, flicked his sleeves, and said, "Everyone, get up. I'm here today to commend Sanjiang Village for the water bandits."

Commendation?

The villagers looked at each other in confusion. They didn't help when they were fighting the water bandits. They didn't do anything except helping dig traps. How come it was the county magistrate's turn to reward them?

Ye Zhizhang said: "The children of the patrol team discovered the traces of water bandits and reported them in time, which is a meritorious service; the villagers of Sanjiang Village assisted the county government in digging traps, which saved us time, and they are also meritorious. Therefore, I decided to reward the person who made meritorious service this time!" "

As he said that, he winked at the master next to him.

The master came forward with a tray covered with red cloth. As soon as the cloth was opened, the white silver gleamed dazzlingly in the sun.

Everyone took a breath of cold air, obediently, so much money was rewarded to them?Even one ingot of silver is enough to feed their family for three or four years!The magistrate is so generous.
Qin Mengshang was slightly shocked when he saw such money.I didn't expect the county magistrate to come up with so much silver in one go. At a glance, it was at least 50 taels.

In the past, these 50 taels would have been just a piece of clothing and a fan for Ye Zhizhang. But now that he has left the Ye family, his monthly salary is only 50 taels.I was able to come up with [-] taels as a reward, thanks to the good harvests in Zhuangzi in recent years.

Ye Zhizhang looked at Li Zheng and said: "The people in the patrol team have made the greatest contribution this time. I agree with the continuation of the patrol team. These 50 taels will be handed over to Li Zheng to work for the village."

"Caomin. Thank you, Lord County Magistrate!"

The heavy silver was placed in Li Zheng's hand, and he felt his legs were light and airy.

With this money, the village can not only formally establish a patrol team, but also build roads and bridges. With 50 taels of silver, there are so many things that can be done!

The people in the patrol team were very excited. They originally thought that Bai was doing things for the village, but they didn't expect that the county magistrate would actually come to reward them in person!Moreover, according to the magistrate, if you continue to patrol in the future, you will still be able to make money. This is not much better than doing hard work moving goods!
Everyone's faces were beaming with joy, and they lined up to receive the rewards.

Tian Youliang shamelessly approached and said, "Uncle Lizheng, I also helped the village with work for a few days, so I should have my share of the money, right?"

Before Li Zheng could say anything, Lei Dapao jumped out immediately: "You still have the nerve to mention patrolling?! When you were in the patrol team, you were either hiding under the tree at the foot of the mountain and sleeping, or hanging out with Widow Zhang! You didn't show up when I asked you to help. The figure, seeing Qian now, actually thinks of patrolling, how shameless!"

Others also gave pointers to Tian Youliang.

Ye Zhizhang's face darkened: "What I reward is those who have actually done something for the village. If those who cheat and cheat can get a share of the pie, then it is an oversight on my part!"

The county magistrate was unhappy. The villagers were silent and did not dare to breathe. Some people who were hiding their thoughts like Tian Youliang also suppressed their undue thoughts.

Qin Mengshang, who was standing behind the crowd, nodded in agreement. In the past, when he heard the discussions among the vendors, they often complained that the government was useless and the county magistrate was indifferent.But after this incident with the water bandits, she finally understood that the county magistrate didn't just ignore him, but that he had failed too many times and had his fighting spirit weakened. In fact, he was a good official at heart.

After Ye Zhizhang finished talking about things in the village, he finally remembered the real purpose of coming to Sanjiang Village today.

"Chen Lizheng, I want to hear the details about the regenerated rice you mentioned yesterday. I wonder if that's okay."

Li Zheng had just taken someone else's money, and his head was still hot, so he agreed immediately: "No problem! Wife-in-law of the Zhou family, come here and talk to the county magistrate!"

Qin Mengshang, who was about to slip away: "."

It's all good, why did the topic come to her again?
The villagers voluntarily retreated to both sides, and Ye Zhizhang saw the young woman behind the crowd at a glance.Even though she is wearing a sarong with no jewelry embellishment, her appearance and bearing are definitely not that of an ordinary official.

In the spring of February this year, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince married the daughter of the Grand Master. The whole world celebrated the event, and officials from all over the country sent people to Beijing to bring gifts.Although he was unable to attend the ceremony in person, he had also heard that the Crown Princess was as beautiful as a fairy descended from the mortal world.

Now that he saw her, Ye Zhizhang was sure that the person in front of him was the Crown Princess!

He couldn't hold back his excitement and hurriedly stepped forward: "Your Majesty. Ahem, I heard Li Zheng talking about regenerated rice yesterday and found it quite novel. May I ask, Madam, where did you learn about it?"

It would indeed be much easier if the county government could promote and implement the regeneration rice issue, but his fiery eyes made Qin Mengshang take a step back unconsciously and use his old excuse: "My brother once served as an official in the court, and I got it from him." I heard about it.”

"That's it!" Ye Zhizhang was convinced.

The Qin family has a deep foundation, and Grand Master Qin is a veteran of two dynasties, so the children he teaches are naturally smart and smart.

Thinking of the prince, he spoke boldly: "I always have trouble sleeping and eating when I think of the food being robbed in Tonghua Village. Today I heard that my wife knows about farming and mulberry farming. Why don't you and I sit down and have a good chat?"

Qin Mengshang: "."

After hearing this, do you want to go to her house for dinner?
(End of this chapter)