Miao Chu

Chapter 176 Flawless
I made some adjustments to the end of the previous chapter. If you were following the story before 9 AM, please refresh the page and go back to check it. Sorry.

***
Seeing his subordinate leave in a hurry, Qian Zhongming sat back down in his seat.

He went through all his arrangements and felt that there was nothing wrong with him, but he still felt a little uncomfortable.

Cen Dezhang, the newly appointed prefect, is too easy to manipulate. He softened up with little effort back then. In the past six months, Qian Zhongming has gotten used to an easy life and can no longer tolerate the slightest disobedience.

His actions at this moment may seem lawless and reckless to others, but in his own mind, they are nothing short of aggrieved.

A prefectural magistrate serves a three-year term, but almost none of them complete their term. If they are lucky, they are promoted and leave early; if they are unlucky, they are rotated out and leave early. However, the lower-level clerks, especially him, the head clerk, have to clean up the mess left by their superiors.

Outsiders thought he was powerful and influential, but he was actually forced into it.

There are countless officials in the world, some stupid and some mediocre, but those who are assigned to Huazhou, a place that is a thoroughfare in all directions, are mostly intelligent people.

He's not afraid of stupid people, he just hates smart people.

He's always thinking about making achievements, he has a lot of ideas, and he orders people around recklessly. He acts on a whim, wanting this today and that tomorrow. Once something goes wrong, he shrinks back and just shifts the blame to those in charge, making them take the fall.

If he had any less ability, he would have been crushed by the blame long ago.

If you want to stand tall and challenge your superiors, you naturally need real skills.

If it weren't for the efforts of several generations in building up the government offices of the four counties of Huazhou into a deeply rooted and powerful force, how could he have accomplished so much?
But these things are all reciprocal; you can't just use power to intimidate people.

When you ask your subordinates to do work, you naturally have to give them benefits.

Aren't those officials tired from recruiting laborers? Aren't they tired from collecting grain? Aren't they tired from doing errands for the government?

If we don't give them a chance to make a quick buck, who will pay attention to them or help them?
Now that he agreed so early, he has to keep his word. Otherwise, once he opens this door, others will think that he is unreliable and they will have to wait and see in the future.

Furthermore, from the very beginning, his personal interests were at odds with those of the Water Conservancy Bureau.

Ever since Han and Wu arrived at the yamen, Cen Dezhang has been talking more and more nonsense and having more and more ideas after hearing their requests. Although he can usually refute them seven or eight times out of ten, this trend is not good.

If we're going to build a canal, we'll build a canal; if we're going to build a dike, we'll build a dike. In his opinion, it's good enough to do a major overhaul every year. Why bother digging a river?
Qian Zhongming had seen the plan given by the Water Conservancy Bureau. He was an experienced official, and he was also used to handling matters, including river affairs. Although he could not fully understand the calculations on the densely packed drawings, he could still tell that Wu and Han were indeed quite capable.

He immediately went back to find the old man and checked the county annals. He asked them one by one and found that Wangjing River had been in use for sixty or seventy years. Going back further, it was maintained from time to time. This was partly because the river was there, and partly because the Yellow River used to flood less frequently than it does now. The floods that Huazhou suffered from were not frequent. Even when the dikes broke, they were only minor breaches with a small impact and a small area affected.

It was only after the Yellow River changed its course that the river gradually fell into disuse.

If it were to actually be put into use and become a success, and the river water were diverted into the Wangjing River, changing the river course, what would happen to the many fields he had harvested over the past six months?
These fields were originally by the water, won't they turn into dry land?
In addition, according to the current practice of the water supervision department, they will be in charge of coordinating the maintenance of the Wangjing River sluice gate and waterway.

Originally, the construction of dikes and rivers was arranged and decided by oneself. Wouldn't this be a division of power?
Taking someone's money is like killing their parents.

Such things cannot be left to them to do!

***
For his own benefit, Qian Zhongming naturally went to great lengths to ruin the recruitment of personnel for the Capital Water Conservancy Bureau.

The subordinate went out, found Chief Ding, and relayed Qian Zhongming's words. The latter immediately understood, counted a few of his men, and headed straight for the official post station.

It was getting late, and Song Miao and the others had already returned to the city from the kitchen.

Song Miao had already instructed the mule cart to stop along the way, so that the women and aunts could choose a nearby place to get off and go home, thus saving them some distance.

But when they were almost at the post station, there were still five or six people who hadn't left.

Everyone lived relatively close by, and they all took turns talking.

"Young lady, you've probably forgotten that there are still many dried lettuce leaves drying on that drying ground!"

“Exactly. It won’t be long before we get home, but if we leave all the lettuce behind, there are only two of us, Miss Song and Chef Liu. How long will it take to finish it?”

"It's better to have fewer people during the festival, and it's easier to get things done with more people! We're not here to just sit around and eat for free, so let's collect those dried lettuce first before we leave!"

Seeing everyone so attentive and eager to help, Song Miao couldn't refuse their kindness, so she didn't insist.

It was almost lunchtime, and I watched as pedestrians hurried home, all looking rushed, while outside the official post station, it was bustling with people.

In the morning and at noon, the people who came were mostly women and aunts, who had come to sign up after hearing about it from others.

But once they've registered, received their queue number, and been given their reporting time, they know that this matter is real, the compensation is real, and the meal provided is real. So when they meet acquaintances, they can't help but mention it.

Word of mouth spreads very quickly.

By the afternoon, those who had gone out to look for work or tried to make a little money during the day would return. Hearing their friends talk about it, who wouldn't be tempted?
Here, things are settled as soon as they happen. If I get another proper job in the future, I can leave the next day without any delay!

So they all came in groups.

There were also many displaced people who were stranded in the Huazhou area due to flooding. They were originally scattered in various places, but some of them came into the city to see if they could find food, or look for odd jobs, or they heard from passersby, or they came to look for notices. When they happened to learn that there was such a place that was recruiting people, they immediately lined up. After going back and learning, everyone wanted to come.

It's almost evening here, yet there are still more people than in the morning, not fewer.

Seeing everyone busy with their own tasks, Song Miao didn't disturb them and led the group of women and aunts back to the backyard.

With the start of summer approaching, the sun has been shining brightly these past two days, and the lettuce slices have dried quite a bit after being dried in the sun all day.

Everyone was used to manual labor, and having just memorized fifty-two items in half a day at noon, upon seeing the items laid out on the ground, they almost immediately reminded each other to wash their hands before daring to collect them.

Song Miao picked up a piece and squeezed it, but felt it wasn't dry enough, so she told everyone to put it in bags and let it air dry for another day tomorrow.

As they were tidying up, they suddenly heard someone behind them ask, "Is Miss Song back?"

She turned around and saw that it was Wang Shuji carrying a brush, brush washer, and inkstone. She couldn't help but greet him as "Master Wang," and then looked behind him and asked, "Does Master wash his brushes himself?"

Wang Shuji replied, "That's right. I never entrust the writing to others. Unless I'm really too busy, I wash the brushes and grind the ink myself."

He seemed quite pleased with himself in his words.

Song Miao glanced at the brush and brush washer and saw that they were ordinary items with no particular origin. She then replied, "Grinding your own ink makes it easier to control the ink's consistency, and washing your own brush allows you to know how much water the brush tip can hold. It's also more convenient to use. I suppose Mr. Wang has excellent handwriting."

Wang Shuji's calligraphy is indeed quite outstanding.

Such a gentle gesture, made without even having seen his handwriting before, yet the praise was so reasonable that he didn't even want to refute it. He just laughed and said, "It's just something about cultivating the mind." Then he asked, "What are you airing out? Is it for dinner tonight?"

Song Miao said, "It's made by peeling and slicing lettuce and then drying it. We're not eating this today because I heard that Master Wang has a weak stomach..."

Before she could finish speaking, she heard a commotion ahead. Looking up, she saw a group of three or four people walking towards the backyard. The one in the lead shouted, "Which one is the young lady surnamed Song? She's the cook hired by the Waterworks!"

They looked aggressive and menacing.

When called by name like that, Song Miao naturally wouldn't pretend to be stupid. She stepped forward and said, "That's me. May I ask what brings you gentlemen here?"

The officer in charge was clearly surprised to see Song Miao. He paused for a moment before asking, "Are those people outside recruited by you? You said you needed thousands of people to set up tents outside the city?"

Song Miao replied, "That's right."

The man then asked, "Where do you plan to build that shed? Do you have a land deed and building permit? Did you report to the village head before hiring so many people?"

Song Miao answered each question in turn. Just as she replied that no land deed was needed for this matter, the people opposite her rushed forward. Two of them hurriedly grabbed one of Song Miao's arms, while one of them prepared to grab the shackles.

But the hand had only reached halfway when several women who had been looking in that direction and sensed something was wrong rushed over and blocked it.

He shouted, "What are you doing? What are you doing? Do you think government officials can just pull and shove like that?!"

The man said urgently, "Our young lady is still a girl. How can you pull her around like this? Don't you have any manners? Did you not have any parents to teach you anything?"

The oldest one stood at the front with his hands on his hips and said, "If you want to pull, pull me! I have three children, my grandson is already a year old, and my arms are big enough for you to pull!"

There were only three people on the other side, not counting the one standing there, but there were six aunties on this side, two against one, and almost all of them were big and tall, blocking people from moving.

The head officer immediately sensed something was wrong and shouted, "Insolence! How dare you obstruct our officers? Are you out of your minds? Are you trying to rebel? I'll count to three, and if you don't move aside, I'll arrest you all!"

Sure enough, they started counting.

After all, he was a legitimate government official. After hearing these words, the women all panicked. They looked at each other, but none of them were willing to back down.

Before the person opposite could count to two, Song Miao stepped forward and asked, "May I ask what official post you hold, and what business do you have with me today?"

The officer said, "Why are you talking so much nonsense? The yamen has summoned you to ask you some questions!"

As he spoke, he took the shackles from one of the officers and was about to step forward.

Song Miao stopped her, saying, "Wait a minute. You officials want to take me to the yamen for questioning, but do you know where the documents are?"

The official in charge was taken aback for a moment, then said, "You'll have the documents to read when we get back to the yamen!"

As he spoke, he pulled over the shackles.

But just as he was about to grab Song Miao, his vision suddenly went dark, and he saw a hand reaching out in front of him.

The hand was large but somewhat thin, clearly a man's hand. Without hesitation, it firmly pressed down on the shackles he was holding.

The head constable looked up and saw a middle-aged man in his forties, dressed plainly, who was frowning as he looked at him.

"Without escort documents, why are you using shackles? Do you even know how to do your job? Go back and get the documents, then come back to ask for help!" Deputy Transport Commissioner Wang Shuji asked coldly while pressing on the shackles.

Having been stopped three times in a row, even a god would be provoked to lose some of his temper, let alone this official who was already somewhat hot-tempered. At this moment, he couldn't help but shout angrily, "What's it to you? If you keep shouting, we'll all go to the yamen and get a few lashes as a warning. Then you'll know when you shouldn't be so stubborn and stick your neck out!"

"I'm waiting for you to give me a taste of your power."

This infuriated the constable. He slammed the shackles onto Wang Shuji's hands, just as they were about to be fastened, when the man pulled something out of his sleeve and asked, "I am an official appointed by the court. You have no official documents, yet you dare to be so bold? Where do you intend to take me? Are you planning a rebellion?"

The man looked up and saw a fish bag.

Though he had never eaten pork, he had at least seen pigs run. While working at the yamen, when he heard Wang Shuji say that he was an official appointed by the imperial court, he suddenly remembered that this place was an official post station where officials came and went. He also recognized that the fish-shaped pouch was very similar to one he had seen on the waist of a prefect. Suddenly, he felt a chill in his heart, and all his previous arrogance turned into sweat on his forehead. He could only secretly hope that the meddlesome person in front of him had a low official rank.

But before this hope could be realized, a voice rang out from behind, calling out, "Deputy Director, what are you doing?"

The constable turned around and saw the post station official running up to him with a look of panic and great eagerness.

His heart sank – if the post station official was this obsequious, the person in front of him must hold a high-ranking position!
By this point, he had even begun to forget why he had come there in the first place.

It's clearly about capturing a young woman, but where is that young woman?
The constable looked up and saw that the cook hired by the Water Conservancy Bureau was standing neatly to the side, watching him as if he were watching a play.

***
Inside the Huazhou prefectural government office, Chief Ding was speaking with Qian Zhongming.

"We've already dispatched twenty men to capture the cook, shackle her on the spot, drag her out, and take her back to the yamen to be imprisoned. Meanwhile, they'll start chasing away the people lining up..."

"But what if the students from the Water Conservancy Bureau still come and cause trouble in front of the Magistrate?"

Qian Zhongming waved his hand dismissively and said, "Since Wu isn't here, and Han Li isn't here either, the rest of us won't be able to make a fuss."

But no sooner had he finished speaking than he heard a loud banging on the door. As soon as he answered, a man burst in, shouting urgently, "Clerk! Captain! The official post station... a message has come from there! It says that Zhang and his men went to arrest the cook, but somehow they handcuffed some kind of transport deputy commissioner, and he's being held captive. They want Magistrate Cen to go and explain to him personally—what... what are we going to do?!"

Qian Zhongming found this utterly absurd and angrily retorted, "How did you manage to capture a deputy envoy when you were supposed to capture a woman?! It's not even a proper man or woman, how could you have made a mistake?!"

The head constable immediately stood up and said, "Kongmu, I'll go and check. Don't offend the outcast!"

Qian Zhongming nodded repeatedly and said, "Don't let things escalate, suppress them quickly!"

Ding, the head constable, nodded and was about to leave when another person rushed in, exclaiming, "Clerk, something's wrong! Someone from the official post station has arrived, claiming to be an officer from the Sixth Route Transport Office, and wants to see Magistrate Cen!"

Qian Zhongming's hand trembled, and he finally became a little nervous.

He took a deep breath and said, "Let's go to the side hall first, I'll go get him!"

Before he could finish speaking, another person came running in, breathless. Before even entering the room, he leaned against the doorframe and cried out, "Clerk Kong! A student from the Water Conservancy Bureau has come to report that...that Han Li wants...to ask...to ask Clerk Kong to send out twenty men to count them!"

The series of messages were all inexplicable, and even a seasoned official like Qian Zhongming was somewhat overwhelmed. He frowned and angrily said, "What are you counting? You said twenty people, where did you get so many! Just say there aren't any!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than another person rushed in from outside, saying as soon as he entered, "Clerk! Clerk! A lot of people have come from the north of the city, pushing carts and carrying loads, all carrying grain. The whole city is watching the spectacle—it seems that student surnamed Han got the grain from somewhere, grabbed me halfway, and asked me to come and deliver the message so that the yamen can quickly make room for counting it!"

(End of this chapter)