The Prodigal Son

Qin Yu still gave Yang Jichun face.

Of the four people, only Zhu Songlan washed herself clean and changed her clothes.

After a simple makeover, Zhu Songlan did indeed exude the air of a talented scholar.

However, perhaps due to years of exposure to wind and sun, Zhu Songlan's face is somewhat dark and her body appears rather thin, but she is in good spirits.

His eyes, in particular, were bright and piercing, as if he had never lost his love for the world, which contrasted sharply with his stiff face.

The other three also tidied themselves up a bit.

Like Zhu Songlan, they had rough skin, were tanned dark, and were thin.

"I was originally the magistrate of Guhai County, but less than three months into my term, I was framed by treacherous officials who accused me of colluding with salt merchants to smuggle salt. But I have never done such a thing. I was framed. I beg you, Your Honor, to do me justice!"

"I was originally the registrar of Linhai County. I had only been in office for a month when I discovered problems with the county's accounts and was framed for accepting bribes. I was subsequently imprisoned. I beg Your Excellency, the Imperial Envoy, to redress my grievances!"

"I was originally the magistrate of Yufeng County..."

Apart from Zhu Songlan, the other three knelt down, tearfully begging Qin Yu to seek justice for them.

Listening to their tearful recounting of their ordeals, Qin Yu felt both anger and secret joy.

County magistrate, registrar, county lieutenant, prefectural assistant...

Wouldn't that bring together the core foundation of a county?

Just the day before yesterday, he was racking his brains trying to find officials to govern Linhai!

Unexpectedly, a simple inspection of the salt fields solved this thorny problem.

Hey!

I really am the chosen one!

When we reach other counties, we will follow the same approach!

They might even be able to rescue the officials who were framed.

If we can find a group of decent officials, we won't have to worry about a situation where there are no officials available after all the local officials are removed.

Okay, from now on, please call yourself "Qin Qingtian"!

"Rest assured, I am here with the Emperor's sword, ordered to rectify the salt administration. If you have truly been wronged and framed, I will certainly seek justice for you! Those who framed you will not escape!"

Qin Yu reassured them with a commanding air, "However, listen to me carefully: I don't tolerate any dishonesty. If you dare to utter a lie, I won't spare you!"

"I swear I never utter a single falsehood!"

"If I have uttered even the slightest lie, Your Excellency, please execute me on the spot!"

"Even petty people are like this!"

All three of them made solemn promises.

"And you?"

Qin Yu looked at Zhu Songlan, "Don't you want me to redress your grievances and clear your name?"

Zhu Songlan straightened his back and said calmly, "If you were truly a good official who couldn't tolerate any wrongdoing, why would I need to beg? If you are like those officials who inspected salt affairs before, what use would it be for us to plead until we're hoarse?"

"..."

Qin Yu was speechless for a long time before excitedly asking, "What position did you hold after passing the imperial examination?"

"County Assistant Magistrate".

Zhu Songlan replied, "I will be appointed as the county magistrate one year later, and after serving for three years, I will be transferred to the position of Assistant Prefect of Linhai."

"sure!"

Qin Yu's lips curled into a smile. "With your temperament, to rise from county magistrate to prefectural magistrate in just four years, it seems you truly have real talent!"

In most counties of Daning, the magistrates are evaluated every three years, except in war-torn areas.

His promotion to Prefectural Assistant on his first attempt at the imperial examination suggests that he must have had a good record as a county magistrate.

Zhu Songlan was not pleased by Qin Yu's praise, but only sighed with sorrow and indignation: "If I hadn't been framed, Linhai wouldn't be in this state!"

"It's not too late!"

Qin Yu stood up. "Let's go, let's go back to Linhai County first!"

Soon, Qin Yu led them and the salt commissioner away.

On the way, Qin Yu did not forget to test Zhu Songlan, asking him to talk about the follow-up governance plan for Linhai.

Qin Yu's request was simple: to get the imperial salt administration back on track while minimizing the impact on people's livelihoods.

"I had the answer to this question when I first arrived in Linhai."

Zhu Songlan said calmly, "In the final analysis, it boils down to twelve words: benefiting the people, combining dredging and blocking, and increasing livelihoods..."

"That's interesting!"

Qin Yu looked at Zhu Songlan with great interest. "Tell me more about it."

Zhu Songlan didn't mince words and explained the details to Qin Yu.

In fact, Zhu Songlan understood the factors related to guests that Wang Zhaojie had mentioned to Qin Yu and the others.

Moreover, these issues do indeed deserve attention.

Relying on mountains to eat mountains, relying on water to draft water.

The people of Linhai depend on this land, so it's inevitable that they'd become entangled with the illegal salt trade!

But the real root of the problem lies not with the common people, but with the imperial court!

First, the government's salt should be priced reasonably so that the people can afford it before addressing the issue of regulation.

Even if we do rectify the situation, we cannot adopt a one-size-fits-all approach or rely on harsh laws.

The imperial court always targeted salt smugglers and illegal salt dealers.

Cutting off the middle channels means that even if the coastal people produce their own salt for their own consumption, it won't have much impact on the imperial court's tax revenue.

At the same time, local officials must encourage and help people develop other industries to reduce their dependence on smuggled salt.

Besides smuggled salt, there are many other industries that can be developed in Linhai County.

For example, fishing and fish farming.

If transportation is inconvenient, you can make it into salted fish!

In addition, he had investigated and found that there was a lot of saline-alkali land in the coastal area, which was not suitable for growing other crops, but was very suitable for growing reeds.

Reeds can be used to make straw mats, baskets, fodder, firewood, and even paper.

If these industries are developed well, the people will no longer rely on smuggled salt for survival. If the imperial court then strengthens the laws, many problems will naturally be solved.

Hearing Zhu Songlan's words, Qin Yu couldn't help but secretly admire her.

Yes, not bad, he is indeed a talented person!

He's at least a pragmatist!

Unlike some officials who shout slogans loudly but fall silent when it comes to coming up with concrete solutions to problems.

"Have you submitted these proposals to the imperial court?"

Qin Yu asked again.

"It has been reported."

Zhu Songlan sighed helplessly: "In the second month after I took office in Linhai, I submitted a memorial to the court regarding the problems in Linhai and how to solve them. Shortly afterward, I was framed, dismissed from my post, and investigated..."

"It seems your memorial never even reached the court!"

Qin Yu pondered for a moment, then immediately instructed, "After you return, carefully revise your memorial and resubmit it! I can't guarantee anything else, but I guarantee your memorial will reach His Majesty!"

Damn it!

Those corrupt officials!

All they care about is profiting from smuggled salt. Zhu Songlan has already given them the answers, but they don't even bother to copy them!

Even if these corrupt officials intercepted Zhu Songlan's memorial, copied it, and then submitted it to the court themselves, he would still say that these corrupt officials were at least human!

The fact that I don't copy the answers only shows that too many people's interests are involved.

These corrupt officials, while profiting for themselves, dare not touch the interests of others!