Transmigrated into a minor official in a county government, with children at home waiting for rice t

In the afternoon, several respectable-looking people arrived at the entrance of the county government office.

Those dressed in silk robes and hats, holding visiting cards in their hands, stood at the door waiting.

The gatekeeper went in to report that Sun Jizu was in the county magistrate's office looking at case files. However, due to his limited literacy, the pen in his hand felt heavier than a gun.

Feeling annoyed, he didn't even look up, saying, "I won't see you."

The gatekeeper paused for a moment, "County Commandant Sun, that's the steward of the Sun family in the east of the city, and the Zhao family in the south of the city..."

"I said I wouldn't see you," Sun Jizu said, turning a page of the file and raising his voice.

The doorman was startled and quickly retreated awkwardly.

A moment later, the stewards who had received the message stood at the door, looked at each other, put the visiting card on the doorman's table, and left dejectedly.

Wu Yan leaned against a pillar, watching the backs of those people in the distance, and his lips twitched slightly.

He turned and went into the county magistrate's office, sitting down opposite Sun Jizu. "County Magistrate Sun, if you don't see those people, they'll say you're heartless."

Sun Jizu put down the file, glanced at him, and said, "I'm serving the imperial court, not the local gentry, as the county magistrate. If they have something to do, they can follow the proper procedures at the yamen. If not, don't try to curry favor with me."

Upon hearing this, Wu Yan grinned, then left without saying anything more.

On March 15th, Zhou Qianxing came to see Zhang Sanlang with an barely suppressed smile on his face.

He went into the household office, put a stack of documents on the table, and pointed to the long list of names. "Zhang Qianxing, the list of provincial examination results compiled by the Imperial Academy has arrived. I didn't see Zhang Jia Silang's name."

Zhang Sanlang put down his pen, took the list and looked it over. The last scholar on the list was named Hao Yun.

There really wasn't one from beginning to end.

He nodded, handed the list back, and said, "Understood."

Zhou Qianxing was taken aback. "You don't care?"

Zhang Sanlang curled the corners of his lips. "Thousands of people participated in the provincial examination, but only 122 were selected. He's only sixteen years old, so it's normal that he didn't pass."

Zhou Qianxing glanced at him, rolled up the list, and tucked it under his arm. "You're quite the shrewd strategist. The official gazette has arrived; he should be back around that time."

Zhang Sanlang cupped his hands in thanks to Zhou Qianxing, "Thank you for coming to tell me, Brother Zhou. I will remember your kindness."

Zhou Qianxing waved his hand, "There's no need for formalities between us."

Seeing that Zhang Sanlang's desk was full, he knew he was busy, so he didn't say anything more and turned back to the ceremony room.

Zhang Sanlang indeed didn't take this matter to heart.

Whether Zhang Shouzhi passes or fails is none of his business.

He opened the sealed summer tax register and checked it page by page.

Last year, there were many discrepancies in the acreage of mulberry and hemp fields reported by various townships. Some large households concealed their land holdings, while some medium-sized households were overcharged. He made marks on the side and listed them one by one, waiting to verify them one by one before the summer tax collection.

County Magistrate Gu is a pragmatic person.

The first thing to do after printing was to have the household registration office re-check the summer tax register, and no shoddy work was allowed.

Zhang Sanlang took this opportunity to thoroughly understand the mulberry and hemp fields in each township.

The next afternoon, Zhang Sanlang left the county government office and headed towards the dock.

After the start of spring, there are more boats on the Guangji River.

As cargo ships docked to unload, porters ran with sacks on their backs, their shouts echoing throughout the area.

Bundles of cloth and tea were piled up on the pier, waiting to be loaded onto trucks and transported into the city.

He Lantou squatted on the stone pier of the dock, holding a bowl of cold tea in his hand, and was drinking it.

He saw Zhang Sanlang, stood up, dusted himself off, and laughed, "Zhang Qianxing, what brings you here?"

Zhang Sanlang walked up to him. "He Lantou, spring is here, how's business at the docks?"

He Lan nodded towards the pier, "Not bad. Silk and tea from the south are arriving one after another, and furs from the north are being loaded onto ships."

"Spring came earlier this year than last year, and the cargo ships arrived earlier as well. The tax bills for February haven't been collected yet; we'll file them all together after these two ships have unloaded."

Zhang Sanlang nodded. "Have those warehouses not yet submitted their tax invoices for February?"

He Lantou chuckled. "You're really keeping an eye on things. No rush, it won't run away. The goods are on the ship, and the documents are with Manager Qian. Once everything's settled, I'll deliver it to the household office for you to review..."

After finishing their business in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, He Lantou patted him on the shoulder with a smile, "Now that we've finished the important matters, Zhang Qianxing, would you do me the honor of having a cup of tea?"

Zhang Sanlang glanced at him, smiled and nodded, "He Lantou is treating, I dare not refuse."

The two turned into a teahouse by the dock and sat down by the window. The tea server brought over boiling water and brewed two bowls of loose tea, the tea soup yellowish and steaming.

He Lantou picked up the bowl, blew on it, took a sip, put the bowl down, and leaned forward. "Zhang Qianxing, I heard that the newly arrived County Magistrate Sun is Uncle Sun's son?"

Zhang Sanlang picked up his teacup, having already anticipated that he was inquiring about this matter. "Yes."

He Lantou's smile widened. "I knew it! His surname is Sun, and he's from Nanjidian. Who else could he be?"

He paused, then lowered his voice, "I heard he has a military background and even lost an arm. What's his temperament like? Is he easy to get along with?"

Zhang Sanlang took a sip of tea, exhaling a few puffs of white steam. "He's straightforward and doesn't mince words. When dealing with him, just tell the truth. Don't bother with all that fancy stuff."

He Lantou nodded. "That's good. For the past few years, Kong You'an's people have been reaching out to us at the docks. Now that he's been transferred, if the new county magistrate can hold things together, things will be much quieter at the docks."

Zhang Sanlang didn't reply, but picked up his teacup and took another sip.

Just then, a commotion broke out at the dock.

It turned out that a passenger ship had docked, and the boatman had set up a gangplank, allowing passengers to disembark in twos and threes.

Zhang Sanlang glanced at it, and was about to look away when he suddenly saw a familiar figure.

Zhang Shouzhi.

He was wearing a worn-out blue cloth robe, his hair was disheveled, his face was covered in dust, and he was carrying a book box in his hand. He walked down the gangplank with his head down.

His steps were sluggish, as if he had walked all night without closing his eyes.

A servant followed behind him, carrying a bundle, also looking dejected.

He Lantou followed Zhang Sanlang's gaze, his eyes lit up, and the corners of his mouth curled up. "Oh, isn't that Zhang Silang?"

"He's back so early; he must have made a wasted trip. The provincial examination results have only just arrived at the county office; he's getting them almost as fast as the official gazette!"

He deliberately spoke loudly, and several porters who were resting outside the teahouse heard him.

Upon hearing this, the tea drinkers in the shop put down their bowls, looked at Zhang Shouzhi, and whispered among themselves with chuckles.

Zhang Shouzhi's face turned bright red.

He looked up and saw Zhang Sanlang and He Lantou sitting at the teahouse window. His lips trembled, as if he wanted to say something, but he swallowed it back.

He lowered his head, picked up his book box, and quickly walked around the teahouse. The servant followed behind him, also jogging. The two of them quickly disappeared into the alley.

He Lantou chuckled twice. "Zhang Qianxing, don't take this kind of high-minded but low-skilled person to heart."

Zhang Sanlang had no intention of saying more, but suddenly remembered that the last scholar on the list was named Hao Yun, and couldn't help but blurt out, "Hao Yun is at the end of the list, and Silang is even further below Hao Yun."