Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 308 The cock crows, dawn arrives
Yingzhou, Qingshan City.

The low city walls stretch endlessly, and the walls are covered with scars left by war and time.

On the dirt road in the city, three people were walking slowly.

The leader was quite old, and the two people following him were much younger.

A small dirt road leads to the distance, with lush woods on both sides. Through the trees, you can see flocks of sheep foraging.

There are many houses in the distance, all of which are short earthen houses with small courtyard walls made of earth. They cannot keep out people, but can keep out domestic animals.

Along the way, there were children driving sheep passing by. When they saw these strangers, they were a little surprised and just stared at them. After walking for a long time, they would turn back to look at them.

The three of them walked into the small village in the city. Soon, an old man came out from a small alley with the support of his son and stood in front of them.

The man was quite old, wearing ragged fur clothes, carrying a cane, and had a messy beard. He stared at the three uninvited guests and asked curiously, "Where are you from? What do you want?"

The one walking in the middle of the three slowly raised his head, revealing his clean face. He saluted the old man and said, "Old man, I am a general doctor. I came from Yecheng and traveled around to treat people."

"I see!"

The father-in-law showed a delighted look on his face, and quickly said to his son beside him, "Prepare some food to welcome the guests."

"What's your guest's last name?"

"Excuse me, my surname is Yuan."

"It's Mr. Yuan. If you don't mind, you can come to my house and have a seat."

"What's your last name, father-in-law?"

"Hahaha, my last name is Kong, so Mr. Yuan can just be called Old Man Kong!"

Then Old Man Kong took Doctor Yuan to his home. On the way, Old Man Kong sighed again and again: "No doctor has come here for many years. How does Mr. Yuan charge?"

"We are all poor people here. If you charge a high fee, you can go to the West Market. There are many rich people there."

“I don’t charge much.”

Old Man Kong led the other party into an ordinary courtyard. The courtyard was shabby and had potholes on the ground. There were three houses and a vegetable garden in front.

Doctor Yuan looked around the other person's yard, his expression becoming more serious.

Old Man Kong smiled bitterly and said, "Please don't be offended. It's not that we are lazy. My children are busy and I have difficulty walking. I have tried to clean up several times but couldn't finish it. It's a bit dirty."

"No problem, no problem."

Old man Kong didn't want to invite the other party into the house, so he spread a mat in the yard and entertained him there.

Old man Kong’s son took out the food, and several people sat together, eating and chatting.

Gradually, a few more people came in. They all heard that a doctor had come and wanted to see him.

Most of them were elderly, and there were also a few children, held in their parents' arms.

Doctor Yuan didn't waste any time and immediately began to take the pulses of these people. He could diagnose some of the diseases and write down simple prescriptions, but for some he was powerless to treat.

"I heard that in a few days, a new batch of doctors will arrive at the City's Sadness Hospital. You can go and have a look."

"Thank you, thank you very much."

People came and went, and Doctor Yuan's fees were indeed very low, the most expensive being only seventy coins.

Even Old Man Kong was a little surprised.

As the sky gradually darkened, Old Man Kong got a chicken from somewhere, added some seasonings, and prepared a luxurious meal.

Doctor Yuan looked at the feast and said, "This is really too much."

"Don't say that. I was watching what happened just now. I've seen doctors before, but I've never seen you charge this much. For the medicine you just gave me, I want to thank Mr. Yuan on behalf of the villagers. We really can't afford it, but we can kill a chicken to reward you. That's fine."

Doctor Yuan did not refuse and took a few bites immediately, nodding with a smile, "It's delicious."

The two were eating when suddenly someone pushed open the door and walked in quickly.

The visitor was a young man wearing official uniform.

He had thick eyebrows and sharp eyes. His gaze quickly locked onto Doctor Yuan and he walked straight towards him.

The two followers wanted to stand up immediately, but Doctor Yuan shook his head at them and then looked at the official.

The official walked up to them, and old man Kong stood up uneasily to greet him.

"There are strangers in the village, why didn't you send someone to inform me?"

"We went there and you weren't there."

"I'm in Nanshi, so you should send someone to look for me."

"Remember, remember, Lord Wang, this is Doctor Yuan, who has been treating us just now."

The young official looked up at Doctor Yuan and sized him up. "Go through."

The follower hurriedly took out the relevant documents and passes. The official compared them again and again, made sure there was no problem, and gave a few more instructions before turning around and leaving.

Old man Kong sighed and sat down again.

Doctor Yuan asked, "The officials here are not very good?"

"Ah, good, much better than before. Mr. Yuan doesn't know that this person is new. Although he is a little arrogant, he has never harmed anyone. He is really good."

"Why is the old man so scared?"

"Haha, how can I not be afraid?"

"This man keeps pestering us, saying he wants to grant us land."

"Giving land is a good thing."

The old man looked around and whispered, "What good thing is this?"

"I don't know about other places, but here, it's cold all year round. What can grow in the land? Every household makes a living by raising sheep and horses."

"You're suddenly talking about granting land. With the forty acres of farmland here, even if you work hard for a year, you don't need to raise ten sheep in the end."

"Father, there is no conflict between farming and grazing, right?"

"Alas, we have to pay grain tax for granting land. Isn't it based on output? Everyone pays the same. Can the 40 acres here be the same as the 40 acres in the south? And we have to pay grain. The wool and other things here have to be converted into grain before paying. After all the calculations, we are at a great loss."

"And the Xi and Khitan people outside the Great Wall now have to pass through checkpoints along the way. They don't dare to come at all."

"We used to trade with them. If we are not allowed to leave the countryside without a permit, what will happen to our livestock? We can't just keep our horses in one place, right? What if there is no grass?"

Old Man Kong patted his head and said, "In the past, officials were harmful to people. Now, officials are not harmful to people. But I am afraid that life will be more difficult now."

"We don't know what to do."

Doctor Yuan nodded slowly, "I see."

He looked up at his father-in-law and said, "Don't worry. The Northland is currently under the jurisdiction of the general. This general has always been kind and righteous. If he knew the situation here, he would definitely not tolerate it."

The old man laughed and said, "We have heard a lot about great generals and great princes these days, but none of them work for us."

After saying that, he quickly closed his mouth again.

Doctor Yuan laughed, "You are right. Let's see what he does next. At least the officials under his command don't harm people. Maybe this is different from the past."

"hope so!"

"The official said that alcohol is prohibited, otherwise I would have invited you to have a few bites. My neighbor sells fruit, I asked him to make some fruit juice, and we can have a few bites!"

Under the cover of night, Doctor Yuan was chatting and laughing with Old Man Kong and several of his neighbors.

These old men are knowledgeable and have seen a lot. They are not at all restrained when talking about many interesting stories.

"Mr. Yuan is from Yecheng. Why would he come to such a poor place like ours? We are the poorest in the whole Great Qi. We don't have anything we want."

"I just came here to travel and look for some medicinal herbs."

"Medicine?"

A neighbor quickly raised his head and said, "You should have told me earlier. Although Yingzhou is poor, we have a lot of medicinal herbs here. In the past, we went into the mountains to collect herbs and made a lot of money. Many people specialized in this and even left their cattle and sheep to work, and still made some money."

"Oh? Are there really medicinal herbs?"

"Yes! This place is poor and remote, there is nothing here, but medicinal herbs are the most abundant! Tell me what herbs you want, and I will find a way to secretly get them for you."

Doctor Yuan frowned, "Why did you get it secretly?"

Several people looked at each other, and Old Man Kong said sullenly, "It's been about ten years since the state set up a hospital, and then the people were not allowed to collect herbs. They collected and made them themselves. Now there are still their people watching the mountain, but this time something big happened. I heard that the official of the hospital was beheaded, and the remaining guards dared not go out. Now we can secretly get some here."

“Oh~oh~oh~~~”

The crowing of a rooster tore through the darkness.

The sun slowly rose from the clouds, and its rays sprinkled on this little corner that no one cared about.

Doctor Yuan got on the donkey cart and said goodbye to the people who saw him off with a smile. His haste to leave disappointed the people here. Old Man Kong waved his hand and shouted, "Mr. Yuan! Remember to send someone back!"

"I will definitely prepare the herbs for you before you come back next time!!"

Doctor Yuan was completely exposed to the sunlight. He turned his head and there seemed to be a shadow on his face. He waved his hand, but his expression could not be seen clearly.

Watching the donkey cart slowly disappear in the distance, Old Man Kong just sighed: "Good man, good man."

"Looking at the color of his skin, he is definitely from a wealthy family. Such a luxurious person can come to treat us. The world will not perish until it is destroyed."

As the donkey cart passed by, the sunlight was blocked by the dense forest, and spots of light flickered on the road. Yuan Gong's face kept changing in the light and shadow. A lot of dust was rolled up along the road. The road became flatter and the woods became sparser. Gradually, many tall houses could be seen, which was completely different from before. Pedestrians appeared on the road, but the donkey cart did not slow down.

After an unknown amount of time, the donkey cart finally arrived at the most prosperous city center.

A lot of people gathered outside the county government office at this moment.

An official was writing something down with a pen, and a donkey cart passed through the crowd and approached the gate of the county government.

The two soldiers guarding the door were horrified and rushed forward with spears in their hands, pointing them at the driver.

The donkey cart stopped and the driver jumped off the cart calmly, not afraid of the soldiers in front of him at all.

A county official walked over quickly with an angry look on his face.

"Who dares to break into the county government office?!"

Doctor Yuan suddenly took off his robe, revealing the official uniform underneath. His face was solemn and his eyes were sharp. The sunlight shining on him made him look extremely tall.

The followers on both sides stepped forward and one of them raised the official seal in his hand.

"Yingzhou Governor Yuan Gong is here, tell the county magistrate to come out and greet him immediately!"

The county official was stunned, his mind suddenly exploded, his legs suddenly became weak, and he hurriedly bowed to greet him.

The next moment, the entire gate of the county government office was filled with people kneeling.

Yuan Yuxiu slowly walked to the side of the county official and said seriously: "Take me to see your county magistrate."

"Yes, yes."

The county official jumped up and hurriedly led Yuan Yuxiu inside. He winked at the soldiers in the distance. The soldiers understood what was going on and hurriedly took a detour to sneak in.

We have to inform the county magistrate to avoid embarrassment.

After they walked in, the people outside the county government office stood up one by one, looked at the donkey cart in surprise and suspicion, and chatted with each other in low voices.

Yuan Yuxiu walked so fast that the county officials had to jog to keep up with him.

As soon as they walked into the backyard, they saw the county magistrate and several minor officials rushing out to greet them.

The county magistrate was not very old, but was tall and handsome. He was obviously frightened by the sudden arrival of the governor and stood aside to greet him.

Yuan Yuxiu approached him, looked at him carefully, then nodded and led the way into the house.

The county magistrate and the rest of the people walked in together.

Yuan Yuxiu sat in the upper seat, and the county officials sat on both sides of him.

Yuan Yuxiu picked up the document in his hand and looked at the young county magistrate beside him.

"Qin Ai?"

"how old are you?"

"Replying to the governor, I have just been crowned."

"Well, you're ranked fourth in the official assessment? Your father is the accountant of the general's mansion?"

Qin Ai said seriously, "Sir, my father used to work as a planner in Yecheng. Later, His Majesty sent elite troops from Yecheng to guard the Shuozhou Pass, and my father went with them. Later, he worked in the General's Mansion, and I also participated in the assessment in Shuozhou."

"Ah."

Yuan Yuxiu slowly put down the document in his hand and looked at him, "How long have you been here?"

"Seventeen days."

"Then what did you do?"

"I have been following the imperial decree to register and grant land."

"Have you learned about the local situation?"

"I already know the villages, population, and amount of cultivated land in the area."

"I'm not asking you this. I'm asking you, have you ever been to a place and know what the situation of the people there is like?"

Qin Ai was stunned for a moment, then shook her head. "I have been recording documents since I arrived, and have not yet visited any of the places."

"As a provincial governor, I know that I should personally visit various places after taking office. However, you are a county magistrate. You have been in office for more than ten days, but you have never visited the areas under your jurisdiction. Did your father help you to become the fourth governor?"

Qin Ai's face immediately turned ugly. He stood up and said, "Governor! If you think I am incompetent, just impeach me in the imperial court. Why humiliate me?!"

Yuan Yuxiu looked at him, then at his followers.

The attendant hurriedly took out a thick pile of documents from his arms and handed them to the young county magistrate.

The county magistrate picked it up and began to read it.

He found that the document was densely packed with situations encountered by people from all over the country. Some of them were specially marked. He didn't know how many were recorded. The county magistrate flipped through it for a long time but couldn't finish it.

"If you want to govern a place, how can you not know the local situation?"

"These people are not just numbers on your document. They are real people. We were sent here by the general not to record numbers for him, but to help him govern the place."

“To govern a place is to govern the people.”

"You don't even know what the people under your command are like. How can you govern well if you just sit here and read those documents?"

"This registration and investigation can be completely handed over to the officials under your command. You are the one who has to make the decision, and you must see clearly. For example, regarding the granting of land, you should look at the situation of the people. Is it really appropriate to grant land at this time?"

Qin Ai was a little confused. He put down the document and said, "But the granting of land was an order from the Grand Secretariat."

"So what? The order is immutable? It can't be changed?"

"The situation here is special. It is different from other places. The land is not fertile enough, the climate is bad, and there are more herders. Should the orders from the North Road be adjusted appropriately?"

"If it must be implemented, shouldn't some reasonable changes be made? If we just follow orders and administer arbitrarily, even the best government affairs will become a decree that harms the people."

Yuan Yuxiu began to tell the story seriously, and Qin Ai lowered her head.

"Mr. Yuan is right. I know I was wrong."

Yuan Yuxiu looked at the young man's attitude and said gently, "You must act in accordance with the local situation. Don't be too superstitious about the government's decrees. The government has never been here. How can it know this place better than those who have been here?"

Qin Ai felt that this sentence was somewhat outrageous, but when she thought about it carefully, it seemed to make some sense.

Yuan Yuxiu then recounted all the situations he had encountered.

"We need to provide convenience to these herdsmen. However, the weather will warm up in various places in the near future, and the situation here is still uncertain. We need to properly carry out the land granting. In addition, we need to find a way to set up a market for the Hu people outside the Great Wall so that they can have a place to trade with our people. We don't need to drive them all away."

"Things like the passing station should be handled specially. Herders can apply for special passing stations to facilitate them to graze their horses everywhere."

Yuan Yuxiu mentioned more than ten things in a row.

The officials lowered their heads and took notes, not daring to ask more questions, including the county magistrate, who was also taking notes very seriously at this moment.

"Also, there are the herbs in this mountain. I heard that there are a lot of herbs here, but the government didn't allow them to harvest them in the past."

"If we want to govern a place, we must make the best use of its strengths and avoid its weaknesses. If Yingzhou's herbs are abundant enough, the government can intervene appropriately to see if we can increase their production and whether they can serve as an important pillar of the local area."

Old man Kong leaned on a cane and carefully cleaned up the debris in the yard.

While they were busy, an official suddenly rushed in.

The official looked in a hurry. "Mr. Kong, the county government has issued an order that land grants here are not compulsory. In addition, a special livestock pass can be established, and livestock can be raised in various places with this pass. In addition, a new Hu market will be established outside the city, and Hu merchants from the north will trade there. By the way, there is no longer a ban on herbs in the mountains."

Old man Kong looked at the young clerk blankly.

"When your sons come back later, tell them too. If they still don't know anything, they can come and ask me!"

After the clerk finished speaking, he left in a hurry.

Old Man Kong looked down at the debris on the ground again.

He shook his head violently.

what's the situation? ?

ps: When he returned to the capital after being released from prison, the common people and the common people were all over the road bidding him farewell, some of them bringing wine and dried meat, weeping and lingering, vying to see him off. Since it was hot, they were afraid that he would be tired and exhausted, so they often stopped their horses, offered him a drink, and then declined his request and let him go back. After he returned to the capital, Zheng Bozong and more than 700 other people in the state requested to erect a monument, collected hundreds of feet of silk and cloth, and asked Li Delin, the secretary of the Central Secretariat, to write an inscription to commemorate his merits and virtues. ——"Book of Northern Qi·Biography of Yuan Yuxiu"

Qin Ai (Qin Shubao's father)'s grandfather was named Xiaoda, the county magistrate of Wei Guangnian, and his father Fang Tai was the secretary of the King of Qi Guangning. ——"Qin Ai's Epitaph"

(End of this chapter)