Qing Yao

Chapter 119 The County Magistrate is a Bit Unkind

Yangzhou is also part of the Lixiahe region. Just this summer, the Lixiahe region suffered from floods. In order to prevent future floods, Ganquan County took the initiative to raise funds to carry out large-scale water conservancy projects. This is a great thing that benefits the country and the people.

By using the pretext of water conservancy construction to disperse and relocate all of Zhao Youlu's family members from his hometown, the root of the problem was completely eradicated, and there would be no need to worry about anyone trying to investigate Zhao Youlu's family in the future.

This was a win-win situation, giving the county magistrate a good political record and a good reputation, while also eliminating the hidden dangers that everyone was worried about. If anyone was really unlucky, it would probably be Zhao Youlu's neighbor.

Who would be happy to suddenly have to move after living in a perfectly good place their whole life?

But Zhao An can't be blamed for this; these neighbors are just too kind-hearted.

Anyone who asks can provide proof. You don't find it troublesome, but the three adults involved in this matter are so troubled that they can't sleep.

Thankfully, this was still during the Qianlong era. A few decades later, who knows if the county magistrate would have turned on his conscience and used the pretext of colluding with the "Long-haired Rebels" to massacre the entire village, not even sparing Zhao Youlu's parents, just to end it all!
Therefore, the saying "It's better to be a dog in times of peace than a human in times of chaos" is absolutely true.

Since we've decided to undertake water conservancy projects, we definitely need to be more professional. You can't just start construction without any blueprints or a clear plan.

After all, this matter also needs to be reported to the government and the province.

The Ministry of Works and the Water Conservancy Bureau did not need to report to higher authorities; it was like national highways, provincial highways, and township highways, with each level managing the level above it.

If the Ministry of Works and the Water Conservancy Bureau were to handle this, it would have to be a major project, such as the Yellow River, the Yangtze River, or the Huai River.

The county magistrate decided that the workshop would bring over the relevant data tomorrow, and then send someone to take measurements on-site. He himself would go to Hengli to borrow the old man's money to secure the project funds.

Logically speaking, the old man should pay for the river repairs and flood control for the people. It makes the old man seem very unfair that the local official has to borrow money from him to repair the river and control the flood.

How much should we borrow?

The county magistrate originally intended to borrow 50,000 taels to spend, but now that he is doing this for the old master, 50,000 taels is not enough. It should be at least 200,000 taels.
The county magistrate has already figured out how to divide it.

Fifty thousand taels were set aside as payment for the project, and the remaining money was split 40/40.

Zhao Ansi, the fourth in charge of the county, and Lao Song the second.

Don't be fooled by Lao Song's seemingly disadvantageous "two" approach; he actually benefits because he'll also pay the interest at the "two" rate, significantly reducing his financial burden.

Moreover, Zhao An and Lao Ding were both seventh-rank officials, while Lao Song was only an eighth-rank official. No matter how close the three of them were, they still had to consider who was the higher or lower in rank.

Zhao An thought there was no problem. If the profit-sharing ratio wasn't set now, the three of them might start fighting over the unequal distribution of spoils later.

Even the strongest fortress is nothing but a pile of mud if there are problems inside.

However, the people of Sanyanghe are easy to relocate, but what about Zhao Youlu's parents?

This matter was naturally left to Zhao An to handle, since he was someone else's adopted son.

Back home, Zhao An told Chunlan everything. Of course, he didn't mention that three people had died because of his identity, nor did he say that he deliberately moved the people of Sanyang River away. He only said that the county had decided to open a dam and build a water conservancy project near Sanyang River, so it was very likely that the local people would have to be moved away.

The naive young woman could never have imagined the hidden agenda behind this matter; she was worried that if the land was demolished, the government might take the opportunity to extort money from the people.

This is 100% certain to happen. These days, once government affairs are involved, the petty officials who actually carry out the tasks will definitely take the opportunity to extort and blackmail the people, and will never let go of any opportunity to make money.

Regarding the resettlement issue, even if Zhao An wanted to give the villagers of Sanyanghe more compensation, he was somewhat powerless to help because it was not a matter he was directly in charge of, and it was impossible for him to go to Sanyanghe to act as the resettlement commander and personally distribute the compensation to the villagers.

I could only give Old Ding a heads-up, something like, "It's about right. Don't let the lower-ups go too far and turn a good thing into a bad one." These days, it's not just the poor who get exploited by the officials; even the rich can't escape it.

Wherever there was construction work, corvée labor was always conscripted. Whether rich or poor, anyone without official rank had to bring their own provisions to work for the government, digging river embankments, pulling boats, and building reservoirs. Disobedience resulted in being beaten like dogs by the officials, with no recourse but to seek justice.

After reassuring the young woman that he would inform the county about the relocation and try his best to avoid causing any injustice to the villagers, Zhao An pulled her into his arms and whispered in her ear, "What do you think about me sending my parents to Jiangnan to live out their old age?"

"Jiangnan?"

The young woman was taken aback. "My father and mother have lived in the countryside their whole lives. They probably haven't even been to the prefectural city. If you send them to Jiangnan, will they be able to get used to it?"

"I'm just trying to take care of your parents on behalf of your deceased husband. Jiangnan is a wonderful place."

His tone suggested he was negotiating with the young lady, but in reality, Zhao An didn't need her consent at all; he had already made up his mind to send Zhao Youlu's parents to Songjiang.

If it weren't for the concern that the journey was too far and the travel might be too arduous, potentially leading to death, Zhao An would have preferred to send the person to Guangdong.

The farther the better.

"Don't worry, I will buy a house for you two in Songjiang and also buy you ten acres of land. In the future, if you miss them, you can bring Xiaoxiao to visit them and stay with them."

After saying that, Zhao An took out a small booklet from his sleeve and stuffed it into the young lady's hand, then squeezed her soft bag: "This was confiscated from the students at the prefectural school yesterday. I thought it was quite interesting, so I brought it back for you to see."

"what?"

The young woman opened it out of curiosity, and immediately blushed with embarrassment. What was this drawing? It was so dark and embarrassing!

Before the young lady could even toss the picture book to the foot of the bed, Zhao An's hand reached for it. The young lady jerked and clipped it to her pocket, saying helplessly, "I'm going to wash up."

"It's good to wash it; it smells refreshing after washing."

Zhao An smiled and released the young woman, slapped her hard, then lay down on the bed and licked his lips, looking very expectant.

After the young lady finished washing up, she couldn't escape Zhao An's torment. Exhausted, she leaned against the bed, pondering how he and the young lady were so familiar with each other, and how they always released themselves without reservation, yet she never seemed to get pregnant.

Could it be that there was something wrong with the original owner?

Or is it because he usurped the woman's place and failed to please her?

Hmm, a sparrow taking over a cuckoo's nest?
This idiom made Zhao An subconsciously glance at his wife's nest. Just as he was admiring it, his wife said weakly from the side, "Husband, would you like to take a concubine?"

The way she called him "husband" was so natural, showing that the young lady's heart had already been won over by Zhao An.

"Concubinage?"

Zhao An was taken aback, wondering why the young lady had thought of taking a concubine for him.

"I have been with my husband for some time, but I have yet to bear him a child."

The young lady was explaining when Zhao An, exhausted, fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, he went to the county government office to discuss the water conservancy project with Lao Ding. At first, they talked very well, but then he suddenly asked, puzzled, "Lao Ding, we're so familiar with each other, why won't you let me meet your family?"

(End of this chapter)