Prime Minister

Chapter 123, Section 122: [The Order of the Strong]

Yizhen County is located more than 50 li west of Yangzhou Prefecture. The two places are connected by an official road, and it usually takes two to three hours to travel by horse.

Xue Huai was a skilled horseman, and Jiang Sheng and the other four guards were even better than him. However, a group of government officials could not keep up with the pace, so Xue Huai had to rest for a while along the way. By the time they arrived in Yizhen County, it was already past 3 PM.

This time, he did not travel incognito. The prefectural government had already sent documents to all counties. Jiangdu County, for example, made preparations in advance, summoning all relevant files and personnel to the county government hall, thus saving a lot of unnecessary procedures.

However, the group was stopped at the east gate of Yizhen.

When the city gate inspector saw dozens of riders galloping towards him on the official road, he was so frightened that he almost ordered the city gate to be closed immediately. Only after the riders slowed down did he nervously shout for them to stop.

A moment later, the inspector, accompanied by more than ten soldiers, stepped forward, cupped his hands, and asked, "May I ask your esteemed name, sir? Do you have any official documents with you?"

Jiang Sheng rode forward and said solemnly, "Prefect Xue is here to inspect Yizhen County. Did you not receive prior notification from the county government?"

The inspector paused for a moment, then looked at Xue Huai behind Jiang Sheng and couldn't help but secretly marvel at how young this Assistant Magistrate was!

He quickly shook his head and said, "Reporting to my superior, I have not received any notification."

Jiang Sheng was unwilling to make things difficult for a mere patrol inspector, so he took out official documents from his bag, dismounted, and handed them over for inspection.

The inspector glanced at the document quickly, returned it, and hurried to Xue Huai's horse. He bowed and said, "This humble one, Inspector Yizhen Changwen, pays his respects to Your Excellency!"

Xue Huai said expressionlessly, "Inspector Chang, please arrange for someone to act as a guide and lead us to the Yizhen County Government Office."

"I obey your orders!"

Chang Wen turned and called over a quick-witted subordinate, instructing him to do his job diligently.

As he watched the dozens of riders enter the city, recalling Xue Huai's young and aloof face, he couldn't help but sigh, "Magistrate, why are you doing this?"

On the other side, Xue Huai and his group proceeded at a leisurely pace, neither disturbing the people in the city nor failing to observe the features of this important canal town.

Yizhen County is located at the confluence of the Yangtze River and the Grand Canal, serving as a vital passage for the salt transport of the Great Yan Dynasty. It was responsible for the transshipment of Huai salt and southern grain transport, and was quite similar to Linqing, which Xue Huai had seen before.

Because of its proximity to the Yangtze River, Yizhen County has suffered from floods. Every time the Yangtze River floods, the area is affected.

In addition, due to the flourishing commerce, the gap between the rich and poor in Yizhen County was particularly severe. On one side were wealthy gentry who made a fortune and lived a life of luxury by relying on the canal transport and salt industry, while on the other side were people who were displaced by floods and could only make a living by doing hard labor at the canal wharf west of the county town.

Xue Huai's feelings about this were very clear.

The city was filled with entertainment venues, and many people, dressed in coarse clothes, were struggling to make a living. The atmosphere of wealth and the scene of poverty intertwined and wove together a picture of the coldness and warmth of human relationships.

"Your Excellency, we have arrived at the county government office."

The soldier leading the way spoke respectfully.

Xue Huai nodded slightly, then dismounted and looked ahead.

Compared to the solemn and dignified Jiangdu County Government Office, the Yizhen County Government Office appears much simpler. This is not due to any deficiencies in architectural regulations, but rather because there are no yamen runners in front of the gate to display the majesty of the government, and the plaques have faded due to the ravages of wind and rain.

Xue Huai waited outside for a while before two officials rushed out, hastily bowing and saying, "This humble servant greets Your Excellency!"

They introduced themselves, panting. The man on the left was Lu Jing, the magistrate of Yizhen County, and the man on the right was Meng Yu, the clerk of the ceremonial office of the county government.

Xue Huai calmly asked, "Where is Magistrate Zhang?"

Lu Jing swallowed nervously and replied, "Your Excellency, Magistrate Zhang left the county office this morning to lead a team to inspect the river embankment in the southwest."

Xue Huai remained noncommittal and strode into the county government office, with the others quickly following behind.

The county government office was very quiet. Xue Huai only saw a few small cats and dogs along the way, indicating that most of the officials had already gone out.

Lu Jing quickly explained, "Your Excellency, with the summer floods approaching, Magistrate Zhang is worried that last year's floods will recur. Recently, he has mobilized county officials to inspect the condition of the river embankments and dikes. I am responsible for staying at the county office. If there are any disputes among the people that need to be resolved, I will handle them first and report back to Magistrate Zhang when he returns."

His explanation was reasonable and showed that Magistrate Zhang Shi was courageous and pragmatic. However, the officials from the prefectural government who came with Xue Huai felt that Zhang Shi was just putting on an act.

Upon entering the second hall, Xue Huai sat down to drink tea and calmly rubbed his thigh.

Even though he didn't slack off and spent some time practicing the boxing techniques taught by Jiang Sheng every day, his body was still not strong enough, and his legs inevitably ached after traveling for most of the day.

"County Magistrate Lu."

Wang Gui asked, "Has your county received any official document from the prefectural government?"

Lu Jing sighed inwardly and said with a forced smile, "I received it five days ago, and I also knew that Your Excellency would be visiting our county in the next two days."

Wang Gui frowned slightly and said, "That's strange. Why didn't the city gate inspector know about this? And since you knew that the esteemed leader was coming, why didn't you personally go outside the city to greet him?" He asked with a self-righteous tone, and Lu Jing broke out in a cold sweat.

Wang Gui wasn't the only one with this attitude; the dissatisfaction of other officials in the government office was also evident.

In officialdom, rules are strictly observed. As the second-in-command of Yangzhou Prefecture, Xue Huai's trip was not a surprise attack. The fact that the Yizhen County government was completely unprepared clearly shows their contempt for Xue Huai.

If it were ten days ago, these officials of the prefectural government might not have had this attitude. Some might even have secretly gloated over Xue Huai's misfortune. However, after getting to know each other in the Jiangdu County government, they would at least publicly uphold Xue Huai's dignity.

The reason is simple: Xue Huai led them to clean up the long-standing problems in Jiangdu County. These were all achievements and merits, and everyone's evaluation book would record this.

Regardless of their true intentions, they will at least follow Xue Huai's lead for the time being.

Lu Jing looked at Xue Huai, whose expression was indifferent, and said cautiously, "Reporting to Your Excellency, I also suggested that Magistrate Zhang make arrangements in advance, but he told me that since Your Excellency is here to inspect the affairs of Yizhen County, it would be enough for you to see the most authentic side of the place. Therefore, he would not make any arrangements to ensure that what Your Excellency sees is the truth. Magistrate Zhang specifically instructed that, apart from him and me, no one in the county knew that Your Excellency was coming today, however..."

He hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped. Xue Huai and his entourage went directly to the county town without first conducting on-site inspections of various places within the territory. Now, it seemed they could no longer hide it from the local officials and gentry.

After listening to Lu Jing's account, the group of officials in the prefectural government frowned even more. This Magistrate Zhang really didn't follow the usual path and didn't understand the ways of the world in officialdom at all. No wonder they heard that he was driven out of the capital as a second-class Jinshi and had been stuck in the position of Magistrate of Yizhen County for many years.

At this moment, Xue Huai put down his teacup, and no one dared to speak again.

He looked at Lu Jing and asked, "Where is Magistrate Zhang now?"

Lu Jingdao said, "Your Excellency, the magistrate should be inspecting the river embankment southwest of the county seat today."

Xue Huai nodded slightly and looked at the officials in the prefectural government office, saying, "You will stay in the county government office and organize the relevant files I mentioned earlier. Then sit down with County Magistrate Lu and discuss with him how to formulate a plan for the current difficult issues facing Yizhen County. This matter will be overseen by County Magistrate Lu and Clerk Wang."

"I humble my position and take orders."

Everyone responded in unison.

Xue Huai then stood up and said to Jiang Sheng, "Take a few men and come with me to the river embankment to take a look."

Lu Jing and the others hurriedly saw him off. This county magistrate, who came from an ordinary background, was very uneasy because he could not tell whether Xue Huai was happy or angry. He could only silently pray for Magistrate Zhang Shi and hope that the magistrate would be patient and not anger Xue Huai.

About fifteen minutes later, Xue Huai, accompanied by several guards, rode to the river embankment southwest of the county town.

It is now mid-May. The mighty Yangtze River to the south is calm and gentle, its surface shimmering like a ribbon winding around the city.

The Yizhen River embankment stretches from Siyuan Ditch in the west to Shuimen in the east, with a total length of more than eight li, including nearly two li of the county town's southern riverside city wall.

Xue Huai left one person to guard the mount, and led Jiang Sheng and the others up the river embankment.

At this moment, he couldn't help but think of Xue Mingzhang from back then. It was near this section of the river embankment that Xue Mingzhang almost drowned in the flood. After witnessing the tragic suffering of the people, he repeatedly petitioned the court to rebuild the embankment, thus ensuring that Yizhen County would be safe for ten years. However, due to the dereliction of duty by the Ministry of Works and the Water Conservancy Department, the embankment was neglected to be reinforced and repaired, which led to the disaster last year.

"Young master, that should be Magistrate Zhang."

Jiang Sheng leaned closer and whispered.

Xue Huai looked up and saw several people standing on the inner side of the river embankment, discussing intensely, about ten feet away. The man in the middle was over forty years old and dressed simply, just like an old farmer in the fields.

He was Zhang Shi, the magistrate of Yizhen County and a second-class Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the fourth year of the Taihe era.

As they drew nearer, the voices of those people carried on the wind.

"Your Excellency, the breach here last year was caused by the shift of the main channel of the Yangtze River in recent years, which led to the collapse of the shoreline. In addition, rainwater erosion of the embankment caused piping. The newly built embankment is mainly made of rammed earth and covered with bricks and stones on the outside. It is enough to withstand a flood like last year. Please rest assured, Your Excellency."

"It's better to be safe than sorry. Last year, I wrote to the former Prefect Han, pleading with him to allocate funds to reinforce the dike. If he had listened to my advice, the people of the whole county would not have suffered from the disaster. Fortunately, the new Prefect Tan has provided the funds, and we must not let him down. This section of the dike still needs to be reinforced with willows and have drainage channels added to ensure that everything is foolproof."

“I understand. Your Excellency, why don’t you go back to the county office first? That high-ranking official should be arriving soon. You should go and greet him. If the high-ranking official is displeased, it won’t be good for you. I heard that the Jiangdu County Office has suffered a great misfortune, and many people have been punished.”

"No need."

A clear voice came from diagonally above.

Several people below the river embankment looked up at the same time and saw a young official in official robes, looking at them calmly, with several burly guards standing beside him.

Zhang Shi's taciturn and solemn face froze for a moment, his lips moved, but he ultimately remained silent.

Xue Huai looked at him with great interest and smiled, "Magistrate Zhang, don't you recognize me?"

Zhang Shi realized what was happening and, somewhat stiffly, bowed, saying, "This humble official, Zhang Shi, pays his respects to Your Excellency!"

(End of this chapter)