met free Chapter 710 Isn't this a complete reversal of the Heavenly Gang?!
Chapter 710 Isn't this a complete reversal of the Heavenly Gang?!
The three hundred successful candidates in the imperial examinations lined up, instantly filling the backyard of the county government office to capacity. More than two hundred of them couldn't even squeeze into the courtyard.
Chen Xingzu glanced quietly at Li Zhenming and the group of scholars beside him, then looked left and right at the rooms on both sides of the courtyard.
Is this normal?
This is not normal!
You, Yang the Madman, are supposed to be a prince consort, yet you live in such a small backyard of the county government office?
No, you're letting the princess live with you in the backyard of the county government office?
Does your father-in-law know?
Also, you act crazy in everything else, but when it comes to the back office, you suddenly start adhering to the rule that "officials don't repair their own offices".
Chen Xingzu was internally ranting, while Li Zhenming straightened his clothes and bowed to Yang Shaofeng, saying, "This humble official greets Prince Consort Yang."
Yang Shaofeng returned the greeting with a cupped hand, and Li Zhenming continued to bow, saying, "By order of His Highness the Crown Prince, we, three hundred scholars who passed the imperial examination, have come to serve under Your Highness the Prince Consort."
After saying that, Li Zhenming took out an envelope from his sleeve and respectfully handed it to Yang Shaofeng. "This is the list of three hundred Jinshi graduates from the special imperial examination. Please take a look, Your Highness."
Yang Shaofeng reached out and took the list, glanced at it briefly, and then handed it to Limpy Five. He then asked with a smile, "You haven't gone home yet, have you?"
As soon as Yang Shaofeng finished speaking, Li Zhenming performed a dramatic face-changing act right in front of Chen Xingzu and the others.
Li Zhenming said with a grin, "No, you should pay your respects to the master first, or you'll get a beating when you go back."
Yang Shaofeng hummed in agreement, "In that case, you can stay a little longer and go back after you finish eating."
After speaking, Yang Shaofeng glanced at the many scholars and then instructed Li Zhenming, "You decide how to distribute them. Send these three hundred scholars to the villages outside the city, where they can live and eat with the villagers."
"It's almost summer harvest and planting season, so we're helping the villagers with some work."
"After the summer planting is over, I'll work in the water press workshop for a while."
"Those who can accept it can stay; those who cannot can go back to the capital and find the Ministry of Personnel."
"Our Ningyang County doesn't support idlers."
After a slight pause, Yang Shaofeng added, "Make sure to tell the people that they eat and live together. Whatever they eat, these three hundred scholars will eat too. No special treatment is allowed. Anyway, the money allocated by the county government is limited."
Li Zhenming was not surprised by Yang Shaofeng's decision at all. He first agreed seriously, and then begged with a grin to have Limpy Wu take him and the others to dinner.
In a short while, Li Zhenming's expression switched between serious and playful several times.
Once outside the county government office, Li Zhenming switched back to his playful mode, grinning as he asked Limpy Fifth, "Fifth Uncle, how have the master and mistress been lately?"
Limping Five grunted and said, "The master has been busy with the water pump lately, while Her Highness the Princess is with the Emperor and the Empress."
Li Zhenming said "Oh," and then asked, "What's this new thing called a water pump? It sounds like a machine for drawing water?"
Limpy Wu briefly explained the water pump, then added, "You have a water pump at home, figure it out yourself when you get back."
……
After finishing their meal, watching Li Wu's receding figure, Chen Xingzu quickly approached Li Zhenming and asked, "Brother Li, what should we do next? Is the Prince Consort just going to leave us alone?"
Li Zhenming chuckled inwardly and said, "Didn't the master say that we should first go and work the fields with the people, and then go to work in the water press workshop?"
Seeing the confused and bewildered looks on Chen Xingzu and the others' faces, Li Zhenming continued, "For the next period of time, even if the master has time, he will not concern himself with our affairs. Perhaps the master will find time to see us after Xia Bo finishes his work and before we enter the water press workshop."
Chen Xingzu and the others were even more confused.
This is not what I imagined.
Shouldn't we be the ones following by the side of Prince Consort Yang, watching how he governs the region, investigates and judges cases, and learning from him while assisting him?
Why were we thrown into a village after arriving in Ningyang County, where we ate and lived with the villagers, and were even specifically asked not to be treated specially?
Chen Xingzu was momentarily at a loss for words to express his inner turmoil, stammering, "This...this..."
Li Zhenming smiled again and said, "Brother Chen, from the moment we passed the imperial examination and were sent to Ningyang County by His Highness, we were no longer scholars, but officials appointed by the imperial court."
"How can one know the hardships of the people's livelihood if one does not live and eat with them, and does not personally work in the fields?"
"To be honest, Brother Chen, apart from the magistrate, all the officials in Ningyang County, as well as the students in the community schools and county schools, all came from this background."
Anyway, you all have to experience the same hardships I, Li, have endured.
Li Zhenming muttered to himself, "Even His Majesty and the Empress sometimes go to the fields and work the land alongside the people."
Chen Xingzu didn't pay much attention to the claim that Emperor Zhu and Empress Ma would also farm alongside the common people; instead, he astutely grasped a key word.
What does it mean to say "apart from the master"?
So, Yang the Madman made officials do the farming, made students do the farming, and even His Majesty and the Empress did the farming, but Yang the Madman didn't have to do the farming at all.
Isn't this a complete reversal of the Heavenly Gang?
Just as Chen Xingzu was secretly grumbling to himself, Li Zhenming chuckled and said, "In the past, it was the people of Ningyang County who stopped the magistrate from going to work in the fields."
"Later, His Majesty chased the master away and wouldn't let him work in the fields."
Well, to be precise, it should be to prevent the lord from going to the fields to damage the crops.
After all, my husband doesn't know the difference between five grains.
However, there's no need to tell these animals such things; as long as you can fool them into working honestly, that's enough.
Thinking of this, Li Zhenming simply smiled and said, "Brother Chen, do you know why the magistrate specifically instructed us to eat and live with the common people and not to give us any special treatment?"
Chen Xingzu shook his head blankly, and Li Zhenming continued, "Because we were arranged by the master to live in the homes of ordinary people."
"If we were to stay in the homes of ordinary people as officials, the people of Ningyang County would not care much. But those sent by the magistrate will certainly be treated with utmost hospitality."
"If we don't make it clear, they might kill the chickens and ducks they're saving for the New Year to treat us."
"In that case, it would go against the original intentions of His Highness the Crown Prince and the Master, which would be undesirable."
Chen Xingzu nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly asked, "Brother Li just said that the people of Ningyang County don't care much about the status of officials like us?"
Li Zhenming nodded and pointed to a village not far away, saying, "This is Liu Miao Village. Three people from this village passed the imperial examination, five became imperial guards, more than a dozen were recruited by Prime Minister Xu to work as clerks in the army, and five others worked as clerks in the county government. Three of them were transferred to nearby prefectures and counties to serve as assistant officials."
“The eight communities outside Ningyang County and the sixteen neighborhoods inside the city are almost all the same.”
Chen Xingzu understood.
Ningyang County has no shortage of officials; perhaps every ordinary family has an official in their family.
The problem is, this is just too abnormal!
One county!
How did a county manage to do this?
Just as Chen Xingzu was feeling a bit dreadful about life, he suddenly remembered something and stared blankly at Li Zhenming, saying, "The Imperial Son-in-Law induced the people to learn to read... Hiss~ The Imperial Son-in-Law actually considered so much for the people of Ningyang County?"