Chapter 00154: It Seems Unreasonable, Yet It Also Seems Quite Reasonable
# It Seems Unreasonable, Yet It Also Seems Quite Reasonable
Chapter 154
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 154: It Seems Unreasonable, Yet It Also Seems Quite Reasonable
"That's more like it. Commoners shouldn't be under our management."
In a moment of crisis, not forgetting to lead over a hundred villagers to escape, He Chunhua had done his utmost.
Naturally, the subsequent arrangements for the villagers' return home would be handled by Wuliu County, having nothing to do with him as the governor of Xia Prefecture.
"So, this meal hosted by the county magistrate is also a thank-you banquet. A gentleman surnamed He has invited us to rest at his mansion for the night. My parents have already gone to wash up and change, so we shouldn't be late."
It turns out that while he was sound asleep, He Chunhua not only led the team through Qianteng Town and arrived at Wuliu County, but also established good relations with the county magistrate and others.
His father truly had boundless energy, He Lingchuan yawned again.
The carriage had already stopped at the entrance of the gentleman He's residence, and two young servants came forward to greet them, leading the brothers to a quiet courtyard.
The two washed up here, and Mama Qian brought new clothes for them to change out of their old garments.
Especially He Lingchuan, whose clothes were stained with blood and mud, and had several torn holes; one could smell the strong scent of blood without even getting close.
Just as Mama Qian was about to help the brothers tie their hair, someone knocked on the door.
He Lingchuan opened the door and was surprised to see Zhu Xiuer.
Zhu Xiuer had already tidied herself up and changed into the attire of Lady Ying.
It is said that a person is defined by their clothing; her originally dark complexion and flushed face had lost much of their rusticity after donning the embroidered garments, revealing a hint of calm and gentle demeanor.
Perhaps this was her true nature, which had not yet been worn down by the hardships of life.
She smiled slightly at He Lingchuan: "You have fewer servants, so I came to help Mama Qian."
He Lingchuan, feeling bold, took two steps back to let her in: "You live here too?"
He didn't know how to address Zhu Xiuer, should he call her Miss or Lady?
"Yes, Lady Ying insisted."
Zhu Xiuer raised a wooden comb, signaling him to sit still, "But the people of Wuliu County, including the county magistrate and the master of this He residence, do not know my background."
He Yue chimed in: "Father has already issued a gag order to the entire army; this matter must not be spread. Miss Zhu will travel north with us, and we will only say she is our cousin."
Concealing Zhu Xiuer's past? Not only that, but even hiding her existence, to prevent any unfavorable rumors from spreading once she returned to her family.
The behavior of He Chunhua and his wife could be said to be very generous towards Zhu Xiuer.
As Zhu Xiuer untangled He Lingchuan's hair, she said: "This kindness, Xiuer finds it hard to repay. In the future, if the He family has any requests, I will not dare to refuse!"
"You're being too modest. Those who save themselves will be saved by heaven; we are merely following the natural order."
He Yue asked her, "Are you really unwilling to join us for the banquet? It would be fine to go as our cousin."
Zhu Xiuer smiled: "I won't go; it's better for me to appear less and rest more."
Seeing her cheerful tone and the light in her eyes, He Yue was slightly surprised.
This "cousin" truly seemed like a new person.
After tidying up, the brothers went to Hongtai Tower for the banquet.
...
After a meal, both host and guests were delighted.
He Lingchuan walked out with a full belly; the lamb stew here was fragrant and tender, truly well-cooked.
All the officials of Wuliu County had come, along with a dozen or so gentlemen accompanying them.
They continued to see He Chunhua and his family off to the carriage at the entrance of Hongtai Tower.
As the carriage left, He Lingchuan could still see their warm smiles.
This kind of enthusiasm was something he had long been accustomed to in Heishui City, but seeing it on the faces of officials from another place was still quite novel.
They had walked from Heishui City to Wuliu County, and the local officials along the way had been polite, but not to this extent.
Hmm, perhaps it would be more appropriate to call it flattery.
"Hey, old man, what benefits did you give the county magistrate to make him smile so broadly?"
"I mentioned him in my report to the capital regarding the bandit suppression, saying that he promptly compensated the disaster victims and pursued the remaining bandits."
He Chunhua, having been busy for a day and night, was also tired, leaning against the carriage and closing his eyes to rest.
He Lingchuan chuckled: "Did he really pursue them?"
"Those mountain paths still need to be cleared a few more times to ensure no remaining bandits are lurking. Many people died in Dingsheng Town and Xianling Village, which also relates to the rebel army. If handled improperly, the county magistrate's position could be in jeopardy."
He Chunhua smiled, "If I mention him, he will have more merits than faults, so of course he will thank me."
Lady Ying was puzzled: "How can there be so many officials in Wuliu County?" From the county magistrate, county deputy, to the head clerk and constable, all the way down to the minor officials, there were as many as thirty people.
"Your original governor's office didn't have this many personnel."
"Madam is observant."
Lady Ying liked to wear fresh flowers, and He Chunhua pointed to the red rose by her ear, "A flower arrangement requires twenty-five or six petals; if you count the calyx, it’s even more."
"That still has some reason."
He snorted lightly, "But there are even more without reason."
He Lingchuan understood that his father meant "without reason" referred to the official positions.
In reality, the official positions in the county were very few, at most seven or eight people, but Wuliu County had a total of thirty to forty, with the excess being non-staff personnel.
There were all kinds of roles, such as tax collectors, patrol officers, household registrars, and educators; the county could not function without them.
He Yue frowned: "I see that Wuliu County is not prosperous; how can it afford so many?"
Earlier, when the carriage entered Wuliu County, his older brother, who had been exhausted from the day’s journey, was fast asleep, while he had been observing the surroundings all the way.
Wuliu County was no different from other rural areas, perhaps even a bit more desolate.
"There are at least twenty more substitutes in this county."
He Chunhua leisurely explained the routine to him, "These are all bought with money; the wealthy have influence, and the treasury has silver, so everyone is happy."
With so many non-staff, some were indeed recruited by the county, while others were funded by local wealthy families, which is commonly referred to as buying positions, getting a nominal official title to add some prestige.
"This place is not far from Woling Pass, and it must have been affected by the war between officials and bandits, making life difficult for the people. Now that finances are tight, do you think the county will tighten its own belt and suffer?"
He Yue blinked: "Is the prefecture not managing this?"
"How could the prefecture not know? It's just a matter of some petty rules. Whenever the prefecture or county runs out of money, they naturally find a way around it."
He Chunhua laughed, patting He Yue's shoulder, "Child, you are too young; being an official is a profound study."
Although the second son was clever, he was only fourteen and had not yet experienced the ways of the world.
He Lingchuan found it quite surreal.
When the county's finances were tight, the response was not to streamline and cut costs but to sell positions for money, making the officialdom even more bloated.
It seems unreasonable, yet it also seems quite reasonable.
He Yue was speechless, and after a long while, he asked: "Why didn't the people from the Zhechong Office come to the banquet? I heard some of them have already returned to Qianteng Town."
"That is likely because Zhao Duwei wanted to return early to report."
He Chunhua said without thinking, "The Zhechong Office needs to report this matter to the Wang Court as soon as possible."
He Yue seemed to understand: "Competing for credit?"
"Yes, it relates to the major issue of dispatching troops to quell the rebellion. Whoever reports to the Wang Court first may be the one to gain benefits."
"These are all conventional methods."
He Chunhua was indifferent, "This Zhechong Duwei hasn't moved for many years; if he doesn't achieve some merit soon, he will likely die in this remote place."
He Lingchuan exclaimed: "The county magistrate and the Zhechong Duwei are both busy reporting; isn't Father worried about his credit being snatched away?"
He Chunhua smiled slightly at his indignation: "What is meant to be mine will naturally still be mine."
With confidence in his heart, he could remain unperturbed by honor or disgrace.
Then, he began to inquire about what happened after He Lingchuan fell off the cliff.
"That's a long story."
There were too many events that occurred in between, so He Lingchuan could only vaguely say, "I fell into a hole at the bottom of the cliff, which happened to be the lair of a Crocodile Demon. There, I rescued the nearly lifeless Wu Shaoyi. He was grateful for my kindness, and thinking he had nowhere else to go, he simply accepted the amnesty!"
At this point, he suddenly remembered: "By the way, where is Wu Shaoyi?"
"In another residence resting, with someone specifically watching over him."
He Chunhua praised his eldest son, "You handled the matter of amnesty for Wu Shaoyi well and beautifully!"
He Lingchuan had nothing much to hide, so he recounted the subsequent events one by one, but omitted his gains in the Immortal's Cave, only saying that there was nothing inside.
He Chunhua looked out the window; the carriage had already returned to the He residence: "It's time to get off. Madam, you rest first; I have matters to discuss with the children."
Lady Ying nodded and went to change with Mama Qian.
He Chunhua led the brothers through the backyard to the woodshed: "I borrowed the woodshed from Mr. He for use; it's quiet."
This residence could not compare to their luxurious house in Heishui City; the backyard had been turned into a vegetable garden, raising a dozen chickens.
The advantage was that it was spacious and had few people.
The woodshed was secluded, rarely visited, but at this moment, a light was on.
As He Chunhua and his sons approached, the door opened, and Zhao Qinghe stood at the entrance.
He Lingchuan followed him inside and saw a person kneeling in the woodshed, claiming to be a confidant of Lu Yao.
Zhao Qinghe had caught this guy in the small forest by the stables today.
He was unfortunate; after escaping from Lu Yao's side, he hadn't run far before his horse accidentally broke its leg.
He Lingchuan asked curiously: "What do we need this person for?"
"He claims to know a lot about the bandit army's internal affairs and is confessing in hopes of leniency."
Just as He Chunhua nodded, the captive hurriedly spoke up:
"After the great defeat at Woling Pass, the morale of the righteous army scattered. General Lu relied on his remaining prestige to gather over a thousand people, but he didn't lead them properly. Everyone worried about where their next meal would come from and whether they would be hunted down by the officials, while General Lu was drunk every day."
"Once, we passed through a town where a wealthy family surnamed Zhao lived. They had so many cattle, sheep, and grains that they couldn't finish eating, and their gold and silver piled up like a small mountain. This family voluntarily offered everything to the general, just asking us not to kill anyone. The general agreed at the time, but after drinking too much at night, he took Zhao's little grandson to roast and eat, praising how tender he was. Old Zhao was so furious that he died that night."
He bitterly smiled, "Later, the locals issued wanted notices for us, and the officials chased us relentlessly, exhausting us to no end. That was when we realized, oh, this Old Zhao was actually a high official who had just retired to his hometown the previous year. The local governor couldn't just ignore us."
6000+ words presented, reaching out for monthly tickets~ Additionally, I have to go clear my throat again today, so I’ll take a break from writing.
The detection point is incredibly far, and the line is incredibly long.
(End of Chapter)