allonlinenovel Chapter 59 This official also wants to listen to music in a brothel
Chapter 59 This official also wants to listen to music in a brothel
There's an old saying: "He who eats another's food is bound to be grateful; he who takes another's money is bound
There's an old saying that when you offer a gift, you must have something in mind.
There's an old saying that a scholar will die for one who understands him.
Old Zhu, who is known for being stingy, is being so generous. As the county magistrate, won't I have to do my best to serve him like a slave from now on?
Seeing that Yang Shaofeng remained silent, Wang Qiong smiled, picked up her bowl, and greeted him, asking, "What is Magistrate Yang thinking about?"
Yang Shaofeng smiled, picked up the bowl, drank it all in one gulp, and said, "What merit do I have to deserve the favor of His Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince, and to receive such many gifts? I am truly ashamed."
Wang Qiong suddenly burst into laughter and said, "Since His Highness the Crown Prince has bestowed these gifts, it means that Magistrate Yang deserves them. From now on, he should just do his best, be loyal to the court, and treat the people well. Why think so much?"
Upon hearing Wang Qiong's statement, Yang Shaofeng suddenly understood why later generations of netizens claimed that only Zhu Yuanzhang was Zhu Yuanzhang's biological son, while the rest were his subjects.
For example, would Wang Qiong, a mere interpreter, say these things directly to a local official?
Obviously, no.
These words couldn't possibly have been something that Xiao Zhu hinted at him to say.
The only possibility is that Old Zhu specifically instructed him, which is why Wang Qiong, who had become somewhat pedantic from studying, dared to say such a thing.
……
"This is the chicken farm."
After the banquet, Yang Shaofeng took Wang Qiong around the county town, and the first place they went was a chicken farm.
"The chicken farm currently has about twenty hens, about ten roosters, and about twenty chicks, all of which were hatched from eggs laid by the hens."
"I was thinking that when there are more chicks in the chicken farm, about a thousand or so, I would sell them to the people of the eight communities and sixteen villages of Ningyang County, in pairs of one male and one female, so that the people could also raise chickens."
"Now that His Highness the Crown Prince has suddenly bestowed so many chickens and ducks, we can distribute the chickens to the people and keep the chickens in the chicken farm."
"As for the ducks... let's not separate them for now, we'll talk about it in the fall."
"This is a pig farm. At first, there were only two sows. Later, Xu Xiang and Chang Pingzhang sent people to bring some more, which is how it grew to its current size."
"This is a livestock farm. A while ago, a calf was born here. This is the one. By next spring, this guy will be able to work in the fields." Yang Shaofeng reached out and patted the calf that ran over, and said with a smile, "Actually, if you really count them, of all these farms and livestock farms, only the original chicken farm belongs to me. The rest of the pig farms and livestock farms belong to the Ningyang County government and the people of Ningyang County."
Wang Qiong asked at the opportune moment, "Then how should the profits from pig farms and livestock farms be distributed to the people?"
Yang Shaofeng reached out and stroked the calf's head, laughing, "There are two sows in the pig farm that I bought myself. These will definitely not be distributed. The rest will be bought by the county government at the price of live pigs, and the money will be distributed to each village and hamlet, and then distributed to the people by the village heads and commune leaders."
"The pigs that the county government bought will be slaughtered and sent to the steamed bun shop in Widow Village, where the women will make steamed buns and deliver them to the construction site of the artificial lake for the young and strong men to eat."
"Of course, I and Brother Limpy Fifth will also eat some, so I can also get some benefits."
"When there are more piglets in the future, they will be gradually distributed to the people in each village and community so that they can also raise pigs."
"The livestock farms will not be distributed to the people for the time being, because all the cattle and horses that can work in the fields have already been distributed to various villages and communities. Only the pregnant ones will stay in the livestock farms to give birth."
As they strolled around, Wang Qiong and Yang Shaofeng arrived at the lighter workshop.
“Some of these women are from Heshan, and the other part are what that old woman said, who were forcibly conscripted by me to work.”
Yang Shaofeng pointed to the group of busy women and said, "However, I did pay them wages. These women can earn about ten coins a day, which adds up to three to five hundred coins a month. In two or three months, they can earn about one string of cash, which is more than a strong laborer earns. But the old woman's daughter-in-law couldn't come to work, which is why the old woman resents me so much."
Wang Qiong nodded thoughtfully, a hint of envy gradually appearing on her face: "No wonder Prime Minister Xu and Chang Pingzhang praised Magistrate Yang in their memorials, and no wonder His Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince value Magistrate Yang so much. Just based on the four words 'loves the people like one's own children,' Magistrate Yang deserves the reward given by His Highness the Crown Prince."
Yang Shaofeng laughed and waved his hand, saying, "I cannot accept such a statement from Wang Sheren. In truth, I am not without my own selfish motives."
Pointing in the direction of the chicken farm, Yang Shaofeng said with a smile, "For example, that chicken farm is actually my own property. If the people don't have money, how can I sell the chickens and eggs from my farm?"
“Take myself for example,” Yang Shaofeng pointed to himself, “Actually, I also want to enjoy myself every night and listen to music in brothels every day, but the people are so poor that even a whole family can’t afford a set of clothes without patches. Ningyang County is also poor and small, without even a brothel. I have nowhere to entertain myself, do I? Moreover, there is no assistant official in the Ningyang County government. Even if I want to entertain myself, I can’t do so because of official duties.”
"If Ningyang County can become prosperous, and the people have money in their hands, more merchants will be willing to do business here, and the people will be able to earn more money. In the future, more children will be able to go to school, and then there will be more assistant officials in the county government, and I will be able to relax."
Wang Qiong laughed heartily and gave a thumbs-up, praising, "Magistrate Yang is indeed a straightforward man. I have seen many officials in the capital and many people who listen to music in brothels every day, but no one dares to say it as openly as Magistrate Yang."
In just a few words, the two went from discussing the livelihoods of ordinary people to the four ironclad principles of men, which brought them closer together and eliminated the estrangement that had arisen from Wang Qiong being beaten.
Of course, only Wang Qiong himself knows whether the matter has truly disappeared or not, but at least on the surface, he no longer cares about it.
After leaving the lighter workshop, Yang Shaofeng took Wang Qiong for a stroll around the county town.
"This is Jia Er Lü. The Lü chief's nickname is Mancang, and his official title is Wang Sishi. There are 22 households and 70 people, of whom 30 are able-bodied men and the rest are women and children."
"This is Jia Sanlu..."
As they strolled around, Yang Shaofeng introduced the situation of each neighborhood in Ningyang County to Wang Qiong: "Ningyang County is small, so I divided the entire county into four major neighborhoods, Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding, according to their location. Each neighborhood is further numbered one, two, three, and four, and each has a neighborhood head, which can be considered as helping me share some of the burden of promoting agriculture and sericulture."
"I was thinking of organizing the able-bodied men to repair the road after the autumn harvest, and to renovate and widen the main road from Ningyang County to Yanzhou Prefecture. When the situation is better next year, I will renovate the Confucian Temple and try to invite two teachers to give lectures."
Wang Qiong nodded and said, "Now I understand why Magistrate Yang whipped that young man who was involved in the gambling match. As the saying goes, parents who love their children plan far ahead for them. Magistrate Yang, as a parent official, is wholeheartedly thinking about the people of Ningyang County. I truly admire him."
Yang Shaofeng replied, “I cannot accept such praise. Wang Sheren serves the Ming Dynasty and the court as well as I do, and he works even harder than I do. It is I who should admire Wang Sheren.”
With constant mutual flattery, the two of them strolled around the city. Wang Qiong had a pretty good grasp of the ins and outs of Ningyang County and had also figured out the character and manners of Magistrate Yang Shaofeng.
After Wang Qiong's servant led people to transport all the gifts bestowed by Emperor Zhu Chongba to Ningyang County, Magistrate Yang Shaofeng immediately summoned Lame Five: "Quickly, Fifth Brother, take people to move all these things out of the city and distribute them to the Eighth Society and the Sixteenth Society..."
Before he could finish speaking, Wang Qiong reached out and stopped Yang Shaofeng: "Magistrate Yang, please wait. Please send someone to invite the heads of the eight communities and sixteen neighborhoods of Ningyang County, as well as the elders of each community and neighborhood, to the county government. His Majesty has other instructions."