Traveling through time and space to become a child, supporting the family by catching fish and shrim

Knowing that Chang Anmin was going to be the county magistrate of Linshui, Chen Lang was no longer in a hurry to go to Linshui.

He had to meet with Chang Anmin first to discuss things in advance.

Chang Anmin was demoted from superintendent of education to county magistrate, which was a very serious demotion in terms of official position.

But from one perspective, for an official who stood on the side of the Shang Party to serve as the county magistrate in the extremely commercial county of Quechang did not feel like a demotion, but more like the emperor letting him do his job freely.

Therefore, some officials in the court also questioned this demotion order, but they were stopped by Xiao Yu.

The Shilin Party members in the current cabinet have gradually seen Xiao Yu's "true face" and started to unite to fight against Xiao Yu.

However, due to Xiao Yu's reputation, they did not dare to act as high-profile as they did against the Shang Party, and could only engage in small-scale friction.

When a senior official from the Ministry of Revenue learned that Ying Shan failed to get rid of Chen Lang and instead got himself into trouble, the Shilin Party in the cabinet immediately chose to forget the fact that Chang Anmin was demoted to Linshui County.

Xiao Yu also made a concession and did not express any opinion on the candidate to replace Chang Anmin as the Qinzhou Prefecture Education Commissioner.

The new education commissioner, who was carefully selected by the Ministry of Revenue, rushed to Qinzhou Road as quickly as possible, hoping to transfer power with Chang Anmin. However, when he arrived at Qinzhou Road, Chang Anmin had already left.

On the desk of the Inspector of Education was the official robe and hat that Chang Anmin had taken off.

When the new superintendent saw this scene, he felt an inexplicable surge of anger in his heart.

He's been demoted, yet he's still pretending to be so noble.

Chang Anmin had no idea how his successor was cursing him behind his back. He left Qinzhou Prefecture in a slightly shabby carriage, wearing a simple cloth robe.

After leaving the city, Chang Anmin lifted the curtain of the carriage, looked at the magnificent city gate, and left a word.

"The old man will come back."

There were no setbacks along the way after that.

Chang Anmin arrived in Nanhe County smoothly and lived in a courtyard specially built for officials to rest.

After resting for a while, Chang Anmin ordered someone to call Chen Lang to see him.

This is also the only reason why Chang Anmin moved to Nanhe County.

Chang Anmin's sister took out a can of tea from her bag and brewed a cup for her brother. She said, "Brother, I have been holding back and not asking all along the way."

"Now that we're in Nanhe County, I still want to ask, is it worth it?"

Chang Anmin picked up the teacup and said calmly, "I have been an official for decades and have seen too much suffering among the people. I know very well that relying solely on the words of sages will not make the people prosperous."

"When the granaries are full, people will learn etiquette. It is unrealistic for officials to expect the people, who can barely fill their stomachs, to have the same noble sentiments as saints."

"I don't know if this is the right path to take. But someone has to walk this path."

"I just want to give it a try and see if I can find a different path. Even if I fail in the end, it will be worth my trip to this world."

As soon as he finished speaking, a servant's voice came from outside the door: "Sir, Chen Lang is here."

Chang Anmin's younger sister retreated behind the screen.

Chang Anmin said, "Please ask him to come in."

Chen Lang stepped in, bowed, and said, "I am Chen Lang, your student, and I am honored to meet you, sir."

Chang Anmin smiled and waved his hand: "You're welcome."

"Come, take a seat."

After Chen Lang sat down, he immediately said, "The court's criticism of you is really..."

Chang Anmin continued to wave his hands and said, "There's no need to mention this matter again. The moment I appointed you as the first case, I anticipated this result."

"You, on the other hand, have been making quite a fuss over the past period of time."

"I have been an official for many years and have always been able to judge people accurately. However, you are the only one that I cannot fully understand."

Without waiting for Chen Lang to answer, Chang Anmin continued, "But you have to know that even the tallest tree in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. You come from a poor family and you like to do business. If you just become a simple merchant, you may be able to live a stable life."

"But you chose to pursue a career in government. Even the appointment of a judge in the Procuratorate was ruined by you. If you continue like this, you will probably bring about even greater disasters."

"Of course, the fact that the Procuratorate has set its sights on you is closely related to me. If anyone causes you trouble in the future, I will do my best to help you. But you also need to be careful and not be so ostentatious."

Chen Lang knew what Chang Anmin said, but the current situation did not allow him to keep a low profile.

Chen Lang said seriously, "The master's teachings will be remembered by the students."

"But the students didn't intend to publicize it; they had no choice but to do it."

"In the eyes of some people, the identity of vendors has been branded on students. No matter how low-key the students are, they can always use this identity to make things worse."

"Since they can't hide, students might as well not hide."

"These people despise students doing business, but students insist on doing it to show them, and they want to do it in a completely earth-shattering way!"

These words made Chang Anmin's sister, who was standing behind the screen, feel a pang in her heart.

"These words are somewhat consistent with what my brother said just now."

"They both walked a path that no one had walked before."

“It seems to be full of thorns, but it is also full of opportunities.”

Chang Anmin was also touched by Chen Lang's words. After pondering for a moment, he laughed out loud, "These words really touched my heart... When your business grows bigger in the future, remember to open a shop in Linshui and let me collect some taxes from you to make some political achievements."

Chen Lang said, "Sir, that's exactly what I meant."

Chang Anmin's smile slowly faded, and he said, "Are you deliberately trying to please me?"

Chen Lang shook his head: "No, sir, I had already had this idea before I knew you were the magistrate of Linshui County."

"Business and education are both influenced by the environment. A mediocre teacher cannot produce a brilliant student, and a mediocre official cannot support a great merchant."

"Linshui County is a trading center with a strong business atmosphere. No matter what kind of business you do, you won't be subject to much restriction."

"Nanhe County may seem to have a large population, but its business climate is quite average. Coupled with the fact that the county magistrate is of average ability, students who want to continue developing business here will most likely run into obstacles."

Chang Anmin stroked his beard and said, "The magistrate of Nanhe County... seems to have been born as a county lieutenant?"

Chen Lang nodded.

"It's normal that the Chief Justice doesn't understand business."

"But let me be frank. When you go to Linshui to do business, I won't deliberately give you many preferential treatments. Everything still depends on you."

Chen Lang said: "Don't worry, sir, the students will try their best not to cause you any trouble."

Chang Anmin nodded and said, "In that case, I will wait for you by the water."

"Go back."

Chen Lang stood up, clasped his fists and bowed: "Student, take your leave."