The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

Generally speaking, the areas near the city gates are bustling and lively.

Ci County is no exception.

I saw that most of the people coming and going near the city gate were dressed decently, with bright eyes. There were quite a few peddlers pushing carts and carrying loads, but not many beggars.

The large number of people doing business shows that the security in the city is quite good.

The further you go into the city, the more prosperous it becomes, with many vendors shouting on both sides.

There are many restaurants and inns.

Overall, it seems that the people are quite wealthy. Even if they don’t dress well or eat well, at least they have enough clothes to cover their bodies and food to fill their stomachs.

That's pretty good in this world.

After County Magistrate Yu accompanied Zhang Ping'an and his party to settle down at the posthouse, he bowed and said, "Master Zhang, you must have been exhausted after traveling all the way here. Please rest at the posthouse first. I have to go back and inform County Magistrate Lu that I will host a welcome banquet for you at the county government office tomorrow!"

"Thank you for your help, County Magistrate Yu," Zhang Ping'an nodded.

He hasn't figured out the situation yet, so he doesn't plan to be overly enthusiastic towards the second and third in command of the county government, so as not to make others think that he is an easy target.

Although these people do not hold high official positions, they have been in the officialdom for a long time and are very good at judging people's status and treating them well.

Once the other party feels that you are easy to talk to and manipulate, it will be difficult to carry out official duties in the future.

This is what Minister Qian and Lin Junhui have repeatedly warned us about: there needs to be a sense of distance between superiors and subordinates, and the proper degree of interaction must be maintained.

Zhang Ping'an knew that the two of them were better at this than he was, so it would always be a good idea to listen to their experiences.

It is said that a higher-ranking official can crush a person to death!

Even though Zhang Ping'an was a newly appointed official, his rank was higher than everyone else's, so no one would criticize him even if his attitude was indifferent.

After the group of people from the county government said goodbye and left.

Zhang Ping'an ordered someone to bring in some water, and he washed and changed his clothes again. Only after washing away all his fatigue did he feel refreshed.

After sitting at the table, drinking a cup of tea and thinking for a while, Zhang Ping'an knocked on the table and called Chi Bao in.

"Master, do you have any instructions?"

Zhang Pingan pondered, "Tonight I'll give you some money. Take everyone out for dinner. In groups of two or three, go to different parts of the county and ask the vendors about the county's conditions, including prices, labor costs, taxes, and the reputation of the county officials."

After eating, he immediately understood and nodded, "I understand!"

"Yeah," Zhang Pingan nodded, then reminded: "Don't be too deliberate. If they are willing to talk, then talk. If they don't want to talk, don't force them. If so many of you spread out, you will definitely be able to find out some useful information."

"I understand, sir, don't worry!" After eating, he nodded heavily, took the silver and went out.

After everyone left, Qian Youyi came out from the inner room, walked around the screen, sat down at the table, poured himself a cup of tea, and then said, "You want to go and ask about others, but I guess others have already asked about you. There must be people sent by County Magistrate Lu and that County Magistrate Yu to follow them outside the posthouse."

Zhang Pingan smiled faintly and said, "It's okay. Ci County is so big, how can they control everyone's mouths? I think the county's economy and public security are pretty good, and the people are also pretty good. This shows that County Magistrate Lu is quite capable and has some bottom line in his official duties."

Qian Youyi smiled when he heard this and said, "A new official has three things to do when he takes office. It all depends on how this first one goes."

After saying this, he recalled the past and said, "Although my father is now a third-rank minister, after passing the imperial examination, he also studied in the Hanlin Academy for two years, and then was sent to Yi County, Ganzhou, to serve as the county magistrate, where he gained some experience. I was born in Yi County, and the 'Yi' in my name also has this meaning."

"Oh? I see. This is the first time I've heard of this," Zhang Ping'an said with a smile. "But being posted to a local area is indeed the only way to get promoted."

"Yes," Qian Youyi nodded and continued with a faint smile, "But by the time I was older and could remember, I had already returned to the capital. My father told me that he encountered many problems when he took office. The most important one was unclear accounts, which is a common problem that occurs when every official takes over, with varying degrees of severity. In the end, the chief clerk fell into the water and died, and the matter was finally resolved, and the handover went smoothly!"

Having said that, Qian Youyi looked up at Zhang Pingan, his eyes fixed on him as he said, "You must be mentally prepared. The intrigues and deceptions of the officialdom are not so easy to get by with."

Zhang Ping'an's expression remained unchanged. He smiled and said, "Thank you, Madam, for your reminder. However, you must have confidence in me. As the saying goes, every obstacle is a challenge. When an enemy comes, we will meet him with our troops; when a flood comes, we will block it with earth!"

Speaking of this, a cold light flashed in Zhang Ping'an's eyes.

He will definitely survive well in this troubled world!

Qian Youyi retracted his gaze upon hearing this, stood up and said, "Just keep it in mind!"

At dinner, Zhang Ping'an asked the inn to prepare some local specialties, such as steamed fish, steamed shrimps and crabs. They were very delicious when dipped in the condiments. The meat was tender and refreshing, with the unique sweetness of seafood.

Zhang Laoer was quite surprised. As he ate, he exclaimed, "This sea fish is really delicious. The meat is sweet and has no bones. It's even better than what we had in Lin'an."

"Old man, of course. This fish was served on the table less than half an hour after it left the water. It's so fresh that you can't compare to it in Lin'an. This is a specialty of our Ci County seaside," the servant who served the food at the posthouse explained with a smile.

Qian Youyi ordered the maid to give the servant some reward, which made the servant smile with joy.

He flattered her, "March is almost over, and the sea is about to open. When the time comes, the old master can ask the servants to take you to the beach. The endless sea there is something you can't see in the mainland!"

"Really? Then I have to take my family for a walk. I have never seen the sea in my life," Zhang Pingan said with a faint smile.

This was the truth. The most he had seen was the bay in Lin'an, and the dock was full of ships, with passenger and cargo ships mixed together. The smell was really bad, so he didn't like to go there.

I have never seen a truly boundless ocean.

Never in this life or the past!

He really wants to go for a walk!

After the family had dinner, they returned to their rooms.

He hadn't brought anyone back after finishing his meal yet. I guess it took him a long time to find out.

Zhang Ping'an was not worried that they would be assassinated. Based on his background and identity, as well as the current situation, combined with what he knew about Magistrate Lu and the situation in the county, he concluded that they were not so bold.

By the time it was almost time to light the lamps, Zhang Laoer and the others had all gone to sleep.

Only bring people back after they have eaten their fill.

"How's the situation?" Zhang Ping'an asked, and then waved his hand to signal him to sit down and talk.

After eating and sitting down, he said, "Based on what everyone has learned tonight, the people of Ci County are living quite well, much better than those in Liushupo. Moreover, the reputation of this county magistrate is also quite good!"