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

"How exactly do you want to explain it?" Zhang Pingan asked.

After finishing his meal, he composed his words and continued, "I'm uneducated and not well-informed. I'm only answering what was asked today. Please forgive me if there's anything inappropriate!"

After he finished speaking, he saw Zhang Ping'an nodded before continuing, "Let's talk about the prices and wages in Ci County first. For ordinary people, the only things we care about are firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea. I asked several grocery stores and small vendors, and basically the prices are more than half cheaper than in Lin'an. Compared with our hometown, it is slightly more expensive. The most convenient thing is salt. There are salt fields on the seashore. I heard that many people don't buy salt much, but instead draw salt from the sea and then pickle it. If you need to use salt, just throw the pickles into the pot and stir-fry them with other vegetables to get some salt flavor. As long as you don't sell them outside, no one will blame you."

"Well, it's normal to live by the mountain and by the sea. But as far as I know, the illegal salt dealers here are quite rampant and they can't stop despite repeated bans," Zhang Pingan pondered.

"I've also noticed that the people here are quite tough. Some people argue with each other while eating, and even start fighting over a disagreement. The vendors said this is very common, and the arguments are even more intense at the docks and salt fields," said Chibao.

He scratched his head and said, "But the wages here are not bad. Many foreign merchants' cargo ships will stop at the dock to rest and sell goods. The pearls here are also quite famous. These people are generally generous when hiring people to move goods. It is also because of these people that the county is quite prosperous. Normally, a strong man who works hard can support himself without any problems."

"Well, what is the reputation of the officials in the county government?" Zhang Ping'an asked, tapping the table rhythmically.

"County Magistrate Lu has a good reputation. The people say he's honest and upright, never accepting bribes, and very compassionate to the people. During his six years in office, he's done a lot of good things, like building bridges and roads, and he's also established a charity church. During the busy farming season, he'll visit villages and towns in disguise. He's a rare good official."

After speaking, he paused. "As for the others, it's a bit hard to say. The County Magistrate Yu who welcomed the master today has a very bad reputation. His family is a local resident of Ci County. It is said that his grandfather has been the County Magistrate of Ci County. After several generations of running the business, he has great influence in the county. Many of the petty officials under him listen to him! He usually bullies the people in the village and acts tyrannically. The people say that if County Magistrate Lu was not a good person, they would probably be plundered to the point of not having enough food to eat!"

Zhang Pingan pondered after hearing this: "It seems that County Magistrate Yu is the tyrant of Ci County! I wonder if County Magistrate Lu has been sidelined..."

"That's it!" Chi Bao was a little angry and pounded the table.

He hates this kind of corrupt officials the most!

"Okay, I get it. You've worked hard today. Go back and rest first. I'll tell you if there's anything else," said Zhang Ping'an.

"Well, I'll go back first. You should also go to rest early, master," he said after standing up after eating.

After everyone left, Zhang Pingan sighed. It seemed that he had to be extremely attentive during this handover and not be careless at all.

As the saying goes, the county magistrate is permanent, but the county magistrate is transient.

Although the county magistrate is a deputy, in most places the county magistrate is the local tyrant, and many times the county magistrate has to rely on the support of the county magistrate to carry out his work.

Although County Magistrate Lu was an upright official, the County Secretary's actions were so rampant that it was easy for him to leave behind bad habits.

The most feared thing when taking over a new position is the malpractices and shirking of responsibility left behind by the predecessor.

For example, unresolved cases and false and wrongful convictions, tax deficits and unclear money and grain accounts, the mess of engineering projects and corvee labor, etc.

It is not uncommon for the successor to make up for the debt owed by the predecessor.

This is only the first step.

Even if he takes office smoothly, what follows will be a game of negotiation between him and his subordinates and local forces.

He had to consider the deception and subversion of clerks, the resistance of powerful landlords to the new policies, and the removal or placement of the former county magistrate's power.

The food at the welcoming banquet tomorrow night won’t be good! Zhang Ping’an shook his head, stood up, walked to the window and looked into the distance.

He stood for a long time, clearing his mind of all distractions, and then went to bed to rest.

Probably because he thought about things during the day and dreamed about them at night, Zhang Pingan imagined all the problems he would encounter and how to deal with them, and he slept very uneasily that night.

When I woke up in the morning, I didn't feel very energetic. I had to wash my face with cold water and drink two bowls of strong tea before I felt better.

After getting himself refreshed, Zhang Ping'an took his people on a tour around the county.

I chose a stall that was doing good business and sat down to have breakfast.

We tasted Cixian's specialty rice cakes and large wontons with gravy.

Except for the taste being a bit salty, everything else is pretty good.

After breakfast, Zhang Ping'an went to the county bookstore again.

It was a holiday today, and there were very few people in this largest bookstore in the county. Some of the annotated books were even covered in dust. This was not only because the waiter was not diligent in cleaning, but also because not many people were browsing the books.

It further explains that the imperial examinations and education were not popular in this county.

Zhang Pingan picked up two books and took them to pay. He asked the shopkeeper with a puzzled smile, "Shopkeeper, I see that the economy in this county is prosperous, and most people can afford to eat and wear clothes. Why are there so few people reading the books in your bookstore?"

After saying this, he bowed and said, "I hope you can help me solve this problem!"

The shopkeeper was a thin old man with gray hair, but it was combed meticulously.

Hearing this, he looked Zhang Pingan up and down, then stroked his beard and said with a smile: "This scholar, it seems that you are from another place!"

"That's right!" Zhang Ping'an nodded.

The old man shook his head, lowered his head and counted on his abacus, "Thank you, a total of two taels and eight cents!"

Zhang Ping'an smiled and paid the money.

The old man then slowly replied, "Scholar, you don't know that our Ci County is not big, but it is close to the sea. It has a superior geographical location, abundant resources, and a vast dock. Most ships passing through here stop here for supplies. In addition, we have salt fields and shipyards, so making a living is not difficult. Most of the boys will go to work or do business when they grow up. Few can concentrate on studying!"

"Since we have a rich life, we should study hard and strive for a better future," Zhang Pingan said with a smile.

"It's just the trend of the times and the pursuit of profit. It takes many years of study to see results, and you may not be cut out for it. It's different when doing business or going overseas. As long as everything goes well, you can make a fortune in one trip. Comparing the two, naturally there are fewer people studying," the shopkeeper joked.

After saying that, he said no more and started drinking tea.

Zhang Ping'an didn't care about this. He thanked him and left.

Then he returned to the inn and rested for a while.

Seeing that it was almost dark, he asked Qian Youyi to prepare a small gift, take some food with him, and drive the carriage to the county government office.

He must enjoy this welcoming banquet.