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墨書 Inktalez
"What kind of woman is she?" As soon as he asked this question, he was taken aback himself. When did he become interested in women and start believing the nonsensical tales of his subordinates?
To his surprise, the soldier spoke animatedly: "My lord, this is no secret in Linyi County. The people there all know that the Miss Liu is the reincarnation of a Bodhisattva, saving the common folk from fire and flood.
Oh, and there's also a Yang Scholar, the youngest Juren in Linyi County, who just graduated this year. After the earthquake, he contributed all his possessions to provide food, and the people within several dozen miles rely on these two to restore their normal lives.
Even County Magistrate Zhou is vigorously promoting her construction methods; it's unprecedented. General, I believe if everyone uses this method, the common folk will quickly return to their original lives."
The soldier spoke with such enthusiasm that Ning Ze frowned tightly.
Finally unable to endure it any longer, he said, "Alright, you can stop now."
He couldn't even understand how he ended up with such a talkative subordinate.
Meanwhile, Mei Hansheng was busy working under Fu Zhilang's pressure, hastily getting things done.
Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, he let out a long sigh; he had narrowly escaped death. He really wanted to send these two Imperial Envoys away as soon as possible because their presence was overwhelming.
Once outside the Yamen, Mei Hansheng straightened his clothes and put on a serious face. "What are you standing around for? Hurry up and get to work! Don't you have anything better to do?"
All the frustration he felt from Fu Zhilang was directed at his subordinates.
Inside the Yamen, Ning Ze invited Fu Zhilang over. "May I ask what General Ning needs from me?"
Although one was a civil official and the other a military officer, they held equal ranks, so Fu Zhilang didn't need to be overly polite.
"Minister Fu, please take a seat. I have heard that Linyi County already has a solution that the people are very supportive of. I wonder..."
"Really?" Fu Zhilang frowned, looking skeptically at the young general before him. Considering his background, it wasn't hard to doubt the source of his information.
The Ning Family had served in the military for generations. Old Master Ning, who was Ning Ze's grandfather, once held the title of First-Class General but gradually retired due to age and declining health.
However, the Ning Family did not decline with Old Master Ning's retirement; instead, they continued to produce talented individuals. Ning Ze's father was the current head of the family and had long been guarding the borders, honored by the emperor with the title of Guardian General.
As for Ning Ze himself, he was the most outstanding young man of his generation. At just twenty-eight years old, he held a position as Wing Commander of the Third-Class Firearms Battalion and managed weapon manufacturing in the army.
He had been dispatched mainly because he volunteered to go to the disaster area.
Fu Zhilang felt that his family background and status were not comparable to this young man. "General Ning, please speak freely."
"I'm just providing you with some clues; you'll need to arrange everything else. I'm only responsible for transporting supplies."
Caught off guard by this response, Fu Zhilang awkwardly smiled. "Thank you for your guidance, General Ning. I'll get right on it."
He had hoped that Ning Ze would propose a plan for him to execute so that if anything went wrong, given the Ning Family's contributions over many years to the court, the emperor would likely not hold them accountable. But now?
After receiving an ambiguous response, he sighed. This was his first in-depth interaction with this young general; there must be a reason why someone so young had achieved such a high position.
The next day, County Magistrate Zhou rolled up his sleeves and hiked up his pants legs to personally direct people in clearing debris and rebuilding houses.
Fortunately, most structures here were Earthen Houses; the materials were environmentally friendly and could be directly recycled for use, making cleanup relatively quick.
Next came making Mud Bricks. County Magistrate Zhou followed behind a sturdy middle-aged man dressed in yellow linen and wearing straw sandals. "How long will it take us to make these Mud Bricks?"
As temperatures rose day by day under the scorching midday sun, sweat streamed down their backs uncontrollably; some individuals were suffering from heatstroke and dehydration.
So he felt anxious; people were working tirelessly to move into houses as quickly as possible but couldn't handle this heat. Several people in this village had already succumbed to heatstroke.
The middle-aged man wiped away sweat with a towel around his neck and replied: "My lord, we can't work through this heat; we need breaks when it's hot. However, making Mud Bricks goes faster if we add more water for wet mixing—about two or three people can finish enough Mud Bricks for one house quickly."
This middle-aged man had dark skin and a strong build; his muscular arms were clearly visible beneath rolled-up sleeves. He was none other than Zhang Sanyou from Ten Li Pu.
At this moment, Ten Li Pu's Construction Team had initially consisted of thirty members but had since been dispersed across various villages with one person assigned to lead each group. This greatly facilitated County Magistrate Zhou's work.
"Alright then! Thank you for your hard work." County Magistrate Zhou felt grateful; while he could manage people well enough as an official, construction work was entirely outside his expertise—having experienced hands on site was invaluable.
"Ah! It's all thanks to Miss Liu! When you head back later, please make sure she gets some rest," Zhang Sanyou said hurriedly.
County Magistrate Zhou waved him off; as a county magistrate being able to speak calmly and kindly with an ordinary citizen like him was quite rare—he truly didn't dare accept such gratitude.
County Magistrate Zhou felt helpless but noted that compared to earlier days when they were more reserved, Shili Pu villagers were now much more open and confident.
When they first learned of his identity as county magistrate, Zhang Sanyou and others had all knelt down in reverence and spoken cautiously; their rough hands occasionally fidgeted nervously like those of women wiping sweat from their palms.
Just then, while he was preparing something else, an agile Yamen Guard rushed over like a monkey.
"My lord! Someone from above has arrived; please return to the county office!"
County Magistrate Zhou paused mid-sweat-wiping motion before calmly continuing with his cloth: "Who has come? What’s going on?"
"Oh my! My lord! Hurry up! The Governor and Imperial Envoy are here waiting for you!" The guard exclaimed anxiously; after all, those were important figures!
Why did County Magistrate Zhou seem so unconcerned?
Indeed! He wasn't too worried about those officials anymore. After all that happened post-earthquake when he urgently sent letters to Lingjiang Province hoping Mei Hansheng would send aid...
But what did this official do? The response was simply that they would wait for Sovereign orders before opening warehouses for disaster relief while leaving him to organize soldiers for rescue efforts first.
Wasn't that essentially leaving the common folk in peril?
If it weren't for having served as an official for many years and having several close friends in court circles in Beijing, he wouldn't even know when news about Linyi's earthquake would reach imperial ears.
Yet Mei Hansheng had been an official in Lingjiang for many years; his rank remained unchanged throughout. He wasn't greedy but also lacked initiative.
He sought no credit but also no blame—for instance during this earthquake incident where immediate action should have been taken instead of treating pleas from seventeen county magistrates lightly while responding only after deciding on disaster relief measures himself.
Today’s visit from both Governor and Imperial Envoy made it clear enough what their intentions were without needing further thought.
With a cold laugh escaping him, he leisurely made his way back.
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