Flourishing of the Ming Dynasty Novel - Chapter 159

Chapter 159 A Good Thing Will Happen?
Relying on the tough method of making an example, the law and order in Daxing County was instantly suppressed. Although it was far from the legendary state of not closing doors at night, it had already swept away the chaos from before. Even the tyrannical slaves who bullied others had restrained themselves a lot.

However, Lu Zhen did not relax because of this. Although he did not need to worry about conflicts of all sizes for the time being, nor did he need to argue with some people of some status, the burden on his body was still not light. This was because apart from the security of the county, the county magistrate also shouldered many other responsibilities, such as the harvest of autumn grain and the simultaneous taxation.

The Chinese nation has always been based on farming and naturally regarded this as the most important matter under the heavens. Every spring and autumn, local officials would devote all their efforts to farming, and other government affairs would make way for this. In order to encourage farming, many yamens even stopped litigation in the spring and autumn seasons, so as to avoid wasting farming time. In order to show their importance to farming, some officials would even personally go to the countryside to set an example.

Although Lu Zhen was in Beijing City, Daxing County also had many villages and fields outside the city, so he had to show off on this matter. Therefore, after using tough methods to make the county government stand strong, he shifted his focus to farming. Just going out of the city to the countryside was not less than five times. At other times, he also constantly sent people to guard against any sudden changes.

In addition, collecting taxes was not a small responsibility on his shoulders. When he was in Guangling, because he was already poor, he didn’t think much of it. Once he arrived in the capital, collecting taxes from various merchants would become a task that the county magistrate had to do well. For this reason, he had almost sent out all the manpower needed in the county government. Only after constantly urging them did he manage to collect 70-80% of the tax. However, this was clearly not enough. He had to continue discussing with those merchants who were dragging their feet on paying the tax.

In the minds of ordinary people, it was only natural for the government to collect taxes. If any merchant dared not pay, they could use force, and the punishment for arresting them would be light. This is obviously a bit overestimating the power of the government at this moment. At least in Beijing, a small county government office would not dare to do so, because no one knows what kind of backing those merchants have behind them. If you accidentally offend a big shot, you will suffer.

Moreover, there are so many officials in the capital staring at him. Once the local officials do things too far and force the merchants to go to the end, I’m afraid that you will end up as an official. Because once someone decides that you are a ruthless official, the court that flaunts benevolence and filial piety to rule the world will definitely not let you stay.

Therefore, the worst thing to do in Beijing was to be a local official who was close to the people, because he was the most constrained and shouldered the heaviest burden, and he was not qualified to be an official with a deep background.

It was only after Lu Zhen truly sat in this position and began to be constantly busy with all sorts of big and small matters that he finally came to a deepest understanding of this point. Compared to the past, the days in Guang Ling were too easy. Even if they were invaded by Meng Ren, it would be easier than being cautious of all kinds of emergencies and hidden arrows from time to time.

“Your Excellency, the Yongxing Inn has finally let go. It says that after another half month, they will be able to make up the remaining taxes after they collect a sum of money for the goods.” A clerk whispered as he held the ledger in his hand.

Lu Zhen sat on the chair and held a book in his hand. Hearing this, he raised his head slightly and said with satisfaction, “This is naturally the best thing to do. However, this matter still needs to be watched carefully. When the time comes, send someone over to collect the money. Don’t think about waiting for someone to deliver the money to the county government.”

“Yes, I will remember it.” The clerk agreed and quickly wrote two notes on the book.

Lu Zhen said, “Also, the wheat in the Wang Zhuang outside the city is about to ripen. Ask Ma Liu and the others to keep an eye on it. Don’t be surprised. I heard that two villagers took advantage of the conflict to pull out the wheat at night the year before yesterday. This time, they definitely can’t come back.”

The clerk agreed again, then hurriedly turned around and left.

After one person left, he immediately followed another person into Lu Zhen’s public house and reported the relevant matters to him. Lu Zhen’s mind was also very clear, and he was able to handle everything with ease. There was no feeling of confusion. After more than an hour passed and he gave all kinds of instructions to six or seven subordinates, he exhaled a mouthful of turbid air and picked up a teacup and fiercely drank two mouthfuls of tea that had been cold for a long time.

It turned out that the county magistrate of Daxing actually had so many matters to attend to, which made him feel even more tired than dealing with those high-ranking officials before. “You know, I shouldn’t have promised Hu Ying to sit on this chair back then. Perhaps I should really go find a suitable master. Otherwise, if I’m as busy as I am, I’m afraid that there won’t even be time for dinner.” It was already past noon, but he hadn’t eaten yet.

Generally speaking, every county magistrate who took office would find a few masters to help deal with all kinds of matters, but Lu Zhen obviously ignored this point. After all, he was not a person of this era, and there was no one to remind him that he had actually been a county magistrate for two consecutive terms. Only at this moment did he realize how crucial his master was to him. Even if he didn’t find his master by the name of punishment, he still had to invite a master who was in charge of money and grain.

Just as Lu Zhen sighed at how bitter the county magistrate was and didn’t even have time to eat, a slender and graceful figure had already arrived at the front door of the public house. Moreover, the person holding the tray contained a large bowl of rice and a few plates of delicious dishes.

When he arrived at the door, Lu Zhen smelled the fragrance of the food. Looking up, he revealed a happy expression, “Why are you here?”

Chu Yunrong’s face was still flushed red. Seeing that there was no one in the room, she hurriedly walked in. “I heard that your county magistrate Lu was too busy to even take care of his meals recently. He was worried about your health, so he called the kitchen to clean up some food for you. You, although your loyalty and honesty are right, you can’t ignore your own body.”

Although the tone of the words carried some resentment, the concern was still clearly conveyed. Lu Zhen’s heart warmed up when he heard this. He smiled and stood up to receive the tray, “I’ve suffered from you. I just felt hungry and thought about what to do.”

“You, why are you always so foolish in this matter? You are usually smart when dealing with business.” Chu Yunrong looked at him with resentment and worry as she took out the dishes from the tray and placed them on the table. When Lu Zhen saw this, he hurriedly said yes and helped bring the food together.

He didn’t know if there was a tacit understanding or not, but his last two hands were placed on the same dish at the same time. The tiny dish couldn’t even put his hands on it, and the two of them touched each other’s hands.

Lu Zhen felt that his tentacles were slippery and his heart swayed as he subconsciously grasped them. As for Chu Yunrong, she was shocked. Her face was completely red, but her hand did not break free from the other party’s grasp. She only let him hold it like this.

The relationship between the two of them had become more intimate with the series of changes and the long daytime. However, for some unknown reason, they always maintained a feeling of indifference. Normally, they looked polite, and they could understand and take care of each other. However, they did come into contact with each other, but they seemed very embarrassed and stiff.

Cuimei was puzzled by this. However, she was just a little girl. She did not dare to interfere with the matters of the master and the madam. She only joked in front of the young miss. She felt that the relationship between the two of them was not like a husband and wife, but more like a close friend.

Having been together with Chu Yunrong for a long time, saying that Lu Zhen wasn’t tempted was definitely fake. However, he was somewhat unskilled in the truth of emotions. Coupled with the delicate relationship between the two of them, he seemed to be a little afraid of the situation many times. As a result, such a strange situation appeared.

Several times, Lu Zhen told himself to be bold enough to show his sincerity to her. However, when he met Chu Yunrong, he was always unable to open his mouth.

Today, this unexpected contact between the two of them made Lu Zhen’s heart tremble. He finally decided not to dodge. Therefore, taking advantage of this courage, he held Chu Yunrong’s small hand and looked straight at her. “Yun Rong, there are some things that I have been hiding in my heart. Today, I really can’t hide them anymore. I want to talk to you …”

Chu Yunrong’s heart skipped a beat when he suddenly grabbed her hand. She knew that the other party was about to reveal her feelings. This made her nervous, but she was also looking forward to it.

When she was with Guang Ling, she already had a good impression of the man in front of her. It was only because Lu Zhen’s appearance was too similar to the one before that that she did not dare to face her heart. The sacrifice of Chengtou to save him, and all the things that came to the capital afterwards, finally broke through her heart’s defenses and made her truly moved towards him.

However, Chu Yunrong was unable to express her feelings first due to her daughter’s reserved attitude, and Lu Zhen’s hesitation made her feel even more resentful. The two of them clearly had intentions towards each other, were under the same roof, and even had the status of husband and wife. However, the result was always like this. This relationship was rare in the world.

Today, Lu Zhen finally gathered his courage. This made Chu Yunrong even more shy and happy, “What do you want to say?”

“Actually, when I was in Guang Ling, I was already moved by you. I wonder if you can forget about the past and be my wife?” Lu Zhen asked in a stiff tone after taking a deep breath. After asking this question, his entire face became very serious, and his heart even raised to his throat. Even when he faced countless Meng people besieging the city at the Broad Spirit City that day, or when he fought against Wang Zhen’s people at the Grand Court Meeting, he wasn’t as nervous as he was now.

Chu Yunrong was stunned for a moment before asking softly, “Do you not mind my identity?” Naturally, she was referring to her previous identity as Lu Zhen’s wife.

Lu Zhen immediately shook his head and then asked, “What about you? Will you agree to my request?”