Patriarch, he doesn't want to take the imperial examinations

Chapter 64

It's mid-July now, and although it's already the beginning of autumn, it's still hot when the sun rises during the day.

There was a moderate amount of rain last night. When I woke up in the morning, the dewdrops were dripping between the flowers, branches and grass leaves. When the wind blew, the cool air immediately brought a burst of refreshment.

Today is the opening day of the various academies and colleges in the county.After more than a month of concerted repairs by the government and the people, the houses and farmhouses in Xianghe County and the affected villages and towns have all been repaired. The newly repaired houses are not only beautiful in appearance, but also stronger than the original dilapidated old houses.

The county school where Mengzhen and the others were located was seriously damaged in the rainstorm. The collection of books on the first floor of the Zunjing Pavilion was not moved in time when the rainstorm came, and a lot of them were soaked.

Those books that were not wet were moved to the second and third floors, but because the attic was old and in disrepair, the storm raged, the windows were smashed, the roof collapsed, and fierce rain poured in. More than 3 books were destroyed. Soak to ruin at least half.

Not only the Zunjing Pavilion, but also the Minglun Hall, Zhaishe, Confucian Temple and other areas where teachers and students often move were also hit by heavy rain.Although after more than a month of repairs, these places have been built more solidly than before, but so many soaked books can never be restored.

The instructors felt sorry for it, and some even cried for a long time holding the wrinkled and dry books.

Meng Zhen was standing in front of the bookshelves of the Zunjing Pavilion at the moment, flipping through one of the books that had been soaked in rain and then dried out, stroking the handwriting that was no longer clear with his fingers, and reading it silently for a long time.

This is an out-of-print ancient book, which cannot be bought in the market. He once borrowed it here, but now it was damaged by a heavy rain, and he felt very sorry.

Afterwards, he looked through some other books that were damaged by the rainstorm. Without exception, the paper was crumpled, the handwriting was blurred, and the inner pages were damaged. Court.

Today is the first day of school after the long vacation. The instructors do not teach classes, and students do not have to stay in the area of ​​Minglun Hall. You can walk around any other place in the county school to see the school and the rainstorm. Is there any difference before.

Meng Zhen came out from Zunjing Pavilion and went straight back to Minglun Hall, he bumped into Chen Qiushi on the way, the two passed by without saying a word.

Chen Qiushi submitted an application for dropping out of school to the school, and kept mourning for his mother for three years, so he will not be able to take the provincial examination next year.

In fact, there are quite a few students like Chen Qiushi in the school.Some of the students enrolled in county schools live in the county seat, and some students live in surrounding villages and towns.

These students who live in villages and towns can only live in the school because their homes are far away from the county seat, and they can only go home once on holidays.Some remote and remote holidays cannot go back, because one day is far from enough to go back and forth, and they can only wait until the school holidays to go back.

During the heavy rain that day, these boarding students were trapped in the county school and could not get out. When they could come out after the rainstorm, they immediately inquired about the situation in their village. When they learned that the village was flooded, they ran away They went to the shelter in the county to look for their lost relatives. Some students' relatives were still found, while others lost their lives in the flood. They were never seen again.

Like Chen Qiushi, these students who have lost their loved ones have to keep mourning for their parents for three years. They will not pass the provincial examination next year, so they are submitting applications for dropping out of school today.

A total of 30 students from their group entered the county school, and now five or six of them have withdrawn, plus a few people who took personal leave and sick leave, there are no more than 20 students in the school today.

Usually, on the first day of school, everyone must be chattering, talking too much.It was surprisingly quiet today. There were not many people sitting in the classroom at the moment, and anyone who made a little loud noise was clearly heard by everyone, so the students all suppressed their voices to talk to the people around them.

Meng Zhen sat quietly on his seat with his eyes closed, emptied his body and mind, and didn't think about anything.Deng Bowen came over, called "Uncle Mong", and sat down beside him.

Meng Zhen opened his eyes, and saw Deng Bowen smiled at him, he also smiled and said: "It's Bowen, long time no see."

Deng Bowen also said: "Long time no see, I will visit Uncle Meng's house some other day."

Meng Zhen nodded: "Okay, welcome to visit anytime."

Deng Bowen didn't have much to say when he came here, but he talked about their ancestral grave being washed away during the rainstorm.

It is also strange to say that there are many new and old graves of the Deng family ancestors, but the grave of his uncle Deng Yuming was severely washed away.After the rainstorm, their family members went to renovate the ancestral grave.

In fact, it wasn't just Deng Bowen's family, the torrential rain hit, and many graves were washed away by the rain.Nowadays, people pay attention to burying in the ground for safety. If the ancestors underground are disturbed, their living descendants will not live in peace.

So after the flood, each family repaired their ancestral tombs while repairing their own houses.The same is true of Mengzhen's family, but his family's ancestral grave was not damaged, and he did not go to the cemetery, it was repaired by Meng Qing and Meng Hong.

During the post-disaster reconstruction period, Meng Qing was rarely at home during the day, and usually went out after breakfast, and did not come back until evening.

The torrential rain raged, and not only residential houses were damaged, but also merchants and shops suffered heavy losses.

The grain village managed by Mengqing was not spared either. Some of the grain was soaked and spoiled, and the remaining intact Mengqing was used as relief grain to help the victims.

In addition to Liangzhuang, Meng Qing also had to supervise the work of the two newly built schools in the county.Therefore, during the days of disaster relief, Mengzhen seldom saw Mengqing during the day.

After talking with Deng Bowen for a while, it was soon time to leave school at noon.

Back home, Meng Zhen found that Meng Qing came home early today.Not only Meng Qing, but even Meng Ze, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, also came back from the capital.

Meng Zhen still felt strange, the family hadn't been so tidy for a long time, it was rare to get together today, and the dinner table was more lively than usual.

Meng Zhen first asked about Mengze's situation in the capital, and Mengze briefly said a few words.The torrential rain last month not only affected Xianghe County, but also the capital city, but it was not as severe as Xianghe County.

After the rainstorm, the number of patients who came to the hospital suddenly increased.The little apprentice newly recruited by the medical center had something to do with his family and went home, and the master was not feeling well for a few days, so the heavy responsibility of healing the sick and wounded fell on Mengze.

During that time, Mengze went from morning to night like a spinning top, and it passed like this for more than a month. It was not until the little apprentice came back a few days ago that he took two days off to go home and have a look.

"Now that you're back, let's take a good rest." After listening to Mengze's narration, Meng Zhen said.Monze nodded, and the father and son were speechless for a moment.

Afterwards, Meng Zhen asked Meng Qing again: "Why did you come back so early today? The shop is not busy anymore?"

Meng Qing replied: "I wasn't in the shop today, I was called by the magistrate to talk."

"What did he want to talk to you about?" Meng Zhen used to want to be quiet and at ease, and he seldom asked about matters between the family and his sons, but after staying here for a long time, he found that talking to his sons can be regarded as a kind It's a kind of pastime, and sometimes I can't help but ask a few more questions.

It was rare for his father to ask about it, so Meng Qing told his father about the county magistrate.The current magistrate of Xianghe County is surnamed Wang. Wang magistrate is thirty-eight this year and has served as magistrate of Xianghe County for nearly six years.

The imperial court stipulated that the Ministry of Officials would conduct an assessment of high-ranking officials across the country every three years, and select and promote their positions according to their performance during their tenure.

Xianghe County is a large county, which is considered rich among the seven counties in the two prefectures and seven counties under the jurisdiction of Shuntian Prefecture.When Wang Zhixian first ran the county, he also thought about doing some practical things with the people to make some achievements, and three years later he would be promoted to a higher rank.

But when he started working, he realized that things were not as simple as he thought.

There are many merchants in Xianghe County, and it is inevitable for merchants to do business with the government. When they came to Wangzhi County, they met many wealthy merchants.Rich businessmen are not short of money, and whenever Wang Zhi County does something convenient for them, they will give Wang Zhi County some money in return.

At first, Wang Zhixian didn't accept anything, but after a long time, he couldn't bear the temptation of money from merchants, so he accepted it in private.As the saying goes, once you are born, you are familiar again. If there is a first time, there must be a second time and a third time, and even countless times in the future.

However, this Wangzhi County is quite measured, he accepts all the small favors offered by the merchants, but he refuses to accept anything that is too large.

There is a precedent in the imperial court. If an official takes bribes seriously and is danced to a superior official, then this person's official career will come to an end.Wang Zhixian knew this very well, so during his tenure as magistrate of Xianghe County, he has always grasped this degree and never let himself go beyond the rules.

Although he didn't receive much, but he was indeed a county magistrate with gusto.In addition, Xianghe County is peaceful and smooth, the people live and work in peace and contentment, and Wang Zhi County is at peace. In these years, no major incidents have happened in the county. He has been in office for nearly six years, and he has had no success. He is still the same as when he was in office. There is no rise.

However, under the official system of the imperial court, if an official's performance is mediocre during the three-year term, his official position is generally not promoted, and he will remain in the same position after three years.But in the second three years, that is, after the six-year period, the official still does nothing, then the official's official position will be lowered by one level, that is, transferred from a wealthy place close to the capital to a place far away from the capital.

Wang Zhixian's term of office is about to expire for six years. During his tenure, his performance has been mediocre. If he can't make real achievements, he will only be moved to the left.

He has always wanted to find a big event to make some achievements, but he has never found the right time.

However, the torrential rain in June this year gave him this opportunity.After the flood, the victims need to settle down, the disaster area needs to be rebuilt, and a series of potential disease hazards after the flood, all of which test the ability of local officials to deal with affairs.

If the response is timely and the aftermath of the post-disaster work is done properly, then in the future evaluation by the Ministry of Officials, it will be regarded as a performance and promoted to this effective official.

Wang Zhixian grasped this point. When the rainstorm first started, he immediately reported it to the governor of Shuntian Prefecture. After the flood, whether it was to prevent the epidemic, to appease the hearts of the people, or to help the victims rebuild their homes, he did everything he could to force them to do so. Means to do this thing well and perfect.

In fact he did it quite perfectly.Because of his series of appropriate measures, the victims of the hot weather gathered together and no epidemic broke out. The victims returned to their homes early. Because of all the above, the victims sincerely thanked the magistrate.

These achievements are seen by the public, and will be recorded in the official assessment at the end of the year. Wang Zhixian's promotion is in sight, and it is a certainty.

The above is what Wang Zhixian told Meng Qing when he went to find him today.Wang Zhixian also said that if his promotion goes well next year, he should move to the capital.And the capital also has Mengqing's Liangzhuang property, and he will continue to cover him and do things for him.

At the dinner table, Meng Qing told everyone what he had talked with Wang Zhixian this morning. After hearing this, the family felt a little unbelievable. This official is really good. He has done nothing during the six-year term. At the end of the rainstorm, he was promoted directly up.

"In that case, I should be grateful for the rainstorm. If it weren't for it, our county magistrate would be demoted." Meng Hong stirred the bowl with chopsticks a few times, absent-mindedly, and sneered.

Meng Qing said: "Who says it's not? The county magistrate himself said so. The county magistrate also said that natural disasters are inevitable, but people's hearts can be cared for. At this time, if the people's hearts are used well, then you, the county magistrate, can be regarded as an official." Only those who pass the qualifications will have the opportunity to be promoted later.”

The corners of Meng Hong's mouth twitched twice, disapproving of his brother's words: "Using natural disasters as a springboard for promotion, this county magistrate is really talented. Does that mean that other officials can follow this method in the future, do nothing during their tenure, and wait until the end?" For a year, I hoped for a disaster from God, and I pretended to be benevolent and righteous, and I got a high official and rich salary so easily. This official is like a child's play, and it feels so fake."

Meng Qing looked at Meng Hong, did not refute him, but said: "You don't care about other people's jokes, you just need to remember, these words I told you today, you must not spread them out, otherwise not only the magistrate will Being punished, I am afraid that your brother and I will also be implicated."

Meng Hong quickly said: "Why do we tell people these things, what good is it for us, if elder brother is implicated, our whole family may have to drink the northwest wind."

Meng Qing: "It's good that you understand." Then there was no sound at the dinner table.

Meng Zhen, who had been silent all this time, also fell into deep thought, thinking, this is how all the officials in this dynasty are like this?

Using natural disasters as a springboard for promotion and fortune, how many steps can such an official jump at once.

I don't know where this Wangzhi County will jump next.

The author says:

Originally, this chapter will be a year later, but no matter how the transition has not been made, the next chapter should be here