Chapter 30

Lin Yanzhao followed the servant into the gate, passed through a corner gate between two walls, and arrived at the inner residence. Crossing the courtyard, he found himself in a hall with three rooms. The servant lifted the bamboo curtain of the western room and invited Lin Yanzhao to enter.

Lin Yanzhao looked around, thinking this must be where the county magistrate entertained guests. Soon, a beautiful maid brought him a cup of tea.

Lin Yanzhao picked up the teacup and took a sip. Hmm, this tea is even better than the one at the Inspectorate. I can throw away the large bowl tea. Just as he was savoring the tea, he heard a genuine Shaoxing accent from outside the door.

"Sorry, sorry, I was busy with official duties and kept you waiting, honored guest."

Before Lin Yanzhao could finish his tea, the other person had already arrived. He put down the teacup and stood up, saying, "I dare not, Mr. He, I just arrived."

The two met face to face. Mr. He was short and had a completely different style from the Xu family's secretary.

Mr. He said, "Aren't you the prodigy from Hongtang Township, the great master's favorite student? Why did Mr. Xu use you as a messenger?" It was clear from his tone that Mr. He was somewhat surprised.

Lin Yanzhao smiled and said, "After today's court session, I went to visit my teacher. It was because of my teacher's and Mr. Xu's trust in me that they entrusted me with the task of delivering the letter."

Mr. He smiled and said, "I see. At such a young age, you have earned the trust of the Inspector and Mr. Xu. Your future is truly limitless. Mr. Xu and I have a long-standing friendship, so you are not an outsider to me."

"Mr. He, you flatter me. I am shallow in knowledge and only have nimble legs. Since you look favorably upon me, I am willing to run errands and deliver letters."

"Good, I will rely on you in the future."

Seeing that his purpose for this visit had been achieved, Lin Yanzhao did not say more to avoid any slip of the tongue. He directly handed the letter from Mr. Xu to Mr. He.

Upon seeing the letter, Mr. He's smile faded. He spat and skillfully opened the letter to read it.

Lin Yanzhao observed Mr. He's expression, which did not look good. After a while, Mr. He smiled bitterly and said, "This, this, Mr. Xu still doesn't treat me as one of his own."

Mr. He put the letter away and asked Lin Yanzhao, "Young friend, did Mr. Xu say anything else besides this letter?"

"This... I don't think so."

Mr. He slapped his hand and said with a bitter face, "This is troublesome."

Lin Yanzhao wondered what kind of trouble it was. He had come to the county office with the intention of trying his luck, but even the big shots like Hu and Zhou were passing the buck. He decided to stay out of it. Since he had delivered the letter and met Mr. He, he thought it best to leave and get closer to Mr. He later.

Lin Yanzhao was about to stand up and take his leave when a constable rushed in and said, "Mr. He, it's not good..."

Mr. He coughed, and the constable, noticing Lin Yanzhao, whispered a few words in Mr. He's ear.

Mr. He's face was full of worry as he said, "What can I do? Send them away first."

"This..."

"Do what you usually do. Why are you being soft-hearted now? What are you here for if not to maintain order?"

"Yes." The constable hurriedly left.

Seeing Mr. He's worried face, Lin Yanzhao stood up and said, "Mr. He, there's nothing else. I'll take my leave."

"Please stay." Mr. He smiled.

"Mr. He, do you have any other instructions?"

Mr. He smiled and said, "I feel a connection with you at first sight. I have a few words to share with you."

So quickly, and such intimate words. Lin Yanzhao could only say, "Thank you for your trust, Mr. He. I am all ears."

"Do you know why the county magistrate is seeking help from the Inspector?"

"I don't know." Lin Yanzhao answered frankly.

Mr. He's face showed a hint of disappointment. "It seems Mr. Xu didn't tell you. I guess we can only try. This time, the magistrate has a problem with the Inspector. It's related to the flood in Min River."

"Oh," Lin Yanzhao recalled the scene at the city gate, where he saw displaced people everywhere. He felt compelled to speak up, "Please go on, Mr. He."

Mr. He said, "This time, the flood in Min River has affected ten counties in the prefecture, and Houguan County has been hit hard. Not only that, but tens of thousands of refugees have flooded into the city. The number of people suffering from disease and hunger is unknown, and there is no place to accommodate them. Tens of thousands of people are starving."

Lin Yanzhao was somewhat displeased and said, "When I came, I saw the county office not handling the situation but instead blocking people outside the city. Do they think that by not seeing them, the world will be peaceful?"

Mr. Shen said, "Young friend, you are not in the government, so you don't understand the difficulties. If we let the starving people into the city, it will disrupt the order. If they cause trouble at the governor's, the provincial administration, or the military commissioner's office, the magistrate will lose his position."

Lin Yanzhao smiled coldly but asked, "What is the magistrate's plan?"

Mr. Shen said, "At this point, the only option is to open the granaries for relief. However, Houguan County doesn't have enough grain. Even the grain in the Changfeng Granary won't last the people for a few days. The magistrate originally wanted to borrow grain from Min County, which has ample grain in its Changfeng Granary and three reserve granaries. He planned to borrow a batch and return it after the autumn harvest. But the magistrate of Min County refused."

"Then why not report it? Surely the governor won't ignore it?"

Mr. Shen sighed, "The governor and the magistrate of Min County are in the same city. The governor secretly supports the magistrate of Min County, who claims that his county also has refugees and refuses to lend grain."

"Each sweeps the snow from his own doorstep and cares not about the frost on his neighbor's roof! If the governor's office is backing him, why is the magistrate seeking help from the Inspectorate? The governor's office won't give the Inspectorate any face."

Mr. Shen smiled and said, "You don't know. Inspector Hu and the governor have a close relationship. If he can speak to the governor, the matter will be easy."

What a bad idea. My teacher, Inspector Hu, would never agree. If Inspector Hu speaks to the governor, the governor, with his power, can pressure the provincial administration. However, the Inspectorate would offend the governor's office. Inspector Hu, who values his reputation and wants to leave with a good name, wouldn't do such a thing.

Of course, unless Inspector Hu and Magistrate Zhou have a very close relationship. But Inspector Hu is a Jiajing 35th year graduate, and Magistrate Zhou is a Longqing 5th year graduate. Inspector Hu is from Chongyang, Huguang, and Magistrate Zhou is from Nanhai, Guangdong.

They are neither from the same year nor the same place...

Thinking about this, a thought flashed through Lin Yanzhao's mind: Longqing 5th year!

The chief examiner for the Longqing 5th year examination was none other than the current chief minister, Zhang Juzheng. For other examinations, Lin Yanzhao might not remember, but Zhang Juzheng left a deep impression because he was the first chief examiner in Ming history to be impeached by his own student.

Of course, that's a story for later. At the moment, Zhang Juzheng had just become chief minister after ousting Gao Gong. As a student of the current chief minister, Magistrate Zhou was still in favor.

As for Inspector Hu, Lin Yanzhao had a few guesses. Zhang Juzheng is from Jiangling, Huguang, and Inspector Hu is from Chongyang, Huguang. They share a hometown connection.

No wonder Magistrate Zhou accompanied Inspector Hu when he visited the countryside...

Now I understand everything.

Lin Yanzhao smiled and said, "Mr. Xu once told me that the magistrate is a student of Grand Secretary Zhang, and he is not an outsider to my teacher."

Mr. Shen slapped his thigh and laughed, "Of course. The magistrate regards the great master as a family elder. If you can help Mr. Xu and the great master, the magistrate will reward you generously."

He had no choice. Magistrate Zhou was new to his position, and his only support in Fujian was Inspector Hu. If he didn't rely on him, there would be no one to help. Although he knew the chances of this child achieving anything were slim, he had to try.

After a moment of thought, Lin Yanzhao said, "Mr. Shen, if you don't mind, I have an idea to help the magistrate."

Mr. Shen immediately perked up and asked, "Do you have a way to persuade the great master? Please share it. If this works, the magistrate and I will reward you generously."

Generous reward, Lin Yanzhao hesitated. He didn't know Mr. Shen's character, and Magistrate Zhou, being so harsh, was not a good person to rely on. However, Inspector Hu's term was almost over, and Lin Yanzhao had few opportunities. He needed to seize any chance to stand out.

After thinking it through, Lin Yanzhao said, "Mr. Shen, I am just a minor figure and may not have the influence to persuade my teacher."

Mr. Shen said urgently, "Young friend, are you joking with me?"

Lin Yanzhao smiled and said, "I dare not. Even if I had the courage, I wouldn't dare to joke with Mr. Zhou. This matter doesn't need to trouble my teacher."

"If not Inspector Hu, who else?"

Mr. Shen was skeptical and said sternly, "Young man, don't exaggerate. Do you think you are the governor? Will a county magistrate give you face?"

Lin Yanzhao said, "Mr. He, please trust me once. Even if it fails, it will only waste some ink."

The county office had plenty of ink, and Mr. Shen frowned but ordered someone to bring ink and paper.

After Lin Yanzhao wrote, he said, "Give this letter to the magistrate of Min County, and he will certainly agree to lend grain to Magistrate Zhou."

Mr. Shen, seeing Lin Yanzhao's confidence, took the letter with a puzzled look. He read it and saw the following: "In the past, Duke Hui of a small state could move the people of He Nei to He Dong for grain. Now, the Emperor is the ruler of the world. How can he bear to close the grain market in Min County and let Houguan County starve? Is he mocking the young Emperor and seeking to divide the land and become a vassal?"

Mr. Shen, holding the letter, trembled and suddenly stood up, praising, "Young brother, you are truly a genius!"

Lin Yanzhao bowed and said, "Mr. Shen, I dare not. I am just doing what I can for the people of my hometown."