amaotonovel Chapter 218 makes it sound like I'm some kind of weak official!
Chapter 218 makes it sound like I'm some kind of weak official!
These thirteen official documents, any one of which would take one or two months, or even several months, to complete, were all given a deadline by October of the second year of Hongwu's reign. It was already the summer solstice, and from May to October, there were at most five months. Even if the local officials risked their lives, they couldn't possibly finish all thirteen documents.
Old Zhu was somewhat disrespecting the officials of the Ming Dynasty.
But after a moment's thought, Magistrate Yang felt relieved.
Of these thirteen official documents, only the thirteenth required his cooperation with officials from nearby prefectures and counties; the rest had little to do with him.
As for the already completed statistics and revisions to the household registration book and land register, there's no need to elaborate. Other data, such as the types of workshops and the number of workers, livestock, and shops, are not exactly clear to him, but he at least has a general idea. He just needs to go down and walk around, and then ask around, and he can get the data that Lao Zhu asked for. It can basically be done in a day.
As for how much suffering the officials in other prefectures and counties will endure, and whether they can complete the task on schedule...
What does this have to do with me?
If you're so capable, why don't you treat Old Zhu like a beast of burden?
Thinking of this, Magistrate Yang called out directly towards the outside of the study, "Brother Limpy Fifth! Brother Limpy Fifth!"
After Limpy Wu agreed, Magistrate Yang came out of his study and directly instructed Limpy Wu: "Let's go, let's take a walk around the county town and check out the various shops and such."
……
The number of shops in Ningyang County has seen an explosive growth compared to the first year of the Hongwu reign.
In the first half of the first year of Hongwu's reign, there was only one steamed bun shop in the entire Ningyang County, which was personally established by Magistrate Yang. Even in the second half of the first year of Hongwu's reign, there were only about ten more shops and a few more peddlers going from street to street in Ningyang County. There were no other major changes.
By the summer solstice of the second year of Hongwu, there were already more than thirty shops in Ningyang County. Although a large part of them were established by Magistrate Yang or were related to the county government, after removing these, there were still more than a dozen shops run by ordinary people in the county town, and even five or six shops opened by merchants from other places.
He had just randomly chosen a shop to enter when the shop owner hurriedly came up to him, cupped his hands and bowed to Magistrate Yang, saying, "This humble servant greets Your Excellency, the County Magistrate."
Magistrate Yang grunted in acknowledgment, then strolled around the shop before asking, "How's business lately?"
The shop owner chuckled and said, "Thanks to your good fortune, sir, business has been pretty good lately."
After answering Magistrate Yang's question, the shop owner couldn't help but say, "Actually, I didn't expect that the people of Ningyang County would be so wealthy, and that so many women would come to buy rouge and face powder."
During Hu Yuan's time, Ningyang County was a notoriously poor and small county in Yanzhou Prefecture, Tai'an Prefecture, and Jining Prefecture. Merchants from nearby prefectures were unwilling to do business in Ningyang County.
Besides the fact that Ningyang County was relatively poor, there was another more important reason: during the Yuan Dynasty, there was no shortage of gentry in various prefectures and counties. These people had long since taken control of all kinds of businesses in their respective prefectures and counties. Merchants would have to spend a lot of time and money to do business in unfamiliar places, so no one was willing to do so.
By the winter of the first year of the Hongwu reign, Ningyang County's reputation had gradually spread to the surrounding prefectures and counties. After making inquiries, these merchants discovered that there were no longer any gentry in Ningyang County. That's why they chose to come to Ningyang County to do business, and all sorts of random shops gradually appeared, including clothing shops and shops selling rouge and face powder.
Magistrate Yang smiled and, after visiting all thirty-odd shops in Ningyang County, led the lame man to a nearby clinic.
Inside the clinic, Yang Qing's apprentice, Wang Hu, was preparing medicinal herbs with several other apprentices, as usual, while Yang Qing sat quietly in a corner of the clinic, reading medical books.
Magistrate Yang walked straight to Yang Qing and said with a smile, "Your Excellency Yang is in quite a good mood."
Yang Qing put down the medical book in his hand, smiled, cupped his hands in greeting to Magistrate Yang, and said, "Your Excellency has arrived? Is it for the sake of enjoying yourself?"
Upon hearing Yang Qing's words, Magistrate Yang's face immediately darkened.
What do you mean by saying that I came here to enjoy myself to the fullest?
You make it sound like I'm some kind of weak official!
But then, on second thought, Magistrate Yang hurriedly asked, "Has Xu Jinhuan finished preparing it?"
Yang Qing smiled and nodded. He first asked Magistrate Yang to wait a while, then got up and went to the backyard. When he came back, he was carrying two small wooden boxes.
After handing the wooden box to Magistrate Yang, Yang Qing said with a smile, "This is Xu Jin Huan. If you are slightly weak, this pill is enough for you to take five or six times. Even if you are completely exhausted, this pill is enough for you to take twice."
Magistrate Yang took the wooden box, opened it with great curiosity, glanced at the pills, then brought it to his nose to smell them. He then pushed the box in front of Yang Qing with considerable disdain: "This smells terrible. Doctor Yang should think of another way to make it smell better."
Yang Qing's face immediately darkened.
As a royal physician, it's already embarrassing enough that I could concoct "Xu Jin Huan" for you. Now you want me to find a way to improve the taste of the pills and make them smell better?
You really don't treat being a royal physician like a human being!
After silently grumbling to himself, Yang Qing simply pushed the other small box in his hand in front of Magistrate Yang.
Curious, Magistrate Yang opened the small box again, only to find a small porcelain bottle inside. He opened the bottle, smelled it, and then frowned, asking, "What is this?"
Yang Qing stroked his beard and smiled, replying, "These are pills that I specially prepared for Your Excellency. Take forty pills each time with a light salt water solution, and it will keep Your Excellency healthy."
Magistrate Yang frowned slightly and asked, "Forty pills? To be taken with light salt water? That sounds so familiar."
Yang Qing stroked his beard and smiled again, saying, "When I took Magistrate Yang's pulse last time, I saw that his qi and blood were too strong, which inevitably caused him to often have some loss in his dreams. That's why I specially prepared this pill."
Did I lose something in my dream?
Magistrate Yang was immediately enraged.
Isn't this just some kind of relic?
No, I am a dignified 19-year-old lad, no, I should be 20 now, a dignified 20-year-old lad, what's wrong with having a dream now and then?
You're trying to make me suffer from some kind of yin deficiency or yang deficiency, aren't you?!