jdhmnovel Chapter 637 This official is not the king of the wishing well!
Chapter 637 This official is not the king of the wishing well!
If I don't keep an eye on Ningyang County and Dengzhou Prefecture, where else can I keep an eye on?
If I set my sights on that chair in the capital, will you, old lord, ever be able to sleep soundly again?
Bah, no, only a fool would stare at that broken chair. I get up earlier than the chickens, sleep later than the dogs, and work harder than the oxen. How can I be as comfortable as I am in Ningyang County and Dengzhou Prefecture?
The weather is fine today, so I can have someone slaughter a sheep for barbecue.
If it rains tomorrow, I can have a sheep slaughtered for hot pot.
If I ever suffer any mistreatment from your two daughters, I can summon envoys like Park Sung-hsiang and Do Soon-chin and give them a good scolding.
At worst, he could take his men to the fields to drink tea, and if he didn't like any of the idiots, he could go and kick them a couple of times, and they would even praise him for kicking them so well.
Unlike you, old Deng, who did the most work and endured the most scolding, even for hundreds of years. I won't even mention the stories about stealing cattle when she was herding cattle for landlords or being lazy when she was a monk. Just the stories about Fengyang Flower Drum, where nine out of ten years were barren, and the stories about bombarding the celebration tower and sending roast goose to Xu Da are enough to make people angry.
Seeing the look of disgust on Yang Shaofeng's face, Emperor Zhu was both confused and increasingly annoyed.
Emperor Zhu, his face dark and sour, looked at Yang Shaofeng and asked, "Tell me, how many years have Ningyang County and Dengzhou Prefecture been suffering from drought?"
Yang Shaofeng immediately perked up.
"Since my son-in-law became the magistrate of Ningyang County, Ningyang County seems to have been suffering from drought."
"It is now the fifth year of Hongwu's reign, and there has been a drought for four years before that."
"In Dengzhou Prefecture, my son-in-law only took office in the third year of Hongwu's reign. Apart from the earthquake in the second year of Hongwu's reign, there should have been a drought for four years as well?"
Yang Shaofeng gazed longingly at Emperor Zhu: "Four consecutive years of drought have caused immense suffering for the people of Ningyang County and Dengzhou Prefecture!"
Emperor Zhu blinked.
Do you want to hear what you're barking like a dog?
So the drought specifically targeted Ningyang County and Dengzhou Prefecture, while the other prefectures like Jinan, Yanzhou, and Laizhou were spared?
If that's really the case, then we'll have to do some serious research on you, you bastard, to see if there's anything special about you, otherwise why does every place you go become a drought?
wrong.
It should be said that wherever you hold office, drought will occur.
This makes it even more worthy of study and reflection.
While complaining in his heart, Emperor Zhu snorted coldly and said, "Let's not talk about Ningyang County and Laizhou Prefecture for now. Just look at Jinan Prefecture and Laizhou Prefecture, they've been suffering from drought for four years."
"Although Wang Guangyang had already ordered the extensive repair of irrigation canals and the excavation of reservoirs by the end of the first year of Hongwu, and the imperial court had also exempted Shandong from taxes and allocated many tools, agricultural implements and oxen, the workshops in various prefectures and counties were far inferior to those in Ningyang County. Therefore, the progress of repairing irrigation canals and excavating reservoirs could not compare with that of Ningyang County and the prefectural government."
"This time, we plan to allocate manpower to other prefectures and counties in Shandong Province, so that they can also dig two more reservoirs and build more irrigation canals."
"Incidentally, your Ningyang County and Dengzhou Prefecture should also send a few people to help other prefectures and counties with the work on irrigation canals and reservoirs."
Yang Shaofeng was dumbfounded.
So all that talk and talk, not only did I fail to get any workers from Old Deng, but I also had to lose some of my own manpower?
Moreover, Zhu Chongba is clearly a greedy and incompetent man. If my people are in his hands, are they still my people?
Yang Shaofeng snorted and said, "Ningyang County can allocate twenty people. If Dengzhou Prefecture and the ten counties below it pool their resources, they can allocate about a hundred people. That should be enough."
What the hell!
One hundred and twenty people!
Emperor Zhu unconsciously looked up at the window.
Could it be that the sun rose in the west today?
Otherwise, would this Pixiu be willing to spit things out?
That's a whopping 120 people, all from Ningyang County and Dengzhou Prefecture. In other places, they'd be more than enough to build irrigation canals and dig reservoirs, or even to serve as assistant officials like registrars or clerks!
Emperor Zhu chuckled and said, "Pretty much, pretty much. However, our Great Ming Dynasty doesn't only have Shandong as its provincial administration. Other prefectures and counties are experiencing droughts and floods, so of course, the more manpower the better."
Ok?
Yang Shaofeng was completely numb.
I am merely a prince consort, concurrently serving as the magistrate of Ningyang County, the prefect of Dengzhou, and the vice minister of the Court of State Ceremonies. I am not a turtle at the wishing well!
Furthermore, the manpower in Ningyang County and Dengzhou Prefecture is not like leeks; it's not like you can cut one crop and immediately start growing a second one.
Finally, could you please have some sense of boundaries and self-awareness, Mr. Deng?
You can't keep targeting me and exploiting me just because my surname is Yang!
The thought of being taken advantage of made Yang Shaofeng even more unhappy.
Old Deng was trying every means to fleece me, Xu Da next to me was also fleecing me, Chang Heitan, who was far away in Dengzhou Prefecture, was also fleecing me, and even Zhu Biao, that black sesame dumpling, didn't forget to fleece me.
What, am I just destined to be exploited by you?
Yang Shaofeng grew angrier the more he thought about it, and couldn't help but want to find someone to vent his anger on.
Old Deng?
Old Deng is no good.
My mother-in-law is still in Ningyang County. What if Lao Deng eats two catties of goji berries and my mother-in-law helps him deal with me?
Little Deng?
Even Xiao Deng won't do.
It was the crucial moment of the imperial examination in the fifth year of Hongwu's reign, and Xu Da and Chang Heitan were about to go and confront Hu Yuan. Xiao Deng also had a lot to worry about, so it wasn't a good time to take it out on him.
Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen?
No, those two old guys are too old. If they get angry and something bad happens to them, Old Deng will have no one else to rely on and might even try to get me to take the fall.
Xu Da and Chang Yuchun?
That won't work either. Not to mention that they're about to go and fight Hu Yuan, the fact that Xu Da is still in Ningyang County makes it unsuitable.
Otherwise, what about Park Sung-sung, Park Deok-hwan, and Do Soon-chin?
Tsk.
What rank do they hold that they deserve my attention?
Yang Shaofeng pondered for a moment, then suddenly his eyes lit up.
I've made up my mind, you're the ones!
Yang Shaofeng smiled and looked at Emperor Zhu, saying, "Father-in-law, you have the well-being of the people of the world in your heart. I admire you greatly."
"But as for manpower, Ningyang County and Dengzhou Prefecture really can't provide any more."
"Or, why don't you take a look at the Imperial Academy?"
"The Imperial Academy has now been completely split up, with each provincial administration commission having its own Imperial Academy."
"Isn't it more convenient to transfer people from the Imperial Academy in the various provincial administrations than to transfer people from Ningyang County and Dengzhou Prefecture?"
Emperor Zhu glanced at Yang Shaofeng and asked in return, "What level are the students of the Imperial Academy?"
Yang Shaofeng chuckled and said, "It doesn't matter what level they are at. What matters is who's behind them. And the people behind them are all quite capable."
It's all about getting freebies anyway.
What's the point of you targeting me alone?
Let's broaden our horizons and take advantage of the entire gentry class of the Ming Dynasty!