Chapter 35: 35. Ru Shixiong is Kingly, Su Mei is Hegemonic (Seeking follow-up reading and votes!)

35. Ru Shixiong is Kingly, Su Mei is Hegemonic (Seeking follow-up reading and votes!)

Checking accounts is not a simple job.

Not to mention in this era where arithmetic is backward, and accountants can only rely on abacuses to assist in arithmetic.

Although Ouyang Rong knows a little advanced mathematics, he is not heaven-defying, and he can't just pick up an account book and see through the loopholes at a glance, and then take his brothers to copy the family.

He just received basic education, while these people are making a living by calculating accounts.

However, fortunately, Ouyang Rong cultivated a team that was relatively familiar and handy.

When he first took office and decided to use labor as relief, he asked County Assistant Diao for manpower. At that time, more than half of the people in the county government office thought he was having a whim and busy blindly, and not many were willing to go to the outskirts of the city to work hard for disaster victims without oil and water—the magistrate might seek fame, but these old oilers didn't seek fame.

But fortunately, Ouyang Rong was also a magistrate, and in the local area, the official was one level higher and crushed people to death. County Assistant Diao had to "obediently" find people for him, arranging a batch of idle clerks from the six departments of the official government office to go and toss.

When Ouyang Rong saw this batch of clerks for the first time, he knew that they were all guys who were not very popular in the county government office—either green and inexperienced, or seventy or eighty years old.

However, later in the outskirts of the city, Ouyang Rong led them to count the household registration and grain of the refugees every day, and established disaster relief camps all the way. After a period of running-in, Ouyang Rong unexpectedly found that the work was done quite well.

Also, the green-headed clerks might lack experience, but they were highly plastic and energetic, plus Ouyang Rong was also an old pie-drawing monster, and the blood-beating part was enough;

And the old clerks who were seventy or eighty and still squeezed out, in most cases, what they lacked was not ability. On the contrary, their business ability was quite strong and their experience was rich. The reason why they were marginalized by superiors and colleagues was because they didn't flatter superiors and their temperaments were stubborn and eccentric.

Laugh to death, I don't know if County Assistant Diao did it intentionally or unintentionally, but the two types of people sent to deal with Ouyang Rong were quite complementary, and they were all the most capable people in the county government office...

Old Cui was such an old clerk. Ouyang Rong met him when he was preparing to build disaster relief camps and gathered clerks for a meeting.

At that time, Ouyang Rong was newly appointed and full of enthusiasm, proposing some grain distribution plans that were too idealistic after practical work. Other clerks in the hall nodded and agreed, only this old Cui, who was thin and had a pointed chin, didn't care about the new magistrate's face at all, and calmly pointed out that this way of distributing grain would create a bottomless pit in finance, and the 10,000-plus shi of rice in Longcheng's rice granary wouldn't be enough to fill it.

Ouyang Rong wasn't too annoyed, and asked for advice on the spot, and was convinced by his well-founded arguments. Later, he directly let this old Cui lead six new clerks to manage the silver and grain finance of the 24 disaster relief camps on the outskirts of the city.

Ouyang Rong also learned later that the very detailed financial account books that came in and out of the county government office every year were made by this old Cui, who was clearly not the chief official of the Household Department of the county government office, but was specifically responsible for "nailing account books."

At this moment, opening the east warehouse to calculate accounts, Ouyang Rong politely declined the people from the Household Department and Granary Department under County Assistant Diao. The ones sent to replace them were this batch of disaster relief camp clerks led by Old Cui...

The sun tilted west, and Longcheng County, which had just recovered some vitality from the flood, was shrouded in darkness, as if falling asleep with the sunset.

Looking down from high altitude, there were only sporadic lights in the courtyards of wealthy households; because poor families didn't light lamps in the evening, they relied on the hazy sky in the distance to finish their meals in front of the door and go to sleep, which could save a lot of lamp oil.

In the past, the county government office courtyard on Luming Street should have extinguished its lights and dismissed the government office, but at this moment, it was brightly lit, especially the east warehouse, which was usually empty except for mice, was now guarded by heavy soldiers at the door, and clerks were busy at their desks inside.

Ouyang Rong also dismissed County Assistant Diao, who was hesitant and always probing. He and Yan Liulang, who was carrying a full meal box, returned to the east warehouse.

The east warehouse was originally a house similar to a warehouse, with thick walls on four sides, and only a skylight the size of a human head on the roof, but it was also tightly closed, so as long as the main gate was guarded, it was indeed impossible for even a fly to fly in.

He sent a late-night snack to Captain Qin, and the armored soldiers pushed open the heavy main gate. Ouyang Rong looked at the crowd focusing on calculating accounts at several tables at the door, walked in silently, turned around, and stopped behind Old Cui to look.

This old clerk, who was not very popular in the county government office, wasn't that old, but everyone called him Old Cui.

He wore a melon-skin hat, and his graying hair was combed meticulously. It seemed that his eyesight was bad, and his thin face tried to lean close to the pages of the account book, as if he wanted to insert his pointed head into the book.

However, this old gentleman's regular script was indeed dignified and lively, with a lot of flavor.

Ouyang Rong sighed slightly, seeing that the time was almost up, he personally placed the meal box in front of Old Cui and other clerks, and said with a smile:

"Eat first, calculate after eating. It will trouble everyone tonight."

Others agreed to stop their pens, but Old Cui didn't lift his head until he finished writing the work in his hand, then stood up leisurely to eat.

Ouyang Rong squeezed in with everyone to eat, and asked curiously:

"Old gentleman, are you a local?"

Old Cui shook his head. "Escaped from disaster in a famine year."

"Never thought of returning to your hometown?"

"No worries, nothing good to go back to."

"Heard from Liulang, you adopted a pair of orphans in the disaster relief camp."

Old Cui's chopsticks stopped. "Sent them to another family to raise. The conditions are better than mine."

Ouyang Rong nodded and didn't ask any more.

Just accompanying the calculating clerks to finish eating, he helped pack the meal box and asked: "The Liu family's accounts, how fast can they be calculated?"

Other young clerks all looked at Old Cui.

The latter said calmly: "No sleep tonight, check it out tomorrow morning."

"Good, then it will trouble everyone tonight."

Ouyang Rong nodded, and then no longer disturbed everyone, helped pack the meal box, and left the east warehouse with Yan Liulang.

He returned to the Meilu Pavilion, explained to his aunt, and returned to the county government office with a quilt in his arms under the latter's worried gaze.

Yan Liulang saw it and asked in surprise: "Magistrate, what are you doing?"

In the main hall, the young magistrate spread the quilt on a long table and laid it out carefully. "Making the bed."

"Uh, I'll accompany the Magistrate."

"No, you take people to the Meilu Pavilion and protect Aunt well."

"Then Magistrate, you..."

"Junior Sister and General Qin are here, it's fine. Besides, I am an official of the imperial court. If any family really dares to take a risk... then that's just right, no need to calculate accounts, go directly to knock on the door and send warmth."

"Okay, Magistrate, pay attention to safety."

"Go."

Luming Street, a mansion with a simple gate and no stone lions.

Xie Lingjiang, dressed in heroic men's clothing, pushed the door and entered, walking through the winding corridors and various elegant gardens with ease. However, when passing by a quiet pavilion in a certain garden, she happened to catch a glimpse of a familiar beautiful shadow.

"What is Su younger sister looking at?"

Su Guoer, with wet red plum blossom makeup between her eyebrows, leaned on the corridor, blowing the gentle evening breeze, opening a book to read, while the maidservant with a bun-like face held a lantern to illuminate her.

"Tao Yuanming's poetry." Didn't lift her head.

"Tao Yuanming?"

"Hmm."

"Well, I remember this person seemed to be a famous scholar in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Oh right, didn't he serve as a magistrate in this county a few hundred years ago? How many days was it..."

"Eighty-one days, then resigned." Familiar with the family history.

"Right, seems to have heard Ru Shixiong mention it."

Su Guoer, who was just perfunctory, suddenly closed the book and asked: "Sister comes from a scholarly noble family in Jiangzuo, and Longcheng County can be considered Jiangzuo. Does the Chen Jun Xie clan have any scattered poetry collections of this person collected over the past hundred years?"

"Tao Yuanming's poetry?"

The stunning woman who was reading at night in the corridor, with a cold and arrogant temperament, suddenly straightened her slender waist, leaned forward slightly, stared at her and said:

"Yes, for example, a small prose called... Return to the Fields?"

Xie Lingjiang thought carefully and shook her head:

"I liked poetry when I was young, and some rare poetry collections in the Liuxu Pavilion at home were often flipped through, but I don't remember seeing this Return to the Fields. Why is Su younger sister suddenly interested in this?"

Su Guoer's bright eyes reflected by the lamp light dimmed a bit.

She didn't answer, but asked casually: "Sister looks quite happy, is there any happy event?"

Unexpectedly, it just happened to poke the itch of Xie Lingjiang's chat.

This Xie family noble girl didn't care that Su Guoer changed the subject, smiled, and told all the things Ru Shixiong had done today, and finally didn't forget to add a sentence:

"Rest well tonight, and go copy the family tomorrow."

Su Guoer heard the layouts of the young magistrate when she was in front, couldn't help but look at the county government office direction, quite surprised, and silently reflected on some things...

However, after hearing Xie Lingjiang's last sentence full of interest, she looked up at this Xie Jie and shook her head lightly.

Su Guoer lowered her eyes again and opened the book to read.

Xie Lingjiang frowned slightly, "What does Su younger sister's shaking head mean?"

"It doesn't mean anything, just..." Su Guoer said softly: "Sister should be careful recently, and go out less."

"Why?"

The woman with plum blossom makeup in the corridor tried her best to be tactful: "Strong dragons usually can't suppress local snakes. Does Sister know why?"

"Speak."

"Because of arrogance."

Xie Lingjiang's tone was cold: "Su younger sister is still embarrassed to say others are arrogant."

"It's different."

"It's the same."

"Arrogance also has distinctions. For example, I am arrogant to the Liu clan, but I won't be slow."

"So you are not Ru Shixiong."

Xie Lingjiang shook her head, "Ru Shixiong only does upright things, because justice can only be taken uprightly. If you hold power and copy people's families without saying a word, then what is the difference between this and evil tyrants? It's just a higher-level evil tyrant, disguised as justice."

"Your Ru Shixiong's justice is truly arrogant."

"Those who use force to pretend to be benevolent are hegemons, those who use virtue to practice benevolence are kings." This woman in men's clothing wearing a crown and carrying a sword raised her head and held her sword: "This is not arrogance, Ru Shixiong is the Kingly Way. And Su younger sister, you are the Hegemonic Way."

"Ru Shixiong will definitely suppress you." She was convinced.

"The Kingly Way also needs to have a life to be king. There is no family in this world that can better understand the four words of success or failure than us."

Su Guoer murmured, shaking her head stubbornly: "Anyway, Sister should go out less these few days. You can accompany my mother more these few days..."

Before she finished speaking, she found that the Xie family noble girl in front of her was gone. Looking up and following Caishou's curious gaze:

Only to see Xie Lingjiang, who seemed to have returned to rest, decisively returning the same way and going out again...

Su Guoer turned her head and said: "Sister is more stubborn than my elder brother."

"..." Caishou.

Actually, you are the same, young lady. ===== CHAPTER 36 =====