Chapter 201: Nightmare Town (5)

The scholar was bold, and after discovering that the turtle he had raised since childhood had developed spiritual wisdom and could speak, he was full of excitement, and couldn't even care about fear.

He told the turtle: "Books are spiritual food, if you don't eat for a day, it's hard to sleep peacefully."

The turtle was even more strange: "Food? To eat? Then why don't you eat it but always flip through it?"

The scholar laughed loudly and said: "This food is not that food. It is spiritual food that helps us broaden our horizons and increase our knowledge. Books can glimpse the sun, moon, mountains, and rivers, historical traces, and can observe the pattern of heaven and earth and the vicissitudes of the world. From the wind and clouds of the nine states to the people's livelihood and conditions, everything is in this square inch."

"Is it that powerful? After reading books and knowing the people's livelihood of heaven and earth, what's the use?"

"Naturally, it's to take the imperial examination! If you can pass, you can become an official!"

"Official? What is an official? Why be an official?"

"Officials... officials are the parents of the people, seeking welfare for the people and leaving a name in history!"

The old turtle heard that, half-understood, confused.

Only remembered that at that time, the master said ambitiously: "In the future, if I want to be an official, I must be a good official who seeks welfare for the people!"

But the most regrettable thing in the world is that one dies before one's ambition is achieved.

Although his master was ambitious, he had no background and didn't understand the ways of the world, and until he was 50 years old, he couldn't pass the exam, and finally died with hatred.

Before he died, the scholar still held the book tightly, full of regret: "It's such a pity, I still have so many books I haven't read, and I haven't..."

The scholar died just like that, leaving the human world with his regrets.

And the turtle, in the decades of accompanying its master, not only read ten thousand books with its master, but also cultivated into a human form.

Its appearance was exactly the same as its master's, holding its master's household registration certificate, and continued to read.

A few years later, it used its master's identity to take the imperial examination and actually passed it in one go.

As a child from a poor family, even if he passed the exam, he was eventually assigned to a remote small county town to be a local official.

This seventh-rank county official, he did it for 12 years.

An honest turtle with no background naturally had no chance of promotion.

Even though his political achievements were outstanding, not only did he govern a remote small county town in an orderly manner, but after Guifang and Feng Kingdom stopped fighting and established diplomatic relations, he was the first to build a small town on the border to receive merchants coming and going between the two countries.

In just three years, the small town became a wealthy place, revitalizing the whole county and making the entire Long County take on a new look.

The people of the whole county mentioned him, and they all praised him.

Until eleven years ago, an accident suddenly descended...

That year, the sky seemed to have a hole, and it rained heavily for three months.

The entire county was flooded, farmland became swamps, houses collapsed, and countless county people were displaced and had nothing to eat.

As a parent official, the old turtle naturally couldn't just watch his people starve and freeze to death.

Thus, he traveled lightly to the prefecture and requested the prefecture magistrate to allocate disaster relief grain and funds.

The prefecture magistrate was very busy and waited for three whole days before showing up.

After listening to the old turtle's situation, the prefecture magistrate asked: "Then how much rice and money do you want?"

The old turtle hurriedly said: "My county has more than 11,200 people, and each person needs at least 3 stones of millet per month. The whole county needs at least 33,000 stones of millet. There are also house repairs and dam recasting, which need 100,000 taels of silver."

"30,000 stones of grain and 100,000 taels of silver..." The prefecture magistrate pondered, without continuing, as if calculating something.

The old turtle was afraid of being rejected and said anxiously: "My lord, if 30,000 is too much, a little less is fine. Saving people is like fighting a fire, please don't hesitate, open the prefecture's granary to save the people from fire and water!"

He kowtowed one after another, his forehead bleeding.

The prefecture magistrate then spoke leisurely: "Get up, how could I be an official who sees death and doesn't save? Besides, the grain in the prefecture treasury is the country's, not personal, and it should be used at critical times. Don't worry, I will definitely save your county."

Hearing this, the old turtle felt relieved: "Thank you, my lord, the people in my county are finally saved!"

The prefecture magistrate stroked his black beard and said: "I was just thinking, you only want 30,000 stones of grain, will it be enough? The houses after the disaster need to be rebuilt, and the dam must be cast more firmly, can't save money! In addition, the seeds for farmland, do they need to be repurchased and sown? Also, medicinal materials must be complete..."

Every time the old turtle asked to see the prefecture magistrate in the past, wanting to get some funding for construction, it was extremely difficult.

So this time, he didn't dare to be disappointed too much, just wanted to get the grain to feed the disaster victims first, and then talk about other things.

Unexpectedly, the prefecture magistrate changed his usual temper and took the initiative to propose many subsequent disaster relief matters.

The old turtle was a bit moved: "My lord, if there are other materials, that would be even better!"

"Of course there are, must have!" The prefecture magistrate laughed and said, "Your county has developed very well in the past few years, and tax revenue has greatly increased. The several prefecture magistrates who came here also followed to get some light and were promoted. Of course, I won't watch the people in your county starve to death!"

He pondered and said: "Just according to my meaning, I will give you 1,000,000 stones of grain and 1,200,000 taels of silver. How about that?"

The old turtle was stunned, and then waved his hand: "1,000,000 stones of grain is too much, if it's generous, 100,000 is enough. And silver, actually don't need that much, 100,000 taels is enough!"

Too much grain, and the weather is humid, what if things are wasted? The prefecture magistrate is generous, but he can't be ungrateful!

"Oh, you pedantic old thing, who would dislike too much money and rice? Just decide according to the number I said!"

"My lord, you are truly... truly generous and moving! This subordinate kowtows to thank the lord for his rebirth grace on behalf of all the people in the county!"

"Get up, get up, it's all for the good of the people, why be so polite?"

"However..." The prefecture magistrate changed the subject and said: "... You also know that there are superiors above me. Such a large amount of grain and money, if not handled, I am afraid the adults above will block it. So... you should understand. In short, the millet that finally reaches your county is 10,000 stones."

"10,000 stones of grain? My lord, then the 1,000,000 stones just now... and the silver for rebuilding houses after the disaster..."

The prefecture magistrate's face cooled down: "Why can't you understand human words? No wonder you have been a seventh-rank county magistrate for more than ten years! If you don't give anything, you won't get a single grain of rice!"

This time, the old turtle understood. It turned out that the prefecture magistrate was so generous with the rice and silver, all to fill his own pockets under the guise of disaster relief! ===== CHAPTER 202 =====