ebookslot Chapter 104 County Government Office
Chapter 104 County Government Office
Chapter 104 County Government Office
The next day, Zheng's mother got up early and went to knock on Zheng Ding's door.
When Zheng Ding opened the door, he had dark circles under his eyes and a pale face. His clothes were neat, but he looked listless and seemed a little unsteady on his feet.
Seeing this, Zheng's mother felt very distressed: "Come with me to your uncle's place today."
Zheng Ding wanted to decline, saying he still needed to review his lessons, but seeing the worried look on his mother's face, he swallowed back the words he was about to say and silently nodded.
After the mother and son ate some food inside the house, they boarded a carriage and headed towards the residence of Zhang Dashan, the magistrate of Qinghe County.
Zhang Dashan was resting in his study when he heard that his sister and nephew had arrived, so he rushed to the hall.
Upon seeing Zheng's mother, he smiled and said, "Sister, you've arrived! Please have a seat, please have a seat."
Zhang Dashan and Zheng's mother, being siblings, had an excellent relationship since childhood. When Zhang Dashan took the imperial examination, he lacked the travel expenses to go to the capital. Zheng's mother sold her dowry and gave him all her savings.
Now that Zhang Dashan has achieved some success, he has naturally not forgotten his older sister.
Zheng's mother nodded and sat down in the chair.
Zheng Ding stepped forward, bowed, and called Zisheng "Uncle," then stood aside with his hands at his sides, head bowed, saying nothing more.
Zhang Dashan glanced at him and frowned slightly when he saw his haggard appearance, but he didn't rush to speak. He first ordered the maid to serve tea and then chatted about everyday matters for a while.
Mother Zheng answered each question with a smile, but the smile was clearly forced, indicating that her mind was not on the matter at all.
Having spent many years navigating the officialdom, Zhang Dashan was naturally quite adept at reading people. Seeing his sister's hesitant expression, he understood what was going on.
He picked up the teacup, took a sip, put it down, and waved to the maids and servants standing on either side: "You may all leave. Do not come in without my permission."
The maids and servants filed out, leaving only the mother, son, and Zhang Dashan in the hall.
Zheng's mother looked at Zheng Ding and said, "Son, you should go out for a moment. Your uncle and I have something to discuss."
Zheng Ding nodded, bowed to Zhang Dashan, and then withdrew.
The door was gently closed, and the room immediately fell silent.
Seeing this, Zheng's mother stopped beating around the bush and spoke her mind, saying, "Brother, I won't hide it from you. I've come today to ask you for a favor. Please help Ding'er with the imperial examination."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Dashan frowned: "Help? How can I help? The imperial examination is a matter for selecting officials, not just my personal affair. Although I am the county magistrate, I cannot cover up everything. Besides, Ding'er himself is not ambitious and does not study hard. Even if I wanted to help him in the examination hall, I couldn't."
As he spoke, his tone was full of disappointment: "Look at him! The imperial examination is just around the corner, and he's still out partying every day. Look at the state he's ruined! He's so thin, he could be blown away by the wind. He doesn't look like someone who's about to take the exam!"
Hearing this, Zheng's mother quickly waved her hand and explained, "Brother, you've misunderstood. Ding'er isn't like this because he's out partying. These days, he stays in his room all day, never leaving, studying his lessons every day, and hardly ever goes out. I advised him to take a break, but he wouldn't listen. Yesterday, he finally went out for a bit, and I thought he was finally going to relax, but he came back in less than half an hour and locked himself in his room again."
As she spoke, Zheng's mother's voice trembled with emotion: "Brother, tell me, it's good for a scholar to work hard, but to work so hard like this, I really can't rest easy. As his mother, of course I hope my son will succeed, pass the imperial examinations, and bring honor to our ancestors. But health is the most important thing. What's the use of passing the exams if you're ruined?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Dashan's face showed a look of doubt.
How could he not know what his own nephew was like?
Zheng Ding was never a well-behaved child. He was good at eating, drinking, and having fun, but he was very inattentive to studying.
As his uncle, he worried about him a lot and scolded him a lot, but when did this kid become so studious?
It's good that you've learned so much you don't even leave the house, or that you've learned so much you've ended up like this?
"Is this kid really studying inside?" Zhang Dashan asked again, somewhat unwilling to believe it. "Sister, you're not lying to me, are you?"
"Brother, how could I have lied to you about something like this?" Mother Zheng's tone became somewhat anxious. "I came here today hoping you would tell me that you could help him with the imperial examination, so that he could relax a little. Otherwise, if things continue like this, I'm afraid he'll collapse before the examination even begins."
Seeing this, Zhang Dashan was somewhat helpless. He sighed, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.
Zheng Ding was his own nephew, so he naturally made preparations.
However, since the matter was already done in secret, there was no intention to tell anyone else, not even Zheng's mother, for fear of leaking the news and causing unnecessary trouble.
"Sister, Ding'er is, after all, my own nephew. I know what I'm doing," Zhang Dashan said, his words carrying a hint of reassurance. "You go back first. I'll take Ding'er to the county government office. I have some official business to attend to today, so I'll have him come along and give him some advice."
Upon hearing this, Zheng's mother's anxiety finally subsided somewhat. She stood up, took Zhang Dashan's hand, patted it, and said with a mixture of gratitude and relief in her voice, "Brother, then I'll leave it to you. Ding'er doesn't listen to me, but you're his uncle and the county magistrate; he'll always listen to you to some extent."
"Don't worry, sister, I know what I'm doing." Zhang Dashan nodded.
After seeing Zheng's mother off, Zhang Dashan looked at Zheng Ding and said, "Come with me to the county government office."
Today, after Qin Chuan returned from slaughtering livestock at Song Tou's place, he took the time to tidy up the place.
Yesterday, the old master told him that he would be taken to the county government office today to meet someone to complete the household registration matter, and told him to dress properly and not to be impolite.
When the old master said this, his tone was solemn, and Qin Chuan dared not be negligent.
Upon arriving at the school, the old teacher looked Qin Chuan up and down, nodded slightly, and a satisfied smile appeared on his lips.
Qin Chuan's outfit today is neat and tidy, neither shabby nor ostentatious, just right.
"Come here." The old scholar beckoned to him, pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper from under the books on the table, unfolded it, and laid it on the table.
Qin Chuan walked over, stood beside the old scholar, and looked down at the piece of paper.
The old scholar pointed to the words on the paper and began to explain line by line: "This is an identity document. It says that your name is Qin Chuan, your ancestral home is Qinjiagou in Shuanghe County, and you are my distant cousin. Your hometown suffered a disaster, your fields and houses were destroyed, and your parents and relatives have all passed away. You are all alone and have no one to rely on, so you came to Qinghe County to seek refuge with me."
Seeing Qin Chuan nod slightly, the old scholar continued, "Because of the long journey and the thieves along the way, all your belongings were lost, including your household registration documents. Now that you wish to settle in Qinghe County to study and participate in the imperial examinations, I have brought you here to reissue your household registration. Do you remember all of this clearly?"
Qin Chuan silently recited the old master's words in his mind, then nodded: "Reporting to the master, I remember everything clearly. Qin Family Village, flood, my parents died, I came to you for help, but was robbed on the way, and my household registration was lost."
Seeing that he remembered everything perfectly, the old scholar nodded in satisfaction, folded the certificate, tucked it into his sleeve, stood up, straightened his clothes, and said with a touch of solemnity, "Since that's the case, let's not delay any longer. While it's still early, let's go to the county government office. The registrar there is named Feng Shu, and he and I were classmates in the academy in the prefectural city. Although our friendship wasn't deep, we were classmates for several years. I've asked him to do something, and out of consideration for our past friendship, he probably won't refuse."
After saying this, the old teacher led Qin Chuan out of the school and walked along the bluestone path towards the county government office.
Upon arriving at the county government office, the old scholar did not go through the main gate, but instead went around to the back gate and knocked on the door.
Who is it?
The doorman's voice came from inside, sounding somewhat irritated.
The old scholar replied, "We have come to see Registrar Feng. Please pass on a message that our former classmate Zhou Ran requests an audience."
"Wait," the doorman said, followed by a sound of footsteps.
A short while later, a voice came from inside again, "You all wait outside. Registrar Feng is busy. He'll see you when he has time."
The old master remained expressionless, responded with a "good," then stepped back and stood quietly by the wall near the door, waiting patiently.
Qin Chuan also stepped back and stood beside the old master. The two of them waited for several quarters of an hour before the door finally opened again.
The gatekeeper leaned out, his expression impatient, and didn't even glance at the old scholar: "Come in, Registrar Feng is waiting in the room."
The old scholar didn't speak, straightened his clothes, and stepped over the threshold. Qin Chuan followed behind him. The two passed through a narrow alley, went around a clump of withered bamboo, and were led by the gatekeeper to a side room in the backyard of the county government office.
The doorman knocked twice on the door, and a calm, unhurried voice came from inside: "Come in."
The doorman pushed open the door, stepped aside, and the old scholar took a deep breath and strode inside, with Qin Chuan following behind.
The side room was small and simply furnished, with a long table, two chairs, and a calligraphy scroll hanging on the wall that read "Integrity, Prudence, and Diligence".
Three characters.
Behind the long table sat a man in his forties, with a thin face, prominent cheekbones, a short mustache on his chin, wearing a green official robe and a black gauze hat.
This man was Feng Shu, the registrar of Qinghe County, in charge of household registration, taxes, and official correspondence. Although he was not a high-ranking official, he was a powerful figure in Qinghe County.
When Feng Shu saw the old scholar enter, he didn't get up or gesture for them to sit down. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, hands on the armrests, legs crossed, and looked the old scholar up and down. "Oh, isn't this Zhou Fusheng? It's been many years. How have you been?"
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