All Familiar Faces

Li Shoufu dared not say more and respectfully handed over the roster.

"The waters under Lord Liang's jurisdiction comprise three towns and eight townships."

The three towns are Yi Xing Town, Tong Li Town, and Hong Zhuang.

The eight townships are Dong Huang City, Chao Huai City, Nan Xun Village, Dong Xun Village, Jing Ci Village, Tan Pan Village, Zhou Xiang Tou, and Chun Yu.

These three towns and eight villages are all large towns and villages in terms of population. Only Zhou Xiang Tou and Chun Yu Township have relatively few people, with fewer than a thousand households and no more than three hundred fishermen.

Before coming to Liang Residence today, Li Shoufu had already reviewed the local population records and was very familiar with the situation in various places, having done his homework thoroughly.

Liang Qu opened the booklet. "Who are the people who came to serve? What are their positions?"

"There are three River Earl, nine River Chiefs, and twenty-four River Officials. The River Earl are Cha Qing, Yan Qingshan, and Fan Zixuan. The River Chiefs are Yan Chongwen, Zhu Chunqiao, and Ji Youdong..."

Yan Qingshan, Yan Chongwen? Liang Qu listened to Li Shoufu's introduction and felt that the two names sounded quite familiar.

He flipped through the pages and found the two people's files.

The book not only lists the names of the river River Earl and river managers River Conservancy Office his jurisdiction, but also details the origins and ages of each person, including the local Village Elder and Village Elder, in great detail.

Place of origin column.

Hua Zhu County?

The Ghost Mother Sect was rampant, and among the surrounding counties that were attacked, Hua Zhu County suffered the most damage, with the largest number of people fleeing to make a living.

Pang Qinghe and his group who came to spar that day were from Hua Zhu County. He was particularly impressed by the Da Zhuang, who seemed dull and not very smart.

In addition, I encountered Hua Zhu County...

Liang Qu frowned and pondered for a long time before finally remembering why the name sounded familiar.

I think I met these two people once before, and they said they wanted to join me? I remember there were four people there, who were the other two again?

I don't have a deep impression of Liang Qu, and I really can't remember him. I only remember that the four of them were from the same hometown.

He quickly flipped the page and found the two river chiefs who were both from Hua Zhu County: "Yan Qingshan, Yan Chongwen, Zhu Chunqiao, and Ji Youdong, these four people knew each other, right?"

Li Shoufu recalled in his mind, "That's right, these four people are all from Hua Zhu County, and they knew each other before."

Yan Qingshan and Yan Chongwen are brothers who have been Martial Registry since their grandfather's generation, while Zhu Chunqiao and Ji Youdong are from the same school.

The four were close friends and their martial arts skills were the same. They had a knack for cooperating with each other and had previously made contributions to the Huang Surname Branch the Ghost Mother Sect.

Yan Qingshan, the leader, was promoted to the Eighth Rank River Earl, and the others all received rewards. Could it be that Lord Liang knows them?

Liang Qu nodded. "Around April or May, four people came to me offering their services, like hotheads. I never expected that they would end up working under me."

Li Shoufu laughed along. He came from the Imperial Capital, and his family had produced a fourth-rank official. Although the family had declined and he could only hold a ninth-rank Record Keeper in an outlying area, he was still quite familiar with the ins and outs of the business.

Who submits a pledge of allegiance like this? They're clearly four country bumpkins who don't understand social etiquette at all. At least they should give gifts first, build a good relationship, and serve each other for a while, right?

I reckon they've never even attended academies like this; they only know a few characters.

"Huh? Kou Zhuang?" Liang Qu flipped back and saw another familiar face. "That tall guy with Innate Strong Bone?"

"Exactly."

Li Shoufu was well aware of the connection between Liang Qu and Kou Zhuang.

A person born with half- Martial Bone is enough to attract attention, and it is not difficult to find out about their past martial arts competitions with a little inquiry.

"This person joined after the purge of the Ghost Mother Sect. It is said that he is about to break through the four barriers. Due to the shortage of manpower, he was appointed as the river chief."

Liang Qu was puzzled.

Ran Zhongshi arranged for most of the people to be "acquaintances".

Is it because you think that being familiar with the work beforehand will make things much easier?

Apart from these few people, most of the rest were unheard of. More than half of them were Martial Registry, so they were probably selected from among the soldiers, just like Liang Qu required.

Liang Qu memorized the names of the River Earl River Chief, closed the book, and said, "Okay, I received it. Thank you for making the trip in the Record Keeper Clerk Li. Next time, Li LiBo and Chen Jiechang can run errands."

"Lord Liang, you are too kind. Getting a little rain is nothing. You travel to the Great Marsh every day, and Minor Merit merits are unmatched among officials of the same rank. That is true hard work."

"Ahem, I heard that Brother Yue Long had a fight with Lord Wei a few days ago?" Liang Qu coughed twice, taking the initiative to change the subject.

"That's true. It's not a big deal; it's just a slight difference of opinion..."

After chatting for a while about their recent situations, Li Shoufu took the initiative to say goodbye. Liang Qu tried to persuade him to stay but failed, so he asked Fan Xinglai see him off.

As Li Shoufu led his horse out the door, he put on his straw hat, stepped across the threshold, and immediately felt a sharp pain spreading along his spine to both sides.

Li Shoufu was surprised.

When facing Liang Qu, he had been bowing to him intentionally or unintentionally, and only when he left did he feel relaxed.

"This is incredible!"

In less than six months.

At first, Li Shoufu was able to talk to him on equal terms, but now he felt the weight of the young man's power and unconsciously bowed.

Li Shoufu looked up at the sky. Rainwater flowed down the edge of his bamboo hat, seeping into the gaps in the raincoat and sticking to a few long straws before dripping onto the ground.

That's a blessing.

Every morning when Li Shoufu gets up, he must first recite the "Official Precepts".

For an official, the virtues are integrity, self-discipline, and diligence.

The sage's book says that those who know these three things can keep their official positions, stay away from disgrace, gain the appreciation of those above, and receive assistance from those below.

But if he really encountered trouble, could he rely on these three things to save his life? His father had worked diligently for half his life without making any mistakes, yet he was still just a minor clerk. Now, it was his turn, but he couldn't even stay in the Imperial Capital and had to be sent to a small rural county.

If I could truly gain recognition, would I still be here?

My son may not be like me.

Li Shoufu thought.

He tightened his straw hat, stepped into the stirrups, mounted his green horse, and disappeared into the rain.

The next day.

The muddy water in the tree pit overflowed the bricks and stones and spilled onto the ground.

"It never stops."

Liang Qu smelled the water vapor. At first, the smell would make him feel refreshed, but after a while, he would feel stuffy, especially on hot days, when his whole body would feel sticky.

The heavy rain subsided slightly last night, but unexpectedly resumed this morning.

The pond expansion has been delayed again. On rainy days, the soil between the bricks and stones doesn't dry completely, and the excavated soil gets washed everywhere.

As time dragged on, the Frog Duke arrived and found the land untouched. He wondered what to do if someone had tricked him. Liang Qu never broke his promise to the frogs.

The only two good things were that the blood loss was recovered through rest and recuperation, and I felt much better.

The thunder and rain over the past few days have enhanced the dreamscape created by the Mirage Worm, and accelerated the cultivation of the Thunder Character Seal Technique.

A figure flashed past the window.

"Sir, someone is looking for you!"

"Who?"

"They said they wanted to Cha Qing."

Cha Qing?

Liang Qu recalled the album that Li Shoufu had sent yesterday, which contained the name of the River Earl, Cha Qing.

Something happened? Liang Qu rushed to the hall and saw a middle-aged man wearing a short shirt and carrying an oil paper package in his hand from the corridor. His face was slightly plump and rosy.

When you encounter your superior, Cha Qing bow deeply and prostrate yourself before them.

"Your humble servant Cha Qing and confirmed the matter..."

Liang Qu interrupted, "Is it some kind of Spirit Monster causing trouble?"

"Spirit Monster trouble?" Cha Qing immediately realized what was going on and hurriedly picked up the oil paper package in his hand. "Lord Liang, you misunderstand. I am not here on official business. I just wanted to bring some local specialties for Lord Liang to try."

specialty?