Fang Yun not only appointed Liu Yu as Ning'an County's "overall director of all workshop affairs in Ning'an County," placing him in charge of all mechanical operations, and raised his monthly pay to forty taels, but also promised him a share of the profits whenever Ning'an County's annual revenue increased beyond its current net income. Finally, he rewarded him with a grand residence worth eight thousand taels.
Fang Yun had also rewarded several workshop masters yesterday, but their rewards paled in comparison to Liu Yu's.
Shen Ming immediately said, "County Magistrate, although Liu Yu's fine reputation has spread far and wide and he enjoys considerable prestige, he is ultimately only a minor clerk in the county office. To suddenly elevate him to such a high position and grant him such generous rewards may fail to convince the public. In this humble official's view, it would be better to begin with making him a workshop master, then promote him to the position of... chief engineer several months later."
Deputy County Magistrate Tao Dingnian said, "Chief Clerk Shen's opinion is prudent and mature. County Magistrate, although I agree that Liu Yu should be promoted to chief engineer, the workshops are currently unsettled and Liu Yu lacks experience. It would be better to delay the matter for a few months."
"This humble official agrees with Deputy County Magistrate Tao," Constable Chief Lu Hong said, speaking up for the rare occasion.
Fang Yun glanced at Lu Hong. Back when Left Prime Minister Liu Shan had served as governor of Mi Prefecture, he had altered Ning'an County's official structure, having battalion officers from the Prefectural Army concurrently serve as constable chiefs. As a result, Ning'an County often had Seventh Rank Metropolitan Graduates serving as constable chiefs, giving them powerful control over the county's public security.