Pingcheng Prefecture, the second hall of the government office.
Prefect Yuan was worried about the situation in Jianghe County. The flood season was approaching, and he didn't know if the repaired river dam would be able to withstand it.
"My lord, my lord..." A gatekeeper rushed in carrying official documents from the imperial court. "The officials from the Censorate and the Ministry of Works are here and waiting outside."
Upon Yuan Shanjian pushed the ledger aside, his face turning ashen. "You've come at the perfect time. I've been looking for a mess to get rid of."
He's had the worst luck imaginable; he was transferred to Pingcheng Prefecture as prefect, and in the past two years, he's been losing clumps of hair trying to manage the waterways... He doesn't even dare to sleep on rainy days.
During the flood season, he even stayed in Jianghe County... and yet, he was still impeached by Chancellor Cai...
Yuan Shanjian strode out, and the gatekeeper hurriedly said, "Sir, your clothes aren't buttoned up, and your official hat isn't either..."
The gatekeeper grabbed the official hat and chased after him. Yuan Shanjian buttoned up his hat, took it, and put it on his head. Damn it... this Harmful River is a minefield for Pingcheng Prefecture; whoever comes here will fall in.
At the entrance of the government office, Yuan Shanjian expected two seasoned court officials to arrive, but instead, it turned out to be two teenagers.
One had a blank expression, the other a smiling face.
He was taken aback for a moment, " Lord Meng, Lord Zhao?"
Meng Anci to Zhao Zhiyuan and said, "This humble official greets Lord Yuan."
Yuan Shanjian filled with anger, but he managed to keep it all inside. These two men were clearly new to the court and inexperienced in worldly affairs. He wondered how they had offended Chancellor Cai and ended up being sent here.
Yuan Shanjian aside to lead the way, "Please follow me, gentlemen. Your lodgings have been arranged..."
Meng Anci and Zhao Zhiyuan exchanged a glance. They must have received advance notice. But it wasn't hard to guess; who in the court didn't have a couple of classmates or friends?
The group followed Yuan Shanjian inside. Jin Shanyao tossed the reins to the gatekeeper, "Find a sunny spot and add some hay..."
The gatekeeper, gripping the reins, stared blankly at her retreating figure. Who was this woman? Was she from the imperial court? Why was she making him work right away? The gatekeeper dared not speak out, after all, one of the two officials from the capital was from the Censorate.
Yuan Shanjian led the group to the second hall, ordered tea to be served, and then sat down behind the table. His gaze swept over the two men, "May I ask which of you is Lord Meng? And which of you is Lord Zhao?"
Meng Anci rose and bowed, a smile playing on his lips, saying, "This humble official is Meng Anci, Supervising Censor of the Censorate."
Yuan Shanjian thought to himself, "This is bad... I thought the smiling young man I've been with all this time was from the Ministry of Works, but it turns out he's from the Censorate. He's so young yet he already holds real power. That smile is probably not funny."
"Your humble servant Zhao Zhiyuan, Principal Officer of the Water Bureau Ministry of Works of the Ministry of Works."
Yuan Shanjian nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the others. He paused briefly when he saw the Jin Shanyao before looking away.
"Since you two have come by imperial decree to supervise the river works, I will not beat around the bush."
The greatest threat to Pingcheng Prefecture was the Harmful River in Jianghe County. That river flooded every year, the dikes were repeatedly repaired only to collapse, countless treasury funds were depleted, and the people suffered immensely.
Meng Anci's smile remained unchanged. " Lord Yuan, although we two are here on orders to supervise, our experience is not as rich as Lord Yuan. You have been in charge of river works for many years..."
Yuan Shanjian his hand to interrupt him, "The river works accounts, conscription records, and historical records and drawings of dike construction are all kept in a separate room. I'll get them for you now."
He sat in his chair, craning his neck and shouting outside, " Old Feng... go and bring me all the information about the Harmful River, not a single piece of paper can be left out."
After saying that, he turned to Meng Anci and said, "When I took over, this river was already in this state. For the past two years, I've spent more time in Jianghe County than in the government office. The silt from upstream has swelled up to our riverbed. I admit I haven't managed the river well... but you can't put all the blame on me alone."
Meng Anci smiled and reassured him, " Lord Yuan... His Majesty has not blamed you, so please do not be impatient."
Yuan Shanjian choked, staring at Meng Anci for a long time without being able to speak. Judicial Commissioner Feng led four or five people in and placed stacks of books on the ground.
"Sir... the information is all here."
Yuan Shanjian pointed to the doorway and said, "Go and move two big tables over, and also get two bookshelves. What's the point of stacking them on the floor?" He then pointed to his own table.
"The desk will be placed right next to mine... so that the two adults can work next to me."
Judicial Commissioner Feng and led his men out. Yuan Shanjian casually adjusted his official hat, saying, "You two stay here and investigate. Call for help if you get thirsty or hungry... I still need to find out about agricultural conditions, so I won't keep you company any longer."
After saying this, he stood up and strode outside, almost bumping into Judicial Commissioner Feng. He grabbed Judicial Commissioner Feng's arm and said, "I'll go to the backyard later and tell Madam to air out the bedding before sending it to the guest rooms."
Judicial Commissioner Feng and directed the yamen runners to move the things, while he quickly caught up with Yuan Shanjian, "Sir... where are you going?"
I'm off to inspect the farmland.
Judicial Commissioner Feng anxiously, "What time is it? Can't you control your temper? Those are people from the Censorate. If they say a few words back home, will you still be able to sit down as prefect?"
Yuan Shanjian yanked off his hat and shouted, "I've long since given up on being the prefect! They sit in the house and just keep saying I'm bad at managing the river, and they even sent two idiots to investigate me!"
I'm either soothing a child or managing the river... If the court really thinks I'm incompetent, why don't they send someone more capable...? Ugh...
Judicial Commissioner Feng quickly covered his mouth, dragged him to the backyard, and whispered, "You're being foolish, sir... You know they're newcomers, what kind of experience could they have? Take them to the river more often, they'll get tired and rested, and then they'll naturally calm down..."
Yuan Shanjian at him for a long while, then said angrily, "Alright... go about your business," and turned and left.
Inside the second hall, Meng Anci tightly to Jin Shanyao, "Auntie, Auntie, listen to me, don't be impulsive..."
Jin Shanyao to the door and asked, "Who is he cursing? Who is he yelling at?"
"Auntie, please calm down... Lord Yuan wasn't scolding me, he was scolding Zhao Zhiyuan."
Zhao Zhiyuan chimed in, "Yes... they're insulting me."
Jin Shanyao held up two fingers, gesturing, "You two idiots... you two... you've both been insulted, and they dare to insult you to my face... you've gone too far."
Judicial Commissioner Feng, who was standing outside the door, heard everything clearly. He clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and suddenly rushed into the room.
He laughed heartily, "Madam, please calm down, it's all a misunderstanding... a misunderstanding. My master wasn't talking about you, he was cursing... cursing..."
Jin Shanyao stared intently at him, wanting to hear what this man had to say. Judicial Commissioner Feng broke out in a cold sweat, his voice trembling.
"He was cursing... cursing the former prefect! Yes, the former! That mess in Jianghe County was left behind by the former. My father took the blame for them for two years, and he felt so resentful that he spoke without thinking."
Jin Shanyao stared at him without saying a word.
Judicial Commissioner Feng's legs went weak under her gaze, and he forced himself to add, "Madam, please calm down. I really didn't mean to scold the two gentlemen..."
Jin Shanyao snorted coldly, "You'd better not let me see your master."
Judicial Commissioner Feng.
To utter foul language in front of the censor is already a grave taboo, but to have this woman of unknown origin overheard it is truly unacceptable for a lowly magistrate like himself to be investigated.
He put on a respectful smile and bowed, saying, "My lords, please take your time reviewing the documents. Just give me your instructions."
Having said that, he respectfully retreated to the door, stood with his hands at his sides on the porch, and dared not be negligent in the slightest.