"Once an external posting is confirmed, it cannot be changed. Have you two thought this through?" Chen Qing asked, narrowing his eyes.
Shen Yuan hesitated slightly, but Gu Beiquan curled his lip. Who the hell would want to stay here? With Liuzhou's current reputation, simply drawing its population back would be harder than climbing to heaven. Once those wealthy households and teachers settled down in the neighboring prefectures, the chances of their returning would grow even slimmer.
Counties in important locations, on the other hand, were different. Among those who had fled Liuzhou, quite a few wealthy merchants and teachers must have fled back to the counties. If he kept them there after taking office, wouldn't the additional tax revenue and educational achievements all count as his?
Who would want to stay with this fool and muck about in Liuzhou, a powder keg waiting to blow?
"We have little choice, my lord..." Gu Beiquan abandoned his earlier hostility and spoke in all seriousness. "Of the two hundred metropolitan graduates originally allocated by the court, some were diverted elsewhere in Jiangnan. Fewer than a hundred have arrived in Liuzhou, forcing even some of the higher-ranked provincial graduates to be brought in to make up the numbers. You have seen how short-handed we are. It really would be inappropriate for all three of us to remain at the prefectural seat."
"Do you feel the same, Lord Shen?" Chen Qing asked, turning to Shen Yuan.
Shen Yuan hesitated for several seconds before finally saying, "Indeed, as Brother Gu said. Besides, given Liuzhou's current situation, you likely will not be very busy, my lord. Once things become busier, if you wish to summon us back to assist..."
"Hold on..." Chen Qing raised a hand and cut him off. "That is not an option."
He spread out a map and said bluntly, "If you want external postings now, then we will follow the rules and assign you Liuzhou's two most important counties, Spirit Deer County and Whitewater County. You will be responsible for governing those counties, and that cannot be changed lightly. If you want to stay, then apply yourselves to assisting with the administration. There is no leaving now and returning later!"
Both men froze. Seeing how aggressive Chen Qing was being, suspicion immediately rose in their hearts.
Was something wrong with this fellow?
Had this been the Liuzhou of before, they would of course have stayed to assist with governance and fight for power. But with things as they were now, who was he putting on this show for? Did he really think he could turn things around and rebuild Liuzhou?
Gu Beiquan found it laughable and promptly said, "Since you put it that way, my lord, let us settle it thus!"
Shen Yuan glanced at Chen Qing. In the end, he still chose not to stay and said directly, "I want Whitewater County!"
The corner of Gu Beiquan's eye twitched, but he still did not dare contest it. Whitewater County connected to Liuzhou's waterways. Though its docks were small, they could draw in a considerable share of merchants, making it the county with the richest pickings in all of Liuzhou.
Especially now, with Liuzhou's population dispersing outward, even more people were bound to head to Whitewater County.
Chen Qing nodded. "In that case, will you take Spirit Deer County, Lord Gu?"
"It seems I have no other choice..." Gu Beiquan drew a breath.
Spirit Deer County was fine too. He had researched it before coming and knew that it backed onto Liuzhou's largest mountain range, which held plenty of precious medicinal herbs and spirit deer pelts, both highly sought-after goods among merchants. On top of that, Spirit Deer County had always done quite well in education. With some maneuvering once he arrived, he might even move all of Liuzhou's educational resources over there.
When the prefect of Liuzhou was left penniless and empty-handed and called to account by his superiors, he himself would earn a promotion through his educational achievements. Thinking about it... that sounded rather good.
"Then it is settled!" Chen Qing said with a smile. "These are both large counties, so, following previous practice, each will have two deputy magistrates, two county commandants, and four education instructors, all of Principal Seventh Rank. Those who received seventh-rank official seals may volunteer. In addition, each county will have four registrars of Principal Eighth Rank. Those who received eighth-rank official seals may volunteer!"
The metropolitan graduates exchanged glances. This time, the court had only granted them ranks and official seals without determining their posts. Only upon reaching the provincial administration commissioner had they learned that all personnel appointments in Liuzhou would bypass the Ministry of Personnel and be handled directly by Chen Qing.
This was also why everyone felt so indignant. This fellow who had scraped in at the bottom of the second tier now not only outranked them by several grades, but even controlled their appointments. How unfair was that?
Yet indignation aside, once he actually exercised his authority, every one of them grew uneasy, afraid of being assigned to an inferior county.
They had thought he would parcel out the good places to his confidants. Who would have expected him to be so casual about it?
As they caught on, quite a few began scrambling to volunteer.
"This subordinate is willing to serve as an education instructor in Spirit Deer County!"
"This subordinate is willing to serve as county commandant of Whitewater County!"
"This subordinate is willing to serve as deputy magistrate of Whitewater County!"
They all volunteered eagerly, abandoning their scholarly reserve in an instant as they began competing for the posts.
Even Liu Yiqi, who had initially spoken with the air of an elder, competed until his face flushed red. His eyes held a pleading look as he turned to Chen Qing. "Lord Prefect, you know this subordinate well. I have devoted many years to studying the meanings of the classics and am particularly skilled in education. Nothing could suit this subordinate better than the post of education instructor in Spirit Deer County."
Seeing even this man swallow his pride and call himself a subordinate, everyone around him inwardly spat in contempt. He had only passed the metropolitan examination in his thirties, and his ranking had not even been high. Where did he find the nerve to claim he excelled in education?
But seeing that he seemed to have some connection with this Chen fellow, they could hardly tear away all pretense of civility to his face.
Chen Qing found it amusing. This fellow wore an entirely different face from the one he had shown while lecturing him earlier. Still, he did not believe granting him this favor would make him grateful in the future.
With his two-faced, double-dealing nature, once he reached Spirit Deer County, he would surely do everything possible to retain the teachers who had taken refuge there from Liuzhou, securing his own achievements while trampling on his superior, the prefect, along the way.
But Chen Qing already had his own plans. Since that was what the fellow had in mind, he might as well let him go...
"You are right, Brother Liu." Chen Qing nodded. "You are exceptionally talented and have a solid foundation. It was thanks to your guidance at the Confucian Temple back then that Cui Yan and I improved our essays further. Otherwise, having never attended the Imperial Academy, I might not have passed this metropolitan examination!"
"You are too kind, my lord." Seeing Chen Qing give him face, Liu Yiqi immediately looked pleased, though his words remained somewhat modest. "That was also thanks to your outstanding aptitude, my lord. This subordinate's assistance was limited."
"Since you wish to go to Spirit Deer County, Lord Liu, then go. You have no objection, do you, Lord Gu?"
With his responsibilities settled, Gu Beiquan no longer showed much deference. He merely curled his lip and said, "Since the authority to assign posts rests with you, Lord Chen, why ask me?"
"Oh, I was merely asking as a formality. Since you put it that way, Lord Gu, I will not ask you about the remaining posts."
Gu Beiquan: "..."
When Chen Qing truly stopped seeking his opinion and assigned the remaining posts in Spirit Deer County in short order, his face went deathly pale with anger!
A petty man drunk on success! Let's see how much longer you can gloat!
Chen Qing could not be bothered with him and briskly assigned most of the official posts.
He was not particularly interested in this authority to assign posts, nor had he considered using it to grant favors. Everything he planned to do later would offend these men, so he could not be bothered to cultivate good relations with them now.
While he was assigning posts, a familiar voice stammered out, "Chen... Chen Qing... no, Lord Chen, th-this subordinate wishes to apply for the post of registrar in Whitewater County!"
Chen Qing frowned and looked over, then paused. He knew the man. They had once studied together at the Confucian Temple, and their relationship... had been reasonably good.
But just now, when those metropolitan graduates had targeted him, this man had hidden far away, terrified that anyone might discover they knew each other. Wasn't he expecting a little too much, coming to ask for a favor now that posts were being assigned?
"It is not your turn..." Chen Qing showed no courtesy and rejected him outright.
The man's face immediately flushed crimson with humiliation. Several metropolitan graduates nearby sneered as well. This man was merely a provincial graduate serving as a reserve candidate, yet he actually wanted to compete with them for a post?
Although the shortage of personnel meant these men had received ninth-rank official seals and could theoretically serve as registrars, wasn't he dreaming a little too much if he wanted a registrar's post in Whitewater County?
Given the chance to serve as a registrar there, many would turn down even a deputy magistrate's post in a more distant county!
In the end, as the assignments progressed, Chen Qing simply assigned him to a remote location. The man did not dare voice any objection as he looked at Chen Qing, but his eyes held resentment.
Chen Qing did not care. Give a man a cup of rice and earn his gratitude; give him a bushel and earn his hatred. Even if he granted someone like this a favor now, the man would still resent him over some other small matter later. Better to offend him now.
Finally, after assigning nearly everyone, Chen Qing looked toward a fat man hiding far away.
"Haitao, why are you hiding so far away?"
There were two familiar faces among the reserve provincial graduates, both fellow Liuzhou natives from their days at the Confucian Temple. One was the man who had just asked for a post, and the other was Zhou Haitao, who was hiding at a distance and cautiously observing him.
This fat fellow had not dared approach him earlier either, afraid of being targeted. But at least he had a conscience and had discreetly signaled with his eyes to remind Chen Qing that Shen the Second-Place Laureate had stronger backing.
"Hehe... I was just afraid of causing you trouble, my lord." Zhou Haitao cautiously stepped forward and chuckled. "Just assign me anywhere, my lord. I'm not picky."
That was actually true. He had already lost the desire to keep taking the examinations and had planned to return home and have his family purchase an official post for him. But a purchased post would probably have been somewhere very remote. He had never expected to ride this favorable wind back to Liuzhou as an official.
Even a sesame-seed-sized ninth-rank post would satisfy him. He did not mind which county he was assigned to; he could bring his father over to enjoy an easy life in any of them.
"Would you be willing to stay?"
"Huh?" Zhou Haitao froze, never having expected him to ask that.
"If you are willing to remain at the Liuzhou prefectural seat, I will grant you the post of administrative officer in the Administrative Office, handling the prefecture's receipts, disbursements, and official correspondence. It will be somewhat easier. If you still wish to go to an outlying county, you may choose one of these four counties and serve as its commandant. Decide for yourself."
Such blatant preferential treatment for an acquaintance made the metropolitan graduates' faces twitch. A treacherous official indeed!
Once Zhou Haitao understood, he immediately felt torn. He knew Chen Qing was looking after him, but the option of staying in Liuzhou put him in a difficult position. Staying in Liuzhou would actually be fine, but with the place in its current wretched state, he feared he would not dare bring his family over lightly.
Seeing his indecision, Chen Qing did not press him. Although he was on fairly good terms with Fatty Zhou, he felt he had already done enough. If the man was willing to stay, he would give him a helping hand. If not, he would not force him.
After all, he had never expected the man to be a talent.
The ideal aide for internal administration in his mind was still Wei Gongcheng of the Yuchi Household.
He had been keeping an ideal divine office reserved for him...
But speaking of which, he had agreed to accept his offer, hadn't he? Why had he still not arrived?
At that moment, Wei Gongcheng, whom Chen Qing kept thinking about, had actually already reached Jiangnan. It was just that one of the people accompanying him was giving him something of a headache.
He had traveled with Lord Mu Hongqing, the education commissioner. Since his disability made it difficult for him to get around, Lord Mu Hongqing had even thoughtfully arranged for his disciples to escort him to Liuzhou.
But among the escort was an additional person who left Wei Gongcheng feeling rather conflicted.
"You said you are Lord Chen's concubine?"
The pace has slowed slightly over these two chapters, but we will enter the main plot very soon. Please do not let this make you stockpile chapters. Without ongoing readers, a new book really will be eliminated. I'm begging you, dear readers!