Chapter 88: There is Room For the Poor Daughter
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Chapter 88: The Arrival of the Patron
Yan Zhigao was being excluded at the Prefecture, and Madam Li had also been distanced by the prominent women in Xingzhou. Many families hosted poetry and flower appreciation gatherings, but none of them invited the Yan family.
One day, after Daohua finished her lessons, Madam Li was guiding her needlework when Yan Zhigao returned from the Prefecture, drenched in sweat.
"Where did you go, my lord? Why are you drenched in sweat?" Madam Li said as she walked over to help him remove his official robe.
Yan Zhigao sighed, "The rainy season is approaching, and I was worried about the dikes in my jurisdiction, so I went to inspect them."
It was already June, and the weather was extremely hot. Having been outside all day, his inner shirt was soaked through.
Daohua, not wanting to stay inside any longer, stepped out of the room. She felt uneasy seeing her father, who had gotten even darker from being in the sun all day.
Faced with exclusion from his colleagues, her father, without a powerful family background, had no choice but to handle things personally to prevent errors in government affairs and avoid being sabotaged by his subordinates.
Daohua turned to Wang Man’er, "The mung bean ice should be ready now. Go and bring some over. Father must be very thirsty."
Wang Man’er left, and after Yan Zhigao changed into casual clothes, Daohua went back inside. As soon as she entered, she heard Madam Li's worried voice.
"My lord, do you have to inspect the dikes again tomorrow? Can't you send someone else?"
Yan Zhigao shook his head, "I can't afford not to go. If I send someone else, I can't be sure if they'll take the opportunity to slack off, only to return and tell me that everything is fine. How could I trust them?"
Madam Li frowned in dissatisfaction, "The people at the Prefecture are really—"
Yan Zhigao waved his hand, "It’s just the usual practice of political pressure. I don't have a strong family background, so if I can’t tolerate this little bit of pressure, how can I continue working in this field? Besides, there’s another reason I have to inspect the dikes personally."
As he spoke, his brow furrowed again.
"Xingzhou has the Grand Canal flowing through it, and every year there should be funds allocated for cleaning and maintaining the dikes. But this year, those funds haven't been released yet. I suspect someone at the top is deliberately blocking them."
He wasn't stupid. The behavior of his colleagues at the Prefecture clearly indicated that there was someone above trying to suppress him.
Thinking of Councilor Du, who was responsible for all water management in Zhongzhou, Yan Zhigao sneered slightly.
That man’s mind was so petty. Wasn’t it just because when he first took office in Zhongzhou, he didn’t agree with the order that most people supported? The order was impractical, and in the end, it was rejected by the Bureau of Revenue.
In the world of officials, differing political views were common. For such a small matter, Councilor Du had been holding a grudge all these years. Yan Zhigao couldn’t help but feel a little exasperated.
He narrowed his eyes and said, "If I don’t find some concrete evidence of silt buildup or damage to the dikes, I’m afraid I’ll never see those funds. Then, what will I use to repair the dikes?"
Daohua sat quietly to the side, listening in silence. She really couldn’t help with these matters. All she could do was think of ways to nourish her father’s body.
At that moment, Wang Man’er returned with the mung bean ice.
Daohua smiled as she poured a bowl for Yan Zhigao. "Father, drink some mung bean ice to cool off."
Yan Zhigao didn’t hesitate. After being out in the heat all day, he was parched. He drank several bowls of the mung bean ice, and if Madam Li hadn’t stopped him for fear it would upset his stomach, he would have finished the entire basin.
The next morning, Daohua went to the main courtyard to pay her respects and found that her father had already left more than half an hour ago, even though it was only just dawn.
"Ah, being an official is really not easy."
At the Prefecture’s main hall.
Yan Zhigao sat in the main seat, his face not looking well as he gazed at all the officials in the yamen.
Except for his first day in office, he had hardly called a meeting of all the officials, but this time, he had no choice but to do so.
Even though he had submitted solid evidence of the damage to the riverbed in Xingzhou to the higher authorities, the funds for repairing the river dikes still hadn't been approved.
Now it was already the end of June, and the rainy season in Xingzhou would arrive in August or September. If the river dikes were not repaired in time, once a flood occurred, the people of Xingzhou would be facing a dire situation.
"Let's all speak up. Who should we send to the provincial government to request the funds for repairing the river dikes?"
As soon as the words were spoken, none of the officials, whether the deputy or the advisers, raised their heads or made eye contact with Yan Zhigao, who sat at the head of the table.
Again, this!
Whenever opinions were solicited, the officials in the yamen would shrink into silence, not voicing their thoughts, nor opposing what he said. Every meeting felt like a one-man show with him speaking alone.
"Smack!"
Yan Zhigao’s anger flared up, and he slapped the desk with great force.
If it were other matters, he could tolerate their sloth and evasion, but the construction of the river dikes was a crucial issue for the people’s livelihood. How could they remain indifferent? They were failing the responsibilities of their office.
Yan Zhigao sneered. "You all know what will happen if the river dikes aren't repaired and a flood occurs. At that time, I, the Prefect Magistrate, won’t be able to escape, but can you all just protect yourselves?"
"I know all of you have people backing you, acting like it's none of your business, but this officialdom isn’t about whose connections are the strongest to climb up the ranks. If you haven’t done much for the people, even if you rise to the first or second rank, don’t you feel guilty?"
Upon hearing this, the officials seated below lowered their heads even further. They knew that the Prefect Magistrate was truly angry this time; otherwise, he wouldn’t have spoken so bluntly.
Qian Tongzhi thought for a moment, then said with a smile, "Your Excellency, you’re exaggerating, we..."
Before he could finish speaking, Advisor Xiao, who was often by Yan Zhigao’s side, hurriedly entered.
"What happened?"
Yan Zhigao understood Advisor Xiao well—if it weren’t an urgent matter, he wouldn’t interrupt a meeting.
Advisor Xiao appeared somewhat anxious and excited. "Master, you should go home and check quickly, a distinguished guest has arrived."
Yan Zhigao was puzzled. "A distinguished guest? What distinguished guest?"
Advisor Xiao lowered his voice. "The one at the post station."
Upon hearing this, Yan Zhigao immediately stood up with a 'whoosh,' quickly walking down from his seat. As he was about to exit, he turned back and told the deputy and others, "You all can leave now." He then hurried to the backyard.
"Advisor Xiao, what’s going on? Is there anything we can do to help?"
Qian Tongzhi and Wang Tongpan exchanged a glance, immediately smiling and stopping Advisor Xiao, who was about to leave.
....
This novel is translated by the Eternal Novel Hits translators. Please read it at https://eternalnovelhits.blogspot.com
....
They had heard Advisor Xiao mention the words "distinguished guest."
Not everyone could be called a "distinguished guest" in these times.
Advisor Xiao politely exchanged pleasantries with the two officials and then said, "Gentlemen, I can't interfere with what happens in Master Yan’s household. However, if you two would like to help, perhaps you could think of a way to assist the Prefect Magistrate in securing the funds for the river dikes."
He smiled, then quickly turned and left.
"Hmph, this Advisor Xiao is quite slippery," Wang Tongpan snorted coldly, then called over a young servant. "Go, find out who’s visiting the Yan family."
Soon, the servant returned, drenched in sweat.
"Master, I couldn’t find out who’s visiting, but on my way back, I saw the eldest grandson of the Zhou family, Zhou Chengye, entering the Yan residence. He said he was going to pay respects to a guest."
Upon hearing this, both Wang Tongpan and Qian Tongzhi’s expressions changed at the same time.
For Zhou Chengye, the eldest grandson of the Zhou family, to personally make the trip in such scorching heat, the identity of the guest must be extraordinary.
(The chapter ends here.)
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