Chapter 2610 - 2583: Bai Shan’s Recommendation

Lord Guo was prompted by Yin Li to find Bai Shan. He heard that the emperor kept him speaking until the end, seemingly intent on having Bai Shan take over as County Magistrate of Wannian, and then he, the Wannian County Magistrate, would not need to be placed elsewhere, but rather...

County Magistrate Guo was slightly excited, but he was very cautious because there was another possibility: the post of Wannian County Magistrate and Chang’an County Magistrate were actually not much different, only that Chang’an County governed more nobles and aristocrats.

The greatest noble among them was a guy called the emperor...

Ahem, so since the emperor thought Bai Shan could take over Wannian County, with a slight shift in thinking, could the emperor also think Bai Shan could directly take over Chang’an County?

And then should he, the Wannian County Magistrate, be sent elsewhere regardless?

Bai Shan seemed to know what he was thinking and slightly smiled, saying, "I am still working in the Central Secretariat for now. If I have the chance to be posted elsewhere in the future, I would like to learn from Lord Guo’s county governance experience."

County Magistrate Guo immediately understood: he would not take over Wannian County, much less Chang’an County; he was heading for the outside world.

He raised his eyebrows. It was really curious, why did everyone like to run outside?

County Magistrate Guo stiffened slightly and lowered his head to ponder.

Actually, properly, Tang He and Yang Heshu entered the service two terms later than him, so he was considered their senior.

But by now, both of them had ranks higher than his.

However, he always believed that it was because they were lucky, having coincidentally encountered the rebellious Prince of Yizhou. Though they made contributions, it was also dangerous.

But now it seemed, was there a secret to choosing places for posting as well?

So he became serious and asked, "Where does Lord Bai want to be posted?"

Bai Shan shook his head, "Wherever there’s a vacancy is where I’ll go."

County Magistrate Guo looked at him suspiciously. Guo County in the capital was the largest, most prosperous, and the highest-ranked in the whole country. Many county magistrates aspired to become the magistrate of these two counties. He really couldn’t understand why Bai Shan refused and instead chose counties outside.

Manbao, having eaten and drunk to her fill, now had the leisure to pay attention to the two of them. Seeing them engaging in a war of words without touching the key part for half a day, and thinking she and County Magistrate Guo had years of friendship from various dinners, she decisively said, "Isn’t County Magistrate Guo trying to ask about His Majesty’s attitude towards his assumption of the post as Chang’an County Magistrate?"

County Magistrate Guo still wanted to build rapport before bringing it up, but with Zhou Man piercing through it, he almost sprayed his tea.

Manbao said to Bai Shan, "Go ahead and tell him. County Magistrate Guo and I have a good relationship; we’re good friends, after all."

County Magistrate Guo’s face lit up with a smile, saying, "Lord Zhou is being modest. We’ve served in the court together for many years, and last time Lord Zhou even invited me for tea."

Manbao suddenly remembered, chuckling, "You’re too kind!"

Bai Shan then smiled and said, "The emperor does have the intention, but there are also officials who think it’s not in accordance with the rules."

As for why it’s not according to the rules, there’s no need to highlight it as everyone already knows.

The current emperor was very receptive to advice, so if an official strongly opposed it, the matter would most likely not proceed.

County Magistrate Guo frowned.

Bai Shan hinted, "But there are also officials who believe it can be an exception, even Lord Wei did not oppose."

County Magistrate Guo’s eyes lit up, and he instantly had an idea. He raised his wine cup, smiling, "Thank you, Lord Bai, for the guidance."

Bai Shan smiled as he raised his cup, "You’re too kind, Lord Guo. I am just a low-ranking official, not on the main hall. In the future, may my wife on the main hall count on your support."

County Magistrate Guo grinned widely, "You’re too kind, Lord Bai. Lord Zhou and I will look out for each other."

Lord Tang’s promotion procedures were processed very quickly. The next day, the Imperial Secretariat approved it and sent it to the Ministry of Personnel. Thus, Lord Tang was officially promoted to Deputy Magistrate of the capital prefecture. Since no suitable candidate was found for the Chang’an County Magistrate position at that moment, he continued to handle the affairs there, only needing to deal with some urgent matters because he had county commissioners and an assistant county magistrate under him to rely on.

Yin Li called for him and said, "The situation in Qizhou is very chaotic, and the new governor is still on his way back to the capital. It might take seven or eight days for him to arrive, and when in the capital, he will need to report for duties for three or four days. The longer this drags out, the worse the situation there will become."

He added, "The emperor and the officials’ opinion is that you should take a team over there right away to inspect the situation and handle the matter."

Lord Tang secretly asked, "Does the lord want to quell the unrest quietly, or uproot the troublemakers entirely, or deal with it without loss of life and suppress and recruit those with ulterior motives?"

Yin Li glanced sideways at him, saying, "You sure have a lot of ideas. Just make your own decisions on these matters and act according to the circumstances."

Lord Tang: ... He didn’t really like this answer. If you want to achieve a certain goal, just tell me directly.

Yin Li turned and walked away, saying, "I am going for inspections. If there is nothing else, consider who you want to bring. If unsure, consult your father."

Lord Tang subtly puckered his lips. He knew it certainly wasn’t the second option; otherwise, there would be no need to promote him. His superior could have gone over directly. With Lord Yin’s maneuvers, would he still need him to take a team there?

Old Lord Tang was very stern, but with his son, he was kind and gentle. He didn’t hold back and said directly, "It would naturally be good to dissipate the troubles. Those who are stirring up unrest now are like duckweed, mostly tenant farmers who are really dependent on the land, making them easily instigated. Though using force might frighten their backers into submission, controlling people’s hearts and sentiments is difficult. You’re unfamiliar with Qizhou, so it’s easy to affect tenant farmers and even ordinary citizens."

"So to be cautious, you should try to dissolve the issue stealthily. If you can get evidence of who is instructing tenant farmers to cause trouble, don’t be in a hurry to expose it in Qizhou. Either consider dealing with it after returning to the capital or wait until the next Qizhou governor takes office."

Old Lord Tang paused, adding, "This time, the Qizhou governor is transferred back from Yunzhou, where the customs are fierce. This governor could even lead troops to fight mountain bandits. Therefore, as long as you have evidence, don’t worry about him avoiding the issue."

Old Lord Tang said, "What you need to do is deal with the troublesome tenant farmers and redeem those lands in their original state."

Lord Tang understood.

Old Lord Tang smiled and asked, "Have you thought about whom you want to bring?"

Lord Tang replied, "I am still thinking."

He glanced at his father, leaned in closer, and whispered, "Father, do you think if I ask the emperor for his Central Secretariat retainer, will he agree?"

Old Lord Tang lowered his eyes to look at him, paused for a moment, then asked, "You want Bai Shan?"

Lord Tang nodded.

Old Lord Tang frowned, "He has no experience as a local official. What benefit is there in bringing him?"

Lord Tang smiled, "I understand Father’s concerns, but Bai Shan is not an ordinary aristocratic son. He grew up in the fields, is well-versed in agricultural matters, and gets along well with farmers and tenant farmers. Although he has not served as a local official, his interactions with ordinary people are no less than those of us who have, in experience. Moreover, like Zhangbo, he is very likable among the common folks, and what he says is generally more convincing."

Old Lord Tang looked at his son’s bronzed face and determined features, then thought of Bai Shan, as fair as frost and gentle as jade, nodded slightly. Although Bai Shan was not as handsome as Yang Heshu, he indeed had considerable affinity with people, a trait stronger than his son’s.