Don't make trouble, let's build infrastructure!

Before dawn the next day, the courtiers wore court uniforms and entered through the east gate, while Tong Ran packed his bags and went out through the west gate with the little tiger in his arms.

"Master Tong, I'll take you here." Su Jin said.

"These days, Mr. Laosu will take care of you." Su Jin is a person in front of the imperial court, and his position is sensitive, so Tong Ran didn't offer a reward, but just bowed politely.

"My lord was invited by His Majesty, and the younger one is just doing my duty," Su Jin said with a smile.

As the head of the palace, as long as he is not in front of His Majesty, he is the most majestic inside and outside the palace, but he has always been kind to Tong Ran.

This little county magistrate is favored by His Majesty, so he naturally has to be more polite.

Su Jin exchanged a few more words with him, stepped aside, pointed to the tray held by the waiter behind him and said, "Here is 200 taels of gold from His Majesty, 100 taels are for you, Mr. Tong, and the other 100 taels are for you." From Xiaoguo County."

"Please thank Your Majesty, Eunuch, for Tong Ran." Tong Ran said.

Dacheng is an ordinary family, with an income of 70 taels of silver a year, which is already very good. Even if the official is a county magistrate, it is only 120 taels a year, and the emperor gets 100 taels of gold when he makes a move, which is equivalent to rewarding him with a salary of eight years. Now I can buy a lot of tea and meat for the little tiger again.

After bidding farewell to Su Jin, Tong Ran took Yuan San and Sang Le to Xiaoguo County in a carriage. When the sun was high, the little tiger also woke up.

"Zai Zai, I woke up quite early today, let's go home." Tong Ran held the little tiger under his arm and held it in mid-air.

"Wow!" Nope!The little tiger waved its paw.

They didn't walk fast along the way, and on the evening of the third day, Tong Ran and his party arrived at the east gate of Xiaoguo County.

"Here it is, it's the county magistrate's car!"

"It's Yuan Sanye who is driving the car, yes, yes, hurry up!"

"Get out of the way, don't squeeze, let Mr. Gao go first!"

The carriage was forced to stop less than ten meters away from the East City Gate, and many people in the city surrounded it. Several yamen servants struggled to make a way. , Gao Zhuo, the subordinate official, and the people of Xiaoguo County welcome Master Tong back to the county."

After Gao Zhuo finished speaking, the eyes of everyone outside the carriage were focused on the curtain of the carriage.

I saw Qingni's car curtain swaying, and a tiger cub with yellow and black stripes ran out first.

"Wow." Flat body.

The little tiger glanced at it with its head held high, but before it could see enough, its body was picked up by an arm.

"Zai Zai, don't run around, there are too many people here." Tong Ran said in a low voice, and then said loudly to the people around the car, "Thank you for your hard work."

"Master County Magistrate, we have all heard that another batch of corrupt officials were arrested because of you, and even the big tigers in the capital were beaten!" Someone in the crowd shouted.

"What big tiger, that is Lu Yong, the patriarch of the Lu family!"

"Whatever his name is, it's all thanks to the magistrate of Xiaoguo County."

Tong Ran got out of the car, Gao Zhuo went forward to report, and only then did he know that on the day he left, His Majesty issued several decrees and arrested several officials from various places, but they were all named in the account book.

"Prefect Lu of Zhuoyang Mansion has also been arrested, and people from the Fan family have already gone to clear it up. The mud and limestone we have detained should be transported to them in a few days." Gao Zhuo said in a low voice.

Tong Ran nodded, exchanged pleasantries with the people in the city, and returned to the residence under the escort of the yamen servants.

Tong Ran was dumbfounded as soon as he entered the door. The small courtyard he rented was full of vegetables, firewood, and several jars of beer.

"Ball!" Tong Ran shouted.

Smoke curled up from the kitchen, Qiu'er responded and ran out.He wiped two hands on the bib around his waist, took Tong Ran's burden and said, "Brother Tong, you are finally back, I'm worried."

"I'm fine, Your Majesty didn't make things difficult for me." Tong Ran said.

"Your Majesty didn't embarrass you, but Lu Yong did. Are you injured? I heard Lord Gao say that someone assassinated you, and I was so frightened that my heart stopped beating." Qiu'er said exaggeratedly.

Tong Ran smiled and asked again: "What's the matter with these things in the yard, are they going to spend the winter?"

"No," Qiu'er waved his hand, "Wu's village planted some vegetables while the fields were free in summer, and many people brought them over after the harvest a few days ago, and some sent firewood and rice noodles when they saw that there were a lot of vegetables here. And so on. They said that thanks to the county magistrate waiving their rent this year, life in the whole village has improved a lot.”

"Then there's no need to send so much, their village is just a bit better, and they have to live in the future." Tong Ran said.

"Hey, I guessed that Brother Tong would say that, so I decided to push some of them and asked them to sell them in Yun County, so that they could earn a few dollars before going back to celebrate the New Year." Qiu'er said.

Tong Ran nodded: "Good job, I'll go to Wujia Village some other day, maybe it's been a long time."

Qiu'er: "I'll go with Brother Tong. Yesterday, a yamen servant said you'd come back today, so I stewed two ducks, and I can eat them in a while."

"Then I'll take the little tiger in for a rest, the cub is exhausted." Tong Ran said.

"Hey, good." Qiu'er went back to the stove, and Tong Ran went back to the room with the sleeping tiger cub in his arms.

The little tiger slept for a while, and woke up when Qiu'er's shelduck stew was finished.

"Little greedy cat, the duck woke up just after it was stewed." Tong Ran scratched its little nose.

"Wow!" The little tiger raised its front paw and slapped it hard, as if in protest.Tong Ran rubbed its hairy head and carried it to eat.

Since leaving the capital, the little tiger was no longer as lethargic as before. Tong Ran was relieved that the decision to bring the little tiger back earlier was indeed the right one.

After eating and drinking, Tong Ran asked Qiu'er to wash off the little tiger's special quilt on the pretext that the little tiger's quilt was bumpy and dirty.So after taking a bath at night, the little tiger jumped onto the bed, but there was only a quilt on the bed.

"Wow!" The little tiger clapped his paws.

"Zai Zai, your quilt is dirty, I asked the ball to wash it." Tong Ran said, stroking the little tiger's fur.

"Whoah! Whoa whoa whoa!" Excuse!You are coveting me!

"Come on, don't we sleep in the same bed in the palace, let's sleep together." Tong Ran picked up the little tiger, skillfully restrained its front and rear paws, and put it into her bed.

"Wow! Woowow...wow——" The little tiger was hugged by Tong Ran, and he couldn't break free if he didn't use his righteousness. In neutral, he kicked Tong Ran's chest and fell asleep with his back to him.

Tong Ran hugged the fluffy little pillow tightly and fell asleep too.

There was no dream all night, and when Tong Ran woke up the next day, he was refreshed, while the little tiger's Mao Mao had been trampled all night, stumbling around.

"Wow!" the little tiger yelled at him angrily while he was grooming.

Tong Ran took a comb, coaxed it while combing, washed its paws and rinsed its mouth.The little tiger rinsed his mouth, kicked his short legs, jumped out of Tong Ran's arms, and went to have breakfast by himself.

After a good meal, Tong Ran took the little tiger to the county government office as usual.

"Master Tong." At the gate of the county government office, a man dressed in brocade clothes and a jade crown bowed respectfully to Tong Ran.

Tong Ran thought it was a wealthy local businessman, and wanted to dismiss it casually, only to find out that it was Fu Xuan.

"Master Fu, good morning." Tong Ran replied.

Fu Xuan did not go all the way with him, he should have set off from the capital a little later, but he has already arrived at this moment, and he moved very quickly.

"Master Tong, I went to Xiaoguo County yesterday afternoon. I heard that you implemented the method of digging wells to irrigate the fields here. I asked the local villagers to take me to see it. It is really exquisite. The villagers all said that it was very helpful! "Fu Xuan said, his eyes lit up.

"Are you interested?" Tong Ran said.

"Yeah, but I want to know more about how it is made. And the cement, I walked for a while on the cement road, and it was as smooth as a mirror as the legend in Beijing, but it's a pity that the road has been repaired to the county. I didn't have time to go and have a look, and I didn't see how the road was built." Fu Xuan said.

"If Mr. Fu is interested in these things, there is a shortage of Tian Jian in our county, so you can be Tian Jian." Tong Ran said, since he became the county magistrate, the position of Tian Jian has been vacant, and Fu Xuan is also interested if he has a suitable rank. Just let him do it.

But Fu Xuan's face collapsed visibly: "Tian Jian is in charge of the field water conservancy. If I do Tian Jian, wouldn't I not be able to see the cement road?"

Fu Xuan is already a weak crown, the emperor who is five years older than him looks mature and dignified, but he still looks like a child, no wonder he claims to be the devil in the family.Tong Ran didn't dislike his frankness, and said with a smile: "I will open terraced fields and repair water conservancy in the future, are you still worried about not seeing new things?"

Tong Ran finally understands that although Fu Xuan is a son of a noble family, he has such a different kind of curiosity about his new technologies. According to Chu Jun, he should also have learned some carpentry and blacksmithing. Maybe he can really do it. Not necessarily helpful.

"Really?" Fu Xuan's slumped face rippled again, happy.

"Of course, do you want to do this crop?" Tong Ran asked.

"Do it, do it. Tian Yu Fu Xuan, I have seen the magistrate." He reacted quickly, probably because he was afraid that Tong Ran would go back on his word, so he bowed immediately.

When they were talking, they were coming in from the gate of the yamen. When Fu Xuan said this, Sang Le and Yuan Sanzheng came up to meet him. After hearing what he said, Sang Le smiled.

"Hey." Fu Xuan was not angry, he rubbed the back of his head and smiled, then cupped his hands to Sang Le and Yuan San, "The two must be seniors in the yamen. Fu Xuan just took office today, so please be polite here."

Sang Le and Yuan San smiled back.

"Your senior has also met. Shouldn't it be time to go to work? You will go to Jiuxiang and one village in Xiaoguo County within five days. There are horses in the county government. Can you ride them?" Tong Ran asked.

"Yes," Fu Xuan said, "Don't worry, my lord, within five days I will have a clear understanding of the farmland situation in one village in Jiuxiang."

Tong Ran nodded: "Sang Le took him to handle the entry matters."

Sang Le surrendered and took Fu Xuan down.

Tong Ran asked Yuan San again: "The raw materials for the cement are still being held in Zhuoyang Mansion?"

"No news yet," Yuan Sandao said.

Tong Ran nodded and went out, planning to visit the construction site first.

He carried the little tiger out of the county government office, and a government servant came quickly, dismounted at the door and cupped his hands, saying, "My lord, the cement raw materials have been transported to the construction site, Mr. Gao, please go there yourself."

"Understood." Tong Ran said.

He breathed a sigh of relief.Although he knew that the raw material would be obtained sooner or later, his pressure would increase one day later, and he was always nervous.It's good to arrive at this time, but it's enough for Gao Zhuo to handle this matter, why must he go in person?

Tong Ran didn't hesitate too much, the car was ready anyway, he got into the car with the little tiger in his arms, and went to the construction site in the third village.

Approaching the construction site, Tong Ran raised the curtain and took a look forward, and saw a man in official uniform surrounded by a few unfamiliar yamen servants, and there were several cars beside them, all of which belonged to Fan's family.

Tong Ran's car stopped, and Gao Zhuo led people to meet him.

"Master Tong, this is the co-prefect of Zhuoyang Mansion, Master Yu." Gao Zhuo said.

"Master Tong, it's a pleasure to meet you." Yu Tong knew.

"My lower official, Tong Ran, I have met Master Yu." Tong Ran bowed his hands and saluted.The Tongzhi in Xiaoguo County is under the county magistrate, and the official rank is from the seventh rank, while the Tongzhi in Zhuoyang Mansion is under the magistrate's rank, and the official rank is from the fifth rank, which is much higher than Tong Ran's official rank.

"Your Majesty Tong is very polite. Yesterday, an order from His Majesty came from Beijing, ordering the minister to bring these ingredients to you. You can ask someone to check whether they are complete, and I can go back and report to you." Yu Tong knew.

It turned out to be like this, Tong Ran understood.With His Majesty personally intervening, it's no wonder that he is dignified to personally escort these things over.Tong Ran asked Wu Fuqiang to bring someone to check, and Fan's people were also there. Both parties confirmed that the things were correct, and Tong Ran's heart was completely relieved.

"Things have been checked and everything is in order. Thank you, Sir. Your Excellency has worked hard all the way. Please follow the officials back to the county office to rest for a while. Let's go after lunch." Tong Ran said politely.

"No." Yu Tongzhi refused straight away, "Everything in Zhuoyang's mansion is complicated. Now that the magistrate is gone, I have to worry more, so I won't stay. Master Tong, please stay."

Although Yu Tongzhi was a civil servant, he spoke and acted like a warrior. He bowed his hands, took the people into his carriage, and drove away.

"After the fall of Prefect Lu, he is the most likely person to become the prefect of Zhuoyang Mansion. When we meet today, it doesn't seem like a good match." After Yu Tongzhi walked away, Gao Zhuo said.

Tong Ran smiled: "It's not necessarily true, let's talk about it later. When the things arrive, we can finally start working again."

But Gao Zhuo sighed: "The things are all ready, but the people are troublesome. My lord, there was a family that was about to be demolished. We had a good talk, but you suddenly regretted it after you came back yesterday, and now you have called many of their relatives to live with them. It was packed full of people."

"Oh? Which one is it? Please tell me in detail." Tong Ran said.Gao Zhuo then spoke in detail.

Tong Ran's cement road will pass through the third village, and many people's original houses will block the road, so they need to be demolished.A total of eight households were demolished, and they all agreed quickly because of the high compensation offered.However, this family surnamed Ni heard that Tong Ran was promoted to an official in the capital, and felt that as long as he lost a little money, he called a group of relatives who lived in the next county to ask for more head money for demolition and relocation.

"I was promoted? Isn't this still the county magistrate?" Tong Ran smiled wryly.

Gao Zhuo said: "Later, I found two reliable workers to inquire about. Their village has little contact with the outside world. In fact, they don't know how to tell if you have been promoted. I only think that you are the emperor's announcement to Beijing, so you must have taken a lot. Benefits. And the county said that it was your roads that were built well, that's why the emperor announced you to come to Beijing, and these unscrupulous people felt that they had a lot of credit for giving up the land, and they should get more benefits."

This is really... strong words.

"Now they occupy the space and refuse to give up, so our road cannot be repaired. In addition, although other families have not spoken, they have delayed moving. If you really comply with their request, my lord, I am afraid that in the future, other families will also It's time for the lion to open its mouth," Gao Zhuo reminded.

"Of course I won't accept." Tong Ran patted the little tiger's hairy head, "You call all the tallest and strongest yamen servants in the county, and we will meet this family named Ni."

"Yes." Gao Zhuo responded and went to do it immediately.

In the third village of Caogu Township, the courtyard of the Ni family was full of voices, with more than [-] people coming in and out, and the momentum was huge.

The head of the Ni family is old man Ni. His wife, Granny Ni, gave him a son and a daughter. After the sons and daughters got married, they gave birth to a total of five grandchildren, all of whom are at home now.

Granny Ni woke up in the morning and urged her daughter to dry the clothes, and ordered her daughter-in-law to chop firewood and carry water: "Hurry up, hurry up, your cousin will bring her two grandchildren here today, and there won't be enough food for a while." gone."

"Auntie, why are you calling your relatives here? A few uncles and uncles are enough to make a fuss. If you go any further, the rice and noodles at home will be eaten up!" said the girl from the Ni family.

"What do you know? The county asked us to move, and the compensation is calculated on a head-to-head basis. Adults are 50 taels, and children are 30 taels! If I ask a lot of people to come over, don't you get more compensation? Your child's family I don't understand how much rice and noodles can be eaten, and the money is real!" Granny Ni said.

"On our household registration, you, Aye, and the elder brother's family are the only ones, and the county will find out after checking." The girl from the Ni family said.

Granny Ni nodded her head: "Stupid, so what if he knows? We just made it clear and knocked on his county magistrate, so what? He built a road that the emperor admired because of us. What if we ask for some money? If we don't give it, we won't move. , Let's see how he repairs that road!"

The Ni family girl said: "What if he comes hard?"

Granny Ni stretched her neck, and said, "Come on then! Do you think I don't know that even officials can't kill people randomly. If someone is killed, my life can be exchanged for hundreds of taels of silver, and that's us made money."

"Hey, is the surname Ni here?" Before he finished speaking, two big men with swords appeared at the gate of the courtyard, and one of them said.

Granny Ni blocked her girl from behind: "Who are you?"

The big man outside the door said: "We are from the county government, open the door, the county magistrate is here."

Granny Ni shrank her neck and looked at her girl.

What you said just now, shouldn't it be right?