ebookland Chapter 401: Good-for-nothing
Chapter 401: Good-for-nothing
After Qiao Da and Qiao Er left, Song Yuntang first took Xia Ning out of Anyang County in a carriage. They wandered around the nearby paddy fields for a while, and after confirming that what Qiao Da and Qiao Er said was true, they went to the government office again.
Zhu Deming was promoted to the magistrate of Jing County and has already taken up the post. Although he is still a magistrate, the magistrate of Jing County is one rank higher than the magistrate of Anyang County and is closer to the emperor.
Once he completes one year in office, he will surely be successful in the future.
But being close to the emperor also means that it is difficult to be a county magistrate, and the pressure he will face in the future will be even greater.
Yao is now eight months pregnant. The journey from Anyang County to Jing County is long. In order to avoid any accidents on the way, she stayed in Anyang County for the time being and was taken care of by her mother-in-law. She would only set off for Jing County to reunite with Zhu Deming's family after the child was born.
Before leaving, Zhu Deming came to the clinic specifically to ask Song Yuntang to help him take care of Yao.
So in recent days, Song Yuntang would go to Zhu's house every ten days or half a month to check on Yao's pulse.
After Zhu Deming left, the position of county magistrate remained vacant, and the affairs of the yamen were temporarily handled by the county magistrate Jiang Manchun.
Originally, he had made great contributions this time, and after Zhu Deming was promoted, he had a great chance to replace Zhu Deming's position.
However, Jiang Manchun has been in the position of county magistrate for many years and is a person who does not want to make progress. Apart from the tasks that must be completed as ordered by Zhu Deming, his biggest hobby is cockfighting and dog walking. Therefore, his superiors have been promoted, but he is still staying in the same position.
When Song Yuntang arrived, she was received by Master Qin.
"How come Doctor Song has time to come to the yamen today?"
Song Yuntang bowed to Master Qin and said, "Master Qin, I have an important discovery that I would like to discuss with County Magistrate Jiang."
Mr. Qin made a gesture of invitation towards the yamen with a serious expression.
"Doctor Song, please."
Song Yuntang followed Master Qin to the backyard, where Jiang Manchun was standing under the eaves with a big fat belly, teasing a parrot.
Seeing someone coming in, the bird quickly called out, "Get out, everyone get out!"
Master Qin nodded towards Jiang Manchun with a hint of embarrassment and said, "Sir, County Magistrate, Doctor Song said he has something important to discuss with you."
Jiang Manchun just glanced in Song Yuntang's direction and continued to tease his parrot.
"What brings you here, Doctor Song?"
Ever since Lord Zhu left, he has had very little time to rest.
Song Yuntang bowed. "Just before I came to the government office, the farm steward came to me and said they had found a large number of locust eggs in the fields, not just in my farm, but in the fields nearby. If these eggs hatch, Anyang County might face a locust plague. That's why I came here to warn the county magistrate so that the people can take precautions."
Jiang Manchun didn't seem to take what she said to heart.
"They're just some insect eggs. They've been there in previous years, haven't they? Doctor Song, what you're saying is really serious."
Qin Shi Huang, the lawyer standing by, said hurriedly, "County Magistrate, a small number of insect eggs is not a big deal, but if the number is very large, Anyang County will be in dire straits if it is hit by a locust plague after the drought and plague it has already experienced."
Jiang Manyun remained unmoved.
"Alarmist!"
The parrot, perhaps sensing its owner's emotions, jumped up and down, saying, "How dare you! Kneel down! How dare you! Kneel down!"
Song Yuntang looked at the reactions of the man and the bird and decided not to say anything more.
Not all officials care about the people as much as Lord Zhu does.
Where there are responsible good officials, there will naturally be incompetent officials like Jiang Manchun. If you persuade them too much, they might even hold a grudge against you.
Besides, she is not an official.
Being able to remember Master Wu's instructions before he left and coming to the county government to remind him has already been a great kindness.
"Locust eggs hatch in about twelve to twenty days. It's been two or three days since the steward of my farm discovered them. Even if we start prevention and control now, we're still not sure we can completely eliminate the locust eggs. If we delay any further, once a large-scale outbreak occurs, the consequences will be disastrous. I hope the County Magistrate will consider this. I have other matters to attend to at the clinic, so I won't bother you any longer. Farewell."
After Song Yuntang finished speaking, he turned and left.
Seeing this, Master Qin hurried to catch up with her.
"I'll see Doctor Song off."
When they arrived at the gate of the yamen, Song Yuntang turned around and looked at Master Qin.
"Master, as Master Zhu's right-hand man, won't you leave with Master Zhu?"
Master Qin nodded. "Of course I will follow Master Zhu in the future, but I have to wait until Madam gives birth. Master has ordered me to escort Madam and the old lady to Jing County. My wife and children will also go with them. Until then, I will continue to serve as a master in the government office."
Song Yuntang nodded.
Following Lord Zhu is definitely better than staying here.
"Regarding the locust issue, it seems County Magistrate Jiang won't bother with it. Before coming to the county government, I already sent people to look for herbs to make insecticide. It would be helpful if Master Qin could inform the people about this and let them take precautions early."
Then, she explained to Master Qin in detail the methods of repelling and killing insects.
Having known Song Yuntang for so long, Master Qin naturally trusts her character.
Since she came here specifically to talk about it today, it means that the situation has become quite serious.
"I'll write a notice and have it posted. I'll remind everyone I can."
Song Yuntang nodded, "Okay, Master Qin, don't see me off. Goodbye."
"Doctor Song, take care."
After watching Song Yuntang leave, Mr. Qin hurried back to the yamen to write a notice.
Now he is still serving as the legal advisor of Anyang County. Although he still has the county magistrate to support him even if the sky falls, he cannot let down Mr. Zhu's cultivation and promotion over the years, so he can only do his best.
Because he was thinking about the peppers and sweet potatoes on the farm, after Song Yuntang came out of the county government office, he went home to say hello to Jiang and then went straight back to the farm.
It has been sunny these past few days, and it's already a bit hot during the day at the end of April.
The newly built courtyard on the farm is already habitable. It has all the necessary items inside, all built and arranged according to Song Yuntang's wishes, making it convenient to use.
Best of all, there's a heated indoor hot spring bath in the backyard.
After a busy day at the farm, she can soak in the hot spring at night to relieve the fatigue of the day. It is so pleasant.
……