Chapter 22

Magistrate Ji, a man with extensive connections, was currently drafting this year’s relief list. Last winter’s relief efforts had been somewhat delayed, so he was determined to get ahead of the schedule this year. The winters in the Northwest were brutal; having experienced it himself last year, he knew the list needed to be incredibly detailed.

Beyond that, he planned to conduct a thorough inspection of every household’s home before the onset of winter. This would serve a dual purpose: urging families not to skimp on necessary repairs and identifying the citizens most in need of aid. Everything from food and shelter to clothing was being meticulously prepared.

During this time, Ji Chu also caught a few petty thieves trying to take advantage of the situation. These scammers had heard rumors that the people of Anqiu County had money from selling rapeseed, and they had come specifically to set up traps. Ji Chu caught every single one of them, prompting him to also launch an anti-fraud awareness campaign among the locals.

The affairs of a county office are like a thousand tangled threads—if you are willing to manage them, there is endless work to be done. If you are not, it can be a cushy, idle post. It all depends on the official’s choice. Clearly, in the current Anqiu County, the former was the case.

However, the mood in the Anqiu County office was currently one of growing anxiety. The officials from the Bureau of Evaluation were supposed to have arrived by now, yet there was no sign of them. Even his third uncle, the Instructor, had not replied to his letters. Everyone had no choice but to brace themselves and rush to finish the winter preparations.

The most anxious of all was undoubtedly the Instructor himself. He was juggling the grading of exams while waiting for his third uncle’s reply. Eventually, under Ji Chu’s reassurance, he was persuaded to focus on the entrance exams, noting that the officials would arrive sooner or later and there was no need to panic.

Speaking of the entrance exam, the Instructor was visibly excited. Over two hundred students had signed up for only seventy spots. He had initially assumed the local students were of mediocre quality and that the ones selected would be better than before, but nothing extraordinary. Yet, after reading the papers, he realized there were truly gifted students hidden locally; they had simply been overlooked until now.

"Look at this essay—it’s truly brilliant. In my opinion, he has a good chance of passing the provincial exam next year."
"And this one, the fundamentals are solid; with a little guidance, he will certainly go far."
"This one... this one has immense talent!"

With students like these in the county school, there was every reason to believe they would produce several scholars of note. Ji Chu was also looking over the papers; one student named Zhang Wensheng had written a truly spectacular essay, clearly the best of the bunch.

"Publish the list as soon as possible. They have been waiting for many days." The exam had been on the thirtieth of the ninth month, and it was now the fifth of the tenth month. For the students, this waiting period was agonizing.

Just as the officials from the Bureau of Evaluation entered the county town and sat down in a restaurant, they heard someone shouting, "Please, I beg you, let me into the county school!"

"How unrefined," one of the officials remarked. "For a scholar to behave this way—what is the world coming to?"

However, the more cultured-looking official smiled and said, "They are young, let them have some vitality."

At this, the three men at the table thought of another young man: Ji Chu. They looked at one another in silence. The leader, Magistrate Zhou, gave a light cough and said, "Indeed, we should be more understanding of the young."

Magistrate Chen, who had been on the verge of slamming the table moments ago, chimed in, "Magistrate Zhou is right. We must give the youth more opportunities."

The cultured official nodded quickly. "Exactly, that is the case." This refined man was none other than the Instructor’s third uncle, Magistrate Song, a member of the Bureau of Evaluation.

The three men hid their ulterior motives and lowered their heads to drink their tea. It was difficult—they were trying every possible way to cover for Ji Chu. They knew Ji Chu had not managed Anqiu County well, but his connections were extensive. In previous years, it would have been easy; they would have simply gone through the motions, and as long as things weren't too bad, they would have given him a top rating.

But now, the imperial court had issued a decree requiring strict evaluations. They were required to conduct undercover investigations to determine the final grades. Since it was an undercover visit, what they saw and heard would be the truth. If they encountered horrific cases of children being sold or farmland being seized, or saw officials harassing the people, how could they cover for him then? There would be no way to gloss over that.

The scholar nearby continued, "As long as I get into the county school, I won't have to eat my family’s grain."

The waiter comforted him, "Don't worry, everyone has surplus grain these days. You are studying in earnest; as long as you aren't playing around and wasting time, your family won't blame you."

These words caught the attention of the officials, who all looked over. Magistrate Song, the Instructor’s uncle, was the most informed and stroked his beard, saying, "It seems Ji Chu treats the scholars well. He has provided them with quite an advantage."

Encouraging education is never wrong, especially since all three men were products of the imperial examination system themselves. They were quite satisfied with this. To help his colleagues understand, Magistrate Song asked, "What does he mean by 'not having to eat the family's grain'? Even after getting into the county school, shouldn't they still rely on their families?"

The waiter laughed, "You must be from out of town. Our Anqiu County school provides free food, housing, and even covers the cost of books, paper, and ink."

What?!

Magistrate Song looked at his superior, Magistrate Zhou, and Magistrate Chen. Their expressions were ones of immense satisfaction. It was the same look he had worn when he first read his nephew’s letter. Once the others clarified, the three men nodded in unison.

Before they could speak further, a loud voice outside announced, "The list is out! The exam essays are posted, too! They say it’s absolutely fair and impartial!"

One could tell at a glance which essays were superior. This completely eliminated the possibility of cheating. Magistrate Zhou nodded and couldn't help but say, "Shall we go take a look?" Although these were just entrance exam essays, they were curious. After all, there had never been a county school that dared to recruit like this.

Their attendants followed as the three men went to examine the papers. Most of the students were busy checking the results and had no time to spare. After a quick look, the three men didn't show much emotion; by their standards, only one in ten of Anqiu’s students showed promise. Only the first-place essay was decent; the others needed much more work.

But they were looking at more than just the students' level. Magistrate Zhou remarked, "It seems the magistrate here has some redeeming qualities."

Before Magistrate Song could reply, Magistrate Chen added, "Indeed. To be able to support a county school in his first year as magistrate shows he has real ability. As for other matters, it is likely just a lack of experience. It must be difficult for him, having been sent here to govern immediately after passing the provincial exam."

As Magistrate Chen finished, he noticed Magistrate Zhou and Magistrate Song staring at him. Was he wrong? Had he spoken too much in defense of Ji Chu? To his surprise, Magistrate Song patted him on the shoulder and said, "Yes, exactly. Well said. He is just inexperienced."

Magistrate Song breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't know the specifics of other matters in Anqiu, but the county school was undeniably a point in Ji Chu's favor. He hadn't expected the usually stern Magistrate Zhou to nod in agreement as well.

The three men looked at each other again. Why did it feel so strange? Were they all helping to cover for him? That couldn't be. Ji Chu had no power, no status, and no backing. Besides themselves, no one else would speak up for him.

They calmed themselves and returned to the restaurant to eat. The scholar from earlier was ecstatic, clearly having passed. He said he was going home to pack his things and come back to study in earnest. As he spoke, he handed out honey candies to those around him, sharing his good fortune.

This surprised Magistrate Song, who asked, "Didn't you just say your family was poor? Why are you being so generous?" Honey candy was nothing to an official, but to be so lavish with it to strangers seemed inappropriate.

Guests at other tables laughed, "Oh, we don't even care for honey candy anymore." They pointed to a child nearby, who reacted with indifference, setting the candy aside without interest.

How could that be? What child didn't love candy? Even the children in Magistrate Zhou’s household would beg for it.

The scholar smiled, "My family keeps bees, so we have plenty of honey. It’s not worth much."

As the scholar left to share the good news, others chimed in, "In Anqiu County, we might lack other things, but never honey. Next year, there will be even more."

What was the reason for this? Before they could ask, the others were already chatting.

"Magistrate Ji says that next year, when we make the candy, we should develop more flavors so it sells even better."
"He said he’d open a honey workshop in town after spring, which will drive the price up."
"That’s a good thing. I think I’ll raise bees next year, too."
"I’m afraid that won’t work; beekeeping requires skill. You’d better stick to growing rapeseed; we’re all good at that now."

As they spoke, the meal ordered by the three officials arrived. Unlike other places where they were stingy with oil, the lotus root here was deep-fried. Was this restaurant being too generous? Looking around, everyone else seemed used to it, even asking for less oil because they were tired of eating so much.

If the three officials still didn't realize something, they would be fools. This Anqiu County seemed completely different from the rumors. They encouraged students to study, the locals treated honey candy as a casual snack, and every restaurant was lavish with their cooking oil. Was this the legendary "dirt-poor" county? The county that even bandits wouldn't bother robbing?

What a joke.

The three men finished their meal and walked out in a daze. "Shall we keep looking around?"
"Let's look around."

Previously, the three had been afraid to investigate openly, fearing they would find evidence that would ruin the evaluation. But now, it seemed they could be more daring.

There weren't many shops in the county, but the streets were bustling. People were carrying goods, muttering, "Finally bought it! I can make the kids new clothes now."
"That shopkeeper is such a miser, he wouldn't lower the price at all."

On the road, people were pulling ox carts loaded with building materials, clearly intended for home repairs. The key was that these people didn't look wealthy; they looked like ordinary farmers. While every household would make purchases before the cold winter, could such ordinary farming families really afford so many things?

It was the complete opposite of the poor county they had imagined. Or was it possible that Ji Chu knew they were coming and had staged a fake scene? That was impossible. Who could stage such a convincing facade?

"So much for the rumors that Ji Chu was incompetent!"

Before Magistrate Chen could finish his sentence, an old man carrying a shoulder pole hit him on the back of the head. The old man glared, shouting, "What did you just say?!"

What had he said?! The attendants shouted at the old man, ordering him to apologize, and passersby joined in, warning the old man that these were no ordinary people. But the old man refused, neck stiff, "He just said Magistrate Ji is incompetent!"

The old man was hard of hearing; hearing "Ji Chu" and "incompetent" together, he had snapped. Everyone in the county knew that Magistrate Ji might be dismissed, and saying such things now could implicate him!

What?! The passersby who had been urging the old man to apologize suddenly turned hostile, pointing at Magistrate Chen, "You dare speak ill of our Magistrate Ji? Apologize!"

"Incompetent? Who is the incompetent one here?"
"Don't speak about the Magistrate like that!"
"I heard the superiors are coming to inspect. If they hear people saying bad things and he gets transferred, what will we do?"
"Exactly! That's what we're all afraid of!"
"Don't you see I even washed my clothes before coming to the street today?"
"Apologize! Don't let the inspectors hear you!"

The three officials were surrounded, their attendants trapped along with them. The crowd chanted in unison, "Apologize! Apologize to Magistrate Ji!"

The three men felt wronged. They had just spoken casually! They were the inspectors; they were here to save Ji Chu! No, wait—they were here to *help* him!

When Ji Chu heard the news and arrived, he felt a bit numb. Well, well—it seemed he could forget about ever pulling his reputation back from this. Would this year’s evaluation really be a disaster after all?