On the first day, all the officials of Jingnan County Yamen left work in a tacit atmosphere of slacking off, and their work results were essentially zero.
Slack off at work and rush forward after get off work.
As soon as the yamen was closed, all the officials were very active and quick. In less than a minute, the entire yamen was empty.
The Jingnan County Office was empty, but the Hefeng Building, not far from the County Office, was soon filled with people. County Magistrate Zhang Changru, Chief Clerk Yao Wenyuan, the six clerks of the County Office, and even Dianshi Li Da, who had drunk too much and was sick at home and had not gone to work last night, were all in the Hefeng Building.
Well, it can be said that except for the county magistrate Zhu Ping'an, all the important people in the Jingnan County Government were present.
They booked the Hefeng Building and hung a sign outside saying "Closed, No Customers Allowed" to ensure that no one would disturb them.
County Magistrate Zhang Changru was like the host, sitting at the head of the table, surrounded by the crowd. The table was filled with delicious food, including wild game, seafood, and aquatic products. Every dish was cooked with good color, fragrance, and taste, and every jar of wine exuded an intoxicating aroma. Everyone toasted each other and gathered together happily.
"Hahaha, I guess the county magistrate's face has turned green by now." Liu Yunshan, the clerk of the Ministry of Personnel, said with a smile while holding a wine glass.
"Haha, even now, I think his face has already turned green. Hey, Zhang Danian, when you were leaving the court, didn't the county magistrate stop you and ask you to send him the backlog of case files? What's going on? I heard that your criminal department didn't even sort out a single file in a day. Haha, you didn't see the county magistrate's face when he came out of your household department and went to our courtesy room. There was no smile at all."
Wang Bin, the clerk of the household department, took over the conversation with a smile, and then nudged Zhang Danian, the clerk of the criminal department who was sitting next to him, and started joking with a smile.
"Oh, Brother Wang, you still have the nerve to criticize Brother Zhang. It's the same with your Household Department. The county magistrate asked you to count the unpaid money and grain taxes in the county. I heard that you couldn't even count one village in the whole day. Haha, how big a village would it take you a whole day to count..." Xu Zhi, the clerk of the Rites Room, winked at Wang Bin, the clerk of the Household Department, and said with a mischievous smile.
"Ahem, there's nothing we can do. The accumulated cases are from a long time ago, the cases are complicated, and so many county lords have handled them. The files are numerous and complicated, and they are also incomplete. It is naturally difficult to sort them out." Zhang Danian, a clerk in the Ministry of Justice, coughed and shrugged with a smile.
"Yes, that's right, that's right. It's the same in our Ministry of Household Affairs. The situation in the villages below is complicated. Some people are married and live alone, some daughters are married off, and some widows have remarried. The situation is very complicated, and it is very difficult for us to count the numbers." Wang Bin, the clerk in the Ministry of Household Affairs, imitated Zhang Danian's words, smiled and shrugged.
Then, the two looked at each other and a knowing smile appeared on their lips.
"Haha, come on..." Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing this.
"Hahaha, a crow has landed on a pig, so let's not laugh at each other. Let's drink, drink..." Zhang Danian, the clerk of the Criminal Department, and Wang Bin, the clerk of the Household Department, raised their glasses and toasted the officials around them with a smile.
Everyone clinked glasses with laughter and drank to their heart's content.
"Haha, to be honest with you, when our little county lord came to our criminal department to collect the files, he didn't dare to say a word when he found out that we hadn't sorted out any files. He even said that we worked hard..."
Zhang Danian, the warden of the prison, put down his wine glass and boasted to everyone with a smile.
"Haha, what else can he do except grit his teeth and swallow his anger? He is an outsider, still wet behind the ears. What can he do without us? Without all of us, he, a county magistrate without any support, can't even fart."
The Dianshi Li Da wiped the wine stains off his beard with his hand, then reached out and pulled a chicken leg from the plate, tore off a large piece of meat with his mouth, and said with disdain while chewing it in big mouthfuls.
"Lord Li is right. As long as we all hold together tightly, he is just a young boy and can be bullied by us." Everyone nodded in agreement, showing great disdain for Zhu Ping'an, the county magistrate.
"This position of county lord should have belonged to Lord Zhang. How can Zhu Ping'an, a young boy who is still wet behind the ears, be qualified and capable of managing our complicated Jingnan County?"
Zhang Danian, the warden of the criminal department, picked up the wine glass, stood up and walked to Zhang Changru who was sitting on the main seat, and toasted him with a glass of wine in a flattering manner.
"Alas, you can't say that... The county magistrate was appointed by the higher-ups, so he's not incompetent." County Magistrate Zhang Changru was very pleased with Zhang Danian's words. His eyes narrowed into crescent shapes, but he still spoke in an official tone.
"Haha, if Zhu Ping'an is not incompetent, then there would be no incompetent people in the world. He is not only incompetent, but also a big fool. He has become stupid because of reading too much. When he was in the capital, he even conspired to impeach Prime Minister Yan. Do you think he is not stupid?!" The head clerk of the personnel room also came over to toast County Magistrate Zhang and slandered Zhu Ping'an. He was well-informed and had already found out the reason why Zhu Ping'an was demoted.
"He is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot with an egg. He is not just stupid, he is extremely stupid." Everyone burst into laughter when they heard this.
"Oh, by the way, Lord Zhang, I heard that you met an important person when you came to Beijing?" Everyone at the table asked curiously.
"You all are well-informed. You are all family, so I will not hide anything from you. I got to know Doctor Zhang from the Ministry of Personnel through my wife's brother-in-law in the capital..." County Magistrate Zhang leaned back in his chair and said slowly.
"Mr. Zhang from the Ministry of Personnel!!! My Lord Zhang, we have to hold on to your big legs. You have connections in the Ministry of Personnel, and you will definitely have a smooth career in the future. My Lord Zhang, when you become rich in the future, don't forget us poor brothers."
Everyone flattered him, and even Zhang Danian, the official in charge of the criminal department who was used to flattering others, actually went over to curry favor with County Magistrate Zhang.
You can't bear the shock?!
County Magistrate Zhang narrowed his eyes, raised the corners of his mouth, looked at everyone mischievously and asked, "When I was about to leave Beijing, guess who I met again?"
"Who?" Everyone was very curious.
"Young Prime Minister Yan Shifan." County Magistrate Zhang did not keep anyone waiting and immediately revealed the answer.
"Little Prime Minister Yan?!"
Everyone at the banquet opened their mouths in surprise, and their exclamations were like thunder, and the atmosphere instantly became high.
"Yes, it was Young Prime Minister Yan. A few days before leaving Beijing, I had the chance to meet Young Prime Minister Yan's cousin Ouyang Zishi and Young Prime Minister Yan's good friend Luo Longwen. It was through them that I was able to meet Young Prime Minister Yan." When he said this, County Magistrate Zhang's eyebrows were about to fly up, as if his whole body was glowing.
"Master Zhang is truly blessed. You have made the acquaintance of Young Prime Minister Yan. It will be a matter of a blink of an eye for you to rise to prominence."
People were full of praise and compliments for County Magistrate Zhang.
"To be honest with you, when we were in the capital, Young Prime Minister Yan had already asked Luo Longwen to inform the Ministry of Personnel that the next magistrate of Jingnan County will be me, Zhang Changru." County Magistrate Zhang narrowed his eyes and raised his head to scan the crowd.
"Congratulations, Mr. Zhang. Congratulations, Mr. Zhang." Everyone congratulated.
The next county magistrate, that's easy, as long as Zhu Ping'an becomes the predecessor. Then we can let Zhu Ping'an go quickly, or... ... Everyone present reached a consensus in the midst of drinking.