Li Yaonan rested for a night and reported to the yamen the next day. Prefect He was very generous to him and gave him whatever information he asked for.
From files of previous years to population registers, everything was available. Li Yaonan felt dizzy after reading it all and was completely speechless about Magistrate He. He didn't know what to say about how an official behaved. However, it was no wonder. Dali, Ningzhou and other places had changed several prefects, but Lord He was able to remain steady, which was also a kind of ability.
Three days passed in a flash, and Li Yaonan gradually got the hang of things in the government office, thanks to the cooperation of Lord He. The Tongzhi seemed to have other opinions, but before he found out Li Yaonan's background, he did not dare to express his opposition openly.
Li Yaonan's life in the government office was going smoothly. It was much easier than in the Hanlin Academy. If he was willing to live a stable life, he believed that he would have no problem integrating into the place and could even make a lot of money.
In recent days, he has been so nice that his hands have cramped from receiving so many gifts. The gift warehouse at home is almost full. He has really experienced what a corrupt official is. Faced with the gifts from local wealthy people, it is not good to return them, but it is also not good to accept them. Although he is not a money-grubber, he still felt frightened when he saw the room full of valuable things. For the first time, he felt that he was still a country bumpkin who had never seen the world.
After thinking it over, Li Yaonan decided to ask for advice from Prefect He. No matter what kind of person Prefect He was, since he was able to be re-elected as the prefect of Yuxi for four years, he must have his own way of survival.
Li Yaonan never looks down on anyone, especially those in official circles.
He casually picked up some gifts, all of which were silk, embroidery, and some popular gadgets in the capital that his husband insisted he take.
Li Yaonan missed her husband terribly at this moment. There was a huge difference between having someone take care of the inner house and not having someone take care of it. She couldn't eat delicious food, and her servants were not satisfactory. Without her husband by her side, she felt something was wrong in everything she did, and even her sleep was not at ease.
When he arrived at the He Mansion, the housekeeper welcomed him respectfully. Magistrate He was a man who knew how to enjoy life. The He Mansion was beautifully decorated, with a layout similar to that of a Jiangnan villa. The courtyard had pavilions, towers, rockery and streams. As Yunnan has evergreen seasons all year round, the flowers, plants and trees in the courtyard were beautiful. Walking in the sea of flowers and smelling the faint fragrance was refreshing.
Li Yaonan secretly guessed that He Zhifu might have failed in his career, so he just used his energy to enjoy himself. Just as he was thinking this, a burst of stringed music came from the front.
The housekeeper went in first to report, and soon, Prefect He came out with a look of surprise, as if he had not expected that Magistrate Li would come to visit. After all, all the performance of Lord Li in the government office proved that he wanted to do something big, which went against the trend of this leisurely prefect.
"It is a great honor for our humble home to have Lord Li here today. Come in and have a seat." Prefect He said with a smile, quickly suppressing his emotions.
Li Yaonan asked someone to deliver the gift: "Your Excellency the Prefect is too polite. I am sorry to disturb you by visiting you today."
"Master Li, what are you talking about? I am very happy that you can come here. I hope Master Li can give me some advice on my useless boys." Prefect He said with a smile, looking at the gift, with a hint of nostalgia on his face: "This is something from the capital, right? I haven't been to the capital for many years. I wonder if it has changed much?"
"The current emperor is wise and benevolent. Everything is fine in the capital, and the people live and work in peace and contentment." Li Yaonan said as he followed Magistrate He into the house. The corners of his lips twitched. Lord He really knew how to enjoy himself.
"Haha! Lord Li, please forgive me for making a fool of myself." Prefect He sat leisurely on a chair, surrounded by beauties. A beauty was dancing gracefully in the room, and several beauties beside her were stroking the strings of a zither, half-holding a pipa, and another beauty was sitting on the table with a graceful manner, playing the flute horizontally.
Li Yaonan smiled and said nothing. If he didn't have a husband, he might have been a playboy. He didn't agree with the prefect's hobby, but he wouldn't object to it either.
"Don't be polite, Lord Li. Lianyi, go over and serve you." Prefect He pointed at a beauty and said with a smile, winking at Li Yaonan.
Lianyi was the girl who played the zither. When she heard the order from Prefect He, her cheeks flushed. She looked at Li Yaonan shyly and walked forward with lotus steps. The two beauties beside him showed a hint of jealousy at the same time. Lord Li was young and promising, so who wouldn't want to serve him
Li Yaonan did not refuse, but just asked her to stand aside and serve tea and water.
Lianyi gave him a wronged look, her pupils slightly watery, but Li Yaonan turned a blind eye to it. This was the only trick women had.
He Zhifu was a little unhappy. Anyone who is in high spirits would feel unhappy if someone pretends to be serious next to him. He said unhappily, "Master Li doesn't like Lian Yi?"
Li Yaonan smiled faintly: "How could that be? Miss Lianyi is extremely beautiful, but I only love my husband."
"Oh!" Prefect He suddenly realized and was self-satisfied. He knew that someone only loved Shuang'er, and he could do nothing about it. There were all kinds of beauties in the mansion, except Shuang'er. He shook his head regretfully, and was embarrassed to only care about himself, so he waved his hand and asked the beauties to leave.
Lianyi stamped her feet in hatred, but she didn't feel any reluctance to leave. She could still compete with the woman, but she only liked Shuang'er, so how could she compete? It was a pity to waste such a big fish.
"Lord Li, what is the important matter that brought you here today?" Magistrate He asked seriously. He believed that no one would come here for no reason. He neither supported nor opposed Lord Li's idea. At most, he would only give him some official conveniences, but nothing else.
"That's right." Li Yaonan said with a smile, "Master He has been entrenched in Yunnan for several years, and I don't understand many things. That's why I came here today. I hope Master He will give me some advice."
"Lord Li, please speak frankly." Lord He was smiling and looked friendly. Although he spoke with great confidence, there was no promise in his words.
Li Yaonan was not surprised by this. Since Lord He was able to be re-elected as the prefect of Yuxi, no matter how incompetent he was, how could he really be a fool? "To be honest, I have received a lot of bribes in recent days, and I don't know how to deal with them. That's why I want to ask you if there is a precedent in previous years."
He felt relieved after hearing this, and the smile on his face became more sincere: "Master Li, don't worry, just accept their gifts. All new officials have to go through this process when they take office, just like when you go to pay respects to the prefect, commonly known as paying respects to the magistrate."
Li Yaonan nodded, and then asked: "This subordinate is new here, is there anything you need to worry about?"
Lord He was slightly surprised. He never expected Lord Li to ask him these questions. Logically speaking, he, a foolish prefect, was not very impressive. Lord Li actually thought highly of him.
Lord He was in a very good mood and was very satisfied with Li Yaonan's ability to judge people. He did not hide anything and gave advice, "There are five prominent families in Yuxi. Except for the Yan family, the other four are all local tyrants with deep roots and complicated in-law relationships. You must remember not to act rashly. In addition, the Yi people also have their own set of rules. In their eyes, the clan leader is more important than the government. It is best not to move if you can. The Yi people are extremely xenophobic and united. If you move one of them, I am afraid the Yi people will not let it go."
Li Yaonan frowned: "What if someone commits a crime?"
Lord He twirled his beard, poured a small glass of wine, took a sip, and said nonchalantly: "Leave it to the chief of the Yi tribe, he will deal with it."
Li Yaonan just felt a headache. If it was really as Lord He said, then where was the authority of the government
Lord He sipped his wine and ate his side dishes happily, thinking that if Lord Li ran into more bad luck, he would naturally give up and understand his good advice.
Mr. He had two sons and two daughters. He kept Li Yaonan for dinner that day and did not let him go until the evening.
Li Yaonan had no way to refuse, so he walked out of the room and tactfully stopped talking about business. Mrs. He liked the gift he brought very much, and everyone was very happy. Lord He looked at Li Yaonan with even higher regard, saying that this man was tactful, aware of the times, knew his limits, and knew how to advance and retreat. It all depended on whether he could achieve something.
Li Yaonan returned home in a depressed mood, but he did not dwell on it for too long. Seeing that June was approaching, the rice in Yunnan was ripening early, and the harvest in July was imminent, he did not have much time to think. Every day, everyone was busy seeking profit, and with profit at the forefront of his mind, he did not believe that he could not find a way out.
As long as Yunnan becomes prosperous, local residents live a better life and the country's tax revenue is raised, who cares about the rest. In the current situation, the government has been hollowed out and formal channels will definitely not work. The only option is to take an unconventional approach.
The next day, Li Yaonan gathered his guards and asked them to go to various towns and counties to investigate local conditions, whether it was local customs or geographical environment, and write them all down for him.
Li Yaonan was grateful to her husband for making all the necessary preparations, allowing him to take many guards with him. Otherwise, he might be left alone. The officials in the government office were divided into three groups: the prefect, the deputy prefect, and the state official. As a new official, how could he command people to do things? If he rashly ordered the officials to do something, and they pretended to obey but secretly disobeyed, he would lose face and his dignity would be damaged. It would be better to let people know the situation clearly before making plans.
As a result, the yamen soon discovered that the newly appointed Tongpan had become quiet, strolling around every day, looking through files, chatting with people casually, and became extremely leisurely.
Li Yaonan was actually quite fortunate. No matter how complicated Yunnan was, at least it was not deeply involved with the capital. It was a barren land in the eyes of Beijing officials, and most of the officials who were transferred there had no backing. Otherwise, wouldn't it be better to go to wealthy places such as Jiangnan with a little help
As the saying goes, there is gain and loss. On the other hand, think about it, Yunnan is far away from the capital and news is not easy to get through. If Prefect He knew what I did in the capital, he probably wouldn't be so polite to me. In Yunnan, he can boldly use the tiger's skin and wave the flag to bully others!
However, the most important thing to do now is to know yourself and the enemy so that you can fight a hundred battles without defeat. He has always believed in one thing: there is no relationship that cannot be destroyed, and there is no loophole that cannot be found. He does not believe that Yuxi will be an iron plate.
The author has something to say: Thank you, I will continue to work hard. . o(n_n)o
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