Chapter 29: The Shrewd Elder Ye (Seeking Continued Reading)

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County Magistrate Wang clung tightly to Elder Ye, refusing to let go.

Seeing this, Chen Ping had no choice but to step forward and defuse the situation, asking what had happened.

If war had truly broken out again, then their best course would probably be to spirit his teacher away first.

Perhaps realizing that he had lost his composure, Magistrate Wang suddenly felt embarrassed. He hurriedly straightened his robes and headwear, instantly recovering the bearing of a county magistrate.

The mud covering him, however, made him look rather comical.

He bowed deeply, repeatedly apologizing as he explained the whole affair to Elder Ye. He then said, “Now that you have come to help me, Elder Ye, I can finally set my mind at ease.”

“Otherwise, who knows how much of the people’s hard-earned wealth those crafty petty clerks below would have swallowed?”

“And if the laborers also went on strike and started causing trouble, then all the effort this county has expended over the past few years would truly become a complete joke!”

After hearing Magistrate Wang’s account, Elder Ye breathed a sigh of relief. At least the situation was not as bad as it might have been. Even so, it had to be dealt with immediately; any delay could lead to further complications.

The group wasted no more time. They abandoned the carriage and ordered the attendants to follow afterward. With Chen Ping and Magistrate Wang supporting him, Elder Ye hurried toward the gathering place of the laborers.

As they walked, Elder Ye said, “The first thing we must do is immediately inform the laborers that work will not resume until after midday, and have them rest in the work sheds for another half an hour.”

“Also, do not rush to investigate the petty clerks’ embezzlement. Have the kitchen draw on its reserve supplies and make certain the laborers are fed before they return to work.”

Magistrate Wang hurried off to make the arrangements. Elder Ye turned to Chen Ping and asked, “Tell me, what is the greatest significance of arranging matters this way?”

Chen Ping supported Elder Ye by himself as they continued forward, pondering his teacher’s question.

Everyone knew that one had to eat one’s fill before one could work. His teacher’s arrangement was surely an expression of concern for the laborers and a demonstration of putting people first.

But if it were truly that simple, why would his teacher have asked him?

Chen Ping lifted his head, and his gaze happened to fall upon Magistrate Wang in the distance, giving instructions to several petty clerks.

At once, enlightenment dawned on him. “Teacher, your arrangement is not only about benevolence, but also about trust!”

“Without trust, a person cannot establish himself; without trust, an official has no authority!”

“An official without trust or authority will make a complete mess of anything he tries to do!”

“You are protecting Magistrate Wang’s reputation for benevolence and trustworthiness.”

At these words, a bright, excited light flashed through Elder Ye’s clear eyes.

He reached out and gently patted Chen Ping on the head, unable to conceal the smile spreading across his face.

“Ha-ha-ha! Good, good! What an excellent understanding of benevolence and trust!”

“If you enter government service in the future, you must always remember these two principles. Never abandon them!”

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Chen Ping nodded vigorously, showing that he had taken the words to heart.

When the two entered the temporary storehouse beside the construction site, they could not help frowning.

Everything had been piled together in a disorderly heap, without the slightest standard or system.

Elder Ye and Chen Ping picked up several account books from the table and opened them. The records of receipts, expenditures, and inventory were vague and muddled.

Even the accountant of an ordinary merchant house of modest size would never dare treat the master’s accounts so carelessly.

After all, the collection of land taxes, the calculation of various surcharges, and the accounting of taxes to be remitted to the central government and retained locally should, in theory, have been personally overseen by the officials. In practice, however, the officials were neither familiar with such matters nor willing to handle them. Although the clerks in the revenue office understood local conditions and were well versed in financial records, they could not earn the trust of their superiors.

Thus there arose the position of the highly skilled and specially trained adviser who assisted officials in managing these affairs of state—

the professional financial adviser, also known as the revenue adviser.

For a professional to handle matters in such an unprofessional manner, this clearly was not a question of ability.

Still, this was not the time to pursue such matters. They would first resolve the most urgent problem and discuss the rest later.

Elder Ye swiftly wrote out a requisition for three thousand pounds of coarse rice and handed it to the kitchen steward, who had just arrived.

The steward’s regular position was as a clerk in the county government’s revenue office. By ordinary convention, when the revenue adviser was absent, the senior clerk of the revenue office could take charge of the county government’s income and expenditure accounts.

This man had openly demanded the account books from Magistrate Wang in front of everyone the previous day, claiming that he was merely following established practice.

Fortunately, Magistrate Wang was no muddleheaded official. He had not only refused to follow the so-called convention, but had personally taken over the miscellaneous task of managing the accounts.

For the revenue adviser to dare publicly embarrass himself, even at the risk of losing his livelihood, was strange in every respect.

Magistrate Wang had been unable to discover the specific reason for it, so all he could do was proceed with caution.

The steward accepted the requisition approved by Elder Ye and glanced at the figure written on it. He stood there stunned for a moment.

When he raised his head again, a smile had spread across his face, and he looked exceedingly cordial.

“Elder Ye truly understands the hardships faced by those of us who carry out the work below. It seems you really do understand the rules.”

“In that case, this old fellow can guarantee that your share will certainly be no less than that of a petty clerk like me!”

He spoke those two sentences with a beaming smile, paid no attention to the reactions of Elder Ye and Chen Ping, and wore an expression that seemed to say, I understand everything.

Then he turned and hurried away.

Elder Ye turned back and smiled at Chen Ping. “How much have you understood?”

Chen Ping naturally did not question why his teacher had requisitioned coarse rice exceeding the quota by thirty percent.

Since his teacher intended to restore the trust Magistrate Wang had nearly lost among the laborers—

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if they wanted the laborers to enjoy a proper, filling meal, this was hardly the time to economize.

Yet doubts still lingered in his mind, and he immediately asked, “You and men like that cannot have much of a personal relationship, Teacher.”

“Then how could you be certain that after receiving the grain, they would embezzle only thirty percent? What if they sold forty percent—or even more?”

“If they were particularly unscrupulous, then this meal might actually fail to do any good at all!”

Elder Ye led Chen Ping to a cushioned chair in the storehouse and sat down with him before speaking slowly.

“In official circles, many tacit understandings require neither familiarity between the parties nor a written agreement. Most are concluded silently, without anyone saying so outright.”

“I had only just taken over the account books, yet I immediately gave them a piece of meat. Naturally, they would instinctively regard me as someone with whom they could cooperate.”

Chen Ping had thought of that much.

To take from others, one must first give to them.

If he did not first persuade them to lower their guard, how could Elder Ye find evidence and help Magistrate Wang eliminate these parasites?

Seeing that Chen Ping appeared to understand, Elder Ye nodded in satisfaction and continued.

“And the reason I deliberately put on the proud, aloof manner of a scholar just now—”

“was to tell them that I care deeply about my dignity. They must not cross the boundary I have set, or everyone will end up looking bad.”

“My boundary was written plainly on the requisition: thirty percent!”

By this point, Chen Ping was thoroughly astonished.

Was this how the minds of people in ancient times worked?

In daily life, Elder Ye plainly seemed like an irascible, guileless old child.

Who would have thought that the moment he encountered the crafty clerks of the county government, he would reveal such seasoned cunning?

As the saying went, understanding the ways of the world was itself a form of learning.

It seemed that what he would have to learn in the future extended far beyond the lessons found in books.

At that thought, Chen Ping suddenly realized something. He turned to look at Elder Ye, whose face was still filled with amusement.

Perhaps this was precisely why his teacher was willing to bring him here for experience.