Chapter 21 Hundred Households

The county government office was originally just a place for offices. As a county magistrate, he should also have a residence. But Zheng Yunzhi didn't. Maybe he did, but he had always lived in the county government.

Officials in the Ming Dynasty, especially those in this period, were extremely weird. Most officials' homes are splendid, but government offices such as county offices and government offices appear dilapidated. I don’t know whether it’s because I don’t have money to repair it, or because I want to act like an ‘upright official’. But in vain, the dignity of the country has been lost.

However, given the current situation in Ye County, it is probably not possible to renovate the county government office.

Together with Zheng Wu, chatting and laughing, we arrived at the county government office.

Entering a side hall, I saw Zheng Yunzhi drinking morning tea.

"Ying Baihu is here? Sit down quickly, sit down quickly."

Zheng Yunzhi's enthusiasm made Ying Yi a little overwhelmed, and he hurriedly said: "I don't dare."

After sitting down, Zheng Yunzhi smiled and said: "I never thought that Ying Baihu would be so brave and invincible that this county is happy. I heard that Ying Baihu is from Xiaowangzhuang?"

Ying Yi smiled and said, "That's right."

"How do you say this?" Zheng Yunzhi was startled and asked curiously.

Ying Yi's expression calmed slightly and he said, "I don't know, the county magistrate, but I settled in Xiaowangzhuang on the eve of autumn last year."

"Oh?" Zheng Yunzhi said, "What's going on?"

Ying Yi said: "The world is not good, and there are natural disasters year after year. I am originally from Xiangyang, but... I lived alone near Xiaowangzhuang and almost starved to death. I was rescued by Brother Zhang. So I settled in Xiaowangzhuang and made a living by hunting. "

"So that's it." Zheng Yunzhi couldn't help but feel a little sad when he heard Ying Yibian's life experience: "The world is indeed not good, the people are displaced, it's because we officials didn't do a good job." Then he cheered up and said: "But this is only temporary. , everything will be fine when the bandits are wiped out."

Ying Yi nodded, but shook his head in his heart.

Suppress the bandits? With the current situation of Ming Dynasty, that is not possible.

Of course, this cannot be said.

"It seems that I have been wandering for a long time. When I settled in Xiaowangzhuang, I deeply felt the kindness of Brother Zhang and his family. Seeing that Xiaowangzhuang was quiet again, I planned to live peacefully in Xiaowangzhuang, but who would have expected... Huh!"

Speaking of this, Ying Yi looked extremely heavy: "Being a bandit has no conscience. I only went into the mountain once, but when I came back, it was full of misery. The county magistrate, Brother Zhang and I saved his life, and he was crucified." He died at the entrance of the village without closing his eyes! The little girl was insulted and killed when she was only seven years old! The Zhang family’s sister-in-law also committed suicide. If I don’t kill a tiger, what dignity will I have left in this world?!”

"It's my fault."

Zheng Yunzhi looked at Ying Yi's red eyes and sighed repeatedly: "If I could send people to move the people of Xiaowangzhuang into Fangcheng Mountain early, this tragedy would not have happened."

Ying Yi shook his head, feeling a little moved.

Said: "Xiaowangzhuang is not a village under the jurisdiction of Ye County, but Yuzhou. This matter has nothing to do with the county."

Xiaowangzhuang is indeed not a village under the jurisdiction of Ye County. Zheng Yunzhi moved the people and could not control Yuzhou.

Zheng Yunzhi smiled bitterly and said: "Millions of bandits are raging in Henan. Ye County is on the edge of Henan and will be the front line for suppressing bandits. Since I took office last year, I was afraid that the people would be poisoned by bandits, so I tried every means to move the people away. Thank you There is an Orion among the Xinmu troops under my command, and he knows that there is a treasure land in Fangcheng Mountain, otherwise there is nothing I can do."

He added: "You also know that military pay is a matter. As early as a few months ago, at the end of last year, someone from Jinyiwei sent a message and asked me to make preparations early. This batch of military pay is mainly for the Huguang Army. You may know Zuo Liang As Yu is a man, I am afraid that his army will arrive in Ye County and poison the people."

Hearing this, Ying Yi nodded, and couldn't help but feel troubled by the situation of Zheng County Zun.

He is just a county magistrate, and Zuo Liangyu and others are beyond his reach. The only way to solve the problem is to move the people away.

I don’t know how much thought he put into doing this in the past few months.

In troubled times, people's minds change. But those whose hearts remain unchanged are indeed worthy of admiration.

"The county magistrate is a good official."

Ying Yi said sincerely.

Zheng Yunzhi shook his head with a gloomy expression: "I have lived in poverty for ten years, and I have been determined to achieve something. But the world is difficult, and I am a mere county magistrate, so what can I do..."

It's not a good thing to always say unpleasant things. Then he started talking about other things, all over the world, whatever came to mind. Zheng Yunzhi discovered that Ying Yi was even more talkative than him. There were many things that he didn't know, but they came out of Ying Yi's mouth clearly.

It actually made him confirm Ying Yi's statement that he had been wandering for many years.

If you were not well-informed, you would not have so many insights.

After talking like this, it was noon.

I had another meal with Zheng Yunzhi and met Zheng Yunzhi’s family during the dinner.

Zheng Yunzhi has one wife and one concubine, and has two children. The eldest daughter is fourteen years old. She is a lady, gentle, polite, bookish, and good-looking. She is called Zi Niang. The youngest is a boy, only five years old, very naughty, his name is Zheng Yu, and his nickname is Yu'er.

There was not much talking during the dinner, mainly Zheng Yunzhi's family members were in person, and there were many rules. After the meal, Ying Yi felt uncomfortable all over. After the meal, he apologized and left in a hurry.

Returning to his residence, Ying Yi let out a long breath. Sun Xiucai smiled and said, "Why, is the food at the county magistrate's house delicious?"

Ying Yi complained: "It's not a pleasant meal."

Sun Xiucai laughed loudly: "Officials have a lot of rules, so if you want to eat as much as you want, it's certainly not as good as your own."

Ying Yi nodded in agreement and said, "During the dinner, County Zheng asked me to supervise the troops and horses of this county. What do you think?"

"What?!" Sun Xiucai was surprised: "So generous?!"

Ying Yi looked calm: "It is indeed generous. It makes me a little embarrassed to make calculations."

Sun Xiucai hesitated for a moment: "If it comes to pass, Brother Ying, the county magistrate is a good official, and you can't just leave it alone."

Ying Yi nodded silently, with a picture of Zheng Yunzhi's family of five in his eyes, and sighed slightly in his heart.

He said: "I originally wanted to hunt down a tiger, but by an unexpected combination of circumstances, I ended up at this point. It's really unpredictable. When it happens, I don't know what to do next."

Sun Xiucai's eyes flashed: "Let's take it one step at a time, and we'll talk about it when the time comes."

Ying Yi nodded.

He added: "The county magistrate asked me to see him again at night. I think my previous guess may have come to an end. I thought about it on the way back and realized that Ye County might be in danger, so I planned to send you and Erniu out." .”

Unexpectedly, Sun Xiucai shook his head: "Er Niu can leave, but I can't leave. I'm too conspicuous, so it's not good for me to leave."

Ying Yi frowned.

I heard Sun Xiucai say: "If you leave, I'm afraid there will be a big war. I'll stay in the county to provide support. It may not be useless at the critical moment."

Ying Yi also knew that Sun Xiucai's words were correct, but he said: "But there are many dangers..."

Sun Xiucai smiled calmly: "I am just a scholar, and my life is enough to be able to participate in such a big event. If I die, it will be bad luck for me. If I don't die, I will have good fortune in the future."

Ying Yi couldn't help but laugh.

"Forget it, so be it."