Chapter 101: Chapter 88, Noble Guest Arrives l
Yan Zhigao faced exclusion at the Prefectural Governor’s Office, and Madam Li was also alienated by the ladies of prominent families in Xingzhou. There were many gatherings such as poetry parties and flower-viewing events from which the Yan Family was not invited.
One day, after Daohua finished her lessons, Madam Li was instructing her in embroidery when Yan Zhigao, drenched in sweat, returned from the front office.
“Where have you been, My Lord? Why are you soaked in sweat?” As Madam Li spoke, she walked towards Yan Zhigao to help him take off his official robes.
Yan Zhigao sighed, “The rainy season has arrived, and I am concerned about the dikes within my jurisdiction, so I went to check on them.”
It was now June, and the weather had become extremely hot. After running around outside all day, his inner shirt was soaked through.
Daohua felt uncomfortable staying inside the room and walked out. Thinking of her adoptive father who had gotten tanned, she felt uneasy.
Facing the ostracism from his colleagues, her father, who did not come from a powerful family, had to do as much as he could by himself to prevent any mistakes in governance and to avoid being sabotaged by his subordinates.
Daohua looked towards Wang Manman, “The mung bean sherbet should be chilled by now. Go fetch some for father; he must be very thirsty.”
After Wang Manman left, Yan Zhigao changed into his casual clothes, and Daohua returned to the room, where she immediately heard Madam Li’s worried voice.
“Will you still need to inspect the dikes tomorrow, My Lord? Can’t you send someone else?”
Yan Zhigao shook his head, “I have to go. If I send someone else, they might slack off somewhere for a day and then come back to tell me nothing is wrong. How can I be at ease with that?”
Madam Li frowned and spoke with dissatisfaction, “The people at the Prefectural Governor’s Office are just too…”
Yan Zhigao waved his hand, “It’s just the usual practice of suppression in the official circles. I don’t have a powerful family backing me; if I can’t even handle this much, how could I get anything done in the future? Besides, I have another reason for inspecting the dikes personally.”
With that, Yan Zhigao’s brows furrowed deeper.
“The Dayuan River flows through Xingzhou. By rights, there should be an annual fund for cleaning and maintaining the dikes, but that fund has been delayed and has still not arrived. I suspect someone upstairs is deliberately holding it back.”
He was not naive; the attitude of his colleagues in the Prefectural Governor’s Office was indicative of someone above suppressing him.
Thinking of Du, the consultant in charge of all water-related affairs in Zhongzhou Province, a sneer appeared on Yan Zhigao’s lips.
This man’s vindictiveness was pitifully petty. Was it just because, when he first took office in Zhongzhou, he had not agreed with most others in support of a certain decree Du proposed?
That decree was incredibly unrealistic and was eventually rejected by the Administration Commissioner.
In officialdom, it was very common for everyone to have differing political views. For such a small matter, the consultant held a grudge until now, which was something Yan Zhigao found ridiculous.
Thinking of this, Yan Zhigao’s eyes narrowed, “If I don’t present the real evidence of siltation or damage to the dikes, I’m afraid I will never get that funding. And then, with what shall I maintain the dikes?”
Daohua sat silently by the side, listening. There was not much she could do to help with these matters; she could only think of ways to help her adoptive father improve his health.
At that moment, Wang Manman came in with the mung bean sherbet.
Daohua smiled, handing Yan Zhigao a bowl, “Father, drink a bowl of the mung bean sherbet to cool off the heat.”
Yan Zhigao did not stand on ceremony; he was indeed parched from being outside, and he drank several bowls of the mung bean sherbet one after another. If not for Madam Li’s concern that he might upset his stomach and her intervention, he would have finished the whole basin.
The next morning, Daohua went to pay her respects in the main courtyard and found that her adoptive father had already left more than half an hour earlier, while it was still barely light outside.
“Alas, being an official is really not easy.”
In the main hall of the Prefectural Governor’s Office.
Yan Zhigao sat in the principal seat, his expression somber as he looked at all the officials within the hall.
Apart from his first day in office, he had almost never convened all the officials, but this time, he had no choice but to do so.
Even though he had submitted concrete evidence of the damage to the riverbed under Xingzhou’s jurisdiction, the funds for repairing the river embankments were still not approved.
It was now the end of June, and the rainy season in Xingzhou was in August and September. If they did not take advantage of the current situation to repair the river embankments, once a flood occurred, the people of Xingzhou would suffer immensely.
“Let’s discuss, who should we send to the provincial capital to request funding for the embankment reconstruction?”
As soon as these words were spoken, whether it was the consultants or the assistant judges, they all lowered their heads silently and avoided eye contact with Yan Zhigao, who sat in the main seat.
It was like this again!
Whenever opinions were solicited, the officials within the prefectural governor’s office would shrink back, not voicing any opinions nor opposing what he said. Each meeting was like a one-man show performed by him alone. “Slap!”
Yan Zhigao’s heart was filled with anger as he fiercely slammed his hand onto the table.
It was one thing for them to be sneaky and sly in other matters, but the reconstruction of the river embankments related to the welfare of the people. Their indifference was truly a betrayal of their responsibilities at the Government Office.
Yan Zhigao scoffed coldly, “You all know what will happen if the embankments are not reinforced and a flood occurs. When that time comes, I, as the prefectural governor, definitely cannot escape responsibility. But can you ensure your own safety?
“I know you all have backers, and you adopt an indifferent attitude as if the matter does not concern you. But the bureaucracy is not a ladder where one can climb just by having powerful connections. If you have hardly done anything for the people, even if you managed to climb to the first or second rank, wouldn’t your conscience be troubled?”
Upon hearing this, the officials sitting below hung their heads even lower, knowing that the Lord Prefecture Governor was truly angry this time, otherwise he would not have spoken so bluntly.
Qian Tongzhi thought for a moment, then said with a smile, “My lord, you are too serious. We…”
Before he could finish speaking, he saw Yan Zhigao’s usual assistant, Mister Xiao, rush in hastily.
“What’s the matter?”
Yan Zhigao knew Mister Xiao well; he would not come to interrupt the meeting unless it was an emergency.
Mister Xiao looked both anxious and excited, “Lord, you should quickly go home and see. A distinguished guest has arrived.”
Yan Zhigao looked puzzled, “A distinguished guest, what distinguished guest?”
Mister Xiao lowered his voice, “The one from the inn.”
Upon hearing this, Yan Zhigao stood up swiftly and walked briskly down from his seat, and just as he was about to exit the door, he turned back to address Qian Tongzhi and the others, “You can all disperse.” After speaking, he hurried towards the backyard.
“Mister Xiao, what has happened? Is there anything we can help with?”
Qian Tongzhi and Wang Manman exchanged glances and immediately smiled, stopping Mister Xiao who was about to leave.
They had just heard Mister Xiao mention “a distinguished guest.”
In these days, not just anyone could be called a distinguished guest.
Mister Xiao politely exchanged a few words with the two officials, then finally said, “Gentlemen, it’s not my place to meddle in the affairs of the Yan Family. However, if you wish to help, why not think about how to assist our lord in retrieving the funds for the embankment construction?”
After speaking, he smiled, then quickly turned and left.
“Humph, this Mister Xiao is quite slippery,” grumbled Wang Manman, and then he summoned a servant, “Go, find out who has come to the Yan Family.”
Soon, the servant returned, drenched in sweat.
“My lord, I couldn’t find out who has come to the Yan Family, but on my way back, I saw the Zhou Family’s eldest grandson, Master Zhou Chengye, entering the Yan Residence, saying he was there to meet the guest.”
Upon hearing this, both Wang Manman and Qian Tongzhi’s expressions changed in unison.
The visitor must be of no ordinary status to have made the Zhou Family’s eldest grandson make a trip personally, braving the scorching sun..