Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, Zheng Wuji found another reason and summoned the magistrates of several counties.
At this time, the volunteer schools in each county had almost been organized.
It's just a few empty rooms, some tables, chairs and benches, and a husband.
The announcement was posted, and officials were ordered to go to each village to beat gongs to inform them that the newly appointed magistrate had set up volunteer schools in each county.
From the age of seven to above, all children of common people under the age of twenty can go to school.
Not only don’t you have to practice hard, but you also have to take care of two meals a day.
For poor families, this can be regarded as a timely help.
Those who want to study but cannot afford the money can get a book if they are willing to get up early and walk a few steps.
Zheng Wuji also discussed with Mr. Wu that if there are indeed talented people among these common people, Mr. Wu would personally teach them.
Zheng Wuji held a banquet in the backyard of the government office and invited the magistrates of the seven counties to drink.
The reason is, of course, that the volunteer school was held and everyone worked hard.
These county magistrates paid tribute to Zheng Wuji one after another, which was very popular among the people.
Zheng Wuji just smiled faintly and said, "It's too early to say this. It won't be too late to wait until a few people are admitted to the imperial examination."
"Your Majesty, you are too self-effacing. Not to mention passing the exam to be a Jinshi. Even if you know a few words and are reasonable, you are better than an illiterate farmer." Ji Rui, the magistrate of Tongqiu County, held a wine glass and toasted to Zheng Wuji.
Everyone else also echoed.
"This credit is not mine alone," Zheng Wuji smiled slightly, his eyes particularly bright, "Everyone has contributed to this credit book."
Mr. Wu said from the side: "Your Excellency has already drafted a report to report this matter to the court. If there is a reward, your Excellencies will naturally be indispensable!"
When these county magistrates heard that Zheng Wuji did not take all the credit, they naturally thanked him profusely.
Zhu Huo, the magistrate of Dancheng County, turned red as soon as he drank. At this time, he was even more excited and said to Zheng Wuji: "Lord Zhizhou, if you have any orders from now on, just tell the subordinates that you will never give up on your hard work. "
"Brother Zhu has a charming temperament that matches my temper!" Zheng Wuji laughed and had a drink with him.
Several other county magistrates were not far behind, and they all had a good talk with Zheng Wuji and expressed their true feelings.
Zheng Wuji also told them sincerely: "To tell you the truth, this official is not very easy to do.
Not only did he not dare to live up to the divine grace, but he was also afraid of being disrespectful to the King of Huaiyang.
I have no choice but to put in the effort of kneading the dough and try to make it a harmonious mess.
Fortunately, everyone is willing to help me. As long as we work together, it won't be difficult to achieve some political achievements."
These people understood what Zheng Wuji meant. He was still young and still had to work hard to return to Beijing. This place was just a springboard for him.
Zheng Wuji didn't want to offend anyone, and they didn't want to either.
To put it bluntly, Zheng Wuji still had a few backers in Beijing, but they were far behind.
What's more, it's not easy to offend anyone in this officialdom, and Zheng Wuji is their immediate boss.
Unless it is absolutely necessary, we should never break up.
Originally they thought they had to choose between King Huaiyang and Zheng Wuji, but in their hearts they still preferred King Huaiyang.
But who knew that after Zheng Wuji arrived here, he had no intention of confronting the King of Huaiyang.
Although I don’t know what he is thinking in his heart, at least on the surface he respects the King of Huaiyang.
These county magistrates then understood that Zheng Wuji was not a nerd who did not understand the world.
This was a situation they were happy to see, and whatever Zheng Wuji did, he would give them more or less benefits.
Why not do it?
After a few more glasses of wine, Zheng Wuji said, "I invite some adults to come here today. In addition to celebrating the free study, there is one more thing I want to discuss with you."
"Your Excellency is a superior, what should be discussed and not discussed?" Tu Guangyuan, the magistrate of Qicheng County, is short and thin. He is the oldest among these people and is only two years younger than Mr. Wu. "If you have anything to do, just send it to me."
"Hey, how can you say that? I'm new here and I don't know as much as you do. Besides, each county has its own situation, so I can't generalize.
Besides, I am young and inexperienced, so if I have any ideas, it is best to discuss them together!" Zheng Wuji chuckled.
"I wonder if you have any good ideas? I am all ears." Hu Guangwei, the magistrate of Yangxia County, has a very high drinking capacity. It is said that no one has ever seen him drunk.
"The autumn harvest is coming to an end soon, and the people are all idle." Zheng Wuji put down his wine glass and said, "I have walked around Chenzhou once, and I feel that the river channels are a bit lacking."
"What do you mean, sir... to build canals?" Zhu Huo asked.
"That's what I meant," Zheng Wuji nodded vigorously, "Everyone came here from the county town on horseback, and it was very bumpy! How can it be as comfortable as riding a boat?
I came here from the capital by water, which was really quick and easy.
Once the canal is repaired, wouldn't it be more convenient for us to go wherever we want? It will also be beneficial to the people.
Everything else has been paid off. There used to be a river in front of the ancestral hall of the Huaiyang Prince's Mansion, but in recent years, due to siltation, it is no longer possible to sail boats.
This is neither convenient nor good-looking in terms of Feng Shui. What do you think?"
Ye Chengxun is the magistrate of Huaiyang County. He had heard from his wife Cao that Zheng Wuji's wife Xu Chunjun was pregnant. He wanted to travel around but did not dare to ride a car or horseback for fear of bumps, so it would be safer to take a boat.
And Zheng Wuji called everyone together today to say that he wanted to build the canal, but in fact he was suspected of being self-serving for the public good.
But they said it so grandly that they even moved the King of Huaiyang out.
These county magistrates came to the conclusion that no matter what Zheng Wuji's purpose was in building the canal, it could be said to the court that it was to build water conservancy and benefit the people.
Besides, this is a good deal, a bargain no matter what.
Since water conservancy is being built, the court will allocate money.
And these local people are free laborers. They have nothing to do anyway, so they are brought in to build canals.
At that time, more than half of the wages can be deducted, the river canal is repaired, and river tax and boating fees can be collected from the people.
Enough to last ten or twenty years.
Moreover, such a large project was specially designed to bring glory to the King of Huaiyang, which can be said to serve multiple purposes with one stone.
In comparison, Zheng Wuji allowing his wife to take a boat to relax is already insignificant.
Therefore, none of the county magistrates objected, and they all said that Zheng Wuji's idea was extremely good.
Zheng Wuji was very happy and said: "In this case, you can start preparing for this after you go back. I have already ordered people to start surveying and drawing sketches everywhere.
Construction will start in half a month at most.
But time was tight, and the canals in various places had to be dug before the freezing weather, and the people had to go out with their whole families.
As long as they are not too old or seriously ill, as well as children under five years old and pregnant women who are about to give birth, all mothers in confinement should use it.
The strong men do the hard work, and the others do the light work. Children and the elderly can also pull weeds and pick branches!"
When several county magistrates heard this, they thought that Mr. Zheng was really good at peeling off skin! Compared with him, they were all dwarfed.
