That night, Magistrate Pei entertained the big boss who was passing through the border at his residence. Hei Fu was respectfully welcomed to the main seat. Magistrate Pei, the county magistrate, and the county lieutenant sat in the east seat in turn. After that,
It was the chief officials of Peixian County. Each Cao Yu was called by the county magistrate to accompany him, trying to create a warm atmosphere. They also sat at the east table, while Chen Ping, Gong Ao and other disciples brought by Heifu were at the west table. Both sides
Looking across the shore, silent.
As the night got darker, Pei County officials and maidservants filed in with food boxes and distributed food to the officials. Female musicians also played the piano and sheng, singing and dancing.
Heifu is no longer the poor, ignorant military boy he was many years ago. He has visited the mansions of countless high-ranking nobles, and has eaten at celebration banquets where the emperor toasted him. In the eyes of the county magistrates, his behavior also revealed
There is an aura of nobility that envelopes him all the time, even though he doesn't show it deliberately.
Everyone laughed with every word Heifu said, whether they heard it or not, whether it was funny or not. Every dish that was served was introduced enthusiastically by the county magistrate.
"Young Master, try it. This is the most famous food in Peixian County...dog meat!"
Heifu looked at the dog meat on his table. It was freshly cooked. It was brownish red in color, bright in color, fragrant and delicious. It was tough but not stiff in the mouth, rotten but not greasy, and tasted okay.
I just don’t know if the person who slaughtered the dog is called Fan Kuai...
Heifu smiled while chewing the dog meat. As early as last winter, he had asked people to open a brown sugar shop in Peixian County. Although the business was bleak, it could not compete with the "brown sugar" imitated by the nobles of the old Chu state in Huainan - because he did not fully master the technology.
It becomes a bit burnt and turns black in color, so it is called brown sugar.
When Heifu took time off last month to send his wife and children to Nan County to be with his mother, Yan reported the situation of the Peixian branch in detail with a grimace. But Heifu said it didn't matter. Making money was not his purpose. He wanted to open a store in Peixian.
The county is taking a long-term approach to catch big fish...
No, it’s a school of fish!
Throughout China's thousands of years of history, there are three most famous regional groups, one is Zhu Yuanzhang's Huaixi Township Party, the other is the Fengfei Group in the early Han Dynasty, and the third is Fulan in modern times.
This is not to say that Pei County is a place with many outstanding people, and all of them are talented people who can be generals, but it does not mean that they are all without skills, and they all rely on Liu Bang to raise their chickens and dogs to heaven.
In Heifu's view, this is the "poorness reaches the time" that he and Chen Ping talked about. In order for a person to be able to achieve something, in addition to whether he can catch up with the times, it also depends on whether he can meet the right person.
Zhilan was born in a deep valley, because there is no one there, and the smell is not fragrant. There are many valleys with Zhilan in the world, but they may encounter non-human beings, and they will die together before they get up. But Fengfei Group has gone all the way to the end,
This is a group victory that gathers around an individual. After achieving success, it gives people the illusion of being the home of generals and prime ministers.
There is actually a mixed bag of good and bad among these people, and there is no need to be blindly superstitious. Heifu does not have the idea of digging out all the treasures with a shovel, but those few people who are still famous two thousand years later must have their own abilities...
Relying on the operation of the branch and the constant reports from Anlu boys over the past year, Heifu has found almost all the people he wanted to find. He now really knows Peixian County well.
So Heifu swallowed the dog meat in his mouth and praised: "It's really good. If nothing else, this dog meat is indeed better in Guandong than in Guanzhong."
The magistrate of Peixian County who was standing by had no time to talk to Hei Fu. At this time, he immediately saw the opportunity and stood up to make a toast: "Young Master, dog meat tastes even better if it is paired with fine wine!"
But Hei Fu waved his hand, asked the county captain to sit down, raised his wine cup, and said to everyone present: "Nanjun is Xichu, Sishui County is also Xichu. The songs, dances and words here make me feel like I'm home."
, Many thanks to the county magistrate, prime minister, lieutenant and other officials for their hospitality!"
The senior provincial officials toasted to the county civil servants. This was a big deal. More than ten people at the east table quickly stood up and said in unison: "It is an honor for us to come to Pei County!"
These words made the officials in Peixian County feel that the Jiaodong County Governor was not a typical Qin official. They could also understand the Nanjun dialect he spoke. They suddenly felt a little more close to each other in addition to awe, and the atmosphere became more intimate.
He was no longer as serious as before, and for a while they drank and drank together. Gong Ao was a bold man, and he took the initiative to go over and have a drink with the Pei officials.
The Qin State is a typical example of "only the state officials are allowed to set fires, but the common people are not allowed to light lamps". Drinking in groups is strictly prohibited among the people. However, when your title level reaches a certain level, drinking is as common as drinking water, and gathering people to have banquets is not a problem.
Especially in the land of Qi, Chu, Yan and Zhao, this ban is even looser. The price of wine in Guandong is much cheaper than that in Guanzhong and Nanjun.
Chen Ping, the mastermind sitting under Heifu, also gracefully walked up to the two Pei officials, who were second only to the county captain, toasted them, laughed from time to time, and had a pleasant conversation...
Chen Ping was still the same as before, following Hei Fu to a place. He liked to get off the car at the city gate and walk around alone to learn about the local customs. It was the same today. Before the banquet, Chen Ping came to tell Hei Fu,
Today he met two talented local officials, one named Xiao He and the other named Cao Shen.
It's a coincidence that they are all the people Heifu asked Brown Sugar Branch to focus on.
The branch opened by Heifu in Peixian County was directly responsible to Heifu. Chen Ping didn't know the inside story. He only thought that his lord had "big plans". He was quite thoughtful. When he discovered interesting talents, he would talk to Heifu.
After all, this is also the responsibility of the first staff member.
"Chen Ping."
Heifu then called Chen Ping and introduced him to Magistrate Pei. The Prime Minister said, "This is my retainer and a hero who has made great contributions in the campaign against the Xiongnu. His surname is Chen Mingping. His current title is Gongdafu..."
"Master!"
The three chief officials of Pei County looked at each other. This scholar, who was as young as Heifu, actually had the same title as Wei and Cheng. No wonder he could sit under Heifu.
"It's so disrespectful, so disrespectful."
Chen Ping toasted to the three officials again and was humble, but Hei Fu continued to praise seemingly casually: "Not only that, he is also the future governor of Jiaodong County."
"Hey, you have become a long history at such a young age..."
The bearded Cao Shen, who was fifth at the East Seat, took a breath of air. The Sheriff's Chief Shi was equivalent to the clerk around the Sheriff, and was usually held by the most trusted retainer. Although he only received a salary of 200 stones, which was similar to them, his power was extremely high.
The big one: the chief historian can also take care of the matters that the county governor is in charge of. When the local county magistrate goes to visit the county governor, he has to try his best to please the chief historian, otherwise he will easily be ignored. When the county governor is out, the chief historian can take charge of the county together with the county magistrate.
Government affairs.
Cao Shen was only very envious of Hei Fu in the afternoon, but now it seems that he is even inferior to Chen Ping, the pretty boy.
Xiao He didn't show too much shock, he just smiled and said: "No wonder Chen Jun is so polite. It turns out that we still respectfully call him 'Shang Li'."
Heifu then introduced Gong Ao and others, and all the guests came to greet Pei Li one by one. Except for Gong Ao, who was also a public official, none of the guests who followed Heifu were not more senior!
This is how a person attains enlightenment and chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.
Seeing that Heifu was not arrogant and introduced his retainers, Magistrate Pei naturally began to introduce his subordinates to Heifu out of politeness, although he did not expect the big boss to remember the names of these small characters.
"This is Xiao He, the chief official."
Xiao He stood up and saluted, behaved appropriately, neither humble nor overbearing, but Hei Fu smiled: "Xiao He? I have heard of this name."
The county magistrate was surprised and said: "Does the county captain know Xiao He?"
The Xiao family is a wealthy person in Fengyi Township, Pei County. It has dozens of clans and is an ancient clan in the local area. Three years ago, the magistrate of Pei County first came to take office here. As a native of Wei, he was unfamiliar with the place and it was difficult for him to use his skills.
So he recruited a large number of local powerful officials as officials, including Xiao He and Cao Shen.
As the county magistrate's "Wen Wuhai", Xiao He was his secretary. He was cautious and methodical, able to handle affairs, and good at management. He was very thorough and organized in all matters concerning the upper and lower levels, both inside and outside the village. So,
He was promoted to chief official, equivalent to the director of the organization department of the county party committee in later generations. He was in charge of the advancement and retreat of affairs, performance evaluation, and he held a high position of authority. The county magistrate also valued him.
Xiao He was so capable and his reputation was well known in the Sishui County officialdom. But for Heifu, an important member of the imperial court, it was strange that the officials in the border areas knew about him.
Not only the county magistrate, but also Xiao He also raised his head and stared at Hei Fu.
"Of course I know."
Hei Fu pointed at Xiao He and said: "When I passed through Sishui County the day before yesterday, the county governor, the county lieutenant, the county magistrate, and the supervisory censor hosted a banquet to receive me. I joked at the table that Jiaodong is far away from Guanzhong, and I am not familiar with it.
It’s difficult to govern with the situation in Qi. Are there any officials in Sishui County that I can take away to help?”
"The Sishui County Supervisor and Censor pointed me to Peixian County. He said that there is a chief official in Pei County named Xiao He. The year before last, the Supervisor and Censor inspected the counties and evaluated the performance of the officials. Xiao He ranked first in the county!"
The Qin Dynasty had a strict assessment system for government officials. It was presided over by the censor, who was equivalent to the "Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission". Performance was evaluated every year, good performance was promoted, and poor performance was reprimanded. Xiao He, with his perfect love letter, excellent
For his performance, he ranked first among hundreds of officials in Sishui County in the 29th year of Qin Shihuang...
"The Censor said that he admired Xiao He very much and thought that talents were rare. He was going to recommend Xiao He to serve in the Censor's Mansion in Xianyang, but... Xiao He refused, and he refused three times!"
This incident is old news from 29 years ago. At that time, it caused a sensation in Peixian County and even the entire Sishui County officialdom. No one knew about it.
Everyone, including the county magistrate, felt sorry for Xiao He, feeling that he had missed a great opportunity to rise to prominence. He would go to Xianyang to gild for a few years, and then be released to other places, at least he would be a county magistrate...
Having said this, Xiao He still looked calm, but Chen Ping opposite him took a deep look at him and got to know this person again.
Hei Fu said again: "As the saying goes, water flows to lower places, and people go to higher places. Xiao He, I am also very curious, why don't you want to go to Xianyang and enter the Yushi Mansion?"
Xiao He finally spoke, he cupped his hands and said: "I have a difficult time..."
This forty-year-old man actually fell into the drama in one second and cried: "My lord, I have a seventy-year-old mother at home! My mother is still here, but she is already old. As a son of a human being, I dare not travel far away!"
"Xiao Liju is really a filial son."
Heifu admired, but he was surprised in his heart. Xiao He might really have this concern, but filial piety was the best reason to deal with the Qin Dynasty's conquest and transfer. Although the Legalists scorned the three-year mourning, they also strongly supported the idea of paying tribute to his father while he was still alive.
At the same time, he performs his filial piety.
"In this case, this Xiao official should just fulfill his filial piety at home. I don't dare to ask Magistrate Pei to part with me."
Xiao He breathed a sigh of relief and respectfully returned to his seat. When he raised his head, Chen Ping across from him looked at him with a half-smile, and Xiao He also smiled back.
Turning around again, I saw my friend Cao Shen's face full of regret.
If this opportunity came to him, Cao Shen, he would definitely not refuse it like this.
When the county magistrate saw that Hei Fu was politely rejected by Xiao He before he opened his mouth, he was afraid that he would be angry, so he quickly said: "Xiao He has his own reasons. If the young master can be used by other officials in the county, he can be transferred to him at will as long as the county allows him!"
"
"Is this true?" Heifu said with a smile: "Pei Ling is not afraid that I will hollow out the Pei County government?"
Peicheng, who had been looking for a chance to talk to Hei Fu, then said, "What's the harm in one or two people?"
"Refreshing! Then I'll choose it!"
Hei Fu raised his hand and stood up to go down the hall. He directly passed Xiao He and stopped at his lower head. He kept succumbing to Xiao He. He admired Xiao He's ability and regretted that he had given up the opportunity.
"This is Cao Yuyu?"
"My subordinate is none other than Cao Shen! I've seen Mr. Zao!"
Cao Shen was thirty-seven or eighteen years old, but he had never been in contact with such a big official. He quickly stood up and held his hands in his hands, his heart pounding!
Heifu smiled and said: "I heard from Chen Ping that Cao Yuan was also a capable official. When all the officials in the county were evaluated, you were also the first prison prisoner, second only to Xiao in the overall ranking. Since you took office, Peixian County
All the thieves have disappeared and no one dares to make mistakes, and the criminal and prison cases handled are considered fair by everyone and no one is begging for justice."
After praising Cao Shen, Heifu said again: "Do you have parents who care about you as much as Xiao Liju? If not, Jiaodong County just lacks a thief Cao Youshi who can catch thieves and enforce the law. I think Cao Yuchen can go there.
