vrcanaries Chapter 220 Fuzhou County Magistrate Li Bowen
Chapter 220 Fuzhou County Magistrate Li Bowen
"Hey, wait, one of my fellow villagers has caught up with us. His surname is Chen. If you see him, please tell him to pick me up at the county government office." Shen Wanning said again.
The man responded and left immediately.
"Thank you for your help, Mr. Prefect." Shen Wanning expressed his gratitude.
"When something like this happens under my jurisdiction, it is my duty to catch the thief. Please don't be polite, my lady. Moreover, I feel deeply guilty for frightening you," the prefect continued.
"Fuzhou has many counties and towns under its jurisdiction, and the prefect is very busy, so he cannot take care of everything. Besides, this is a personal problem of the thief, and you don't need to blame yourself. Please help me find the jade pendant, Wan Ning will be very grateful." Shen Wan Ning said respectfully.
"No need to be so polite, my lady. Please take a seat." The prefect took the lead and sat on the high seat in the hall, pointing to the seat below.
Shen Wanning nodded, sat in the lower seat, and waited for the arrest results from the officers.
"I heard that the emperor gave the county lady a mansion. Has the county lady moved to Fuzhou?"
Shen Wanning nodded and said, "I'm just here to look at the house. I may not live in Fuzhou all the time in the future."
"Well, I've heard that the county magistrate is always concerned about the people and is certainly not someone who only cares about pleasure. The emperor has sent me an order, asking me to plant cotton and sweet potatoes in Fuzhou City. What do you think of this?"
He originally wanted to find an opportunity to discuss the matter with the magistrate of Qinghe County and Shen Wanning, but he didn't expect to meet Shen Wanning today.
"Master Li, raising cotton seedlings is extremely difficult. If we transplant them to a distant location, we're afraid they'll be lost along the way. Wan Ning suggests we start by planting them in Daqing Village, and then try planting them in other places next year when we have more seeds."
Judging from her cotton seeds, these might not even be enough for the people of Daqing Village to grow. When it comes time to grow seedlings, she will have to secretly add some more.
"Oh? Cotton seeds are so scarce. This is something I didn't expect. I originally planned to try planting them in other counties and cities, but now it seems that it is not appropriate." After saying that, Li Bowen began to ponder.
He then added, "Since cotton seeds are scarce, we should plant them in Daqing Village first. When there's a good harvest next year, we can plant them elsewhere. The county magistrate has experience in planting cotton, so please make sure to manage this cotton well."
Shen Wanning nodded and said, "This is what Wanning should do. I will definitely do it well."
"Well, what about sweet potatoes? Will there be more sweet potato seeds?" Li Bowen asked again.
"Sweet potato yields are high, with over 5,000 kilograms already this year. Sweet potatoes aren't planted directly from seeds, but from tubers, or even vines from previous years. Wan Ning's idea is to plant them throughout Qinghe County first, and by May, when the sweet potatoes have grown some vines, we can pick the vines and take them to other counties for planting."
"So, sweet potatoes can be grown twice a year?"
Shen Wanning nodded. "Indeed, the sweet potatoes grown by other villagers in Daqing Village were planted by cuttings from my vines."
"Very good, but the matter of cuttings and planting will require more thought from the county lord. I don't know much about these kinds of planting, so I'm sorry for the trouble, county lord."
"It's Wan Ning's job, so it's not hard at all." Shen Wan Ning smiled appropriately.
"Your Excellency is so righteous. I will inform the Qinghe County Magistrate and ask him to assist you. If you need any help, please let him know."
Shen Wanning stood up and bowed, "Thank you, Mr. Prefect."
"You're welcome. This is also my job."
Just as he finished speaking, a yamen runner came to report, "Greetings to Lord Li, and to the Lady of Jingu County. We have apprehended the thief, and recovered the Lady's belongings. Please check to see if these are the things that were stolen from you."
As he spoke, the bailiff presented a wooden box.
Shen Wanning took a look and found that it was the wooden box she had lost. She opened it and took a look. Inside was the Ruyi Cloud Pattern Jade Pendant.
She closed the box and bowed again, "This is exactly the jade pendant that was stolen from me. Thank you, Prefect."
"It's just my job. I'm sorry for scaring the county lady. It's my fault for mismanaging things." The prefect stood up and prepared to see the guest off.
"Since the jade pendant has been found, Wan Ning will not continue to disturb you at work. Wan Ning will take her leave."
The prefect stood up and walked her out, reminding her several times on the way to plant sweet potatoes and cotton well.
When she arrived at the door, Chen the Hunter was already waiting in the carriage. When he saw her come out, he jumped out of the carriage.
"Wan Ning, fortunately those officers arrived in time. When I chased him, I found out that he was not alone, but a gang. At that time, seven or eight people surrounded me, and I was scared to death." Speaking of this, Chen the hunter is still scared.
"Thank you, Uncle Chen. Your own safety is more important in the future. Money is just something outside of your body after all. It's a pity that the situation was urgent at that time and we didn't think of this." Speaking of this, Shen Wanning was also a little annoyed. She was only concerned about the jade pendant at the time and didn't think of this at all.
"Hehe, it's okay, I'm not hurt. Fortunately, Wan Ning was smart and sought help from the prefect. Those officials arrived in time and caught them all in one fell swoop!" Hunter Chen grinned, not caring at all.
Shen Wanning felt a little guilty, but she didn't say it out loud. She could only secretly think about making up for it later.
When the two returned to the house, the plaque at the door had been replaced with the two big characters "Shen Mansion".
Nanny Gui prepared the meal for them, but it would be awkward for Shen Wanning and Chen Liehu to eat together, so Shen Wanning invited them to sit down and eat together.
At night, in Li’s house.
Li Bowen sat on a stool and drank a sip of tea while Madam Li came over to help him undress.
Li Bowen grabbed her hand and said, "I met the Lady Jingu today. She said she has moved to Fuzhou. Tomorrow you should go and visit her with some gifts to express your condolences."
Madam Li stopped and sat on the stool next to him. "Jin Gu County Lady? Is she the woman who planted sweet potatoes and cotton?"
"Yes, that's right, it's her. She was robbed in Fuzhou today and came to report the case. She was frightened today, so I asked you to go and comfort her." Li Bowen replied.
"She's just a girl from the countryside. Why does the master value her so much that he wants me to visit her in person?"
"Foolish woman, do you know that the house she lives in now is the former residence of the Fuzhou Beijia. Qin Sheng's house was raided a few days ago because he accepted bribes and the specifications of the mansion exceeded his rank.
"Xianjun and Beijia are both fifth-rank officials, but the emperor gave her that house. What does this mean? It means that in the emperor's eyes, she is more than fifth-rank. Maybe when the cotton and sweet potato harvest is good this year, she will be promoted to the same rank as your master and me."