Volume 1 The Wind Rises Chapter 17: Three Things a New Official Does When He Takes Office
East of Kaifeng City.
After Zhang Yue was sent away, it was naturally Lu Bin's turn.
Lu Bin arranged for Guo Rong to go to Boxing County, Zibo.
Luo Youdu admired Guo Rong's ability to employ people.
Zhang Yue was a resolute man who valued the rule of law, so he was assigned to work in a small county connecting the north-south trade routes. Lu Bin attached great importance to education, so he was sent to the land of Qi and Lu where literature was prevalent, so that they could display their strengths.
Compared with Zhang Yue's open-mindedness, Lu Bin seemed very sentimental. He lingered for a long time before leaving reluctantly, looking back every few steps, as if he was waiting for a miracle to happen.
If this miracle were so easy to happen, it couldn't be called a miracle.
"Let's go! Let's go back!"
Luo Youdu naturally made the final decision.
The responses from the crowd were weak.
Luo Youdu didn't take it seriously and led everyone back to Kaifeng City.
He didn't seem to feel the depressing atmosphere on the way, and left for home as soon as he entered Kaifeng City.
As Luo Youdu left, Kong Jia, who was dressed in white, immediately spoke up: "We brothers have worked together for many years, and it's rare for us to get together. There is a wine shop in front that specializes in Du Kang. I'll treat you, and we brothers can go there and talk about our true feelings."
Zhu Shu sighed and said, "This concerns our future, so we should have a good discussion."
The others glanced at each other with gloomy faces, and all applauded.
Luo Youdu rode his beloved little donkey on the way home.
The North Street where this new residence is located has a much more lively atmosphere than the original south city.
The pedestrians coming and going on the street, the vendors setting up stalls in front of their houses, and the shouts of the peddlers, all give people a sense of physical and mental pleasure from the ancient flavor.
As a time traveler, Luo Youdu didn't think popularity was wonderful. Instead, he liked quietness. When he traveled in the future, he also liked to go to the countryside, thinking that was life. But after traveling to ancient times and living in the dead south of the city, his attitude changed. The empty houses and dilapidated temples that could be seen everywhere, and the bones exposed from time to time due to the collapse of old houses...
One can imagine how shocking this scene must have been to a person living in a peaceful and prosperous age. It also made Luo Youdu realize how precious future life is and how rare it is to have a fulfilling and popular life.
I didn't cherish it before because I had never truly seen what it was like to have no roosters crowing for a thousand miles and bones exposed in the wild.
When the neighbors saw Luo Youdu riding by on a donkey, they all nodded and greeted him.
Luo Youdu also returned the gifts one by one.
When he first moved in, his simple neighbors didn't know that an official had come.
Luo Youdu specially bought some cheap little items and visited them one by one.
The neighbors got along very harmoniously. Later, they learned of Luo Youdu's identity. They were a little unfamiliar at first, but over time, they found that this official was not a high-handed person, and the brave ones returned to normal.
Luo Youdu's new home did not have a wide gate, but just a large front yard surrounded by a fence and five rooms, which .
There is a flower bed on the left and a small vegetable patch on the right, which is very warm.
The housekeeper, Lao Hu, was watering the vegetables in the yard. When he saw Luo Youdu coming back, he stepped forward and said, "My young husband, soybeans are cheap today. I will grind them tonight and you can have tofu tomorrow morning." As he said that, he reached out to lead the donkey.
Luo Youdu couldn't bear it and said, "This old donkey has been carrying me all day, so why can't you let it have a rest?"
Old Hu said with a gloomy face: "We can't let an old slave with his old arms and legs do the work, right? Otherwise..." As he said that, he glanced at Luo Youdu.
Luo Youdu immediately said: "It's okay, the old donkey is very strong, it's not tired!"
With that, Luo Youdu went straight to the inner hall, and unceremoniously left behind the donkey that had carried him all day.
After returning to the house, Luo Youdu recalled the farewell to Lu Bin today and read out the names Kong Jia and Zhu Shu.
The next day, Luo Youdu did not go directly to his own office, but went to the Kaifeng Prefecture Office.
When Luo Youdu arrived, Yin Ming, Liu Li and Tang Yu, who were on duty, rushed forward and greeted him warmly, as if he was the head of the government.
Luo Youdu was not polite either, and said directly: "Help me check if there are any old cases in Kaifeng Prefecture that need to be investigated outside Kaifeng. Just give me two copies."
The task of the Kaifeng Prefecture Law Officer was to try cases, while the Prefecture Court was the place where the case files and procedures were stored, organized and reviewed.
As Zhang Yue's confidant, Yin Ming responded immediately: "There should be quite a few old cases like this in the government treasury, it just takes some time to sort them out."
"Okay!" Luo Youdu nodded and said, "Thank you for your hard work. Find it and send it to my office later. You guys go about your business..." Seeing that they wanted to see him off, he waved his hand and said, "No need to see me off."
Before noon, Yin Ming had already delivered two thick old cases to Luo Youdu's desk.
There are many and various task lines in the old cases. The silk cloth of the case files has turned yellow and accumulated a lot of dust, but it can still be seen that each case file has been specially wiped.
"That's thoughtful!" Luo Youdu looked at Yin Minggao twice, and he was indeed a talented person.
After looking over the two old cases, Luo Youdu smiled and asked someone to call Kong Jia and Zhu Shu to his office.
Kong Jia and Zhu Shu met on the way, and an ominous feeling inexplicably emerged in their hearts.
They had just reached an agreement yesterday to cooperate with each other and use the strength accumulated over the years to sideline Luo Youdu and force him to leave Kaifeng Prefecture.
Feeling guilty, the two men felt a chill down their spines.
"Meet General Luo!"
Even though they felt somewhat dissatisfied in their hearts, Kong Jia and Zhu Shu still had to bow and greet Luo Youdu obediently.
Luo Youdu motioned for them to excuse themselves, looked at the two men with a smile, and said, "Do you know Lord Di?"
Who doesn’t know the name of Di Renjie?
Kong Jia and Zhu Shu naturally said they recognized him.
Luo Youdu said: "The person I admire most is Lord Di, and I want to emulate his great deeds in the past. Not only do I have to try current cases concerning people's livelihood, but I also have to sort out old cases. County Magistrate Lu has praised your efforts many times . I have specially found two old cases and will hand them over to you for investigation." As he said that, he picked up the materials of the two old cases and handed them to the two men respectively.
Kong Jia and Zhu Shu each took it and read it carefully, their faces becoming more and more uglier.
This kind of old case is the most difficult to handle because of the long time. Many witnesses and evidence were scattered all over the country due to the war, and it is not surprising that they died on the way to escape.
Kong Jia complained unhappily: "It's been three years since this case happened, and even the person who reported the case died of illness. What's the point of investigating further? Isn't this just making things difficult for people?"
Luo Youdu immediately slammed the table and stood up, saying angrily: "What do you mean by making things difficult for people? The person who reported the case is dead, so the case will not be investigated? It is your attitude that has led to so many old cases in Kaifeng Prefecture. No wonder the government is so angry with lazy officials. If you don't serve the people, you might as well go home and grow corn. If you are willing to work, do it. If not, get out of here."
