After much effort, it was finally known that County Magistrate Meng had left, and the county government’s activities weren’t limited to his subordinates – they even invited rich men and local gentry from the county to a meeting.
At that time, Tang Weiting felt that if indeed the Deputy County Magistrate were to take over, it was necessary for them to hold this meeting.
However, the official appointment had not yet arrived, and no one knew who the next parent official would be. Although the Deputy County Magistrate had shown his ambition and gained their support, they dared not make irresponsible remarks.
As wealthy elites, although they were ignorant of officialdom, it wasn’t their place to comment on such matters.
Perhaps they could purchase an official position, but higher ranks required capable individuals to provide guidance.
The Tang Family was among the first to know who the next County Magistrate was, having received a letter from the Capital.
Just one day later, the county government also received the list of the new officials.
Once the Tang Family knew, and subsequently when the county government became aware, some who were better informed also came to know.
The Deputy County Magistrate, previously very active, upon realizing he wasn’t appointed as the County Magistrate, felt both disappointed and humiliated, yet he considered himself lucky as, except for the County Magistrate, the positions within the county government remained unchanged.
Still dissatisfied, he instructed some staff to stay on duty while giving others time off.
No matter when the County Magistrate appeared, they pretended to be unaware and did not welcome him.
While enjoying the New Year festivities, they wished for it to be so, but unexpectedly, some people arrived at the county government in the middle of the night. The Tang Family was informed, as were the Deputy County Magistrate and some officials.
But they were threatened, warned to give County Magistrate Si Maheyu a show of force, since it was a holiday and he wouldn’t call for work without their summons.
County Magistrate Si Maheyu knew that being parachuted into this unfamiliar place, surely some wouldn’t welcome him.
When he discovered that even the guards on duty had been given days off these past couple of days.
The county government was eerily quiet last night, and this morning was just as silent; yet he wasn’t annoyed, as the Spring Festival was already in progress, and there was no need to call them back.
He planned to rest for a few days, meeting those who wished to see him and eventually meeting those who didn’t in due time.
When the Tang Family requested a meeting that day, despite being extremely tired and not fully rested, County Magistrate Si Maheyu attended the session hosted at someone else’s invitation.
It was a good opportunity to get to know others, and his elders had already advised him to never fall out with the Tang Family.
County Magistrate Si Maheyu understood that some things in his years of holding office, especially serving the people, often required money.
Good intentions without power were insufficient; if necessary, support from these wealthy elites might be essential.
County Magistrate Si Maheyu didn’t have much ambition; he would have preferred to live in his hometown forever.
However, he also had responsibilities and had to follow orders, somewhat puzzled by his family’s fervent efforts just for him to serve as County Magistrate in this county, solely to foster good relations with the Tang Family.
County Magistrate Si Maheyu was well aware that the Tang Family had businesses all over the country, just as they did on the grasslands.
He didn’t fully understand why it had to be this county, and his elders couldn’t give a clear explanation either, their reasons vague and unclear.
All County Magistrate Si Maheyu’s elder mentioned was that a certain family had begun to take an interest in the new county.
When County Magistrate Si Maheyu heard of this family, he knew they were from the Imperial Family, bearing the Imperial surname, wondering why they would be interested in the new county.
Upon further inquiry, it turned out that interest in the new county was all because of one person.
At first, County Magistrate Si Maheyu thought it was someone from the Tang Family, considering that someone from the Zhao Family had married into it.
He assumed that pleasing the Tang Family might be the reason they wanted him to forge a good relationship.
But the elder’s reason was different; it wasn’t clear, and he couldn’t investigate it at the moment.
With this responsibility in mind, County Magistrate Si Maheyu wanted to uncover some information from these wealthy elites, to make sense of the myriad pieces in his head.
Listening to the songs in the Southern dialect and conversing with the wealthy men in their language, there was a difficulty in understanding for both parties; the dialects of the North and the South differed, and even the language of this county wasn’t the same as that of other counties.
Outsiders relied on guesswork unless they were proficient in multiple dialects and could understand immediately.
Tang Weiting had studied in Shangjing and had met some students from the North, including a few who had also gone to Shangjing to study; they were able to communicate more easily with County Magistrate Si Maheyu.
The others, who couldn’t understand, had to wait for a translation.
Tang Weiting reluctantly became the intermediary translator. Aside from dining and chatting, during this first meeting with County Magistrate Si Maheyu, everyone was very polite. As they were not part of the officialdom, of course, they didn’t ask about certain matters.
If they wanted to know something, they could investigate on their own. The meeting was enjoyable for both sides, with the men drinking plenty of wine.
With women at their side, they appeared very jovial.
County Magistrate Si Maheyu also relaxed; there was a woman seated next to him, but he didn’t look at her with lascivious intent.