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The effects of the Little Ice Age seemed to be gradually manifesting. Although spring had arrived, the temperature hadn't risen as before, remaining quite cold.
Inside the county government office, a chill descended. The previously somewhat relaxed atmosphere seemed abruptly cut off, becoming stiff and discordant.
Chen Rui's request wasn't wrong. Putting oneself in his position, it was like different departments within the same company. Due to a certain task or event, one department lacked manpower and wanted to borrow some from another department. The other department head seeking a superior's approval document was a perfectly normal procedure and request…
Otherwise, when accounts were settled later, if problems arose, whose responsibility would it be?
But the problem was, Fei Qian currently, first, had no way to obtain court support, and second, couldn't go find Wang Yi for transfer orders. Time was pressing; how could he follow procedures now?
Seeing that Fei Qian couldn't immediately produce any credentials, Chen Rui inwardly knew there probably weren't any. To avoid an awkward atmosphere, he pretended nothing had been said and invited Fei Qian to taste some tea…
But Fei Qian didn't want to give up. Having come this far with difficulty, should he just stop here?
Fei Qian suddenly felt that if possible, he really needed to find a way to secure the position of "Protector General of the Xiongnu." Not to mention anything else, just the authority to command and deploy troops across the northern territories from the Three Adjacent Regions to Liaodong would be extremely useful.
Although nowadays, various families held their own troops tightly, and even with orders, local magnates might not necessarily listen, at least in terms of legitimacy, it wouldn't be as awkward as now.
A "Separate Department Commander" was still a bit low in rank…
"Spring plowing has begun. I wonder if Magistrate Chen has already overseen it?" Seeing the topic had hit a dead end, and forcing the issue might not yield good results, Fei Qian thought it better to attempt a breakthrough from another angle.
For a local administrative official, agriculture and irrigation were extremely important tasks. Even commandery administrators would conduct inspections in spring to ensure each county town had made timely and effective arrangements.
Though Chen Rui hadn't yet grasped why Fei Qian suddenly shifted to this topic, he still promptly replied, "All have been properly arranged. Seedling planting, ditch dredging—all have commenced."
Fei Qian smiled. "Then a good harvest for Puzi County can be expected. Magistrate Chen's merit is great."
Chen Rui waved a hand. "Agriculture is the foundation of the state. I dare not claim merit."
"Spring plowing, summer weeding, autumn harvest, winter storage; gathering firewood, managing the government offices, providing corvée labor; in spring unable to avoid wind and dust, in summer unable to avoid heat, in autumn unable to avoid rain, in winter unable to avoid cold and frost; throughout the four seasons, no day of rest…" Fei Qian looked at Chen Rui and said with a smile, "…Magistrate Chen shows compassion for the people's livelihood, governs agriculture and sericulture. How fortunate are the people of Puzi County. This is the grace of saving lives. How can there be no merit?"
Chen Rui smiled slightly. This Fei Qian's words weren't easy to respond to. Claiming merit would seem boastful; saying no merit—agriculture was indeed important. But Chen Rui still didn't quite understand what Fei Qian meant by suddenly bringing this up…
"However, the people of Puzi County have Magistrate Chen's care. But who now cares for the people of Yong'an?" Fei Qian shifted the topic. "Now, Yong'an's seedlings are destroyed, autumn harvest uncertain, White Wave entrenched, farming disrupted! If we do not swiftly recapture Yong'an and pacify the White Wave, does Magistrate Chen intend to use one county's resources to supply three counties?"
Chen Rui's eyes widened. "How could that be allowed?"
"Spring is brief, fleeting. If seedlings are replanted now, there is still hope. But if we sit idle, though we may remain safe, we miss the opportunity. Once the White Wave retreat, Puzi County will be the only one untouched by war. Then requisitions are inevitable. Do you intend to defy orders?" Fei Qian said seriously.
"This…" Chen Rui's eyes darted left and right.
Fei Qian's words were realistic. Indeed, if Puzi County were the only county untouched by war, during post-war recovery, it would inevitably bear considerable responsibilities—requisitioning provisions, increasing corvée labor. Moreover, Puzi was relatively close to Yong'an; they couldn't even use the excuse of long distance and inconvenient transport…
"Are you related to Yingchuan's Chen Changwen?"
One advantage of being a superior was being able to change topics anytime. Though Fei Qian was only acting Shang Commandery Administrator now, his rank was still higher than Chen Rui's as County Magistrate. So without waiting for Chen Rui's response, he directly asked another question.
Chen Rui saluted with cupped hands. "Chen Changwen is my elder clan brother." Though his tone was calm, Fei Qian detected a slight downward tug at the corner of Chen Rui's mouth when he mentioned Chen Changwen.
The movement was slight, very brief, almost instantly returning to normal. Fei Qian slightly lowered his eyelids, looking at the tea on the table, quickly calculating in his mind. He felt his chances of persuading Chen Rui had increased somewhat.
"Is Magistrate Chen under the 'Three Juniors,' like Chen Changwen?" Fei Qian asked.
The Yingchuan prestigious Chen clan: Chen Shi had six sons, among whom Chen Ji and Chen Chen were most renowned for their virtue, so people collectively called the father and these two sons the "Three Juniors." Therefore, descendants from the "Three Chen Juniors" formed the most important branch of the Yingchuan Chen clan now. Chen Qun was Chen Ji's son. So Fei Qian was essentially asking if Chen Rui belonged to the Chen clan's main line…
"…My late father, Wei Qian, was already outside the five degrees of mourning for Lord Taiqiu." When Chen Rui mentioned Lord Taiqiu (Chen Shi's posthumous title), he saluted towards the south as a sign of respect. The Chen clan's origins were complex, splitting into many branches since the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. The first branch was naturally Yingchuan Chen, then there were Chenliu Chen, Yangwu Chen, Gushi Chen, etc. Gushi Chen later merged into Yingchuan Chen. Chen Rui likely belonged to this Chen surname branch.
Fei Qian nodded. This aligned with his earlier speculation. Though Chen Rui hadn't explicitly stated it before, as a member of the Yingchuan Chen main line, he wouldn't be serving as a county magistrate in such a remote region. So Fei Qian smiled and said, "Lord Taiqiu's character was noble and pure, advancing only seeking righteousness, retreating without resentment from others, cultivating integrity and tranquility, not seeking personal perfection alone but seeking clarity and broad-mindedness. The people were thus at peace, eagerly praising him, the world all submitting to his virtue…"
"…Now, Magistrate Chen governs a region," Fei Qian first praised Lord Taiqiu, then paused, looking at Chen Rui, "…should bestow virtue upon the people, relieve hardships and overcome difficulties, make a name throughout the land. Does Magistrate Chen agree?" By now, the meaning was quite clear.
Now it depends on you, Chen Rui, what you truly think…
If you have ambition, unwilling to accept the status quo, then naturally you'll understand my meaning!
Fei Qian looked at Chen Rui, smiling slightly.