I, Sun Shan, and the Imperial Examination

Chapter 1212 Colleague Shen Zhixian

Chenzhou Prefecture governs eight counties, one upper county, three middle counties, and four lower counties.

Sun Shan had only spent one night at the post station when he met his colleagues.

This colleague was in his forties, a full generation older than Sun Shan.

Looking at his gray hair and beard, he was still wearing the uniform of a seventh-rank official.

Sun Shan looked at his seventh-rank official uniform again, and then couldn't help trembling.

Oh, it’s really terrible. Will I follow in the footsteps of this colleague and work until my hair and beard turn white, my back becomes hunched, and I am still a seventh-rank official.

Magistrate Shen was stunned when he saw Sun Shan, looking at him in the uniform of a seventh-rank official.

He asked tentatively: "Colleague, my surname is Shen, and I am the magistrate of Mayang. I wonder who you are...?"

Sun Shan bowed and returned the greeting: "County Magistrate Shen, I am the County Magistrate of Yuanlu."

Then County Magistrate Shen said bluntly: "County Magistrate Sun, you are so young! You have a lot of potential!"

What could Sun Shan say? He just smiled and said, "Thank you. Thank you."

At this moment, Sun Shan understood why County Magistrate Shen was still the county magistrate despite his gray hair. With the level of his questioning, it would be strange for him to be promoted.

Sun Shan once again carefully looked at County Magistrate Shen. His face was thin and his body was even thinner. If he were not wearing his official uniform, one would not know that he was an official.

From a distance, he looks like an old farmer.

He then quietly looked at Magistrate Shen's hands. They were wrinkled and rough, and it was obvious that he was not the pampered son of a wealthy family.

And when he smelled the odor of earth, Sun Shan knew that Magistrate Shen's background was probably very similar to his.

In short, his background is average.

Mayang County, where County Magistrate Shen was located, was adjacent to Yuanlu County where Sun Shan was located, and the two counties were separated by a series of mountains.

Although they are next to each other, they are actually very far away.

Whether from Mayang County to Yuanlu County or from Yuanlu County to Mayang County, you have to walk around the mountains.

Of course this is not a problem. The most important thing is that there are many "rare and large wild beasts" in these deep mountains and forests.

Unless necessary, the people of the two places will not communicate with each other and cultivate feelings.

What I fear most is that I will be eaten by wild beasts in the mountains before I reach my destination. That would not be worth it.

When County Magistrate Shen met Sun Shan, it was just like Sun Shan met County Magistrate Shen. Both were attracted by the other's rustic aura.

Look, the two of them were sitting in the yard of the post station, enjoying the moon and chatting awkwardly.

Magistrate Shen said regretfully, "Magistrator Sun, Mayang and Yuanlu are obviously next to each other, but there is no way to go through them. What a pity. Otherwise, I would have known Magistrate Sun a long time ago."

Sun Shan also said hypocritically: "Yes, the two places are adjacent, but there is no way to travel between them. What a pity, what a pity. If only there was a road between the two places, the people of the two places could travel between them."

In my previous life, this wouldn't have been a problem at all.

The shield machine is put into use to dig a tunnel in the mountains, which can be connected in just over ten minutes.

Now there is no other way. The people of the two places can only travel through a third county.

Magistrate Shen continued, "Magistrate Sun, you are new this year, right? Last year, Yuanlu was still short of a magistrate. I was wondering who the court would send. Haha, I didn't expect that they would send such a young magistrate. Magistrate Sun, you are the youngest magistrate in Chenzhou Prefecture, young and promising."

Sun Shan cupped his hands and said very hypocritically and cautiously: "Thanks to the grace of the emperor, I was arranged to be the parent official in Yuanlu. This is my honor. I am grateful to the emperor all the time."

God knows whether the County Magistrate Shen in front of him is loyal or treacherous. Maybe he was just pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger by asking about his age rashly.

Haha, you have to be extra careful when you speak.

Colleagues may not necessarily benefit each other, and may also attack each other.

Even if there is no conflict of interest, people are diverse and a casual remark may offend someone.

Ever since Sun Shan became an official, he had to use the "panacea" rule when speaking in public.

In other words, if you catch the emperor praising you, you will find that the king's grace is great, which is always right.

Magistrate Shen stroked his gray beard, smiled and said, "Yes, thank you, Your Majesty, for sending Magistrate Sun here to serve as an official. Haha, I have a new colleague now."

After saying this, he bowed toward the sky again.

Sun Shan and County Magistrate Shen chatted about some trivial things that had no nutritional value.

But I also got to know the other person's background through little by little words.

Everyone tacitly reveals what information can be revealed.

Magistrate Shen smiled and said, "Magistrator Sun, it's getting late. I'll go back first and we'll talk tomorrow. It's an honor to meet Magistrate Sun today. It's an honor."

Sun Shan also responded: "Me too, it is a great honor to meet Magistrate Shen today."

After saying that, the two of them went back to their rooms.

Magistrate Shen and Sun Shan lived in the same courtyard.

He lived in the east wing and Sun Shan lived in the west wing. They lived face to face with each other and could hear every movement clearly.

Sun Shan returned to the house and couldn't help but drink a few sips of water. Although they were not very familiar with each other, they chatted a lot and his mouth was tired.

Gui Ge'er quietly peeked through the window and looked at the opposite side.

After making sure that no one was around, he tiptoed to Sun Shan and whispered, "Brother Shan, this County Magistrate Shen is really talkative. He kept you chatting all night."

Sun Shan smiled and shook his head: "We just met, so it's inevitable that we have a lot to talk about."

Gui Ge'er was puzzled. They had just met, so shouldn't they have nothing to talk about?

Brother Shan's words are so unreasonable.

The personal bodyguard Sun Dali whispered, "Master, this County Magistrate Shen is very similar to the master of our village. I didn't expect that he is actually the County Magistrate."

Not only Sun Shan could see that County Magistrate Shen came from a poor family, but Sun Dali could see it too.

Haha, the smell of the mud is so strong that even a blind person can smell it.

When Sun Shan heard Magistrate Shen's name, he knew who he was.

Sun Shan had a copy of the "List of Officials of Chenzhou Prefecture" sent by Chief Chen Shan.

After checking, we know that County Magistrate Shen is the magistrate of Mayang County and a native of Yuzhou. He passed the imperial examination in the 30th year of Taiqi and was then arranged to be the magistrate of Chenzhou Prefecture.

He was not the magistrate of Mayang at first. After several transfers, he was finally transferred to Mayang County.

Others were getting promoted step by step, but County Magistrate Shen was the opposite. Each transfer was worse than the previous one.

As a result, he gradually became the magistrate of a lower-class county.

If Yuanlu County is a remote and poor place, then Mayang is a wild place.

Mayang is located in the Wuling Mountain area. The area is quite large, but it is all mountains. The Wulingyi population makes up the majority of the population, and the management can be described as hell-level.

Look at County Magistrate Shen, he is only in his forties, but his hair and beard are very white. One can imagine how difficult it is to be a county magistrate there.

When Sun Dali and Gui Ge'er heard that most of the people under the jurisdiction of County Magistrate Shen were Miao people, their eyes widened.

Gui Ge'er patted his chest in fear and said thankfully, "Brother Shan, it's a good thing we are in Yuanlu, not in Mayang. The Miao people love to cast spells. I think County Magistrate Shen must have been cast many times to become so old."

Sun Dali said in great agreement: "Yes, poor Magistrate Shen, he looks like he's in his 60s even though he's in his 40s. Alas, his blood has been sucked dry by the Miao people's poison."

Sun Shan: ...

Forget it, let them think whatever they want. It’s late at night, so I should go to bed early.