Seeing the county magistrates acting like they had been injected with adrenaline, Zhao Yan offered them a sweet date before immediately landing a slap on them. "The lotus root seeds provided this time must be matched by your yields when harvest comes. I will personally inspect the results myself, and you must all take this matter to heart. The common people growing rich is your political achievement, and the ratings you receive in your year-end evaluations will depend on your performance. Some of you have been county magistrates here for over a decade without once being transferred. How you get by in the future will depend entirely on your own efforts."
"We, your subordinates, will firmly bear your instructions in mind, My Lord. This time, we will certainly not disappoint your expectations," the three men answered Zhao Yan in unison.
They were well aware of their own shortcomings, and now that Zhao Yan had pointed them out so bluntly, their weathered faces flushed with embarrassment.
Chapter 463