With so many complaints before him, even Lu Wen, the chief secretary of the criminal department, did not dare to neglect them. He took the complaints and quickly stood up to find someone. This matter was no longer something he could handle.

The person who really has the final say in the county government is naturally the magistrate, and under him is the county magistrate, who is also known as the second master.

Ji County Magistrate Dong Weimin is 51 years old now. He has been in this position for eight years and has served under two county magistrates. Now he is welcoming the third county magistrate. He has never thought about promotion. It seems that there is only one word difference between county magistrate and county magistrate, but in fact there is a world of difference.

The magistrate may have a chance to be promoted, but the chance for the county magistrate is very small.

Dong Weimin was the permanent "base" in Ji County Government Office. Although the county magistrates came and went, he, the county magistrate, remained in office.

In the eight years he ran the county government, he managed it like an iron plate. All the six departments and three shifts were his people. Without his cooperation, the county magistrate could accomplish nothing.

The county magistrate had his own classroom. Dong Weimin sat behind the desk. He was in his fifties and his hair was gray, but it was combed meticulously, without even a single stray hair. He looked energetic and his eyes were bright.

He doesn't look like an official, but more like a wealthy man.

Dong Weimin passed the imperial examination and became a scholar in his early years. Later, his family became wealthy and he became a member of the wealthy family. He had status and prestige in the local area, and through manipulation, he became the county magistrate and has been so until now.

He is slightly plump, with fair skin and a sweet smile. He looks kind but is actually very cunning. Especially in recent days, he has been in very good spirits, as if he has experienced a second spring.

Originally, Dong Weimin was waiting to retire in the position of county magistrate and did not seek promotion. He knew that there was no hope of promotion at his age.

But this time, the Prime Minister's return to his hometown gave him hope.

The Prime Minister summoned him alone on the eve of his departure and asked him to force the new magistrate Feng Yuan to resign within three months. As long as he could do it, he would take over as magistrate after Feng Yuan left office.

Dong Weimin was tempted. He had been the county magistrate for so many years and had always been called the second master. He also wanted to be the big master and become the head of the county government.

It was natural that the Prime Minister could appoint him as the county magistrate, so Dong Weimin was full of energy and confidence.

The entire county government office is his people. Without his approval, no one will obey the county magistrate's orders. If the county magistrate orders them not to leave the classroom, he himself will not be able to stay there for a long time.

Not to mention the constant pressure from the prefect to strictly evaluate his performance. It won't take more than three months before Feng Yuan leaves in disgrace. If he doesn't know what's good for him, it's not impossible that he will be charged with a crime.

He has important matters to attend to right now. The former magistrate Bai Yong passed away suddenly, and the remaining accounts, taxes and other issues have not been settled yet. What he has to do is to smooth over these issues so that Feng Yuan will not find any problems or troubles.

Bai Yong is the Prime Minister's man, so if anything happens to Bai Yong, the Prime Minister will inevitably be implicated.

Dong Weimin was reading a volume at his desk when Lu Wen rushed in with a stack of petitions.

"Don't you know to knock on the door? How can you be so impatient!" Dong Weimin shouted unhappily.

"Master, I have a complaint that requires your decision." Lu Wen said as he stepped forward and placed the complaint in front of Dong Weimin.

"What lawsuit? Is there a murder case?"

Dong Weimin knew that today was the day for the complaint. "Go and tell those gangs to stop causing any trouble in the near future. If you receive any murder complaints, suppress them."

Murder, robbery, and rape are the three major crimes in this dynasty. Such cases in the county are usually tried by the county magistrate himself, but Dong Weimin did not want to give the county magistrate the opportunity to try the case.

As long as a case is being tried, it is inevitable to use people, and the power in one's hands can be used, which also creates the possibility of taking advantage of the situation to make use of it.

The highest level of delegating a person is to leave him with nothing to do.

"It's a complaint against the Sun family."

"Sun family?"

Dong Weimin said bluntly, "How many times have I told you that any complaint concerning the Sun family will be dismissed? I already wrote a comment on that complaint the day before yesterday. Why did that woman still come to file a complaint? Just throw her in jail for two days for disrupting the county government office. She'll suffer and behave herself."

"No, this time it wasn't Madam Su who filed the complaint, but a few lawyers."

"What's the difference?"

Dong Weimin said impatiently, "The lawyers were also hired by that woman. Go tell those lawyers that anyone who dares to take Madam Su's case again will be left without a job."

As expected of the Second Master, his words and actions always seem to cut off other people's sources of income.

"You'd better take a look at the complaint. This time it's really different." Lu Wen immediately started to tell the story, leaving Dong Weimin speechless.

"It's likely that Boss Sun led his men to look for Madam Su and had his servants vandalize the house. He likely also did something to Madam Su. It just so happened that these lawyers were looking for Madam Su to take on a case and ran into her... These lawyers defended Madam Su, but were beaten black and blue by Boss Sun's servants... This incurred public outrage."

"Brainless bastard!"

Dong Weimin cursed inwardly. It would be troublesome to offend these lawyers because their goodness or badness is determined by their mouths. It would be very troublesome to offend these people.

"A total of thirteen people came and submitted thirteen petitions, and they involved three major crimes: murder, robbery, and rape. We have no choice but to accept them." Lu Wen was a little embarrassed.

If we just casually send one or two people away, the problem is that there are so many people coming that it is really difficult to handle.

"Leave it with me first. Go find the Sun family and ask them to quickly stabilize these lawyers. You can pay them or use threats. Don't cause any more trouble. County Magistrate Feng is waiting."

Since Lu Wen is his own person, he speaks more casually.

"yes."

Lu Wen asked to step back and leave, but just as he reached the door, he saw it was pushed open. A middle-aged man with a thin body and slightly dark skin walked in. He was wearing a green official uniform with a patch on it that said "I am from this county." He was also wearing a green official uniform with a patch on it that said "?鶒".

This is the official uniform of the seventh rank. There is only one person in this county government office who can wear such an official uniform, and that is the new magistrate Feng Yuan!

"Master."

Lu Wen was stunned for a moment.

"I am the magistrate, not a master. Remember to address me as sir next time."

Feng Yuan said this calmly, and walked straight to the table without paying any attention to Lu Wen.

"My Lord Magistrate, how did you find time to come here? If you have anything to say, please tell me and I will be right there."

Dong Weimin immediately stood up, bowed his waist, spoke humbly, and acted like a lower official.

It is true that he wants to deal with Feng Yuan, but he will never let anyone pick a fight with him. He is the one who says one thing to your face and another behind your back.

While he was speaking, his hands did not stop moving, ready to put away the complaint, but Feng Yuan did not give him a chance. He simply reached out and pressed on the complaint.

"Today is the day for filing complaints. I've just taken office as magistrate, so I should try cases publicly and let the people know what I'm doing... I heard that Chief Secretary Lu brought the complaints here, so I came to see what the case is."

Feng Yuan spoke calmly, without beating around the bush, and almost stated his purpose directly.

He had just gone to the petition filing office and saw an acquaintance. Although the man was disguised, he still recognized him. That man was Song Chi, the county's top judge whom he had selected a few days ago.