Chapter 221 [Take the Hook]

Inside the Haizhu County Government Office.

County Magistrate Huang sat on an oversized armchair and fiddled with the tea set.

The pattern on the tea set was gold-painted flowers and birds, and it was inlaid with jade. It looked very valuable at first glance, but in the hands of County Magistrate Huang, who had a fat face and bags under his eyes, it became tacky.

County Magistrate Huang looked at the shopkeeper Ma of the He Family Stone Shop, who was sitting below him on his left. "Shopkeeper Ma, that hermit behind you said we should accumulate merit and do good deeds to repay the heavens. How do we do that?"

"Should we go to the temple and offer incense and donate money? Or should we perform rituals to pray to the gods?"

County Magistrate Huang weighed his purse and asked tentatively, "Is five silver coins enough for the incense offering?"

After hearing what County Magistrate Huang said, Shopkeeper Ma sighed inwardly.

Now that so many people near Haizhu County have retreated to the city and have nowhere to live, they can only live in dilapidated temples or sleep in the wild. The first thing County Magistrate Huang thought of was to donate money for incense.

Seeing that Shopkeeper Ma didn't respond immediately, County Magistrate Huang added, "Fifty thousand isn't enough? How about a hundred thousand taels of silver?"

Of course, the money for flood control should be allocated from the treasury first, but if more money is spent on flood control, then he will have less money to embezzle!

Shopkeeper Ma sighed even more deeply upon hearing this. Before reaching an agreement with County Magistrate Huang on flood control, he had said that doing some small acts of kindness would solve Haizhu County's flooding problem. County Magistrate Huang's first thought wasn't to provide porridge to the people, but to donate incense to the temple...

Shopkeeper Ma now admires Shopkeeper Jiang's foresight even more.

In the mind of County Magistrate Huang, he would rather spend money to show his goodwill to the empty gods than to benefit the people.

Manager Jiang also said that County Magistrate Huang felt that returning some of the money he had extorted from the people would be more painful than killing him.

Therefore, we cannot ask County Magistrate Huang to rescue the people and reduce tax exploitation right away.

Thinking of this, he raised a flattering smile on his face: "Your Excellency is very smart. You have found the solution right away!"

We really need to donate 100,000 silver coins to solve this problem!

County Magistrate Huang's eyebrows, as thick as caterpillars, twisted and loosened, but it didn't matter. He could still tell the difference between suffering for a few months and suffering for a lifetime.

If you go to brothels less often and gamble less, wouldn't that money be squeezed out?

What's more, it would definitely cost more than that to organize workers to carry sandbags and stones to the river to build a high defense line, and there are many other things he needs to do, so how can he be lazy!

In comparison, the He family's idea is more cost-effective.

County Magistrate Huang asked, "How should this money be donated?"

Shopkeeper Ma held his face in a tense expression and said seriously, "The hermit behind me said that the one who controls the rain is a new deity, the daughter of the Dragon King. The He family's ancestors had a close relationship with this daughter of the Dragon King, and now they enshrine her as the He family's patron saint. It's very effective. You need to call on this deity and pray for her help."

"So they're going to summon a deity!" County Magistrate Huang picked his teeth and thought for a moment: "This Dragon Girl? Why haven't I heard of this person before?"

"Shh!"

Shopkeeper Ma quickly made a shushing gesture: "Master County Magistrate, please be careful with your words! Treat the Dragon Girl with respect!"

"This god is now the patron saint of our He family and will protect the safety and prosperity of our entire He family."

County Magistrate Huang was still a little confused: "You are not from the He family, aren't you hired by the He family? Why are you so cautious?"

"Let me tell you, this goddess is very effective!"

Shopkeeper Ma had a very serious face. He said mysteriously, "The Patriarch of the He family said that anyone who works hard for the He family can be considered a member of the He family and can be protected by the Dragon Girl."

County Magistrate Huang was suspicious: "How can this dragon girl be so good and have such strong magical powers?"

"I didn't believe in the existence of a dragon girl at first, but since the He family started worshipping the dragon girl, their business has taken off."

Shopkeeper Ma sighed, as if he had complete faith in the Dragon Lady. "The He family's business is flourishing, and they've even become a sought-after new merchant in the capital. That's all thanks to the protection of this Dragon Lady guardian."

"I heard that Master He Lin, who went to the capital, brought the amulet given by the goddess with him. As soon as he arrived, the He family's flower shop in the capital became a booming business!"

"So I followed them and believed in the Dragon Lady."

Shopkeeper Ma pointed to the bluestone inkstone on the table given to County Magistrate Huang. "Sir, do you still remember this inkstone? The raw material was found in the quarry on my mountain?"

County Magistrate Huang nodded and said that Shopkeeper Ma had produced many good things in the quarry on Xun Mountain.

"Haizhou has had heavy rain recently, and several other quarries have been affected by mudslides and landslides. I'm so worried that I can't sleep all night!"

"At night I kneel in my room and pray to the Dragon Lady for peace and safety in my quarry."

The more County Magistrate Huang listened, the more entranced he became. "What was the result? Did it work?"

Shopkeeper Ma's eyes were filled with devotion and faith. Being in the sales business meant being able to tell stories. "As a result, after I finished praying, I immediately fell into a peaceful sleep. I even dreamed that a goddess was speaking to me."

"The next morning, I heard good news: it was raining everywhere else on the mountain, but it had stopped over my quarry!"

After hearing this, County Magistrate Huang opened his mouth into an O shape: "Damn it, it's so effective!"

Shopkeeper Ma nodded and said, "If you don't believe me, you can go to my quarry and ask around!"

He had also heard that He Lin from the He family was now a hot new upstart in the capital. Precisely because of this, he felt that the growing power of the Lingnan He family could also cover for He Xiuzhu's actions in Haizhou.

He had never expected that there was a dragon girl guarding behind him. He had been saying that the dignitaries and imperial merchants in the capital were so powerful, with collusion between officials and businessmen, and it was really amazing that a young man like He Lin could still gain a foothold in the capital.

Thinking of this, County Magistrate Huang couldn't wait to ask, "How do I go about invoking the gods? How much does it cost? And who should I invite?"

"Five thousand taels." Shopkeeper Ma stretched out five fingers and shook them. "The rest will be handled by our He family."

Five thousand taels!

County Magistrate Huang stared with his big eyes, feeling like a pie had fallen from the sky.

Especially when compared with the 100,000 taels he had just estimated, 5,000 taels was simply a drop in the bucket, a piece of cake. The amount he embezzled in a month was more than this.

"Are you sure it really only costs five thousand taels?!"

Shopkeeper Ma said with conviction, "It really only costs five thousand taels."

"Of course, inviting a deity is different from inviting a person. The amount is for good luck. When it comes to offering to a deity, sincerity is key."

County Magistrate Huang slammed the table excitedly: "Okay, okay, I'll summon the gods right away!"

"I'll give you six thousand taels. The extra is your reward. Don't neglect this dragon girl."

Shopkeeper Ma agreed: "Of course."

After receiving the banknotes, Shopkeeper Ma opened the package he brought.

"By the way, sir, I found another piece of stone of excellent quality."

"Let me show it to you."