Chapter 394: Leave a Way for Others

"County Magistrate Wang is so angry!" Su Laosan came in with several chancellors and chief clerks from the Sinong Temple.

"Master Su?" Wang Duanfang composed himself and turned around. "Why are you here with me when you're not in the countryside busying yourself with your two rice crops?"

Does this guy really think being a fifth-rank official in Lingnan is so impressive? He's still just a farmer!

A bunch of people came to me with the prime minister and the chief clerk to show off, they really think they are a dish!

He came yesterday and said that the farmland needed to be plowed in preparation for spring plowing and could not be left idle.

He also said that the promotion of two-season rice was included in the performance evaluation of officials in the county government, and asked him to assign specific jurisdiction areas to the officials and conduct specific evaluations.

He kept chattering and making a lot of noise, which was very annoying, so I sent the household official to take him for a walk in the countryside.

But in two days, he ran back.

I thought I would be staying in the countryside for ten days or half a month, but this is all!

"I'm here to discuss something! The towns and villages below..." Su Lao San paused, "How could Lord Wang have the Fulong caravan's carriages and horses?"

The former County Magistrate Yan was old and had no interest in government affairs, so the sub-contracting of the Sinong Temple's responsibilities was handed over to the lower levels.

The people below also fooled around and just wrote down the so-called responsibility areas for the officials and handed them over to be done with their work.

Except for the clerks in the household department, who had to go down to do their job, the other departments didn't care at all.

I have no money and I am exhausted. If I can't do it well, it's all my fault. I'd be crazy to do it!

While Wuxian and Tongxian were making great strides forward, Rongxian was struggling to survive.

Now a corrupt official has come along, which is like adding insult to injury.

Wang Duanfang prohibited the people of Rong County from selling sugarcane to other counties. The people were living in dire straits and could only sell their sugarcane at a low price to sugar factories in the county. For this reason, many villagers secretly ran out to sell their sugarcane.

He was caught by yamen runners led by Huang San, and his money and belongings were stolen and his house was robbed.

Many people are living on the streets and have lost their farm tools. How can they farm the land?

Su Laosan was angry and came back to question Wang Duanfang, but he didn't want to see the Fulon Caravan signboard that had not been removed in the yard.

"What caravan? Just a bunch of unruly people talking nonsense!" Wang Duanfang said with a flick of his sleeves.

"Sir Wang, where are they?" Su Laosan looked around and saw only the police officer.

Then think of how people called Wang Duanfang, "the Zhongshan wolf who can never be fed!"

"Sir Wang, I advise you to release him immediately, otherwise you won't be able to bear the consequences!" Su Lao San shouted angrily.

"Sir Su, this is the government affairs of Rong County. Sir Su, please don't stretch your hands too far!" Wang Duanfang sneered.

"Wang Duanfang, do you want to rebel? You are lawless, ignoring the laws of the Tang Dynasty, robbing and plundering, causing the people to lose their homes and become displaced!" Su Laosan was furious.

How did such a person become an Inspector General? Aren't Inspectors supposed to be upright and righteous?

This person is shameless and acts recklessly! How does the imperial court select its talents?

Is such a person worthy of being a government official? He has no reverence and is not afraid of retribution?

Su Laosan came from a poor family and read the books of sages. He was promoted and valued by the emperor. He was so grateful that he wanted to devote his life to the emperor and serve his country.

Wang Duanfang came from a prominent family. With the help of his family, he easily became an official through the same imperial examination.

At that time, the names of candidates in the imperial examinations were not kept anonymous, and admission was based on family background and recommendations.

The chief examiners originally came from these aristocratic families, and admission was equivalent to the division of resources among the aristocratic families and nobles.

If the poor do not seek refuge with them and rely on them, there is no way they will be hired.

Su Laosan's entry into officialdom was due to Su Bucheng's connections, but also had a lot to do with his marriage to Wei.

The system of covering names in the imperial examinations began during the Wu Zhou period as a measure taken to prevent cheating.

Later, dynasties gradually improved the imperial examination system. In order to prevent the chief examiner from recognizing his own people by handwriting and marks, a special copying procedure was set up. Each candidate's paper was copied with the name covered before grading.

"Su Buyun! Mind your own business and cultivate your fields! Get the guest out!" Wang Duanfang drove the person away.

The yamen runners held their swords at their waists and stared at Su Laosan and several of his subordinates with murderous eyes.

"Where are the people from the Fulon caravan? I must see them!" Su Laosan refused to leave.

"Please come in, Lord Su!" The bailiff said in a sarcastic tone, saying that he was delaying their fortune.

"Hmph! Wang Duanfang! You don't even realize that disaster is imminent!" Su Laosan scolded, but Wang Duanfang didn't seem to care.

After leaving Wang Duanfang's public housing, Teacher Su felt uneasy and went to find the household clerk.

This household clerk still has some conscience and is a man of action.

"Sir Su!" Song Wansan, a clerk in the household department, was on duty in the Caofang and had not yet returned home.

"Song Cao, help me!" Su Lao San went straight to the point.

"What's the matter, Lord Su?" Lord Jiangsu Song Wansan looked anxious and solemn.

"Take me to the prison to find someone!" said Su Lao San.

"Who is it?" Song Wansan asked.

"Fulong Caravan!"

"Fulong Caravan?" Song Wansan was stunned. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Let's go, sir, follow me!"

"Hey, Song Cao, how come you have time to visit us today?" The yamen runners greeted Song Wansan when they saw him.

Looking at Su Laosan and his group of officials behind Song Wansan, he felt strange. Aren’t these the people who farm?

With Wang Duanfang as an example, these yamen runners were not afraid of the people from the Sinong Temple. They did not say hello when they saw them, but simply ignored them.

Song Wansan was an old man in the county government office and also a clerk in the household department. He had a high status and the yamen runners did not dare to offend him.

"I'm here to look for someone!" Song Wansan said with a smile.

"No way, Song Cao, how could one of your people be here?" The yamen runners didn't believe it.

"If you don't care, just ask if there is a caravan coming in, the Fu caravan." Song Wansan asked.

"How do you know?" the bailiff was surprised.

"This is Lord Su's friend. Take us to see him quickly! Don't hurt anyone by accident!" Song Wansan said hurriedly.

These yamen runners were very cruel when they started fighting. People were either killed or injured, and there was no way to seek redress.

When Lord Yan was around, they were not so rampant. Now Lord Wang is in cahoots with them and they are in cahoots with each other. There is nothing they can't do.

"Uh! Song Cao, don't make things difficult for us!" the bailiff said in embarrassment.

"What's the matter?" Song Wansan asked.

"The young master of the Fu brand has angered Lord Wang, and he is being taught a lesson now. Song Cao, sir, please leave quickly!" the bailiff advised.

"Young Master?" Su Lao San was puzzled when he heard it.

Isn't the Fulong Caravan just Master Fuzhong and his apprentice, and Hu Erlang? Where did the young master come from?

"That's right! He had an arrogant attitude and asked him to write a letter to his family to raise a ransom. I don't know what he wrote, which angered the county magistrate." The bailiff gave Song Wansan face and told him the inside story.

"What does this person look like?" Su Laosan couldn't figure it out.

"He is about eighteen or nineteen years old, with a slim figure and handsome appearance. He speaks in a shrill voice like a girl..." The bailiff had not finished speaking.

Su Laosan ran to the prison like a gust of wind. He knew who it was!

Fuwang is really so careless, how could he fall into this pit!

"Hey, what's wrong with you..." the bailiff wanted to call for help.

"Okay, stop yelling and just pretend you saw nothing! Give them some space!" Song Wansan whispered.

"Uh..." The yamen runner thought for a moment, then turned and walked away, "I didn't see anything."

Yes, he is a fifth-rank official. Even if he is a farmer, he is still an official. How can I offend him?

The county magistrate has the support of his family and has the capital to act tyrannically. I am just a lowly person, why should I interfere?