The families in Xiangzhou were in chaos because of the letter from Hezhong Prefecture.
The young scholars who were the main culprits, however, lived a very busy life.
Gu Nanxi organized a simple exam to test their level, and then placed them in various counties in Hezhong Prefecture based on their family background.
"Work hard, and those who excel can go to Yunzhou to attend the cadre training class."
Yunzhou is Gu Nanxi's base. Being able to attend Yunzhou's training class is equivalent to stepping half a foot into Gu Nanxi's camp, right?
With this big pie in the sky and the courage of a newborn calf, these young people were full of energy and made the old-fashioned clerks cry for their parents.
"Why are these young masters coming to Hezhong Prefecture instead of staying in Xiangzhou? Sir, you have to make the decision for us!"
"They are so unreasonable! They don't even allow us to take bribes. How can we support our family with such a small salary? Are we going to let them starve?"
"Sir, they hold no official positions, yet they keep interfering in government affairs. Please don't indulge them!"
The clerks went to their superiors and complained.
This life is really unbearable!
This group of young masters seemed to be guiding me, holding a booklet and staring at me closely. Whenever I did something wrong, they would remind me loudly.
The boss had a bitter face and complained, "Do you think you are the only ones being watched? There are people watching me too! The Prince of Yun State wanted to eliminate us, why did you leave us behind?"
"Sir, Duke Yun's requirements for officials are so high! Eight rules of discipline, twelve iron laws, and various work rules. We are really not used to it!"
The boss knew what everyone meant, which was that they wanted him to go to the Hong family and think of a solution.
The key is that the Hong family doesn’t dare to go against Duke Yun!
The boss frowned and paced: "Then use our old method!"
The old way is non-violent non-cooperation.
For example, after entering winter, Duke Yun issued three tasks to Hezhong County: population census, farmland measurement, and soldier recruitment.
Among them, population statistics and measurement of farmland are related to head tax and land tax.
Gu Nanxi also wants to consider whether to carry out tax reform based on these data.
Therefore, the meticulousness of these two tasks and the authenticity of the data are crucial.
After hearing what their superior said, the clerks understood what was going on.
In the past, any family with some power in Hezhong County would have a large amount of hidden fields.
Now, Duke Yun's request to re-measure the land has greatly infringed upon the interests of these families.
Since they couldn't stop Duke Yun, they could only think of ways to do it secretly, such as bribing the clerks in charge of the measurement.
Originally, it was a good thing that was tacitly agreed upon by both parties, but due to the intervention of the scholars from Xiangzhou, they were unable to make any move.
To cut off someone's source of wealth is like killing his parents.
The clerks fought with the scholars of Xiangzhou for the benefits that they had not yet obtained!
Within two days, Cui Letian and others discovered that the work of measuring the land had stalled.
"Humph, they can only do some small tricks. Let's go and urge them!"
Wen Deyuan led a large group of people to the county government office in Hezhong Prefecture.
As soon as I entered the gate, I saw the clerks who were supposed to go out to measure the fields were warming themselves around a brazier.
Wen Deyuan had a cold face and scolded: "We should have gone to measure the Hong family's land today, why haven't you set out yet?"
An older clerk yawned and replied lazily, "We have completed the test, and the results are exactly the same as the original records."
“Nonsense!”
They are all from aristocratic families, who doesn’t know the ins and outs?
The old clerk nodded his head, seeming extremely sleepy. "My dears, how dare we neglect the task assigned by Duke Yun? We measured all night last night, and we didn't sleep all night. If you don't believe me, you can measure it yourself."
The clerks grinned, wanting to see these young masters make a fool of themselves.
Measuring fields is not only a hard job, but also a job that requires extremely skills.
Not every field is square, most are irregular.
There is a lot of room for maneuver here.
"Alas, gentlemen, you grew up in luxury, why do you have to roll around in the mud?"
"That's right! I'm not exaggerating. When it comes to writing, we are definitely not as good as you gentlemen. But when it comes to measuring land, this is our livelihood, so you gentlemen should trust us."
Cui Letian and others were so angry that they left in anger.
After returning to their residence, everyone was angry and annoyed.
"These villains, do they really think we are fools?! There must be something fishy going on here."
"That's right. We must not let these people look down on us! This is the first test given to us by Duke Yun. If we can't even solve this little difficulty, how can we enter the Control Crane Bureau?!"
Huang Laosan gritted his teeth and said.
Liu Guangxi asked blankly: "Who among you knows how to measure?"
The air suddenly became quiet.
Everyone looked at each other with embarrassment and despair in their eyes.
I hate math and stuff like that!
"You don't know how to do it? What should I do?"
"What the hell, we are going to be laughed at by a bunch of clerks!"
"Don't you know how to do it, Mr. Cui?"
Cui Letian just drank tea and remained silent.
A figure appeared in Lu Qing's mind, and then he shook his head. That person is not easy to invite!
At the gate of the post station, the postman stopped a girl wearing a linen dress and a simple bun and said, "Please stay, girl. Sorry, the post station is full."
Although there were only about 20 scholars from Xiangzhou, together with their servants, the post station was packed with people.
The girl looked to be in her thirties, with a somewhat rough skin. Although she was only wearing a simple linen dress, she was extremely neat and tidy.
She was carrying a big bag, which was bulging and looked very heavy.
"I'm not here to check in, I'm here to look for someone."
Jailer: "Who are you looking for?"
"Xiangzhou Lu Qing."
The jailer knew Lu Qing.
He is the youngest among this group of princes. He is extremely kind to others and is like a little sun all day long. Just looking at him makes people feel warm inside.
The jailer softened his expression and said, "Looking for Mr. Lu. Please wait a moment."
The jailer hurried into the lobby and told Lu Qing that there was a woman outside looking for him.
Liu Guangxi heard these words with sharp ears and a gleam of light flashed in his eyes.
Lu Qing is the same type as himself, but the key is that his temperament is natural and he is really a strong rival!
Liu Guangxi: "Since she is an acquaintance, don't let a girl wait outside for a long time, let her in."
The others exchanged glances. As competitors were the only ones left, one less would be another!
"Yes! The girl came all the way to Hezhong Mansion to find you. She must have something urgent. Hurry and ask her to come in!"
A man of integrity fears no crooked shadow.
Liu Guangxi is only fifteen years old. He has heard about Duke Yun's deeds for many years and only wants to follow him. Unlike other boys of his age, he already has several concubines.
"Please let her in." (End of this chapter)
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