As the saying goes, a new broom sweeps clean.
It's not particularly unreasonable for Prefect He to want to collect more taxes to show his superiors.
However, the former prefect was so kind and loved the people like his own children, which made him seem particularly cold-blooded and ruthless.
"Master Xu, do you have any ideas?" Wang Xi couldn't quite get used to it.
Xu Mo frowned and glanced at her younger siblings, who were all in different poses.
It sounds a bit far-fetched, but they were on high alert, ready to make things difficult for the new prefect, both for the workshops and the Wang family.
Unexpectedly, Prefect He raised his hand and targeted Xieyang County, which was hundreds of miles away.
"Could this be called 'hitting a cow from across a mountain'?" Jiang Sheng exclaimed.
To be precise, it was like punching a cow across the mountain; the cow was unharmed, but the cowshed collapsed.
Xieyang County was their hometown, a place they loved, and home to their friend Bian Wenxuan, who was then the county magistrate, as well as several dozen acres of land owned by Zheng Ruqian.
For the sake of the public good, they could not bear to see Xiyang County's talent pool dwindle and its fortunes decline from prosperity to poverty.
For his own benefit, Zheng Ruqian wanted to transport dried green beans, but paying more taxes would not be worthwhile.
But how can we both preserve Xieyang County and deter Prefect He from attacking it again?
Xu Mo fell into deep thought.
After a long while, just when he felt his thoughts were about to dry up.
Chang Yan said softly, "It's unreasonable to exempt a county from taxes on entering and leaving the city. The new prefect has simply revised the regulations back to their original form, so we have no reason to criticize it."
This is the most crucial point.
Although what Prefect He did caused widespread resentment among the people, it was in accordance with the law and regulations, and there was nothing wrong with it.
Even if you were to talk about it elsewhere, only impoverished counties that receive preferential treatment like Xieyang County would truly understand. Other cities that still collect taxes would simply scoff, asking, "Why do we all pay taxes, but you don't?"
No one cares about the geographical disadvantages of Xieyang County itself, and no one cares that the cold-blooded regulations will cause the county's talent pool to wither and eventually disappear.
"This new leader is disgusting," Zheng Ruqian said with a look of disgust. "He'll stop at nothing to deal with us."
There is a key word in this sentence.
play hard.
Chang Yan's eyes brightened as he turned to look at Xu Mo, and his elder brother's expression instantly lit up as well.
The directions they just speculated about and the directions they were looking for were all orthodox and conventional.
But in reality, many things cannot be resolved in a conventional way.
Moreover, Bian Wenxuan is not a person who follows the rules.
Xu Mo smiled coldly, moved closer to Wang Xi, and whispered something to him for a moment.
The loyal servant Wang Xi opened his mouth wide, "This...this isn't quite right."
But it seems there's no other way.
After eating two meals cooked by Aunt Zhang at the Zanhua Courtyard and taking ten catties of sausages, Wang Xi returned to Xieyang County with tears in his eyes and presented Master Xu's idea.
I heard that Magistrate Bian's expression was like he had eaten shit, frozen for a very long time.
But for the sake of the people and the future of the county, he gritted his teeth and endured it. He tearfully prepared the equipment, then tearfully rushed to the prefectural city, and finally tearfully squatted at the entrance of the prefectural government office.
When Prefect He appeared, he leaped up and pounced on the prefect's official robe, grabbing it and starting to blow his nose.
While twisting the cloth, he cried out, "I have failed the people, I have failed the people of Xiyang County, I have no face to face the heavens, I can only hang myself in front of the prefect."
Prefect He was used to being serious, and had never seen such a shameless person before. After kicking his legs for almost half an hour, he reluctantly agreed, "I won't change it, I won't change it, okay?"
Poor Bian Wenxuan's voice was almost hoarse from wailing. Finally, he received the promise and he really cried. He sobbed and didn't forget to express his gratitude, "Your Excellency the Prefect loves the people so much. On behalf of the people of Xiyang County, I thank Your Excellency the Prefect."
Prefect He's lips twitched, and his face turned ashen.
Fortunately, Bian Wenxuan was the magistrate of the county and had not committed any crimes. He was just clinging to his superior's leg and crying about his grievances, so the yamen runners could not arrest him and the prefect could not punish him.
The new broom sweeps clean, but the first one was extinguished after only two days.
Prefect He's expression was not particularly pleasant.
Security in the courtyard with the hairpin flower has been doubled. The six siblings are all focused, paying attention to safety when going out, hygiene when doing business, and even Wen Zhiyun is more cautious than usual when practicing medicine.
But they didn't get what they were looking for.
However, after the provincial examination in August, the results were announced at the end of the month, and Wang Haoran was among them, officially becoming a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examination).
After lying low for half a year, Third Master Wang was finally able to celebrate. He couldn't wait to make a big fuss for the Wang family and even declared that he would hold a banquet at Youran Residence to celebrate his illegitimate son becoming a scholar.
Wang Fufeng neither confirmed nor denied this.
True to his word, Master Wang hosted a banquet with thirty tables at Youranju and even introduced his illegitimate son to some influential friends.
Prefect He, mindful of his status, could not attend in person, but he sent a congratulatory gift.
It's not a valuable item, just a common ornament, but it represents the support of the prefect.
Wang Sanye's ambition swelled instantly, and while at Youran Residence, he clamored for his eldest son to hand over power and for Wang Fufeng to get out of the Wang family.
The newly appointed prefect seems to be very good at using others' strengths against them and sowing discord.
He first made things difficult for Xieyang County, and after failing, he stirred up the Wang family's internal strife again, seemingly thinking that if the Wang family was in turmoil, Wang Fufeng would have no time to attend to other matters.
In fact, he made the right move. Although Wang Fufeng was ruthless, Third Master Wang was still his biological father, and Wang Haoran was also of the Wang family bloodline. He could only suppress him, not exterminate him.
The two men's antics, while not affecting Wang Fufeng, would cause him considerable trouble, forcing him to devote some of his energy to the father and son of the third branch of the family.
Smart people know that next up is the Zanhua Courtyard.
Unfortunately, the siblings were completely unaware and unable to even take precautions.
Fortunately, Changyan and Wen Zhiyun made a brilliant move.
Although Wen's Medical Clinic has only been open for a short time and Dr. Wen is not well-known, it has a female doctor named Xiaozhu who knows a few massage techniques. It is said that in addition to relieving fatigue, she can also nourish the skin and maintain youthful appearance.
Xiaozhu responded, "I dare not accept such praise."
These were all things that the Fifth Young Master spread haphazardly to attract attention.
At first, Xiaozhu was also very nervous, afraid that she would be exposed as someone who actually knew nothing.
Later, after massaging several ladies, I realized that they didn't know how either. So, as long as the kneading pressure was just right, enough to make the ladies feel their muscles relax, that would be sufficient.
Gradually, the female doctor Xiaozhu gained a small reputation among the ladies.
After being recommended by someone, thirteen-year-old Xiaozhu picked up her bamboo basket and cautiously stepped into the backyard of the government office.
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