Lu Lin was enjoying his time in Sha County, unaware that the magistrate of Lin Town had been brought down.
The magistrate of Nalin Town was about to leave office, so he planned to make a few more money during his final term so he could enjoy his retirement. He went a bit too far.
Chen Xiaomai had casually mentioned this matter to Ji Yun'an before, and Ji Yun'an secretly told Ji Chengkang. Ji Chengkang couldn't stand such things, so he wrote a letter to his colleagues in Beijing and mentioned it briefly.
The Ji family was a large clan, and Ji Chengkang had several classmates who studied at the Imperial Academy, making them students of the emperor.
After Ji Chengkang's classmates achieved academic success, they also became officials. Although they did not reach the highest ranks of the court, they were more than capable of investigating a seventh-rank county magistrate.
This casual investigation uncovered numerous instances of corruption and abuse of power by the magistrate of Lin Town, leading to his immediate downfall and the arrest of his registrar as well.
The downfall of the magistrate of Lin County caused quite a stir in Lin Town.
The downfall of the county magistrate, who held absolute power in Linzhen, has sparked much discussion among the villagers.
The merchants who had been extorted immediately clapped their hands in delight.
In fact, the county magistrate was a high-ranking figure to the villagers. His downfall would have no impact on the lives of ordinary villagers. However, his downfall did have a significant impact on the Lu family.
After the county magistrate was imprisoned, the registrar, as an accomplice, was also imprisoned.
The registrar's crime was relatively minor, and his family members were not arrested. However, the registrar's house was searched, and his family members were all driven out of the house.
Li Ru, as the "wife" of the registrar, was living a good life. Especially recently, while the county magistrate was busy making money, the registrar also benefited from the leftovers. Li Ru originally thought that good days were coming, but unexpectedly, disaster struck and she was brought back to her original state.
Husbands and wives are like birds in the same forest; when disaster strikes, they fly away separately. The registrar's residence was also sealed off, and Li Ru and the other concubines had no choice but to return to their own homes. Two of the registrar's concubines came from brothels. Without their backers, the two women had no choice but to return to the sex trade.
Everyone in Dashi Village knows that Lu Chengyu is related to the registrar's family by marriage. Since the registrar was arrested, the villagers inevitably ask Lu Chengyu a few questions when they encounter him.
Annoyed by the constant questioning, Lu Chengyu simply decided not to go out.
Tang looked at Lu Chengyu and said, "Chengyu! How did the registrar get arrested?"
Lu Chengyu said unhappily, "What else could it be? I ate too much and I'm stuffed."
Lu Chengyu thought to himself: The county magistrate has been making frequent moves against some big merchants lately, and he must have made a lot of money. This may have affected someone's interests, so someone set this county magistrate up.
“I’ve heard that since the emperor is far away, ordinary officials have no jurisdiction over our county magistrate. This county magistrate must have offended someone,” said Madam Tang.
Lu Chengyu said coldly, "He's no longer an adult; he's just a prisoner."
Madam Tang snorted and said, "This registrar is too greedy. But Cheng Yu, now that the registrar has been arrested, what are you going to do?"
Lu Chengyu said dismissively, "The registrar has little to do with me. Let things be as they are."
Tang sighed. After marrying Li Fangyue, the family hadn't benefited much from the registrar's position. But no matter what, with such a marriage, the villagers still had to give them some leeway.
Madam Tang sighed and said, "How did the magistrate get imprisoned so suddenly?"
For the Tang family, the county magistrate was the head of a county, a very important figure. It was quite unexpected that such a high-ranking person could fall from grace so easily.
"Cheng Yu!"
Lu Chengyu's heart sank. Lu Lin had been in Shaxian County for quite some time, but the villagers still talked about Lu Lin with great interest.
Before, when Lu Lin was around, no one really noticed anything. But after Lu Lin left, many villagers found that the extra income they were earning was much less than before.
When people in the village mention Lu Lin, they always say that Lu Lin went to become an official. The villagers don't really know what kind of place Shaxian is. In everyone's eyes, all county magistrates are pretty much the same, local officials who wield power in their area. Everyone feels honored that an official comes from the village. It's a pity that Lu Lin's relationship with the villagers is so-so, and he didn't think about helping the village.
Lu Chengyu said unhappily, "Lu Lin can't read many words. When he makes a mistake, he will naturally be held accountable."
Mrs. Tang's face darkened as she said, "That brat, how could he possibly be an official!" Mrs. Tang was still resentful about Lu Lin becoming an official, and every time she thought about it, she felt nauseous.
The villagers were filled with sighs about the county magistrate being removed from office.
"It's truly unpredictable how things turn out. I never imagined that the magistrate would fall from power like this."
"Yes, their house was raided right away."
"It's good that this kind of corrupt official's home was raided. If it weren't for him, Lu Lin would still be running a shop in town."
"Lu Lin is really willing to sell such a big shop so easily. If he had waited any longer, he wouldn't have had to leave."
"Lu Lin is going to become an official, not to flee from disaster."
"I heard that the county magistrate was probably demoted because he offended someone. Could it be that he offended Lu Lin? How could he have offended Lu Lin? Lu Lin is also a county magistrate, an equal. It's a pity for Lu Chengyu. The registrar was also implicated."
"That's hard to say. I heard that our county magistrate became increasingly corrupt later on, and it was this registrar who instigated him."
Lu Lin was completely unaware of the changes in Lin Town. If he had known, he would probably have sighed and said that having money makes one a target, and being an official also carries great risks.
As the weather got colder, Lu Lin started heating the kang (a traditional heated bed).
In previous years, when the weather was cold, some poor families would make a fire to keep warm. However, gathering firewood was very time-consuming, and most families would not light a fire early in the winter. The county government office, on the other hand, would heat up the kang (heated brick bed) early in the morning.
In military camps, people often gather around a fire to keep warm, but that's still a long way off.
Ji Yun'an thought to himself: This county magistrate is really spoiled. He's already heated the kang so early. But with the kang heated, it's warm and cozy. Lying in bed, you don't want to get up at all. It's very comfortable.
Yuanbao rolled around on the bed. Ji Yun'an had originally shared a servant's room with the Qin family father and two sons. After Ji Yun'an's identity was revealed, Lu Lin felt he couldn't mistreat Ji Yun'an, so he let Ji Yun'an and Yuanbao share a room. Yuanbao looked at Ji Yun'an, blinked, and said, "Uncle's room is across the street."
Ji Yun'an frowned, not understanding why Yuanbao was saying this. "Don't go into the wrong room in the middle of the night and take advantage of my uncle."
Ji Yun'an blushed, thinking to himself: What happened back then was an accident, an accident! He never imagined there would be a Shuang'er in that room. The thought of accidentally becoming a lecher made Ji Yun'an feel a little embarrassed. One wrong step can lead to eternal regret; what a terrible mistake! "I won't go to the wrong place."
Yuanbao snorted and said, "Who knows? Uncle is very powerful. If you don't want to get beaten up, you'd better behave yourself."
Ji Yun'an was speechless when he heard Yuanbao's childish warning.
Lu Lin stood by the window, watching the snowflakes falling outside.
"Is Shaxian always this cold?" Lu Lin asked Ji Yun'an.
Ji Yun'an nodded and said, "It is quite cold, much colder than Kyoto." The border regions are bitterly cold, which is why no one wants to come. Lu Lin looked at Ji Yun'an and asked, "Will anyone freeze to death?"
Ji Yun'an nodded and said, "That's possible." Many of the original inhabitants of Shaxian have moved away, and those who can't move are mostly the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled.
Lu Lin nodded and said, "I see."
Ji Yun'an nodded and said, "Yes, winter is not easy to get through. The uncles and elders in the military camp can't sleep because their knees hurt when it rains."
Ji Yun'an shook his head, unable to help but worry about the people in the military camp. Lu Lin, seeing Ji Yun'an's sad expression, also felt a pang of sympathy.
Lu Lin gathered several maids from his household and also found a few women skilled in needlework in the village to make knee pads.
Lu Lin went elsewhere and bought several old cotton quilts, then had them taken apart and sewed back together.
Chen Xiaomi looked at the knee pads and said, "What's the use of these?"
“This thing, when tied to your knees, has two straps here. Go around it and tie it tightly in front, and the wind won’t blow on your knees,” Lu Lin said.
Chen Xiaomi nodded and said, "It's a good product, but if you don't go out in winter, you won't get any wind."
Lu Lin nodded and said, "We can stay home, but the officers and soldiers from the patrol battalion will still be responsible for patrolling regularly."
Chen Xiaomi pouted and said sullenly, "I've heard that the patrol battalion has always looked down on the county magistrate here."
The officers in this patrol battalion were of much higher rank than the county magistrate, and some of the villagers in the county only recognized the patrol battalion, not the county official. Chen Xiaomi still respected the soldiers and officers in the border region, but the current situation left her feeling somewhat uneasy.
"He who eats another's food is bound to do his bidding; he who takes another's gift is bound to do his bidding. Since he accepted my gifts, he should at least give me some face in the future. Besides, the general of the patrol battalion isn't a bad person, otherwise he wouldn't have gained their support."
Chen Xiaomi nodded and said, "If you think it's okay, then it's okay."
Chen Xiaomi thought to herself: It's just a knee brace, it shouldn't cost much.
Lu Lin had several maids and women make a hundred pairs of knee pads. He then put the knee pads and over a hundred pairs of gloves into a box and sent it to the camp. The knee pads were newly made, while the gloves were leftovers from the shop.
When Lu Lin left Lin Town, he left some gloves at the convenience store. Since they hadn't been of any use to him, he took them out.
When Lu Lin left Lin Town, he took several boxes with him. His companions didn't know what was in the boxes, and even if they knew he was giving gloves, they probably wouldn't find it strange.
Chen Xiaocai regularly delivered tofu to the military camp. On this particular day, Chen Xiaocai brought two mule carts, one loaded with tofu and the other with knee pads and gloves.
Liu Yun was somewhat surprised when she saw the things Chen Xiaocai had brought.
Several officers and soldiers also gathered around to watch the spectacle.
Chen Xiaocai explained the use of knee pads and gloves to several soldiers who were watching. The soldiers listened with amazement, and soon more and more people gathered around.
Liu Yun took the things and went to see Ji Chengkang.
“General, this new magistrate is very thoughtful!” Liu Yun said.
As soon as the items were delivered, they were spotted by a few seasoned soldiers. Liu Yun originally wanted to refuse, but to her surprise, the soldiers grabbed a few knee pads and gloves and ran away. They ran so fast that Liu Yun couldn't catch up.
Seeing the situation, Liu Yun naturally couldn't refuse and had no choice but to accept it.
Liu Yun originally wanted to give money, but Chen Xiaolai said that it was a gift from his elder brother to comfort the border troops and he couldn't accept money. He left after giving the gift.
"Fine, let's accept his kindness," Ji Chengkang said.
Liu Yun shook his head and said, "Those veterans in our camp are too impolite."
Ji Chengkang shook his head and said, "They've left their homes and are suffering here. It's tough on them." Liu Yun sighed and said, "That's true!" Many of the soldiers who came to the border weren't there voluntarily. Who wouldn't want a wife and a warm bed?
In the camp, several soldiers were testing out knee pads. "These are pretty good, they're thick and sturdy. Wearing them makes the wind less biting."
"Indeed, this new magistrate seems much more kind and honest than the previous ones."
Most of the officers and soldiers in the military camp were unruly, but they were also easy to please. When Lu Lin sent over this batch of military supplies, the people in the camp benefited and their opinion of Lu Lin changed drastically.
Because there isn't enough knee pads, not everyone can have one; currently, they can only be issued to those on patrol.
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