"Rong Bai, how could you accept bribes?" Wei Qing, who was usually gentle and polite, was so angry that he called Rong Bai by his name: "Our Chaoyang Manor has finally achieved what it is today. How is what you did any different from those corrupt officials in Tianqi?"
Another... corrupt official? ??
Rong Bai's brow twitched.
"You're the corrupt official! Your whole family are corrupt officials!" He glared at Wei Qing with cold, sharp eyes. "Can't you use your blockhead a little bit?"
"What do you mean?" Wei Qing still looked unconvinced.
Rong Bai sighed, “Our chief is currently fighting a war, and the amount of food he needs every day is unknown. Although we have had a bumper harvest this year and are not short of food, it would be foolish not to accept the gold and silver treasures that someone is so eager to bring us.”
He couldn't help but glare at Wei Qing again. He really was a blockhead, with absolutely no business sense.
is that so?
Wei Qing stared at him for a long time, and seeing that the man did not seem to be embezzling, his expression softened.
"But you just promised them official positions?"
They are all petty people who only care about profit. Wei Qing will never let them harm the people under the leadership of the chief.
Rong Bai shrugged shamelessly and said with a grin, "Did I? I only said... wait for notification!"
After he finished speaking, he winked at Wei Qing.
Wei Qing: "..."
Gu Yuan glanced at Rong Bai, who had a roguish look on his face, and then at Wei Qing, who was speechless. He almost burst out laughing: "Ahem, gentlemen, what's most important for us right now is to quickly gather enough people to deliver this to the chief. As for other things... we can talk about them later, okay?"
Although Rong Bai is impulsive, he can still distinguish between what is important and what is urgent.
"I have a few candidates here, both in terms of academic qualifications and character. I'll write down the list for you."
As he spoke, he walked to the table and began to write down the names of the people he had in mind.
Seeing this, Wei Qing also began to write down the names of the people he trusted.
But after thinking for a long time, they still only had half the number of people, especially since there were very few who were qualified to serve as county magistrates.
Wei Qing sighed, "Our foundation is still too weak."
"How about we ask the strategist?" Gu Yuan suggested.
“Yes, how come I didn’t think of that?” Wei Qing’s eyes lit up and he smiled: “The strategist is always resourceful, he must have a plan.”
Yin Li has now become the strategist of Chaoyang Manor. It can be said that apart from Luo Xi, he is now the most powerful and busiest person in the entire Chaoyang Manor.
He had just received Luo Xi's order and was leading people to prepare provisions, but as soon as he saw Wei Qingrong and the others, he instantly understood their purpose.
After the group briefly explained the situation, he said, "Actually, we don't need to go to so much trouble. There are already many officials in Nanyue County, and not all of them are corrupt."
"Lord Wei, why don't you find out the situation from the people, keep the good ones, and then install one or two people we can trust? That way, the matter will be resolved."
Wei Qing and Gu Yuan exchanged a glance, then suddenly realized why they hadn't thought of that. They bowed to Yin Li and said, "Thank you, strategist."
Rong Bai clicked his tongue repeatedly: "The strategist is indeed a strategist; his mind works better than ours."
Yin Li simply smiled modestly.
After returning, the group began to draft a list, which they would then distribute to others once it was ready.
Those who gave gifts to Wei Qing were full of confidence, especially the wealthy Sun who gave the most. He held his head high, and anyone who didn't know better would think that his son was already the county magistrate.
"I told you, money makes the world go round. As long as you're human, this principle will never change." He laughed and stroked his beard.
Those who thought Wei Qing wouldn't accept the gifts and thus gave him fewer gifts all looked rather grim: "Wasn't Wei Qing supposed to be an honest official who wholeheartedly served the people? Ha, I never expected this."
“Brother, you don’t understand.” Master Sun patted him on the shoulder like an experienced man: “Reputation is something you build for yourself. If you take it seriously, you’ll lose.”
The men's expressions kept changing. After a while, they gritted their teeth and said, "We'll make up for it later."
“You guys…” Master Sun pointed at them and shook his head.
What they didn't see was that two scholars with grim faces were standing by the roadside as they walked.
They wore faded robes with patches in some places, and their heads were tied with only a strip of cloth as a headband, which clearly showed that they lived in poverty.
"Brother Zuo, how about we find a way to send something?" one of the taller scholars said helplessly.
Zuo Xun smiled wryly and tugged at the hem of his worn-out clothes: "Brother Su, with us like this, what are we going to give as a gift?"
Su Jing slammed his fist hard against a tree trunk by the roadside: "What a Wei Qing! He claims to be wholeheartedly devoted to the people, but he's a complete liar."
They had just gone to the yamen (government office) to ask if an examination of academic knowledge was required to select officials, but the yamen runner said that the candidates had already been chosen. At first, they only blamed themselves for being late.
But listening to these wealthy gentry, it's clear they're buying their way into office.
"Does this mean that even with a new leader, we ordinary people still have no chance?" Su Jing's eyes were filled with resentment.
"Sigh—" Zuo Xun raised his hand and gently patted his friend's shoulder: "Never mind, maybe... this is fate. I just hope that in the next life, we can be reborn into a better family."
He now understands that hard work doesn't always guarantee success!
However, the next day at noon, while the two were drowning their sorrows at Zuo Xun's house, a yamen runner came to their door.
"What did you say? We...we were chosen?"
They sobered up almost instantly, stood up abruptly, their hands trembling slightly.
The constable smiled and nodded: "Yes, congratulations, gentlemen. We look forward to your continued support in the future."
He spoke respectfully to them about Minister Wei's arrangements: "Minister Wei said that due to the urgency of the situation, we will depart tomorrow. I hope you two will not be late."
Zuo Xun and Su Jing were in a daze throughout the whole process. They couldn't understand why they were chosen when they hadn't given anything.
As for Sun Yuanwai and the others, they only found out that they were not on the list, let alone the position of county magistrate, after Wei Qing and his men left Tongning County.
"What a refined and upright Lord Wei! I never expected him to dare to play us like this." Master Sun slammed his teacup on the table with a "bang."
"He took the money but didn't do anything. Does he even know the rules?"
The others also turned pale: "Hmph, a humble background is just a humble background. We overestimated him. No wonder he became a rebel."
“Master Sun, this matter cannot be left like this. Let’s go and find the yamen officials to demand an explanation.”
"Yes, we can't let all that money go to waste. We need an explanation."
As they spoke, they angrily charged toward the government office.
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