The husband and uncle were standing and sitting, staring at each other in silence, and there was a dead silence at the table.
Seeing his brother-in-law's sullen face, Wen Xi couldn't help but pull a long face as well. He reeked of alcohol and replied angrily, "Listen to my advice, listen to my advice! How can I 'listen to my advice'? The fat meat is almost right in front of my mouth. If I don't eat it and vomit it, wouldn't I be a fool?"
Li Qigong folded his arms, raised his head, and asked, "Collecting fines and managing workshops are lucrative jobs, to be sure, but do you have the guts to swallow this huge piece of fat? Can you digest it?"
"Hey, why can't I swallow it? Why can't I digest it?" Wen Xidi was despised by his brother-in-law for the umpteenth time. He glared in anger, extremely unhappy. He patted his protruding belly, the fat trembling, and said proudly: "If I didn't have the ability, how could I have become so fat?"
Tsk, you idiot, look at how stupid you are!
Li Qigong cursed inwardly, suppressing his impatience as he advised, "We don't know Jiang Yushu well enough right now, so don't act rashly. There's still a long way to go. You should take the initiative to push the lucrative job away, observe her next move, and then—"
"Is it necessary to observe?" Wen Xi interrupted unhappily, "I declined, so of course she chose someone else! I can't bear to give up the fat piece of meat that is right in my mouth!"
Li Qigong gritted his teeth, looked down and asked, "Don't you have any doubts at all? Why did Jiang Yushu give you such a lucrative job, such an important responsibility? Why didn't she tell Huang Yichun?"
"Huang Yichun is busy checking the population and land, repairing the county government office, collecting donations, and so on. He already has several errands on his plate and is overwhelmed, so the magistrate asked me to manage the workshop." Wen Xi was drunk and dizzy, and he changed the subject with contempt, "Besides, the county magistrate is nicknamed 'Huang Mutou'. He is timid and dull. Would he dare to collect fines? Would he know how to manage a workshop? He simply can't do it."
Li Qigong was so angry that he laughed, "Huang Mutou can't do it, but you can?"
"I—" Wen Xi's face flushed with choking. He looked up and replied coldly, "I dare to take on the task, so I will naturally find a way to complete it. You don't have to worry. Qi Gong, why are you becoming more and more timid? Together, we have eaten more salt than Jiang Yushu has eaten rice. In terms of scheming, are we really going to lose to a young woman in her early twenties?"
"Better safe than sorry!" Li Qigong wished he could punch the drunkard awake. "Don't be fooled by her soft appearance. As the daughter of a minister, if she didn't have some skills, she would have died in exile. You're watching out for her pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger." After saying this, he examined the other person's fat body and curled his lips. "No, you're watching out for her pretending to be a sheep to eat the pig."
"Sheep, sheep eat grass, they're vegetarians! Do you understand? If you don't, stop talking nonsense!"
Wen Xi was furious, but with a forced smile, he asked sarcastically, "If you're so afraid of her, why do you try so hard to flirt with her? Seriously, you're much bolder than your brother-in-law. You covet the magistrate's beauty, while I only want to get rich."
"You--" Li Qigong was speechless, his face as black as the bottom of a pot.
The brother-in-law was unable to refute, and Wen Xi felt relieved and persuaded him: "Brother, although the peony is beautiful, it's a pity that the famous flower has already been taken. If Captain Guo knew that you coveted his wife, the consequences would be disastrous. I heard that Captain Guo was promoted a few days ago, from a thousand households to a commander. He is a military commander with real power. We can't afford to offend him. Wake up and don't lose your head because of lust-"
Li Qigong was also furious and interrupted coldly: "Don't lose your life because of greed!"
"Hehehe~" Wen Xi shook his head and laughed, took a sip of wine, and said firmly: "Which government office in the world does not have officials who embezzle money? When the water is too clear, there will be no fish. As long as you don't do anything out of the ordinary, the higher-ups will often turn a blind eye. Even if you are unlucky enough to be caught, there will be a trial process. You may be ordered to pay compensation or be sentenced to prison, but not necessarily the death penalty."
"But, but," Wen Xi burped, sweating from the wine, and reminded him, "According to the law, the court allows the arrest of adulterers, allows lynching, and allows men to kill adulterers. If you really seduced Lady Jiang, and her husband found out, do you think Captain Guo would forgive you?"
"My greed for money is actually much safer than your lust for sex."
Li Qigong seemed to be thinking about something, his face gloomy, "Let's talk about business, stop talking nonsense!"
"Men who are cuckolded will almost lose their minds. As a prefect, you are in charge of criminal justice and catching thieves, so you should know this best." Wen Xi half-lay on the table, picked up the chopsticks to pick up the food, stretched out his hand to the roast duck, and nagging: "Captain Guo was a soldier in his youth, and he fought hard for several years and got promoted by his bravery. Guess how many enemy soldiers he has killed? When he killed the adulterer, he must have been ruthless. He raised his knife and fell, snap -" As he spoke, he picked up the roast duck head, held it high, and said with a sigh:
"You've just lost your head."
Li Qigong couldn't stand it any longer. He raised his hand and swung it, blowing the duck's head off. He also knocked the other man's chopsticks away and angrily asked, "You're the one who lost his head! I'm alive and well, and you keep saying 'kill' and 'die'. You wish I'd die miserably, don't you?"
The chopsticks fell to the ground. Wen Xi rubbed his right hand, which was affected by the chopsticks. It hurt, and he took a breath. He said with a sullen face, "My kindness is taken for granted! I'm just giving you a friendly reminder. It's up to you whether you listen to my advice or not."
Li Qigong stood upright, looking down at the man, and said perfunctorily, "Of course I understand. I just enjoy admiring the peonies. There's no need for my brother-in-law to worry about it."
"That's great." Wen Xi said, "I believe you won't make any mistakes. Please trust your brother-in-law for once. I will be extremely careful with this lucrative job and will not mess it up!"
Li Qigong gritted his teeth, "After all this rambling, you still decided to take the job, right?"
"Oh," Wen Xi said, looking distressed. "The magistrate gave me an order. How can I, a mere clerk, disobey? I agreed to it that day, but later regretted it and went back on my word. How will Lord Jiang view me?"
Li Qigong nodded, took two steps back, anger rising from his heart to his eyes, scowling and glaring, he asked coldly: "So, how are you going to collect the fine?"
Wen Xi perked up instantly and replied with an apologetic smile, "A fine of eight taels per mu of land isn't much! During the chaos of the past two years, we probably know who in the county was secretly reselling tax grain. I'll quietly send people to collect from each of them. I don't think anyone would dare to refuse."
"Oh?" Li Qigong curled his lips, "Why do you think they wouldn't dare to refuse?"
Wen Xi was confident and beaming with joy, "Because of the workshop! I collect fines with one hand and manage the workshop with the other. I can make money by reselling grain. Aren't potato flour and vermicelli also grain? Then, there will definitely be related opportunities to make a fortune! Hahaha, they are smart and will definitely rush to honor me. They won't mind the fine of 1,000 taels."
Li Qigong suddenly smiled and said slowly, "A fine of eight taels per mu of land is not much in the eyes of my brother-in-law. Alas, I am ashamed. I spent all my money on women and am short of money. I would like to ask my brother-in-law to help pay my share of the fine. Anyway, you have money, so it's a drop in the bucket. Thank you very much."
Then, he turned away and said, "I'm drunk and have a terrible headache. I need to rest. Brother-in-law, take your time drinking. Excuse me."
"W-what?"
"Hey? Hello? Qi Gong, come back!" Wen Xi was so drunk that he was stunned when he regained consciousness. He hurriedly stood up from the table and yelled with a thick tongue: "Brother-in-law has no money! I, I am poor too! You clearly made more money than me by reselling grain, you, you——"
"You have to pay at least half. I'll borrow the rest for you."
Li Qigong was furious and said firmly: "In short, I don't have a penny and I don't want to borrow money!" After speaking, he slammed the door and left.
"Stop! You, you stop, let's talk it over."
Li Qigong didn't even turn his head, and his back disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Wen Xi wanted to chase after him, but he was so drunk that his legs went limp. He stumbled and fell onto a chair. He slammed the table in anger and cursed, "How ridiculous! How ridiculous! You're just my brother-in-law, not my son. Why should I pay your fine? You're dreaming. Forget it!"
Both of them were furious and parted on bad terms.
At the same time, Hou Ya
When Jiang Yushu stepped into the living room, she heard the old teacher's earnest advice:
"Although you have abandoned literature and embraced military service, guarding the frontier must be very arduous. However, you are, after all, a student of the renowned Lu Zhidong and Lu Daru. If you have free time, remember to read more. A well-educated mind is naturally elegant—"
Jing Yuanshan's wife, a fellow guest with silver hair, rudely tugged at her husband's sleeve, signaling him to stop. She apologized, "I'm sorry, I'm truly sorry! My master has been a teacher for most of his life and is accustomed to treating learned young people as students. He means no harm, he just likes to lecture. Please don't blame me, Captain."
Guo Honglei shook his head and said gently, "No, I should be thanking you, old man. I rarely hear such kind advice in the barracks. I often read books when I have free time, but now I am not like I was when I was young. I mostly read military books."
"Hmm." Jing Yuanshan stroked his beard and nodded with satisfaction.
While Madam Jing was apologizing, she also casually praised Hong Lei. She was probably more popular than the old teacher! Jiang Yushu walked briskly and said with a smile, "Mr. Jing, Madam Jing, it's rare for you to come to visit. I'm back late, please forgive me for my negligence."
Jing's wife immediately stood up, her white hair and youthful face, strong and vigorous, she walked quickly to greet him, bowing her head to greet him——
Jiang Yushu hurriedly supported him, "No need for that! There's no need to be so polite in private. Please sit down."
When Jing Yuanshan caught sight of the magistrate, his face instantly furrowed subconsciously. He had always disapproved of women holding official positions.
"Thank you very much, thank you very much, sir." Jing's wife sighed and apologized earnestly: "In fact, I have wanted to accompany Yuanshan to apologize to you for a long time, but unfortunately, Yuanshan's old illness relapsed and he was bedridden for more than a month before he recovered. That's why I waited until today to apologize." After saying this, she turned her head and waved, urging:
"Old man, why don't you apologize to Lord Jiang quickly? When you were ill, the magistrate put aside past grudges and sent cakes and fruits to express her gratitude. She's very generous! That day, you were drunk and spoke nonsense, disrespecting your superiors. Since you were wrong, you must apologize. Otherwise, how can you be a role model for others?"
Guo Honglei watched quietly with a hint of smile in his eyes.
Jing Yuanshan was clearly henpecked. He gritted his teeth, stood up, and slowly approached. His arms felt like they weighed a thousand pounds as he bowed with difficulty. He said in a serious tone, "That day, I was drunk and impolite, and my words were offensive. I have been suspended from work and am reflecting on my mistakes. I have acknowledged my mistakes and will never get drunk and cause trouble in court again. County Magistrate Jiang is a magnanimous person. Please don't argue with me. Please, please forgive me."
Jiang Yushu replied sternly, "'No one is perfect, and everyone makes mistakes. But being able to correct one's mistakes is the greatest virtue.' "Teacher, you have the courage to admit your mistakes. I accept your apology. Let's put the matter of that day behind us."
Jing Yuanshan breathed a sigh of relief, lowering his eyes as usual, not looking directly at the female official. His wife beamed with joy and said gratefully, "Thank you very much, sir, for your forgiveness!"
"Sit down, everyone." Jiang Yushu walked towards her husband and sat next to him.
Jing Yuanshan sat back down and got straight to the point, saying solemnly, "I came to bother you today, firstly to apologize, and secondly to offer a suggestion. I wonder if you would listen?"
"What suggestion?" Jing's wife was stunned and whispered a warning, "Don't talk nonsense!"
Jiang Yushu smiled, "Just say it."
"I heard that you appointed Wen Zhubu as the manager of the workshop, is that right?" Jing Yuanshan protected his sleeves and moved away, not wanting to be pulled by his wife.
Jiang Yushu nodded, "Not bad."
"Alas, this is inappropriate. This is extremely inappropriate." Jing Yuanshan was a stern, upright person with a strong hatred for evil. He was not afraid of the powerful and oppressed, and he bluntly suggested: "I dare to remind you: if you use Wen Xi in the government-run workshop, I am afraid that in the end, either the surname Wen or the surname Li will be replaced, and the government will suffer heavy losses."
"In my opinion, it would be better to use County Magistrate Huang, as he is more suitable for managing the workshop."
"Cough cough!" Jing's wife couldn't help coughing, feeling extremely helpless.
Jiang Yushu was silent for a moment, then said seriously, "Sir, your suggestion is too late. The order has already been issued, and the magistrate cannot change it overnight."
"You, you just said 'It is a great honor to admit one's mistakes and improve them'. If you find that there is something wrong, why can't you correct it?" Jing Yuanshan suddenly became anxious.
Jiang Yushu had her own considerations, but was reluctant to reveal them. She slowly replied, "At present, Wen Zhubu has not made any mistakes. There is no evidence to support this. If I were to replace him at will, I would lose my authority and would be unable to convince the public."
Jing Yuanshan stood up impatiently and blurted out, "Women are truly unsuitable for official positions! You're actually disregarding the interests of the government for the sake of so-called 'prestige'?"
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