Chapter 224 Robbery
After being transferred to the prefecture, Zhang Rongling changed his old habits and began to take the initiative to manage government affairs.
With Zhang Rongling's background and wisdom, he quickly took control of the situation in Dizhou. Relying on his experience in the central government, he quickly subdued the local powerful families, making the Dizhou economy flourish and paying full taxes to the court.
This was very rare in the declining empire.
Many prefectures could not even pay taxes and had to apply for money from the court to tide over the difficulties. Zhang Rongling, who possessed such abilities, naturally soon caught the attention of the top leaders again.
No one can resist money.
Especially conservatives like Si Ge Lao.
By the pond.
Zhang Rongling was wearing a green robe made of fine silk with bright colors. He was lying on a chair with a fishing rod in his hand. Chen Luo was sitting next to him, also holding a fishing rod in his hand.
"Everything in this world is a fish. As long as there is enough interest, there is no fish that cannot be caught."
Zhang Rongling's fishhook was straight, he was not really fishing, he was just taking a rest.
Only when he went fishing with his second uncle would he have a similar mentality. It has been seven years since he came to Dizhou. In seven years, Zhang Rongling has become the governor of Dizhou who has the final say. The biggest reason for this is profit. He used profit to connect all the people together!
The only losses were the numbers on the roster, some of the lowest-level peasants.
The clan gentry were all well fed, so Zhang Rongling's job as an official was naturally comfortable.
After seven consecutive years of paying taxes, Zhang Rongling's name reappeared in the capital and on the jade case. This step could not be accomplished by paying taxes alone. Over the years, Zhang Rongling had sent a lot of money to the capital and won over many people. In order to climb up, he did everything he could, and even had a lot of leverage over the officials in the capital, so that these people could speak for him.
Chen Luo didn't say anything, he just looked at Zhang Rongling quietly.
The calamity aura around Zhang Rongling became more and more intense. He was obsessed with fame, fortune and power. Not only could he not let it go, but he was also deeply trapped in it. His mind was filled with fame, fortune and power, and he had long lost his original intention.
Cut off the calamity!
Kill the inner demon.
He couldn't do any of them, and Chen Luo could already foresee the fate of Elder Rong Ling.
"Uncle, it won't be long before we can return to the capital and take back everything we have lost." Zhang Rongling swung the fishing hook in his hand, and actually a fish was pulled out of the water with its tail swung.
"Your Excellency is awesome!"
"This fish is really lucky to be caught by adults."
The two servants standing behind immediately ran over and started to flatter him when they saw this. Their corny words made Zhang Rongling laugh out loud. He picked up a few silver coins and threw them on the ground.
"It's a reward for you."
"Thank you, sir!"
The two servants immediately knelt on the ground and picked up the silver coins on the ground with excitement. Just these few pieces of silver were enough for the two of them to struggle for several months.
When the two were picking up the silver, a fat man in a yellow suit with gold edges walked in from outside. When he saw Zhang Rongling, his eyes lit up and he immediately spoke.
"Sir, I finally found you!"
Zhang Rongling glanced at the man and continued to fish with the fishing rod.
Seeing this, the fat man immediately said anxiously.
"I went to the county government office this morning to pick up my son, but those servants wouldn't let me go."
This fat guy is the local tycoon Huang Daniu. This guy is a complete scumbag. Not only does he bully men and women, but his own son is also a bad boy. A few days ago, his son rode a horse on the street and trampled a vendor to death. The incident caused a big fuss, and Zhang Rongling arrested him directly.
Originally, the case would have ended here, but Zhang Rongling did not handle it according to the law. Instead, he sent a message to the other party.
After that, it was all about following the procedures. The sensible Mr. Huang immediately sent some local specialties to Zhang Rongling, the county magistrate, and arranged for someone to send some silver to the victim's home, and also had someone threaten him again, and finally suppressed the matter. He never expected that the procedures would change when he was trying to bring someone up, and the people he sent to the county government were detained. It was useless to go there in person, and he was driven out by the people inside.
"Master Huang, this matter is not easy to handle. The people are very resentful and it may affect my evaluation."
Zhang Rongling did not look back, staring at the fishhook intently. Chen Luo sat aside and watched quietly. Over the years, Zhang Rongling's appetite has become bigger and bigger, and the amount of corruption has become more and more exaggerated. He is not only greedy, but also a traitor! He secretly resold military equipment and obtained a large amount of silver through reselling military equipment, and then used this silver to build his own network of relationships.
From top to bottom, every reputation is bought with money.
The whole court is full of people who speak well of him. Whoever can get money is the boss!
"I understand. I understand."
Upon seeing this, Mr. Huang hurriedly took out two silver notes worth one hundred taels from his sleeve.
He spent two hundred taels at once, which shows how wealthy Mr. Huang is.
Zhang Rongling glanced at it, spat into the lake, stood up from his chair, threw the fishing rod aside, and gave instructions to the two servants behind him.
"This fish is really stupid. I've been fishing for so long but it won't take the bait. Go find some people to drain the pond for me."
"yes!"
The two servants immediately ran up to pick up the fishing rod, and in the process, they did not forget to look at Mr. Huang, implying that this man did not know the rules and had the nerve to take out a mere two hundred taels. Mr. Huang's face changed for a while, and finally he took out five more silver notes from his sleeve. This time, the denominations were all five hundred taels, adding up to a total of two thousand seven hundred taels.
"Mr. Huang is indeed a local squire. This incident is obviously a misunderstanding. It must be caused by those unruly people. Mr. Huang, don't worry. I will definitely give you an explanation for this matter and clear your name."
"Then I'll trouble you, sir."
Mr. Huang breathed a sigh of relief, exchanged a few polite words with Zhang Rongling, and then left cautiously.
"Are you going to let him go?"
Chen Luo asked from the side.
"We caught this fat pig with great difficulty, how can we let it go so easily? The Liu family has set their sights on the Huang family's business, and this incident was a trap set by the Liu family."
Zhang Rongling said casually.
He has done similar things countless times over the years.
The county magistrate ruined his family and the prefect wiped out his entire clan.
This sentence is vividly reflected in Zhang Rongling.
After fishing, the uncle and nephew separated. Zhang Rongling went to handle the affairs, while Chen Luo returned to the courtyard to continue practicing his health-preserving exercises. He was already sixty-seven years old, which was considered old in this world.
"Second brother, you are back..."
The woman struggled to sit up, but she failed after several attempts. Her health was getting worse. After the age of 60, a woman's physical fitness took a sharp turn for the worse, and all the problems she had suffered when she was young had now erupted.
She now spends most of her time lying in bed. Chen Luo can see her weakness. The woman's life has entered the countdown. This is the life of an ordinary person.
"I'll get up and make porridge for you..."
The woman still wanted to get up and take care of him like she did back then, but now she couldn't do it.
"Have a good rest. I've eaten at Rongling's place."
Chen Luo held the woman's rough hand, this silly woman, a woman who even forgot herself in her whole life.
"I'm fine. I'll be fine after a good night's sleep."
Sensing the emotions on Chen Nuo's face, the woman tried hard to force a smile.
"When I get better, I'll make porridge for my second brother..."
The woman fell into a deep sleep and never woke up.
Her hands were still holding Chen Luo's, her rough hands were filled with life.
Chen Luo carefully covered her with a quilt.
Walk out of the house in silence.
It was drizzling outside, and the aura of disaster in the sky became even stronger.
The woman's funeral was handled very simply, with only Chen Luo and Zhang Rongling. Zhang Rongling came over and kowtowed to the woman in person. With his current status, there was no need to do this, but he still came, which proved that in Zhang Rongling's heart, his second uncle and second aunt had always been the closest people.
"Rong Ling, have you ever thought about letting go?"
In the mourning hall, Chen Luo reminded Zhang Rongling again.
After living together for half a lifetime, how can human hearts be as hard as iron?
"I can't let it go, Uncle."
Zhang Rongling shook his head. He threw the last piece of yellow paper into the brazier and looked at his old uncle in front of him and said seriously.
"I am not alone. If I let go, what will happen to the people who follow me? What will happen to Junru?"
The Jun Ru he mentioned was the prime minister's daughter and his only wife in these years.
Although he had betrayed the prime minister for his future, that was a political game and did not affect the relationship between them. Perhaps it was influenced by Chen Luo, or perhaps he had let someone down before, Zhang Rongling has only had one wife in all these years. For him, his wife is his obsession that he cannot give up.
For these people, he had to move on and do something.
Even in the eyes of some people, he is an unforgivable corrupt official and traitor.
“Fame, wealth and status are all fleeting, but maybe there is someone like you waiting to wake up on the other side.”
Chen Luo could only say this much. As a heavenly tribulation, there were some things he could not say, and even if he did, Zhang Rongling would not be able to hear him.
"Then let the me on the other side never wake up. Here, I have too many things that I can't let go of."
Zhang Rongling responded with a smile, his eyes were serious.
Chen Luo sighed and didn't persuade him any further.
Half a year later.
Zhang Rongling, who had seven years of experience in local governance, was transferred back to the capital again. This time, he returned to the stage of the empire, took back his rights, and was appointed Shangshu, a first-rank official.
In the same year, the emperor died and the new emperor ascended the throne.
With the change of power, the New Party regained the initiative again, and regained power by virtue of its relationship with the new emperor. A large number of the Old Party were expelled from the court. Zhang Rongling, relying on the influence left by his former father-in-law, changed his party again and became the flagship figure of the New Party.
"Lord Zhou, my father-in-law told me before he died that you were his most proud disciple."
Zhang Rongling is as mercenary and smooth as ever.
The new Zhou Ge Lao looked at the son-in-law of his former mentor and remembered some of his reputation. But now is different from the past. Zhang Rongling is no longer the newly promoted official of the past. There are also a large number of people standing behind him. He is a force in himself. In this situation, it is natural to unite and fight against the old party together.
As a person in a high position, the first thing he or she must discard is personal likes and dislikes.
"I've often heard my mentor mention you before. Come in and sit down." With just two simple sentences, the two formed an offensive and defensive alliance.
Zhang Rongling's power expanded further and he began to spy on the cabinet.
In the following months, Zhang Rongling joined forces with Lord Zhou to eliminate dissidents. A force headed by him emerged in the court. Although it was not as powerful as the new and old parties, it was already an existence that could not be ignored.
(End of this chapter)
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