Besides, as an honest official, his family couldn't afford a thousand taels. At this point, he could either wait for his son to be cut into pieces and sent back, or go to Songpa's house and beg for mercy. Not only would they give him a thousand taels to redeem his son, they would also give him two young, beautiful, and fertile concubines.
What do you say you choose?"
"So this is why you don't want to be the county magistrate?"
Zhang Mingzhi turned his head and stared at Liu Da.
Liu Da felt uneasy when Zhang Mingzhi looked at him. His eyes flickered several times. He tried to change the subject several times, but found that Zhang Mingzhi's eyes were looking at him unwaveringly. He could only sigh and said:
"I guess so. I used to be one of the few small landowners who could survive under the shadow of the Songpa family. I had two hundred acres of paddy fields and lived a stable life.
Later, the Earl of Qinghe was kind and rewarded me with another two hundred acres. To be honest, this was a good life that I never dreamed of.
But later, Qinghe Bo became successful and wanted to make me the county magistrate, which I had never expected.
You don't know that the imperial edict with the seal of the Earl of Qinghe was delivered in the morning, and the gift from the Songpa family arrived in the afternoon. It was delivered by the county government's legal advisor and the head of the yamen runners together. Do you know what they meant by doing this?
Originally, I was planning to be a county magistrate peacefully. It didn't matter that the Songpa family was a little strong. Everyone had gotten used to it over the years. After all, the imperial power had never extended to the countryside since ancient times. The Earl of Qinghe could control me, but not them.
As a result, the big office kept issuing orders to various places, requiring them to clean up usury, control land rent to no more than 30%, and now also demand land reform.
You said, I can bear this, but can the Songpa family bear this?
My lawyer had a serious talk with me and said that although Qinghebo’s idea was good, it was not suitable for implementation in Cambodia.
As a local official, I understand local customs and should therefore speak for the region. I was asked to submit a petition to the Lord of Qinghe, stating that these methods are unworkable locally and that the old rules should be used instead.
I didn't agree at that time.
When I woke up the next day, there was a dagger next to my pillow.
On the third day, when I went outside the city to check on the progress of the reclaimed land, I encountered a mad bull. The bull charged straight at me, and everyone around me ran away at once, leaving me alone. If I hadn't been agile, I would have died right there..."
"So you're resigning?"
Zhang Mingzhi angrily said, "You have made great contributions to Qinghe, so the Lord of Qinghe overcame all odds and gave you the position of county magistrate. You should know that with your ability, even if you burn incense for ten lifetimes, you will never get the position of county magistrate. And this is how you repay the Lord of Qinghe. People will say that the Lord of Qinghe is not good at judging people and that he doesn't want to take the position even if he gives it to an official."
Liu Da fell to his knees with a thud, but when he looked at Zhang Mingzhi, his face was full of indignation.
"Sir Zhang, I remember the kindness of the Earl of Qinghe and will never forget it. But since I became the magistrate of Beilan County, you are the only one I've met. When I took office, I had only the magistrate's certificate and even the seal. The legal advisors, yamen runners, and chief clerks were all from the Songpa family. The local garrison had long been withdrawn by Yang Yizhen. Even if they hadn't been, they wouldn't have obeyed my command. I've lived in fear until today. I really can't hold on any longer!"
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