Chapter 24 The Magistrate Who Scammed the County
"The Liu family?"
“Longcheng is flooded every four years. Does Your Excellency know who built the water gates, including the Di Gong Sluice Gate, each time?”
"Isn't it every county magistrate?"
"Yes and no."
"oh?"
"I must first congratulate Your Excellency on arriving in our wonderful place, Dragon City."
"A good place? Even better than Lintai in Luoyang?"
"It certainly can't compare to this, but it's not the best, but it's far better than the worst. Being a county magistrate is a simple way to get promoted and make money. Isn't that a good place?"
"A major flood only happens every four years, yet one can still easily get promoted and make a fortune. Is it really possible to have such good fortune? I must ask you for advice."
"Ah, I dare not ask you for advice... Actually, these are all routine practices after each county magistrate takes office. Everyone accepts them. Even if I don't say it, others will tell you. But today, seeing your determination to govern well, I really can't bear to see you take a thankless detour. So I have to give you a little reminder."
"I'm all ears."
"Whenever a new magistrate of Longcheng took office and encountered a major flood, he would immediately visit the local wealthy and gentry to raise funds. Only after they donated would the rich and middle-class farmers follow suit..."
"I understand. So, after things are done, the money from the local tyrants and gentry will be returned in full, while the money from the common people will be split 30/70?"
"Oh, so you were aware of this, Your Excellency. It seems I was just being presumptuous... But Your Excellency's decision to divide everything up is too ruthless. We can't take all the money from the common people. We need to allocate a portion for disaster relief and flood control, so that we have a legitimate reason to act and no one can find fault with us. However, we can be a little frugal with the disaster relief and flood control efforts, and we can use the able-bodied men among the disaster victims directly, which will save us another sum..."
"Lord Diao is really... so kind."
"Not at all, it's all thanks to Your Excellency's wisdom and compassion. Besides, what Your Excellency just said isn't entirely correct. We don't need to return every penny of the money owed to the local tyrants. We are their benefactors, not beggars on our knees. Longcheng is in trouble, what's wrong with letting them donate some money to help Your Excellency? However..."
"So my official seal as the magistrate of Longcheng is worth this much? Everyone has to give me face."
"Your Excellency is joking. However, there is a crucial point: if we want the local tyrants and gentry to donate more, and for ordinary people to follow suit, there must be a 'family' to take the lead in fundraising!"
"Who is it? Oh... the Liu family."
“That’s right! The Liu family on the west bank is the number one family in Longcheng. Only if they take the lead in donating a large amount of disaster relief funds will other local tyrants and gentry follow suit. Otherwise, these people are all cowards and won’t donate much silver. As for the money donated by the Liu family, we have to return it in full afterward. They gave us face, so we have to be sincere. We have to share the remaining silver we raised with them.”
"So we're basically begging on our knees? You should have said so earlier, instead of going through all that trouble to beg."
"Oh, Your Excellency, please let me finish. The profit sharing with them is a hardship fee. They will send a group of elite craftsmen to help us rebuild the Di Gong Gate. This is a technical job. The most skilled craftsmen in the entire Longcheng are all at their Guyue Sword Shop. Normally, we can't even get them if we ask. Even if we have disaster relief grain, we can't find so many craftsmen all at once..."
"So when the time comes, all we need to do is select a group of able-bodied men from the disaster victims to assist the Liu family craftsmen in repairing the sluice gate. It's not shameful for us to take a small share. Once the Di Gong Sluice Gate is repaired, the flood will be controlled without costing the court or the prefecture a single copper coin. If you, Magistrate, don't get promoted, who will?"
"Lord Diao has been promoted."
"Not at all, not at all, it's all thanks to Your Excellency."
"Are you relying on me to drag you down to beg for food on your knees?"
"..."
"Lord Diao, do you know why I've come here?"
"Did you inadvertently offend the Empress and the Princess?"
"It wasn't an accident, it was intentional. I'm just too stubborn to kneel in the court, so I'm sitting here instead."
"So it turns out that Magistrate is truly a virtuous gentleman."
"No, not exactly. Begging for food to help with disaster relief is acceptable; but kneeling is not."
"What does Your Excellency want? Forgive me for being too inexperienced to understand."
"How about we just stand here and wait for them to bring the food to us obediently?"
"Pfft~"
"The way this tea is sprayed is quite artistic."
"You...cough cough cough...you're just a freeloader, aren't you?"
"What did you say?"
“I say… Your Excellency’s opinion is brilliant.”
...
"A Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) and a seventh-rank county magistrate? He's just here to beg for food on his knees! What are you pretending to be, a virtuous gentleman? Screw you! Damn it..."
Inside a luxurious courtyard, a group of dark-skinned Kunlun slaves knelt in a row at the entrance, not daring to raise their heads. From inside the house in front of them, there came crackling sounds and a man's roar.
Inside the house, precious porcelain, landscape paintings, antiques, gold and stone, gemstones and spices were all smashed to the ground. A limping figure was frantically swinging a sword, chopping at sandalwood houses, chopping at octagonal tables... venting his anger by hacking at anything he could find.
It seems like they want to get back all the face they lost because of someone.
No one in the courtyard dared to speak, for none of them doubted that if Liu Zilin inside the house were to notice them at this moment, a sword would be at their necks in the next second, and he wouldn't even blink.
Although Liu Zilin has a violent personality and acts tyrannically in Longcheng, earning him a bad reputation and living up to his name, he has two older brothers who are universally recognized as outstanding.
The eldest brother, Liu Ziwen, and the second brother, Liu Zian.
Outsiders jokingly refer to the three brothers as the "Three Tigers of the Liu Family," with Liu Ziwen being the "Wise Tiger," Liu Zi'an the "Sick Tiger," and Liu Zilin the "Mad Tiger."
At present, Liu Zilin has not yet taken over the family business; the Guyue Sword Shop and all the family businesses are managed by his two elder brothers.
Liu Ziwen and Liu Zian, one in charge and the other in charge, supported the thriving "Dragon King Willow" family business on the west bank of Butterfly Creek.
"And that little wench who shot my eagle, so what if she's a scholar from the academy? Does she think the Liu family doesn't have Qi cultivators? You just wait, you son of a bitch!"
Liu Zilin was still brandishing his sword in fury when a lame middle-aged servant walked in from outside the courtyard and knelt down among the servants.
The lame servant stopped at the door, his expression calm.
"Third Young Master, the Second Young Master sent a servant to deliver a message: Go back to your room, be confined for ten days, and do not go out to cause trouble. Also, do not touch that Hu woman again."
Liu Zilin fell silent instantly, but his hands clenched into fists under his sleeves.
"Mad Tiger" growled through clenched teeth, "Are you just going to let me get away with this after I've been tricked?"
The lame servant said calmly, "The second young master also said that if it were the county magistrate whose leg was broken today, he and the eldest young master would clean up your mess. Unfortunately, the one whose leg was broken is a good-for-nothing. He has to clean up his own mess and fix his own leg. Don't let such a trivial matter dirty his hands."
Liu Zilin's lips twitched violently.
He was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Has your elder brother said anything?"
The lame servant, who was about to turn and leave, glanced at Liu Zilin and nodded:
"The eldest young master was also there at the time, and he said to the second young master... No rush, the new magistrate can wait a little longer. The third young master can set his own leg."
"In addition, the eldest young master also said that if the third young master asks, then let this servant pass on a message for him as well."
"Speak," Liu Zilin said, dropping his sword and uttering a single word.
The lame servant imitated the young master's tone, speaking in a detached manner:
“The Xie family woman cannot be killed, but it is better to destroy her spirit than to kill her.”
There's more today!
(End of this chapter)
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