Chapter 62 This is unacceptable! (Please vote!)
If you only say half of what you mean, you'll end up without a spouse.
The main hall of the county government office.
The grain merchants and local gentry couldn't help but complain inwardly.
The young county magistrate, engrossed in writing IOUs behind his desk, seemed unconcerned about the number of his future spouses.
“Those willing to contribute grain, line up, one by one,” he said casually.
Compared to the gentry of Longcheng who used to follow the Liu family's lead, Wang Caozhi, Manager Ma, Manager Li, and others had fewer concerns. They just wanted to sell off the ballast grain before it became stale, and they all lined up at the magistrate's table.
Ouyang Rong was writing at the table with his head down. For each grain he collected from a household, he would issue an IOU and have the grain merchant take the clerk to the dock to count the grain. The transfer and sealing of the grain was handled by County Magistrate Diao and Constable Yan.
When it was Wang Caozhi's turn to sit at the magistrate's table, he said in a cheeky voice, "Brother-in-law, could you tell me what kind of construction the county government is preparing?"
Not far away, a female clerk who was organizing official documents seemed not to have heard anything.
Ouyang Rong raised his eyelids slightly, glancing discreetly at the gentry of Longcheng Township pacing back and forth at the back of the hall. Without lowering his voice, he suddenly asked:
"Brother Cao, what do you think of Penglangdu in our Longcheng County? Is it lively?"
"Of course it's lively. It's a great location with excellent transportation and is incredibly wealthy. It's just a pity that we outsiders can't get a piece of the action."
Ouyang Rong nodded calmly: "The new construction planned for the county government... well, it's about the same."
Not only Wang Caozhi and the grain merchants queuing behind him, but also a group of local gentry who were eavesdropping had their eyes shining.
"Senior brother, didn't you promise me that this new construction would only be entrusted to our Xie family's business? How come we're letting these outsiders interfere?" A female advisor interjected at the right moment, her tone seemingly quite dissatisfied.
Ouyang Rong said with a serious expression: "Cao Zhi and the others are not outsiders. Besides, the Xie family's business may not be able to take over everything. The county government is in debt, so it is appropriate to let them use the debt to invest."
"Perfect, of course it's perfect!" Wang Caozhi mustered his courage and turned around: "Sister Jiang, we're all family, let's make money together. Brother-in-law is really loyal!"
Xie Lingjiang said sternly, "Say it again."
The short young man shrank back, quickly changed the subject, and muttered to himself:
"What kind of construction was it that required such a large financial investment?"
Ouyang Rong nodded:
"Of course it's a big deal, the more you invest, the more you earn... cough, let's not talk about it now, there are outsiders here."
“We really can’t let outsiders hear this,” Wang Caozhi agreed.
"..." A group of local gentry.
The young magistrate shut up and continued working with his head down.
Good heavens, large-scale construction and business like Penglangdu are so popular that even Xie's trading companies are eager to get involved and invest!
The twelve gentry members who had been hesitant began to lose their composure. Among them, an old gentry member whom Liu Ziwen called Uncle Wu adjusted his turban, turned around first, and went to the crowded magistrate's desk, leaving behind only a muttered remark.
“My family has too much grain stored up, so I’ll sell it first. I believe Xiao Liu will understand.”
"..."
The remaining gentry stared blankly for a while, but what were they waiting for when someone took the lead?
They scattered like birds and beasts, joining the queue to receive their grain.
In the main hall, upon seeing this scene, a young county magistrate and his female advisor exchanged a glance and tacitly smiled.
By evening, before the Meilu Garden sent any maids to urge him to eat, Ouyang Rong had finally finished dealing with the grain transactions between the Longcheng County government and sixteen large and small grain merchants and twelve local gentry.
The Longcheng County government collected a total of 300,060 shi of grain. At a price of eight qian per dou, one-tenth of the total price was paid on the spot, and the remaining nine-tenths were set aside as debt of the county government and held by the public for a period of two years...
However, after putting away the IOU documents, what Wang Caozhi, Wu Bo, and the others were most interested in was the large-scale construction project that Ouyang Rong had mentioned.
As for whether Ouyang Rong and the county government would renege on their debts, the people weren't too worried.
For a renowned and promising young scholar like Ouyang Rong, reputation and integrity are of paramount importance. If he goes back on his word, money is secondary; the real loss is political capital, and he may never be able to work in the officialdom of the Great Zhou Dynasty again.
Besides, the Longcheng County government office is right here; it's not going to grow legs and run away...
Despite their burning curiosity, the group was politely seen off by the smiling young magistrate. They agreed to meet again in the county government hall the next day after the 300,000 shi of grain had been counted and handed over, to discuss a "big deal".
At the entrance of the county government office, Ouyang Rong and Xie Lingjiang stood on the steps, watching the carriages of a group of grain merchants and gentry disappear into the street corner.
"I thought my senior brother would bring the things out to show them today. After all, he spent so much time this afternoon before coming to the meeting."
"It was originally going to be taken out..."
Ouyang Rong shook his head. "Let's wait a bit longer. Let's wait until Liu Lang and the others have sealed up the grain. These gentry are still afraid of the Liu family. We need to prevent anyone from jumping off the carriage halfway to report the incident."
He turned his head and said softly, "Thank you for your hard work today, Junior Sister."
What happened to your finger?
"I accidentally poked it and it's a little swollen. Thank you for your concern, junior sister."
"I'm afraid you won't be able to write, and then I, your humble advisor, will have to do it again."
"..."
"Go back and apply a cold compress. Never mind, I know you don't have an ice cellar. I'll send some over tonight." She didn't turn around. "I have to go."
In the darkness beyond the reach of the lanterns at the county government office, the two martial arts brothers and sisters stood with their backs turned. One of them left gracefully, leaving the other standing there, smacking her lips, and finally shaking her head with a wry smile.
Not far away, on the west side of Luming Street, several maids carrying lanterns walked towards the county government office.
Ouyang Rong saw them, went over to them, and took them back to the Melu Garden for dinner.
However, I didn't notice that after leaving the county government office, my junior sister headed east on the main street, which was the direction from Luming Street.
...
"We, Longcheng County, will not allow such an arrogant person!"
With a smile on his face, Liu Ziwen saw the several apprehensive local gentry and elders off at the gate. Just as he returned to the hall, he heard his third brother's serious words.
The smile on the face of the young master of the Liu family gradually disappeared. He stood with his hands behind his back in front of the door. Behind him was the deep darkness of the courtyard at night, while in front of him was the bright light of the hall.
Inside the hall, Liu Zian and Liu Zilin, some sitting and some standing, both looked at their elder brother with solemn expressions.
The three brothers fell silent for a moment.
The atmosphere gradually became heavy.
"Strategic alliances?" Liu Zian asked.
“It’s the guest usurping the host’s place,” Liu Ziwen scoffed.
"Such arrogance is not allowed!" Liu Zilin said sternly.
Liu Ziwen sighed, "They're getting faster and faster; they really don't consider themselves outsiders."
“Now we’re becoming outsiders.” Liu Zian shook his head. “They’ve already abandoned us and started their own show. What’s next?”
"The next step is to become a general?" Liu Zilin asked in surprise.
Liu Ziwen suddenly asked, "Why do I feel like he's already taken the next step?"
Liu Zilin was puzzled, but Liu Zian realized what was going on and squinted, saying, "Brother, are you referring to the newly built county government office that Ouyang Lianghan was talking about?"
Liu Ziwen didn't speak, but turned his head to gaze at the direction of Butterfly Creek and Penglang Ferry outside the door.
Liu Zian pondered: "Disaster relief, flood control, justice... the next step should undoubtedly be flood control... Could it be that we should leave out our Liu family and go and repair the Di Gong Sluice Gate alone?"
Liu Ziwen nodded, then shook his head:
“If we only repair the Di Gong Gate, that wouldn’t be a problem.”
"We're not afraid of his disaster relief, we're not afraid of his flood control, we're not even afraid of his conquest of the Liu family to seek justice. What we're afraid of is that from the very beginning, falling into the water was a ploy to deceive and lull us into a false sense of security..."
"He's got his eye on that item in the sword shop he shouldn't have been eyeing; he came prepared."
...
I highly recommend a fantastic book, "The Book of Chaotic Times," by Chicken Fork Boss—it's top-notch quality!
(End of this chapter)
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