Chapter 69: A New Construction, A Complete Market Crash!
A little-known fact.
Many ordinary people who come to the county government office on Luming Street to watch the young magistrate adjudicate cases are actually hoping to see the traditional spectacle of the prisoner's agonizing screams during the final execution.
As a result, more and more people are gathering on Luming Street.
In the Jiangnan region, where the poor lacked spiritual enrichment, watching the county magistrate hold court was second only to the execution ground at Caishikou in terms of entertainment novelty.
They have a herd mentality and love to watch the excitement.
Should we reflect on this with sadness?
It seems to be the key point.
But it is precisely these simple, conformist "fools" who have something called justice residing in their hearts.
Seeing that not only were petty people exiled and wicked youths punished, but the young magistrate even personally whipped his trusted female advisor, he stood under the plaque with the three characters "Longcheng County" at the gate, each lash of his raised hand breaking the silence.
There was absolutely no half-hearted or perfunctory work.
The crowds that filled the streets and alleys were filled with people. Some were curious and looking at it with awe, while others couldn't bear to look at it.
Among the grain merchants and gentry who had been observing from beginning to end, some who had been hesitant and wavering about the newly built main hall also calmed down.
Whether you're faking it or genuinely feeling it, always keeping public and private matters separate, controlling your emotions, and following the rules are always the best calming agents.
This was more powerful than anything he had said or any empty promises he had made in the closed hall of the county government office.
Because everyone knows you are a person of high standards, they will naturally only do things that are of high standards.
Why was Liu Ziwen able to unite all the local gentry in the county against external forces?
Besides the fact that the Liu family is the most powerful and that they have inherited their father's connections and managed Longcheng for many years, it is also because Liu Ziwen has always been meticulous in his work.
It's a pity that after the new magistrate took office, Liu Ziwen did not lead the local gentry to resolve the conflict with the Longcheng County government. He did not put the interests of the people first, but instead wanted to force the magistrate to kneel down. In fact, that would have been fine, but Liu Ziwen was slow to force the new magistrate to kneel down.
That's very unhygienic.
For the gentry who have now tacitly accepted the new ways of making money, this is a good thing.
One grain merchant tilted his head and quipped in a low voice:
"Young Master Wang, you haven't made a mistake in recognizing your brother-in-law. He's principled yet flexible, and most importantly, he's capable and gets things done."
"This is just the beginning of his official career. He doesn't lack the stepping stone of becoming a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) or a Qingliu (a scholar of high moral character). If he can truly cure the long-standing floods in Longcheng County one day..."
Wang Caozhi's eye twitched slightly. You all admire him, but it is the sons of the Wang and Xie families who are being whipped.
Another grain merchant, however, suddenly understood and exclaimed in surprise:
"It turns out that this newly created business was just a bonus; what we really gained was this person's favor."
Wang Caozhi remained silent upon hearing this.
His colleagues were right, but he never expected that Ouyang Rong would dare to treat Xie's eldest daughter like that.
Although Wang Caozhi has been calling her "brother-in-law" a lot these days, it's just a joke to please her.
Because he always thought that Ouyang Rong was pursuing Sister Ling Jiang, after all, the daughters of the five noble families were extremely attractive to scholars from weaker aristocratic families.
Ouyang Rong is already incredibly lucky to be able to become a disciple of the great Confucian scholar Xie and to have a beautiful young junior sister. He has the advantage of being close to the source of the wealth, so shouldn't he pamper and protect his junior sister?
But looking at it now, it's not quite what Wang Caozhi imagined. This is... Sister Jiang, the discipline order?
He also did not expect that Sister Jiang would be so obedient and compliant. She was whipped seventy times by Ouyang Rong and remained rooted to the spot, not moving an inch.
This is a lot of information!
Ouyang Rong was unaware of what the people below were thinking.
After each lash, he could hear his junior sister, who had her face buried in her hands, making soft "hmm" sounds, so she wasn't exactly silent. Only Ouyang Rong, who was closest to her, could hear her.
After he put down the whip with a trembling hand, and after asking her a harsh question and receiving her unusually obedient reply, he could already see some bloodstains seeping through the fabric on Xie Lingjiang's back.
When punishing scholars and women, it is not necessary to remove their clothes. Xie Lingjiang's clothes were made of fine silk and satin, and there should have been a thin undergarment underneath. Therefore, the outer garment was not damaged. It was just that the soft material caused the force of each lash to hit the flesh.
As the flogging was finished on one side, Liu Zilin had also finished his seventy strokes of the cane on the other side without any hesitation.
The latter went from initially pleading and begging for mercy, to resorting to insults and abuse, and finally to pitiful wails...
Now that Yan Liulang and the others had put away the boards, he was practically physically silent, his breaths barely more than his inhalations...
An old yamen runner pulled out a piece of gray cloth and casually covered the bloodied and mangled buttocks of the third young master of the Liu family. The servants of the Liu family rushed over to save him with mournful faces.
Ouyang Rong took a clean, plain white robe that Yan Liulang had left in the county office from him and draped it over the back of his junior sister, who was suppressing her pain and crying.
Xie Lingjiang suddenly heard him whisper, "If anyone says you bought a servant without paying, cut off their head, throw the silver in their face, and say, 'What a worthless life, you bought it.'"
Xie Lingjiang was stunned and couldn't help but look at her senior brother's expression... Dressed in official robes, he pursed his lips and remained silent, his face seemingly calm. After draping the clothes over her shoulders, he silently turned around, the sunlight shining on him, and climbed the steps... She, who hadn't shed a tear even after being whipped, suddenly felt like crying.
Ouyang Rong stood on the three steps in front of the county government office, facing the crowd of people who were about to disperse, and said loudly:
"Since everyone is here, I have something to announce."
The flow of people on Luming Street stopped and flowed back as if water had hit a solid wall. Many people turned around in a daze and looked at the tall figure in light green official robes.
He said calmly:
"Since I took office, although I have made some progress in disaster relief by opening granaries, building disaster relief camps, providing work relief, and regulating grain prices, the root cause of the Butterfly Creek floods remains unresolved."
"I am a government official who receives the people's salary, yet I have been slow to accomplish anything, which is very shameful."
"It must be understood that the flood in Longcheng County is not as simple as comforting refugees, repairing dilapidated houses, and revitalizing commerce! If we only provide disaster relief without controlling the flood, if we only pray for fate without taking human action, if we only bury our heads in fear without standing tall and facing the challenge bravely."
"Then everything that I and you gentlemen have painstakingly reclaimed on these ruins today—your pots and pans, your warm bed, your farmhouse, your wife and daughters… will surely be utterly destroyed in the next unexpected flood, reduced to nothing once again!"
"The flood in Longcheng was not caused by fate; if we do nothing, it will be a man-made disaster!"
The entire room fell silent.
To the crowd, the young magistrate's voice was not impassioned, nor even particularly forceful, but his eyes were firm as he stated, word by word, something he was absolutely certain of.
It is to earnestly tell all the people of Longcheng a very ordinary yet extremely cruel truth.
The calm words spoken by someone who has unwavering conviction are particularly infectious.
Some residents of Longcheng, whose homes were destroyed and whose loved ones were taken away in the last great flood, couldn't help but cover their faces and weep. The silence of the crowd on the street was broken, and grief is the most contagious thing.
Everyone gathered on Luming Street today was focused, their gazes fixed on the young magistrate, just like the sunlight overhead.
Liu Ziwen, who had originally turned to leave and was about to take back his carriage, also stopped in his tracks. The more he listened, the more he felt a bad premonition. He couldn't help but frown and look back at the county magistrate who was pretending to be a ghost.
"So how exactly should we control the flood?" Ouyang Rong nodded. "I'm sure you all want to ask this question: should we continue repairing the Di Gong Sluice?"
“No.” He shook his head firmly: “Di Gongzha only treats the symptoms, not the root cause.”
What is the essence?
The young magistrate pointed sharply to the west:
"The winding Butterfly Creek, which cannot discharge floodwaters into the river, is the root of the problem! Every time the Yunmengze floods, it overflows the Butterfly Creek. The gentle river that once nurtured generations of people in Longcheng turns into a ferocious beast that devours living beings during the flood season!"
"This beast is baring its teeth and claws, and is extremely presumptuous!"
"If we don't tame this beast, the floods in Longcheng County will never end. The rich can still move away and escape, and officials can still resign and be rotated."
"But what about you? What about your children? What about your children's children? Are you destined to live forever in fear of a flood that comes every four years?"
"Some of you may have gotten used to it, accepted your fate, or even taken it for granted, but I am not used to it, I do not accept my fate, and I do not take it for granted. As an official, I do not expect to bring benefits to the people, but I will strive to have a clear conscience and do my best in all my duties!"
"Furthermore, I firmly believe that among you sons and daughters of Wu and Yue, there are some who will not get used to it forever, will not accept their fate forever, and will not take it for granted forever!"
"If you are not that kind of person, then you may go home now, because what I am about to say is only for the people of Dragon City who refuse to accept their fate! And what follows is something we must do!"
The crowded people remained motionless, their eyes fixed on the scene. No one moved, and some even murmured softly.
"Sir, what should we do? How else can we stop the flood if we don't repair the Di Gong Sluice Gate?"
"Good question."
Ouyang Rong nodded, then turned to look at Yan Liulang, who immediately led the constables up the steps to push open the main gate of the county government office behind Ouyang Rong.
The main gate, which had been tightly closed during court sessions, was finally opened thanks to the combined efforts of the constables.
Soon, the scene in the open space of the backyard was revealed to everyone:
Inside the courtyard is a huge sand table, about eight meters long and wide.
The sand table simulates the general landscape of the upper and lower reaches of the Butterfly Creek, where Longcheng County is located, in great detail. Locals who often climb mountains and look into the distance will be amazed to find that the sand table reproduces the winding course of the Butterfly Creek in a particularly realistic way.
What's even more amazing about this miniature landscape model is that well water drawn from a well is circulated into it, and under the control of equipment operated by Liu Ashan and others next to the model, the water flowing into the "Butterfly Stream" on the model is extremely rapid.
Logically speaking, if the winding river channel of Butterfly Creek were to be completely simulated, the turbulent water flow would likely overflow the channel and submerge most of the model.
But at this moment, no matter how much water poured in or how fast it flowed, it steadily passed through the huge sand table, and no part of the river overflowed.
Among the curious onlookers craning their necks to peer out on the street, some sharp-eyed people suddenly noticed that the Butterfly Creek waterway on the model seemed to have a slight difference.
It seems as if an extra "straight" river channel has been added, completely ignoring the river channel that meanders into two "几" shaped sections like butterfly wings, connecting the two ends and forming a river channel pattern resembling the character "凹".
The section of the river that originally formed the shape of butterfly wings, resembling the double "几" character, where Penglangdu was located, has become a tributary.
The extra horizontal line below allows the river water rushing down from the upper reaches of Yunmengze to pass unimpeded through Longcheng County in the middle reaches and flow into the Yangtze River in the lower reaches.
The more people looked, the more amazed they became. It was this simple extra "horizontal stroke" that, as if crafted by a master craftsman, transformed the Butterfly Creek, which was prone to raging floods, into a gentle, docile lamb!
The simulation of a sand table may seem like mere theoretical exercise, but a certain rule of time and the twilight in despair slowly emerge from it, like the first ray of light before dawn.
Ouyang Rong glanced at the changing expressions of the people of Longcheng, pointed to the sand table behind him without turning his head, and said proudly:
“Since the Yunmeng floods always fail to reach the Yangtze River, let’s open a channel to let it flow into the river! Since the Butterfly Creek is winding and cannot discharge floodwaters, let’s straighten it and make it discharge floodwaters obediently! Since this beast is baring its teeth and claws and acting extremely recklessly, let’s have officials and civilians work together to dredge and expand it until we dig it through and tame it!”
These words were like a thunderclap from a clear sky, shocking everyone present. Many people were stunned and speechless. Even Xie Lingjiang, Yan Liulang, Wang Caozhi and others, who had already digested the shock, subconsciously glanced at the young county magistrate.
Even though it was convincing, some people in the crowd still looked worried and asked:
"My lord, if a new waterway is opened, what will happen to Penglang Ferry... and those ancient sword furnaces on the west bank? Wouldn't that divert the waters of Butterfly Creek? The elders say that Butterfly Creek has dragon energy, and the location of the sword furnaces cannot be moved, let alone changing the waterway..."
The young magistrate extended two long, slender fingers and coldly interrupted:
"First, Penglangdu has not been abandoned. It is still too small. The county government is just building another ferry crossing to share the burden."
"Secondly, may I ask whether the swords of distant high-ranking officials are more important, or the cooking pots, beds, wives, and daughters of the people of Longcheng right now?"
The person who asked the question immediately fell silent.
The young magistrate's tone suggested that this wasn't a multiple-choice question, but a death sentence... no, an easy one.
With the only problem "solved," the entire scene returned to silence. The people, who had suffered from floods for generations, looked at each other in bewilderment. But as they thought about the imminent start of this grand and novel "masterpiece of nature," many of those who had been dreaming began to breathe heavily.
Under the scorching midday sun, the young county magistrate, his forehead dripping with sweat but his eyes fixed straight ahead, spoke in a voice that resonated throughout the hall:
"I hereby announce that, effective immediately, the Longcheng County Government will take the lead in conscripting able-bodied men and women from Longcheng, and uniting dozens of merchants and gentry to begin the water conservancy project of straightening the Butterfly Creek! We will dig a brand new waterway east of Luming Street and build a brand new ferry crossing and several brand new wharf commercial streets!"
"I understand that this is something you gentlemen have never heard of before. Before Longcheng County, Jiangnan Province and even the entire Great Zhou Dynasty have never done anything like it. But I firmly believe that this water conservancy project will benefit the present and future generations! I hope that you will all lend yourselves and work together to completely control the floods in Longcheng."
"Finally, I know that there may be a few individuals who have some minor objections, but... this is a notification, not a discussion."
With his last words, Ouyang Rong seemed to be implying something, before turning and leaving.
Behind him, most of the people on Luming Street were extremely excited, and many flocked to the water conservancy sand table on display to study it.
Behind the bustling crowd, however, the young master of the Liu family was shivering in the sunlight, his hands and feet cold, and his body swaying precariously. Fortunately, he was supported by a lame servant.
Liu Ziwen took a deep breath, and he suddenly realized something:
This Ouyang Lianghan didn't come to steal that item; he actually came to control the flood, and was even willing to completely destroy the market for it!
Four thousand characters.
(End of this chapter)
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