Feng Yuan thought Song Chi doubted his talent, and said, "I was a Jinshi in the 13th year of Yuan Jing. Although I didn't rank among the top three, I still got the top four."
There was a hint of pride in his tone. The top four means fourth place, and it is not easy to achieve such a result.
"And at that time, there was a student of the Prime Minister who was the same age as me and only got the top four." Feng Yuan said calmly, "I'm more than capable of teaching you."
"Thank you, sir."
Song Chi clasped his fists. Having such a senior in the imperial examination teaching him was like taking a shortcut. Now, as Feng Yuan's advisor, he could also learn about officialdom.
"You're welcome." Feng Yuan continued, "Since you are the county magistrate, you should give me some advice. In your opinion, how should we break the current situation?"
This is the beginning of the examination.
Feng Yuan offered both money and manpower. What he wanted was someone who could truly help him. Song Chi's expression remained unchanged as he calmly said four words, "Catch the small and magnify it."
"Making a big deal out of a small matter?" Feng Yuan murmured, lost in thought.
Song Chi explained, "The enemy is strong, and we are weak. For example, Dong Weimin is deeply entrenched in Ji County. It's difficult to move him, but what about his subordinates? Even if you are not a good person, you are still the county magistrate. It should be no problem to move an official. Dong Weimin was able to sideline you because he had a few people under him who waved flags and cheered for you. What if these people were not there? What if they were replaced by your people?"
Feng Yuan frowned and sighed deeply. "I came to Ji County from the capital to catch a small criminal and magnify it. I can't do anything to Song Shiwen, but I can first eliminate his minions, such as the Han family... As the county magistrate, I naturally think of Dong Weimin. I won't touch him first, but his men first!"
"That should be the case."
In Feng Yuan's position, all he could see was Dong Weimin. How could a dignified county magistrate care about low-ranking clerks? Little did he know that these little devils were the most difficult to deal with. Song Chi thought of Wang Bao. He was the bully of the county government, acting like the third most important person in the county government.
Song Chi had heard of his reputation a long time ago. He was also domineering in the county. Wherever he went, he was yelling and shouting, and was called Leopard Master.
"Dong Weimin has four people under his command, and they are also his most important ceremonial guard. The leader is Wang Bao, who is the leader of both the express and strong squads. He is in charge of all the miscellaneous duties in the county government. Next is Li Chenghu, the head of the household department. The household department is in charge of the taxation and grain collection for the entire county. Ji County is a county with a large tax revenue. Not to mention Li Chenghu, even a clerk in the tax department under his command has great power."
Song Chi explained that Feng Yuan, who was serving as an official outside the capital for the first time, might not know all this. He had been working as an editor in the Hanlin Academy before, and even when he was doing document compilation work, he had no access to these things.
The magistrate of the county government is the top boss, and there is the second boss, the county magistrate. The offices under him mainly include three shifts and six offices. The three shifts are the fast shift, the strong shift, and the soap shift. The six offices correspond to the six ministries of the court. The chief official of each office is the clerk, which is roughly equivalent to the current director. Each office is divided into various departments. For example, the household department has the tax department, the grain department, etc. The chief official of each department is called the general secretary, which is equivalent to the section chief, and the clerks under him are called clerks, or section members.
However, the handwriting was not officially compiled and could only be regarded as a temporary compilation, but it was also remarkable. Song Chi remembered that Erlang had told him that the superior of Anyitang was a handwriting in the tax department.
It is reasonable for a gang to listen to one clerk, and this is also the charm of the organization.
Song Chi managed to get into the job as a secretary, or a legal advisor.
"Li Chenghu is proficient in arithmetic and can do mental calculations, but he's not rigid. He often smiles and appears kind and harmless, but in reality, he's ruthless and cruel. He controls several major gangs in Ji County. Whenever taxes are collected... the people suffer. People call him the Smiling Tiger."
Feng Yuan listened attentively and even took notes from time to time while sitting at the table. There was a strong look of surprise and doubt in his eyes. He was very curious about how he knew such detailed information.
"The third person is Zheng Li, the clerk in charge of the ritual office. He is currently thirty-three years old."
"I believe Lord Feng must have seen him during the county examination." Song Chi asked. One of the responsibilities of the Rites Office was Confucian education. During the imperial examination, he would naturally appear at the county examination hall.
"Yes."
Song Chi continued, "Zheng Li was considered Dong Weimin's advisor, providing him with advice. When Bai Yong was in office, he was also Bai Yong's advisor. These people can also be considered Bai Yong's people. After Bai Yong left, they all followed Dong Weimin's lead. Zheng Li was known for his cunning and treacherous nature, and was called Zheng the Fox."
Feng Yuan raised his head and interrupted, "Could the fourth person be Su Tao, the workshop manager?"
"It's him."
Song Chi knew that Feng Yuan could say this name, which meant that he had also inquired about it privately.
"The workshop is responsible for all the county's manufacturing, such as silk weaving, repairing government offices, city defenses, water conservancy projects, temples, feng shui cemeteries, and casting silver and weapons. These may seem insignificant, but they are actually a place to make money. Su Tao is known as the Money Rat. He will take a layer of money from every project he handles, and no one knows who pockets the money."
Feng Yuan frowned and said, "When I first took office, Dong Weimin brought me a lot of accounts. I stayed up all night to look through them but couldn't find anything. They showed me fake accounts."
"That's natural."
Song Chi knew this very well. Feng Yuan came here to investigate the problems of his predecessor, but how could he find out about these people? What he saw were all filled in. The entire county government was full of their people. It was too easy for them to fill in the income and expenditure accounts and tax projects.
All they have to do is find the abnormality in these normal things.
"Wang Bao, Li Chenghu, Zheng Li, Su Tao..." Feng Yuan muttered these names and said, "If you hadn't told me, I really wouldn't have known that this small county government office had so many tricks up its sleeve."
"Although the sparrow is small, it has all the organs."
Song Chi said calmly, "You only see the imperial court, but from the perspective of ordinary people, this county government office is also a small imperial court. Every move of every person here, even a clerk's casual words, may affect the livelihoods of many people."
Feng Yuan stood up and said, "After I passed the imperial examination, I entered the Hanlin Academy and worked as an editor for ten years. I thought I had learned all the history books, but when I came here, I found that everything I learned from the books was useless."
He smiled wryly and said, "No wonder the teacher gave me such a parting gift. I didn't like it at the time, but now it seems to be true."
Song Chi asked curiously, "What is that?"
"My teacher said that the books of the sages are for others to read, and are of no use in official duties. If you only study classics and history, you will never be able to become an official. I didn't believe it before, but now I am hesitant."
Song Chi remained silent. Feng Yuan was an orthodox scholar with ideals and ambitions, but reality was always cruel. Seeing Feng Yuan's heavy heart, he continued to discuss the situation at the county government office. "These four men all have animals in their names. Dong Weimin privately jokingly calls them the Four Divine Beasts. With these four men, Dong Weimin's position in the county government office is secure and unchallenged."
Feng Yuan was very puzzled. He asked curiously, "These things are probably difficult to know except for Dong Weimin's close relatives. How do you know so much?"
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