Collecting the flower and stone tax is not an easy job.
No matter whether you do a good job or not, you will be scolded by the people.
And even if you do a good job, there won't be much benefit. At most, your superiors will say that you are hardworking and diligent.
So when Feng Siyuan learned that Zhao Lin had actually become the prefect of Qingzhou, he immediately came over and handed the burden to him.
Zhao Lin naturally wouldn't refuse: "I am grateful for your trust, Your Excellency. I will do my best to serve you until my death."
"I don't want you to die, just complete the task."
Feng Siyuan sighed, "A seventeen-year-old number one scholar and a seventeen-year-old prefect are both unprecedented in this dynasty, no, in all dynasties. Are you His Majesty's illegitimate child?"
Zhao Lin smiled and said, "I thought so, but it's not the case."
"Even if you are not His Majesty's illegitimate child, with the support of Lord Li and Eunuch Zhu, you can do whatever you want."
Feng Siyuan said, "Your current mission is to manage the Flower and Stone Project well. If you have any problems, don't come to me."
He is completely pushing the matter away.
Anyway, if it is done well, he will also have a share, and if it is not done well, it will be Zhao Lin's responsibility.
This is what is called a higher-ranking official crushing others to death.
After seeing Feng Siyuan off, Zhao Lin immediately summoned officials at all levels of the Qingzhou government office to arrange tasks.
"There are two key points in collecting the money for transporting flowers and stones."
"First, no harm shall be done to the people. Apart from the items already registered, no other items may be requisitioned, regardless of whether they meet the requirements or not."
"I've already done most of this some time ago. You just need to keep an eye on it."
"Anyone who dares to bend the law for personal gain will be shown no mercy."
"Secondly, be careful to guard against thieves during transportation and don't let yourself be robbed."
Who among the people of Zhao Lin’s previous life didn’t know about the unlucky Yang Zhi who lost the Flower and Stone Gang and the Birthday Gang?
When you come to Zhao Lin, you can't make any mistakes.
All the officials responded in unison.
Zhao Lin stared at everyone with a cold gaze: "Whoever ruins my plan will be killed."
Tongzhi Lu Ze'an quickly said, "Don't worry, sir. We will do our job well."
Zhao Lin nodded and said, "Well done, you will definitely benefit from it. You also know that I have connections in the capital and am highly regarded by His Majesty, which is why he directly appointed me as the prefect of Qingzhou."
"In short, if you work hard, I won't keep all the benefits to myself. But if you dare to mess up, you all know what I'll do."
Everyone was shocked when they thought of the tragic death of County Magistrate Qiu Cheng last year, and they all vowed to be loyal to their country.
After a while, these officials gathered at the home of Tongzhi Lu Ze'an.
"Lord Lu, what do you think of this new prefect?"
Tongpan Zhang Hong asked.
Tongzhi is of the fifth rank, and Tongpan is of the sixth rank. Both are assistant officials to the prefect. Apart from the prefect, these two are the top officials.
When Gao Junliang was in office, they also formed a group to oppose Gao Junliang, which resulted in Gao Junliang having no political achievements during his years in office.
Lu Ze'an said, "Zhao Zhifu is young and promising, and he has a strong background. If we follow him, we can all achieve something."
Zhang Hong sneered, "We are all family, why should Lord Lu be like this?"
The others also looked dissatisfied.
Lu Ze'an laughed heartily and said, "I'm not kidding you. Magistrate Zhao was appointed directly as prefect right after he won the top spot in the imperial examination. It's obvious that there's someone capable behind him."
Zhang Hong complained, "I thought that Gao Junliang's departure would allow Lord Lu to take over, but who knew such a young man would be brought down. He's not as easy to deal with as Gao Junliang. Are we really going to be bullied by him?"
Lu Ze'an took a sip of tea slowly before saying, "We all worked with Prefect Zhao last year. We all know what kind of person he is. We can only bear with it."
"I can't stand it."
Tongpan Ma Yufei angrily said, "The provincial government has allowed him to make a fortune by taking advantage of the Flower and Stone Gang. Why doesn't he agree?"
Others echoed.
They were dissatisfied with Zhao Lin. Not only did Zhao Lin's sudden appearance ruin their plans, but it also prevented them from making money.
Collecting the flower and stone tax to build gardens was not too costly and labor-intensive.
However, during the collection process, the corruption of officials at all levels is the root cause of the harm to the people.
Seeing them all like this, Lu Ze'an said, "I do have a way to drive Zhao Lin away, but I need everyone to work together."
Zhang Hong smiled and said, "I knew you had a way. Tell me how to do it."
Lu Ze'an said, "Zhao Lin is highly regarded by the Emperor because he did a great job collecting the flower and stone tribute last year. We only need to rob a batch of them during transportation, making it impossible for him to report back. The Emperor will be furious and will definitely punish him. At the very least, he will be punished. Then his authority as the prefect will be completely destroyed."
"Good idea."
Everyone applauded and smiled happily.
"If you create unrest by harming the people, you will easily be caught. But as for the robbery of the flower and stone embassy, who knows who did it? Maybe it was those righteous men who couldn't stand what Zhao Lin did." Zhang Hong said with a smile.
Ma Yufei continued, "Take advantage of this opportunity to arrange for some more people to rebel, saying that they are being forced to live no longer because of Zhao Lin..."
After these people discussed it, they all left satisfied.
After they all left, a man came in and said, "As expected, it's you guys. This plan is too vicious. Zhao Lin will definitely not survive."
Lu Ze'an smiled and said, "He won't die, but he definitely can't continue to serve as the prefect. I will make him go back the same way he came. But we spent so much effort, and we agreed on something beforehand..."
"Don't worry, as long as you can make Zhao Lin go back in disgrace, the prefecture will be yours."
The man said disdainfully, "As long as you work hard, not only can you become the prefect of Qingzhou, but also the governor of Jiujiang, or even a marquis or a prime minister."
Lu Ze'an was overjoyed: "Thank you for me, Your Highness. I will do my best to satisfy you."
The man was very satisfied and said, "I'm leaving now. I'll let you know if there's anything else."
After the man left, Lu Ze'an poured himself a cup of tea with a smile, shaking his head and saying, "Zhao Lin, Zhao Lin, don't blame me for tripping you up. It's your fault for taking my place."
…
Half a month later.
"My lord, this is bad."
A bailiff rushed in, sweating profusely, and said to Zhao Lin, "The flower and stone embankment... was robbed."
"What?"
Zhao Lin suddenly dropped his pen and shouted, "Say it again."
"Sir, the flower and stone trove was stolen. Two rare stones and seventeen rare flowers and plants were all taken away." said the bailiff.
“That shouldn’t be the case.”
Zhao Lin said to himself, "This is the Flower and Stone Gang, not the Birthday Gang. Why are they robbing it?"
The yamen runner said, "They said that the flower and stone levy was robbed from the people and that it increased their labor and made it impossible for them to survive, so they stole it. And, and..."
"And what? Say it!" Zhao Lin shouted.
"And they also said that you did this heinous thing to please the emperor, and they will come to kill you sooner or later."
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