The rain started to fall, and the sound of it was a bit annoying.
Li Erniu looked at the back of Yan Xiwen walking in front of him, and suddenly felt that the figure looked taller.
He still didn't know what Yan Xiwen's identity was. He just felt that this Brother Yan... No, he couldn't call him Brother Yan anymore, he should call him Master.
This Mr. Yan has a compassionate heart and his status must be noble, but he knelt down to the old woman Liu Erniang!
The two sentences he said while kneeling down were a bit obscure and he didn't fully understand them.
"If the people can't stand, then the officials of Daxia can only kneel!"
"This is not your fault, but the fault of the Daxia government!"
Aren’t officials of all dynasties standing above the people?
Otherwise, why is there the saying: All things are inferior except reading?
Isn’t the purpose of studying to become an official?
How could officials kneel down to the people? They should kneel down to higher-ranking officials or the emperor!
Master Yan is a straightforward man. He actually dared to say that it was the fault of the Daxia government!
Could the government be wrong?
Even if the government is wrong, it is still right, and the people... can also judge you as wrong even if they are right.
These are the two mouths in the word "official".
This is why everyone wants to be an official.
It seems that Mr. Yan has read a lot of books, but he does not understand the principles of being an official. If someone with his personality becomes an official, he will definitely be a good official, but he will also definitely have a short life.
Fortunately, he did not become an official.
Otherwise, you will end up in a miserable situation.
Yan Xiwen had no idea that Li Erniu had thought a lot because of his kneeling. What he was thinking about at the moment was that it was already early April, and if there were no more rice seeds, it would be too late for spring plowing.
The only thing we can do is plant sweet potatoes, but we don’t know how long it will take for the emperor to get the news and send someone to deliver the sweet potato seeds. If it’s too late... Huangtang Town will be completely ruined this year.
What can be done?
We can’t let any more people die. The Ministry of Revenue must send enough food to help them survive this famine.
Just as Yan Xiwen and his group were about to arrive at Li Erniu's house, the courtyard of Li Erniu's house was crowded with people, and a loud noise could be heard:
"Oh, life is good now, and we even have rice to eat!"
"All of you troublemakers, listen carefully to this County Magistrate! I am Qian Congsu, the County Magistrate of Qianshan County!"
"The governor has announced that the collection of summer grain taxes will begin soon. This is national policy, and as citizens of Great Xia, you should share their concerns!"
"What do you mean by that look you give me? Do you dare to disobey my orders?"
"Mayor Yang, it seems the people under your rule are dissatisfied with Daxia's national policy! Tell me, what is his name? This county will teach you what the king's law and national prestige are!"
Huangtang Town Mayor Yang Wei quickly winked at the man, bowed and said with a smile, "Sir Qian, please forgive me for my mistakes. I am just an illiterate villager, but I have offended you. Please forgive me!"
Yan Xiwen and the other two had already walked into the crowd. When he saw the county magistrate, he frowned but did not say anything.
"Remember this," County Magistrate Qian pointed at the man with a stern brow, "If it weren't for Mayor Yang's intercession for you, would you have thought these twenty constables we brought here were just for fun?"
He swiped his fingers, "Don't cry poor to this county magistrate! Rules are rules. Throughout the dynasties, if you cultivate the land, you should pay taxes!"
"This county will give you ten days to prepare. If, after these ten days, each of your households fails to deliver their summer grain to the county government... all the men in your families will be exiled to the army! And all the women in your families... will be sold into prostitution!"
“How dare you…!”
The man suddenly flew into a rage. "You dog officials, all you do is exploit us common people! Summer grain taxes! Open your dog eyes and look out over there in the fields. Is there a single grain of wheat? You've taken all the seeds, and you won't even give us a way to live?"
"Bold and unruly people!"
"Arrest him for me and take him to the yamen for trial!"
"You bastard, if you dare to arrest him, we will fight you!"
The surrounding common people were suddenly in chaos. They were all filled with anger, and scared County Magistrate Qian so much that he took two steps back.
"You want to rebel?"
"Captain Song, beat them to death! Don't let any of them go!"
Twenty constables, armed with fire and water clubs and carrying broadswords, were about to charge the crowd when Yan Xiwen shouted, "Stop!"
Everyone paused. Under Zhang Qishan's protection, he squeezed into the crowd. Li Erniu grabbed his clothes and said, "Master, a wise man never suffers a loss. You can't defeat the government!"
Yan Xiwen turned around and glanced at Li Erniu. "Don't worry. In this bright and clear world, these scoundrels are nothing more than clowns."
Upon hearing this, County Magistrate Qian looked at Yan Xiwen and asked, "Are you calling me a clown?"
"I am an official appointed by the imperial court. If you insult me like this, then you are insulting the current emperor."
"You look so well-dressed, you're not from this village, are you? What, you want to stand up for them?"
At this time, Zhang Qishan gave a wink to the three soldiers who stayed behind, and the three soldiers approached County Magistrate Qian calmly.
Yan Xiwen stood in front of the villagers and stared at County Magistrate Qian. "I'm going to stand up for them. What can you do about it?"
"Then this county will make you understand the price of this!"
Yan Xiwen's pupils shrank: "Do you understand the laws of Daxia?"
County Magistrate Qian raised his neck and said, "You're talking to me about the laws of Daxia? In Yueshan North Road, Yun Daotai is the law! In Chongzhou, Zong Zhizhou is the law! In Qianshan County, this county is the law!"
"Now this county will let you know the laws of this county!"
Magistrate Qian waved his hand and said, "Catch him! Break his legs and make him kneel before me. I will explain the law to him!"
Twenty constables rushed towards Yan Xiwen, and the villagers were shocked. At this moment, Zhang Qishan raised his gun, "Bang...!"
He pulled the trigger without hesitation, and a constable fell to the ground with a scream of "Ah!"
Zhang Qishan pulled the trigger again indifferently, killing the second constable. The other eighteen constables were so frightened that they stood there in a daze. Qian Congsu also gasped at this moment, his legs trembling with fear from the two gunshots.
He didn't expect that this man actually had a gun!
"Who are you?"
Before he could finish his words, three garrison soldiers tackled him to the ground and pinned him to the ground with his hands handcuffed behind his back.
"You openly attacked an official appointed by the imperial court. If anything happens to you or this county, Lord Zong will lead his troops to kill you!"
Yan Xiwen squinted his eyes and looked at him. As the villagers stared at him in shock, he said calmly, "Break his legs!"
With a "crack", a soldier chopped down with his foot, "Ah...!" Qian Congsu let out a pig-killing howl.
"Strip him of his official uniform; he has ruined it!"
Qian Congsu was sweating profusely, realizing that he had met a ruthless person. "Who are you?!"
"You don't deserve to know!"
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