Chapter 99: Promotion
Chen Zhe didn't expect that the people who would meet him would not only be the county magistrate, but also a high-ranking official from the capital.
He quickly knelt down and saluted, saying respectfully: "Greetings, my Lords."
"Chen Zhe, Yang Baotou said you have done a great job," the county magistrate said, "You bought the things needed for the dam at the lowest price, saving the court a lot of money."
Chen Zhe said happily: "This is what a young man should do."
"You have the ability, and you should be rewarded accordingly. How about this, when they bring the purchase account book over for verification, as long as it is confirmed that what you said is true, I will promote you to the position of dam head."
"Thank you, sir."
The officer brought the account book.
Chen Zhe's eyes were full of excitement.
He will be promoted to dam leader soon.
Although being a small manager now is quite impressive, being promoted to a dam head will be even more impressive, as you will be directly in charge of hundreds of people.
The county magistrate flipped open the account book and looked at it, then said unhappily, "No, this is different from the price you listed."
Chen Zhe quickly said, "Sir, every detail above is true, there is absolutely no adulteration."
"No adulteration?" The county magistrate sneered, "Then what is this?"
The officer next to him took the list from the county magistrate and handed it to Chen Zhe.
Chen Zhe looked at the familiar list. There was nothing he didn't understand. It was that damn bastard Song Ruize who had reported him.
"Sir, I just want to train Song Ruize and give him the ability to shoulder important responsibilities. It doesn't matter if he can't accomplish it. I won't make things difficult for him."
"You won't make things difficult for him? I think you have embezzled government money." Lord Wen said calmly, "It's appropriate to buy at the price you wrote above. It's not a big deal."
"Sir, this... is not true. No one would sell it at this price." Chen Zhe said, "I really did not embezzle government funds. The price in the account book is the real price."
"Song Ruize, you speak." Lord Wen looked at Song Ruize, who had been silent.
As soon as Chen Zhe came in, he knelt down and saluted. His attention was on the two adults, and he didn't notice that Song Ruize was also here. If he had seen him earlier, he would have reacted sooner.
"Your Excellency, I also think that Manager Chen has embezzled government silver." Song Ruize said, "The price Manager Chen listed is very suitable. I have already purchased it."
"Impossible. Who would be so stupid as to sell something to you at this price? I am making things difficult for you, but you can't lie with your eyes open."
"Come here, search Chen Zhe's room to see if he has embezzled government funds." The county magistrate said angrily.
Chen Zhe looked pale.
He is not stupid. He holds the power of purchasing and it is so easy for him to spend money. How could he not embezzle some money?
Not only he was corrupt, but his uncle was also corrupt.
The account books are fake, all the accounts are fake.
However, even so, they did not buy things at such a low price. No matter how bold they were, they did not dare to embezzle too obviously.
After a while, the officers found a lot of gold jewelry in Chen Zhe's room.
From the appearance of the gold ornaments, it can be seen that this was intended to be given to a lover.
A small manager could actually afford so many gold ornaments. To say that he has no problems is like fooling a three-year-old child.
"Sir, this Chen Zhe's uncle is also a dam leader." Song Ruize said, "The relationship between the uncle and nephew is as close as that between father and son."
"Someone, go search Chen Baotou's room again." The county magistrate said again.
After a while, the officer who searched the room came back with Chen Baotou. Chen Baotou knelt down in front of the two adults, crying.
"I have betrayed the trust of the two masters by handing such an important task to Chen Zhe, an unreliable brat. I really deserve to die!"
The searching officers shook their heads at the two adults, meaning that they found nothing in his room.
Song Ruize looked towards Yang Baotou.
Yang Baotou looked as if he had expected this.
If Chen Baotou was so easy to deal with, he wouldn't be his tough enemy.
But it doesn’t matter. Removing Chen Zhe is like removing a nail.
"Chen Baotou, your nephew is really great. He actually dared to embezzle the official money for building the dam. Now I want to punish him according to the law. Do you have any objection?" said the county magistrate.
"Sir, how dare I object? This is the punishment he should receive." Chen Baotou said.
"According to the law, Chen Zhe embezzled government silver. The amount of silver he embezzled will be calculated later, and he will be punished according to the amount." The county magistrate said, "The purchase will be handed over to Song Ruize. Song Ruize, you can count five people to work for you."
"Thank you, sir." Song Ruize bowed.
"Chen Baotou, although you are not suspected of corruption, Chen Zhe is your nephew. You arranged for him to come in, so you have joint responsibility. Give up your position as Baotou and work with others."
"Yes." Chen Baotou lowered his head and said sullenly.
Yang Baotou raised the corners of his mouth.
It seems that he still won this round.
No matter how cunning the old fox Chen Baotou is, it is useless because he has a nephew who is as stupid as a pig, and that is a knife that stabs him.
"Yang Baotou, Song Ruize's idea is very good. You should help him complete this task." Lord Wen said, "Song Ruize, you have such a clever mind at such a young age. It's really good. The young are formidable. I believe our dam will definitely be able to report well to the higher-ups."
"I will do my job well and not let you down," said Song Ruize.
Chen Zhe was taken away. As he was taken away, he glared at Song Ruize fiercely.
Chen Baotou was dismissed from his post and felt as humiliated as a defeated rooster.
The two adults checked the progress of the dam. Yang Baotou took the two adults around to check the work, and occasionally called one or two workers to report what they had done every day.
"I am very confident in Yang Baotou's work," the county magistrate said. "This time, it was also because of your strong discipline that you discovered Chen Zhe's corruption in advance."
"I didn't do anything. Song Ruize reported all that to me."
"If you were not popular, would he report such an important matter to you instead of to other dam heads?" the county magistrate said with a smile.
Yang Baotou kept saying that he didn't dare, and then sighed a few words unintentionally, saying that Song Ruize was punished by him at the beginning, but later he found that the boy just had a straightforward temper.
He said this to let the two adults know that he was not trying to win people's hearts, and that he and Song Ruize were not on good terms. The reason why Song Ruize reported such important news to him was that he was fair and would not protect Chen Zhe.
They are all foxes, but the old foxes in the officialdom are more cunning, and the slightest mistake will easily arouse their suspicion. When Yang Baotou talks to them, he has to observe their reactions at all times, and only when he is sure that they have dispelled their suspicion of him can he secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
He understood that his mortal enemy Chen Baotou had stepped down, but he still needed to do more practical things to make the two adults trust him completely.
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