"Who the hell do you think you are! How dare you hit me!"
Li Dagen was so bewildered by the beating from the advisor that he clenched his fists, wanting to get revenge, but when he looked up, he was dumbfounded.
"Magistrate, Magistrate...Master Zhang, what are you two doing here..."
Every year when it was time to pay taxes, Li Dagen had to go to the county government office, so he knew the county magistrate and his secretary.
How unlucky he was! He was just casually making a few disparaging remarks about the county magistrate to save face, and the magistrate himself overheard it!
He's finished! The county magistrate will definitely not let him off!
Li Dagen became increasingly frightened as he thought about it, and his legs went weak, causing him to kneel on the ground with a thud.
The surrounding villagers had never been to the county government office and most of them did not recognize the county magistrate or his clerk, but upon hearing Li Dagen's words, they all knelt down in fear.
Wan Shu didn't want to stand out too much, so she also pulled the children down to kneel down.
"Long live the magistrate! Long live the clerk! Long live the clerk!"
It's unclear which idiot made the shout, but the other villagers quickly followed suit.
"Long live the magistrate! Long live the clerk! Long live the clerk!"
Wan Shu's lips twitched as he listened. Although the emperor was far away, it was fair to say that the county magistrate was the local emperor.
But in the end, a county magistrate is just a minor official of the seventh rank. How could so many people really shout "Long live the Emperor" to him? If this were to be spread to the capital by someone with ulterior motives, who knows what kind of trouble it would cause.
The county magistrate was fat, and with the hot weather, he had already sweated a lot on the way. Upon hearing this, he was even more drenched in sweat and quickly raised his hand.
"Everyone, please get up. Although I am the magistrate of Sishui County, I am also a member of Sishui County and no different from you. There is no need for such a grand ceremony!"
The villagers exchanged glances, hesitant to move, until they saw the clan chief quietly raise his hand to them, at which point they stood up hesitantly.
Wan Shu naturally seized the opportunity and quickly pulled the children to their feet.
Only Li Dagen, out of fear, remained kneeling on the ground, his legs trembling as if he were being shaken.
The fat magistrate gave his advisor a wink.
Master Zhang immediately stepped forward: "Li Dagen, stand up. Although you insulted the magistrate behind his back, the magistrate is magnanimous and will not pursue such a trivial matter with you."
Li Dagen's eyes widened with delight. He grinned and was about to stand up when he heard Zhang Shiye add slowly and deliberately.
"However, as the village head, you not only fail to do anything practical for the villagers, but you also use your position to extort money from them. You are truly unworthy of the title of village head!"
"Starting today, you are stripped of your position as the head of Shimizu Village!"
"From today onwards, the name of Qingshui Village will be changed to Wang Shuisheng!"
Li Dagen's joyful eyes dimmed instantly, and he collapsed to the ground in despair.
He knew very well that the reason he was able to act like a tyrant in the village before was because of his position as the village head.
Now that the county magistrate has publicly stripped him of his position as village head, he will be nothing in the village from now on!
The eyes of the Li family members in the village also dimmed somewhat.
Previously, thanks to Li Dagen's position as village head, families with the surname Li had all benefited to some extent.
Now that Li Dagen has lost his position as village head, they will no longer be able to benefit from him!
However, apart from the Li family, everyone else in the village showed joy in their eyes.
Great! They've finally gotten rid of that despicable village head, Li Dagen!
Everyone in the village knows Wang Shuisheng's character, and they believe that with Wang Shuisheng as the village head, life will definitely be much better in the future!
The magistrate took in the expressions of everyone around him and asked in a deep voice, "Well? Does anyone have any complaints about the selection of this village head?"
Apart from the Li family, the villagers were overjoyed with this choice and had no reason to be dissatisfied.
Even if the Li family had grievances in front of the county magistrate, they dared not express them.
They could only shout in unison, "The county magistrate is wise!"
The magistrate patted his round belly, nodded in satisfaction, and asked again, "Which one of you is Wan Shu?"
The county magistrate had just dealt with Li Dagen, and then directly named Wan Shu.
Er Ya and the other three didn't know what the magistrate was planning, and their eyes showed worry.
Wan Shu had anticipated this. She gave the four children a reassuring look, stepped out of the crowd, and bowed to the magistrate.
She stood tall and spoke with neither servility nor arrogance: "This humble woman is Wan Shu."
The magistrate was astonished to find such a composed and poised woman in such a remote and backward village.
A hint of admiration flashed in his eyes as he asked, "I heard from Wang Lizheng that you were the one who discovered that potatoes are edible?"
Wan Shu: "The fact that potatoes are edible was actually discovered by my children. Once, they were extremely hungry and accidentally ate some roasted potatoes, but they were not poisoned afterward."
The magistrate said, "According to you, potatoes can be eaten as long as they are cooked? How filling are they? And how long can they be stored? You know all that?"
Wan Shu nodded and answered the magistrate's questions clearly and concisely.
The magistrate was overjoyed after hearing this: "It's very filling and keeps you full for a long time. This is a rare and wonderful thing!"
What pleased the magistrate even more was that such a fine product was widely distributed in their Sishui County, and even throughout the entire Jingzhou Prefecture!
If what Wan Shu said is true, not only can the famine in Sishui Town be alleviated, but even the entire Jingzhou Prefecture can be saved!
He had been in the position of county magistrate for over ten years. Although he had always been conscientious and had never made any mistakes, he had never achieved any outstanding political achievements, nor had he gained the appreciation of the prefect.
This might be a good opportunity for him to show his face in public!
With this in mind, the magistrate looked at Wan Shu with even more admiration and satisfaction.
"If what you say is true, this will be a great achievement for the entire Jingzhou Prefecture. I will certainly reward you handsomely!"
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