Chapter 47
Chapter 47
The 33rd year of Huayuan, November 26th.
As the year draws to a close, Zhengrong County in Jianmeng Prefecture is very lively. People from the villages below all come to the county town to buy and prepare the final New Year's goods.
A large number of people came to Anji Village in Zhengrong County. They were all in high spirits and ran towards the cloth stalls and food shops.
Mr. Zhao first passed by the government office and then went to his old friend's house.
Mr. Guo and others had already prepared wine and food and were waiting for him to come over.
This was not the first time that Master Zhao came to Zhengrong County. He had come here once before to handle the silage material business.
But this time when I came here, I clearly felt that there were more constables here.
Master Zhao saw a constable he knew and asked, "Excuse me, is there anyone in the auditorium right now?"
The constable saw Master Zhao and knew him. After asking about his purpose, he quickly said, "I'll take you there."
This made Master Zhao curious: "I know the place too. Aren't you very busy during the New Year? No need to bother."
"It's not a trouble. What's the trouble?" The constable said with some disappointment and took Master Zhao to the yamen.
It seemed that everyone in the yamen was dissatisfied.
The friction between the new and old teams has now come to a point where it is just a matter of sparks.
Mr. Zhao didn't know what happened in the government office, but he could tell something was wrong. The constable who took him to the office's ceremonial room said, "I guess after the New Year, all of us old people will pass away."
"There's no need for us to be busy."
The constable who spoke was called Lei Liming, a local, 29 years old this year. Although he was just an ordinary constable, the chief constable and deputy chief constable brought by County Magistrate Lin were all very good.
The brothers in the third shift and sixth room also respect them in their hearts.
Lei Liming had been running around before. He had delivered things to Anji Village and had also been to the county school several times.
I was so busy before that I didn’t even have time to drink a sip of water.
But compared to being unemployed, it’s better to be busy.
This story begins when County Magistrate Lin is about to leave office.
Everyone knows that the term of office in Tianqi State is four years. Except for special circumstances, there will be changes after four years.
So everyone knew that County Magistrate Lin was leaving, and they were mentally prepared.
The problem is that, as the saying goes, a new emperor appoints new ministers, and the same is true in the county.
Important positions must be filled by our own people.
For example, when County Magistrate Lin came, he brought with him his deputy county magistrate and chief clerk.
Then there were three constables and a few doormen.
But the new county magistrate is different.
He brought more than just these people.
Let’s not talk about other departments for now.
Let’s just talk about the constable.
Although they are collectively called constables, they are divided into three parts.
So there are three captains in total, and the seventy-nine people under them are divided into three teams, each with their own duties.
Like County Magistrate Lin, he only brought three constables with him.
The remaining people will either be recruited locally or use the old people left behind by the previous county magistrate.
When County Magistrate Lin arrived, he took over a terrible mess. The county magistrate was corrupt and his detectives were not very useful.
Logically speaking, there is nothing wrong with County Magistrate Lin bringing his own people here.
But County Magistrate Lin selected some river workers who were enslaved in the river at that time, and recruited skilled workers who were poor but strong and had good reputations to form the current team.
Lei Liming was one of the people rescued from the river at that time, and he had been doing a good job as a constable.
I thought that the new county magistrate might only bring three constables with him, and their work would not change.
Or bring more people over, they will be able to accept it.
Lei Liming and others believed that they had done nothing wrong. The seventy-nine brothers were busy with official duties every day.
Generally speaking, new county magistrates would also like subordinates like them who work hard and have no selfish motives.
Can help the new county magistrate integrate into the environment quickly.
However, their new county magistrate, Magistrate Nie, actually brought three captains of the police and thirty constables with him.
There are only seventy-nine constable positions.
The new county magistrate brought thirty people with him.
Someone will definitely lose their job.
Each carrot has its own hole. The carrots brought by the new county magistrate will definitely squeeze out the previous ones.
This situation occurred in various places in Zhengrong County Government.
Lei Liming and others had no words to express their grievances and were in an extremely depressed mood.
That’s fine, but the new detectives seemed to have come from the capital, or they had previous experience and looked down on the local Zhengrong County, calling it a rural place.
Lei Liming sighed, then took Master Zhao to the office's ceremonial room.
When we went to the office's ceremonial room, it was obvious that there were two teams there.
Master Zhao handed over Ji Yuan's certification documents, and the new and old teams clashed again, and everyone seemed to be holding their breath.
Master Zhao silently handed the document to a familiar person. He remembered this clerk who was efficient.
The old team member opened it and asked, "Ji Yuan's document? Why isn't it signed by his third uncle?"
This is a routine inquiry, and you need to find out the reason clearly.
Master Zhao said, "I am Ji Yuan's mentor, and I also need the permission of the master. The situation of the Ji family is a bit complicated."
Master Zhao briefly explained what happened at Ji Li's house yesterday.
Everyone present, whether from the old team or the new team, nodded.
In this case, it is naturally better for the mentor to testify.
As Jiyuan's mentor, Master Zhao is definitely qualified.
Both of Ji Yuan's documents were handed in, and the person from the old team said, "Don't worry, I'll send the things over when County Magistrate Lin comes back. The Instructor is actually urging us too."
There is nothing wrong with this statement, and it even seems like an exceptionally good attitude.
But the people in the new team were unwilling to do so. Why did County Magistrate Lin T approve it? Shouldn't they, the new county magistrate, handle it?
The rest are just humanities documents.
This is the era.
Although this is a remote and poor place, there is a student like Ji Yuan who can indeed be called a child prodigy.
If a new county magistrate comes to approve it, I will be considered one of the teachers when I tell others about it.
Anyway, in the officialdom, if there is any connection, then it is a connection.
With the background of their Young Master Nie, Ji Yuan has something to thank.
Someone was about to speak when he was stopped by the person next to him.
Forget it, there’s only a little over a month left.
Their Young Master Nie also said to wait a little longer.
The clerks in the etiquette office pretended not to see anything.
Do you think they don’t know?
The new county magistrate's men were secretly making friends with some idle scholars in Zhengrong County, ready to replace them at any time.
In this situation, will they be in a good mood?
Now the two teams are all relying on the people above to keep them under control, otherwise they would have started fighting long ago.
The difference is that County Magistrate Lin can control his own people.
Most of the new county magistrate's subordinates thought that he was young and needed more "care" from them, so they would do things beyond their authority.
When Master Zhao came out of the yamen, Lei Liming was resting at the door again.
It seems that he is really free recently.
Lei Liming used to be a fast-moving constable. He was either delivering news outside or patrolling the public security of Zhengrong County. He rarely had such free time.
Master Zhao shook his head and decided to go find his old friends and ask them what was going on and whether it would affect Ji Yuan.
As soon as Master Zhao left, Lei Liming stood up.
That's not right. I just heard Master Zhao talking about Ji Yuan's uncle's family affairs and ignored the details.
The son of Ji Yuan's third uncle was taken there by someone from the neighboring county to gamble?
This kind of thing has happened before, but whenever it happens, the government will speed up the investigation. Don’t the patrolling detectives know this?
Lei Liming happened to see County Magistrate Lin and the new County Magistrate returning, and quickly reported the matter.
The new county magistrate was still confused. This was a matter in the neighboring county. Although the victim was from Zhengrong County, they could not do anything unless they reported it to the authorities.
Lei Liming resisted the urge to roll his eyes, but County Magistrate Lin asked, "Has the silage in Anji Village been sold out? Has the money been distributed?"
"When did the gambling boss go to Anji Village?"
Generally speaking, this kind of person who deliberately sets up the game is called the gambling boss, and this person is most likely a casino employee.
The series of questions left Lei Liming speechless and he quickly told what he knew.
The new county magistrate asked, “Is there anything wrong with this?”
After saying this, he looked at County Magistrate Lin with great curiosity.
County Magistrate Lin was already used to it, and explained, "Many people in Anji Village are engaged in silage storage. This is an additional business, and everyone can earn a lot of money, at least more than their usual income."
"If there's suddenly more money, there will be a lot of people who are concerned about it."
"The gambling boss of the casino in the neighboring county must have heard about this, so he went to Anji Village in advance to wait. Once the villagers got the money, he would try every means to cheat them out of it."
After that, County Magistrate Lin explained the last question: "Captain Lei brought up this matter because he wanted to step up prevention. Although the victim did not report the case, if we do not intervene, there will definitely be a second victim soon."
"For the villagers, that means losing everything they have."
This, this.
How could a gambler losing money lead to so many consequences?
"Lei Liming, pick four people, dress in ordinary clothes and go to Anji Village. Ask the village chief who is the farmer who took in the gambler and what his family situation is like."
"Most likely they are working together from inside and outside. Catching them can also serve as a warning to others."
After that, County Magistrate Lin ordered again: "Who was the constable who went to patrol the village recently? Why didn't he report such a big incident?"
County Magistrate Lin was a man of swift and decisive actions. After listening to Lei Liming's explanation of the situation, he was able to guess the reasons behind it.
Even the buying and selling of silage is involved.
When he learned that the money for silage had indeed been distributed, County Magistrate Lin felt even more certain.
The new county magistrate's eyes were almost filled with awe.
He really admires County Magistrate Lin!
Although County Magistrate Lin was only a juren, he was really amazing.
From the end of September to Zhengrong County, now it is the end of November, the new county magistrate feels like he is just a child in elementary school.
The actual situation here is completely different from what I learned in the Hanlin Academy.
In modern terms.
It is probably because County Magistrate Lin has rich experience in grassroots work and can handle any matter with ease.
Originally, the new county magistrate trusted the veteran officials around him very much, but after a while he found that County Magistrate Lin was the one who knew the affairs of Zhengrong County, or the basic matters, best.
The new county magistrate followed behind County Magistrate Lin and did not notice that the old official's gaze was strange.
The old official always felt that his young master seemed to no longer believe him.
Constable Lei Liming went to the scene quickly and caught the gambler who had come to Anji Village again that night.
Seeing that Ji Li had returned to the next county to gamble, this man secretly sneaked back and even fooled a few villagers.
These villagers made money from the silage and now have some change in their hands.
Not only was the gambler arrested, but even the villagers of Anji Village who took him in were also taken to the yamen.
The yamen prison interrogated people all night long, and those who needed to be detained were detained, and those who needed to be beaten were beaten.
The villagers who were almost cheated were scolded by Village Chief An the next day. He deliberately scolded them in front of the most people in the village and even said, "Call everyone in the village who is free to come and have a look."
"What's wrong with these three guys? They just got the money and they're going to gamble? Don't you know the situation of Ji Li's family? They still need money to buy cows? He sold all the cows!"
After a lot of scolding, almost half of the people in Anji Village came over.
"Gambling is addictive. Ji Li took away all the life-saving money of the family. Now her parents are still scolding each other."
"You guys want this too? Why don't you use your brains?"
"If the government hadn't come to question you, would you have already gone to the next county?! Do you really want to lose everything?!"
Village Chief An was furious.
Originally, it was a good thing to help the villagers make money.
The village was filled with joy.
But yesterday afternoon, Constable Lei came to his house and explained the situation, which frightened him so much that his legs went weak.
After a while, all the people were arrested. Constable Lei also gave a list of names, saying that these people were almost cheated and asked him to take good care of them.
How could Village Chief An not be angry!
It was also Ji Yuan's good thing that he did not give out all the money directly. His eldest daughter-in-law even said that Ji Yuan did it on purpose and wanted to give the money to his teacher.
Now I understand that you can’t suddenly give a large sum of money to someone who is too poor.
It’s just like someone who has been hungry for a long time cannot eat big fish and meat directly.
When Ji Yuan heard about this, he also came over to take a look.
What I worried about still happened.
It seems that the news that the villagers of Anji Village can make money quickly spread to the underground gambling houses in the neighboring county.
That's why the people over there came over to watch, waiting to cheat them out of their money.
But the money for the silage had not been paid out yet, and a Ji Li jumped out. It seemed that the money Ji Li won at the beginning was probably a trap set by the other party, with the purpose of making him lose more.
The other party's methods are experienced and it is obvious that this is not the first time.
Their county responded quickly. Although they did not call the police, they took precautions in advance and saved at least two families.
I heard that the county magistrate also sent a letter to the neighboring county to explain the matter. I guess that casino will also be shut down.
As for the money owed by the gamblers?
Ji Yuan thought, one casino was shut down, but those people were still alive, and they must have connections with other casinos.
The government may not support these debts, but their tactics will certainly force the gamblers to pay back the money.
When it comes to loan sharks, if you don't pay them back, they will always find a way to punish you.
The root of the problem is the rampant crime next door.
Ji Yuan was carrying a portion of the "Collection of Livestock Diseases" that he had compiled, and was going to Uncle An's house with the things, ready to give them to An Dahai.
Just fill it out according to the format. If there is anything missing, let Dahai fill it in himself.
When we went to Uncle An's house, he was also discussing Ji Li and the government's arrest of people. The whole village was still frightened.
If they were approached with something like this, they probably wouldn't be able to refuse.
After all, those people are the best at sweet talk.
Taking people to the next county for eating, drinking, whoring and gambling would make anyone reluctant to return home.
Some people simply gave the silver to their wives and made sure to hide it well, as if the money did not exist.
At most you can buy a cow in the spring, but at other times, you should just live your life honestly.
Unexpectedly, this incident made the originally restless An Jicun feel better.
Uncle An was also satisfied. Originally, his family thought he was too stingy with the money.
Now those young people think that if the money was in their hands, it would have been gone long ago.
Uncle An just happened to come back from shopping and delivered things to each room, and the atmosphere in Uncle An's house became better.
I didn't expect that sacrificing Ji Li would bring happiness to the entire Anji Village.
When the era was over, An Er Niang's wife Li Pandi also sent her brother home and said, "Since you have found a job, it will be better in the future. Dad and mom are old, and it's not easy."
"Do I need to tell you that? I have a very good relationship with the new county magistrate's entourage. I will start working with them tomorrow and officially start work in the first month of next year. Don't worry." Li Yaozhong glanced at Ji Yuan and stopped him, saying, "I heard that the new county magistrate likes you very much. You can come and work for the government in the future."
"Oh, no, only scholars can enter the government office!"
"Brother, why are you saying these things?" Li Pandi said immediately, her expression showing helplessness.
After Li Yaozhong was driven away last time, he has not come since then. His family always blames him and tells him not to go back to his parents' home during the New Year.
I didn't expect my brother to come back before the New Year, which means there is room for improvement.
However, her brother came this time to borrow some money, and then have a drink with the people from the county government to thank them for letting him work in the government.
Li Pandi gave the money out of habit, but then he clenched his pocket and said "no" abruptly.
Li Yaozhong naturally saw through it and said that his parents liked this job and he was just treating people to a drink and he would definitely pay it back with the monthly salary in the future.
He also said that the new county magistrate was very generous and the current county magistrate Lin could not compare to him.
Li Pandit was so annoyed by what he said that he gave him five cents of silver.
Unexpectedly, when I was sending him out, I happened to meet Ji Yuan and said such words to Ji Yuan.
Li Pandi thought to himself, if Ji Yuan was my younger brother, he would definitely not do this.
He was very kind to everyone in the village, let alone his own sister.
Li Pandi quickly apologized, but Ji Yuan didn't care: "I'll go find the sea and the river."
Ji Yuan naturally understood the family situation of Li Yaozhong and Li Pandi; he could tell just by looking at their names.
In his previous life's school, there was also a female classmate named Zhaodi. It was the same a thousand years later, not to mention a thousand years ago.
The reason why Li Yaozhong came here this time must be because Anji Village gave him money and he came here to collect some benefits.
But he is so arrogant about eating gigolo food, which makes people really disgusted.
This is not Madam An Er's fault. People in ancient times got married early. She is only in her thirties now. If she were in modern times, she might not have been working for long.
Ji Yuan took it and went to find the sea and the river.
Xiaohe is already fifteen years old this year, the same age as Dahai. He will be very angry.
"He's the only one who can read? He can read, but why does he take so much money from my family?"
"Before, I asked for my mother's jewelry, saying that it was for someone."
"It was different before. Don't you know it now? He was studying in the capital city, but he was clearly living a life of debauchery."
"It was fine after we broke up last time, but now it's happening again."
"He even boasted to me that he could work in the government office, and only Xiu could do it."
Ji Yuan heard these words as he stepped through the door.
If it were a few years ago, when An Xiaohe and Dahai were young, there would often be some conflicts among the children.
Now that we are all grown men, we can talk about anything with each other.
Seeing Ji Yuan coming in, and knowing that Ji Yuan would not say anything nonsense, and would not look at his family differently, An Xiaohe said with red eyes: "Do you still remember the Shiwen he brought me from the capital city that year?"
"My mother will also have to find a way to give him the money for those things."
"I didn't understand it before and thought it was hard to get. Now I know from my relatives there that books are actually very cheap in the city and contemporary literature can be found everywhere. It doesn't cost that much money at all."
Listening to An Xiaohe's words, Ji Yuan handed the "Collection of Livestock Diseases" to Dahai and said, "Then you can refuse."
"You are already fifteen, and you can protect your mother." Ji Yuan said, "Although there is a hierarchy, if the elders are rude, can't the younger generation mention it?"
"They are all elders, and more importantly, it should be your mother."
"Alas, my parents, they worked so hard to give birth to me. Alas, my parents, they worked so hard to give birth to me. How can I offend my elders by taking out my anger for her?"
This is a poem from the Book of Songs, which talks about parents' hard work and fatigue.
An Xiaohe looked at Ji Yuan, who raised his chin and said, "He's still at the door. He probably wants to ask for more money."
If you want to leave, you would have left long ago. Why are you lingering at the door? You just want money.
An Xiaohe has always been silent, and only spoke more in front of Dahai and Ji Yuan.
He had not yet learned the Book of Songs, but this poem was simple and he could understand its meaning.
An Xiaohe stood up. Although the 15-year-old boy still had an immature body, he was already a grown-up young man.
This is what Ji Yuan said, so it should be correct, right?
Besides, he just wanted to help his mother vent her anger.
His uncle always came to ask for money. His father was okay, but his grandfather was actually very unhappy.
Last time, my uncle refused to leave my house and wanted to be a teacher. His grandfather was so angry that he wanted to hit him, and his mother was laughed at by others behind her back.
"If you don't go now, he'll leave."
An Xiaohe rushed out directly.
An Dahai was stunned. Is this okay?
OK.
Ji Yuan had long been unhappy with Li Yaozhong.
Perhaps fearing that An Xiaohe would suffer a loss, Ji Yuan said, "Let's go, stand at the door and take a look."
No, he can help speak.
If he had to say who was unhappy, Ji Yuan was unhappy with Li Yaozhong last time.
Not only did he want to steal his sister's job, he also had no respect for Master Zhao and wanted to steal his mentor's job.
It's annoying just to listen to it.
An Dahai and Ji Yuan walked over and stood secretly behind the door.
Li Yaozhong was about to leave, but was stopped by An Xiaohe.
"Fifth Uncle!" An Xiaohe shouted, standing in front of his mother, "Give the money back to my family."
ah?
When An Xiaohe shouted like this, Li Yaozhong and his mother were stunned.
An Xiaohe continued, "How much money have you taken from my family for nothing? This money was earned by my mother with great difficulty. She was reluctant to spend it even on jewelry. Why did you take it away?"
"What nonsense are you talking about, kid?! I'm just borrowing it! I'm still studying, and I don't know how to respect and prioritize."
"There is a hierarchy, so I have to put my mother first." An Xiaohe learned quickly, "What about borrowing? Why did my mother buy jewelry? Isn't it because you borrowed her jewelry before? It's been three years, have you returned it?"
An Xiaohe took the word borrowing very seriously.
Li Yaozhong claimed to be a scholar, and perhaps no one in the capital city would take him seriously, but in Anji Village, or even in Zhengrong County, no one dared to talk to him like that.
Li Yaozhong was shaking with anger, and then he heard An Xiaohe continue, "Come back."
Xiaohe's mother wanted to say something out of habit, but when she thought about how Li Yaozhong wanted to snatch it away when she was making silage, she gritted her teeth and shut up.
And her son is protecting her, she can't undermine him.
Every word Xiao He said touched her heart.
"My mother has given so much money to her family over the years, and she has spent it all on you. My aunt and her family have also spent so much money on you."
"Back then, my mother was literate and could have married a scholar, but you thought the An family gave a large dowry, so you married her to my idle father. Have you forgotten everything?"
An Xiaohe simply spoke out all his grievances, lowering his voice and even scolding his own father.
Mrs. An's tears were streaming down her cheeks, but she couldn't help laughing after hearing what happened next: "Your father isn't that idle."
Hearing the dispute here, An Laoer silently took a step back.
Ji Yuan knew that Xiao He's father's personality was indeed more eccentric than that of other people in the An family, but with Uncle An's supervision, he would still work.
Li Yaozhong was so angry after being exposed that he threw the silver on the ground and shouted, "I don't want it anymore! What are you talking about? There is nothing good about a peasant family like yours."
"Oh, right, maybe they're not farmers anymore, but merchants! They're selling silage, lowly merchants! The whole village is full of merchants!"
"I don't want to be associated with you!"
An Xiaohe spoke in a low voice, and people passing by could hardly hear him.
But Li Yaozhong, who was angry and humiliated, spoke in a loud voice, so that the villagers of Anji Village who were passing by could hear it clearly.
It’s this scholar again. They have never seen such a disgusting scholar.
A group of people cursed at the same time, and some said: "The government has said that we are not doing business, we are selling agricultural products."
"What's your business?"
"Come to your sister's house to get money again?!"
An Xiaohe bent down to pick up the money, then pulled her mother and said, "Mom, let's go home. We can use the money to buy a hairpin later."
Hearing this, Ji Yuan immediately winked at Dahai and left before Madam An Er saw them.
An Laoer didn't leave, but went to meet him.
A family of three was talking at the door, looking very happy.
It should be that both the father and the son were comforting Madam An Er.
Ji Yuan looked back.
For some reason, I suddenly thought of Xiao Jiyuan’s mother and his mother.
His mother was also ill and died very early.
"This book is really good." Dahai flipped through the format written by Ji Yuan, "If I record it this way, it will definitely be very clear."
Ji Yuan nodded: "Yes, try to remember the details, it will be easier to organize when you encounter the same situation in the future."
While the two were talking, Li Yaozhong had already left angrily outside.
He hasn't been scolded like this in a long time.
He endured it all the time in the capital, but why is he still like this when he returns home? His sister even stops giving him money.
He is the most promising person in the family. If he becomes a high-ranking official in the future, he will definitely not let his fourth sister take advantage of him.
She learned to read because of me, but she didn't even help him.
Li Yaozhong felt a little regretful. Why did he return the silver? He even said he would treat people to a meal, and he only had three cents of silver left.
Forget it, just be frugal, this is enough.
It’s all his fourth sister’s fault, and also An Xiaohe’s.
"This nephew will never be able to pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, no matter how long he studies!"
Thinking of this, Li Yaozhong thought of Ji Yuan again.
Ji Yuan can pass the exam.
After all, it is the best school in the county and so many people praise it.
It’s just that he can write poetry, he can do that too. His poems are full of profound artistic conception, why is it that no one can appreciate them?
Li Yaozhong kept cursing all the way to the county town, and he became angrier and angrier as he walked.
The occasional oxcarts passing by on the road were unwilling to take him.
People in Anji Village don't like Li Yaozhong very much.
When he arrived at the county town, Li Yaozhong became even angrier.
He was extremely angry with the An family, Jiyuan, and the entire Anji Village.
Fortunately, the person who was about to be invited to dinner was a minor clerk serving the new county magistrate, who would be in charge of the Household Department in the future, and he could still work under him.
Even though he was just a minor clerk, he was also a scholar and had worked in the capital before.
According to the person from the Household Department, the new county magistrate is very powerful because his uncle is the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.
The Ministry of Personnel is in charge of the promotion of officials. A new county magistrate like this will definitely have a bright future.
If I can curry favor with the new county magistrate, maybe I can get a government position. Isn't this better than continuing to take the imperial examination?
Fortunately, he had seen the world in the provincial capital and knew what these people from the capital liked. Li Yaozhong used the skills he learned in the provincial capital to curry favor with this group of people and became familiar to them.
I have been busy with this matter for the past one or two months.
I gave away a lot of money and now I finally got a job.
This meal is to express gratitude again for this favor.
Li Yaozhong went to the designated restaurant and busied himself around, looking very fawning, trying to please the people from the household department.
Unexpectedly, no matter how long I waited, there was no one to show up.
Fortunately, the group of household officials finally arrived and said to Li Yaozhong, "Pour the wine."
There are not many people in Zhengrong County who know how to curry favor with others, and Li Yaozhong is outstanding in this regard.
Li Yaozhong quickly poured the wine, without showing any of his usual scholar-like arrogance.
I only heard the people from the Household Department talking about the conflicts in the yamen and how overbearing the people under Magistrate Lin were.
There is only one month left, and they still refuse to give in and are still holding on to power.
What's wrong with letting them go first?
Don’t you know what leisure is?
As they were talking, they brought up the topic of Ji Yuan again.
"Forget it. Ji Yuan's guarantee letter needs to be signed by County Magistrate Lin. Why sign it now? Even if the exam is in February next year, it should be signed by our Young Master Nie."
"They must want to attribute the child prodigy's achievements to County Magistrate Lin."
"Lin County Magistrate looks noble, how could he be like this?"
In a place governed by an official, if there are students with excellent academic performance, it is considered the official's political achievement.
Every official wanted a child prodigy like Ji Yuan, who would obviously pass the imperial examination and become a juren or a scholar.
It’s just like modern school principals competing for top students.
It is a great achievement for my school.
Magistrate Lin approved Ji Yuan's letter of guarantee, so from now on, the person who promoted the child prodigy Ji Yuan would be Magistrate Lin.
If the new county magistrate is asked to approve it, it will naturally be his.
One of the things that the government was arguing about just now was who should take the credit for this matter, that is, who should take the credit.
"Master Nie is too soft-tempered. He actually gave it to County Magistrate Lin."
"Speaking of which, Ji Yuan has already obtained a guarantee letter. If he wants to take part in the county exam next year, it will only be a little over two months."
"How old is he this year?"
"Ten years old, about eleven years old."
"Tsk tsk, this place can still produce a talent."
Li Yaozhong, who was pouring the wine, suddenly trembled and the wine jug fell to the ground.
Ji Yuan, Ji Yuan is actually going to take the exam to become a scholar?
Or will we take the exam after the New Year?!
Why?
According to the legend about his knowledge, he will definitely pass the exam?
A scholar of eleven years old is truly a child prodigy.
Li Yaozhong already hated Ji Yuan. Last time he wanted to take charge of the silage, he was talked back by him, so he ignored him this time too.
Why would such a person take the examination to become a scholar?
How come he has everything?
"Can you pour the wine?" the clerk of the Nie family asked, "If you can't, stand aside."
Li Yaozhong pressed on: "Era? Is it the era of Anji Village?"
What if you have the same name and surname?
"Yes, how come you know each other?" said the clerk of the Nie family. He was very interested in this.
After all, the era is different.
These people don’t know the actual situation and still think that Ji Yuan will take the exam next year.
Little did they know that it was precisely because of their unreliability that the county school instructor asked them to prepare the paperwork in advance, at least to avoid mistakes in the future.
Unexpectedly, in their eyes, Ji Yuan would take the exam next year.
The clerk from the Ministry of Rites brought by the Nie family who was aware of the situation was not there, otherwise this mistake would not have happened.
I heard that those petty clerks are still quarreling in the yamen.
Looking at everyone's curious eyes, Li Yaozhong gritted his teeth and said, "He has a very bad character. He only cares about himself and doesn't care about the lives of others at all."
"Also, he doesn't have a good relationship with his relatives. Who can issue him the certificate?"
Is this true?
The Nie family clerks looked at each other in bewilderment, but still said, "Lin County Magistrate has approved it, so the document must be correct."
County Magistrate Lin may not be willing to give up his power, but he is quite capable.
"Or maybe he just wanted to take credit for it. No one would easily look through the documents. My sister married into Anji Village, and I know that he has a very bad relationship with his relatives." Li Yaozhong said this with great confidence, and when he mentioned the matter of taking credit for it, he actually convinced the clerk brought by the Nie family.
There were already conflicts between the new and old teams, didn’t you see them swearing at each other just now.
Someone shouted, "If we can find evidence of this, our young master will be able to take power quickly, right?"
yes!
If you can do it, it will be a great achievement!
Uncle Wang, who is beside the young master, will definitely be happy.
Uncle Wang is the old official brought by the new county magistrate. He is also the one who has the most objections to County Magistrate Lin's reluctance to delegate power. Recently, he feels that the young master seems to want to learn more from County Magistrate Lin, and he is quite dissatisfied.
This does seem to be a handle.
A group of people talked a lot, but no one did anything. After all, there was no evidence. But he still said to Li Yaozhong: "If there is any evidence, then come to me again. I can make them leave early and let you get promoted! I will take you with me when I return to the capital!"
Li Yaozhong was so angry that he could only sigh beside him. It was not that easy.
The guy who came over saw the broken wine jug and immediately said, "You have to pay for this!"
A broken wine jug?
Still need to pay compensation?
Li Yaozhong became increasingly dissatisfied, grabbing the waiter by the collar and saying, "Do you see who we are? We are the officials of the government. We can just not let you treat us to a meal, but you want us to pay you back? You are dreaming!"
"Why are you so fierce? Which official from Zhengrong County would come here without paying? Wait until our boss reports it to Magistrate Lin, and then we'll see what you can do! Magistrate Lin handles the case impartially, so how can he let you off so easily?!"
The guy wasn't afraid at all.
The restaurants in Zhengrong County are not afraid of this at all.
If it were any other place, we might still have to worry about the difficulties of being on duty, but this is Zhengrong County.
I haven’t seen so many new shops in recent years, and that’s because the cases here are handled fairly.
Li Yaozhong gritted his teeth and had to pay the money.
Why is County Magistrate Lin pretending? How can there be such a county magistrate? He doesn't believe that there is no official who is not selfish.
Thinking about Ji Yuan’s certificate, Ji Lijia would definitely not let him sign it. There must be something wrong.
Thinking of this, Li Yaozhong moved closer again.
He really wanted to curry favor with the young master of the Nie family. When he was in the provincial capital, many students who fawned on him were able to rise to the top by flattering him, so why couldn't he do the same?
I just said that if we can find something to hold against Ji Yuan, we can pull him into their circle. This is a great deal.
How about giving it a try?
After three rounds of drinks, the clerks of the Nie family spoke with a Beijing accent, and Li Yaozhong could not understand what they were saying, but he was even more eager to hear it.
Li Yaozhong simply asked a few people he knew to tell Ji Li if they saw him.
Unexpectedly, Ji Li was actually in the county seat of Zhengrong County.
Gambling is strictly prohibited in Zhengrong County, so he just followed a few scoundrels to play dice in a remote place. The dice are easy to put away, so he is not too afraid of being caught.
Of course, the ones I play with are very small.
Last time, Ji Li took more than twenty taels of silver from his family and went to the next county to continue gambling. He lost half of it, and the casino said that the government was coming to arrest him, so these gamblers fled in all directions.
After asking clearly, Ji Li found out that it was the Zhengrong County Government that reported the news to the government office here.
As for why the news leaked in advance, he didn't know, but he had already escaped.
But he was afraid that the constables from Zhengrong County would come looking for him, and he was also afraid that his mother would slap him again, so he didn't dare to go back to Anji Village.
So he hid in the county seat of Zhengrong County, thinking of waiting until the end of the year.
Ji Li no longer had his original winter clothes and was now wearing very thin clothes. His hair had been cut and he hadn’t taken care of it. He looked no different from a beggar.
Li Yaozhong had stayed in the provincial capital for a long time. For some reason, he actually knew where the low-life places were in the county town, and he actually ran into one.
In order to follow the Nie family, he really tried his best.
He has seen too many examples of people becoming officials by relying on big families, so now he is determined to do anything.
There is also a hidden thought in my mind.
He didn't want Ji Yuan to take the exam to become a scholar.
This man is not even a scholar, but they just ignore him, don't help him make money, and don't recommend him to the county school.
If Ji Yuan passed the exam and became a scholar, what would I do?
And there is An Jicun, who talks about Ji Yuan all the time. He thinks he is no worse than this person!
You are still a little prodigy. You are the little prodigy of Zhengrong County!
Although he is already twenty-seven this year, he used to be a child prodigy!
As long as we can drag Ji Yuan down and prevent him from taking the exam, that will be fine.
Li Yaozhong naturally had no intention of using just a certification document to disrupt the imperial examination next year.
But he knew the process of taking the examination for the scholar too well.
A certification document may not be able to prevent it, but it may be possible to reissue it.
But if Ji Yuan’s closest relatives report him for being cruel and disrespectful to his elders, then this matter will be worth talking about.
If Ji Yuan gets involved in a lawsuit before the imperial examination, he will not be able to take part in the county examination next year.
This is not a difficult thing.
Just find Ji Yuan’s closest relatives.
Now it seems that Ji Yuan’s closest relatives are Ji Li’s family.
He will definitely make good use of this relationship.
What a little prodigy.
It's annoying just to listen to it. If he is not ruined, he will have spent so many years in the capital city in vain.
Not only does she not help him make money, she also ignores him, and even her poetry is more famous than his.
An orphan, why?
Li Yaozhong was burning with jealousy.
Today, he seemed to have two personalities. He could be servile to people who were higher in rank than him, even if they were followers of the Nie family.
He can show off to people of lower status than him, such as waiters in a restaurant, or people who are younger than him and come from a poorer family.
But Ji Yuan didn't buy it at all, and even asked An Jicun to do the same.
People in Anji Village also say that there is a child prodigy in their village.
Soon, this child prodigy couldn't even take the county exam!
When he finds Ji Li, he will make Ji Yuan pay!
At this time, Ji Yuan was still reading at Master Zhao's house.
Dr. Yin and Dr. Luo gave him at least seven or eight books, and he must finish reading them during the winter vacation.
Not only that, I also have to write down my thoughts on each book.
Until the end of the year, Ji Yuan never put down his book and read quietly.
Ji Li, who finally dared to go home, was beaten again by Aunt Ji and Uncle Ji. But he was still their son, so they had no choice but to forgive him in the end.
Ji Li's next sentence made the two of them dare not move.
"Dad, Mom. Let's go to the government office and sue Ji Yuan. You two raised him, but now he doesn't come home for the New Year and doesn't even give his money home. You should sue him for disrespecting his elders and ruining his chance of taking the imperial examination!"
"Mom! Didn't you always want him to take the imperial examination? Isn't this a good opportunity?"
The corners of Aunt Ji and Uncle Ji's mouth twitched.
Sue the official?
Sue the authorities because of these things?
Uncle Ji seemed to have thought of something and shouted, "No! You can't sue the authorities!"
"Now that County Magistrate Lin has not left yet, if he handles this matter, he will definitely handle it impartially. After his parents died, they were raised by our family. How can he not repay such a kindness?!"
Ji Li was naturally not that smart. He was instigated by Li Yaozhong. Li Yaozhong finally found him at the end of the year and told him the plan directly.
Since it can help Ji Li get money, it can also destroy Ji Yuan.
Ji Li already has more than two hundred taels of gambling debt, and this is definitely his last chance.
Besides, he had no intention of actually suing.
He just wanted Ji Yuan to give him money. After all, he knew so many teachers and could just lend him some.
As long as you give him money, he won’t sue!
Ji Li was so busy calculating that he didn't notice that when Uncle Ji and Aunt Ji heard that Ji Yuan's parents had died, their faces turned even uglier.
Uncle Ji slapped Ji Li in the face with a loud slap: "Don't mention this! Do you hear me? If you dare to mention it again, I will beat you to death!"
Ji Li was beaten so hard that he almost fell down, and his face immediately became swollen.
Why?
Why not?
Ji Li realized later that his parents seemed to have always been afraid of the death of Ji Yuan's parents?
Unfortunately, the moment he came to his senses, he was kicked again.
Uncle Ji said, "Tie him up and see if he dares to go out and gamble again."
"Call the police? I'll throw you into the river first!"
Ji Li struggled in fear, but his parents tied him up and locked him in the house.
Aunt Ji and Uncle Ji closed the door, with fear written on their faces.
"Ji Yuan, are you going to take the imperial examination?"
"Will the real cause of his parents' death be discovered?"
After saying this, Uncle Ji stood up with an angry look on his face: "No! My brother died in the river, and my sister-in-law died of illness, that's it."
Aunt Ji's face turned pale as she murmured, "Yes, this is indisputable. We will be fine."
"At least we've got him under surveillance, so Ji Yuan won't even think of reporting the matter to the police."
"At least, don't let him out before County Magistrate Lin leaves."
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