Chapter 48
Chapter 48
The thirty-third year of Huayuan, New Year's Eve.
Ji Yuan is still at Master Zhao's house. In the past few years, he has been at Master Zhao's house on New Year's Eve.
Mr. Zhao’s grandchildren also like Ji Yuan the most. Every time he comes, they bring a lot of delicious food.
It’s a little more lively this year. Dahai and Xiaohe have also come to play, and several of us are staying up together to celebrate the New Year.
Speaking of the county town, Dahai also asked, "Is County Magistrate Lin preparing to leave?"
Ji Yuan nodded: "It is said to be the sixth day of the first lunar month."
The government offices are closed from December 25th to the fifth day of the first lunar month.
All in all, County Magistrate Lin is no longer the county magistrate of Zhengrong County, and the time has come for him to be transferred here.
Speaking of this, An Dahai sighed: "I wonder if the new county magistrate will hire a teacher for us."
This is talking about a veterinary teacher.
The level of veterinary medicine in Zhengrong County is still low. Last year, County Magistrate Lin requested for a long time before he was able to invite a few capable ones.
Now that the new county magistrate has arrived, I wonder if he will continue to do this.
Ji Yuan couldn’t say for sure, but if he wanted to hire a more capable veterinarian with the other party’s background, that would be possible.
Just see if you can think of this.
As Ji Yuan and the others were chatting, they couldn't help but mention County Magistrate Lin.
Although Ji Yuan had not seen this solemn county magistrate very often, he knew very well how much he had done for Zhengrong County.
The county school can feel it, and Dahai, a veterinarian, can feel it too.
The local officials are powerful because they can make the lives of the people better and better.
“I hope the new county magistrate can do a good job.”
"I also hope that County Magistrate Lin will be promoted smoothly."
After New Year’s Eve, it’s a new year.
It has been thirty-four years since Huayuan.
Ji Yuan also grew from eight years old to eleven years old.
In the new year, I must study hard.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, every family goes to the cemetery to worship their ancestors, and Ji Yuan is no exception.
He prepared offerings for his parents and grandparents and went to his ancestral grave early.
Ji Yuan first went to his grandparents' grave, then to his parents' grave to burn paper, silently saying in his heart: "Your spirits are in heaven, perhaps you have reunited with little Ji Yuan, I hope you will be reborn in a new era in your next life."
Of course that world is not perfect.
But it is much better than ancient times, and he also believes that the world will be better.
Of course, his current Tianqi Kingdom will be better.
Ji Yuan has always been an optimist.
The paper money was about to be burned out, and Ji Yuan saw Uncle Ji and Aunt Ji.
Speaking of which, the three of them haven't spoken to each other for a long time.
Ji Yuan was too lazy to say anything. Those two people didn't even come to cause trouble, as if they didn't know him at all.
Maybe she stopped talking after Aunt Ji failed to stop him from going to school?
Ji Yuan walked straight over and the two men quickly turned their heads away, as if they were afraid of seeing something.
If they didn't have to burn paper for the elders today, they wouldn't have come.
Of course, there is another thing.
When there was no one around, Uncle Ji knelt in front of the grave of his brother, Ji Yuan's father, and muttered something so that no one could hear him.
"You should have been reincarnated. Your death has nothing to do with me, and neither has my sister-in-law's death. It's really not our fault."
"Don't come here again. After the last fish eyeball incident, we didn't dare to do anything."
"Once County Magistrate Lin leaves, no one will know about this anymore. The road is long and the mountains are high, so let's forget about it."
"Your son is very promising and will definitely be different in the future. We will not do anything. In order to accumulate virtue for your son, you must not make trouble. We are all family. If we make trouble, will your son still be able to take the imperial examination?"
Aunt Ji also kept talking in front of her parents-in-law's grave, saying basically, we are all family, and you should persuade Ji Yuan's parents not to ruin the family's reputation.
Finally, I hope Ji Li will stop gambling, because if he continues, he will never be able to pay it off in his lifetime.
What else can you say? Actually, this is also the fault of Ji Yuan's parents. If it weren't for them, Ji Li wouldn't have gambled.
Of course, we also have to pray for them to get rich and quickly pay off all their gambling debts.
The two men spoke incoherently, and some people wanted to get closer to listen, but they seemed to think there was something wrong with what they were saying, so they spoke particularly vaguely.
At this time, in Uncle Ji's house, Ji Li was tied up with a crazy look in his eyes.
He's been going crazy these days.
Why are they tying him up? Why aren't they letting him report to the police?
According to what Li Yaozhong said, as long as he reported it to the authorities, Ji Yuan would not be able to take the exam at least this year.
The county exam is in February, so they just need to delay the lawsuit a little longer.
If he wants to take the exam again next year, Li Yaozhong, who is already working in the government office, will definitely be able to stop him.
Ji Li felt relieved when he thought that Ji Yuan could not take the imperial examination.
Why can he go to the county school and take the exam?
And what he said was not wrong. Ji Yuan was living a life of luxury in the county school and completely ignored family ties.
His parents raised him for at least three years!
How much effort does it take to raise a child for three years!
As long as Ji Yuan acknowledges this favor, and as long as the new county magistrate orders Ji Yuan to support his uncle and aunt, then even if Ji Yuan becomes a high-ranking official in the future, he will have to take care of their family.
Isn’t it said that Ji Yuan is good at studying and at least he can pass the exam to become a scholar?
The scholar still needs to receive his salary, and then he will ask him for money!
We are all family! How can we not pay?
As long as Ji Yuan wants to take the imperial examination, he must give him money to help him pay off his gambling debts.
Li Yaozhong and Ji Li have different ideas.
But they all wanted to drag Ji Yuan into the water.
One does not want him to take the imperial examination.
The other one dreams of sucking Ji Yuan’s blood.
The two people with similar interests hit it off immediately.
The ultimate goal is to sue Ji Yuan and expose his "true face"!
But he was tied up by his own parents, who didn't allow him to go out and warned him not to report to the police.
As expected, this world is full of snobs. His parents didn’t treat Ji Yuan like this before.
They must think Ji Yuan has a promising future, so they don't dare to offend him.
Even his own parents are like this, he is almost despairing of life!
The more Ji Li thought about it, the angrier he became. The marks on his hands became deeper, but he couldn't break free.
Why, why?
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Ji Li was unable to run away. He listened to people outside greeting each other and telling each other how great the year was. He became even more jealous.
How well this New Year was spent is the topic of discussion among everyone in Anji Village.
Many people bought charcoal, new clothes, and snacks that they would never dare to think of buying in normal times.
There was even one family that bought a whole set of bowls and chopsticks for the whole family!
It will be so grand when relatives come to visit in a few years.
So many people in the village are saying, “I really want to make silage next year.”
"Yeah, we all make a lot of money from silage."
Someone else lowered his voice and said, "I just don't know how much the village chief and Ji Yuan earn."
"It's definitely a lot! But he deserves it."
The people in Anji Village don’t know yet that the road will be repaired after the New Year, and the remaining surplus will be distributed then.
Let the money for a year's silage actually go into everyone's pocket.
I estimate that this matter will be discussed around the tenth day.
Village chief An learned a lesson from the gambling boss and did everything in a low-key manner.
Things have been said a long time ago, and it is estimated that there will be changes.
But even without mentioning this, the villagers were also very happy.
What a great year this year!
The second and third days of the Chinese New Year.
The villagers began to visit relatives one after another, and many people from other villages came, and they were envious no matter how they heard about it.
Ji Yuan didn't have many relatives to visit. He seemed to have a second aunt, but although his second aunt married in the same county, the family lived quite far away.
The only one left is Uncle San.
Other people in the same village with the surname Ji wanted to come and see him, but Ji Yuan politely declined.
If you have this time, you might as well read more books.
After school starts, he will go to the B-grade class and must study hard.
After all, there are monthly exams in Class B in February.
The monthly exams for Grade B classes still require rankings.
Dr. Luo and Dr. Yin were keeping an eye on him. If his grades were too bad, it would bring shame to the two doctors.
Besides, his competitive spirit won't allow him to be last one anymore!
It's very quiet here in Jiyuan. At most you can go find the sea, the river, and Xiao Huang.
Xiao Huang is very comfortable at Uncle An's house and his living conditions have improved a lot.
Uncle An’s family is naturally different from Ji Yuan’s.
There are thirty or forty people in his family, and he has many relatives. And because Uncle An does have some money, many relatives come to visit him.
An Dahai and An Xiaohe also joined in the entertainment. They were both fifteen years old and they actually joined in the fun.
Just another relative, one that none of them had expected.
An Xiaohe's uncle, Li Yaozhong.
Logically speaking, An Xiaohe said that to him at the doorstep, but his uncle actually came over?
Doesn't he feel embarrassed?
An Dahai whispered, "What's wrong with your uncle? Aren't scholars the most concerned about their reputation? Why is he acting like nothing happened?"
An Xiaohe doesn’t know either.
His previous impression of his uncle was that he was always arrogant.
This is because they didn't see how Liu Yaozong behaved in front of the Nie family's clerk, which would probably have shocked them even more.
The visitor was a guest during the New Year, and he was also the second lady’s younger brother, so Uncle An still greeted him.
The other relatives who came to visit didn't understand why, and the praise made Li Yaozhong feel flattered.
"It's actually the scholar. This is the first time we've seen him."
"I heard that you studied in the capital city before. You are really amazing."
"Oh my god, who wouldn't envy having a scholar in the family, and one who is educated?"
Li Yaozhong raised his chin and nodded with satisfaction.
That’s right, this is the praise he deserves from the poor and remote areas.
Unlike people like An Jicun, they have no sense of humility at all.
He actually thinks Ji Yuan is better than him?
What a big dream!
Look how powerful he is. These four people in Chunqiu Dameng are so accurate.
Li Yaozhong also went to see An Xiaohe, and seeing Xiaohe reciting the Four Books, he sneered, "Who still recites the original scriptures now? I tell you, in the city, you only need to recite the annotations. It's enough to understand the meaning of these things."
An Xiaohe ignored him and focused on reading.
Li Yaozhong meant that there was no need to memorize the text.
Just memorize the extracurricular readings. It would be better to memorize a few contemporary essays written by others. Then you can recite them during the exam.
For example, there is no need to memorize the sentence "If you study without thinking, you will be confused."
Anyway, there must be some talented people in the market who wrote this analysis and this article.
Just memorize the article.
For example.
Don't analyze the question or try to understand its meaning.
Just memorize the answers.
In the past, An Xiaohe would have listened to him, but recently he doesn't want to pay any attention to this scholar uncle.
Li Yaozhong was flattered just now, but now he felt embarrassed, so he simply mocked: "This is how it is done in the city, and some people passed the exam this way."
"Reciting the classics is stupid. Read the current literature instead."
When reading a poem, don't try to understand its original meaning and just memorize the answer to the poem.
It's indeed a trick.
Yes, the Four Books and Five Classics together contain hundreds of thousands of words, and there are also various sub-books and annotations, which most people really cannot finish reading.
It seems like it is indeed a shortcut?
An Xiaohe said casually: "If that's the case, why didn't you pass the exam?"
These words choked Li Yaozhong.
"Why didn't I pass? This year is the provincial examination year, I will definitely pass!"
The meaning of "provincial examination year" is that there will be a provincial examination in August this year, and all of these scholars can participate.
An Xiaohe’s filter for his uncle was completely shattered and he continued to recite his books.
Ji Yuan also mentioned that this year is the year for the provincial examination, and it is estimated that the county school will have some seats vacated by the end of the year. The county school will definitely recruit students at that time, so he can prepare first.
It has always been An Xiaohe's dream to be admitted to the county school.
When Ji Yuan and I were studying under Master Zhao, I could barely keep up with the progress.
But now the situation is completely different. He has been left far behind.
Fortunately, as An Xiaohe grows older, he also understands the differences between people. He doesn't need to compare himself with others, he just needs to study step by step.
Not everyone can compare with Ji Yuan.
Just looking at Ji Yuan's diligence, I am far from being able to reach him.
Seeing that his nephew ignored him, Li Yaozhong stamped his feet in anger.
An Xiaohe was not like this before. An Xiaohe obviously admired him very much and she used to call him uncle in her letters.
Now it has become like this. I heard that he has a very good relationship with Ji Yuan. It must be Ji Yuan who brought him here.
Thinking of Ji Yuan, Li Yaozhong turned away. He came to Anji Village today just under the pretext of visiting relatives.
The target is Ji Yuan's gambling cousin Ji Li.
Hasn't it been agreed that he will bring his parents to sue Ji Yuan? How can a person who doesn't respect his elders and ignores the grace of his upbringing take the imperial examination?
I heard that Ji Yuan's parents were buried with the help of his uncle and aunt, so the important matter of mourning clothes must not be forgotten.
Seeing that County Magistrate Lin was about to leave, how could he sow discord between County Magistrate Lin and the young master of the Nie family?
If this fails, how can he show his face in front of the officials in the yamen?
Li Yaozhong's thoughts were complicated, but if you looked closely, they could be summed up in two words: jealousy.
Because of jealousy, I found many excuses.
In short, it’s just one purpose: if the other party is not having a good time, he will be happy!
It would be even better if we could make some profit from it!
Li Yaozhong didn't know where Ji Li's house was, so he asked a child before going there.
Before I got close, I heard something breaking inside, as if a couple were fighting, and the kind that really drew blood.
But I didn't see Ji Li. Just as I was thinking about it, I heard Ji Li shouting, "Why is there no meat today? How did you cook the meal? I don't want to eat it!"
Ji Li was locked in his room, and his eating, drinking, defecating and urinating were all taken care of by Aunt Ji and Uncle Ji.
The two of them were fighting because they were talking about how bad the food was today and what they were going to do with their son.
Uncle Ji said that there was no money at home, so how could we buy meat?
Aunt Ji slapped him and said, "It's all because of you! If it weren't for you gambling, would our son be like this?"
Seeing that they were fighting again, Li Yaozhong secretly climbed over the wall and walked to the back window of Ji Li's room. It was unknown what they discussed.
On the fifth day of the first lunar month, all industries and businesses open.
The government office's holiday is over.
For the people in Zhengrong County Government, half were happy and half were sad.
Of course it was because it was County Magistrate Lin’s last day in Zhengrong County.
Thinking of this, the sadness on the faces of Constable Lei Liming and others was beyond words.
After opening the door of the yamen, Constable Lei couldn't help but sigh.
Once County Magistrate Lin leaves, these people will probably be replaced.
I heard that the people under the new county magistrate have recruited many local scholars and strong men in order to fill many positions.
Oh, this job is really hard, there is no day after day.
The clerk of the Nie family was very happy.
That’s great! As soon as County Magistrate Lin leaves, Zhengrong County will be completely under their control.
The next step is the Tongshi, which is the competition for becoming a scholar.
When the results of the child exam come out, this group of people will have real achievements!
It's really their fault!
Even if he is just a minor official, he will have something to brag about in the future.
But County Magistrate Lin was the same. He was leaving tomorrow, and today was his last day, but he still came, arriving earlier than many others.
Is he so greedy for the power of a county magistrate?
At this moment, in the inner hall of the yamen, County Magistrate Lin gave orders again and carefully checked the documents he had handed over.
Although it was a holiday, County Magistrate Lin summarized almost all the upcoming problems in Zhengrong County.
This will make it easier for the new county magistrate to get started.
Even on the last day, we cannot relax.
In the morning, the final handover was being carried out in various parts of the government, and neither the new nor the old teams would do anything at this critical juncture.
The complaints handed in from outside were put away one by one according to the rules.
Generally speaking, these complaints must be reviewed by the Ministry of Personnel before being dealt with.
However, when the other party received the document, he exclaimed.
"era."
Everyone in the yamen has heard of the name Jiyuan.
Not only because Ji Yuan had excellent grades, but also because the new county magistrate said he was a child prodigy on the first day he arrived.
"Ji Yuan's complaint? What is he suing for?"
"No, it was his cousin who sued him for being reckless, disrespectful to his elders, and not supporting his uncle and aunt."
The person who wrote the complaint was obviously very cunning. He listed all of Ji Yuan's character and especially pointed out that after Ji Yuan's parents passed away, it was his uncle and aunt who raised him.
But this year, something happened in his uncle and aunt's family. He watched coldly and did not go home for the New Year for three consecutive years.
None of his fellow villagers went home, which shows his attitude.
Not only that, he also said that there was a problem with the certificate of Jiyuan Tongshi. The document should have been written by an elder in the family, but he did not find his uncle, so somehow it was handed in. He also asked the county magistrate to investigate thoroughly.
The complaint was signed by Ji Li, Ji Yuan’s cousin.
If we talk about the above matters, we can also talk about family disputes. The following matters are related to the imperial examinations and must not be taken lightly.
Moreover, Ji Yuan is quite famous in Zhengrong County, so he cannot be careless.
"Come here, go and investigate whether it is true." The official sent by the Nie family has already taken office. He ordered the constable he is familiar with, who is also a member of the Nie family, to go and do the work.
Once a complaint is submitted, it will not be handled immediately. It will have to be checked by the people below to see if the facts are true.
If it is too outrageous, we will definitely fight back.
The constable's eyes lit up when he received the complaint.
This, isn’t this what Li Yaozhong said, that the imperial examination documents of Ji Yuan can be changed to the name of their Young Master Nie.
It’s not a good idea to say that, which is to invalidate this document and let Ji Yuan write a new one.
When the next copy was written, County Magistrate Lin had already left, and the only one who could stamp and confirm was Young Master Nie, the new County Magistrate.
Although the imperial examination is scheduled for the sixth day of February, it is now the fifth day of the first lunar month, so there is only one month to prepare, which will indeed delay things a bit.
But Ji Yuan is so powerful, he should be fine.
The petty official brought by the Nie family wanted to attribute all the credit of the child prodigy to their own young master.
The previous certification document has been invalidated.
He had only one month left to take the examination for the scholar degree, so he had to apply again.
Since it is invalid, then the certification document and the five-person guarantee are invalid as well.
Although it is troublesome, it is a great opportunity for their young master!
Each party has its own thoughts.
So the Nie family's detectives went down to investigate.
The following information was obtained: after Ji Yuan's parents passed away, he indeed lived with his uncle and aunt, and his uncle and aunt took care of his food and clothing.
His uncle and aunt had a misfortune in their family and sold all their cows this year. His cousin wanted to ask Ji Yuan for help, but was rejected by Ji Yuan.
Although Ji Yuan is only eleven this year, he should have received a lot of money from the silage in Anji Village last year, but he did not help.
I guess his cousin sued Ji Yuan in anger because of this incident.
It has to be said that the Nie family's detectives also look down on this cousin Ji Li. He asked his relatives to pay off his gambling debts. He is really a piece of shit.
As for the certification documents.
It was indeed not signed by Ji Yuan’s only elder uncle and aunt.
In order to prevent any mistakes, Constable Nie even went to ask Uncle Ji Yuan and Aunt Ji Yuan themselves.
When the two men saw the constable, they were so scared that they trembled and asked quickly: "We didn't sign, what happened?!"
"We have nothing to do with Ji Yuan!"
Their attitudes were a bit strange. One of the detectives was about to tell the truth when he was stopped by the person next to him: "It's okay if you didn't sign it. You will know later. This is related to his imperial examination."
Aunt Ji and Uncle Ji were horrified and asked, "Lin County Magistrate, did Lin County Magistrate investigate?!"
The constable was unhappy and said directly: "Without Magistrate Lin, Magistrate Nie is now in charge, and he will be the one in charge from now on."
ah?
The county magistrate has been changed.
Uncle Ji calculated the time and it seemed to be true.
If the county magistrate is changed, then they won’t have to worry about that matter anymore?
Uncle Ji is thinking, maybe he can really sue Ji Yuan together with his son.
You can definitely make a lot of money.
As for the two constables from the Nie family, they are looking for answers to questions, and the answers they hear must be what you want.
This is also true in this matter.
In the afternoon, two detectives returned with the news and told the people from the Civil Service Bureau, "The situation is true, we can open a case now."
You don’t need to worry about anything else, as long as you can replace the document proving the era.
As for things like disrespecting elders, it will not really affect the imperial examinations.
When Ji Yuan has achieved fame and success, will these still be a problem?
As the young master's first political achievement, not to mention that this matter seems suspicious, even if Ji Yuan really did something, what does it matter.
These days, fame and status are the most important thing.
Ji Yuan will be able to pass the imperial examination sooner or later, so who cares about these things?
Actually, this matter is simple.
It was Li Yaozhong, the troublemaker, who was jealous, and knew that the new county magistrate's people wanted Ji Yuan to take credit for his achievements, so he interfered.
Ji Li, who was used as a gun, might have thought about this, but he just didn't submit to Ji Yuan. He hated that he could be admitted to the county school and become a scholar, and he also wanted to suck Ji Yuan's blood, so he was willing to step forward.
As for the new county magistrate's subordinates who were the investigating party, they were only interested in achieving political achievements for their master, so for them, this matter was just a matter of invalidating a piece of certification document.
Anyway, we can do it again.
As for the impact on Ji Yuan, it can be ignored for the time being. As long as we have a good relationship with the Nie family, why should we be afraid of this?
Let’s not talk about Li Yaozhong and Ji Li for now. These two have always been ambitious but incompetent and can’t stand seeing others do better than they are.
The new county magistrate's subordinates were equally arrogant.
Now that this matter has been filed, it will affect more than just Ji Yuan.
Fortunately, the instructor asked Jiyuan and others to prepare the paperwork in advance in preparation for the imperial examination the year after.
If it is really as these people guess, Ji Yuan will take the county exam in February this year, and then it will be over.
First of all, the other four people who were protecting the five people of Ji Yuan would suddenly be implicated.
For example, if you are going to take the college entrance examination, and less than a month before the exam, someone tells you that your ID card has been lost and you need to apply for a new one.
If you fail to do this, you will not be able to take the exam this year.
Are you panicking at this time?
Ji Yuan and the other four people had to go through everything again, from the guarantee letter of five people to the certification documents, and wait for government review.
The pressure before the exam is already high, and if something like this happens again, I'm afraid the exam will be affected.
It would be fine if the other four people were reasonable, but it is also normal if they harbor resentment towards Ji Yuan.
No one wants to have problems before the exam.
In the eyes of the new county magistrate's subordinates, it was just a matter of effort.
What they considered a trivial matter ended up implicating five candidates and even their families.
On the evening of the fifth day of the first lunar month, the case was officially filed, and the relevant persons involved will be brought in for trial tomorrow morning.
Unexpectedly, the officials of the Ministry of Personnel thought for a moment and said, "Let's keep it for another day."
"We will re-examine the case tomorrow after County Magistrate Lin leaves."
This is also fine, as it prevents County Magistrate Lin from finding out and the certificate he signed for Ji Yuan from being invalidated.
Who knows what might happen then.
With the thoughts of all parties hidden behind the scenes, this thin complaint has become complicated.
As the sun set in the west, people from the yamen left one after another. County Magistrate Lin looked at the documents on the desk again and was about to read them subconsciously.
Then he thought that he was no longer the magistrate of Zhengrong County, so it would not be appropriate to look at him again.
The other party already thought that he should have left long ago, and if he continued to watch, the old official beside Xiao Nie would definitely be unhappy.
There's no need to cause a conflict at the end.
In the past, I had to deal with official documents from Zhengrong County every night, but today I suddenly don’t have to deal with that, which is a little different.
The county magistrate said, "Sir, the teachers have prepared a farewell banquet. Let's go."
Magistrate Lin nodded.
The farewell banquet prepared by the teacher was held at Dr. Yin's home.
Everyone who comes here looks familiar.
Except for the people who were going to follow County Magistrate Lin, the others were familiar officials.
County Magistrate Lin changed into his casual clothes and came over to drink and chat with everyone.
No one talked much about the government office's affairs, since that was the way it was anyway.
And there is someone to check on Xiao Nie, so there won’t be any big problems.
The sixth day of the first lunar month.
An unexpected couple came to the county town.
Aunt Ji and Uncle Ji discussed the matter at home for an entire night, and they became more and more excited as they talked.
If County Magistrate Lin really left, then things would be easier.
Considering Ji Yuan’s current fame, he can definitely make a ton of money from him. Many people know that he is a child prodigy, so isn’t that profitable?
They didn't do this before because they were concerned about County Magistrate Lin. After all, County Magistrate Lin knew something about what happened back then.
If Ji Yuan talked about this with Magistrate Lin, their secret would be exposed.
They want to find their son Ji Li and have a good talk about this matter.
Thinking of Ji Li's gambling debts, as well as the casino and gambling boss behind him, the two men became terrified.
Uncle Ji has come into contact with those people. If he doesn't pay them back, he'll have his arms and legs broken.
I originally thought that there was no other way, so I told them that County Magistrate Lin would be leaving today, and they could sue Ji Yuan and ask Ji Yuan to honor them.
This is a great way to get some free money.
"He has a lot of books on him, and those books can make a lot of money if they are sold."
"Okay, let him sell the books to pay off his debts."
"If you pass the exam and become a scholar, we won't have to pay taxes on our land."
As they were talking, they asked someone they knew to look for Ji Li.
Although they don't have to sue right away, they can also ask what the situation is first.
Or use this to threaten Ji Yuan and see if he still dares to be so arrogant.
"As long as County Magistrate Lin leaves, everything will be easy."
At this moment, Lord Lin was no longer the magistrate of Zhengrong County. He changed into casual clothes and packed up his belongings at home.
Mrs. Lin packed her luggage and the young child followed her.
The rest of the subordinates also followed in the carriage. They would set out in the morning, go to the canal near the neighboring county, and then take a boat to the next destination.
You have to set out early to get close to the ship.
Many people from the yamen came to see him off, even the new county magistrate came. Magistrate Nie really admired Lord Lin.
In the past few months, he has learned a lot from Lord Lin.
Everyone said goodbye here. Lord Lin looked at his former colleagues and nodded to everyone in the county school.
The teacher and Dr. Yin sighed, and both of them had slightly different expressions.
Lord Lin looked towards Zhengrong County.
It has been five years since the people in the county were forcibly conscripted to build the canal.
The canal in Zhengrong County was never built, and so many people were killed and injured at the time. It’s a painful lesson to think about it.
I hope Zhengrong County will get better and better in the future.
"I'm leaving now. We'll keep in touch by letter."
That being said, Tianqi is such a vast country with high mountains and long roads, so transportation is inconvenient. One would be lucky to see two letters a year.
The distance from Jianmeng Prefecture to Jiangxi Prefecture where Lord Lin is about to take office is 2,500 miles.
Except for Dr. Yin, who has the best relationship with Lord Lin, the others here are probably meeting for the last time in this life.
Everyone said goodbye. Magistrate Nie was reluctant to let them go, so he made small talk and sent Magistrate Lin to the carriage.
Today, the new and old teams were in great harmony; even the old officials around Magistrate Nie were in a friendly mood.
Magistrate Nie also took the opportunity to ask many puzzling questions, and Lord Lin answered every one of them.
Magistrate Nie said, "I didn't expect Ji Yuan to be sued by his cousin. Before I came to see you off, I followed your example and went to the government office. I looked through the documents and found the complaint."
"But judging from what was said above, they should be minor matters. Given his character, there won't be any problems."
County Magistrate Nie had only mentioned it casually.
In his opinion, a learned prodigy like Ji Yuan must be envied by others.
He didn't know what his cousin's identity was, but based on his knowledge, the era should not be wrong.
If Ji Yuan's uncle and aunt came to complain, he would take it more seriously. But if his peers came to complain, they would most likely be looking for trouble.
Unexpectedly, when he said this, the county school instructor, Dr. Yin and others were not happy. The most unsteady instructor Yan Xun asked, "Ji Yuan? Was he sued by his cousin? What happened?"
Lord Lin originally thought it was no big deal, but when he heard about his cousin Ji Yuan, he thought of some things that happened in the past.
The canal really involves too much.
Master Lin thought that Xiao Nie could handle it, so he didn't ask any more questions, but Dr. Yin refused and continued to ask: "What is the content of the complaint? What does your cousin want to do?"
How could he not know what his students are like?
Why did they sue for no reason?
Magistrate Nie was, after all, a Jinshi, well-informed and with a good memory, so he stated the complaint.
Several minor officials behind Magistrate Nie were stunned on the spot.
They didn't expect that the young master would go to the yamen in advance. They thought they would deal with it after Lord Lin left.
"It also involves his certification documents, but I just checked and his documents were signed by Master Qimeng, so there is no problem."
"Don't worry, it's most likely a false accusation."
"But we do need to investigate. My cousin said that Ji Yuan ate and drank for free at his house, but he didn't serve his uncle and aunt who raised him. This is indeed inappropriate. Filial piety is the most important thing in our Tianqi country. Uncle and aunt Ji Yuan raised him for many years, so they should treat him well."
"Besides, Uncle Jiyuan and Aunt Jiyuan helped with his parents' funeral arrangements. Regardless of anything else, this is a great favor."
When Magistrate Nie said something else, Lord Lin nodded slightly. But when he heard the words "free food and free drinks", he turned around subconsciously and asked, "Does the complaint really say that?"
"Yes." Magistrate Nie asked immediately, "Any questions?"
The group paused, and Lord Lin frowned, seeming to be hesitant about something.
Just as he was thinking about it, Constable Lei Liming came running over and said, "Mr. County Magistrate! Someone has been beating the drum for a long time, saying that he has a grievance to appeal. Many people have come to the gate of the yamen!"
A serious lawsuit in Tianqi State would be conducted like what Li Yaozhong instigated Ji Li to do, where they would write a letter of complaint, submit it to the government office, and wait for the government office to review the case.
The injustice drum at the gate of the yamen is not something that anyone can beat like in operas; there must be a great injustice to do so.
And once the drum is struck, someone will have to deal with it.
Generally speaking, the people don’t understand this, so the detectives from the yamen can go and persuade them and then follow the correct procedure.
But this time, the man refused to listen to anything he said and kept saying that he was extremely wronged and that he had to sue the other party.
The person they wanted to sue was Ji Yuan.
And this couple are Ji Yuan’s third uncle and aunt.
The charges.
That would mean that Ji Yuan was ungrateful, disregarding their blood ties and actually trying to force them to death.
He also said that it was the silage business he had gotten hold of that caused his son to incur gambling debts.
It must be Ji Yuan who did it on purpose!
If Ji Yuan doesn't support them and take care of his brothers, is he still a human being? Can he still take the imperial examinations?
They really raised him, let him live in their home for so many years, and took care of him when his parents passed away.
He must repay this kindness!
If you don’t report it, you are not a human being!
When Ji Yuan, who was at Master Zhao's house, heard this, he was filled with question marks.
However, this matter came later than he expected.
Based on his understanding of the couple, they should have used this trick against him a long time ago. He didn't expect that they would use it only now.
That’s good, at least it wasn’t when he was taking the exam for the scholar.
Ji Yuan spent the entire holiday studying at Master Zhao's house. He didn't care about anything else and had no idea that there was a turmoil in the small Zhengrong County government.
And he is also part of the chaos.
Constable Lei said, "Go ahead. Lord Lin wants to handle this matter personally. He also said that there are some people that you must go to personally."
If someone is suing you or is "beating the drum to appeal for justice", then you must go.
Ji Yuan nodded and followed Constable Lei and his men to the county town.
Constable Lei rode on his horse and took Ji Yuan there soon.
Ji Yuan also asked: "Didn't Magistrate Lin leave today? Why is he still in the government office?"
Constable Lei, who was carrying Ji Yuan, paused. What could he say?
The government is also arguing about this matter at this time.
When Lord Lin, who was about to get on the carriage, heard this, he actually looked at Magistrate Nie and said, "I'm afraid I have to handle this matter myself."
Without waiting for Magistrate Nie to reply, the old official beside Magistrate Nie immediately objected.
"Master Lin! Your term of office has expired! You should go to the next place as soon as possible."
After hearing this, the people around Lord Lin were naturally dissatisfied.
Or rather, he has been dissatisfied for a long time.
"Why? You came so early, and we adults can postpone it for one day, and that's not okay?"
The Nie family was indeed at fault in this matter, and they also found evidence against him: "Why? Because Ji Yuan is a child prodigy, Lord Lin is taking extra care of him. Do you want him to become your student, so that you can have a share in his fame?"
Once he finished speaking, he couldn't stop.
The old and new teams, who had been holding grudges against each other for a long time, were about to come to blows. They stood on the roadside and cursed at each other. Mrs. Lin even covered the children's ears and pulled the car curtains, letting them quarrel.
Ji Yuan’s case was like a fuse, igniting the anger that had been accumulating over the past few months.
Both sides are right, and each thinks the other is greedy for power.
But no matter how much they quarreled, Lord Lin was determined to deal with Ji Yuan's affairs. His face was gloomy, as if he had thought of something.
Magistrate Nie couldn't hold back his men and shouted several times before he said, "It's just Ji Yuan's business. It's just postponed for one day. What's the big deal?"
The old official said, "Master, this is not a one-day thing. What if he stays here tomorrow?"
What this means is, what if Lord Lin doesn’t leave?
If we continue until the county examination is over, then Lord Lin will also have a share of the credit for the success of the Zhengrong County examination.
He really was thinking about his young master.
I want the young master to have as many political achievements as possible.
But he didn't think about it. Not to mention that Lord Lin didn't have such an idea, even if he did, so what.
These people were all trained under him.
He also supported the county school. Not to mention that this year's county school entrance examination results are from Mr. Lin, I'm afraid that in the next three or four years, all the students will be supported by him.
A real quarrel broke out between the new and old teams.
It was only after Lord Lin spoke up that the situation was restored.
No matter what, everyone returned to the yamen, and the carriage that was about to leave stopped.
Just waiting for Lord Lin to finish dealing with this matter.
The first thing Lord Lin said was: "Bring Ji Yuan here."
This tone clearly wasn't meant as an interrogation.
After Constable Lei went to look for someone, Lord Lin said to Magistrate Nie, "Magistrate Nie, can we talk for a moment?"
Lord Lin did not go through the main gate of the yamen. He just watched Ji Yuan's uncle and aunt, as well as Ji Yuan's cousin, enter through the back door of the yamen in their casual clothes.
Magistrate Nie appeared as ordered by Lord Lin and took the three men into the inner hall of the yamen, naturally to listen to the reason.
When Ji Yuan arrived, everyone in the yamen looked at him.
The person sitting at the top at this moment was naturally Magistrate Nie. He looked at Ji Yuan with a look of surprise.
The old official was standing behind him, and his expression was normal.
On both sides were officials from the yamen, and the teacher from the county school was also there.
Logically speaking, even if someone wanted to protest, not so many people would come, especially because everyone was arguing about what County Magistrate Lin had left behind.
Moreover, all the people from the new and old teams are here, except Lord Lin himself. However, no one mentioned him here, as if they were just trying this case.
There were three people kneeling and one person standing in the audience, and all of them knew Ji Yuan.
The one standing is Li Yaozhong, and the ones kneeling are Uncle Ji San and Aunt Ji Li.
Li Yaozhong was the lawyer for these three people. He listed Ji Yuan's mistakes eloquently, but when he saw Ji Yuan coming over, he subconsciously shut up.
Aunt Ji and Uncle Ji were so delighted that their crying and complaining just now made many officials present believe what they said.
As expected, after County Magistrate Lin passed away, no one knew anything about what happened five or six years ago.
What they didn't notice was that one of the officials on the side had a look of surprise on his face, as if he had thought of something.
"Now that Ji Yuan has arrived, please say it again." said the former county magistrate.
Li Yaozhong also saw him. Although he was surprised as to why County Magistrate Lin left but he did not, he did not take it to heart.
Maybe there are some things that are not finished.
In his opinion, the real idea is to use this incident to prevent Ji Yuan from taking the scientific examination this year.
Li Yaozhong winked at Aunt Ji San, who immediately ran to Ji Yuan and cried, “You! You are such a ruthless person!”
"We have raised you for so many years in vain, from the time you lost your parents at the age of five until you are eleven this year. As your uncle and aunt, we have never treated you badly."
"I thought before that you didn't want us poor relatives, and now it seems to be true!"
"You didn't even let us sign the documents for the imperial examination. Are you afraid that we will expose your true colors?"
Aunt Ji was in tears.
An ordinary eleven-year-old boy would have been scared a long time ago, but Ji Yuan remained calm and looked at Aunt Ji San and the others calmly.
How could he not know what kind of life Xiao Jiyuan was living?
Now these people dare to speak out.
But it’s not the first time, we need to find a way out.
In front of this group of officials, it was different from being in front of Zhang She at that time. Just relying on the scars on his body was definitely not enough.
Because other things are easy to talk about.
The funeral of Jiyuan's parents was handled by Jiyuan's uncle and aunt.
This kindness, in front of outsiders, cannot be repaid in any way.
But Ji Yuan didn’t understand why they chose this time to sue him. Did they want him to pay back the money to their son?
Ji Yuan figured out part of the reason, and then he found out the second reason.
Li Yaozhong immediately said, "Mr. County Magistrate, with Ji Yuan's character, how can he participate in the county examination and take the imperial examination?"
"He didn't even dare to let his uncle sign the document proving his innocent family background, which shows that he himself knows what kind of person he is."
"County examination?" Ji Yuan asked in a puzzled tone. It was the first sentence he said after arriving at the yamen, and then he paid his respects to the county magistrate and others above him.
When Ji Yuan greeted him, he lowered his eyes slightly and said ambiguously: "I want to take part in the county exam, is that not possible?"
"Of course not!"
"You have such character! You are not qualified!"
"If the new county magistrate hadn't been so observant, you would have fooled me! You were actually allowed to take part in this year's county exam!"
Oh, so that's what it is.
They thought they had obtained the guarantee letter and certification documents just to take part in this year's children's examination.
Little did they know that this was just the preparation made in advance by the county school instructor.
The teacher had a smile on his face, but his eyes were almost murderous.
He originally wanted to avoid trouble and get it done quickly, but he didn't expect these people to misunderstand that Ji Yuan would have an exam this year.
And also find fault with him when he is taking exams.
Dr. Yin was even more angry. If there really was to be a county exam in February of this era, these people would be ruining his students’ future.
The teachers of the county school looked at Ji Yuan and saw that he was not panicked but seemed to be confident.
The bigger the event, the calmer Ji Yuan becomes.
Ji Yuan looked up at Li Yaozhong, the scholar who was baring his teeth and claws, and followed his words and said, "I am taking the imperial examination this year, so you have to stop me."
Li Yaozhong opened his mouth and said in defense: "I just don't want someone like you to enter the examination room! It will tarnish the reputation of the imperial examination!"
Ji Yuan nodded slightly: "What kind of person am I?"
They were about to say it again.
Uncle Ji and Aunt Ji had just cried in front of everyone, and even County Magistrate Nie was a little shaken.
In these two people's mouths.
Ji Yuan's parents died one after another. Ji Yuan's third uncle went to the next county to collect his father's body and arranged the coffin after returning.
Unexpectedly, Ji Yuan's mother also passed away during the process.
So the couple spent all their savings to hold their brother and sister-in-law's funeral, and almost emptied their family savings.
Not only that, from then on, he raised Ji Yuan in his own home and fed him better than he would his own son.
And then he was sent to school.
Anyway, according to this version, Ji Yuan didn't go to his uncle and aunt's house to celebrate the New Year for three years in a row, and didn't take the initiative to talk to his uncle and aunt. He is really ungrateful.
Ji Yuan took a deep breath and could refute the following.
He needs to think carefully about collecting the bodies of his parents.
This is what Ji Yuan has been worried about all along, so last year he insisted on studying "The Spring and Autumn Annals" and "The Book of Rites" together.
I just want to leave here quickly.
I didn't expect that I was still a step too late.
Everyone looked at Ji Yuan, waiting for his explanation.
County Magistrate Nie also looked at him in disbelief. He had always believed that Ji Yuan was poor but studious, and a natural prodigy.
I didn't expect it to be like this in private.
Helping your parents prepare the coffin and funeral arrangements is a huge favor.
I heard that he has studied "Book of Rites". Doesn't he know the importance of funeral ceremonies?
Just as Ji Yuan was about to speak, he saw a man in ordinary clothes walking out from behind the screen.
This is none other than Magistrate Lin.
No, you should call him Lord Lin.
Lord Lin's eyes were filled with anger, and so were the officials following him.
The three police chiefs pointed at Uncle Ji and angrily shouted, "Shame on you! How dare you come and file a complaint like this, confusing right and wrong?"
The county magistrate and the chief clerk also said with cold faces: "Of course he thought that after we left, he could just let him make up whatever he wanted."
Uncle Ji, who originally thought he had won, collapsed to the ground when he saw County Magistrate Lin.
After Aunt Ji knew that this was County Magistrate Lin, she subconsciously said, "Didn't they say that he was gone?"
The people present stood up subconsciously.
What's the hidden secret?
If they still can't see it, they don't need to be officials.
Another group of detectives rushed over. These detectives also went to Anji Village, but they were not on the same route as Lei Liming and his team.
They went directly to the village chief of Anji Village to learn more about the situation in private.
A few people also went to Jiyuan's second uncle's house, but it was quite far away and they would probably not arrive until tomorrow.
County Magistrate Lin said, "Jiyuan's father died of exhaustion on the river. The first thing I did after taking office was to collect their bodies and inform their families."
"Ji Yuan's mother is seriously ill and can't come, so it's his brother, that's you, who's coming."
"The body has already been coffined, plus the pension from the government, the cost of burying the body, and the wages owed by the previous county magistrate."
"I will personally hand them over to the families of the deceased one by one."
"The previous county magistrate of Zhengrong County forced conscription, killing 19 people in this county. I remember all the compensation and back pay for all of them."
"Ji Yuan's father was detained on the river for thirteen months. The river work was hard and dangerous. The government should pay him 300 coins a day, and the merchants should give him 200 coins a day. Thirteen months is 195 taels."
Generally speaking, building city walls and river workers are both dangerous and hard jobs.
The money given by the government has always been generous, at least on the surface.
County Magistrate Lin didn't care about all that. He would pay out the money based on the amount on the account and would never deduct a single cent.
"This local corruption case has been reported to the emperor. All the families of the deceased will be compensated with thirty taels of silver, and the government will provide coffins. However, the matter was too serious to be publicized, but the gifts will be given to the families of the deceased without any difference."
"The Jiyuan family is the only one where the mistress is ill and unable to get up, and the children in the family are very young."
"Since you are the deceased's brother, I will let you take him away and give you a subsidy of 75 taels privately so that you can take good care of the young child and widowed sister-in-law."
"Ji Changlin, this is a total of three hundred taels of silver. You spent it wisely!"
"According to what you said, Ji Yuan never owed you anything."
"Instead, I want to ask you where the pensions went."
Three hundred taels of silver.
Even the people present didn't think it was a small amount.
Of course, this money was earned by Ji Yuan's father with his life. He was trapped in the river for thirteen months and finally died of exhaustion.
The money he earned for his wife and children at the cost of his life was not used to treat his wife's illness or raise his young son.
Ji Yuan suddenly realized this and his head started buzzing.
He was not feeling sad for himself, but was thinking that it turned out that Xiao Jiyuan was not dependent on others, and that no matter how you looked at it, Xiao Jiyuan should not have died.
Damn it, it's someone else.
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