Chapter Sixteen: Sugar-Coated Cannonballs

  Lu Haoshan's guess was correct. As soon as the news of his illness spread, those officials began to visit him one after another, expressing their condolences.

  That evening, Zhou Dayuan, a clerk of the Household Department, was the first to visit the new county magistrate. As soon as he entered the room, he casually placed a jar of soup on the Eight Immortals table and smiled: "Sir, how are you feeling? Are you okay? Is your body better?"

  "My head doesn't hurt that much, Zhou Si Li, what do you mean by this?" Lu Haoshan's face changed slightly: "You're not trying to bribe me, are you?"

  "Your humble servant dare not," said Zhou Dajuan with great respect, "Sir, you are a clean and honest official. Your humble servant should take you as an example to follow. This is a bowl of ginseng stewed with black-bone chicken soup, made by my wife's own hands. Sir, you have worked hard for the people of Jiangyou County, this bowl of soup is just a small token of respect from your subordinate, it is absolutely not a bribe, please do not misunderstand."

  The official establishment of the Ming dynasty was not large, with only four officials in a county: the county magistrate, county lieutenant, chief clerk, and history officer. These were the real officials; if the population of the county was small, there would be only two officials, the county magistrate and the chief clerk. The lower-ranking clerks and runners were all recruited by the county government itself. The household registration, land tax, financial tax, and marriage affairs were managed by the household registration officer, who could be said to be the "god of wealth" of a county. However, even the "god of wealth" did not dare to use the term "lower official" to refer to himself, but only dared to call himself a "small person".

  Zhou Dayuan said as he poured a bowl of chicken soup and personally delivered it to Lu Haoshan. As soon as the soup was poured out, the room was filled with fragrance. Looking at the soup, it seemed to have a transparent luster in its clarity, and the delicious flavor of the chicken had a hint of ginseng's subtle medicinal scent. It was obvious that this was a high-quality soup at first glance. Lu Haoshan's appetite opened up as soon as he smelled it.

  "This, is this done by yourself?"

  "Of course," Zhou Dajuan said with certainty: "I dare not deceive you, sir. This is a small token of my sincerity. Please accept it, sir."

  Lu Haoshan hesitated for a moment before finally nodding his head: "Mm, Zhou Silü, you have a conscience."

  Lu Haoshan was drinking chicken soup with a somewhat wolfish and tiger-like expression, while Zhou Dayuan smiled imperceptibly beside him. He seemed to see a solid dam suddenly appear a small anthill...

  After Zhou Dajuan left, other officials and subordinates also came to visit. Some brought their own exquisite pastries, while others offered local specialties that friends had given them but they couldn't finish eating themselves. Their family's cook made a decent roast chicken, so they invited the new county magistrate to try some. If he didn't eat it, it would be an insult, because if he ate other people's food but not their own, it was clear he looked down on them.

  At first, Lu Hao was a bit resistant, but he couldn't withstand the enthusiasm of his subordinates and slowly accepted it. The gentry and scholars of Jiangyou County were also moved by the county magistrate's selflessness in handling cases, and they invited the new county magistrate, Lu, to dinner under the name of thanking him for his contributions to Jiangyou. They called him "Lu Qingtian" one after another, making the new county magistrate smile with pleasure. The scholars asked him to teach them, evaluate their articles and poems, and dragged Lu Hao to dinner, saying that if he didn't go, they would spread the word that Lu Hao was unwilling to guide his juniors. Later, they called him "old father" one after another, making Lu Hao feel extremely respected, so much so that he became somewhat complacent.

  It was unknown when it started, but the new county magistrate's bold and elegant calligraphy became a hot pursuit among the merchants of Jiangyou County. One by one, they used all their skills to get Magistrate Lu to write inscriptions for them in his own handwriting. Of course, the county official couldn't just do it for free, so he had to charge a fee for the brushwork.

  For a time, Lu Haoshan's writing had become so strenuous that his wrists ached, and collecting money had softened his hands. Meanwhile, Chen Gui lay quietly in the background, as if sitting steadily on a fishing platform, listening to his subordinates' constant reports, while news about Lu Haoshan continued to gather before him:

  "Magistrate, sir, the old master is attending a banquet hosted by the gentry of Jinxiang."

  "Magistrate, sir, several students from the county school invited the old master to Spring Breeze Pavilion for a poetry recitation and couplet composition. The old master returned home drunk."

  "Magistrate, sir, the old master has accepted two catties of top-grade tea leaves and a package of silver threads from Landlord Li."

  "Magistrate, sir, Master has written an inscription for Hongji Pawnshop and received thirty taels of silver as a fee."

  The news came more and more, finally, even the servants of the family came to report: "Back to the old master, the county official wrote a plaque for our Welcome Pavilion."

  "Hey, has the red envelope money been collected?"

  "Received, eighty taels. After Lü County Magistrate received it, he kept saying that the old master is a talented person."

  Chen Gui nodded, a faint smile appearing on his lips. It was now mid-November, more than a month had passed, and he had successfully corrupted the new county magistrate. At least, he had already pulled him down into the water, and the effect was very obvious. The new county magistrate spent every day eating, drinking, and having fun, leaving all official business in Jiangyou County to Chen Gui to handle. Even documents from superiors were replied to by Chen Gui himself before being handed over for signature. It was clear that he had won him over.

  After driving the underlings away, Zhou Daxuan, a trusted aide standing beside him, smiled and said: "Sir is indeed clever and resourceful. That stubborn Qing has changed so quickly, I thought it would take some time to get used to it. Unexpectedly, he indulged in pleasure all at once, now many political affairs are ignored."

  "Life is but a few decades, fleeting in an instant. It's only natural to make the most of it while we can. This county magistrate of ours is just stubborn, not stupid. If he were stupid, he wouldn't have been able to pass the imperial examination or secure an official position. He's just momentarily muddled, but now that he's seen the light, as long as our interests align, we'll get along just fine from now on."

  Zhou Dayuan thought for a moment and said cautiously: "That's right, sir. This county magistrate is now less pedantic and more polite to us. Those expenses should also be respected by him. After all, some things will be known sooner or later. If he finds out that we are eating alone in the future, I'm afraid he will show his foolishness as a bookworm, and it would not be good for both of us to suffer losses."

  The salary of officials in the morning was notoriously low. A seventh-grade county lieutenant had only seven stones and five dou of monthly salary, which was not even comparable to a small landlord. In addition, there were many restrictions from superiors, inspectors, and imperial guards, making it easy to get involved in trouble. If an official got into trouble, his "fellow students" who passed the exam together might also be implicated. There was a period when officials went to court, left home, and did business, and every time they said goodbye to their families, they were like parting with life and death, entrusting their affairs after death, because they didn't know if they could return home smoothly. However, despite the harsh environment, people still flocked to become officials, not only for the prestige but also for the many practical benefits.

  Like the bright and upright collection, there are items such as fire expenses, and tax collection with extra collection of losses. When collecting taxes, an additional "fire expense" is collected, which is greater than the actual "fire expense". The difference belongs to the official, and the surplus grain that spills out during the measurement process is also a source of income for officials. In addition, there are other sources of wealth, such as New Year's gifts, land transfers in counties, development of mountain forests and rocks, etc., which are high-risk but high-return financial channels.

  People die for wealth, birds perish for food; this is human nature. Chen Gui firmly believes that money can make ghosts grind mills. Although Lu Haoshan appears to be a man of integrity, he believes that human nature is greedy. When Zhou Dayuan proposed the lucrative plan, he immediately agreed.

  Facing Zhou Dàyuan's proposal, Chen Gui did not immediately agree. After thinking for a while, he shook his head and said: "Not yet, it's not the right time."

  "Adult, when is it suitable?"

  " Qi is the root of impulsiveness, wine is a sharp knife that pierces the intestines, and lust is a steel blade that scrapes the bones. Now it's just small favors, and we've done it without leaving any marks. We can't even confirm if he'll get on the same boat as us. I still need to test him." Chen Gui said with narrowed eyes.

  "Sir, how shall we try?" said Zhou Dayuan in a low voice.

  "The Beauty Trap"

  "The Beauty Trap?"

  "That's right, it's a beauty trap." Chen Gui said affirmatively: "Our young and vigorous county lord who has just come out of his shell, having a beautiful woman by his side is just what he needs to temper his sharp spirit. Having one of our own people by his side can not only whisper in his ear but also gather information for us, so we can be informed of any wind blowing or grass moving ahead of time. Best of all, if the teacher is also someone we recommended, that would be a foolproof plan, and we could finally feel at ease."

  Chen Gui still had a most important purpose that he didn't mention. Since there are no walls that don't leak in this world, if something unexpected happens and those minor characters can't cope, they can push this young, inexperienced, and hot-headed county magistrate out to take the fall, and thus extricate themselves from the situation.

  Caution can make a ship last for ten thousand years, this is Chen Gui's most famous saying.

  "It's people like Lu Xian who are hard to please, ordinary-looking women may not be able to catch his eye. Young, beautiful, intelligent and clever, most importantly loyal and devoted, such a woman is not easy to find." Zhou Dàyuan said with some worry.

  "Don't worry," Chen Gui said calmly: "I have already chosen someone in my heart."

  Zhou Dàyuan was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly had an epiphany and said somewhat complicatedly: "Sir, your chosen one, isn't it Ziyu?"

  "That's right, it's Ziyu. I think it's time for her to make a move." Chen Gui said suddenly and firmly, his eyes were determined, but his tone was tinged with reluctance.

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