Chapter Thirteen: Escalating Contradictions

  After everyone stood up, Lu Haoshan proudly said: "This official has ascended to the hall, only to get acquainted with you all, and to show sincerity. First of all, let me introduce myself. My surname is Lu, my name is Wen Hua, my courtesy name is Haoshan, I was a scholar in the sixth year of Tianqi, and I was favored by His Majesty to serve as the magistrate of Jiangyou County. I hope you will all assist me."

  That name cannot be changed, the appointment document clearly states that it is Lu Wenhua, and Lu Haoshan has no choice. Fortunately, there is no need to change the surname, betraying one's ancestors and roots. In ancient times, people with status had courtesy names. To show respect for others, they were usually called by their courtesy name rather than being directly addressed by their given name. With that group of mountain bandits as cover, there was no need to bear the guilt of being a murderer, and one's own name could be transformed into a "courtesy name", which is quite a good deal. As for the honor of being a jinshi in the sixth year of Tianqi, that belongs to that unlucky egg.

  What a big official power, Chen Gui sneered in his heart as he stood under the hall, and his disdain for Lu Haoshan sitting on the hall increased by two points. To know that mutual acquaintance usually occurs in a relaxed occasion like a banquet, which can easily promote feelings and close distances. However, this new county magistrate is high above, as if to show off his own brilliant deeds, pulling away from the distance at the same time, also making people have a bad impression of him being arrogant and unaware of the highs and lows.

  Soft and tough, hard and brittle, this "chick" that has just come out of the cold window is best dealt with.

  "The adults are knowledgeable and profound, and the lower officials admire them." Chen Gui hurriedly flattered: "My surname is Chen, my name is Gui, I am serving as county lieutenant, before your excellency takes office, temporarily acting as county magistrate, please also supervise more."

  Lu Haoshan said calmly: "Yes, as long as you have real talent and learning, and are not a sycophant, this official will use people according to their abilities."

  "Thank you, sir."

  If it were a superior who understood human feelings, he would definitely praise him a few words. After all, there is no credit but hard work. A clever person will win over his subordinates before he stands firm. But the newly appointed county magistrate looked down on everyone, as if he didn't give County Lieutenant Chen Gui any face in public. Everyone had an idea: this man either has a very strong background or is extremely ignorant and stubborn.

  "Chief Steward Zhang Yunhui wishes you good health, sir."

  "Xiao Cao Hu was appointed as the head of the capture team."

  Household servant Zhou Dàyuan pays his respects to Your Excellency.

  "Jiang Hua's deputy Zhao Gao pays his respects to Your Excellency."

  .......

  This is not a trial, but a "queue", or it would be more appropriate to describe it with a point of view. From the county lieutenant, the chief clerk and below, one by one introduced themselves, then the six houses, the catcher, the tax supervisor, the post lieutenant, etc., even the car driver, the cook, no exception, anyway, those who held this bowl of public food, all had to show their faces in front of the new county official, to show that they existed. Dozens of people, it took almost half a day, before the introduction was finished.

  After the introductions were finished, many people stood with sore waists and backs, but this newly appointed county official seemed to still be enjoying his power trip. While others stood, he sat alone, banging on the wooden desk and delivering a long speech about loyalty to the emperor and patriotism. The officials above were speaking eloquently, while those below were suffering in silence. Even someone like Cao Hu, who was physically strong, felt a bit weak at this point, having stood for almost an hour. It was unbearable for anyone, but County Lieutenant Chen Gui was the most miserable of all, his face twisted into a bitter gourd-like expression.

  As he grew older, his body was no longer as robust as before. Moreover, there's a saying that "wealth brings weakness", the Chen family being one of the wealthiest in Jiangyou, and Chen Gui being the county magistrate, with seven beautiful concubines, had already exhausted his body, his kidney function deteriorating, unable to hold his urine, the feeling of being bloated and on the verge of urinating made him feel like he was undergoing torture. However, in the hall, he could only force himself to endure, after all, it was the new county magistrate's first time presiding over the court, he couldn't afford to make any mistakes, this face had to be maintained, if he were to think that his body was not suitable for the position, it would be disastrous.

  Besides, I haven't figured out his background yet, and even if I did, I wouldn't dare to be too presumptuous. If Lu Haoshan looked closely, he would see that Chen Gui's legs were tightly clamped together, and his feet were trembling with fear.

  Chen Gui was so angry that he almost cried, not because he was worried about the consequences, but Chen really wanted to use mud to seal up the mouth of the person on the stage who wouldn't stop talking.

  "Alright, disperse, everyone must work harder tomorrow." Finally, Lu Haoshan on the platform finished speaking, and these words were like heavenly music to Chen Gui's ears. Along with the crowd, he thanked County Magistrate Lu for his guidance. As soon as Lu Haoshan left, Chen Gui quickly rushed out, walking so fast that it was like he was flying, leaving two people who didn't know what was going on commenting: "County Magistrate is still vigorous and strong, truly a treasure not yet old." This made Chen Gui feel so humiliated that he almost vomited blood.

  He rushed to the outhouse, and as soon as he pulled down his pants, a stream of urine shot out urgently, like a river bursting its banks. Chen Gui couldn't help but hum with satisfaction, closing his eyes in pleasure, and even shuddered slightly afterwards, as if he had just finished making love to his new concubine. However, when he was putting his clothes back on, his face immediately fell: earlier, he had urinated so urgently that he had wet a large patch of his pants, like a child who wets the bed at night. If Lu Haoshan had lectured for another minute, he might have really peed in his pants.

  "This little yellow-haired kid has really gotten on my nerves!" Chen Gui was so angry that he glared and puffed out his mustache, unable to help but curse loudly.

  This matter will be spread out and become a laughing stock for the people of Jiangyou County after dinner.

  Who would have thought that some things are contrary to one's wishes? Chen Gui didn't want others to know, but as soon as he stepped out the door, a large crowd of people immediately surrounded him.

  Adult

  Adult

  "Old Chen"

  Several leaders who had a good relationship with him surrounded him, waving and greeting him at the same time.

  "What's going on? Haven't you dispersed yet?" Chen Gui said with feigned surprise.

  Cao Hu said with a displeased face: "Brother Chen, this new county magistrate is really too arrogant. We kindly invited him to dinner and gave him a warm welcome, but he pretended to be noble and didn't give us any face at all. This matter can't just end like this."

  "Cao Butou is right," said Zhang Yunhui calmly by the side: "County Master Cao has just come out of his thatched cottage, young and vigorous, if everything goes according to him, I'm afraid Jiangyou County will have no peaceful days. He even boasted in the hall that those who are not competent will be dismissed, this will definitely shake the military's morale, we can't let him mess around like this, destroying the stability here."

  Gongfang Si Li Tang Ziyu also nodded and said: "This time, we have to give us a boost, we can't take it lightly. Today, they can overthrow others, tomorrow they can sweep us out of the government office too. Everyone, we must unite!"

  Everyone was discussing and speculating, but their goal was the same: to get Chen Gui to make up his mind and take action against this ignorant new county magistrate.

  It's not just Chen Gui, others also dislike the new county magistrate. Instead of comforting people's hearts, he is eager to establish his authority, as if he wants to wield a butcher's knife. As a result, everyone feels threatened and after the meeting disperses, they don't leave but instead look for Chen Gui to discuss countermeasures.

  "I originally wanted to observe for a while before taking action, but this Lu fellow took the initiative to attack first. We can't just sit and wait for death. This is the county government office, it's not convenient to talk here. How about this: we'll prepare a welcoming banquet for Mr. Lu, if he doesn't eat, then we don't want to waste it. Let's go to the Welcome Pavilion, we can discuss while eating."

  "Alright, I'll listen to Brother Chen."

  "After all, adults think more carefully"

  "Who would have thought, this belly is growling with hunger."

  "Everything will be done as you say."

  When everyone came, the dragon had no head. The second time was really hungry. Upon hearing this, they all echoed and called out in approval. They surrounded Chen Gui and walked out together. Just as they were about to leave, Cao Hu suddenly flared his nostrils, took two deep breaths, furrowed his brow and said: "Damn it, where did that stench come from?"

  It's better not to say, but once said, Cao Hu's face, which was originally somewhat proud, suddenly became long and cold, with a frosty expression. Zhang Yunhui, who was standing beside him, looked at him sincerely and slapped Cao Hu's head, saying: "This is a toilet, of course it stinks, let's go, even good food and drink can't shut your mouth?"

  "Yes, yes, yes, Brother Chen and Officer Zhang, you first."

  When Chen Gui and his men went to the Welcome Pavilion in groups to discuss countermeasures, Lu Haoshan, who had changed into casual clothes, sat at an eight-immortal table, eating snacks brought by the chef while savoring the freshly brewed Rainy Dragon Well tea, feeling extremely satisfied.

  Wu Jinzhu, who was next to "Shan Ge", suddenly said.

  "What's wrong?"

  Wu Jinzhu said cautiously: "Shan Ge just deliberately provoked them, will this be okay?"

  Although he has limited knowledge, it doesn't mean he's foolish or unintelligent. Wu Jinzhu can see that Lu Haoshan is intentionally intensifying the conflict between himself and those local forces led by Chen Gui. This makes him somewhat perplexed - isn't this just asking for trouble? Especially when his foundation is unstable, or even non-existent, it's absolutely not a wise move. Although he knows Lu Haoshan doesn't like to be controlled by others, he thought that Lu would slowly look for opportunities and defeat them one by one, eventually gaining control. But he never expected that Lu Haoshan would make his move as soon as they met.

  Lu Haoshan heard this and gently put down his teacup, looking at the broken window paper blown by the night wind, and muttered to himself with some emotion: "Time is running out."

  A powerful army, that is forged through a thousand hardships, growing from battles and emerging from mountains of corpses and seas of blood, not cobbled together hastily. Like those mighty figures at the end of the Ming dynasty, each has already set foot on their own path, reaping joy along the way to success. But under Lu Haishan's command, there isn't even a single soldier, how can he not be anxious?

  It's clear that old foxes like Chen Gui won't take action rashly. Given the nature of these officials, they will definitely observe for a period before making their move. Lu Haoshan is too lazy to wait for them to slowly grind away, so he intentionally escalates the conflict. Of course, this also counts as intentionally showing weakness, exposing his own "weakness", and letting them increase the intensity of their suppression. Only when they let their guard down can he take advantage of the opportunity to knock them down one by one.