Yichuan County No. 40 (3)

  Double Ninth Festival night, under the moonlight, appreciating chrysanthemums.

  The scene was lively and extraordinary, with the sound of cups and chopsticks clinking together never-ending. I and Mei Lan dressed up as men and stood by to wait on them. Firstly, we had to attend to all sorts of miscellaneous matters at the banquet, lest it fall apart, and secondly, we were both very curious about why they were holding such a feast.

  "What a delicious dish, and yet it's garnished with chrysanthemum petals in the plate, the atmosphere is so elegant and refined, only Master Nie's mansion can do it!"

  This kind of praise for our words, I also heard a lot tonight.

  At this point, I feel that Lu Da Chun is indeed a talented person. He can make ordinary things sound extraordinary, and he knows how to follow people's words and continue the conversation smoothly. His flattery is also well-timed and elegant, not at all like a rough and tumble Jianghu girl from a humble background, but rather like a clever and cunning official who is well-versed in the ways of the court.

  After three rounds of wine, everyone at the table had already started calling each other brothers. Just then, Lu Daquan suddenly raised his wine cup and said loudly:

  "Ladies and gentlemen, you are all renowned families in Yichuan County, after all, you are the backbone of our Yichuan County. Since I took office, I have received such great kindness from all of you, and I am truly grateful. You have invested heavily to help the people of Yichuan County start businesses, focus on agriculture, and as a local official, I would like to express my gratitude on behalf of the people!"

  Having said that, Lu Daquan raised his neck and drained the wine in his cup.

  Everyone at the banquet was stunned for a moment, because none of them had ever donated money to the common people. I suddenly understood, no wonder he accepted all the wealth that came his way without hesitation, it turned out this was robbery to help the poor!

  When people give money to officials, it's so that the officials can do their job more easily and freely exploit the common people. But this time, the county magistrate subtly made his stance clear: I don't want your money; instead, I'll take it to help the ordinary people with their living expenses. Don't think about trying to bribe me!

  Looking at the expressions of the people in the seats, from confusion to sudden understanding, and then not daring to communicate with each other, I think this is simply too funny. However, has this just offended all the big shots in Ikawa County?

  Lu Da Chun got up, picked up a jug of wine and started pouring it down his throat.

  "Liu Yuanwai, I've heard that the business at your Taifeng Building is quite good. One of these days, I'll have to go and experience it for myself. But isn't it true that those hoodlums often do some shady things there? If you need me for anything, just say so!"

  It wasn't until later that I found out Taifeng Building was actually colluding with the underworld, which is why they were able to operate so smoothly. They even sheltered evil-doers, concealed evidence of homicides and helped the underworld launder money. If the authorities investigated seriously, they would definitely find something.

  "Mr. Chen, you look well. I heard that the Third Young Master is doing very well recently, which must have put your mind at ease."

  The three young masters escaped outside with their cases, and Lu Da Chun meant that he had already figured out where the three young masters were going to settle down.

  A round of toasts came and went, almost everyone was chatting with each other, every face had a smile plastered on it, but the smiles were quite forced. I once again revised my opinion of Luo Da Chun's intelligence, catch the thief first, then catch the king, hit the snake at its seven inches, even the most formidable person has weaknesses, let alone these ordinary people who are not clean. Having been in Yichuan for only a dozen or so days, the various forces in Yichuan County, which ones have backers and which ones are feared, I'm afraid these two brothers had already grasped them clearly.

  The meal was so good that everyone started sweating, as if the summer that had already passed had returned. People raised their cups to praise the magistrate's talent and expressed that they still had a bit of strength left for the people, and promised to donate more another day.

  I find it both infuriating and amusing. The amusing part is that they managed to subdue a large group of wealthy villagers like this, grabbing their weaknesses and giving them a big slap in the face. What's infuriating is that after making such a scene, who still has the mood to enjoy the delicacies? We spent several days carefully arranging everything, did they just happen to play us along too?!

  I don't know whose idea this is, but I think the two of them are really formidable and make a perfect pair. However, this kind of thing can only be done by us, others probably won't be able to do it. Because we have money, backing, martial arts skills, and brains. We hold a handful of good cards, as long as we play steadily, the obstacles aren't that big, and we can completely take down a small county like Ikawa.

  I don't know why Nie Qiuyuan chose this path instead of hiding in the rivers and lakes, I believe he must have his own considerations, because it's very clear that he is still very concerned about taking on the role of county magistrate. In short, the next step is how to build and develop Yiquan County.

  After seeing off the guests, the servants cleaned up the mess. Nie Qiuyuan called us three over and held a small meeting in the inner house.

  The meeting was presided over by Nie Qiuyuan, mainly to discuss the next step of decision-making. Even I and Mei Lan were called to participate, they still have a certain respect for women.

  "There are many things to be done later, so, Liuyue and Meilan, I'm afraid you two will have to dress up as men from now on in public. After all, it's inconvenient for women to show their faces in some matters."

  It seems that we really have a place to use our skills, and I feel a little excited. The excitement is also written on Han Meilan's face.

  "We two have investigated many things in these days and found that the illness of Ikawa County is not ordinary, on the body of the former county magistrate Liu Jin, I'm afraid there are many ills, now it's just the time when the poison left by the predecessor begins to take effect."

  The main problems in Yichuan County are mainly concentrated on official governance and people's livelihood. The whole county is rampant with corrupt officials, bribery and corruption have become the norm, no matter which department, as long as you want to get things done, if you don't send some gifts, it's simply impossible to get things done. The wealthy and powerful local officials who came to attend the dinner party all had the title of "Yuan Wai xx".

  "Yuanwai", as the name suggests, refers to officials outside of regular officials. Although after the Ming Dynasty, such official positions could be bought casually and were only related to wealth, this was not the case in theory during the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty followed the Sui system, and Yuanwailang, Yuanwaixx, etc., should all have been formally established with quotas. But judging from these wealthy and powerful families, their official positions are obviously bought.

  Corrupt officials bring darkness, and the people's lives are naturally difficult. Yichuan County is relatively high in terrain and has fewer rivers, so it is often dry in normal times, and the harvest is often poor. But the miscellaneous taxes and fees in Yichuan County are the highest among several surrounding counties, and the common people are suffering unbearably.

  When the people are suffering, they want to appeal for justice. However, the former county magistrate Liu Jin had all the people who came to the county government beating drums arrested and labeled them as "unreasonable troublemakers". Later, some people planned to bypass the county magistrate and go to higher authorities to "petition", but were intercepted by the county and thrown into prison. So now it's hard to say how many of those locked up in the Yichuan County jail are truly guilty.

  "Lu Daquan said, "I think that county magistrate is not bad," "After investigating his family background, it turns out that there's nothing wrong with him."

  My impression of Wang Jinzhi was also good, completely based on a kind of intuition, because the eyes he looked at us with had a faint thing called "hope".

  "Not bad, the current county lieutenant is indeed a man of great talent. He can navigate through such an environment with ease, without getting stuck in any pitfalls, and it's hard not to say that he's a true talent who knows how to adapt to the world while also being able to endure." Nie Qiuyuan rarely showed a hint of a smile, "As for the specific affairs within the county, leaving them to him is absolutely no problem."

  The plan has started, and we each have a simple division of labor.

  Lu Da Chun, as the county magistrate, is in charge of governing officials and promoting commerce; Mei Lan has a soft heart and is good at communicating with people, so she is responsible for disaster relief and comforting the people; Nie Qiuyuan doesn't need to be said, he is the county guard, and is responsible for handling cases. But among these, my division of labor is the most bizarre.

  "Liuyue, Yiquan County's terrain is poor and prone to drought, making it very difficult for the people to farm. You are in charge of solving this problem." Nie Qiuyuan said calmly.

  My mouth is open and can't be closed. Please, why should I solve the drought problem? This kind of thing should be found with the Dragon King!

  So I'm actually being idle?...