Chapter 53

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With Wei Zhixian surrounded, Cang Dianli quickly ordered the constables to protect him. Despite the bailiffs' usual intimidating presence, they dared not touch the scholars, and instead, many of them were kicked.

Cang Dianli wanted to make a show of bravery, fearlessly standing in front of the magistrate, but was pushed aside by Wei Zhixian, who angrily rebuked, "Ridiculous! They are scholars who study the classics; how could they harm this county?"

Cang Dianli, caught off guard, was tripped by a scholar and fell to the ground, feeling a pain in his heart that far outweighed the physical pain.

However, Wei Zhixian's statement did not calm the scholars; instead, it emboldened them. Li Yu grabbed a red pen from the desk and thrust it into Wei Zhixian's hand, saying, "Please, sir, do not hesitate. Remember, a moment's delay could mean the destruction of a family!"

"..." Wei Zhixian, surrounded by the scholars in their blue robes, looked at their seemingly righteous but actually fierce faces and suddenly realized that he and they were no longer of the same kind, but rather adversaries. It turned out that when it came to taking a stand, one's position was more important than one's background.

While Wei Zhixian was lost in thought, more and more constables flooded into the second hall, and the deputy magistrates, the chief clerk, and the senior clerks also appeared. However, the dozen or so scholars showed no fear and instead appeared excited.

The magistrates tried to persuade and threaten the scholars, but to no avail. They insisted that the magistrate issue a warrant on the spot to recall the clerks from the countryside for trial.

Wei Zhixian, a man of principle, knew that if he bowed down now, he would lose all credibility in the future. So he remained silent, his face ashen.

In the end, it was Sima Qiu who urgently brought in the county school's instructor, Han Jiaoyu, to scold the scholars for "roaring in the court and showing no respect to the county official," threatening to report them to the educational inspector, which finally subdued their arrogance.

"We, the students, are deeply concerned about the people and acted rashly. We will apologize to you, sir, in the future," Li Yu said, bowing to Wei Zhixian. But he then changed his tone, "However, as long as our fellow villagers suffer, we cannot rest. Please, sir, give us a clear answer. When will you recall those tiger-like clerks? If it takes too long, we will have to file a complaint in the prefectural city. Please understand, sir!"

"You scholars are truly confused. Our dynasty does not allow overstepping in complaints to prevent disorder and frivolous lawsuits," Wei Zhixian, with an ashen face, did not speak, but the clerk, Diao Zhubu, spoke up, "Moreover, the magistrate has not said he will not recall them! It is a matter of state taxes, and we cannot act rashly. We need to deliberate." He waved his sleeve and said, "You all temporarily leave the second hall; we will give you an answer shortly."

"Alright, then," Li Yu and the other scholars bowed and retreated to the door.

Despite the scholars' commotion, the yamen did not dare to be negligent. Ma Dianshi ordered the clerks to lead them to the guest room, serve them tea and water, and accompany them humbly. However, the scholars were extremely proud, drinking tea and eating snacks, chatting among themselves, and not taking the "officials" in the eyes of the common people seriously.

Wang Xian watched this scene in shock. He had never felt so clearly what class meant before.

Although the clerks were the highest-ranking commoners, in terms of power and wealth, they were far superior to the poor scholars. However, the scholars had official titles, even if they were the lowest-ranking literati, which gave them a social status that allowed them to look down on these minor officials.

More frighteningly, everyone considered this natural. Even the most authoritative clerks like Wang Ziyao and Li Guan felt inferior to the scholars. Only the clerks from the ritual office, who were originally students at the Imperial Academy, and the military office clerk, who was a former scholar, could still converse with them because of their scholarly background...

This made Wang Xian's fleeting sense of self-satisfaction vanish. What he did not know was that the clerks respected these scholars not because of their status as students but because some of them were children of officials.

Because of the economic development, there were many scholars in Jiangnan, and thus many officials. In each county, there were not a few children of officials. For example, Li Yu's father was a vice-minister in the capital, and Yu Yifan's uncle was a vice-magistrate in Shandong's Dongping Prefecture. Although they were not high-ranking officials, their sons could still act with impunity in Fuyang County.

While Wang Xian was feeling a bit inferior, Wei Zhixian in the second hall was caught in a dilemma, even more so.

In front of him, Sima Qiu and Diao Zhubu were arguing heatedly. Diao Zhubu believed that Zhang Hua and the others should be recalled immediately to calm the situation. Sima Qiu, however, insisted that this would fall into their trap.

"It is clear that our re-examination of the yellow register and the restoration of state taxes have touched some people's interests!" Sima Qiu said solemnly, "They are unwilling to lose their fat profits, so they have been消极对待 (negatively handling) the autumn grain collection. When the household office pressed them, they used this '釜底抽薪' (removing the firewood from under the pot) strategy, inciting these scholars to file complaints to force the county to comply and continue to collect taxes at the original level!"

"Even if you guess right, what then?" Diao Zhubu sneered, "Scholars causing trouble can easily attract attention from the scholarly community. If they file a complaint in Hangzhou, how will we resolve it?" He paused and then said earnestly, "Your career is just beginning. If you are labeled as a tyrant, it will greatly affect your future!"

These words struck a chord with Wei Zhixian. If the matter escalated, his reputation would definitely be damaged. The magistrate of the prefecture was known for his leniency and would likely try to calm the situation, leaving him in a difficult position, with a bleak future...

But revising the yellow register and organizing the taxes was something he had sworn to do. If he gave up at the first sign of difficulty, how could he face the emperor and himself?

Whether to persist or give up, Wei Zhixian found it hard to decide and sought the opinions of his two deputies. "Don't just be silent. What do you think?"

"Sir," Jiang Xianqing's position was awkward. Before Wei Zhixian took office, he handled all the affairs of the county. After Wei Zhixian arrived, his role became that of an assistant to the magistrate, without specific responsibilities. Therefore, after Wei Zhixian became familiar with the county's affairs, Jiang Xianqing became almost redundant and rarely spoke.

Now that Wei Zhixian asked, Jiang Xianqing had to speak up, "The key is still the taxes. If we can make concessions in this area, the scholars will naturally disperse."

"Already reduced to 80% of the end of the Hongwu era, how can we reduce it further?" Wei Zhixian frowned, "My duty is to protect the state and ensure the well-being of the people. If we follow Jiang's method, the people will be at ease, but will we be fulfilling our duty to the emperor?"

"Ensuring peace and stability in the region, is that not loyalty to the emperor?" Jiang Xianqing said softly, "If we only pursue achievements and ignore other things, is that loyalty to the emperor?"

"..." Wei Zhixian finally understood Jiang Xianqing's stance but had no way to refute it. He turned to Ma Dianshi, "What do you think, Brother Ma?"

Although the chief clerk was called the head official, that was in relation to the minor officials. In front of the three magistrates, Ma Si was just a minor official and did not dare to meddle. He said ambiguously, "We cannot ignore the state taxes, nor can we neglect the gentry and the people. It is indeed difficult to handle both. But I believe, with your reputation, you can find a way to achieve both..."

"..." Wei Zhixian was speechless. Among the four senior officials in the yamen, two opposed him, one was indifferent, and none supported him.

Caught between internal and external pressures, he had to temporarily give in, ordering Zhang Hua and the others to return to the yamen... The underlying message was clear: the grain collectors could collect as much as they wanted, and the government would not interfere.

At this point, the scholars had become heroes in the county and could have stopped. However, Li Yu and the others refused to give up, shouting "eradicate evil thoroughly" and demanding the dismissal of corrupt officials like Zhang Hua and Xun Sancai.

More unexpectedly, Wang Xian, who was on duty in the yamen, was also implicated, listed after Zhang Hua and Xun Sancai. When he heard this news, he and his friends, Shuai Hui and Liu Erhei, were stunned...

"What does this have to do with you?" Shuai Hui, who had just started working for the government, was facing the risk of unemployment and was naturally emotional.

"Probably because you killed He Chang and arrested Chao Tianjiao's son, the grain collectors hate you," Wu Wei calmly analyzed, "So you're not entirely innocent."

"Earlier, I was comforting the registrar and Xun brother, who were feeling down. I didn't expect that I couldn't escape either," Wang Xian said with a bitter smile.

"Then, what should we do?" Shuai Hui asked anxiously.

"Actually, it's not a big deal for me. Listing my name won't do them any good," Wang Xian said softly, "After all, I have completed the tax collection in one district. If I am dismissed for doing a good job, who will be willing to work for the government in the future?" He then shook his head helplessly, "But if the registrar and Xun are dismissed, who will take our office seriously in Fuyang County in the future? Even if we get through this, it will only get worse next time, and I won't be spared either."

"You're right," the rough and simple Liu Erhei, who was actually more perceptive than Shuai Hui, said, "We can't just sit and wait; we need to do something!"

"What can we do?" Wang Xian looked at him.

"Beat up whoever we don't like; that's all I can do," Liu Erhei said sheepishly, "But you need to come up with a plan."

"There is a way, but it's too risky for me to use..." Wang Xian sighed. Just then, a greeting came from outside, followed by Sima Qiu's voice, "Is your chief clerk here?"

"The one who can use this strategy has arrived," Wang Xian smiled slightly.

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