Chapter 56

"May I ask what the master intends to do?" the three assistants asked anxiously.

"I am planning something big..." County Magistrate Wei said solemnly.

"What big thing?" the three pressed.

"This big thing is..." County Magistrate Wei looked at the three, who held their breath in anticipation. His face turned red before he grinned and said, "Confidential!"

"..." The three were momentarily stunned. They saw County Magistrate Wei laugh heartily, fling his wide sleeves, and stride away with his long hair flowing, leaving behind a series of passionate songs:

"The wind howls and the Yi River is cold, the brave man departs and will not return;

Entering the tiger's den and the dragon's lair, his breath turns into a white rainbow!"

By the lotus pond, the three assistants looked at each other.

"Well, first Nie Zheng, then Jing Ke... Is he planning to fight the gentry to the death?" As a marginal figure, Ma Dianshi had no qualms about making sarcastic remarks.

"Nonsense!" Chief Clerk Diao was not so relaxed. He threw his sleeves and said angrily, "Refusing to repent, stubbornly going his own way, he will surely ruin us all!"

"It's not that serious..." County Magistrate Jiang said, somewhat at a loss. "Let's find out what he's really up to first."

"Agreed." Chief Clerk Diao nodded. County Magistrate Wei had a personal attendant who was actually planted by him. The attendant had already entered the office, and although he only served tea and water, he could still gather some information.

He then had someone notify the attendant to closely monitor County Magistrate Wei's every word and action. In the following days, information kept flowing back...

First, it was said that County Magistrate Wei ordered the household department to bring all the household registration archives since the Yongle era to the office. Then, it was said that he ordered the engineering department to hurry and carve eighty stone steles. It was also said that he wrote a memorial, but was stopped by Sima Qiu. This led to an argument between the two.

The attendant in the outer room clearly heard Sima Qiu shout, "Master, you can't do this! Once a major case is triggered, how many heads will roll? What a sin!"

"It's because Emperor Yongle was too lenient that these people act without restraint! It's only been a dozen years since Emperor Taizu passed away, and the counties of the Ming Dynasty are already in such a state!" County Magistrate Wei said indignantly. "The lessons from the Yuan Dynasty are not far off. If the officials and gentry continue to collude, the foundation of our Ming Dynasty will be hollowed out!" He slammed the table and said, "We need another Guo Huan case! Only by making the heads of those who embezzle national taxes roll can our Ming Dynasty have hope!"

"Master, if you do this, will you have a place to stand in the future?" Sima Qiu said anxiously.

"Wei has received great grace from the emperor. To die for the country is a worthy death!" County Magistrate Wei said resolutely. "Sir, there's no need to persuade me further. I am determined to expose the truth about the reduction in population and taxes in Fuyang County to the world!"

"Master..." Sima Qiu said sadly, "Then I can only resign..."

"Even if everyone leaves, I will not waver!" County Magistrate Wei said loudly.

"Is this really what Wei said?" Chief Clerk Diao asked, breaking out in a cold sweat.

"Absolutely true." His personal attendant said, "If Old Five hadn't heard it, could he have fabricated it? Besides, all the stonemasons in the county are locked in the county office, working from morning till night. This can't be fake, right?"

"Did Old Five say what they were carving?" Chief Clerk Diao asked.

"It's the yellow registers..." The attendant said, pulling out a few ink papers used for carving from his pocket. "He brought these out when no one was paying attention."

Chief Clerk Diao took them and saw that some were pages from the county's yellow registers from the thirtieth year of Hongwu. Others were from the eighth year of Yongle... Instantly, he understood what the other party was planning to do!

County Magistrate Wei intended to carve the yellow registers from the Hongwu era and the latest ones into stone steles and make them public! To show the people of Fuyang how much more taxes they had been paying over the years!

If this happened, those who had deceived the higher authorities and sucked the blood of the people, including the chief clerk in charge of grain and taxes, would probably be torn apart by the enraged people before the court even intervened!

"This madman!" Chief Clerk Diao fell back into his chair, his limbs weak. "Mad, mad, completely mad..."

After a long while, Chief Clerk Diao regained his composure and rushed to the county magistrate's office.

Listening to his account, County Magistrate Jiang was also shocked, "This County Magistrate Wei has a fierce temper..."

"Oh, my brother, don't make sarcastic remarks." Chief Clerk Diao wiped his sweat and said urgently, "He's planning to go all out! Why are we so unlucky to have such a reckless county magistrate?"

"It's because you forced him." County Magistrate Jiang said solemnly. "Complaining to the students was a ruthless move, but it was wrong to use it against someone who doesn't respond to pressure. Now he's completely provoked..."

"What's done is done, what's the point of saying this now?" Chief Clerk Diao interrupted impatiently. "What should we do now?"

"What else can we do? Either submit or get rid of him." County Magistrate Jiang sighed.

"How do we get rid of him?" Chief Clerk Diao asked.

"Stabbing, chopping, poisoning, strangling, any method will do." County Magistrate Jiang was expressionless.

"Don't joke around. As the county magistrate, if he dies mysteriously, the cold-faced iron will definitely investigate thoroughly." Chief Clerk Diao shook his head. "Let's try to drive him away."

"It's too late." County Magistrate Jiang shook his head. "By the time you finish, he will have already set up the stone steles."

"You..." Chief Clerk Diao understood County Magistrate Jiang's meaning and glared at him. "If you want me to submit, just say it, why beat around the bush!"

"Would you know you have no choice otherwise?" County Magistrate Jiang smiled bitterly. "Brother Ren'an, the strong fear the stubborn, and the stubborn fear the fearless. You are strong, but he is both stubborn and fearless. He is still the county magistrate, and fighting him will lead to this outcome."

"What's the point of saying this now?" Chief Clerk Diao frowned.

"Of course it's useful. It's not too late to mend the fence." County Magistrate Jiang was eager to resolve the conflict. Although he was not deeply involved, he would not escape if things got worse. "Who wants to reach this point? It's all because you forced him. If he loses face, help him regain it. If he wants to increase the tax by two percent, you can negotiate. It's just a matter of making less profit." He looked at Chief Clerk Diao and said, "I'm not saying this to you, Old Diao. You only have three years left in Fuyang. Why get so deeply involved?"

"Alas, it's too late to back out now." Chief Clerk Diao said bitterly. "I was the one who compiled the yellow registers of the eighth year of Yongle. Do you think I can stay out of this?"

"Let's get through this first, and then we can think of ways to solve it later." County Magistrate Jiang sighed. "Go and persuade them to stop. Sit down and talk with County Magistrate Wei."

"Alas..." Chief Clerk Diao said gloomily. "You also help talk to Wei, and don't let him send the memorial."

"Agreed." County Magistrate Jiang nodded. "We'll act separately."

However, both of them hit a wall...

On County Magistrate Jiang's side, County Magistrate Wei refused to listen to any advice, determined to fight the gentry to the end.

On Chief Clerk Diao's side, the gentry believed that County Magistrate Wei was just bluffing. If they submitted to him now, wouldn't Fuyang County become his domain? They didn't believe there was such a fearless official in the world...

In the end, it all boiled down to the fact that even if something happened, only the five grain collectors would suffer, not most of the gentry. So they felt no real fear and could confidently assure the grain collectors, "With us here, nothing will happen! Yes, nothing will happen..."

The grain collectors were naturally anxious, but they dared not anger the masses and could only hold on... Until they heard a piece of news: the cold-faced iron, Zhou Netai, might have already come to the county in disguise!

Many people saw a middle-aged man from another place, dressed in a blue robe, walking along the Fuchun River with two attendants, visiting villages and households, and investigating grievances, which perfectly matched the description of Zhou Netai... The news spread quickly, and it was said that County Magistrate Wei had also received the news and ordered the stonemasons to work day and night to set up the stone steles before Zhou Netai arrived in the county!

Chief Clerk Diao and the others were like ants on a hot pan. It was said that a grain collector knelt before Li Sheng's grandfather, begging for a way out. Another grain collector was so frightened that he hanged himself, but was discovered in time and saved.

Chief Clerk Diao even threatened that if they were arrested, he would expose all the gentry's hidden land, false names, and illegal activities, and they would all be ruined!

Seeing that the enemy hadn't made a move, but their own backyard was already on fire, the gentry had to seriously consider what to do.

That afternoon, more than a dozen influential gentry and landlords gathered at the Li family in Huanshan Village. The Li family's two sons were both jinshi (imperial scholars), with the eldest serving as a vice-minister in Sichuan and the second as a minister in the current court. The glory of having two jinshi in one family was rare even in a province like Zhejiang, so the local gentry naturally chose the Li family patriarch as their leader.

The Li family patriarch was over seventy, wearing a Song-style cap and a chestnut-colored bat-patterned robe, exuding dignity and respect. He stroked his beard and said slowly, "I didn't expect this magistrate to have such a temper..."

"Actually, we're not afraid of his antics. The key is that the cold-faced iron has come. This person is terrifying. It's said that when children in the capital cry at night, the people call out, 'The cold-faced iron is here,' and the children immediately stop crying." The Wang family patriarch, whose son was a deputy minister in the Ministry of Justice, sat on the right and was the second in command among the local gentry. "If something happens at this critical moment, it will be hard to resolve."

"But it has come to this," the Yu family patriarch, who sat third, said on behalf of everyone. "Where do we put our dignity?"

"Let him apologize." The Wang family patriarch said, "Send a message. As long as Wei comes to apologize to Brother Li, everything can be negotiated..."