Chapter 58

- "Now, tell me, should those corrupt officials, dirty clerks, and bad grain collectors be put to death!"

As Wei, the county magistrate, finished speaking, the crowd erupted in a tumult:

"This is too outrageous! No wonder the Grand Ancestor had to execute people. Good, very good!"

"That's right. We pay the imperial taxes, but they take more than half. Whose country is this Ming Dynasty? They should be killed, they should be killed!"

Amid the chorus of "They should be killed," Wei, the county magistrate, raised his voice: "It has been nearly thirty years since that case, and a new batch of parasites has emerged in the state! The various methods used in the Guo Huan case are once again spreading across the land of the Ming Dynasty! Tell me, should we not carry out another purge to restore clarity to our Ming Dynasty and to the people?"

The crowd's emotions were fully stirred, and thousands raised their hands, shouting in unison: "Yes, they should be killed!"

"Do you want to know if there are such parasites in our Fuyang County?" Wei, the county magistrate, asked loudly.

"Yes!" the crowd shouted.

"Good! I will show you clearly!" Wei, the county magistrate, waved his hand, and two constables pushed out a large cart, removing the red silk covering to reveal two stone steles, densely inscribed with characters. Wei, the county magistrate, said, "I have engraved the county's tax and labor service register on these stone steles and erected them at the heads of each village! After you return, inform your fellow villagers to check. If you find that your name is not on the stele but you have been paying taxes, immediately report to the county office, and I will ensure that the matter is reported to the imperial court! I believe that Emperor Yongle, whose spirit rivals that of the founding emperor, will not let the people down!"

"Good!" The crowd was already in a frenzy, eager to return and check whether the taxes they had paid over the years had gone to the imperial treasury or been embezzled by corrupt officials!

Amid the cries for punishment, the grain collectors were so frightened that their legs turned to jelly, and the most timid one even wet his pants...

The faces of the local gentry were either green or white, and these stubborn old foxes finally saw the coffin...

On the outskirts of the crowd, a muscular, well-dressed man frowned and said to a middle-aged man wearing a bamboo hat and a blue robe, "Sir, this Wei, the county magistrate, is playing with fire..."

The man pushed up his hat, and a thin, sardonic smile appeared on his gaunt face: "Weren't you just applauding a moment ago..."

"That was then, sir. Haven't you always said that excess is as bad as deficiency?" The muscular man worried, "He uses the 'Regulations for Students' to punish the troublemaking scholars and the 'Guo Huan Case' to teach the grain collectors a lesson, which are excellent strategies. But if he really uncovers the truth, it could lead to a major case."

"Ha ha..." The middle-aged man smiled faintly, but his cold demeanor made it indistinguishable from a sneer: "You, a young man, are starting to think."

"Isn't it because I care about such a good official?" The muscular man scratched his head. "Besides, if a major case breaks out, it will also be a big trouble for you, sir."

"Don't worry unnecessarily." The middle-aged man snorted, "Wei, the county magistrate, knows his limits and won't uncover the truth."

"Why not?" The muscular man, sensing the tension, felt it was inevitable.

"Unless he wants to die, he won't use this method to uncover the truth." The middle-aged man slowly said, "This grand display precisely shows that his purpose is just to intimidate."

"How can this be just intimidation? He has already cornered himself, and stopping now would make him a laughingstock." The muscular man found it hard to believe.

"Because his opponents are a group of fearless old foxes." The middle-aged man said coldly, "No matter how much you threaten, they remain unmoved. You have to take real action to make them flinch."

"Why are you contradicting yourself, sir?" The muscular man laughed, "You just said he's just intimidating, and now you say he will take real action."

"Sigh, you are truly beyond help..." The sir sighed, "The art of deception lies in turning the false into the real and the real into the false, using it skillfully and freely..."

"Oh..." The muscular man shrank his neck and looked at the stage, seeing that Wei, the county magistrate, had already returned to the office, and the officials and constables had left the wall. "Sir, should we go see Wei, the county magistrate now?"

"Wait a bit." The middle-aged man turned with the crowd, "Wei, the county magistrate, has more to do. He doesn't have time to see us now."

"Ah, sir, I think I understand." The muscular man quickly caught up, "Those stone steles can't just be erected..."

"It seems you're not completely hopeless..." The middle-aged man shook his head and smiled, and the two of them disappeared around the corner...

As soon as Wei, the county magistrate, returned to his office and removed his official hat, six grain collectors came to request an audience.

Wei, the county magistrate, ignored them, had his attendant remove his sash, knee guards, and official robe, and then placed a wet towel on his face to calm his agitated emotions.

"The grain collectors are kneeling outside the office," the attendant on duty reported.

Wei, the county magistrate, changed into his informal official robe and sat behind his desk. Seeing the attendant still there, he picked up his teacup and moistened his throat, saying, "What are you still standing here for?"

The attendant had to leave, and Wei, the county magistrate, picked up a copy of the "Great Proclamation" and began to read it carefully. He now understood what it meant to "turn the rotten into the miraculous." The two articles that Wang Xian had found in the nearly forgotten "Great Proclamation" made his counterattack today well-founded and justified. It was even more satisfying than passing the imperial examination!

'It seems there are no useless things, only useless people!' Wei, the county magistrate deeply regretted not being familiar with the legal codes, which led to his humiliation. If he had known about this law, he could have expelled those scholars on the spot, which would have been better than trying to fix the situation afterward.

After reading two pages of the "Great Proclamation," the attendant returned and said, "Sir, Han Gongzheng just tried to smash his head against a rock, but was stopped by someone nearby. He still ended up with a bloody head."

Wei, the county magistrate, remained silent, his face gradually turning cold.

"Sir, you should see them..." the attendant bravely advised.

'Pound!' Wei, the county magistrate, threw the book down hard, making the attendant flinch.

Wei, the county magistrate, stared at him intently and said sternly, "What are you, to speak out of turn!"

The attendant, who had been in the office for a long time, was not at all flustered and calmly replied, "Sir, please calm down. I am just loyal. The grain collectors are not only trying to kill themselves but also saying terrifying things. I was afraid they might cause a tragedy, so I had to report it."

"What terrifying things did they say?"

"If you don't see them, they will all die outside the door."

"How are you on duty?" Wei, the county magistrate, said with a dark face, sarcastically, "This is a place of importance, and you let them cause a commotion outside? Even a dog would bark at them!"

The attendant, insulted worse than a dog, his face turned red.

"You have two tasks now!" Wei, the county magistrate, said sternly. "First, order them to be driven out of the county office. If they want to die, let them go to the public cemetery, so no one has to collect their bodies."

The attendant opened his mouth to say something but heard Wei, the county magistrate, continue, "Second, go to Master Sima and settle this month's salary, then pack your things and leave the county office, and you will not be rehired!"

The attendant was completely stunned, his mouth half-open, not knowing what to say.

"Do you want to ask me why?" Wei, the county magistrate, said for him.

"Yes... I dare not!" The attendant finally realized and quickly knelt down, saying, "Sir, what did I do wrong to be dismissed?"

"You know very well." Wei, the county magistrate, picked up the "Great Proclamation" again and ignored him, saying, "No official will use a traitor!"

The attendant finally understood the reason, realizing that his secret had been exposed. He did not say anything more, grunted, and got up to leave.

"Someone!" Wei, the county magistrate suddenly shouted.

Two constables heard and came in, blocking the attendant's path, and saluted, "Sir!"

"Take him out and give him sixty strokes. He doesn't need his salary either!" Wei, the county magistrate said coldly. "Also, pass the word that anyone who leaks information or peeks at official documents will receive forty strokes and be handed over to the legal authorities. Anyone who pleads for others or disrespects their superiors will receive twenty strokes and be immediately dismissed!"

"Understood!" The constables responded loudly, feeling the sir's authority.

The attendant finally felt afraid and was dragged out...

After a while, Master Sima entered and reported, "Sir, everything you asked has been done." He finally felt the authority of a county magistrate.

"Mr. Sima, you don't need to be so formal." Wei, the county magistrate smiled, "The authority of an official comes from establishing authority, just as Wang Xian said."

"Ha ha..." Seeing Wang Xian's status rise in the county magistrate's eyes, Master Sima felt a bit sour, imagining the tragic scene of a new generation replacing the old. After a while, he came to his senses and said, "County Magistrate Jiang and Chief Clerk Diao are outside, requesting an audience."

"Refuse them." Wei, the county magistrate said sternly, "Go out and tell them that my decision is final, and further discussion is useless. They should go back and wait."

"Understood." Master Sima went out and relayed the message to the two subordinates.

County Magistrate Jiang was stunned, and Chief Clerk Diao looked like a dog that had lost its home. They each grabbed one of Master Sima's hands and begged, "Mr. Sima, please show us a way out!"

"Sigh," Master Sima sighed, "The county magistrate is stubborn, and no one can change his mind. What can you two do? Who else in Fuyang County has any influence?"

After saying this, he pulled his hand away, shook his head, and turned to go back inside. County Magistrate Jiang and Chief Clerk Diao, however, seemed to understand. They finally realized who they should seek for help.

The two left the county office, called the six grain collectors, and went to Zhou's Wine House. In a private room, several old gentlemen were anxiously waiting for news. They had heard that the county office's constables were all out, erecting the steles in each village, and the old gentlemen were trembling with fear... Although the fabrication of the tax register and the collection of grain were not directly related to them, the redistribution of taxes and labor services to the common people was the only way they had become wealthy. If the tax register was made public, their schemes would be exposed!

Even if they managed to clear their names and escape unscathed, their reputation in the countryside would be ruined. How could they maintain their dignity and high status in the future?

The reason these old gentlemen had been at odds with the county magistrate until today was for the sake of their reputation.

Now that Wei, the county magistrate, was no longer competing with them, he was directly slapping them in the face! The old gentlemen finally realized that, compared to their wealth and reputation, their pride was not so important...