Chapter 61

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Wang Fang preferred a quiet life, which was why he had chosen to set up his school over ten miles outside the city. Seeing that the matter had been resolved satisfactorily, he sat for a moment, drank a few cups of wine with Song Dalin and other local gentry, then excused himself and left the gathering.

Song Dalin, feeling aggrieved, naturally did not stay long either, and used the pretext of seeing off Mr. Wang to the wharf to leave the drinking party.

With everyone in the county flocking to the drinking party, the road became much quieter. Since Wang Fang had come on foot, Song Dalin did not ride in a sedan chair but ordered the bearers to carry it behind them.

Once they were out of sight, Song Dalin no longer needed to put on a show. He looked at Wang Fang with a complex expression and said, "Old sir, you have been taken advantage of by the unruly people."

"Hmm..." Wang Fang smiled faintly, "Perhaps."

Seeing his words fall on deaf ears, Song Dalin sighed, "In fact, today's incident was all planned by Li Jian. I didn't expect the whole county to respond, putting the government in a very difficult position. Sigh... Before I took office, I heard that the people of Meizhou were 'difficult to govern.' Now it seems that the reputation is well-deserved."

"Ha ha, speaking of 'difficult to govern'..." Wang Fang stroked his beard and shook his head, slowly asking, "I would like to ask you, Magistrate, what kind of people are 'easy to govern'?"

"The people described in the 'Tao Te Ching' as 'simple and honest' should be easy to govern," Song Dalin thought for a moment and answered.

"Do you think you have achieved 'simplicity and honesty' in your governance?" Wang Fang chuckled, "Moreover, with the world at peace for sixty years, the culture of Sichuan has flourished, and people have gained knowledge through reading. With the prevalence of material desires, people's hearts are no longer as simple as before, and it's hard to return to that simplicity."

"Yes," Song Dalin reflected. In the past half year since taking office, he had indeed encountered obstacles everywhere. Why not consult this senior on how to be a good magistrate here?

When he raised this question, Wang Fang stroked his beard and smiled, "Meizhou is a place where the purple aura comes from the east, a sign of cultural prosperity. The people here are different from those in backward regions and are not easily deceived by county officials. Scholar-gentry families all have legal books, unlike in other places where expertise in legal texts is seen as 'impure motives.' In fact, the local scholars strive to abide by the law and expect the county officials to govern without breaking the law." He paused and looked at Song Dalin with a half-smile, "If the magistrate is virtuous and fair, when his term ends, the people will paint his portrait, hang it in their homes, and worship it daily, remembering him for fifty years."

"Ah, you're right. The people here are not afraid of officials and dare to resist, which is indeed a challenge," Song Dalin smiled bitterly, "I don't aspire to be a saint, I just hope to get through my term peacefully."

"Ha ha, the people of Meizhou are proud and not easily convinced. Whenever a new county official arrives, they test him. If the official is competent and diligent, they will not cause trouble and will even assist the government in managing affairs smoothly. But if the new official is arrogant and disrespectful, the people will naturally be resentful, and he will face many difficulties." As they reached the wharf, Wang Fang stood by the river, glanced at Song Dalin, and said meaningfully, "They say the people of Meizhou are difficult to govern, but it's not that they are difficult to govern, but that the officials do not know how to govern them..."

"Please teach me, sir," Song Dalin bowed deeply.

"Since you mentioned the 'Tao Te Ching,' you should know that Laozi said, 'The sage has no fixed mind; he makes the people's mind his mind.' This is the essence of being a good official. There is nothing more to it than 'putting yourself in others' shoes'!" Wang Fang's voice was firm, "Before issuing an order, think about whether you, as an ordinary citizen, would accept such a law. If you can, do it; if not, don't. Over time, how can you worry that the people will not regard you as a parent, loving and respecting you?"

"I will remember your advice..." Song Dalin respectfully said, "I will see you off, sir..." He watched as Wang Fang and his disciple boarded a small boat and sailed away.

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On the Glass River, a boat was moving. A boatman was rowing at the stern, while Wang Fang stood at the bow, with Chen Ke by his side.

After setting off, Wang Fang remained silent, seemingly enjoying the scenery along the river.

After some time, Chen Ke could no longer hold back and took out a green porcelain wine bottle from his chest, presenting it to Wang Fang, "I know you don't like Huangjiao, so I brought you a bottle of fine Jian Nan Chun."

"Hmm, I prefer strong liquor; fruit wine is too sweet," Wang Fang nodded, took the bottle, and gave him a half-smile, "Are you satisfied now?"

"Very satisfied, very satisfied," Chen Ke smiled broadly, "As expected, an old hand is worth two. That Song Dalin is now at a loss."

"I thought you hadn't noticed," Wang Fang pulled out the cork, took a sip of the crisp wine, and said leisurely, "You created a successful momentum today. Even if I hadn't been there, Song Dalin wouldn't have dared to lose his temper in public, but he will definitely settle accounts later... As the saying goes, 'A county magistrate can ruin a family, and a prefect can destroy a clan.' You've passed this hurdle, but what will you do in the future?"

Wang Fang thought that this precocious child would say, "We'll deal with it when the time comes," or "We'll cross the bridge when we get to it." But to his surprise, Chen Ke raised his eyebrows and said resolutely, "There can't be a 'future' anymore!"

"Oh?" Wang Fang narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean?"

"Do you think your earnest advice today will have much effect on him?" Chen Ke asked.

"It won't have much effect," Wang Fang shook his head, somewhat dispirited, "Song Dalin comes from a family of Jiang Qing. It's too difficult for them to put themselves in the shoes of the common people..."

Although the aristocratic families had retreated from the political stage since the Tang Dynasty, the decline of any institution takes a long time. At least for now, many long-standing aristocratic families still wield significant influence and hold a lofty status, known as 'Jiang Qing.'

Families of Jiang Qing do not intermarry with ordinary families. Even if the other party is wealthy and powerful, they will not compromise if they are not of the Jiang Qing class. Children raised in such families naturally have a sense of superiority and find it hard to empathize with the common people.

"Now is the era of the common people. If these self-proclaimed nobles do not hold office, they can treat the common people as they please," Chen Ke said indignantly, "But if they hold office and still look down on the people, they will only bring disaster!"

He clenched his fists and said resolutely, "Such officials should be asked to go home and be noble on their own!"

"Oh..." Wang Fang found this very interesting. This young man was not thinking of defense but was determined to attack—how could a young scholar think of toppling a county magistrate?

'Interesting, interesting...' Wang Fang took a big sip of wine, wiped his mouth, and asked, "What's your plan?"

"I heard that the Prefect of Yizhou and the Transport Commissioner of Yizhou Road, Tian Kuang, has repeatedly emphasized that county magistrates should govern with kindness and严禁扰民欺民!" Chen Ke had already made up his mind, "If Prefect Tian learns that there is a magistrate like Song Dalin in his jurisdiction, who deceives his superiors and oppresses the people, ruining the reputation of the court and driving the people to despair, will he just stand by and do nothing?" However, he was not sure if the officials of the Song Dynasty would protect each other as severely as in later times.

"I know something about Prefect Tian," Wang Fang said slowly, "If there is solid evidence, he will certainly investigate thoroughly..." He paused and looked at Chen Ke teasingly, "But do you have any evidence? And now that he has announced the actual number of purchases, even if you have a case, it will be hard to prove."

"Ah, Mr. Wang, that's not fair..." Chen Ke said dejectedly, "If you hadn't stopped me, I would have given him the hundred barrels of wine, and even if he still refused to issue the official document, I wouldn't have been afraid. I have over a thousand witnesses. I don't believe I can't win the case! Now, with this, I have no evidence, and what can I do?"

"You young man..." Wang Fang laughed and shook his head, shaking the wine bottle, "If you felt wronged, why did you follow my advice?"

"Because, if you don't listen to the old, you will suffer," Chen Ke said gloomily.

"Oh... hahaha..." Wang Fang was amused by Chen Ke's words, laughing uncontrollably, "It's always your logic, young man." After a while, he straightened up and said, "I won't harm you. I had three reasons for telling you to stop. First, ordinary people are not as magnanimous as you. I saw that Li Jian, who was protecting his wine shop, was hesitant. Now that the shop is safe, don't even think about asking him to file a complaint."

"Second, if he doesn't, and only you step forward, regardless of the outcome, you will become famous in the Yizhou official circles. Filing a complaint against an official is not a good reputation, and no one will choose a scholar who challenges his superiors. You will never be able to leave Sichuan," Mr. Wang said meaningfully, "Finally, even if you bring down Magistrate Song, you will offend the Song family. Such a powerful Jiang Qing family can make your life miserable."

"So, young man, don't think I'm teaching you to be a coward. I'm not telling you to compromise completely," the old man's demeanor suddenly changed, and his voice carried a thunderous tone, "I'm telling you to learn to hold back until you are sure of victory. Act only when you are certain of success, otherwise, do not act. Do you understand?!"

"I understand, sir!" Chen Ke bowed deeply, more sincerely than Song Dalin.

"Ha ha ha..." Wang Fang finished the bottle of wine and said softly, "However, while you can't act against him, I can drive him away easily without causing any trouble."

"Really?" Chen Ke was delighted, "Please tell me!"

"If you want my help, you must first become the top scholar," Wang Fang laughed, his beard quivering, "If you do, I will keep my promise." Seeing Chen Ke roll his eyes, he said coldly, "What, do you think I will go back on my word?"

"I dare not, sir..." Chen Ke quickly smiled, "I just don't understand how my personal success is related to the happiness of the entire county."

"It is, because you have to beg me..." Wang Fang finished speaking and, ignoring Chen Ke's expression, began to sing loudly to the river.

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Later that evening, feeling humiliated, Bi Dagu left the county office and stayed in a brothel. When he heard that the price of Huangjiao wine had been raised fivefold by the wine merchants, Bi Dagu was so upset he wanted to vomit blood.

That night, the drunk Bi Dagu was carried to bed by a prostitute and fell into a deep sleep. His attendants were out enjoying themselves.

At the fourth watch of the night, the window of his room was opened, and several young men with blackened faces climbed in. They first gagged and tied up the prostitute, then wrapped the sleeping Bi Dagu in a quilt and carried him out quietly... Before leaving, they even took the prostitute's undergarments, which was quite perverted.

It wasn't until mid-morning the next day that Bi Dagu's attendants realized their master was missing. When they asked the prostitute, they learned that a kidnapping had occurred. Terrified, they rushed to the county office for help.

Magistrate Song led a search throughout Qingshen County and finally found Bi Dagu, naked and sleeping soundly among the pigs at the Hou family pig farm outside the city...

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I've written half a chapter... Let's keep going!!!

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