"Zhao Youshu" is a money fanatic. He stored all the gold and silver he had collected in the county government's warehouse, opened all the boxes, and the white flowers were bright and dazzling. Some Shu carefully counted and registered them again and again, and then used them to buy disaster relief materials, repair and reinforce dams and so on.
In just over half a month, his reputation has spread far and wide. Only Suichang County under his jurisdiction does not collect much money and food from the people. If anyone is wronged, just go to the drum. There is no need to bribe the yamen, and there is no need to spend a lot of money to ask for a lawyer, because the county magistrate will personally To write a case for you, that literary talent, that argument, is really praiseworthy, and the clouds are full of paper. Gradually, the literati in Suichang no longer stayed at home and read all day, but lingered at the gate of the county government, just to hear the county magistrate's adversary, and then shook their heads and sighed intoxicated, "Listen to your words, you will win. Ten years of reading!"
Everything You Shu is doing now, one is to repay the debt, and the other is to protect himself. Who makes him unlucky to have such a descendant. Because the price he offered was very reasonable and the demand was huge, grain merchants near Suichang came to negotiate with him one after another, from morning to night.
On this day, You Shu finally finished negotiating a big business, and she was so hungry that her chest was on her back, and she hurriedly ordered her servants to prepare meals. Because the common people lived a hard life, he didn't dare to spend extravagantly, so he only asked the cook to fry a plate of pork liver, a plate of cabbage and a cold fungus. He picked up the bowl and quickly took a few bites. He was about to reach out to grab a piece of pork liver, but suddenly a tall figure appeared in the empty seat opposite him.
The man was still wearing the mask, staring at him with dark and unpredictable eyes.
What, why are you here again? The little man in Youshu almost wanted to cry, the muscles on his face couldn't help shaking, and the rice grains in his mouth spontaneously swallowed into his throat in shock, and then unfortunately choked into his trachea. The desire to cough is overwhelming, but Shu has no choice but to hold back, because he knows that once he behaves strangely, the person opposite will immediately hook his soul away.
Don't cough, don't cough. His hand holding the chopsticks was shaking, his small Adam's apple kept twitching, and his big, round eyes were rushing out of tears, and he looked very pitiful. The little servant standing by the side was startled, and hurriedly walked over to inquire about the situation.
He wiped away his tears indiscriminately, rubbed his neck again, and said with difficulty, "I'm fine, the cook put too much chili today, I'm not used to it."
"But sir, didn't you tell the chef to put more chili peppers? Yesterday, you thought that his fried dishes were too bland, and ordered him to put some dried chili peppers even with boiled cabbage."
The servant immediately dismantled the platform, making Youshu annoyed and flustered. He covered his Adam's apple with his palm and breathed short, "Yesterday I did put a little bit, but today I put too much. You go back and tell him, let him weigh it, it's better to put more or less." Then he lowered his head, Continue to shed tears.
If the person who was choked couldn't hold back the cough, the taste would be indescribable. Youshu wanted to hit the wall with her head, but she had to pretend to be hot, but it was nothing serious. The servant poured him a cup of herbal tea, and then ran to the kitchen to speak. As soon as he walked on his front foot, the man's back foot disappeared, and he didn't know if there was any flaw.
Youshu didn't care to think about it, she immediately fell back on the chair and beat her chest continuously, and then coughed desperately. The corners of her eyes and nose were wet and red, and her cheeks were covered with tears and snot. She looked embarrassed and a little ridiculous. When he finally coughed up the rice grains in his trachea, he didn't know that the man who had disappeared was actually still in the hall. He just concealed his figure, and turned to sit beside You Shu, tilted his head, supported his chin, and stared at each other for a moment.
Seeing that Youshu finally recovered, but he didn't dare to shave the rice, but asked the servant to exchange two big white steamed buns, and gnawed like venting his anger. He finally laughed lowly.
As long as you have a grin or a slight sip of your mouth, the dimples on both cheeks will be looming. He opened his mouth to bite the steamed bun, and suddenly felt that the dimple was cold, as if a snow seed had fallen into it in winter, and the touch was very real.
what? He was suspicious, and when he reached out to touch it, there was nothing there, so he continued to bite the steamed bun. After taking a few bites, he felt that the dimple was slightly cold, but there was no abnormality when he touched it again. After several repetitions, he finally realized that something was wrong, looked around with vigilant eyes, and forced all his mental power into his eyeballs.
The house is very clean, not even a ghost. Is it my delusion? Sometimes the human body does feel hot and cold, because the internal fire is too dry. Thinking like this, he relaxed again, tore open a piece of steamed bun and dipped it in the juice of the fried pork liver.
The man sitting beside him retracted his dimpled fingertips and smiled happily. After appreciating the food appearance of the magistrate Xiao Zhao, he did not leave, but followed to the study, wanting to see what the other party would do in private. At this time, the sun had set, and a dim yellow oil lamp was lit in the room. The wick seemed to be burning out, and it was crackling.
"Master, this servant will help you change a lamp wick and add a little more oil, so as not to hurt your eyes." A good-looking servant girl said softly.
"It's ok to change a wick, but don't add lamp oil, it's a waste. I'll fall asleep in a while." After You Shu took all her family property to buy food, she really didn't have any money in her hand, and now she's more and more like Grandet. . He took out a book and read it slowly. Seeing that the maid never left, he kept blinking at himself, so he asked ignorantly, "Why, is there anything else?"
The maid rubbed her eyes that were about to cramp, and went down in a sullen mood. Is this county magistrate understanding or pretending to be confused? So obvious signals are not received
Youshu really couldn't receive it, but the tall man knew what it meant, he couldn't help snorting coldly, and then stared at the puzzled Xiao Zhao county magistrate, laughing dumbly. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that the simple-minded Zhao Youshu would be the wicked person before. But it is clearly remembered on the life and death book that there will be no mistakes. There is no more reasonable explanation except that knowing the mistakes can make up for it.
Just change it, who hasn't done one or two absurd things when they were young? Thinking like this, the man stretched out his hand and touched the head of the magistrate Xiao Zhao.
Youshu suddenly felt a chill on the top of her head, she immediately put on her hat, read a few pages of the book, took out a jar of chi in the drawer, shook it, listened to it, and then she went to sleep in a good mood. At the sight of his "toy", the man couldn't help but chuckle again, and it gradually disappeared when he fell asleep.
The man appeared ten miles away out of thin air, and was followed by two prison masters who also wore masks. He asked in a low voice, "Is everything done?"
"It's done, the cracks in the animal path have been blocked. Dare to ask the master, how should the beasts who have been entrusted to be dealt with?"
"Let's settle it together after the scourge." The man was about to leave, as if he remembered something and then said, "Since you are in Lishui Mansion, let's go and see what the officials of Lishui are doing."
The two prison masters bowed to their promises. They first arrived at the residence of Wang Zhifu and found that he was holding two beautiful women in his arms. The scene was unsightly, so they went to the subordinate counties. Conspiring to frame others, or hiding in the warehouse and counting money, are all greedy and sinister faces.
The three of them looked at them one by one, and their eyes became colder, but King Yama seemed to think of something, and there were a few wisps of smiles in the dark pupils. One of the prison masters suggested to go to Suichang County to have a look, but he immediately denied it, "No need to go, this king just came from there. In Lishui Mansion, only one official, Zhao Youshu, can be regarded as an example of the people."
Seeing that the master's evaluation of Zhao Youshu was so high, the two prison masters were surprised, but they did not dare to ask more, and they all disappeared after taking a step into the darkness.
On this day, some Shu finished her breakfast and went to work in the yamen. He looked up at the sky habitually, and found that the black clouds in the sky were getting thicker and thicker, as if he could touch it with his hand, and the thin dragon shadows shuttled through the clouds had also increased from the original dozens to hundreds, indicating that A natural disaster is coming soon.
To make matters worse, in addition to the dragon shadow, there were also wisps of black smoke coming out of the ground, drilling straight into the bodies of passers-by. You Shu knew that it was a plague, and it was transformed by the wandering ghosts. After the natural disaster, there will be a large-scale plague.
Fortunately, he stored a miscellaneous knowledge system in his mind, including Chinese and Western medicine, so he combined the essence of traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years, and quickly combined a prescription for preventing epidemics and having a good effect. He declined the grain merchants who came to interview today, and immediately went out to buy medicinal materials, and within a few days, a large number of pharmaceutical merchants were welcomed.
The people of Suichang County have become accustomed to the occasional madness of the county magistrate.
On this day, Shu invited a few drug dealers to inspect the goods. As soon as he put an herbal medicine to his nose and smelled it, he heard the sound of messy footsteps outside, as if many people were trying to rush in. He walked to the window and looked, but Wang Fu led a man dressed as an official to break in, followed by many guards with knives, and their aggressive expressions indicated that they were not good people.
Wang Fu kicked the door open and scolded, "Fuck off, give it all to Grandpa! Wu Zhixian has something to do!" Wu Zhixian is the parental official of Longquan County in the south, and has a very close relationship with Wang Zhifu, and his methods are also very cruel hot. His daughter is now the second concubine of the Wang Zhifu, she is quite favored, and he is also very respectable in Lishui.
When everyone heard that it was him, they said goodbye immediately. Fortunately, Wang Fu had arrived early, otherwise the medicinal materials would have been transported to Suichang, but something happened to the magistrate of Zhao. Who was responsible for the expenses on the way? Zhao county magistrate offended Wang Zhifu, and his official career has come to an end.
Youshu did not invite the two to sit down, but took a sip from the teacup with a very leisurely attitude. Because he just got the news from the starving ghost, the obituaries of the three giants in the DPRK have already entered the county seat and are on their way to the government office. However, it was too early for him to feel relieved. He saw the vacant seat beside him twisted for a moment, and when it returned to normal, a tall man sat on it with a burning gaze.
There was a trembling of Shu's hands and almost fed tea into her nostrils, but fortunately she stopped in time at the last moment. He took a sip of tea slowly, and then put down the teacup gently, consciously acting calmly and elegantly without losing his demeanor. However, he didn't know that, these days, someone knew all about his private virtues. Only when the tea is hot will he take a sip. If the temperature is moderate, he always pours it with his head up, like a cow chewing peony.
As soon as he came, he changed it to sip, and his performance was too deliberate, but instead revealed his deeds. The man wanted to laugh, but he was reluctant to hold it back. With a flip of his palm, he created a stack of official documents out of thin air, and used Zhu Zhu to outline and draw. He was very comfortable.
You Shu let out a breath without a trace, and then looked at Wu Zhixian, "Master Wu, why are you here today?"
Wu Zhixian didn't talk nonsense, and his attitude was tough and authentic, "Master Zhao, I heard that you have raised 180,000 taels of silver and are planning to use it to buy food a few days ago? I have a batch of food that I just want to sell. How about selling it to you?"
Where is the grain in the county grain depot? Either they will be resold by these local officials to grain merchants at a high price, or the subordinates in the yamen will take a bag and I will take a bag, and the rest will be handed over to the court. In the event of a disaster, food production was reduced, and there was nothing I could do. These are all unspoken rules in the officialdom. Youshu has learned from the memory of "Zhao Youshu", and naturally he will not agree. They clearly say to sell, but in fact it is a robbery. If they want to take the money, they will give you a few bags of sand to make you suffer.
"Master Wu, I heard that the mice in the granary in Longquan County are dying of starvation. What are you selling the grain for?" You Shu said.
Wu Zhixian sneered, "This official said that selling grain is to give you face. If I want to, I can just have the money dragged away. Zhao Youshu, I advise you to be more acquainted. You have already recorded your name at the Wang Zhifu. If something goes wrong in the future, it will be too late to regret it.”
"Are you threatening me?" You Shu frowned.
The man approving the official document also looked up, his eyes cold.
Wu Zhixian felt a chill in his body for no reason, he folded his arms around his shoulders, and said, "This official is warning you, don't get in the way of others. It should be noted that the only end of those blocking stones is that they will be removed and thrown at will. It’s okay if you don’t buy this food, but you have to give me 180,000 taels of silver. If you are interested, I may be able to say a few words for you in front of Lord Wang and save your life. You know, Lord Deng in Changshan County Right? He died in a tragic way back then!"
Deng Zhixian was also a loyal, brave and upright person. Because he refused to join forces with Wang Zhifu, he was hacked to death by mountain bandits on the side of the road when he returned to his hometown to visit relatives. His wife and daughter were also kidnapped. But come to think of it, the end is definitely more bleak than living.
Youshu knew that the local officials and the bandits had colluded, so he could naturally guess the real cause of death of Lord Deng. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw that the man suddenly stood up, strode to Wu Zhixian, and stared at him. His eyes are very penetrating, even if he does not show his body, Wu Zhixian instinctively perceives the cold and fear.
"How many ice basins do you have in your house?" He clasped his arms and said with a trembling.
Youshu found that he had a lot of goose bumps on the back of his hands and face, and his hair was standing upright, but he didn't know that he had been targeted by King Yama, so he couldn't help but silently mourned for him. You said you didn't come early or late, but you came just in time when King Yama was watching me. Didn't you seek death
Youshu was relieved in her heart, but her face did not show at all, she shook her head and said, "Not a single ice basin." At the same time, try to avoid eye contact with the tall man.
Wu Zhixian didn't seem to believe it, craned his neck to look around the room, and his expression became more and more uneasy. Wang Fu saw that he was rambling off the topic, and quickly reminded in a low voice, "Master Wu, Master Wang is still waiting for our letter, it's important to take the money away first. Think about it, Prince Li has a wide range of people. How many gifts do you get for making a birthday, if you can't make it in time, won't the opportunity be taken by others?"
Wu Zhixian nodded, rubbed his arms and was about to speak harshly again, but someone shouted from outside, "Master, there is an urgent letter from the capital, please take a look."
At this time, unlike modern times, the traffic is very congested, and the population is seldom mobile. Often, earth-shattering events occur in one place, but they will not be known until a few months or more than half a year later. If the local officials deliberately hide it, they will never even know it for the rest of their lives. Therefore, the emperor, the imperial concubine, and the prince Li died violently one after another, and the fifth prince ascended the throne. It has been more than half a month before the news reached Lishui. Those who have traveled and traveled naturally knew it, but did not dare to arbitrarily discuss the political affairs, especially the political affairs of the emperor's replacement, so they kept tight-lipped.
Some Shu immediately opened the envelope and read it quickly. In addition to the obituary, the new emperor also repeatedly urged all localities to make preparations for flood control and drought relief, which was a visionary. He handed it to Wu Zhixian and said slowly, "Don't worry about my 180,000 taels of silver. The fifth prince ascended the throne and Prince Li died suddenly. You should hurry back and find a new backer, so that the position under your butt will not be changed. Lose."
Wu Zhixian refused to believe it at first, but when he took a look at the official document, he almost fainted. Overnight, the emperor, imperial concubine, and prince Li all died, and the fifth prince who no one knew who ascended the throne. These old officials in the court are not his confidants, and where he dares to use them, of course, he has to replace them with his own team one by one. That is to say, the DPRK and China are bound to usher in a big change. It is not known whether this change will affect small counties, but it is always right to deal with it early.
Small officials like Wu Zhixian don't have to worry too much, but officials like Wang Zhifu should be cautious. They often stand in line. But the bad thing is that Wu Zhixian gave his daughter to Wang Zhifu as a concubine, and Wang Zhifu is already a grasshopper on a rope. If Wang Zhifu is planted this time, Wu Zhixian will not even think about having good fruit to eat.
Wang Fu was also in the same situation, so the two quickly realized that the situation was critical and ran out as if their butts were on fire. The tall man followed closely, and when the carriage drove out of Suichang County, he pointed at each other.
A ray of black light hit the buttocks of the driving horses. They raised their front hooves and slammed left and right, throwing the two people in the car far away. When the guards brought them back, they found that one had broken his leg and the other had broken his waist. The injuries were extremely serious.
Some Shu guessed that the two of them would be unlucky, and felt at ease. He took up a pen and wrote down the news of "the first emperor passed away and the new emperor ascended the throne", and ordered his servants to post it. After the plague affairs are arranged, the responsibility is allocated to the heads of various li.
Knowing that Wu Zhixian had gone to Suichang, the officials in several nearby counties were secretly embarrassed, blaming themselves for not being able to start early, and they all hoped that Zhao county magistrate would be unlucky. However, the news of Zhao county magistrate's dismissal did not come, but the obituary came first. One of their backers was down, and the fifth prince who was in the top was actually unknown.
What is this all about! The officials and lords complained in their hearts, but they still managed to arrange white flags, incense candles and other objects, preparing to make sacrifices to the emperor's mausoleum. And You Shu only did it on the first day, and spent the rest of the day buying supplies and consolidating the dam. In the end, there was 100,000 taels of cash left to spare.
Before I knew it, another month passed. Looking back, the elusive King Yama has not come for seventeen or eight days. Could it be that he has completely dispelled his doubts about me? Before you could be happy, you heard the starving ghost say, "Sir, the little one has to go out to avoid the limelight, so I will say goodbye to you. You can see that the dark clouds in the sky and the fog on the ground are almost connected, and natural and man-made disasters are about to happen. In front of us, many people will die by then, and the ghosts will prevail, locking up the wronged souls. In order to prevent being caught, the little ones have to leave quickly."
"Isn't it a good time to be reincarnated?" You Shu was puzzled.
"I didn't accumulate virtue in my last life, even if I was reincarnated, I couldn't enter the human world. It's better to stay in the mortal world. I'm gone, my lord, take care of you."
When this time came, Shu had the mind to think about other things, and immediately went to the warehouse to count food, medicinal materials, silver and other disaster relief materials. While he was busy, Wang Fu's followers came to the county office to make trouble, saying that they wanted to come back to work. One day off, one day's wages will be deducted. This is the rule of the imperial court. They have been on leave for dozens of days, and they have lost a lot of money. They thought that when Wang Fu came back, he would definitely regain power and make up for everyone's losses. The unlucky Wang Fu broke his waist and was paralyzed on the bed.
What is even more disturbing is that Prince Li died suddenly, the new emperor ascended the throne, and the backer of the Wang Zhifu collapsed. It is unknown whether he can continue to be an official in the future. Only at this time did everyone realize what it means to be "the master of running water and the county magistrate of iron". The county magistrate couldn't get used to Wang Fu, so he kicked him when he said he was kicked; if he lacked manpower, he could hire dozens of strong men in a blink of an eye. Chasing him is tantamount to hitting an egg against a stone, seeking a dead end.
They regretted the beginning, and knelt outside the gate and kept kowtowing to plead guilty. Youshu is already busy, so how can you use this group of snobs who only know how to eat leisurely meals, and immediately write a dismissal letter, stamp it with the official seal, distribute it, and then publish it on the list.
Now the people of Suichang are used to going to the public list outside the yamen every day to see, the county magistrate will report every matter, no matter how big or small, and he has a name for this practice, which is called transparency in government affairs. Although I don't know if it is really transparent, the common people can know which policies are beneficial to them, and which ones need to be prevented or implemented in time.
In just two months, the public security in Suichang County has changed from chaos to order, and the mental outlook of the people has also changed. Their love for Zhao County magistrate exceeded their respect for gods and Buddhas. Anyone who dared to say that Zhao County magistrate was not good would immediately be attacked by a group.
Now, the magistrate of Zhao has done another great harm to the people, and has taken out the arresters, yamen, and subordinate officials who had once oppressed them. How heartwarming is this? After taking off that layer of official skin, these people are nothing, who would be afraid of him failing? Amid the beating of gongs and drums, everyone swarmed, smashed stones, spat, and threw rotten vegetables and leaves.