bullyxtreme Chapter 23 Making a Grand Entrance
Chapter 23 Making a Grand Entrance
The reason Xue Tao was so easily persuaded by Li Chong was not only because he had indeed suffered greatly from bandits, but also because of Yang Chengde's encouragement.
Yang Chengde, wielding the imperial decree to reclaim land, used coercion and enticement to put Xue Tao and others in a dilemma.
You either have to pay money to keep your land, or you have to wait for the law to be passed and lose your land.
If Li Chong hadn't been there, he might have gritted his teeth and endured it, but now that Li Chong had come to wade into this mess, he saw hope again.
If Li Chong can wipe out the bandits, his prestige will surely soar. If he fights against Yang Chengde, wouldn't powerful figures like Xue Tao be able to profit from it?
Land deeds can be processed by the registrar, and the county magistrate can certainly do the same. If the two compete, the price to pay for the land will always be much lower.
In this world, everyone has their own calculations, and even the gentry in the countryside should not be underestimated.
-----------------
On the other side, Li Chong and Cui Shi were walking back to the county government office.
Finally, Cui Shi couldn't help but ask, "Brother Li, are you really confident that you can wipe out that band of robbers within three months?"
Li Chong glanced at him: "What do you think?"
Choi Si-shil scratched his head and smiled: "I don't know, but I think you must have a way."
Li Chong remained silent.
He certainly wasn't sure.
Eradicating bandits who had plagued the country for years in just three months is not something that can be accomplished with mere words; it's not that simple.
But he had to agree.
This was his only chance to establish himself in Yanggu County.
If he doesn't even dare to agree to this, then his time as county magistrate is over.
As for what will happen in three months, let's take it one step at a time.
In any case, Li Chong was never one to sit idly by and wait for his doom.
The two returned to the county government office, and Li Chong went straight to the back office.
Those who saw Li Chong along the way bowed and greeted him before hurrying away.
Li Chong's visit to Xue Tao was impossible to keep secret, so he never even considered hiding it. Now, everyone in the county government knew that Li Chong genuinely wanted to send troops to suppress the bandits.
Therefore, everyone avoided him like the plague, fearing that Li Chong would drag them into becoming suckers.
Are those bandits easy to wipe out? Besides, Li Chong doesn't look like a capable fighter, so who would be willing to take that risk?
"this……"
Choi Si looked at Lee Chong with concern, but his jealousy subsided.
It seems that being a county magistrate isn't so easy after all.
He suddenly stopped envying Li Chong.
To everyone's surprise, Li Chong remained calm, glanced around, and smiled slightly: "You think they're avoiding me?"
"Hmm." Cui Shi nodded slightly. "Being a county magistrate is truly frustrating."
"Oh."
Li Chong casually waved his hand: "There's a saying you may or may not have heard: 'Raise the recruitment flag, and people will come to collect the provisions.' These people aren't afraid of me, nor are they close to Yang Chengde. Just wait and see."
After saying that, Li Chong said no more and went straight back to his room to rest.
I've spent the whole day reviewing case files and thinking about things; it's time to take a break.
-----------------
The next morning at the government office, Li Chong was almost completely like a puppet, Yang Chengde talked about the summer tax on his own, and Fu Shun was fiddling with the small dagger in his hand without caring at all.
Nobody cared what Li Chong's expression was.
When the clerks below looked at Li Chong, their eyes held a hint of contempt.
In their view, Magistrate Li Chong was far too naive, truly believing that someone would willingly hand over such a heavy sum of copper coins.
Amidst the buzzing noise in the room, Li Chong remained calm and composed.
"No, no, something bad has happened!" Just as the court session was about to end, a bailiff rushed in. "The Xue family is coming to the yamen with a group of people, banging gongs and drums."
"What?" Yang Chengde's expression changed, and he subconsciously looked at Li Chong at the head of the table.
Could it be that I pushed him too far, and Xue Tao colluded with Li Chong yesterday?
But then he thought again, that didn't make sense. Even if Li Chong agreed to help Xue Tao settle the land deed, Xue Tao wouldn't believe him.
Li Chong had no connections in the county government, so even if he gave orders, no one would help him. Xue Tao should have been well aware of this.
As for the option that Xue Tao was actually there to donate money, Yang Chengde subconsciously ruled it out of his mind.
Even though he held the chips in his own hands, those people still hesitated to spend money. Li Chong had only met him once, yet Xue Tao was really going to donate money?
Nothing in this world is that easy.
Before Yang Chengde could figure it out, Li Chong suddenly stood up: "Let's go, let's go out and take a look!"
Having said that, without waiting for anyone else to react, Li Chong strode straight towards the entrance of the yamen.
The others looked at each other, unsure of what to do, and finally all turned to Yang Chengde, whose expression was uncertain.
He glanced at Li Chong's retreating figure, forcing a smile: "Why are you looking at me? The county magistrate has spoken, shouldn't we hurry up and follow?"
Fu Shun, without waiting for Yang Chengde, took the lead and followed.
Upon arriving at the yamen gate, the Xue family indeed began to make a show of force.
Xue Tao led a dozen or so men, making a great show of gongs and drums, towards the county government office. Judging from their beaming faces, they didn't seem to be there to deliver money, but rather to receive it.
Upon arriving before Li Chong, Xue Tao bowed respectfully: "I have heard that Your Excellency is determined to eradicate the bandits who have plagued Yanggu for many years, and I am truly impressed. Your Excellency is indeed worthy of being our father and father official, having just taken office, you are already determined to rid the people of Yanggu of this calamity."
"I, Xue Tao, have no particular strengths, and can only donate a small amount of money for the county magistrate's use in suppressing bandits. I hope the county magistrate will achieve victory soon and restore a bright and clear world to Yanggu."
After saying that, Xue Tao waved his hand, and several servants behind him carried a large plate up.
Lift the brocade on top, and underneath is a pile of copper coins.
Xue Tao said loudly, "Here is fifty strings of cash, a small token of my appreciation, which I now donate to the magistrate."
These words shocked not only the common people who had come to watch the spectacle, but also the clerks beside Li Chong.
Fifty strings of cash is no small sum; it's enough for an ordinary family to live on for several years.
They just gave it to me like that?
Looking at the heavy copper coins, everyone's eyes turned a little red.
Among them, Fu Shun was the most shocked.
He looked at Xue Tao, then at Li Chong, and couldn't understand what abilities this newly appointed magistrate had that made the Xue family spend so much money to help him after only meeting him once.
Yang Chengde was even more puzzled, "Why should I?"
How can a mere empty promise of bandit suppression bring in so much money?
Little did he know that if Li Chong hadn't discovered the insider in the county, Xue Tao wouldn't have been so generous.
Seeing that Xue Tao was giving him so much face, Li Chong immediately descended the steps to greet him.
"Master Xue is a man of great virtue and understanding, and I am very pleased with him," Li Chong said with a smile. "If we can wipe out the bandits in the future, I will definitely report to the prefecture and recommend Master Xue for credit."
"You're too kind, Your Excellency."
The two held hands facing each other, the atmosphere was harmonious, a perfect example of the close relationship between officials and the people.
Finally, Li Chong turned to Yang Chengde and Fu Shun, and asked with a half-smile, "My two colleagues, it's a blessing for us officials to have such courteous gentry in our county. What do you say?"