W Chapter 36

Chapter 36 Seeing the County Magistrate

The yamen (government office) is in the county seat, Yunxia Town only has a local office, with clerks inside managing various fields of the townships and villages.

It takes more than two hours to walk from Yunxia Town to the county seat’s yamen.

By ox cart, it’s an hour and fifteen minutes.

A horse carriage is the fastest, arriving in less than an hour.

Ling Xing calculated the time, a horse carriage takes an hour and a half. To save time, he was willing to spend the money.

The three of them went to the only carriage rental shop in town. Shen Hui knew how to drive a carriage, saving them the thirty copper coins for a driver.

Renting a carriage for a day costs one hundred and seventy copper coins.

On the official road, the simple carriage traveled at a moderate pace.

Shen Hui’s attention was split, half on the road ahead and half on the carriage.

This surnamed Li looks like a shy and reserved scholar, but in reality, all the Confucian books have gone into the dog’s belly.

He doesn’t know how to avoid suspicion at all.

He immediately used the excuse of discussing the recipe with his brother-in-law, wanting to understand more so he could say a few more words in front of the county magistrate, increasing the chances of the county magistrate wanting to see his brother-in-law.

He brazenly climbed into the carriage and sat with his brother-in-law.

Shen Hui drove the carriage with a cold face, keeping it steady and preventing any physical contact between the two inside due to shaking.

Entering the county seat required getting out of the carriage for inspection and paying the entrance fee.

The line wasn’t very long, and they quickly reached the front. After paying three copper coins per person, they smoothly entered the city.

“I thought it was five copper coins, I didn’t expect it to be three.”

Inside the carriage, Ling Xing remembered when he first planned to set up a stall and asked Shen Lai about Yunshui County. At that time, Shen Lai said the entrance fee to the county seat was five copper coins.

Upon hearing this, Li Huiyuan explained to Ling Xing, “Two years ago, the entrance fee was five copper coins. After Magistrate Lin took office, he sympathized with the hardships of the people and reduced it by two.”

“I see.” Ling Xing understood and nodded lightly.

Yunshui County Yamen, like the city gate, was old and simple. The two stone lions outside, however, were very new, carved solemnly and with a sense of awe.

Two clerks with swords at their waists were at the entrance of the yamen. Seeing a carriage approaching, they stepped forward in time to drive it away.

“Go, go, go, this is the entrance of the county yamen, carriages are not allowed to stop here.”

Li Huiyuan promptly lifted the curtain of the carriage, smiling at the two, “Brother Sun, Brother Wang, it’s me, Li Sanlang.”

Sun Youyu and Wang Tuan recognized Li Huiyuan. Every month, Li Huiyuan would come to the county yamen to meet with the county magistrate.

Not because Li Huiyuan received help from the county magistrate, so he clung to him.

But because of the county magistrate’s order, calling him to come once a month to test his knowledge.

Seeing that it was Li Huiyuan, the two lost their previous stern intimidation.

Wang Tuan chuckled, a little strangely, “Sanlang, you just came a while ago, why are you coming again today, to be tempered by the county magistrate?”

“Brother Wang, don’t make fun of me.”

Li Huiyuan quickly got out of the carriage, “Is the magistrate in the yamen?”

“Just right, he just returned.” Wang Tuan didn’t look at Shen Hui, let alone see if there was anyone in the carriage, and directly asked Li Huiyuan, “Do you want me to take you in?”

“Thank you, Brother Wang.”

Li Huiyuan politely cupped his fist to Wang Tuan, then turned to point Ling Xing in a direction where he could park the carriage, which was close to the county yamen.

Entering the county yamen from the side door, Li Huiyuan heard Wang Tuan say with some displeasure, “Where did you find that coachman? Why is he so blind, not knowing to be respectful when he sees people?”

Wang Tuan felt very dissatisfied. A mere coachman, seeing him, was like not seeing him at all, not even giving him a glance.

If Li Huiyuan wasn’t there, he wouldn’t be able to act out, or he would have to teach him a lesson.

“Oh, that’s not the coachman.” Li Huiyuan paused for a moment, carefully choosing his words, and picked a relatively appropriate one, “He is the husband’s younger brother of my friend.”

The words initially didn’t sound like anything, but on closer inspection, something was off.

Wang Tuan tasted the meaning, squinting his eyes and teasing, “The friend is a ge’er? I only knew that you, Sanlang, have many friends, I didn’t expect that you could even be friends with a ge’er.”

“He—” Li Huiyuan thought of Ling Xing, his expression and eyes softened a lot, “He is a very good person, and also a person with a hard life. Brother Wang, please don’t make fun of us, I respect him very much.”

Wang Tuan stopped talking, secretly glanced several times, and finally couldn’t hold back, “Sanlang, you know the laws stipulate that those who interfere in other people’s relationships will not be admitted to the imperial examinations, right?”

The new emperor of the Yu Dynasty had the strictest requirements for selecting people to enter officialdom in all dynasties.

He not only required them to have knowledge, culture, and literacy, but also required them to have excellent moral concepts.

The previous dynasty completely ignored these things. The emperor even took his own father’s concubines into the harem, acting as both mother and wife.

The ministers followed suit, and while pleasing the emperor, they also messed around behind the scenes.

In the end, indulging in pleasure, the emperor became the ruler of a fallen country, and those ministers also died or were injured.

None of them had a good ending.

So at the beginning of the establishment of the Yu Dynasty, it was clearly stipulated that those who entered officialdom were not allowed to have entanglements with married people. It was not allowed to have entanglements with the wives and concubines of fathers and brothers, and outside residences.

It could be concealed, but as long as it was found out, or reported by someone with ulterior motives, then the crime of deceiving the emperor was not something ordinary people could bear.

The emperor attached great importance to this and was determined to avoid taking the old path of the previous dynasty.

As a result, many people used this point to deliberately frame political enemies. In the early years, it was really a panic, and everyone was in danger.

The Yu Dynasty felt uneasy from top to bottom, but now that I think about it, it is true that there were innocent people wronged.

More of those who suffered were still large aristocratic families.

When a new dynasty is established, either the deep-rooted aristocratic families must be subdued, or they must be coaxed into being willing to serve the new dynasty.

Obviously, the emperor chose the first one.

Li Huiyuan is still a scholar, and he can see through the other side of these policies and laws.

However, the emperor is indeed implementing these laws, not simply wanting to find an excuse to hang a sword over the heads of the aristocratic families.

He knew that Wang Tuan was kindly reminding him, and he was also afraid that people would look down on him and misunderstand him for coveting a married man, so he had to explain, “His husband has passed away.”

Wang Tuan breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, then it’s fine.

A widower can remarry, which is not within the scope of what the law prohibits.

The two stepped into the backyard, consciously not speaking again.

The backyard of the county yamen is a completely different world from the front.

The front is old and dilapidated, and the back is magnificent.

The county magistrate of their Yunshui County is a collateral branch of the Lin Family, a large family in the capital.

The first fat sheep slaughtered by the current Holy One was the Lin Family.

Otherwise, even if the Lin Family was bad, they couldn’t be the county magistrate of a small, broken county.

Even if he was a county magistrate, he should be the county magistrate of a rich county.

A lean camel is bigger than a horse after all, not to mention that the Lin Family is not dead yet. The emperor just wants to suppress the Lin Family’s limelight, and in the past two years, there have been faint signs of recovery.

Not only are there many officials in the Lin Family, but there are also many businessmen.

Even the rats in the Lin Family are as fat as kittens.

County Magistrate Lin, as a member of the Lin Family, has been living a life of luxury since childhood.

Even if he came to Yunshui County, although in order not to leave any excuses for those people in the capital, he did not buy a house and had to live in the dilapidated county yamen, he had to live comfortably and peacefully.

Only a pair of stone lions were newly made in the front to support the facade. The gate of the yamen and the main hall are of specifications and cannot be altered without authorization.

Even if it is renovated, it must be approved by the imperial court, and then people from the Ministry of Works must be sent.

The residential area in the back can be renovated according to the wishes of the officials, provided that there are no things that exceed the regulations.

Because it can be renovated by itself, the backyard of the yamen is really small but complete.

Truly a scene at every step, extremely luxurious.

Even the top of the stone lamp is placed with night-shining pearls.

Lin Qingyu was wearing a brocade robe, embroidered with complex and varied patterns, and was sitting by a small pond fishing without any image.

The fishing rod moved slightly, and he immediately pulled it up. A fat fish bit the hook and was brought out of the water, and the water droplets drew a water line in the air.

“Oops! Another one caught.”

He was thirty-six years old, with a beautiful beard that was smooth and well-groomed. The breeze blew up with the wind, free and easy, with the meaning of a worldly expert.

At this time, someone suddenly emerged from the pond.

“Sir, do you want your subordinate to string a few more up?”

A clerk who knew how to swim emerged from the water and wiped his face. He asked flattering Lin, who couldn’t catch any fish every time he went fishing, but loved to fish.

He really couldn’t figure it out. In such a small pond the size of a palm, so many fish fry were put in. How did Lord Lin manage to catch no fish at all?

Lin Qingyu glanced at the five live and kicking fish in the fish basket, thinking that small fishing is good for the mood, and big fishing hurts the body, it is enough to have fun.

Everything must have a degree.

“You come out, go to Lin Shan to get five taels of silver.”

The clerk was a little disappointed. Lord Lin only caught five today. Last time, his colleague strung ten fish on the fishing rod and earned ten taels of silver at once.

However, five taels is also a lot, just half less than ten taels.

The clerk was happy and sad in his heart. He climbed ashore, dripping with water, and did not forget to respectfully salute Lin Qingyu, “Your subordinate takes his leave.”

Watching the clerk leave, Li Huiyuan stood at a distance, cupping his fist, “Greetings, sir.”

Lin Qingyu had already seen Li Huiyuan, and he called someone over, “Go and put the fish back.”

“Yes.”

Li Huiyuan skillfully put the fish back into the pond. When there was only one fish left in the fish basket, he opened his mouth and said, “Sir, I am here today to present you with a secret recipe.”

People taught in large families will naturally not believe anything others say.

Lin Qingyu knew that Li Huiyuan had something to ask for. He was not unhappy. This was the first time this silent gourd had asked him.

Considering that Li Huiyuan was fairly obedient in the past, Lin Qingyu condescended to play a scene with him.

“Oh? What secret recipe does Sanlang want to offer? Bring it for this official to see.”

Li Huiyuan just happened to put the last fish back. When he heard Lin Qingyu agreed, he was a little nervous and excited, and almost forgot to wipe his hands with a handkerchief.

Quickly wiping his hands clean, he took out a letter from the inside pocket of his jacket, bent over and handed it over, “The recipe is written in this letter, please take a look, sir.”

Lin Qingyu took it with a calm expression.

After reading it once, Lin Qingyu raised his eyebrows slightly.

Make the dough bigger?

A little interesting.

Like the magic tricks he likes to watch.

“Did the person who asked you to hand over the recipe come?”

Lin Qingyu was not really interested in this recipe. He wanted to see the person more, to see what kind of person could make Li Huiyuan, a person who was afraid of getting involved with large aristocratic families, willing to make this trip.

This kid doesn’t look harmful to humans and animals, but he is actually ambitious and wants to be a pure official. He started planning the next few decades from the time he was a child.

Compared with the recipe, Lin Qingyu was obviously more curious about people at this time.

Li Huiyuan didn’t care what Lin Qingyu’s purpose was in wanting to see people. As long as he mentioned wanting to see Ling Xing, then half of the purpose of this trip was achieved.

The other half depends on whether Lord Lin is willing to accept the recipe and protect him a little.

Ling Xing knew about the ancient rules because of the original owner’s memory.

The common people of the previous dynasty would kneel to officials. The emperor of the Yu Dynasty felt that only the true son of heaven and the gods deserved to be worshiped by the people, so he forbade officials from accepting the people’s kneeling.

Otherwise, they would be punished for having rebellious intentions.

Ling Xing was led to the pond by the clerk. According to the original owner’s memory, he cupped his fist and bowed deeply.

“The commoner has seen the county magistrate.”

“Yes, get up.”

Lin Qingyu spread the recipe on his lap, “Is this the method you came up with?”

“It was seen by the commoner in a rare book. Later, according to what was written in the book, it took a long time to research before it was successfully made.”

Ling Xing answered fluently without the slightest hesitation or pause. This attitude made Lin Qingyu look at him a few more times.

This person is a bit brave.

On second thought, he felt that it was also true. People without courage could not have thought of coming to him for protection.

Even though he issued many policies that were close to the people and for the benefit of the people, the only commoner who dared to approach him now was the one in front of him.

Lin, who couldn’t figure out the reason, finally became a little curious about Ling Xing himself, not because of Li Huiyuan.

He asked, “Aren’t you afraid of this official?”

Ling Xing had never dealt with officials before. Plus, Lin Qingyu was sitting at the moment, and there was a fish basket next to him, so he didn’t have the imposing manner.

Not to mention that his appearance was somewhat like the Jade Emperor in the TV series he watched in his previous life.

Even if he was afraid, he couldn’t be afraid now because of the Jade Emperor’s appearance.

“As a citizen of Yunshui County, because of your many policies and measures, I am able to support my family. I sincerely feel that you are a good official and the parent official of the people. Although I may fear the majesty of my parents, I have more respect and love for them.”

Ling Xing searched his brain for the high emotional intelligence answers he saw when surfing the Internet, piecing together a version in a brainstorm.

No one doesn’t like being praised.

Especially people who have basically never been praised. Suddenly hearing this, they are more happy than stunned.

The Lin Family is full of talents. Lin Qingyu has been praised so sincerely for the first time since he was born.

It feels completely different from those deliberate flattery.

Lin Qingyu was happy to hear this and showed a peaceful smile, “Say a few more words.”