Corrupt County Magistrate (1)

Ji Changze checked his memory.

As expected, he was right. He was a corrupt official.

This is Da'an country. The original owner's name is Ji Qing. His family was originally a merchant. They lived in Mingyu County for generations. The Ji family has no background. Fortunately, his father was diligent. Although they were not rich, they were still quite wealthy compared to ordinary people.

The rules of Da'an are very strict. Merchants cannot take the imperial examination within three generations. By the time of the original owner's generation, three generations had passed.

He was the only son in the family. All of a sudden, the whole family regarded him as the hope of the Ji family to get rid of the merchant status. He was pampered by the whole family since he was a child.

The original owner was also very motivated. He had some talent in studying and passed the exam smoothly. Although he was not talented, his knowledge was above average.

He studied hard and went to Beijing to take the exam. He got the last place in the second class.

He was already very lucky, and then another pie fell from the sky, a well-educated and decent daughter from an official family became his wife.

The original owner was lucky. At that time, the candidates came to Beijing to take the exam, and everyone had to get together. When others got together, he also got together. As a result, he ran into a woman at the party. There was a problem with her clothes. The outer ribbon broke and the outer shirt fell in front of him.

The An Dynasty was a very magical dynasty. They said that they had strict management of women, but there was no obstacle for women to go out. Unmarried girls had to wear veils, but married women did not have to be confined at home. Most girls from powerful families in the capital also loved reading and getting together. For example, the reason why the original owner ran into this girl this time was because the party he attended at that time had both men and women, but there was a screen in the middle with men on one side and women on the other.

But it is not strict with women. It is very important to keep men and women apart. Those who have been engaged can chat and talk in front of their elders, but they cannot have any contact with men outside.

Although the girl's outer garment only fell off, and she didn't reveal anything that shouldn't be exposed, she had only three choices in the situation of An Dynasty, in front of several girls. One was to die, the second was to become a nun, and the third was to marry the man.

So, the original owner got a wife.

This marriage was considered high-ranking for him. After all, although he was a scholar, the girl was the legitimate daughter of Wei, the Chief Censor.

In the An Dynasty, the Chief Censor was a third-rank official, which was beyond the reach of the original owner. In addition, the Wei family was a large family with many children, most of whom were officials, and their wealth was also rich, which was well-known.

The Wei family had many descendants, and when the children grew up, they had to marry again. The children born from the marriage had to marry again. It is not an exaggeration to say that in the court, one-third of the officials were related to the Wei family.

It can be imagined that his marriage with the Wei family was equivalent to having a company of backers behind him, and his official career would definitely rise straight up.

The original owner knew that he was going to marry such a golden baby, so he was naturally ecstatic. However, he was not happy for a few days before he learned that although Lord Wei was from the Wei family, he was not close to the main branch of the Wei family.

It is said that Lord Wei was just a branch of the family. His father, who was the pillar of the family, had an accident. The tyrant in the family occupied the good land of their branch. His mother was seriously ill at the time and urgently needed money to buy medicine, so he hurried to seek shelter from the family.

However, the people in the family all watched coldly. In the end, his mother died of illness, and their family property was occupied, leaving only a broken house.

Lord Wei studied hard while observing mourning, and then passed the exam all the way, and finally reached his current official position.

Although the Wei family is a family of nobles, many of their children serve as officials in the court, but in recent years, they have been in decline and have not been able to provide a third-rank official. Instead, this branch that has never been close to the family has stood in the position of a third-rank official.

The Chief Censor had the power to impeach the three dukes and nine ministers, and Lord Wei was highly valued by the emperor, so the clan wanted to reconcile with him, but Lord Wei was always indifferent, preferring to make people think that he was disrespectful to his elders rather than smiling.

The clan could not sue him and ask him to dig up the past when the Wei family members indulged their children to bully orphans and widows, and robbed the family property, which led to the death of Lord Wei's mother. The Wei family had long been accustomed to being high and mighty, seeing that Lord Wei refused to surrender, and they were also angry, and the two sides did not interact much.

To put it bluntly, Lord Wei had a falling out with his family and came out to set up his own business. Not only would the Wei family not bring any help to him and his son-in-law, but they might even make some obstacles because of the resentment in their hearts.

And the ten-mile red makeup that the original owner was looking forward to was gone.

Lord Wei was honest, and although his family also had property, even if he had saved a dowry for his daughter since she was born, it would definitely not be as good as other colleagues of the same rank with family background.

It stands to reason that a lean camel is bigger than a horse. Even if the dowry given by the Wei family is not as good as others, it is more than enough for the original owner who is only a small wealthy family.

Lord Wei is upright. Although he will not open h0u'me:n for his son-in-law, having such a father-in-law is enough for his superiors to give him some face when he enters the court as an official in the future.

But people are greedy. The original owner thought that he could fly into the sky after marrying a wife, but in the end he still had to rely on himself, and he immediately felt dissatisfied.

As for Miss Wei, her belt was broken that day, which was not an accident, but was done by another girl who had a bad relationship with her.

At that time, the third prince had reached the age of getting married. The third prince was born to the empress, his status was respected, and he had always been extremely popular with the emperor. Although many people said nothing on the surface, they believed in their hearts that the third prince was the future prince.

If you marry him, won't you become a queen in the future?

Mr. Wei has always been loved and respected by His Majesty, and Miss Wei is extremely beautiful. She has always been well-educated, sensible, calm and generous, and has been well-educated.

At that time, the queen summoned girls of suitable age from the minister's family to hold a flower banquet in the palace. Miss Wei was very popular with the queen and even gave her a pair of jade bracelets.

If something is not done, the position of the third imperial concubine will be gone.

So, this "accident" happened.

The daughter of the royal censor Zhongcheng, who was originally the jewel in the family, had to be given up to a businessman. Even if he was admitted to the first class and entered the Hanlin Academy, he was only qualified, not to mention that the original owner only entered the second class. Still at the bottom of the second division, the results are not outstanding.

For the ladies in the capital, Miss Wei's life is over.

If she marries and obeys her husband, it will be of no use no matter how good her moral character or ability is if her husband cannot get up.

But the girl who arranged this situation didn't give up, and arranged for someone to talk to the original owner, and fabricated a series of "The belt falling was not an accident, but Miss Wei did it intentionally. Her original intention was to do it that day." The lie fell in front of the third prince who came to attend the banquet so that he could marry the third prince smoothly."

The original owner believed it.

The clothes of wealthy families are all made of the best materials. Even if Mr. Wei is an honest daughter of a dignified censor, she will not be able to wear cheap clothes that can easily break.

What's more, the third prince is gaining momentum and uses himself to save others. If it were him, he would naturally choose the third prince.

As a result, the original owner felt disgusted with Miss Wei from the bottom of his heart. He hated her for being shameless. A daughter's family planned a marriage in this way, but they did not dare to offend her for fear of provoking Mr. Wei behind her to settle accounts.

Feeling that it was too aggrieved for him as a dignified man to have to please a weak female prostitute, the original owner became more and more repelled by Miss Wei.

Later, the head of the Wei family asked him to come to this barren Chuiliu County as magistrate, and the original owner became even more resentful.

Although the county magistrate is the largest in the county, his official rank is only eighth grade. He is a scholar, and he can be a county magistrate after a lot of work. He is a disciple of the emperor, but he has fallen to this.

Marry a woman whose father-in-law is incorruptible and refuses to help. He also wants to offend the Wei family. Although the dowry is large, it is difficult for him to appropriate it. The woman may still be thinking of other men in her heart.

The original owner was still willing to show off when he was in the capital. When he arrived in Chuiliu County, it was his own territory, so he gradually became indifferent to Miss Wei.

While using Mr. Wei's name to collect people's wealth and anointing in Chuiliu County, he exploited local wealthy households, increased taxes, and invaded fertile farmland. Although he did not take concubines directly, he raised many concubines outside.

Miss Wei was left out in the cold, and she didn't know where she had offended her husband, so she could only serve him carefully in a confused and aggrieved manner. The original owner was afraid that she would complain to Mr. Wei, so he did not dare to go too far.

Later, Miss Wei became pregnant. She concentrated on the child and took good care of her body. She was doing well, but on the day of delivery, the original owner bribed the midwife.

It was supposed that the mother and the child were safe, but in the end it turned out that the mother was left alone and the child was left alone.

The position of the mistress was freed up. Firstly, he could marry a concubine openly and honestly. Secondly, with Lord Wei's grandson in hand, he didn't have to worry about Lord Wei, his backer, not helping him.

Poor Miss Wei, she was raised pampered and pampered, but in the end she died at the hands of her husband so mysteriously.

In the second year after Miss Wei's death, the original owner bullied the people too much and went to Beijing to file a complaint. The imperial court sent people to investigate, and as expected, a large number of his crimes were found.

He was sentenced to be beheaded. The child born to Miss Wei was enslaved when he was less than two years old due to his father's crime. Mr. Wei's political enemies also used this to drag him into trouble, and in the end he was stripped of his official title and ransacked his property.

The current time period was not long after the original owner came to Chuiliu County, began to be cold to Miss Wei, and had just teamed up with the county magistrate to steal a sum of money from the wealthy households in Chuiliu County.

In the eyes of today's wealthy households in Chuiliu County, he, the magistrate of Xinzhi County, is a corrupt official.

Although this is indeed true.

The county magistrate next to him, who had "I am a standard villain" written all over his face, was still mumbling, mumbling, saying that it was not easy to support his family, and the magistrate sighed, etc., which was expressly and implicitly, and he always meant the same thing:

It’s time to divide the spoils, my lord.

Ji Changze turned a deaf ear and turned directly towards the outside.

The county magistrate who was left behind was stunned for a few seconds.

? ? ? How could this new county magistrate be so shameless than him and so confident in evading payment?

He hurriedly ran after him, and in the spirit of never abandoning or giving up, he ran to Ji Changze's side panting: "Sir, my family is poor. We have no rice to cook, and we can't even buy firewood for this stove. , the weeping willows are barren, and the county government has always been unable to make ends meet. The previous Mr. Hu left in a hurry, and I haven’t received my salary last year. Do you think..."

The bearded county magistrate touched his mustache, smiled and rubbed his fingers at Ji Changze, his eyes full of hints.

Ji Changze had already reached the gate of the county government office and was looking at the street outside.

Chuiliu County is indeed a notoriously poor place.

Look at the loess all over the land, look at the dilapidated houses, and look at the people with shabby clothes and sallow faces walking past in the distance.

He looked back at the county government office again, "Good guy, it's shabby enough on the inside, but it's even worse on the outside."

The words on the plaque are almost blurred, and there are still many holes made by small insects on the door.

The county magistrate next to him was still rubbing his fingers hard: "Sir, I haven't eaten yet today. My wife and children at home are still waiting for me to buy rice and go back to cook..."

So you should quickly share some of your money with me.

Ji Changze turned his head and looked at the county prime minister up and down with a look of pity: "It turns out that the Wuxian prime minister's family is so poor."

Answered the call. Answered the call.

Will the next step be to pay?

The county magistrate chuckled and nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, and his already not very pretty face became even more vulgar.

He looked at Ji Changze expectantly and saw the magistrate in front of him speaking with sympathy:

"From then on, the food at your home will be taken care of by me, and you will eat at the county government office from now on."

Wuxian Cheng: "..."

Ji Changze looked at him with a stiff face in surprise: "Why do you look at me like this?"

"oh……"

He pretended to be suddenly enlightened and nodded: "Wuxian Cheng is probably too grateful to me. There is no need to be like this. We are all colleagues and should support each other. Although I am also poor, it is enough to provide food and drink for your family." ”

Poverty? ? ! !

Who was the unblinking lion who opened his mouth before? ?

Wu Xian Cheng: "...but sir, this is the silver you asked the rich households in the county for..."

Ji Changze's face was full of surprise: "I want it? I'm afraid Wu County Prime Minister remembered it wrong. When did I ask them for it? Didn't they voluntarily donate those to contribute their meager efforts to the construction of our county?" "

Wuxian Cheng was so troubled by these words that he couldn't think straight: "Build, build??"

What's the meaning?

No matter what it means, money is important!

He tried hard to organize his words: "Sir, you promised Xiaguan before that as long as Xianguan helps you find rich people to raise money, once the matter is completed, the benefits will inevitably come to Xiaguan."

You have eaten meat, so you should give some soup to the people below.

"Hey...what I said will certainly count. In the eyes of the Prime Minister of Wu County, am I the kind of person who is dishonest?"

Ji Changze reached out and patted his shoulder in a friendly manner: "Look, this money will be used to improve the environment of Chuiliu County, help people get out of poverty, and promote the county's economy. This is a good thing, right?"

Wu Xian Cheng looked confused. He actually didn't understand much and could only get a rough idea. But even though the superior officer asked, he could only answer hesitantly: "Yes, right?"

Ji Changze: "Cuiliu County is barren. If you and I can work together to transform it into a prosperous place, where households are not closed at night, people are not picked up on the road, and everyone is well fed and well-coated in the winter, then you, the county magistrate, will have done a great job. I want you to do it then." Nothing good."

What he said is quite right, but Wuxian Cheng is not stupid. It is obvious that he is trying to make a big deal out of him.

"Sir, the official's family is indeed short of money..."

Ji Changze sighed, stretched out his hand and held his hand: "I also know your difficulties. Although the yamen is empty, I am willing to use my own money to return the salary owed to you by the yamen."

The surprise came so quickly, Wuxian Cheng's eyes widened: "Thank you, sir!"

"There's no need to say thank you. Although you and I don't get along much, I can see your talents, conduct, and ability."

If Ji Changze wants to praise someone, he must be 100% sincere.

The emotion is sincere, the tone is sighing, and the fair face is full of affirmation, which makes people believe it.

Every time he said a word, Wuxian Cheng's waist straightened up a little more.

"My lord, I am ridiculous. I am just a county magistrate. How can I learn anything?"

"Why not? If not, you wouldn't have been able to hold the position of county magistrate for so long."

Wuxian Cheng said nothing.

In fact, the main reason why he has been able to sit in this position for so long is that he has no background.

He wanted to move, but he really couldn't move.

When people become officials, they become richer and richer. When he became an official...

The poor people in Chuiliu County have stayed here for so long. From being complacent at the beginning to sighing every day and having no rice to cook, he has almost forgotten that he was young at the time and vowed to Make a career.

Nowadays, people are getting old and can no longer work hard. They don’t want to give up on themselves and happily become a corrupt official. At least they won’t be unable to afford food.

Then he met Ji Changze.

Although I'm a bit stingy, it's not bad to get my salary back.

It's better not to continue asking for money. This is a superior official, and it's not good to offend him.

The Prime Minister of Wuxian County made the final calculation and bowed to Ji Changze with a smile: "I would like to thank you sir. If the salary can be paid, I will feel at ease."

Seeing that he didn't mention the money they had used to defraud wealthy people, Ji Changze asked proactively: "You don't want to divide the money?"

Separate ghosts.

This Shangguan is so thick-skinned that he can't even get it after asking for it for a long time. If he continues to ask for it, he won't get into trouble, so he might as well accept it as soon as possible.

Wu Xian Cheng scolded his mother in his heart, but he smiled on his face: "My lord, you are joking. When did I want this money? I was just telling my lord about the salary that has not been paid before."

Ji Changze smiled with satisfaction and nodded: "Wuxian Cheng can indeed withstand the test as I thought."

Wuxian Cheng: "...test???"

Ji Changze gave him a "yes, that's it" look:

"Before, the county government relied on you to run. I think you are good, but I know very little about you. I am afraid that you are a corrupt official, so I came up with this method to test you. It turns out that Wu County Magistrate is really not greedy for money and power. As long as he gets the salary he deserves, he will not touch anything else. Nowadays, it is rare to find someone in the world who is not blinded by gold and silver like Wu County Magistrate."

Wu County Magistrate: "..."

"... But if it is a test, the silver you asked the rich for?"

Ji Changze gave him a "needless" expression: "That's because they evaded taxes. I just arrived and don't want to make it too ugly. I just found an excuse to give them a chance to redeem themselves."

Evading taxes means evading taxes.

An Guo is very strict in punishing this, but there are still people who can't resist the temptation. Wu County Magistrate also knows that most of the rich families in Chui Liu County evaded taxes. After all, Chui Liu County is a broken place, and no one has ever come to check, so everyone naturally plays freely.

But Ji Changze, a newcomer, was able to find out that these wealthy households were hiding taxes so quickly, which really made Wu County Magistrate completely confused.

Not only was he confused, but he also had goose bumps all over his body.

He turned the matter over in his heart.

In other words, there was no greed from the beginning to the end, it was just a show deliberately made by the new superior to test him.

No wonder he was wondering why the county magistrate, who had the support of the Chief Censor, wanted to embezzle such a small amount of money.

It turned out that he just took the opportunity to check whether there were corrupt officials around him, so that he could do what he wanted to do after checking them out.

What a deep mind, what a powerful means.

If he was not afraid of offending his superior, he would not have surrendered and asked for money, I am afraid that this Lord Ji would not have let him off easily.

It was obviously not summer, but Wu County Magistrate was sweating all over his back.

It was a close call.

He mistook a good official for a corrupt official and almost surrendered. If he hadn't been smart and clever just now, and made a choice with a strong desire to survive, it would be hard to say whether he would be alive in a few months.

He actually walked between life and death.

That's right!

County Magistrate Wu was suddenly shocked and his pupils shrank.

Lord Ji acted like this, could it be that he had another big move? ?

Otherwise, he would just give orders to do whatever he wanted, why bother to make such a scene, unless...

He was waiting for people like himself to surrender and finally catch them all in one fell swoop.

County Magistrate Wu smiled tremblingly at Ji Changze.

No, his wife's nephew was working as an accountant in a rich family. He had to go home quickly to inform the other party of the news so that the nephew could withdraw quickly, so as not to be implicated when Lord Ji settled the accounts.

County Magistrate Wu said goodbye in a hurry and left.

He told his nephew who worked as an accountant. The accountant had always been treated with courtesy by the boss, and he couldn't bear to see the boss suffer a disaster, so he gritted his teeth and quietly told the boss.

The rich family was shocked and hurried to check the accounts and calculate the taxes. They wanted to send the money they had hidden in the past to the county government ten times.

They also had in-laws, so they were naturally more busy than relatives. If relatives came to inquire, how could they not tell them?

After an afternoon, thanks to the county magistrate Wu, at least three rich families knew that the previous actions of Mr. Ji were not greedy for money.

He was clearly here to test the settlement, and he pretended to be a corrupt official so that they would lose their vigilance after looking down on him.

Really insidious. ,,