The arrival of Magistrate Deng, whom he clearly had no dealings with, surprised Lin Tailai and also caused some haze in his heart.
If I want to build a project in the county in the future, even if I get help from Shenfu, how can I get it done without the cooperation of the county magistrate?
Among the local officials in Suzhou City, the only one who can administratively stabilize the county is the prefect.
But the magistrate is a fourth-grade Huangtang, and the one wearing the red robe has a very high status and is further away from his own level.
Fortunately, water conservancy projects are usually carried out during the slack season after the autumn harvest.
There is still half a year left until the beginning of April, so we can slowly think of ways to resolve the obstacles.
Thinking of this, Lin Zuoguan said angrily: "Recently, there are suddenly disturbing and unexpected news!
Even the head of this county's trial case is full of doubts, which makes me deeply uneasy!
What did I, Lin Tailai, do wrong? Everyone, overtly or covertly, is targeting me!"
Gao Changjiang couldn't stand listening anymore, so he changed the subject and reported:
"Actually, there is good news. The large ship captured from Shanyitang has been prepared."
At that time, the Shanyi Hall in Xinguo Town built a large boat as a means of transportation exclusively for the original hall owner Fang Zhuo.
But within a few days, Shanyi Tang was forced by Zhang Liangshu to plant a flag in Yidu, but was defeated by Professor Lin.
Then this brand-new large ship became a trophy and fell into the hands of Lin Tailai, and was named "Shenwei Lieshui" to commemorate the old friend who taught him marksmanship.
In fact, Professor Lin originally wanted to name it "Xujiang No. 1", but he was afraid of being too public, so he temporarily sealed the name.
Hearing that the "Shenwei Lieshui" was ready, Lin Tailai sighed: "Finally, there is some news that sounds pleasant!"
Then he said to Zhang Wu and Zhang Erlang: "Go to Heyi Hall and tell me that I will invite Lady Fan for a ride on the new boat!"
By the next day, both sides of the Yinma Bridge in Suzhou City were crowded with people and it was very lively!
As one of the boundary bridges between the two counties in Suzhou City, the east and west sides of Yinma Bridge belong to different counties.
To the east, in Changzhou County, today we are going to bid farewell to Deng Zhixian, the great master of Qingtian County. The local people should spontaneously prepare the Ten Thousand People Umbrella.
Here in Wuxian County in the west, we will happily welcome the great master of Qingtian County, Deng Zhixian, as he takes office. Representatives from all walks of life gather here in advance.
In fact, the ceremony to welcome a new official to take office is a very "political" ceremony, and it is also the first contact between the local gentry and common people and the new magistrate.
The local gentry, common people, fathers and folks should observe what kind of people Xinzhi County is like.
Xinzhi County will also use its first public appearance to show its personality and image and convey some signals.
In fact, people in Wu County are not too unfamiliar with Deng Zhixian. After all, Deng Zhixian was previously located in Changzhou County, but the formalities still need to be done.
Deng Zhixian said goodbye to his folks from Changzhou County, crossed the Yinma Bridge, and met up with his folks from Wuxian County.
Amid the pleasant compliments, a harsh and discordant sound suddenly appeared!
"Grandpa Qingtian is above me. If you have any grievances, I will complain with tears and blood!"
Everyone followed the sound and saw a dark-faced man, holding a petition, kneeling on the roadside to greet the crowd.
So everyone cheered up, and when the new official took office, he blocked the road and shouted for injustice. What a classic scene!
Whenever this situation occurs, there is probably something good to watch!
Magistrate Deng asked the yamen to bring the grievances to him and asked kindly: "What do you want to complain about?"
The black-faced man kowtowed and said loudly: "This villain is a boat owner and fisherman in Taihu Lake. He is suing the county bully Lin Tailai for setting private fees in the fish market, bullying the market, and exploiting the boat owners!"
We are oppressed, suffering unspeakably, and the people are in dire straits. We weep and pray to Grandpa Qingtian to make decisions for the people!"
Deng Zhixian's expression became serious and he said in a deep voice: "Is this happening in the county? How could I know you weren't fabricating it?"
The black-faced man raised the petition again and responded: "This petition was jointly submitted by more than ten boat people like us. How dare you deceive Grandpa Qingtian!"
County magistrate Deng told the county officials who came to greet him: "Where is the punishment document? Collect the complaint first!"
Suddenly there was another cry from the roadside outside the crowd: "Grandpa Qingtian is here! I also want to sue the county bully Lin Tailai!"
Everyone looked around again, only to see five or six more people kneeling on the roadside, each holding a petition.
A master next to him was very dissatisfied and said to Magistrate Deng: "I have already advised the proprietor not to destroy the procedure and pick up the case at will on the street!
Otherwise, people who complain will swarm in and block the way, so what can we do!"
County magistrate Deng sighed: "This is the truth, but I really don't see that the people have no way to ask for help.
We have no choice but to make an exception! But since we have made an exception today, let’s all come and listen!”
Then the complainants were brought to Magistrate Deng by the government officials, knelt in a row, and spoke one by one in order.
"The villain is Le Ji Zhen's family, suing the county bully Lin Tailai for insulting his woman!
In order to force my daughter to receive free treatment, this person forced his way into our home, beat my nursing home, and wrote a poem to insult my daughter!
It made my daughter so depressed that she was so depressed that she shed tears all day long!"
"The villain is a merchant on Nanhao Street, suing the county bully Lin Tailai for buying a house at a low price!
This man took the villain's Shijiaxiang house by force, and ordered Fan Yunlin, the Xu family's adopted son-in-law, to use his power to buy it at a low price, leaving the villain with no place to live under someone else's roof!"
"The villain is a villager from the 11th capital of this county. He is suing Lin Tailai, the bully in the county, for seizing the land!
The villain's family rented fifty acres of official land, but Lin Tailai took it away and gave it to his brother to farm!
As a result, the villain’s whole family has no food and clothing, is homeless, and has no other choice but to cry!”
The people who were watching the complaint were surprised. Among the people complaining were boat owners, music households, merchants, farmers, and representatives from all walks of life. They were very complete!
Magistrate Deng looked around and asked angrily: "The public sentiment is so fierce. Is there really a bully in the county who does such evil and preys on the common people?"
However, the representatives selected to attend the welcoming ceremony, whether they are Jin gentry or local elders, are all veterans, and those with a bit of personality will not be selected.
So at this moment, everyone was silent and did not respond to the magistrate. Who knows if the magistrate is deliberately testing?
Besides, the magistrate of Deng County is pretending to be innocent. How can you still not know who Lin Tailai is?
But judging from today, among the three things that the new official will do when he takes office, he is probably going to have to crack down on gangsters.
It's not unusual to crack down on gangsters, it's just common sense among officials.
A master who followed Deng Zhi County stood up again and said: "When we were drawing up the list of people to welcome the county magistrate, I vaguely remembered the name Lin Tailai.
Now if Lin Tailai is here in person, please stand up and speak."
I asked several times, but no one came forward.
Obviously, Lin Tailai, the county bully, was quite arrogant and completely out of touch with Xinzhi County. He did not come to attend the welcoming ceremony at all.
In other words, Lin Tailai was very smart and did not give Xinzhi County any chance to be humiliated in public.
Whether he is arrogant or witty mainly depends on whether Lin Tailai can survive the lawsuit in the future.
Although Lin Tailai did not arrive in person, he still sent Gao Changjiang to hide among the surrounding crowd to spy.
Gao Changjiang, a storyteller by trade, is proficient in various story-telling novels, so he is certainly no stranger to this kind of scene.
In those novels about upright officials, there must be a lot of scenes of desperate people complaining of injustice.
Then there is a high probability that Mr. Qingtian, who loves the people as his son, paid a private visit incognito. After some thrilling twists and turns, justice defeated evil, finally eliminated the bullies, and restored a bright future to the place.
But what made Gao Changjiang feel something was wrong was how did he become the villain and bully in the novel?
At this moment, Gao Changjiang suddenly understood why he was pursuing a literary career and imperial examination fame.
If you have a reputation as a member of the family, can you still be accused of being a bully?
There are many ceremonies for taking office in Xinzhi County. Of course, it is impossible to waste all of them on accepting complaints. You also have to go to the county government office and visit the City God Temple.
It wasn't until the afternoon that today's rituals were completed.
Then Magistrate Deng, regardless of the fatigue of traveling by boat and carriage across the two counties, immediately summoned his staff to discuss matters in the back hall.
Magistrate Deng hired a total of three personal staff, commonly known as masters.
This is currently one of the most popular configurations. The three masters are responsible for money, food, criminal names, and clerical communication. They can basically cover the most core work.
Magistrate Deng said frankly: "Gentlemen, please tell me about Lin Tailai. I'm still not sure."
You can be passionate in public, but you must be rational in private, and any decision must be carefully considered.
The clerk was the first to speak: "It was the intention of the old literary leader Wang Fengzhou to beat Lin Tailai. Wang Fengzhou and Wang Jingshige were very close.
But I heard that Lin Tailai didn't know how, and he suddenly got very close to the Shen family recently, which is really difficult."
Magistrate Deng sighed: "I finally understand why my predecessor, Mr. Feng, was unwilling to stay for a moment and left in a hurry when his term was up.
A mere village tyrant turned into a fight between gods and gods."
Everyone thinks in the highest light. On one side is the leader of the literary circle, Wangge Lao, and on the other is Shen Shoufu. What else is this if not a fight between gods?
This is why it is said that being a magistrate in Jiangnan is a hellish level of difficulty.
Master Xing Ming analyzed: “It’s not just a simple comparison of the strength of the two sides, but also the importance they attach to it.
The proprietor's transfer to Wu County was directly run by Mr. Wang Ge. If he refused to appoint Lin Tailai, he would definitely be dissatisfied by the two Mr. Wang.
Lin Tailai is currently only close to the second son of the Shen family. Shen Shoufu himself may not even know who Lin Tailai is.
It’s easy to tell which one is more important and which one is more important.”
But Master Qianliang also reminded him: "Lin Tailai is a small matter, but the assessment of money and food is a big deal. In Jiangnan, there is no performance more important than money and food.
Nowadays, Lin Tailai directly controls the first capital, the fifth capital, the thirteenth capital, and indirectly controls the eleventh capital. It has become a climate.
Moreover, these places are the villages closest to the city. According to my estimate, they can account for one-sixth or one-seventh of the county's money and food.
This ratio is really not small. If the attack on Lin Tailai affects the collection of money and food in these cities, the blame will still fall on you, the proprietor, in the end.
Therefore, the proprietor must be cautious, and before recruiting Lin Tailai, he must first consider what to do with money and food."
Master Xing Ming also suggested: "If we can find a powerful force that can quickly replace Lin Tailai, we can minimize the impact on the collection of money and food.
Lin Tailai must be eliminated before the autumn harvest, and then the new forces can quickly take over those areas before the autumn harvest."
Master Qianliang asked: "Where can there be such a hall?"
Master Xing Ming quickly replied: "The power of Santangkou in Mudu Town is enough to replace Lin Tailai.
Furthermore, if the Lin Tailai administrative area is equally divided among the three halls, it will not result in one family being the only one with the largest tail, and it will be more conducive to the long-term peace and stability of the proprietor."
When Magistrate Deng heard this, he asked, "Have those three Tang officials contacted you?"
Master Xing Ming replied: "After the news of the proprietor's appointment in Wu County spread, they came looking for him.
Among them, there is a leader named Yang Zhen who has great foresight and can use and replace Lin Tailai."
The clerk suggested: "This matter is of great importance and cannot be decided hastily.
The proprietor has taken office as a new official, so tomorrow he might as well observe the customs, patrol the countryside, and see the three leaders with his own eyes."
Magistrate Deng nodded and said: "Yes, I am still undecided. I will wait until the inspection is completed before making a decision!"
You can't make decisions by sitting in your room and patting your head. You have to go down and see the real situation with your own eyes in order to make the right decision.
In this way, Magistrate Deng issued an order to board the boat outside Xumen tomorrow and patrol westward along the Xujiang River.
Why not just take a boat out of the city? That's because there is no water gate in Xumen, the closest place to the Yamen.
The Xujiang River originates from Taihu Lake and flows into the moat outside Xumen.
In order to prevent Taihu Lake water from pouring back into Suzhou City through the Xujiang River during floods, there is no water gate in Xumen to separate the city from the Xujiang River.
Therefore, among all the gates in Suzhou City, only Xumen does not have a water gate. Professor Lin always walked through Xumen when he entered the city.
There is a large wharf where the Xujiang River merges into the moat. Anyone who wants to board or disembark boats outside Xumen passes here.
The first government activity of Xinzhi County after taking office was to patrol along the Xujiang River, all the way to the Taihu Lake.
After this news spread in a small area, it was immediately interpreted as a signal from Xinzhi County to target Professor Lin!
If the Sanshilipu River Basin is divided into the upper, middle and lower reaches, then both sides of the middle and lower reaches, that is, two-thirds of the basin have been occupied by Professor Lin.
After Xinzhi County took office, he patrolled along the Xujiang River. I heard that he would stay in Xiju Town of the county tonight. Mudu Town had once defeated Professor Lin. What was it but giving Professor Lin eye drops?
One characteristic of Suzhou city and places near the city is that the rivers are extremely congested and often travel slowly.
The new official of Deng County magistrate kept everything simple when he took office. He boarded the official boat in a low-key manner from the big pier outside Xumen. After setting off, he inevitably had to be blocked.
Fortunately, there was a government official standing at the bow of the boat, and the speed was still faster than ordinary boats.
But before the official ship had gone two miles, a harsh gong sound was suddenly heard.
Then I saw a large, luxurious boat rushing out from behind, with two guys standing on the bow.
One person banged the gong fiercely, and the other shouted at the ships blocking the road ahead and on the left and right, "Avoid, avoid!"
This large, luxurious ship was rushing all the way at a very fast speed.
Even the official ship of Deng Zhixian County was pushed aside, and then they watched the luxurious ship sail away.
No matter how low-key Deng Zhixian was, he couldn't keep his face at this moment and asked angrily: "Whose ship is this?"
A government official who knew a lot about Jianghu affairs replied: "The flag with the word "Lin" hanging on it must be the new ship of Lin Tailai, the master of Iron Fist and Golden Whip!"
The balance in Deng Zhixian's heart tilted once again. What else is this horse-riding man struggling with? Let's do it later!