On July 11th, the boat of Wei Lin, the governor of Yingtian, entered Suzhou Prefecture along the canal. He stayed at Xushuguan that night and planned to enter Suzhou City the next day.
In the early morning of the next day, July 12th, the shore outside Fengqiao was already full of people, preparing to welcome the governor to move to Suzhou City.
This is probably one of the most comprehensive occasions for officials in Suzhou City to appear. Officials of the seventh rank and above of the government office, as well as the magistrates and county magistrates of the two county governments were all present.
Magistrate Zhu of Suzhou Prefecture was putting on airs most of the time, and was not too condescending in front of the leader Wang and Lao. At this time, he had to stand on the shore respectfully and humbly as the leader.
In addition to the government offices and county offices, military attachés above the fifth rank of Suzhou Wei Zheng were also present. After all, the governor was also in charge of military affairs, unlike ordinary local officials.
Even people from Su Songchang Town's Bingbeidao Yamen, who had never had any dealings with Lin Tailai and whose presence in Suzhou City was not high, also showed up.
Some people may also ask why Xing Tong, the censor of Jiangnan Province, is not here? Because he has left Suzhou long ago.
This is a tacit political understanding of "the king does not see the king". If the governor comes to Suzhou, the censor will go to the surrounding areas of Nanjing.
Two people with the title of imperial envoy cannot gather in one place, otherwise the place will be at a loss.
In addition to officials, there are also common representatives of local gentry and local elders.
All in all, four types of people, including officials, gentry, scholars, and civilians, formed a delegation to welcome the governor. Other merchants, music households, and the like were not worthy of appearing in the delegation.
Of course, there are fewer "shi" representatives today than usual, and the water content is also relatively high.
Because August is the Southern Zhili Provincial Examination, and some capable scholars will go to Nanjing to rush for the examination and try their luck at this time, not in Suzhou.
Therefore, some people were able to mix themselves into the scholar group.
The second master of the Shen family, who had rarely appeared in public in the past two or three years, walked around the venue for a few times before talking to Wang Yusheng, who also came from a wealthy family.
One is the son of the current chief minister, and the other is the great-grandson of Zeng Ge Lao. They are similar in age and have a common language.
It's definitely not because neither of them currently has any fame, they just got in.
Afterwards, Lin Daguan also appeared on the shore outside Maple Bridge, easily crossed the blockade and entered the venue.
Then after scanning around, he automatically came to Shen Yongjia.
Second Master Shen asked in surprise: "Why did someone like you come in?"
This is a delegation to welcome the governor, not a group of hicks to welcome the county magistrate. There is no place for the low-level wild country sages.
Although it was an unintentional remark by Mr. Zaifu, it still made Lin Daguan a little unhappy.
So he ignored Second Master Shen, and instead turned to Wang Yusheng and asked, "How come someone like you got in?"
This question was exactly the same as what Second Master Shen had just said, and even the tone was exactly the same, which was quite provocative.
Wang Yusheng immediately choked back: "Even people like you can come in, why can't I come in?"
Lin Daguan proudly replied: "The governor has mounted his horse to manage the army and dismounted his horse to manage the people. He has both civil and military powers.
As for me, Lin Tailai, as the only martial arts student in Jinke in Suzhou City, it is natural for me to appear here as a representative of the martial arts examination."
Wang Yu said: "."
Damn it! I have never been so disgusting since I was a child!
However, Lin Tailai didn't finish what he said, and continued to say harshly:
"It's really not as good as King Yu's voice. He doesn't even have any fame. Just because he was born into a good family, he can appear here openly as a representative of the scholars."
Wang Yusheng's face was livid but before he said anything, Second Master Shen suddenly said angrily: "Who are you talking about!"
Lin Tailai immediately pointed at Wang Yusheng and replied without hesitation: "Of course I am talking about him! But why do you look so ugly, Second Master of the Shen family?"
Mr. Shen jumped up and wanted to hit someone, but Lin Tailai easily dodged it as he didn't dare to fight back.
Feeling that if he continued talking, the boat of friendship would capsize, Lin Daguan stopped talking.
These three people, who were incompatible with the other "gentry", stood awkwardly together.
In the morning, the governor's boat finally appeared in front of everyone on the shore.
All etiquette was followed. The ship docked first, and the governor came out of the cabin and stood on the bow deck.
Lin Tailai quickly raised his eyes to look at the ship, his expression extremely focused.
When Wang Yusheng saw this, he couldn't help but sarcastically said: "Have you never seen such a big official before? Take your time, take a look as many times as you can, and open your eyes!"
Lin Tailai replied without looking back: "It's just like you, an ignorant rookie, who would stare at the governor! How can a knowledgeable person be as ignorant as you!"
For some reason, Mr. Shen next to him felt that he was being criticized again. He snorted and asked, "Then tell me, what does it mean to be knowledgeable?"
Official Lin replied casually: "Those who really know what they are doing carefully observe the people who accompany the governor!
What can you tell by just looking at the governor himself? Only by looking at the people accompanying the governor can you tell the truth."
Unconsciously, Mr. Shen looked towards the bow of the ship again, and then discovered that the person accompanying the governor who was closest to him this time was a middle-aged man in white, with oily hair and a pink face.
"Who is this?" Mr. Shen said subconsciously.
However, Wang Yusheng called out softly: "It turns out to be Xi Siwei, one of the great ministers of the Xi family in Xishan!"
The Wang family is the Wang family in the East Dongting Mountain, and the Xi family is the Xi family in the West Dongting Mountain. They are both giant families in the Dongting business gang. There are marriages between the two families, so it is not surprising that Wang Yusheng knows Xi Siwei.
But it was obvious that Wang Yusheng was also surprised that Xi Siwei appeared next to the governor.
When Lin Tailai heard Wang Yu's exclamation, he was very surprised. It turned out that this person was the Xi Dachaofeng mentioned by those at Hudong Hall!
He never understood where the real confidence of Xi Dachaofeng lay.
Even if the Dongting Merchant Gang is powerful, and even if the Xi family is extremely rich and has a lot of money, it still makes little sense just relying on these.
But today when I saw Xi Dachaofeng standing next to the governor, I understood.
Lin Tailai looked deeply at Wang Yusheng again, and said inexplicably: "Congratulations, it seems you are an uninformed person."
Wang Yusheng thought about it again and again, but still couldn't figure out what this sentence meant.
Second Master Shen understood the situation. Thinking of Fan Yunlin's "warning" before, he guessed the situation.
This court official named Xi may be the person who Fan Yunlin did not reveal, who wants to deal with Lin Tailai and seize the Lin family's inheritance.
I shamelessly sneaked in here today, it was not in vain.
While thinking about it, he said to Lin Tai: "That's the governor."
Lin Tailai also heard what was going on behind the scenes and asked, "Even you know about it? Are you afraid?"
Second Master Shen said half-truthfully: "How could I be afraid of what a mere governor could do to me? What I'm afraid of is that you will harm me.
If you feel like you are going to collapse, don't take advantage of others, take the initiative to deliver it to your door.
Let me kill you with my own hands, then all the credit will be mine, and it will be best for you."
Lin Tailai: "."
Sure enough, everyone will make progress, and Mr. Shen is no exception.
Indeed, as Lin Tailai said, the kind of people who appear next to a big shot when they appear are often the most symbolic.
Just like when Yuan Zhixian took office, he was accompanied by Li Jixuan, a famous scholar from Zhenzhou. Through this, we can immediately judge Yuan Zhixian's style of conduct.
When the governor made his appearance today, he was accompanied by a business gang boss. This was very rare, and it immediately attracted everyone's attention.
However, everyone didn't say anything on the surface, pretending not to notice anything, and the welcome ceremony went on as it should.
According to the rules, after the governor came ashore, officials from the government office and the two county offices took turns to visit the governor based on the government office.
After the government office, Deng He, the magistrate of Wu County, and Guo Tong, the prime minister of Guanliang County, came forward.
At this time, Governor Wei suddenly said to Magistrate Deng: "Although we were not in Suzhou in the past few months, we also heard about a strange incident in your county."
This kind of out-of-the-blue, surprise questioning from bosses is the most annoying thing for subordinates.
Fortunately, Deng Zhixian had been trained by Lin Tailai to have strong tolerance, and he endured the physical discomfort and replied: "Which one is Dazhong Cheng referring to?"
Governor Wei then said: "This court heard that eight cases involving the same defendant were dismissed at the same time. It is simply a wonder in the world."
To be very objective, there is nothing wrong with this sentence. Anyone who hears this kind of thing will find it strange, but it really happened.
But if the governor asked about it as soon as he landed, it must be more than just a casual question.
Regardless of the disrespect, Deng Zhixian raised his head in astonishment. Could it be that Dazhong Cheng still wanted to reopen the old case?
After the rest of the people heard this, they couldn't help but started talking in low voices, and many even glanced at Lin Tailai furtively.
The so-called "eight cases with the same defendant" must refer to the eight complaints filed against Lin Tailai by Magistrate Deng when he first took office.
The inside story of this matter is still a bit vague. I can only say that it happened strangely and ended strangely. All eight plaintiffs withdrew the case in a short period of time.
Also, the dignified feudal official mentioned Lin Tailai as soon as he came ashore, just like when Magistrate Deng of Wu County took office.
Could it be that Lin Daguan's influence is already so great? He has jumped directly from the county level bully to the provincial level?
Seeing that Magistrate Deng was stunned and silent, Governor Wei asked in a deep voice: "Is there such a thing?"
Magistrate Deng came to his senses and replied: "This is indeed the case."
Governor Wei continued: "After hearing about this, we felt that there might be something fishy about this matter, and we have always kept it in mind.
Your county may wish to re-examine the case to clarify the facts of the case, especially why the plaintiffs in the eight complaints were dismissed at almost the same time."
Magistrate Deng immediately cursed in his heart, why the case was closed at the same time? It was not because he, the county magistrate, could not continue the trial!
Those eight petitions were all deliberately planned by Master Zheng and the anti-Lin Tailai forces with the tacit approval of Deng Zhixian, but they did not work later.
Since it no longer works, of course the case must be closed, otherwise why would it be kept?
Magistrate Deng could only reply vaguely: "All the complaints have been dismissed. Unless there is special necessity, they will generally not be reopened."
Seeing that Magistrate Deng did not give a positive response, Governor Wei said displeasedly: "What? Is there anything unspeakable about your county that you are not willing to retry?"
When everyone on the shore heard this, they all looked at Lin Tailai again. What kind of face did this man have?
As long as they are officials who can control you, they will regard you as an "anti-gang model" after appearing on the scene?
Magistrate Deng was like this last time, and Governor Wei is like this now.
But as half of the party involved, Magistrate Deng was of course unwilling! He no longer wanted to bring up the old case again!
The reason is simple. There is no benefit to him in re-examining these cases.
Even if the defendant Lin Tailai can be sentenced, it will only prove that he was ignorant and indulged the defendant!
Moreover, this is a matter of exposing scars. It will only remind Deng Zhixian of the humiliation he once suffered. How can he be happy?
Seeing that Wu County was unwilling to actively cooperate, Governor Wei looked at the officials of the government office and asked: "How about the government office taking over the eight cases?"
Magistrate Zhu glanced at Liu Tuiguan and replied: "The criminal cases are all matters of the Tuiguan office. The Tuiguan can make the decision."
Liu Tuiguan had a look of embarrassment on his face. It was not like he had never tried Lin Tailai before and knew how difficult Lin Tailai was.
Once bitten, twice shy.
It is extremely difficult to handle a case in which all eight plaintiffs have withdrawn their lawsuits, and the defendant is Lin Tailai. It is definitely thankless and completely worthless!
Even if you handle these eight cases at all costs, what benefits can you, the governor, give you? Can you even get people promoted to three levels in a row?
So Liu Tuiguan also replied: "Xiaguan and Wu County have the same view. There is no need to reopen the case that has been closed."
Governor Wei really didn't expect that the county government office and the government office would unanimously contradict the first thing he mentioned after landing!
This was beyond his expectation. Could it be that he, the governor, was a fake?
Or is it that a certain evil force has become so rampant that it dominates the local area?
The reason why Governor Wei forced the county and government offices to reopen the case instead of taking over the case himself was because of official rules.
After all, in theory, the governor is not an official who is close to the people. While the court system does not allow appeals to be made beyond the level of the government, it generally does not allow cases to be heard beyond the level of the government.
It would be a joke for a governor to reach down and directly take charge of grassroots justice across an unknown number of levels.
This was a bit stiff, and he felt a little embarrassed on his face. Governor Wei looked angry and reprimanded the officials:
“We have served in various places for many years, and the principle we adhere to as an official is to love the people as our own children!
Isn't it suspicious that eight cases involving the same defendant were closed at the same time?
There are as many as eight cases, and I don’t know how many families have been affected!
These prefecture and county officials should have been close to the people, but they turned a deaf ear to the doubts and turned a blind eye!
Such evasion from top to bottom and deliberate indulgence of powerful bullies is simply a collusion to bully the common people. How can this court sit idly by and ignore it?"
Mr. Futai's words were so righteous and awe-inspiring. There was a strong light of righteousness in and out of his words. They were so righteous that the officials present did not know how to reply.
If you want to say that what Dazhong Cheng said is correct, it is definitely correct, but that is not the case.
In the silence, someone suddenly shouted loudly: "Okay! What Dazhong Cheng said is excellent! The people of Suzhou have really welcomed Grandpa Qingtian!"
Who is such an ignorant and ignorant person who doesn't know what political cultivation is, yet he dares to speak so casually? Everyone immediately followed the sound and looked.
It turned out that the person speaking was actually Lin Tailai! Lin Tailai was the only defendant in those eight cases!
This is a bit magical. What is the operation of a strong man shouting "Qingtian" to an official who insists on sentencing him?
Please vote for me! I can’t finish the next chapter today, so I’ll try to post it at noon tomorrow!