Encounter

"The Ma family..."

Xu Mao frowned slightly.

He naturally noticed the smugness in Old Ma Fu's eyes.

Without a doubt, the reason why Registrar Feng from the county government was behaving so strangely today must be because Ma Fu was behind it all.

If I'm not mistaken, it's likely that this Registrar Feng accepted a bribe from the Ma family.

The position of registrar, while lacking the ability to promote others, makes it much easier to do bad things.

Such incidents have happened frequently in Baisha County.

"Village Chief Xu, it seems we should discuss this matter again later."

Ma Fu stood up with a smile.

The Ma family was naturally very satisfied with this result.

Another village elder also stood up. The county magistrate had already spoken, so it was definitely not going to work out today, and there was no need for him to stay any longer.

The villagers were all taken aback by what they saw. They had initially thought that the Xu and Ma families would be locked in a fierce battle for the position of village elder.

But I never expected it to end so abruptly.

The crowd couldn't help but gossip.

"Could it be that Master Zhong has offended the magistrate of the county?"

"It's possible, but he's not even a successful candidate in the imperial examinations yet. It would be unwise for him to offend the officials in the government."

"How foolish!"

In their view, the current situation clearly shows that the magistrate in the county government is dissatisfied with Zhong Xuan, and many people are already having wild thoughts.

Everyone thought that Zhong Xuan had become arrogant after receiving the title of "Student of the Imperial Academy," which offended the people in the county government, and now he was being retaliated against by his own arrogance.

Not long after.

The villagers dispersed.

Only Xu Mao, Xu Tian, ​​and Zhong Xuan remained at Shenming Pavilion.

Xu Mao said with a gloomy face, "This guy surnamed Feng is untrustworthy. He actually accepted money from both families. This matter won't end here."

Although he is a village chief, he does not hold any official position.

With his connections in the county and his influence in the village, he was not entirely powerless to deal with a mere clerk.

If we admit defeat in this matter, how will we establish ourselves in the future?

Before today.

He had already personally delivered eighty taels of silver to their door long ago.

But Clerk Feng took the money and did nothing.

Xu Tian was also quite annoyed: "When Feng Heima was a household clerk, he was always greedy. If he hadn't sent his daughter to the magistrate's bed, he wouldn't have become the registrar."

Zhong Xuan remained silent.

This kind of situation is all too common.

Let's not talk about anything else.

The same applies to the provincial examination.

Originally, his ranking could have gone up, but people who bribed and pulled strings moved him to the top, turning him from a top-ranked player into fourth.

Xu Mao took a deep breath: "Uncle Zhong, please relax for now. There is still a chance for this to turn around. I'll go and talk to you about the situation."

......

......

Another section.

The riverside private room on the top floor of Zuixianglou.

"Registrar Feng, thank you for today's matter."

Ma Lei raised his glass and toasted Chief Clerk Feng.

Three voluptuous and graceful beauties were nestled in Feng Zhubu's arms, enjoying themselves immensely.

He hired them all from brothels in the city.

note.

It was a brothel, not a pleasure house. In a brothel, listening to one song is enough to sleep with seven or eight women in a pleasure house. Ma Lei spent a lot of money to invite the three women to Zuixianglou.

"Nephew Ma is truly an interesting person; he is sure to have a bright future."

Feng, the registrar, was beaming with pride.

After drinking a glass of wine, her cheeks became rosy.

He said to the old man Ma Fu beside him, "Old Ma, you've raised a fine son."

In fact, he had already decided to just go through the motions after receiving the money from Xu Mao the day before.

But unexpectedly.

Ma Fu's son, Ma Lei, came looking for him.

Ma Lei not only brought him money, but also gave him a long-term business opportunity—sand from the Baisha River.

Registrar Feng was also surprised.

This young man, barely in his early twenties, actually held a high position within the Sha Gang.

He might not care about the small gangs and factions in the city, but when it comes to local bigwigs like the Sand Gang, the Martial Arts Association, and the Purple Gold Hall, not only he, but even the county magistrate would have to be wary.

With the Sand Gang around, the decision becomes much easier.

Therefore, not only did Clerk Feng refuse to return Xu Mao's silver, but he also obstructed the process.

He's done this kind of thing quite often before.

If a village is not united, then it's no wonder that an outsider like him gets the benefits.

Ma Lei chuckled and said, "I'll have to rely on my uncle more in the future."

Hearing Ma Lei, the leader of the Sha Gang, address him as "uncle," Feng Zhubu's face showed even more pride.

At most, he could only climb to the rank of registrar in his entire life, so what he valued most was face and money.

Ma Lei gave him a lot of face, so Registrar Feng naturally had to reciprocate:

"Nephew, rest assured, as long as I am the registrar, Xiahe Village will never be able to elect a village elder."

After several rounds of drinks...

Registrar Feng was completely drunk and confused.

Ma Fu has quietly left.

Ma Lei stood alone in the room, expressionless, and gave a wink to the servant who was already waiting outside the door.

The three beauties immediately helped Registrar Feng to the side room downstairs.

Meanwhile, Ma Lei was writing down entries in the ledger.

"My money, Ma Lei's money, isn't so easy to take..."

Ma Lei's eyes turned cold.

As far as he knew, Clerk Feng had a shrewish wife. If he exposed what happened tonight and added fuel to the fire, he could easily get Clerk Feng fired.

of course.

These things need to be done gradually.

In this way, he could have one more lackey in the county government.

......

The next day, early morning.

When Chief Clerk Feng awoke from the fragrant bedchamber, he chuckled as he looked at the three beautiful bodies beside him.

He silently praised his nephew Ma Lei for being so sensible.

Then he put on his official robes and went downstairs.

Just as he arrived at the main hall of Zuixianglou, he saw a man dressed as an official approaching him anxiously: "Registration Officer Feng, did you go to Xiahe Village yesterday to elect the village elder?"

"Yes."

Registrar Feng nodded, somewhat puzzled. When did the head constable start getting involved in this kind of thing?

Then, Chief Constable Lin of the yamen clapped his hands:

"Registrar Feng, you've messed things up!"

"Quickly come with me to see the county magistrate."

Feng, the registrar, felt a buzzing in his head.

It even alarmed the county magistrate?!

......

......

the other side.

In an elegant little pavilion, two people sat facing each other drinking tea; one exuded wealth and power, the other was dignified and upright.

Mr. Zhang chuckled:

"Magistrate Zhou, what good fortune! Our county has produced a student who has received a stipend. This is a great achievement. When you are promoted in the future, don't forget your younger brother."

Magistrate Zhou of Baisha County was an elderly Confucian scholar nearing sixty.

He calmly sipped his tea and said, "Brother Zhang, don't flatter me."

The patriarch of the Zhang family smiled, then said to himself:

"I happened to be on stage that day and saw it clearly. The one who gave the armor was Master Cui from Yongning Prefecture."

Magistrate Zhou was startled:

"Is it that Scholar Cui who retired from office in the capital thirty years ago?"

"Exactly."

The patriarch of the Zhang family nodded.

As a businessman, he was the most well-informed. He knew about the incident in Xiahe Village that very night, even though it had happened the day before.

After saying that, Master Zhang focused entirely on drinking his tea.

Magistrate Zhou recalled what Registrar Feng had reported to him the previous night and immediately exclaimed inwardly:

"bad!"