Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 171: A show of force

Cangzhou Prefecture, Prefectural Government Office,

Without the prefect and the magistrate in the yamen, Yue Ling had a lot more things to do.

The two of them were jointly in charge of the signing of documents. Now, all kinds of documents issued in the surrounding eight towns and Cangzhou City had to be signed by Yue Ling alone.

When dealing with the complicated official affairs, Yue Ling suddenly felt some sympathy for Emperor Longyou.

The throne was won at an unknown price. Not only did he have to deal with government affairs that were a hundred times or a thousand times larger than the city, he also had to fight with ministers from various departments, balance the power of the court, resist foreign invaders, and take care of the people. With the character of Emperor Longyou, he would definitely ask about everything and want to take care of everything.

The twelve hours of the day would probably not be enough for him.

"Speaking of which, after the national mourning, there will be the coronation ceremony. After the coronation, there should also be a ceremony to enthrone the queen. With so many things happening one after another, I guess Your Majesty must be extremely busy right now."

Yue Ling shook his head and stopped thinking about other things. He unfolded another document and started to sketch with his pen.

"The land east of Nanpi is flat and fertile, and can be used to grow kapok, wheat, and corn. However, due to insufficient population, the people have been displaced, and the irrigation canals have been in disrepair for many years. Now they are almost abandoned and overgrown with weeds. If you want to find land to reclaim, you can start from here..."

After seeing the urgent letter from the Nanpi County Magistrate, Yue Ling pondered for a while.

"The busy farming season cannot be delayed. If we sow seeds now, we must have enough water and the land must be plowed deeply to plant some heat-resistant crops so that we can harvest them in the fall. We should think carefully about how to gather people to reclaim the wasteland."

Just as he was about to pick up another document, Jia Yun came in, bowed, and reported to Yue Ling: "Master, the owners of various wealthy businesses in the city have come to the government office on their own initiative to ask to see you."

Yue Ling frowned and asked, "What are they doing here? Didn't I tell the merchants who have colluded with Ji Qing to donate half of their stored grain within three days?"

Jia Yun replied awkwardly, "There are few people in this city who are not related to Ji Qing. After all, this city is not very big."

Yue Ling added: "Then I want half of the stored grain, not half of the family wealth, so how can the fine be too heavy?"

"Of course not. These people really deserve to die. It's just that the prices of commercial goods in the city are high because of them. I'm afraid that many families have accumulated a lot of grain and are waiting for the government to buy it. The master asked for half of the grain at once, which is equivalent to cutting off their roots. That's why they gathered together and came to the government office to discuss with the master."

Yue Ling waved his hand and said bluntly: "I have nothing to discuss with them. Either you hand over the money obediently, or clean your neck and wait at home."

Jia Yun nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go and tell him right away."

"Wait, let's talk about it in a few hours. Let them stand outside for a while."

"Yes."

Outside the government gate,
All the prominent merchants in Cangzhou City came today with their owners, and waited at the gate of the government office with Huang Wenhua.

Today they were not wearing silk like they had at the cocktail party yesterday. Instead, they were all dressed in coarse linen clothes with many patches on them, looking no different from the poor people on the street.

When the common people passing by saw them dressed in such disguise, they couldn't help but spit inwardly, cursing these black-hearted businessmen who profited from the misfortune of others, hoping that they would die soon.

But the merchants were feeling proud, thinking that since they came here on their own initiative, even if Yue Ling was arrogant and self-righteous, he would not become their enemy because of his achievements and would certainly give in to them.

But we waited from early morning till noon, and every time we asked the yamen runners, they just said that Marquis Anjing was busy and it was not convenient to receive guests.

Everyone was bloated, having been staying at home for a long time. Now they were out in the sun, sweating profusely. How could they bear it? They gathered together and asked Huang Wenhua, "Patriarch Huang, it seems that the Marquis doesn't intend to see us at all. Let's go back and don't make ourselves unhappy."

Huang Wenhua looked up at the government gate that used to be unobstructed, but now he could only wait outside the door, and he became more angry.

Huang Wenhua tried to appease the crowd by saying, "Your Majesty has just arrived and is not familiar with the affairs of Cangzhou. He must be busy. And Your Majesty is of noble status. Isn't it time to test whether we are sincere?"

Huang Wenhua wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and continued to look at the yamen runners in front of the door with a smile.

Sure enough, as he expected, a yamen runner quickly walked in, as if to report everything that happened in front of the door to Yue Ling.

Huang Wenhua secretly said in his heart: "Yue Ling, you must not be ungrateful. We can tolerate a show of force in front of you, but if you insist on being our enemy, don't blame us for secretly tripping you up."

"Cangzhou City is full of our people. How can you fight us? Let's see how your big talk in front of the people ends! Can this porridge stall be opened?"

Just as I was secretly complaining in my heart, I saw the bailiffs come back, but they didn't show any intention of stepping forward to talk to them.

Huang Wenhua frowned slightly and took the initiative to step forward and asked, "What did the Marquis say?"

The yamen runner looked at Huang Wenhua innocently, "Patriarch Huang, how would I know what the Marquis said? If you want to wait, just continue to wait here."

Huang Wenhua took a few deep breaths to calm himself down, then pointed at the yamen runner and asked, "So what did you do when you went in just now?"

The yamen has a new master, and even the yamen runners have become a bit arrogant. If it were in the past, they would definitely speak to the head of the Huang family in a submissive manner.

"I'm going to the toilet, why does the Huang family's head care about me going to the toilet? Even the Marquis doesn't care."

Huang Wenhua could no longer hold back his anger, and just as he was about to slap the yamen runner, he saw a man coming out of the government office. "Stop it! You are so bold, you dare to beat up a yamen runner in the prefectural office? I think you don't want to live anymore!"

Huang Wenhua, who was being scolded, was delighted when he heard such a dignified speech. He put on a warm expression, raised his hand and scratched his head, saying, "My Lord, what are you talking about? I just got a little itchy on my head because of the sunburn."

"My Lord, have you finished your official duties and are you willing to see me?"

Jia Yun frowned and said coldly, "I am not the Marquis, and you are not worthy to see the Marquis!"

"The Marquis is very busy with official duties, how can you vulgar people like him meet him? I am telling you on behalf of the Marquis that he has no time to see you. According to the previous ultimatum, those who think they have problems should come and deliver food, otherwise you will know how serious the consequences will be when the Marquis is angry!"

Huang Wenhua's face immediately darkened.

Today, he was really humiliated in public.

The heads of the families around also sighed and said, "Head Huang, we are really being ignored this time. We are acting in this drama, but people won't even watch it."

Someone else whispered, "Not only do they not care, they don't even take Patriarch Huang seriously, nor do they take us Cangzhou merchants seriously. Most of them want to rob us and give our things to these lowly people. Otherwise, how else can they provide disaster relief?"

Huang Wenhua took a few deep breaths and finally spoke: "Everyone, I, Huang, am sorry for all of you today. It is also because I, Huang, did not see the situation clearly. As the saying goes, you should not hit someone who smiles at you. Not only did the Marquis hit me, he also stepped on me a few times."

"Although he is a marquis from the capital, we are not pushovers. Everyone, go home and hide the granary. We have thousands of ways to deal with him!"

"Even if he is a marquis, he cannot disregard the law and confiscate our property on false charges! There is no need to be afraid of him!"

"it is good!"

The heads of the families immediately agreed and went back home angrily.

Just as the heads of the various families left, a sedan chair with a green tent and blue gauze landed in front of the yamen. The curtain was raised and Xue Baochai walked out of it. She glanced at the road in front of the door.

Jia Yun walked out of the door and greeted Xue Baochai, saying, "Miss Xue, you are the master's guest. You can just park the sedan chair in the government office."

Xue Baochai nodded slightly and asked Jia Yun, "Who are those people who gathered in front of the government office just now?"

Jia Yun shook his head and said, "He is a reckless merchant from Cangzhou who wants to bargain with the Marquis. Merchants are like this, they only care about profit and don't know justice."

Xue Baochai's eyelids twitched and she looked a little embarrassed.

Jia Yun suddenly realized something was wrong and said hurriedly, "Ah, of course I'm not talking about Miss Xue. Your family is an imperial merchant, and now you are the righteous merchant of the Marquis, so you should be different from them."

Xue Baochai nodded and said, "It's okay. Maybe Housekeeper Yun made them angry and said something wrong. I won't take it to heart. I wonder if the Marquis is still busy now. Is it convenient for us to meet?"

Jia Yun nodded and said, "The master has instructed that if Miss Xue comes to the government office, she can go directly to the back hall. I will lead the way for Miss Xue."

"Good work."

……

Yue Ling was reviewing documents in the classroom. When he heard someone knocking on the door, he put down his pen and said, "Come in."

At first glance, I saw that Xue Baochai was wearing a round-necked robe with a pink background and peony embroidery, a white cross-collar lining, and a purple horse-faced skirt. Her outfit was much more formal than the last time, and the fabric of the clothes was also unusual. It must be the attire of a wealthy family's daughter.

The hairpins on her head trembled slightly with her graceful steps, making a twanging sound, which made her look even more dignified.

After entering the door, Xue Baochai bowed first and said to Yue Ling above: "This humble girl greets the Marquis."

Yue Ling waved his hand and said, "Please sit down. There's no need to be so polite."

Seeing that Xue Baochai's eyes were red and she had put on a little powder around her eyes to cover up the blemishes, Yue Ling knew that she must have had a big fight with her family.

After sending Jia Yun to serve tea, Yue Ling asked, "Miss Xue, has the Xue family agreed to let me work with you in Cangzhou?"

Yue Ling was a little worried that Xue Baochai would not be able to be the head of the Xue family. If she changed her mind at the last minute, it would disrupt his plans.

Xue Baochai did not give a direct answer, but said: "I believe in the methods of the Marquis."

Yue Ling raised his eyebrows slightly.

It is not a good thing to get along with a girl who is too smart. It will be very troublesome if she doesn't speak directly and always beats around the bush.

What Xue Baochai meant was that Aunt Xue did not agree, but she wanted to do it and wanted to produce some results as soon as possible to consolidate her voice in the Xue family.

Sighing, Yue Ling said: "Okay, I won't let Miss Xue down..."

　Three chapters
　　
　
(End of this chapter)