As an official, what's wrong with raising a few monsters?

Chapter 23 The Bad Old Man and the Bad Boy
"Oh?"

Looking at the energetic young man in front of him, Zhang Boxing was a little confused about his background.

Mingchen leaned back in his chair and said with a smile, "Last night at midnight, the head of the Li family, Li Qingwei, left home secretly and went to the county magistrate's office. Is this true?"

His Fuyaoer eyesight is very good!
After these words were spoken, Zhang Boxing, who had originally had a kind face, instantly restrained his smile and gently stroked the teacup with his palm. No one could tell what he was thinking.

The young man's eyes were exceptionally bright, as if he could see through the flesh and into people's hearts. "But until dawn, all the Li family members were killed, and Old Li didn't even leave the magistrate's office~"

Zhang Boxing's expression gradually became serious and calm.

Mingchen didn't seem to care about the other person's expression. He just smiled and said, "Master Zhang, I don't have any powerful status, so I can't cover this up for you!"

Zhang Boxing lowered his eyes: "Is that so..."

He now had another problem to think about.

"but……"

Mingchen changed the subject: "As for the murderer, I do have some clues. I wonder if Master Zhang would like to hear them."

"Mr. Chen, please feel free to speak."

"I heard there was a family in the county named Yang whose daughter was forced to death by the young master of the Li family. The Yang family's ancestors were once glorious and left some property secretly. Yang's father spent all his wealth and hired bandits to kill his enemy's entire family. Yesterday, he finally succeeded. Knowing there was no way out, he hanged himself at home."

"As for the murderous enemy, the Blood-Cloaked Rebels are rampant in the southeast, and some have long infiltrated here, killing and robbing, committing all sorts of evil. The rebels are cunning and dangerous, and the court is helpless. Lord Zhang, as a small magistrate, has done his best, but he is helpless if he can't catch them."

Mingchen drank the whole wine in one gulp and leaned closer to Zhang Boxing: "How is it?"

This is something that has been decided.

Zhang Boxing looked at Mingchen deeply and sighed: "This is the only way."

Lao Yang is rich, but he doesn't have the ability to hire killers to kill the entire Li family.

Otherwise, it would be too easy to kill the local nobles.

So who is the culprit behind the Li family tragedy?

Old Li was not at home last night and fortunately escaped the massacre, but his body is now lying in prison.

The one who took action was naturally the seemingly harmless county magistrate in front of Mingchen.

The reason for the extermination is also very simple.
The more people who don't follow the rules, the harder it is to manage.

The local powerful families acted tyrannically and disregarded the rules, which was not conducive to Zhang Boxing's governance. Whenever he had the chance, he would clean up, divide, and eliminate these people bit by bit, and firmly grasp the power of the entire county in his hands.

After running the business for so many years, he has established a firm foothold in this county, and has connections in both the black and white worlds.

The difficulty of being an official is not how to do it, but how to report it, how to report it to the court, highlight your own achievements and remove your own problems.

It was not difficult for Zhang Boxing to get rid of the Li family.

The slightly troublesome thing is how to sever the connection, clear himself completely, report to the court, and show the connections behind the Li family.

Lao Yang died last night, and the coincidence of the appearance of Mingchen was a suitable signal to take action.

If Mingchen is really a nobleman of extraordinary status, then it would be most appropriate to help him bear this name.

If that doesn't work, then Lao Yang will be charged with revenge and the report will be submitted. It seems to have some loopholes, but there is no reason to find any fault with it.

The current situation is turbulent and the local authorities are unable to reach out. The central government can at most punish him for his poor performance and the matter will be over.

Although Lao Yang is dead, I believe he would be happy to bear the reputation of slaughtering an entire family of his enemies.

Zhang Boxing stroked the wine glass in his hand and looked meaningfully at the seemingly frivolous young man in front of him.

He didn't know how Mingchen knew his plan, but it didn't matter.

Since Mingchen appeared here, it proved that they were friends, not enemies.

He has lived for half a century, met many people, is very scheming and has many tricks up his sleeve, but he still can't see through this person.

In troubled times heroes emerge.

He had never seen such an outstanding young man.

So insightful, so intelligent, so mysterious… The capital is deep, and the dragon is entering the sea.

I wonder what kind of trouble this kind of person will cause if he comes to Beijing?

"Master Zhang, do you know that yesterday your son came to me to report you?"

The incident of the Li family being wiped out is now over.

Mingchen's words just now were to frankly tell Zhang Boxing that although he was not a powerful person, he also knew what Zhang Boxing had done.

that's enough.

This bad old man is a smart man, he has planned things well and naturally knows what to do.

Mingchen didn't want to make the atmosphere too awkward, so he winked at Lao Zhang with a teasing tone.

Zhang Boxing: ...

"Ugh……"

If you compare real people with others, you will die; if you compare goods with others, you will lose them.

When I met Mingchen today, I thought of my own son who had let his father down.

What a difference!
Old Zhang also curled his lips, and the clear wine seemed to have a bitter taste.

Finally, he sighed helplessly: "I'm sorry that I didn't discipline my son well, Master Chen, and I'm sorry to have embarrassed you."

It is foolish to teach others how to discipline their sons.

Mingchen just smiled and said, "Mr. Zhang is a young man of great talent and a man of great righteousness. Sir Zhang, please don't be too harsh."

Zhang Boxing smiled bitterly and said, "I know my son's character. Mr. Chen, there's no need to be polite."

Mingchen shook his head and didn't respond.

“Good wine, good wine~”

"Mr. Chen, are you going to the capital to take the imperial examination and seek an official position?"

"If you need it, I know a few people who can help you move around."

Interpersonal communication is essentially an investment in people.

Zhang Boxing had the ability to judge people. He could see that Mingchen was a capable person and there was no harm in making friends with him.

He wanted to return the favor by offering the other party a drink.

This is an investment, his investment in Mingchen.

The officialdom is essentially an intertwined chain of interests, and relationships become close as people interact with each other.

"Hahaha~ Master Zhang is so thoughtful."

"The boy really has something to ask for!"

Mingchen smiled cheerfully, but did not refuse: "If Master Zhang is willing to lend a helping hand, that would be great."

Although the current situation is turbulent and corruption is rampant.

However, the imperial examination was relatively fair. The old emperor knew which powers were important. There were some things he was too lazy to care about, but the power to select officials must be firmly in his hands.

In every imperial examination, there are always some people who don’t know how to live or die and get their heads chopped off.

But fairness is only relative.

Besides, the capital city is a complicated place. If a brick falls and kills ten people, nine of them will be related to the powerful and wealthy.

It’s actually very difficult to do this without knowing many people.

Mingchen took the hand of Lingyu, who was acting as a guard, and said to Zhang Boxing enthusiastically, "It doesn't matter to me, kid, but I'm sorry to trouble you to take care of me, your brother."

(End of this chapter)