jdhmnovel Chapter 105 Let Old Zhu have a headache!
Chapter 105 Let Old Zhu have a headache!
Yang Shaofeng had the lame man drive away the so-called magistrate of Qufu who was supposedly there to mediate between Magistrate Zhao of Wenshang County and Magistrate Zhao. Then, he went straight back to his study and began writing a memorial to the throne.
Yang Shaofeng decided to first submit a memorial impeaching Magistrate Zhao of Wenshang County, and then submit another memorial impeaching Magistrate Qufu County.
Damn it, those two bastards, one doesn't treat people like human beings, and the other, as the magistrate of Qufu, is meddling in the affairs between the magistrates of Ningyang and Wenshang counties. What is he trying to do?
It's just labeling people. Those upright gentlemen from the Donglin Party and Fushe Society can do it, and I, Magistrate Yang Shaofeng, can do it just as well, or even better!
Anyway, Lao Zhu isn't my father-in-law yet, so I'll make him worry if he needs to.
……
Just as Yang Shaofeng was frantically writing impeachment memorials, Magistrate Zhao of Wenshang County was hosting a banquet for Kong Xida, the magistrate of Qufu County.
Kong Xida skipped work to get to Wenshang County—although Qufu had no shortage of assistants and minor officials, Kong Xida and the current Duke Yansheng, Kong Xixue, were cousins, so the possibility of him skipping work would not exist.
The reason Magistrate Zhao invited Kong Xida to a banquet was that he hoped Kong Xida could mediate and ease the tension between him and Yang Shaofeng.
The matter is obvious.
Previously, Crown Prince Zhu Biao ordered that the magistrate and people of Ningyang County be rewarded with a large amount of things, including chickens, ducks, geese, and farm tools such as shovels and hoes.
What this signal represents is something that ordinary people cannot understand, but Magistrate Zhao of Wenshang County must understand it very clearly.
However, the reason why Magistrate Zhao dared to cause trouble for Yang Shaofeng and demand that Yang Shaofeng manage the people under his jurisdiction, even after Crown Prince Zhu Biao had lavishly rewarded Ningyang County, was essentially because Magistrate Zhao never thought there was anything wrong with doing so.
In Magistrate Zhao's view, he and Yang Shaofeng were the same kind of people, like the people of Wenshang County and Ningyang County. What right did those peasants, who toiled in the fields, have to make two officials turn against each other because of them?
Therefore, Magistrate Zhao never expected that Yang Shaofeng would turn against him directly because of the issue of people's relocation.
After returning to Wenshang County, Magistrate Zhao naturally became angrier the more he thought about it. However, when he thought about how Crown Prince Zhu Biao had just rewarded that man surnamed Yang, Magistrate Zhao had no choice but to swallow his anger and let bygones be bygones the harsh words he had uttered before leaving Ningyang County.
What if the Crown Prince really considers this man surnamed Yang a confidant?
It was already very irrational of a few peasants to offend a prince’s confidant. If this were to be brought to the court, how would he ever be able to advance his career?
But to everyone's surprise, Magistrate Zhao, who had just felt that the man surnamed Yang was going too far and had been holding back his anger, suddenly received news that Zhu Lao Er and Zhu Lao San had gone to Ningyang County.
Although it cannot be said that Zhu Lao Er and Zhu Lao San came to Ningyang County in a grand manner, and the banner they raised was not to have Jin'er and Yu'er come to meet Yang Shaofeng, but rather under the pretext of inspecting Shandong on behalf of Crown Prince Zhu Biao, this so-called inspection of Shandong went straight to Ningyang County, and they only inspected for five days before returning to the capital.
In Magistrate Zhao's eyes, this was no longer just a matter of Crown Prince Zhu Biao regarding Yang Shaofeng as a confidant; it meant that Crown Prince Zhu Biao was making a great effort to win over that man surnamed Yang, and was even willing to send his two younger brothers to Ningyang County for this purpose.
Then the problem is coming.
As is well known, Zhu Biao, the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty, did not have a princeling faction, or rather, all the civil and military officials in the Ming Dynasty were princelings. Zhu Chongba, the emperor himself, was one of the most prominent princelings.
As for whether it's one or two, that depends on the Empress's own attitude.
Of course, it doesn't matter who the biggest princeling is. What matters is that Crown Prince Zhu Biao is trying to win over that guy surnamed Yang. What position will that guy hold in the heart of Emperor Zhu Chongba, the biggest princeling member?
Jane is in the Emperor's heart.
Whenever he thought about his past conflict with Magistrate Yang, who was favored by the emperor, Magistrate Zhao felt like slapping himself hard.
Then, Magistrate Zhao began to think about how to ease the tension between himself and Yang Shaofeng.
Bringing gifts to apologize in person is definitely not an option. If word gets out that you would do that, it will certainly have a negative impact on Magistrate Yang.
More importantly, I, Zhao, am a dignified seventh-rank county magistrate, the same official rank as you, Yang Shaofeng. Do you think I, Zhao, have no shame?
Then, Magistrate Zhao suddenly thought of Kong Xida, the magistrate of Qufu County, with whom he had some past acquaintance.
In Magistrate Zhao's mind, no matter how little face you, Yang Shaofeng, give to me, Zhao, you must at least give face to the Duke of Yansheng's mansion, right?
After all, you, Yang, are a member of the Confucian school. If you don't even give face to the Duke of Yansheng's mansion, how will the scholars of the world view you, Magistrate Yang, in the future?
With this in mind, Magistrate Zhao prepared a generous gift for Kong Xida and implied that he had inadvertently offended Magistrate Yang of Ningyang County some time ago and now deeply regretted it. Therefore, he wanted to ask Magistrate Kong to mediate and make peace so that the three of them could have more contact in the future and look out for each other in the officialdom.
Kong Xida immediately agreed. After all, Yang Shaofeng's name was not very well-known in Shandong, but he was very famous in the imperial court in the capital. Even the current Duke Yansheng, Kong Xixue, wrote back to ask Kong Xida to pay more attention to the situation in Ningyang County.
It's a good opportunity to take this chance to mediate on behalf of Magistrate Zhao, and also to get to know that man surnamed Yang, so that we can leave a lasting connection.
Then, Kong Xida skipped work and, after arriving in Wenshang County with Magistrate Zhao, sent someone with a visiting card and gifts to Ningyang County.
To everyone's surprise, the people Kong Xi sent were sent back before they even saw Yang Shaofeng.
The old servant sent by Kong Xida looked aggrieved: "I followed all the proper etiquette. I knocked on the door in the backyard of the county government office and presented the master's visiting card and gifts. But that man surnamed Yang is really inhuman. He had the visiting card and gifts thrown out and told me to get lost."
Seeing his trusted old servant's aggrieved expression, Kong Xida's anger grew stronger and stronger.
Damn it, even when beating a dog, you have to consider its owner. How dare you, surnamed Yang, treat my trusted old servant like this? What do you take me for? And what do you take the Duke of Yansheng and Confucius for?
Kong Xi slammed his cup down, snorted coldly, and said, "Good, good Magistrate Yang, very good, very good."
Magistrate Zhao was secretly delighted, but put on a worried face and sighed, "This...this...alas! It's all my fault. If it weren't for me, how could Brother Kong have been so embarrassed? But I didn't expect that the man surnamed Yang would be so disrespectful to the Duke of Yansheng's mansion."
Kong Xida glanced at Magistrate Zhao, then snorted coldly and said, "Brother Zhao, rest assured. That man surnamed Yang is so disrespectful to the Sage, I will write a letter to the Duke of Yansheng."
Magistrate Zhao waved his hands repeatedly, exclaiming, "How could it be like this? How could it be like this? This official...this..."
Kong Xida snorted again and said coldly, "Are you afraid of that guy surnamed Yang?"
Magistrate Zhao said, "This... it wouldn't be right to trouble the Duke Yansheng again because of my matter, would it?"
Kong Xi laughed loudly and said, "You? This is no longer because of you, Brother Zhao—if we don't teach that Yang fellow a lesson, I'm afraid the whole world will think that my Kong family has no one left!"
Magistrate Zhao, with a beaming smile, bowed and scraped, saying, "Yes, yes, Brother Kong is right."