Chapter 124: Method 1/2

Blood flowed like rivers in Linhu County. This matter wouldn’t reach the capital in a short time, but in Hexing Prefecture, it spread at the fastest speed.

County Magistrate Gou really liked the braised food Li Qingzhi sent.

The braised food was truly delicious. Not only did it open his appetite wide, but even his son, who had always looked down on Chongcheng County and thought the food here was terrible, ate quite a bit.

County Magistrate Gou planned to send someone to ask Li Qingzhi where the braised food came from.

He had tasted various foods in the county town, but had never eaten such delicious braised food.

However, before County Magistrate Gou could send someone to ask, someone suddenly came in and spoke to him, “Sir, something big happened in Linhu County!”

“What happened in Linhu County?” County Magistrate Gou asked as he picked his teeth with a bamboo stick.

The person said, “Magistrate Zhang killed County Magistrate Yan.”

“What?” County Magistrate Gou was startled.

County Magistrate Gou had interacted with County Magistrate Yan and had a good impression of him. He even planned to find an opportunity to show off the ink treasures Magistrate Zhang had given him.

But now… what did he just hear?

The servant said, “Sir, some people came from Linhu County, saying Magistrate Zhang killed County Magistrate Yan…”

“What exactly happened?” County Magistrate Gou asked.

The servant brought in a man who was originally County Magistrate Yan’s boatman. He had seen County Magistrate Gou before. After County Magistrate Yan’s incident, he was very scared and ran to Chongcheng County.

Under County Magistrate Gou’s questioning, he tremblingly explained the reason.

County Magistrate Gou finally knew that County Magistrate Yan had colluded with the Lou family and embezzled quite a bit of money. The tea gardens in Linhu County were also not affected by disasters.

The tea gardens he saw were not owned by the Lou family, and those good tea gardens were all under the Lou family’s name.

The Lou family even occupied most of the land in Linhu County but didn’t pay grain taxes.

Of course, County Magistrate Yan had also committed other evil deeds. In short, he was not a good person.

“He turned out to be such a person, I didn’t see it at all before… Wait!” County Magistrate Gou suddenly remembered one thing—Magistrate Zhang had once asked him to investigate the situation of the tea gardens in Linhu County.

He had always thought he had done a good job with this matter, after all, Magistrate Zhang later gave him ink treasures.

But now looking back… County Magistrate Yan had committed numerous crimes in Linhu County, and he hadn’t noticed any of them!

He even told Magistrate Zhang that the tea gardens were really affected by the disaster!

How would Magistrate Zhang see him? Would he think he was useless and didn’t know anything?

County Magistrate Gou’s heart suddenly turned cold.

What worried him even more was that some of the things happening in Linhu County also existed in Chongcheng County, just not as severe. For example, some households didn’t pay grain taxes.

After Zhang Yunquan fell from power, he dealt with some people, but didn’t completely clean up—some people had already voluntarily sided with him, and he couldn’t just give them no benefits at all.

Now that Magistrate Zhang had killed County Magistrate Yan, would he come to investigate him too?

Wait a minute, Magistrate Zhang is just a magistrate, how dare he kill a county magistrate?

County Magistrate Gou was in a panic, wishing to clean up Chongcheng County from top to bottom immediately.

While sending people to investigate the situation in Linhu County, County Magistrate Gou also summoned local gentry and big merchants like Zhu Qian.

After such a big incident, they would definitely need to discuss it.

When County Magistrate Gou learned about the situation in Linhu County, the people he summoned actually already knew about it.

Linhu County wasn’t far away, and some merchants from Chongcheng County also had shops in Linhu County.

They still have some relatives and friends in Linhu County!

After such an incident, naturally, some people from Linhu County hurried over to inform them.

At first, they thought it was fake, but after chatting with others… it turned out to be true!

These people were deeply shocked; some were at a loss, and then County Magistrate Gou sent people to find them. They immediately went to County Magistrate Gou’s place, and the group began to investigate what exactly had happened in Linhu County.

That afternoon, they gradually received some news from Linhu County. After dark, the people County Magistrate Gou sent to Linhu County returned, bringing back the specific situation from Linhu County.

Magistrate Zhang publicly interrogated in Linhu County and killed dozens of people in one go. Among these dozens of people, half of them had the surname Lou, and they were relatives of King Jin.

County Magistrate Gou’s legs turned weak.

That’s the King Jin!

Before he came to Chongcheng County as an official, he had visited some people. At that time, they all felt that the one who would ascend to the throne in the future would be King Jin.

After the old King Jin died suddenly, although the current Emperor dealt with the people related to King Jin, he didn’t clean them up completely. Later, the Emperor still didn’t have a son…

Almost more than a third of the court officials leaned toward King Jin!

Although the eunuch Lü Qingxi was currently in the limelight and had gathered a group of people, those who were willing to follow a eunuch… weren’t anything special anyway.

If it weren’t for the Emperor giving Lü Qingxi a lot of power, Lü Qingxi wouldn’t be able to compete evenly with King Jin.

Even because the Emperor gave Lü Qingxi too many privileges, some ministers who originally had no feelings towards King Jin began to make contact with King Jin…

County Magistrate Gou had discussed with others and felt that the Emperor might select someone from a distant branch of the royal family to be adopted under his name, but someone who hadn’t received imperial education, how could they compete with King Jin?

By doing what Magistrate Zhang was doing now, it could be said that he completely offended King Jin. Would he have a good ending?

County Magistrate Gou thought about many things, and what he was most worried about was himself.

These local gentry in Chongcheng County, arguing back and forth, couldn’t give him a good idea… County Magistrate Gou didn’t want to waste time with them. After turning around and leaving, he wanted to call Li Qingzhi to discuss.

Wait a minute, calling Li Qingzhi might be a bit slow… County Magistrate Gou thought for a moment, then left the county office and took a boat to find Li Qingzhi.

As soon as he boarded the boat, his son Guo Ying popped up from somewhere: “Where are you going? Are you going to meet your lover secretly?”

“You little brat, what nonsense are you talking about!” County Magistrate Gou exclaimed.

Guo Ying snorted coldly, “Whether I’m talking nonsense or not, you know in your heart!”

County Magistrate Gou ignored his son, intending to leave immediately, but Guo Ying rushed up: “I want to go too!”

Guo Ying had no good feelings towards County Magistrate Gou, his father.

He had been raised by his grandparents since he was a child.

Even his mother, because she gave birth to his younger sister within two years after giving birth to him, didn’t take much care of him, not to mention his father!

His grandparents treated him well, and he wanted to be with them all the time. As a result, after his father became the county magistrate of Chongcheng County, he actually wanted him to come to Chongcheng County too!

He had suffered a lot along the way, and when he arrived here…

It’s hot and humid here, there are many mosquitoes, and the food is also unpalatable… he’s uncomfortable everywhere!

His father still despised him, scolded him, and beat him!

Guo Ying found fault with everything. Tonight, seeing his father hurriedly leave, he wondered if his father had someone outside.

If his father had someone outside, could he persuade his mother to come back home? He missed his grandmother!

Guo Ying was determined to board the ship. County Magistrate Gou had no choice but to let him aboard, but couldn’t help but show a stern face and scold him a few times.

Guo Ying was burning with anger. If it weren’t for him wanting to catch his father’s handle, he would have definitely quarreled with his father long ago!

Guo Ying didn’t retort, and after County Magistrate Gou scolded him a few times, he stopped scolding and continued to worry about his own life.

Before long, the boat stopped at the back door of the Jin Xiaoye Embroidery Workshop.

Li Qingzhi hadn’t slept yet.

He also knew about the incident in Linhu County. After returning to the workshop in the afternoon, not long after, Zhu Qian sent someone to tell him about it.