Ouyang Rong feels that some people are very generous but also very disrespectful.
It seems that in the eyes of some people in Longcheng, a seventh-grade county magistrate from the Zhou Dynasty is here to kneel down and beg for food.
In the lobby of Yuanming Tower, the singing maid on the fundraising platform announced clearly:
"There are a total of thirteen companies raising funds this time, and a total of 780 guan has been raised! Among them, Longcheng Water Conservancy has raised a total of 130 guan, and the county magistrate's paper and pen fees have raised a total of 650 guan."
With everyone in the audience looking directly or paying attention from the corner of their eyes, Ouyang Rong, who was sitting in the first row, suddenly turned his head.
He wasn't looking at the powerful squires in the hall, but looking at Xie Lingjiang.
And he also happened to catch her worried eyes.
"Little Junior Sister, it seems that the reward given to you is too light. Not only is this your first donation, but you are also the richest woman on the list. However, the most valuable thing about Senior Brother is the bead. I will make it up to you next time."
Seeing the senior brother's sincere smile, Xie Lingjiang opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't. In the end, he just shook his head:
"It doesn't matter to me. Senior brother, just be fine."
"What can happen to me?" he asked curiously.
Under the gaze of everyone with different thoughts in the hall, Ouyang Rong rubbed his face and stood up, holding on to the hem of his official uniform to prevent it from dragging on the floor, and walked slowly onto the stage; Xie Lingjiang followed suit silently without squinting.
"Thank you for your hard work, girl."
The young county magistrate thanked the singing maid seriously. The little girl of cardamom age blushed slightly under his gaze and left the stage in a happy mood. So the young magistrate was left alone to stand calmly in front of two red donation plates. , facing all the eyes of the audience.
The young magistrate lowered his head and looked at it, stretched out his hand, first picked up the water conservancy donation plate on the left and weighed it, and then picked up the personal paper and pen fee collection plate on the right and weighed it.
On the left side is the weight of one hundred and thirty guan coins, and on the right side is five times as heavy as the left side.
He was not angry at all. He calmly raised his head and seemed to ask himself:
"It turns out that everyone thinks so highly of me that major water conservancy matters between the court and the county government are only one-fifth as important as giving gifts to me."
The squires and wealthy businessmen in the audience were all silent, and some silently avoided his sight.
Liu Ziwen, with his hands folded, sat in the back row of the audience and stared at the calm-looking young magistrate.
The young head of the Liu family had a sincere look on his face, harmless to humans and animals, but there was also a bit of concern in his eyes that he could not satisfy his parents because of his limited abilities.
That's right, sometimes people's eyes can convey so many emotions, and they can be seen at a glance, just like the tacit understanding of changing postures with a pat on the butt.
But what Liu Ziwen didn't know was that Ouyang Rong, like him, was also a person who "treated others with sincerity".
So the young magistrate stretched out a finger and shook it at the audience:
"But one of you, a fool who pretends to be smart, may have made a mistake."
After a pause:
"I am not here to beg for food, you are here to beg for food."
As soon as these words were spoken, everything fell silent.
The squires and wealthy businessmen in the audience looked at each other in shock.
With a "squeak" sound, the young county magistrate calmly walked over, dragged an imperial chair over, sat down on the stage, looked down at the audience, and said nothing.
After this rather scary behavior, there was no other movement on the stage for a long time. Slowly, many squires and wealthy businessmen looked at the stage with mocking eyes, and even began to whisper.
"Cough." Liu Ziwen coughed at the right time to stop the noise on the field.
Liu Ziwen glanced at the scholar on the stage, sighed softly, stood up, and said helplessly:
"Reporting to the County Magistrate, raising donations is something we can do within our capabilities. The sudden floods this year have made life difficult for everyone, so we have done our best. However, it is the duty of the common people to share the worries of the court and the adults. Responsibility, our Liu family still has some surplus food, and we will cooperate with you to build more porridge sheds in the city to provide porridge."
Ouyang Rong ignored him. The junior sister was carrying a teapot with a long spout and pouring tea into the teacup on the table in front of him. Her hands were very steady. Ouyang Rong looked at the thin water line in the sky with great interest.
Being ignored in public, even Liu Ziwen, who had always been gentle, couldn't help but frown secretly. If you don't step down as soon as I reward you, are you really a stubborn elm-head?
"Lord County Magistrate?"
"Shhh."
Ouyang Rong suddenly stretched out a finger in front of his mouth to signal for silence.
His eyes were focused on the tea cup on the table, as if he was paying attention to the dark green tea leaves swirling in the boiling water.
Not only Liu Ziwen and others in the audience felt that it was a pretentious act, but Xie Lingjiang was also confused and curious, so he looked sideways to see what was so magical about the water in his senior brother's tea cup.
The result is, of course, unremarkable.
Looking at the motionless young county magistrate on the stage, Liu Ziwen suddenly smiled, shook his head to himself, and turned his head to indicate to other fellow squires that they could leave.
At the same time, the young head of the Liu family stood up and went to grab the herbal tea on the table, ready to take a final sip.
But his fingers suddenly stopped in the air, and his eyes were "nailed" to the surface of the water in the cup. Similar to Liu Ziwen, there were several other young and keen squire and wealthy businessmen.
They all stared blankly at the ripples that appeared on the water in the cup. The ripples seemed to be regular.
Is this...an earth dragon turning over in the distance? no! It's a horse's hoof!
Liu Ziwen suddenly raised his head and looked at Ouyang Rong, who was sitting leisurely on the stage.
The latter had stood up at this moment, picked up the tea cup, and drank it all. He walked off the stage and warmly opened the windows on the second floor of Yuanming Building for everyone:
The streets have been artificially dispersed.
At the end of the long and empty street, three hundred cavalry were approaching. Even if they deliberately lowered their hooves, the squires on the second floor could see them roaring like an overwhelming force.
However, the galloping cavalry suddenly stopped in front of Yuanming Tower under the sudden gesture of the first cavalry captain, and they all dismounted and moved in unison.
They are elite! How could he have the power to mobilize troops? Is this a rebellion? Liu Ziwen and others' pupils shrank.
Immediately, Yan Liulang, who had disappeared for a long time since the donation, went upstairs with a heroic captain and came to the young magistrate by the window.
The captain's face was cold, he cupped his fists and said loudly:
"The magistrate of Ouyang County, the last general Qin Heng, and the captain Guo Yi of Jiangzhou Zhechong Prefecture, came with three hundred cavalry on orders to assist in handling the case."
Ouyang Rong seemed to have something in mind. He pointed directly in the direction of the county government and said loudly: "General Qin, immediately go and seal the east warehouse of Longcheng County Government. No fly will be allowed to fly in without my order."
"General, I obey the order!" Qin Heng went downstairs without any hesitation. He did not look sideways the whole time and did not look at the pile of frightened and trembling lambs in the hall.
There were a few trembling old squires in the hall who couldn't help but flatter themselves: "Lord County Magistrate, are you... are you misunderstanding? Haha..."
Ouyang Rong waved his hand and said kindly and comfortingly, "It's a small matter, just checking the accounts. Old man, relax, don't think too much, and go back and have a good rest later."
He smiled at the ugly-faced Liu Ziwen and the frightened squire and wealthy merchants, and turned around and went downstairs with his junior sister. Before leaving the door, the young county magistrate seemed to have remembered something, so he reminded him kindly:
"By the way, if there is any violation of the rules or tax evasion when adjusting the accounts, agricultural taxes and commercial taxes, I will confiscate your entire family."
The whole place was silent.
