After a night of thinking, Tang Jianqiu already had an answer in his mind.
Although I am not very sure, fortunately, I have a guess now. It would be best if I could draw some conclusions from it.
However, Tang Jianqiu, who lived in the post house, opened the door and saw Fang Xiaoyu running towards him.
"Sir! Good news, the rain has stopped!"
Fang Xiaoyu didn't even have time to rest and hurriedly reported this important matter to Tang Jianqiu.
"This is a good thing. Local officials are summoned to control the flood, especially the prosecutor and the river governor's office. They must not be absent!"
Tang Jianqiu remembered that Qiao Yunsheng had experience in this area. If they could come with him, they might be able to deal with this disaster earlier.
It was the second year of Tianqi. When Qiao Yunsheng was out of work, he led the crowd to build the Yonglai Embankment of the Yellow River to protect the villagers on the river bank. He was also sure that Qiao Yunsheng would do better than himself.
Tang Jianqiu conveniently lent him the token of the governor of Fusi Town in Beizhen, because he knew that Fang Xiaoyu was only a hundred households, and if they had no support, they might be dissatisfied;
"yes!"
Fang Xiaoyu clasped his fists and left, then rushed to inform him as fast as he could.
After that, Tang Jianqiu decided to go to the local county government in person, because there was one thing that he hadn't figured out yet;
…
Until the next day, when Tang Jianqiu came to the Shimen County Government Office, the Shimen County Magistrate immediately changed his attitude and spoke politely, for fear of offending Tang Jianqiu.
"Master Tang, why do you have time to come to the county government office? Please come in quickly."
"I am still confused about this flood, and I hope the county magistrate can clarify it." Tang Jianqiu said in a normal tone, but it was these words that made the Shimen County Magistrate break into a cold sweat.
The Shimen County Magistrate was flattered and quickly bowed and replied: "Master Tang, please don't say that. Wouldn't it undermine your humble position?"
"Then Magistrate Lao will lead the town in."
"That's natural. Master Tang, please come inside."
"please."
Under the leadership of the Shimen County Magistrate, Tang Jianqiu walked in.
He was not restrained and sat down at the invitation of the Shimen County Magistrate.
Just now Tang Jianqiu noticed that the Shimen County Magistrate seemed a little unnatural, as if something was bothering him, and he actually joked:
"Lord County Magistrate, you don't need to be nervous. I just have a few questions to ask you, and I don't know how to eat people. Do you think so or not?"
Although Tang Jianqiu spoke as usual, to the Shimen County magistrate, he was no less than a medium that pushed him into an abyss, which frightened him.
"Yes, yes, what my lord said is absolutely true. I am just worrying too much. If you have any questions, just ask me."
Magistrate Shimen was sweating profusely, as if he was under tremendous pressure. He tried his best to resist the urge to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
"Since I have been ordered by the town magistrate to investigate the flood case, but I don't know much about the river, I hope the county magistrate can provide more assistance."
Seeing Tang Jianqiu speak so politely, the Shimen County Magistrate felt a little uncomfortable for a moment, but he quickly reacted and said quickly: "Master Tang is joking. If you need to be lowered, I will do my best!"
"In that case, why don't you tell me frankly, Lord Magistrate?"
Tang Jianqiu's casual words made the Shimen County Magistrate feel a little uncomfortable.
"Sir, what do you mean by this? I don't understand."
What Tang Jianqiu said just now was just to test the Shimen County Magistrate. He didn't expect him to have such unnecessary actions. It was either because of a guilty conscience or to hide something.
Tang Jianqiu was already three-thirds sure, and then glanced at the Shimen County Magistrate sitting in his seat, and said in a calm tone:
"Judging from your appearance, you must have been in office at Shimen for many years. Although you are not under the emperor's feet, you know the rivers in this area well. I wonder if what I said is right?"
"this……"
The Shimen County Magistrate's eyes dodge, obviously intending to avoid it. It was this unintentional action that made Tang Jianqiu more confident.
"As a local magistrate, you are hesitant in your words. Either you have a guilty conscience or you are hiding something important. If nothing happens, it will be hard for me, the governor, to believe you."
Tang Jianqiu was used to speaking straightforwardly. It would be difficult for him to hold it in like this all the time, so it would be better to spit it out.
"This... Mr. Tang, I am going to lower my rank..."
The Shimen County Magistrate was about to open his mouth to explain but was stopped by Tang Jianqiu. He made a gesture to stop there.
"Your Majesty, County Magistrate, the floods in Shimen have destroyed countless people's properties. Your Majesty is heartbroken. Only then did we find out the cause and find out the culprit.
If you know the truth and don't report it, you will not be blamed if the mayor finds out the truth in the future and will be included in the list of rectification and punishment! "
Tang Jianqiu listed various evidence against the Shimen County Magistrate in court. He wanted to use both soft and hard tactics, but he was still pretending to be confused.
The Shimen County Magistrate was sweating coldly. He originally wanted to conceal it, but under the pressure of Tang Jianqiu, he had no choice but to tell all the details of the case.
"Since Mr. Tang is sent by His Majesty to check for fraud, naturally we can't hide it from Mr. Tang."
If the other party was a civil servant, he could still argue with him through words, but this guy was a martial artist with brute strength, and he would probably suffer a loss if he really started to fight.
"Your Majesty, please tell me."
Tang Jianqiu is still patient now, and his tone is relatively friendly.
The Shimen County Magistrate bowed to show respect, "Yes, according to what I know, the blockage of the river is the main cause of the flood."
"Oh? How could this be? The Shimen River is dredged every year. Is there some oversight?"
This is the only thing he can think of at the moment. Although he doesn't know much about the river course, he has some grasp of it.
"Not really, that's because the river has become narrower!"
Magistrate Shimen was heartbroken, and his tone of voice was helpless, as if there was the biggest stone pressing on his heart, making him unable to breathe.
After hearing this, Tang Jianqiu's brows flashed with confusion, and he was confused: "The river has become narrower? Although I don't understand the reason, this is the first time I heard about the narrowing of the river. Please tell me in detail."
"To be honest, sir, most of the mansions in the middle reaches of this place are the residences of wealthy businessmen. They are just to show off their wealth and compete with each other. Most of the mansions in Shimen have built terraces and waterside pavilions, so they occupy The river!"
Hearing this, Tang Jianqiu slammed the table in anger. The anger in his heart was like a dam collapsing, and he could no longer bear it. He had not been so angry for a long time.
"Nonsense! It's really unreasonable, for the sake of temporary luxury, you actually ignore the life and death of the people! How many places in the Shimen River are occupied by this?"
The more Tang Jianqiu thought about it, the angrier he became. No matter who the person was or what his purpose was, he would punish him according to law!
Magistrate Shimen thought for a moment, and then said truthfully: "There are about thirty places, and it usually won't have any impact.
But now the heavy rain has caused the river to surge, blocking the flow of water in the middle reaches, causing the water level in the upper reaches to rise, which caused the embankment to burst. "
"Is this the real cause of the flooding?"
It's not that he doesn't believe in Shimen County Magistrate's ability to handle cases. If that's the case, it's possible.
The Shimen County Magistrate nodded. This time he did not dare to lie again, because he knew what kind of person Tang Jianqiu was, and he was even more terrifying than a man-eating evil spirit!
"That's right. As for the low-grade materials used, we also sent people to check, and there is no suspicion of cutting corners. The construction of pavilions and waterside pavilions is the main reason why heavy rains cause disasters in Shimen County."
Tang Jianqiu lowered his eyebrows, looking away while thinking, and expressed the doubts in his heart:
"There is one thing that I don't understand. The rainy season happens every year, and even heavy rains are common. However, there are quite a few tragedies caused by privately building pavilions and waterside pavilions. As for the reason for this, can you give more details?"
"My lord, these pavilions and waterside pavilions are all newly built."
The more he talked about it, the more pressure he felt, which was why he found it difficult to speak.
"In this case, what is the capacity of the river? Is the water flow blocked? Even if you, as the local county magistrate, do not know about this, you should contact the local water supervisor. You have everything under control. How can you approve the expansion?"
This is what Tang Jianqiu really can't understand. No matter who he is or what his identity is, he needs to be approved. Why is this so even if he knows the stakes?
“What’s really distressing is that the new expansions were not sent for review at all!”
After hearing this, Tang Jianqiu couldn't bear it anymore. He stood up from his seat and spoke even louder.
"Isn't that an illegal private construction? If that's the case, why isn't it forcibly demolished in accordance with the law? To condone illegality is a crime of dereliction of duty. Could it be that the county magistrate wants to test the law?"
Tang Jianqiu's words undoubtedly sentenced the Shimen County magistrate to death. How could he withstand such a shock? Begging for mercy again and again:
"Sir! I don't dare to do this! It's just that those who build illegally and privately have backers, or they are wealthy businessmen who have good relationships with me. I really don't want to get involved in this muddy water!"
How could it be like this if it wasn't forced by power? Youdao is a high-level official who can crush people to death, not to mention there are more than one high-ranking official.
In this regard, Tang Jianqiu showed a disdainful attitude. He was not afraid of power.
"Oh, no matter what official position he holds, he should not ignore the laws and regulations of the court!"
"My humble position is just that of a seventh-grade county magistrate, so how can I dare to stand up to such a high-ranking official in the court? This is undoubtedly an egg hitting a stone!"
The Shimen County Magistrate could only complain to Tang Jianqiu, and he couldn't help himself on many things.
Only then did Tang Jianqiu realize that the Shimen County Magistrate was not a sinister and corrupt official, and felt a little pity for him.
"...I understand what you mean. You also want to demolish illegal buildings in accordance with the law but you don't dare to offend them. If you really want to eliminate the evil, then help this town to expose this matter!"
"But Master Tang, aren't you afraid of offending the powerful?"
This is what Shimen County Magistrate is currently worried about. They are by no means ordinary officials.
Even if Tang Jianqiu was given some face because he was an official official, he would still hold a grudge.
Tang Jianqiu really didn't take it seriously, "How can the governor of this town come to investigate the abuses on the orders of the Holy One and not tell the truth? Even if it offends the powerful, what is there to fear?"
Even if you lose this Wusha because of this, you must deal with this matter! However, I still have to trouble you to provide relevant evidence. If anything happens, this town will be responsible for it! "
After Tang Jianqiu's words, Magistrate Shimen's mood improved a lot;
"That's natural. Since Lord Tang has said so, I am willing to lead the officers and soldiers in the mansion to cooperate fully. Your Lord's courage is truly admirable."
"Your Excellency, the county magistrate, has given you too much praise," Tang Jianqiu said.
"In that case, how about I send someone to write a copy of the flood situation and send it to Mr. Tang tomorrow?"
After all, this would take a certain amount of time. He knew that Tang Jianqiu was in a hurry and could only sort it out as quickly as possible.
"That's very good, then I'll help you."
"What you are doing in your humble position is just your job. If you don't dare to work hard, please wait patiently, Mr. Tang."
