Hongyang County Prefecture.
Zheng Mingyi is processing official documents in the study.
"Sir." The county guard came to report: "Xu Jinde wants to see you."
Zheng Mingyi's hand holding the brush paused for a moment: "Bring him over."
"No." The guard took the order and left.
Although Zheng Mingyi was transferred from the governor of his county and had just arrived in Hongyang not long ago, he also knew this Xu Jinde.
This man owned thousands of acres of land and could be said to be the most powerful man in Hongyang.
But it cannot be called a door valve.
The threshold for joining a powerful family is very high. You must have the foundation of being an official for generations and have the ability to monopolize certain politics, not to mention the economy and culture.
But there is a powerful family attached to him behind him, and it is none other than the He family. The head of the family is He Miao, the old prime minister of Ling Kingdom.
You can call it the Ho Group.
If the powerful clans of Lingguo are the spokespersons of the royal power, then the local powerful are the spokespersons of the clans in various places.
There is a complicated relationship between them. Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that in Hongyang in the past, Xu Jinde was the real local overlord, and he did not even give him the face of the county governor.
Of course, if the powerful family behind the governor can compete with the He family, then a more complicated relationship will form between them.
This is the political ecology of Lingguo.
But that was before.
The current governor of Hongyang County is Zheng Mingyi.
In any case, he was personally transferred by Qin Wang Xiao Yuan.
Not long after, Xu Jinde was led to the study by the county guards.
His face was very ugly, his steps were long, and he had a suppressed anger.
But no matter how much land he has, he is still a citizen. Facing a county chief, he can only bow his hands and say: "Xu Jinde, a common man, has met the county governor."
Zheng Mingyi did not let him sit down, but put down his writing brush and said with a smile: "Mr. Xu is a busy man. I don't know how he has any free time today."
"Lord Sheriff." Xu Jinde decided to get straight to the point: "All of my land has been measured by the government. I don't know what this means?"
"This is a decree issued by the imperial court to clear the land." Zheng Mingyi said concisely and comprehensively.
Xu Jinde said: "My fields were all purchased at a high price, and there is no need to clear them again."
His attitude was firm.
Zheng Mingyi didn't argue with him, he just kept the needle hidden in the fabric: "I think it's because the imperial court feels that there is something wrong with Hongyang's taxation. Since it is an imperial decree, I cannot disobey it, not to mention you."
Xu Jinde said: "Then before you act, you should say hello to me. If you keep silent, won't you be afraid of causing some trouble? If trouble does happen, it will also affect your political performance."
Zheng Mingyi glanced at him, threw the bamboo slips in his hand on the table, and said lukewarmly: "I am the governor of Hongyang County, and Mr. Xu is just a commoner. Could it be that you are joking?"
"Sir." Xu Jinde's face became more and more ugly, and he lowered his voice and said: "In my opinion, if you act like this, I may not be able to extend it in Hongyang!"
"Besides, Mr. Zheng has just been appointed, so he doesn't know the situation in Hongyang, right?"
These words were full of threats.
How dare you threaten a county guard?
Zheng Mingyi smiled.
Even Li didn't bother to pay attention to him anymore, and directly said in a loud voice: "Here comes someone."
Following his words, two county guards stepped in and saluted with clasped fists: "My lord."
"This man concealed his property and falsely reported one thousand three hundred acres. He will be thrown into jail immediately!" Zheng Mingyi did not hesitate.
"No!" The guards took the order, one on the left and one on the right, and stepped forward to bind Xu Jinde directly.
The latter was shocked. He probably didn't expect that Zheng Mingyi would dare to do this. You know, the former Hongyang County Sheriff would never dare to touch him.
He couldn't help but said anxiously: "Lord Sheriff! Have you thought about the consequences of doing this!"
"Detain him!" Zheng Mingyi waved his hand directly.
The guard no longer hesitated.
When being escorted away, although Xu Jinde was still shouting, his previous attitude was no longer the same, and he kept shouting:
"Sir, I'm just here to find an explanation. Please think about it again. Why is it like this?"
No one paid any attention to him anymore, and the shouts became farther and farther away.
It didn't take long for Hongyang Lord Bo to rush over. After greeting him, there was obvious worry on his face: "Sir, Xu Jinde is from a prominent Hongyang family and has very wide connections. The county government should treat his local strength with caution. Put him in jail for fear of something happening."
"What happened? Did the Xu family rebel?" Zheng Mingyi asked.
"This." The boss didn't know what to say, but he was still worried: "I always feel that there will be a problem with this matter."
"You don't have to worry too much. Later, you should go to Wuwei Mansion and ask Captain Cao for help."
Zheng Mingyi glanced at him and said: "Do you know Xu Jinde's attitude and tone when he came to see me? Do I, the official of the imperial court, want to be humble and submissive to a local powerful person?"
What he said was right, a commoner dared to threaten the magistrate, what a joke!
"Then, if the news spreads," the boss is still a little worried.
"Isn't that better?" Zheng Mingyi said: "The government has even moved Xu Jinde. The powerful in other places should consider themselves."
"Yes, I understand. I will go to Wuwei Mansion now." The master bowed and left.
Originally, Zheng Mingyi had no intention of dealing with Xu Jinde, or in other words, he had no such intention at this stage.
But the latter just stuck his head towards the edge of the knife, so no one else is to blame.
It is not difficult to see from this incident that Zheng Mingyi is by no means the kind of forward-looking, cowardly, and cowardly official.
In the afternoon, the county lieutenant Cao Jin came to the county government.
After meeting, there was a burst of hearty laughter, and he cupped his hands and said: "You caught this Xu Jinde well, Mr. Zheng. When we first came to Hongyang, we heard about this guy's bad reputation. We should have punished him long ago!"
Zheng Mingyi smiled and said: "Now that Zhang Juncheng is in charge of handling the government affairs of various counties and townships, I am always worried that there will be some treacherous villains who will interfere with it, which will be detrimental to Zhang Juncheng. This matter also requires the full help of Cao Junjun."
Yes, if Zhang Xuan died in Hongyang, things would be a big deal, because this was the county magistrate who landed by air.
"Don't worry, Mr. Zheng, I have sent many good people to protect Zhang Juncheng's safety. If anything happens, I will be responsible!" Cao Jin patted his chest.
"That's good, that's good." Zheng Mingyi nodded. In fact, this time, it was like a 'war' between the government and local powerful people.
After a pause, Cao Jin said again: "By the way, Mr. Zheng, given that Xu Jinde is guilty of hiding farmland and making false reports and concealing reports, what about other powerful people?"
Knowing what he meant, Zheng Mingyi waved his hand and said: "It's not the time yet. Once this happens, they will definitely unite and it will be difficult to deal with the chaos. But just in case, Captain Cao is asked to keep an eye on Xu." If there is any movement, it can be pre-controlled in time."
"I understand, sir, don't worry, I'll take care of it right away." Cao Jin neatly walked away with fists clasped in his hands.
Zheng Mingyi sat behind the case, lost in thought. (End of chapter)
