usatvline Chapter 95 Contradictions
Chapter 95 Contradictions
Seeing Yang Chengde's expression, Li Chong smiled faintly.
He knew that as long as he made a concession, Yang Chengde would naturally take the bait, since the two were, after all, in a superior-subordinate relationship.
There was no deep-seated hatred between them, and once Li Chong gained the upper hand, he took the initiative to make amends, and nothing was impossible.
Moreover, Li Chong had his own reasons for handing over the land reclamation to Yang Chengde.
Firstly, this is such a despicable act that it will inevitably draw the scorn of the people whose land has been taken away.
However, Li Chong was merely a minor county magistrate at the time, and it was impossible for him to shake the political decree issued by the central government of the Northern Song Dynasty.
Since you can't bear to watch it and can't do it yourself, you might as well send it out to someone else to do.
Furthermore, if Li Chong's prediction is correct, the future Song Jiang uprising will surely be caused by this.
Therefore, the first to be affected would inevitably be the officials in charge of land reclamation. Li Chong, by staying out of the matter, could avoid being implicated and instead direct the blame towards Yang Chengde and his associates.
Even if the higher-ups blame him, Yang Chengde will be the one to take the fall, and Li Chong will have little to do with it.
Seeing Yang Chengde's calm expression, Li Chong chuckled to himself.
"Since Registrar Yang has agreed to this matter, then I can rest assured."
With that, Li Chong stood up and said, "That's all for today. The rewards will be distributed in a few days. If anything happens in the yamen in the future, please remember to report back to the county magistrate in a timely manner. You may all leave now."
Li Chong glanced at Fu Shun, who had been silent the entire time, smiled slightly, and ignored him.
Let's leave him out for a few more days before making any arrangements.
"Wu Song wants to set up a security escort agency, but his skills are still a bit lacking. He'll have to ask this person for help. However, the time isn't right yet; let's wait a few more days."
Li Chong trusted Wu Song's character, but his competence in handling affairs was questionable.
Fu Shun, who came from a military background, was able to be promoted to county magistrate, so he must have some ability. At the very least, he could help train the men.
Li Chong was busy with affairs at the yamen and couldn't spare the time, so he needed someone to lend a hand.
As long as I control the finances, I don't need to worry about people becoming disloyal.
As he got up and walked outside, unlike the previous gatherings, almost everyone stood up before Li Chong even left. No one dared to make a move until he left.
This is the invisible influence.
With a slight smile, Li Chong casually waved his hand: "Everyone, don't be nervous. As long as you do your job diligently and fulfill your duties, I am not an unreasonable person."
As soon as he finished speaking, he naturally drew praise from everyone.
Li Chong shook his head and walked away.
As Li Chong passed Sun Jun, he raised his hand and patted him on the shoulder, his eyes seemingly conveying a deeper meaning.
He then left directly and returned to the back office.
As Li Chong walked along the road, he nodded and smiled at everyone who bowed to him, but his mind was already wandering off somewhere else.
"We'll have to send someone to the mountains again to at least stabilize the situation. Then there's the matter of dividing the land among the Zhu family. Settling people around the Zhu family's area will weaken their influence and make things easier for them later. However..."
With a vacant look in his eyes, Li Chong's mind was in turmoil.
However, as soon as he stepped into the back office, he heard a great deal of noise inside.
"You shrew! I'll have you thrown out!"
It was Choi Si's voice.
Li Chong frowned. Had Zhong Mei started arguing with him? But why couldn't he hear Zhong Mei's voice?
"What are you doing?! What are you doing?!"
Choi Si's voice was somewhat distorted, followed by a series of footsteps.
Before Li Chong could see clearly, a dark figure rushed towards him, and Cui Shi quickly hid behind Li Chong.
"Sir, you've come at the perfect time! This woman is far too rude; throw her out immediately!"
The two faced each other. Zhong Mei's face was ashen, and he held the small dagger in his hand, coldly watching Cui Shi.
Behind her, Siqi ran up desperately, seemingly trying to stop her. But when she saw Li Chong, she quickly slowed down.
Li Chong was thinking about his plans when the sudden noise made him feel a little upset.
"What are you doing? Are you going to keep making a scene forever?"
Zhong Mei snorted coldly: "Ask him, he's really pushing his luck!"
In front of others, Zhong Mei still gave Li Chong face and didn't directly turn hostile, but her attitude was still quite surprising.
Cui Shi stepped forward, pointed at Zhong Mei, and said, "Look, look! This kind of servant is so unruly! What's the point of keeping her around?"
Li Chong glanced at Cui Shi with annoyance: "So this is what you call having manners?"
Humans are visual creatures. One is a charming and lovely young girl, and the other is a lazy and cowardly servant. It goes without saying who Li Chong will favor.
Moreover, Li Chong had long harbored resentment towards Cui Shi, and the fact that Zhong Mei had gone to such lengths must mean that Cui Shi had started the trouble first.
Upon hearing Li Chong's reprimand, Cui Shi's expression froze, and a hint of displeasure appeared on his face.
He believed he had done a good job in suppressing the bandits and that the two men's future troubles had been eliminated, so why was Li Chong still yelling at him?
Suppressing his displeasure, Cui Shi tried to explain, "I just wanted to go to the master's room..."
"What are you doing in my room?" Li Chong interrupted him impatiently. "Want money? Take it and go out and have some fun. Don't make such a racket and annoy people."
He simply took out a few receipts from his pocket and casually stuffed them into Cui Shi's hand.
Li Chong knew that getting rid of him was the most effective method.
Although this era did not yet have the convenient banknotes of later times, in the Northern Song Dynasty, when paper money had already been invented, similar vouchers were already quite common.
Upon seeing the face value on the receipt, Cui Shi was overjoyed and quickly put it away.
Glancing at Li Chong's expression, Cui Shi chuckled twice: "I don't argue with women."
Zhong Mei glared at him and took a step forward. Cui Shi jumped in surprise and ran away.
Li Chong stepped forward and took the dagger from Zhong Mei's hand: "Don't be angry anymore. This kid is always like this. It's not worth getting angry with him."
Siqi stepped forward and bowed: "Master."
"Hmm." Li Chong nodded slightly. "Perfect. You wait in the courtyard. If anyone comes looking for me, just let them know. Baoqin and I will go in and have a few words."
Siqi glanced at Zhongmei with concern, curtsied, and accepted the greeting.
Pushing Zhong Mei along, the two arrived at Li Chong's house.
After pouring him a cup of tea, Li Chong asked, "What's wrong with you? You were quiet for a moment, and now you're shouting for war again."
Zhong Mei sat on the stool, sulking: "It's all because of your servant. He thinks he's done something right and keeps peeking around asking for a reward. That's bad enough, but he even dared to say some lewd things to me."
"If it weren't for you, I would have punched a few holes in him!"
"Bang!"
The teacup slammed onto the table, splashing a few drops of tea. Li Chong's face was stern: "That kid dared to talk nonsense to you?"
Hearing Zhongmei's words, Li Chong was truly enraged. Cui Shi really deserved to be taught a lesson.