Hua Qingfeng, the County Magistrate of Gourd County, sat at the head of the table. On his left was County Magistrate Meng Qingwei, and on his right was Registrar Wang Ning. The three of them looked at Ye Xiaotian, who was standing in front of them, peacefully, as if the Three Pure Daoists were looking at their common disciple with satisfaction.
Although the people of the county, especially the tribes of the county, did not pay much attention to the county government, it still represented the imperial court. Usually, it stood there like a statue of a god. You could ignore it and it would not cause you any trouble. But if you directly collided with the county government, you would be challenging the authority of the imperial court.
There were people who dared to do this, but there were not many. At least, no one would get into unnecessary trouble for such a small matter. Therefore, after Ye Xiaotian escaped into the county government, the soldiers who chased after him left angrily.
When they heard that Ye Xiaotian was willing to pretend to be Ai Dian Shi, County Magistrate Meng and Register Wang were not in a hurry to go to the Qi mansion to attend the banquet. They immediately brought him back to the second hall and invited Hua Qingfeng, the County Magistrate of Gourd County, to start the plan to create an "Ai Dian Shi" together.
Li Yuncong came up with an official robe, a waist knife, and a waist token. Hua Qingfeng waved his hand at Ye Xiaotian and said, "An official robe, a waist knife, and a waist token. Change into those you need and wear those you need. From now on, your surname is Ai. You are the newly appointed Ai Dian Shi, Ai Feng."
Ye Xiaotian coughed and said, "Master, I …"
County Magistrate Meng said with a smile, "If you want to put on a show, you have to go all the way. From now on, you have to pretend to be Ai Dian Shi at all times. Forget about Ye Xiaotian. You have to call yourself this official. "
Ye Xiaotian said helplessly, "Yes, County Magistrate! County magistrate, I … have two younger sisters. How do you explain my identity? "
Register Wang said, "Ai Dian Shi was robbed by bandits on the way to his new post. His guards and family tried their best to protect Ai Dian Shi, but they all died in the line of duty. When Ai Dian Shi was wandering in the mountains, he was saved by a village girl. Ai Dian Shi was grateful and brought the village girl and her sister to the county. "
Ye Xiaotian looked at Register Wang and thought, "This guy is three times faster than me when he is making lies. He doesn't even blink when he tells a lie.
County Magistrate Meng clapped and said, "Wang. I heard that the county magistrate's wife is short of two servants. Send your two sisters to her. Don't worry, she won't order them around. "
Ye Xiaotian cursed in his heart, "They are going to keep a hostage."
But he was under someone else's roof. Ye Xiaotian had no choice but to say, "This official has lived in this county for a few days. Many people have seen me. Once I take office, I will be responsible for the security of this county. I will have to show my face in public. If someone recognizes me, won't I be exposed? "
County Magistrate Meng said, "You don't have to worry about this. Ai Dian Shi met bandits on the road. His family was killed. After he entered the city, he didn't report to the county government first. Instead, he traveled incognito to explore the people and understand the situation of this county. After he was confident, he reported to the county magistrate. "
Registrar Wang immediately continued, "Tomorrow, the county government, the Inspection Department, the Tax Department, and other government offices will fully cooperate with you to create a great reputation for you. Just say that after Dianshi Ai arrives in this county, he will vigorously rectify the county's law and order, and severely crack down on all kinds of crimes committed by the underworld and the underworld. Haha, in this way, those assassins won't know that you are still alive. "
Listening to these words, these three officials are planning to make Ye Xiaotian the nemesis of evil and the pioneer of the legal society in Hulu County.
Magistrate Hua was afraid that Ye Xiaotian would be scared and give up. He hurriedly said, "You don't have to worry. The three groups of bailiffs will listen to your orders. I will also ask the inspection department to cooperate with you. There will be people around you to protect you. There will be no danger. "
County Magistrate Meng smiled and thought, "The bigger the publicity, the better. In this way, when he 'dies of illness' one day, no one will doubt him. Even if Ai Dian Shi's family comes, with so many people knowing about Ai Dian Shi's deeds, the Ai family won't be suspicious. They won't draw a portrait for no reason and ask everyone on the street if Ai Dian Shi looks the same as the person in the portrait. "
…
Coincidentally, as soon as Ye Xiaotian made his debut in Gourd County as Ai Dianshi, a murder case that shook the whole of Guizhou happened in the neighboring county. There was a wealthy merchant in the neighboring county who started his business as a courier route. His entire family of thirty-seven people was murdered and his family's treasury was robbed.
This wealthy merchant had a wide circle of friends, he had a very close relationship with several Chieftains in Guizhou who held the position of Xuan Fu envoy. After the murder case, several Xuan Fu envoy and Xuan Fu envoy in Guizhou immediately issued an order to the Chieftains in various regions to arrest the murderer. The Guizhou Administrative Commissioner also issued the same order to the several prefectures and counties under the jurisdiction of Liu Guan.
Ye Xiaotian's first task after taking office was to take the constables to the streets and alleys to find out all the information related to the case …
…
Hulu County, deep inside a house.
Under the shade of a tree, there was a pavilion. Deep inside the pavilion, the light was dim.
Eight people sat on both sides of a long table. Some were sipping tea, some were playing with their fingers, and two of them were whispering to each other. Their voices were very low, as if they were afraid of disturbing others. Suddenly, a person, who was not very tall but gave off a very majestic feeling, walked out from behind the screen.
No matter what they were doing, the eight of them noticed his arrival almost at the same time. The eight of them stood up from their horses and cupped their hands in greeting. The person walked to the end of the long table, pressed his hand down, and slowly sat down. After he sat down, the eight people took their seats.
Hidden at the end of the hall, the person's face was shrouded in darkness. Only a pair of extremely sharp eyes, like a ferocious beast hiding in the dark, faintly glinting with a ferocious light. His left hand was holding two walnuts. The room was very quiet, only the occasional sound of walnuts hitting each other could be heard.
The person smiled and looked around. "You're all back. Did you clean your hands and feet?"
The person sitting on the left replied respectfully, "Don't worry, Boss. We did it very cleanly. After the deed was done, we hid the items and immediately split up. We hid outside for a few days and circled around several prefectures before coming back. No one could follow us. "
The person sitting on the right said, "Boss, you're too cautious. All these years, we've always been clean on the surface. Even if the authorities have any suspicions, they can only suspect Qi Mu, who's also a courier route tycoon. Why would they suspect us? "
The boss glanced at him and said indifferently, "Mm! I'm naturally at ease with your work. After all these years, you've never made a mistake. I believe you won't make a mistake this time. However, when it's time to be cautious, it's better to be cautious. "
He paused and suddenly smiled. "Alright, let's divide the items!" He said these words with a smile. As soon as these words left his mouth, the originally solemn atmosphere in the hall immediately relaxed. The eight people smiled. Their sitting posture and breathing became much more relaxed.
The person on the left said with a smile, "Let's follow the old rules. Boss will take thirty percent, and the rest of us will split the remaining seventy. "
The person on the right said, "Second Brother, I'm afraid it's not appropriate for you to divide it like this."
The person on the left raised an eyebrow. "Third Brother, what do you mean?"
The boss said calmly, "Let Third Brother speak."
Third Brother said, "Boss, the rest of us naturally have no objections to you taking thirty percent. However, dividing it equally with the rest is an old tradition of more than twenty years. Times have changed, and it's been more than twenty years. It's time for some rules to change. "
The boss smiled. "There's nothing in the world that can't be changed. The problem is, how should we change it? Tell me your reasoning. "
The Third Brother bowed and said, "Yes! Boss, more than twenty years ago, we brothers had just started our careers. The forces under us were about the same. There were some differences, but it wasn't a big deal to divide it equally. However, over the past twenty years, the brothers had been recruiting more and more people. Some of us didn't make any progress and even planned to retreat.
As a result, everyone's contribution was different, but now we have to divide it equally. Even if it's the same amount of money, in some people's hands, everyone will get a large amount, but in other people's hands, there won't be anything left after the money is spread out. "
The boss's eyes flickered. "Yes, that makes sense. In recent years, it's been the brothers who have been running about outside, while I, as the big brother, have reaped the benefits. I also know that your forces have grown the fastest these years, and you're more than twice as strong as Second Brother. How about this, I'll only take ten percent of the thirty percent, and you can have the other twenty percent. "
Ol 'Three suddenly straightened his back and said, "Boss, this … isn't appropriate. We were all brought up by you, Boss. No matter what happens, you'll always be our big brother. How can a little brother take a share from Big Brother … "
The boss raised his hand to stop him. "Although Second Brother has fewer people under him, it's not easy for him to maintain such a big business. Do you want to take a share from him? Speaking of which, as the boss, I've been thinking of retreating these years. Running about depends on you. This is what you deserve. "
Third Brother hesitated. "This …"
The boss paused. "Then it's settled!"
Third Brother hurriedly cupped his hands. "Then … Third Brother will thank Big Brother on behalf of the brothers."
The boss smiled and patted his shoulder. "We're brothers in this world, no need to be so polite!"
As the boss spoke, the hand that was placed on his shoulder slid down his neck. With a crack, it was as if he had crushed a walnut. Third Brother's mouth was agape and his eyes were wide open as he looked at him in shock. Gurgling sounds came from his throat, but he couldn't say a word.
The boss withdrew his hand. "Now it's easy to divide."
Lao San stared straight at Lao Da, his body leaning forward, his forehead banging heavily on the long table.
