The two envoys sat at the head of the table. Xu Boyi clapped his hands three times and everyone in the hall immediately quieted down. Xu Boyi said in a clear voice, "Everyone, it has been five years since this county changed its land to the stream. The household registration system has always been a bit chaotic. A few days ago, there was even a dispute because of this. I'm sure everyone knows about this."
Xu Boyi's gaze swept across the crowd and said, "Although the county officials are responsible for neglecting their duties, there are other reasons as well. The use of names by the people of the various tribes is too random and irregular. This is also an important reason. "
As he said this, Register Wang's expression immediately darkened. Neglecting their duties? Who was neglecting their duties? For the past five years, he had been the registrar of Hulu County. Most of the time, he was in charge of the Department of Household Registration. This time, Xu Boyi wanted to monopolize the credit and excluded him. This already made him very unhappy. Now, he wanted to use him as a stepping stone. How could Register Wang tolerate this?
Register Wang's face was ashen. He gritted his teeth and secretly sneered, "Trees rely on people to cultivate, and people rely on themselves to cultivate. Xu Boyi, you haven't even climbed to the top yet, but you're already so arrogant. You don't have any morals. Aren't you afraid that no one will catch you and you'll fall to your death, you bastard! "
Xu Boyi was in high spirits and continued, "Names are your own, but the people who use them are others. A name that is easy to remember and catchy will make it easier for people to remember you. And if the surname of father and son is the same, it can also make you remember your ancestors and your descendants remember you. A person's name is like a tree's shadow. Isn't this the meaning of naming? "
Xu Boyi was still speaking in plain language and was easy to understand. Only by saying this could these tribal leaders understand. Seeing that no one below the stage refuted him, Xu Boyi said with satisfaction, "Next, we will invite Stockade Master Gao, Stockade Master Li, and the ten elders of the two stockades to come out and change their surnames.
Everyone, the Stockade Masters of the Gao and Li stockades use Han names and can be a role model for the people. Of course, they don't need to change their surnames again this time. However, the Gao and Li stockaded villages are the two largest tribes in our county, so there are many villagers with more complicated, confusing, and difficult to remember names. Today, the two stockaded chiefs and the ten elders are representing the entire stockaded village to change their surnames. After this, the county will send officials from the Department of Household Records to the stockaded village to help them register. "
Stockade Master Gao and Li stockade masters looked at each other and walked forward together, each followed by five elders. Li Bohao and Gao Ya stood in the crowd and gestured to Luo Daheng from afar, telling him not to worry.
Fort Master Gao and Fort Master Li, who had walked up to the imperial envoy's seat, suddenly stopped in unison. They spoke to Xu Boyi in unison, "County Magistrate Xu, regarding the matter of changing our surname, this lowly one believes that it is not appropriate to make a rash decision. Would you allow us to discuss it with the people in the fort?"
The smiles on Assistant Minister Lin's and Li Guojiu's faces disappeared in an instant. The atmosphere immediately became tense. Stockade Master Gao frowned and said, "I was rash. I thought this was an easy matter, so I agreed. Who knew that when I returned to the stockade, many people would object. I may be the stockade master, but I'm just a person who everyone trusts and wants to do something for them. How could I dare to act arbitrarily?"
Chief Gao frowned and said, "I was too rash. I thought this would be an easy task, so I agreed to it. Who would have thought that when I returned to the stronghold, there would be a lot of people objecting. I may be the chief, but I'm just a person who everyone trusts. I've been promoted to do something for everyone. How could I dare to act arbitrarily?"
This is obviously a good thing for the benefit of the country and the people. What's more, the government has even reduced taxes. Why don't these unruly people accept it? It was obviously a good thing for the benefit of the country and the people, not to mention the preferential treatment of tax reduction by the government. Why did these wicked people refuse to accept it? Xu Boyi's smile did not diminish. He said, "Hehe, stockade masters, you can only use these words to fool others. In front of the government, you can't avoid being accused of deceiving people.
Xu Boyi's smile didn't diminish. "Haha, Stockade Masters, you can only use these words to fool others. It's hard to avoid being accused of deceiving the people in front of the government. You've seen the two people up there. One is the assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites, and the other is a relative of the emperor. It's obvious how important this matter is to the emperor. Aren't you afraid of his wrath? "
Stockade Master Gao and Stockade Master Li remained silent. Behind Stockade Master Li, a tall, strong, and bronze-skinned old man with a grizzled beard suddenly stepped out of the crowd. He said angrily, "If the two Stockade Masters don't dare to say it, then let this old man say it. This old man is a loner and has no scruples.
Master Imperial Envoy, my name was given to me by my parents. How can I change it just for a small benefit? That's unfilial! I don't know anything else, but I know that filial piety is the most important of all virtues. The emperor has no reason to force us commoners to be unfilial, don't you think? "
Imperial Uncle Li's face was dark and he didn't say a word.
Assistant Minister Lin looked at the calm and collected Xu Boyi and smiled slightly. He calmly replied, "Filial piety comes first in the education of students! Our dynasty has always governed the country with filial piety. The most important thing in the imperial court is filial piety, so the emperor naturally has no reason to force the commoners to be unfilial. However … "
Assistant Minister Lin changed the topic and said, "In the memorial that County Magistrate Xu presented to the emperor, he said that the commoners of the various clans don't have fixed surnames. Some children take their father's surname, while others take their mother's surname. When a baby is born, the parents can choose flowers, trees, mountains, or rocks as their surname. There's no fixed number, right?"
The old man stiffened his neck and said, "That's right. What about it?"
Assistant Minister Lin said, "That's why fixing a surname isn't unfilial, it's great filial piety. Only then can one inherit the ancestors' surname and pass it on to their descendants. Guizhou has the An, Song, Tian, and Yang clans. None of them are Han, so don't they all use Han surnames? You've already agreed long ago. Now that the emperor has sent the imperial envoy here, you're going back on your word. This is the crime of deceiving the monarch! "
The white-haired old man said angrily, "Old imperial envoy, what you say is reasonable, but isn't it up to us to be willing? In our stronghold, there are many commoners who are actually unwilling. It's not like the two Stronghold Masters don't know, but they don't dare to say it, right? "
Li Xuancheng couldn't help but ask, "Don't dare to say it? What do you mean?"
The white-haired old man said, "The county magistrate who destroyed a family, the magistrate who destroyed a family! County Magistrate Xu is an important figure in this county who can cover the sky with one hand. Even the county magistrate is afraid of him. It's always him who says one, and no one dares to say two. The two Stronghold Masters are afraid that if they go against him, he'll take revenge, so they're feigning civility and sincerity, waiting for the imperial envoy to come and uphold justice for us commoners. "
Assistant Minister Lin smiled faintly. He thought to himself, "This old man is just a wild old man from the mountains. His mouth is full of vulgar language, but he actually knows the story of the county magistrate who destroyed a family, the magistrate who destroyed a family, and can even say the idiom of feigning civility and sincerity. Could it be that someone taught him this?"
After Assistant Minister Lin arrived at Gourd County, although he had only had a brief interaction with the officials there, he had already sensed the deep conflict between the county magistrate and the county magistrate. In Assistant Minister Lin's view, if Xu Boyi didn't have complete confidence, he definitely wouldn't have dared to propose this to the Emperor.
Although it was said that there was no lack of foolish officials who dared to submit a petition to the Emperor on a whim, there had always been such officials in every dynasty who had become stupid from studying and caused many incidents that made people not know whether to laugh or cry. But from these two days of interaction, this Xu Boyi was a shrewd and cunning person. He clearly wasn't this kind of foolish scholar.
Then, who was it that incited these mountain people to betray us? That Magistrate Hua, who had hurried to the relay road, was definitely involved. What role did Ye Xiaotian play in this? Just as Assistant Minister Lin was muttering to himself and analyzing, Imperial Uncle Li had already flown into a rage.
Li Xuancheng hadn't obtained this imperial envoy to work for the court in the first place. He lacked patience. When he had first heard that the Yingying girl he yearned for day and night had already married, all his hopes had turned to dust. Now that he had encountered this kind of situation, he immediately flared up. He slammed the desk and shouted in a stern voice, "This is preposterous! County Magistrate Xu, you've made such a ridiculous joke. You've completely thrown away the face of the court! "
Registrar Wang said in a neutral tone, "Changing customs and traditions has always been a matter of subtle influence. How can it be accomplished in one go? As local officials, we must avoid seeking quick success. Otherwise, it'll be hard to avoid making a fuss and making a fool of ourselves. "
Seeing that the imperial envoy was enraged, if he didn't stomp on him now, then when? Allies? So what if they were allies? If Xu Boyi was heartless, then he could be unjust. So what if they were both from the Tian Clan? There were small mountains beneath the big mountains, and small mountains beneath the small mountains. The An, Song, Tian, and Yang clans were just four small mountains beneath the big mountain that was the Great Ming Dynasty. In the grand scheme of things, they were all officials of the Great Ming. Didn't they still fight to the death?
Assistant Minister Lin smiled and said, "Imperial Uncle, please calm your anger. I believe that County Magistrate Xu has his reasons!"
Assistant Minister Lin placated Li Xuancheng and turned to Xu Boyi, saying, "County Magistrate Xu, what do you have to say about today's situation? If you can't come up with a reason, this official will punish you for the crime of deceiving the ruler. "
Xu Boyi bowed and said, "Imperial Envoys, please calm your anger. There must be some misunderstanding here. Imperial Envoys, can you go to the small hall to rest first? This official still has details to report. "
Li Xuancheng was about to ignore him when Assistant Minister Lin stroked his beard and smiled. He stood up and said, "Good! Imperial Uncle, let's go sit in the small hall and listen to what County Magistrate Xu has to say. "
Although Ye Xiaotian had been watching coldly from the sidelines, everything that had happened had actually been planned by him. Seeing that Xu Boyi was not flustered or flustered and had a calm expression, Ye Xiaotian's heart trembled slightly. Something's not right. When did Xu Boyi become so unfazed even if Mt. Tai collapsed in front of him? Could it be that … he still has something to rely on?
The two imperial envoys headed straight for the small hall. Xu Boyi turned a blind eye to the discussion and whispers, following them in with a smile on his face.
Assistant Minister Lin and Li Xuancheng sat down on the official hats in the small hall. Xu Boyi went forward and bowed. He said in a deep voice, "Imperial Envoys, this official will definitely not be so rash when doing things. I did understand the public opinion beforehand. The people of the various clans are very responsive to the proposal to change customs …"
Li Xuancheng sneered and said, "Is that so? Then what do you say about today's situation?"
Xu Boyi sighed and said calmly, "Imperial Envoys, there's something you don't know. We're lowly officials, and when we want to do something for the Imperial Court, there's always someone holding us back, obstructing us, or setting traps for us. It's extremely difficult to do things. This time, it's obviously someone who's playing tricks."
Li Xuancheng was stunned, and then his eyes suddenly lit up. He had long seen that Xu Boyi and Ye Xiaotian did not get along. Xu Boyi's words had a hidden meaning. Could it be … Li Xuancheng suppressed his excitement and said, "County Magistrate Xu, don't be afraid. If you have any grievances, just say it. This uncle and Assistant Minister Lin will naturally help you!"
Xu Boyi bowed and said in a clear voice, "Thank you, Imperial Envoy!"
If Xu Boyi wanted to do this, the crux was whether or not he could obtain the support of the various clans. Ye Xiaotian had a close relationship with the Gao and Li stockaded villages, so how could he not be on guard? He had already prepared a backup plan. The reason why he had been acting like he was oblivious to everything was to lure Ye Xiaotian into his trap. He wanted to climb up to heaven and trample Ye Xiaotian into hell.
