Chapter 98: Are You a Donglin Party Member?
Gao Yiye leaned slightly, whispering every word the Heavenly Lord had just spoken directly into San Shier's ear.
To Liang Shixian, the gesture clearly meant, "This woman deems herself too high to speak directly to a seventh-rank county magistrate like me, so she uses her steward to relay messages." What an arrogant display.
San Shier, who had been feeling lost just moments ago, instantly perked up upon hearing the Heavenly Lord's true intent. "Ah, I thought the Heavenly Lord was unwilling to save the impoverished common folk. It seems I was overthinking it; the Heavenly Lord remains as benevolent as ever."
I haven't followed the wrong person this time! Oh, wait, the wrong *deity*.
With renewed vigor, San Shier declared, "Esteemed Magistrate, our Madam just conveyed that the Li family can provide grain. However, every single grain we provide must reach the stomachs of the disaster victims. As for the tax silver, hehe, I'm sure Magistrate Liang is well aware that most of the taxes we submit ultimately end up in the pockets of corrupt officials. So, I apologize, but not a single copper coin will be paid in taxes."
Liang Shixian gasped.
San Shier's words had certainly caught Liang Shixian by surprise.
He shot to his feet, protesting, "I am not a corrupt official! If you are willing to pay the taxes on behalf of the people, I guarantee that every bit of that tax silver will be submitted to the imperial court."
San Shier wore a peculiar expression. "And after it's submitted? Who will it fall into then? Are you certain that all of the tax silver will truly reach the national treasury? Even if it does, will it ultimately be used for the benefit of the people?"
He was momentarily speechless.
Liang Shixian's head drooped, his earlier confidence completely gone. After several frozen seconds, he managed to utter, "If the tax silver isn't paid, this obstacle... cannot be overcome..."
Gao Yiye listened to the voice from above, then leaned in to whisper a few words into San Shier's ear.
San Shier's spirits soared once more. "Esteemed Magistrate," he said, "coming to such a desolate place as Chengcheng County at this critical juncture, you must have offended someone, haven't you?"
Liang Shixian stiffened, then sighed. "The Eunuch Party would love nothing more than to see me dead."
San Shier raised an eyebrow. "Oh? The Eunuch Party wants you dead? Then you must be a member of the Donglin Party, then?"
Liang Shixian straightened his back, a flush of anger rising on his face. "I am no member of the Donglin Party! Only petty men engage in factional disputes. I merely attended a few lectures at the Donglin Academy and found common ground with some of its scholars."
San Shier was speechless.
Li Daoxuan chuckled. *Right. The Donglin faction never referred to themselves as a 'party.' In their eyes, they were the 'pure current,' gathering together but never forming a faction.*
*Indeed, perhaps the early members of the Donglin faction truly were a 'pure current.' Unfortunately, after they overthrew the Eunuch Party, their influence surged, their objectives shifted, their original intentions forgotten, and their former ideals buried.*
*It is called 'the dragon-slaying youth who eventually becomes an evil dragon.'*
Seeing Liang Shixian's anger, San Shier tactfully avoided mentioning "Donglin Party" again. He said, "Since Esteemed Magistrate has friends at the Donglin Academy, then perhaps you won't be unable to overcome this obstacle after all."
Liang Shixian asked, "Oh? What do you mean by that?"
San Shier, after listening to Gao Yiye's soft words, said, "Esteemed Magistrate, you can write a memorial detailing your observations of Chengcheng County and send it to your friends at the Donglin Academy. Let them see the dreadful situation here. They are all enlightened individuals, concerned about the nation and its people; upon seeing your memorial, they will surely pity the local populace. Then, they will gather a large number of Donglin Party members... *ahem*... that is, summon a large number of friends from the Donglin Academy, and together petition the imperial court. The tax silver for Chengcheng County could then be exempted, or at the very least, postponed for a long time."
Liang Shixian fell into deep thought. After several seconds, he suddenly looked up. "Do my friends at the Donglin Academy truly possess such influence?"
San Shier, being merely a small county clerk, didn't truly understand the full extent of the Donglin faction's power. However, the Heavenly Lord immediately relayed a message through Gao Yiye, and he straightened his back, stating with utmost seriousness, "Yes! Their influence is immense."
Liang Shixian genuinely didn't believe his friends possessed much power. Most of them were considered a thorn in the side of the Eunuch Party, ostracized and suppressed, living difficult lives. Why did this 'Li family' perceive them as so formidable?
He needed to think carefully!
The erudite Liang Shixian immediately activated his memory, replaying scenes he'd witnessed, experiences he'd lived, and friends he'd known. Images crisscrossed his mind, spinning like a kaleidoscope. Then, with a sudden "ding," his thoughts solidified on one particular image: a group photograph of the scholars from the Donglin Academy.
Gu Xiancheng, Gao Panlong, Qian Yiben...
Recalling their identities one by one, he was suddenly startled: these people weren't just scholars; every single one of them was a high-ranking official in the imperial court!
If these friends could combine their efforts to speak on behalf of the common folk of Chengcheng County, it might genuinely succeed.
"Excellent!" Liang Shixian declared. "Then I shall draft several letters and send them to my friends at the Donglin Academy. I'll ask them to devise a plan and petition the imperial court, striving to have the tax silver for Chengcheng County exempted."
Li Daoxuan was amused. *This Donglin official is interesting! He's actually willing to do this. Very well, as long as you're genuinely committed, I'll tentatively consider you a potential collaborator.*
"Yiye, tell San Shier to discuss the specific relief plan for the disaster victims with the magistrate. It's crucial to ensure that every grain of our food reaches the stomachs of the victims and isn't embezzled by runners or minor officials."
Inside the box, San Shier and Liang Shixian began to delve into the intricate details of disaster relief. These were truly trivial matters, and after listening for a few minutes, Li Daoxuan felt his head begin to throb. *Where to set up the porridge distribution points? Who would cook the porridge? How much to cook each day? How to ensure no one embezzled? How to make sure people from all the surrounding villages received the news...*
*Just a heap of annoying trivialities!*
Yet, these "trivialities" were precisely San Shier's forte. As the former strategist for Magistrate Zhang Yaocai, he knew the daily life of Chengcheng County like the back of his hand, far better than the newly appointed Magistrate Liang Shixian. His detailed planning left Liang Shixian dizzy and bewildered, eventually unable to even follow along.
Liang Shixian quickly summoned his own Shaoxing strategist. The second round commenced, with both strategists demonstrating their lifelong expertise, chattering away endlessly about concrete practicalities. It was as detailed and as trivial as could possibly be.
Li Daoxuan stopped listening. He couldn't be bothered with such granular matters.
*Time to check my TikTok account...*
Yesterday, he had uploaded a new video: footage of the Village Chief weaving bamboo baskets with his hands, accompanied by clumsy text: "The Village Chief is old now. The only thing he can still do is weave small bamboo baskets, small bamboo hampers, small bamboo chairs..."
The video slowly panned down from high above Gaojia Fortress, finally zooming in on the elderly Village Chief as he wove his baskets. Then, it pulled back to an aerial view of the entire Gaojia Fortress once more.
*I wonder if the audience lords liked it.*
As soon as he opened his phone, he saw that the video had garnered countless replies.
"The aerial video of the miniature kingdom is really cool, haha. This Gaojia Fortress is totally a model, I spotted it right away."
"Yeah, it's an unconcealed model. Composite pressed panels for the roof, and I even saw some poorly hidden wheels – I'm dying of laughter! How could a real village fortress have wheels?"
"I figured it out, this model is from 'Chonglin Shijia'."
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