Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4918 Xiang Zhuang’s Sword Dance
When Duan Yuanliang heard Li Anqi's scolding, his heart sank, and he thought to himself, could it be that the audit was fake, and the real purpose was for the Duke of Xun behind him?

He narrowed his eyes and stared at Li Anqi with a cold light, and said slowly: "County Master, please don't create trouble, and don't accuse others!"

He is the cousin of Princess Li Xiaoxie, Duke of Xun. The reason why he has been able to stand firm in Wannian County all these years is all because of Li Xiaoxie.

Suddenly checking the account books, could it be that Li Anqi discovered some clues and wanted to implicate Duke Xun through himself?

You must know that he has been in control of Wannian County for so many years. Even Lai Ji was polite to him and gained a lot of benefits for Duke Xun. If the investigation goes on, it will be difficult for Duke Xun to stay out of it...

Could this be some conspiracy?

Li Anqi laughed in anger: "Oh, I was ordered to check the account books, but I ended up framing others and causing trouble? You clerks manipulated the lawsuit, embezzled and neglected your duties, and colluded with each other, and you dared to bite back. Come here!"

The clerks and bailiffs outside the duty room looked at each other, not knowing what to do.

Naturally, most of them were in the same group as Duan Yuanliang, and were wary of the Duke of Xun behind Duan Yuanliang. However, the county magistrate Li Anqi also had a good background. He was Li Baiyao, the "Emperor's Teacher" who was canonized as the Duke of Anping County by Emperor Taizong and one of the most famous Confucian scholars in the world!

While everyone was hesitating, Li Anqi's attendants and servants came out and shouted, "Please give your orders, County Master!"

Li Anqi looked at the clerks and runners outside the door with a sullen face, gritting his teeth and saying, "Lock the gate and guard it strictly. Anyone who dares to leave without permission will be killed without mercy!"

"Here!"

Seven or eight of the guards drew their swords and guarded the front and back doors respectively, staring at the enemy with murderous intent.

The chief clerk Du Xi, who had been watching outside the door, smiled and walked into the duty room, clasped his fists and bowed: "Why are you doing this, County Master? We are all respectable people, so if you have something to say, just say it. If you really find out who is corrupt and abuses his power, just report it to the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice. They will judge according to the law. Can you really order the execution of one or two people?"

Although it seems polite, the threat is obvious: Even if someone breaks the law, you, a mere county magistrate, have no power to deal with it. Who are you trying to scare by shouting and killing now?

Li Anqi waved his sleeves and said righteously: "Then you might as well give it a try and see if I am willing to use the position of a county magistrate in exchange for your lives!"

Duan Yuanliang and Du Xi's expressions suddenly changed.

Logically speaking, Li Anqi did not have the power to deal with them; but if this guy was determined to kill one or two of them, given his father's influence and the emperor's favor for him, he would not necessarily be severely punished.

After all, except for the county magistrate and the chief clerk above the eighth rank, and the county lieutenant below the eighth rank, the rest of the officials in the county are not up to standard. The county magistrate can kill them if he orders them to do so, and at most they will be reprimanded, which is no big deal. The reason why they dare not take action easily is that they are afraid of the background behind them.

But even if it was the county magistrate, the chief clerk, or the county lieutenant, if Li Anqi was determined to kill them, at most he would be dismissed from his post, investigated, or demoted to another place...

After all, although they are all related to royal families and nobles, it is not because they themselves are so important, they are just carrying the title of "clan members" or "relatives".

Could it be that the people behind them are willing to confront the son of His Majesty's "master" just to save their lives?

……

The officials made a fuss for a while, but they could not do anything about the disorderly Li Anqi, so they could only disperse in dissatisfaction and return to their duty rooms to whisper to each other.

Some people just watch the fun and don't care, while others sense something is wrong and feel very uneasy.

Chief Clerk Du Xi sat in his duty room for a while, then came over to Duan Yuanliang with a cup of tea, closed the door and sat opposite Duan Yuanliang, put the cup of tea on the table, and whispered, "What is the matter with the county lord? He wants to make trouble again when the seal is about to be sealed for the New Year?"

Duan Yuanliang looked sinister and annoyed: "Who knows? I'm afraid he has bad intentions. You've done a bad job. Wannian County governs half of Chang'an City. You can make some money from anywhere. Why do you have to focus on the money for repairing dangerous and dangerous houses?"

"Do you think I took it?" Du Xi couldn't help complaining, "The money is there, there will always be people who want to take advantage of it. Although I am the chief accountant, I can't hold all the money tightly in my arms. This one withdraws some, that one embezzles some, and everyone has someone protecting them. What can I do?"

Duan Yuanliang sneered: "Oh, now it's all right. Once the audit finds any problems, you, the chief clerk, will not be able to escape, and I, the county magistrate, will also suffer. Which of those people will stand up and speak for us?"

Du Xi sighed and said, "What's the point of saying all this now? I hope the county lord is just pretending to do this to force us to obey him, and not to be like Xiang Zhuang dancing with a sword to target Pei Gong."

Given Ma Zhou's character, once he learns that the Wannian County government is colluding with insiders and outsiders and manipulating everything, he will definitely not give in. By then, neither the Jingzhao Du family behind him nor the Xunguo Mansion behind Duan Yuanliang will be able to suppress them.

What I fear most is that their purpose is to support those people behind them...

Duan Yuanliang looked out the window and saw several people standing at the door with knives in hand under the heavy snow. "I want to know if these people dare to use knives on me if I insist on getting out?"

Du Xi was startled and tried to dissuade him, "Don't be impulsive! Li Baiyao is a great scholar of the time. Even Kong Yingda would give him some respect and often consider himself a junior. The civil officials in the court respect him very much. As long as he doesn't draw the knife himself, there won't be any serious consequences even if he kills us. The worst that can happen is that he will be exiled from the capital. But don't forget that this man was recommended by Fang Jun. For others, being exiled from the capital to a remote place is equivalent to ruining their future. But if Fang Jun randomly arranges a position for him somewhere along the coast, it will be more comfortable than living in a county in the inland areas... Li Anqi doesn't really care about the officialdom taboos that others consider taboos."

Duan Yuanliang was just talking. How could he have the courage to break into the door with a knife at his head?

He slammed his fist on the table and cursed: "Damn it! You can do whatever you want just because you have someone to back you up. What a bastard!"

In official circles, the most annoying people are the second and third generations who rely on powerful backers.

These people come from aristocratic families with wealthy backgrounds, and have no idea of ​​the hardships that it takes for a low-ranking official to work their way up to the top of the officialdom. As a result, they often do not care about the so-called "officialdom rules" and are easily impulsive. Once they suffer a loss, they will react violently without considering the consequences at all.

Anyway, no matter how big a disaster you cause, someone will always clean up the mess, so why should you compromise?
If you can't be an official, you can go home and live a happy and beautiful life with fine clothes, delicious food, and beautiful women around you...

But when he was angry at the reckless second-generation like Li Anqi, he forgot that it was precisely because of his background and support that he was able to sit in the position of county magistrate for many years, and even the county magistrate had to give him some face...

The double standard is thorough.

the other side.

Li Anqi took a sip of tea, looked at the busy accounting office, the clacking of abacus beads, and asked, "Everyone, is there any problem with the account book?"

There is definitely a problem, but if those big rats are very skilled and have good accounting skills, they may not be able to find any clues in a short time. But he is now taking advantage of Ma Zhou's name and acting suddenly, which may not last long. When the news of the blockade of the county government spreads, the backers behind those people will surely take action. By then, he will definitely not be able to withstand the pressure and can only let it go.

If I don't dig these people out and allow them to continue to collude with each other and deceive their superiors and subordinates, I will be like a clay Buddha in the Wannian County Office, unable to move forward and being constrained at every turn. What's more important is that if I am not careful, I will be blamed for these people like I did this time...

An old accountant did not look up, but quickly turned the abacus in his hand and replied: "Don't worry, County Master, there is indeed a problem with this account book, but it will take some time to sort it out."

Li Anqi was relieved and said in a good mood: "Duke Yue is indeed a brilliant man. Just the invention of the abacus is enough to make him famous in history."

In the past, calculations were done with counting rods, which was time-consuming, laborious, and not accurate enough. It often took multiple checks to determine the final number. But now with the abacus, it is convenient and accurate, and you can get twice the result with half the effort.

A younger accountant smiled and replied, "The abacus is indeed ingenious, but the abacus formulas that go with it are truly ingenious! Since the Ministry of Civil Affairs promoted the abacus, the accounts that had been piled up for many years have been quickly sorted out, and they praised it very much."

After the founding of the Tang Dynasty, it inherited the system of the Sui Dynasty. The central government still had the structure of three provinces and six ministries, namely, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Punishment, and the Ministry of Works. During the reign of Emperor Taizong, an official advised that the name "Ministry of Civil Affairs" should be avoided and changed to "Ministry of Revenue". Taizong did not accept the advice, but instead issued an edict allowing people to eat "carp", which shows his broad mind.

When Emperor Taizong passed away and the new emperor ascended the throne, some people proposed to change the "Ministry of Civil Affairs" to the "Ministry of Revenue".

Emperor Taizong himself rejected this advice at the beginning, which showed his tolerance. But as a son, it was inappropriate for Li Chengqian to continue to veto it, so he agreed to change the "Ministry of Civil Affairs" to "Ministry of Revenue". However, he did not issue an imperial edict to strictly enforce it. Therefore, both in the court and among the people, the "Ministry of Civil Affairs" and the "Ministry of Revenue" were often used interchangeably.

An hour later, the old accountant stood up and came to Li Anqi, put a ledger on the desk, exhaled, and said, "Fortunately, I have fulfilled my mission! County Master, please look here... In the seventeenth year of Zhenguan, on February 9th, the government had a surplus of 7,400 strings of cash for house repairs... On May 13th, there was a surplus of 1,329 strings of cash, of which 6,071 strings of cash were missing. However, the total expenditure during this period was only 5,109 strings of cash, with a deficit of 962 strings of cash. This is not the most important thing. In the detailed expenditure, many materials are inconsistent with the facts. For example, here, on March 17th, 1,300 blue bricks were purchased from the brick kiln in the west of the city, and the price of each brick was 27 coins... That year, the Ministry of Revenue renovated the warehouse, and I was in charge of the accounts, and the bricks and stones were also purchased from the west of the city, but I remember clearly that each brick was 12 coins... There are so many things like this, and there are many problems with this account book."

All false accounts are fabricated after the fact, so there are bound to be omissions. Especially when accounts that have been accumulated over the years are falsified, they can be found out through strict verification. It just depends on whether anyone checks.

Li Anqi was overjoyed and immediately ordered: "Seal the accounts and report to Jingzhao Prefecture. At the same time, ask whether to report to the Imperial Censorate and ask the prefect to make the decision."

(End of this chapter)