noffsinger Chapter 447 Is it possible that the magistrate you're trying to expel is me?
Chapter 447 Is it possible that the magistrate you're trying to expel is me?
The people, clenching their fists, rushed into the county government office.
Some even snatched half of the table that Dou Weiyi was tightly protecting and carried it over his head.
Enraged, he roared and stormed into the county government office, shouting, "Who on earth has the audacity to rob our Prince's county government office!"
They all stopped in their tracks, their sleeves, which they had only rolled up halfway, froze on their arms, and their anger subsided almost instantly.
The crowd rushed in, carrying sticks, hoes, rolling pins, and baskets!
Today, we are determined to help our prince reclaim everything that once belonged to him!
Just then, Da Niu, who had heard the noise, was startled.
Turning around, he saw all sorts of "weapons" pointed at his neck, completely surrounding him!
"Clang, clang, clang!"
The "weapon" fell to the ground, leaving the surrounding crowd dumbfounded and speechless.
"Young Master...Young Master?!"
Someone cried out, their anger instantly choking them up, unable to cough or swallow, leaving them with flushed faces!
Da Niu glanced down at the "weapons" scattered on the ground, then looked up at the people surrounding him with a disgruntled expression, inwardly wiping the sweat from his brow.
That was close; I almost got "executed on the spot" by them.
"You...you people...what is this?"
As soon as Da Niu finished speaking, the previously aggressive crowd suddenly changed their demeanor.
Their eyes darted around, their necks stiffened, yet they dared not look directly at each other.
Even the common people who were holding up half of the table quickly put it down, grabbed their sleeves, and wiped the table as if it were a precious treasure.
Look at the sky, look at the ground, look at the air.
They couldn't very well say they came in to cause trouble for the newly appointed magistrate, could they...?
The scene was awkwardly quiet, with only a few dry coughs clearing their throats.
"Young Master, when did you return? Why didn't you tell us? We would have picked you up at the dock!"
The man who spoke first tried to smooth things over with a smile.
The others immediately echoed, their tone incredibly enthusiastic.
It was as if their angry expressions just now were possessed and had nothing to do with them!
"That's right, that's right! Young Master should have given a heads-up when he returned! Were you also here to see that magistrate?!"
The more they talked, the more certain they became.
Given the relationship between the young master and the prince, he must have heard about the incident at the county government office and made a special trip to help the prince get justice.
Immediately, the crowd that poured in looked at Da Niu with even more fervent eyes.
"Oh dear, I wonder if the magistrate will be able to get away with this. I have ten taels here."
An old man in the crowd took off his money bag, poured out the silver, and counted it.
In the past, they always tried to be polite first and then resort to force; they were very courteous!
Money can make people leave!
The last magistrate who came to Pingyao, they scraped together three hundred taels of silver, and the prince changed his appointment letter and sent him to be the magistrate of the neighboring Pingding County.
"I have twenty taels here! Everyone, hurry up and contribute!"
"I'll add five taels!"
In an instant, everyone took out their silver coins, some loose silver and some copper coins.
They hurriedly stuffed the food in front of Da Niu, muttering incessantly that they hoped he would step in and drive away the new magistrate.
Chen Dada and Shang Shang, who were standing nearby, were dumbfounded.
What's going on?
Let the big bull drive itself?
Da Niu had more and more silver in his hands; it was almost overflowing when he held it up.
The loose silver pieces made my palms itch, and the copper coins jingled and fell down, quickly piling up at my feet.
"Stop stuffing it in! Stop it!"
Da Niu raised his voice in his anxiety.
But the people were even more enthusiastic, afraid that he wouldn't accept it.
Some stuffed it directly into his pocket, others tucked it under his elbow, all the while saying, "Young Master, please take it! Getting things done costs money, it's useful for bribing everyone! We understand!"
"That's right, don't be shy. As long as we can get rid of that new magistrate, we'll be happy to pay extra!"
Chen Dada and Shang Shang stood to the side, their shoulders shaking from trying not to laugh.
They exchanged glances, looking on with expressions of anticipation.
This is probably the first time in the world that the common people have pooled their money to hire someone to chase away the county magistrate, but instead they have stuffed the money directly into the magistrate's hands!
Da Niu was caught between a rock and a hard place: "Stop right there! I have something to say!"
Everyone stopped and stared at him expectantly.
Thinking he was about to agree, she urged, "Young Master, please give your orders, we'll do whatever you say!"
"If that new magistrate doesn't know what's good for him, we'll drag him out today and throw him into the river outside the city!"
Some burly men rolled up their sleeves, still in the same posture as before, ready to charge ahead.
Da Niu took a deep breath, pointed to his nose, and said with a mix of helplessness and amusement, "Alright, enough about the river outside the city. Is it possible that the new magistrate you're trying to get rid of is me?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the county government office became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
The people who had just taken out their money stood frozen in place, their hands still in the gesture of taking out money.
The eagerness on their faces gradually faded, replaced by bewilderment, then embarrassment, and finally, their faces turned red.
An old man was still clutching a copper coin in his hand when it clattered to the ground and rolled to the ox's feet. The sound was particularly jarring in the silence.
Chen Dada finally couldn't help but burst out laughing, and Shang Shang turned his face away, his shoulders shaking even more violently.
Chen Dada's face contorted with suppressed laughter, but he still kindly reminded him, "Are you sure you want to kick your magistrate out?"
These words were like a wake-up call, and the people were taken aback at first.
His eyes widened instantly, and his gaze towards Da Niu shifted from embarrassment to ecstatic joy.
A low cheer first rang out from the crowd, and then it erupted into a frenzy!
"What?! The young master is really the county magistrate! My goodness, this is incredible news!"
"That's right! With one of our own people as the county magistrate, we feel at ease! We won't have to worry about getting things done anymore!"
Everyone beamed with joy, their earlier embarrassment vanishing completely.
Seeing Dou Weiyi walk in carrying half a desk, his tone instantly changed.
The man who had just slipped the silver slapped his thigh and exclaimed in a loud voice, "Oh my! It's wonderful that the young master has become our county magistrate! Your Highness, now you have nothing to worry about, right?"
The middle-aged woman next to her immediately chimed in, her eyes crinkling with laughter: "That's right, that's right!"
"Lord Dou, your five children are waiting at home. The eldest should be going to school, the second should be practicing martial arts, and the third, fourth, and fifth are waiting for you to put them to sleep. How can you possibly have time to deal with the county government affairs?"
As soon as he said this, everyone agreed.
The jokes kept coming, until the smile on Dou Weiyi's face froze.
No, that's not what you just said!
Dou Weiyi was so angry that he glared at the crowd, pointing at them who changed their minds faster than flipping through a book, and laughed as he cursed, "You heartless bunch! Just now you were shouting to protect me, and now you're urging me to go home and take care of my kids? My desk is still broken!"
"Your Highness, rest assured, we will repair the desk for you. We guarantee it will be as good as new. You can take it back as a keepsake!"
"That's right, you can go home and take care of the kids. The county government is handled by the young master, the magistrate. You can't go wrong!"
The people patted their chests and assured him, their eyes filled with trust in Da Niu, without mentioning at all that they were protecting Dou Weiyi.
Despite her cursing, Dou Weiyi's feet honestly moved half a step towards the door.
Everyone knows he's all talk and no action.
He loves his five children the most, and often talks about his eldest son's homework and his youngest son's baby teeth at night!
The people had long known his temperament, and they laughed and egged him on to go home!
As Dou Weiyi turned to leave, she secretly glanced back at the bustling scene inside the county government office, and couldn't help but smile.
But he quickened his pace with a straight face, as if afraid of being seen!