novel-bin 74, Chief Constable
74, Chief Constable
"It's a banker's ticket."
Ren Qingshan frowned as he looked at the stack of bank drafts in his hand.
The denominations range from one hundred taels to one thousand taels. I have counted them, and they total sixteen thousand taels. They are made of special materials and have various anti-counterfeiting marks and the Qian family's seal on them.
After looting the corpse and searching various places, they found a total of more than 5,000 taels of silver, as well as all sorts of other odds and ends... but the bulk of the loot came from the bandit leader, 16,000 taels of banknotes.
Banknotes are a variant of banknotes, but they have lower liquidity than banknotes.
There used to be a money exchange in the prefectural city that issued silver notes that could be exchanged for silver in various places, but later the treasury was often coveted by various martial artists, resulting in many deaths and injuries, and so... it died.
In the world of martial arts, business reputation often succumbs to individual strength.
In contrast, while the "zhuangpiao" (庄票) lost liquidity and circulated only in a small area, it was issued by local powerful figures, and when redeeming it, both the ticket and the person were considered.
Especially families like the Qian family, which have a history of over a century, own vast tracts of land, and are deeply rooted in the community.
Moreover, these banknotes are likely not redeemable by this gang of bandits, because they will definitely have to pay tribute to them every year.
Fang Yanping frowned slightly as well. After a moment's thought, he said in a deep voice, "Let's keep them for now. Once we get back to the city, I'll have Officer Yi exchange these tickets."
Ren Qingshan responded with a nod and a smile.
Fang Yanping does things methodically; a higher rank can have absolute power. This is forcing the man surnamed Yi to choose sides and collude with the Qian family.
The man surnamed Yi either needs to exchange the silver with the Qian family, or he can pay out of his own pocket to cover the shortfall.
Unless... he doesn't want to stay in this position anymore.
Hey?
Mr. Fang, you don't want me to be the chief constable, do you?
Ren Qingshan looked at him with a puzzled expression, only to see Fang Yanping smile slightly: "What are you thinking about?"
"I want 16,000 taels of silver, or the position of chief constable."
Ren Qingshan laughed and said he didn't hesitate to reveal his ambition.
After all, we've fought side by side and killed people together. Let's keep things simple and keep our conversations simple.
Fang Yanping laughed heartily, clenching his fist: "Of course I want them all!"
"The Flying Dragon Gang of Nancheng has been a scourge for a long time, exploiting merchants. They rely on Yi Zhongyan's jade marrow, and even my clerk can't defeat them."
"Yi Zhongyan is outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant; he has secretly done several bad things in the past. Now, it's time to settle accounts with him!"
Hearing these resounding words, Ren Qingshan smacked his lips, sniffed, and wiped the few drops of blood off his hands.
Cruel person.
However, honest officials do need to be more ruthless and cunning than corrupt officials to get things done.
"The Flying Dragon Gang gave me quite a bit of money before, mostly under the guise of congratulatory gifts."
Ren Qingshan spoke frankly in a relaxed tone.
Fang Yanping smiled faintly and said, "Isn't this just normal interaction among martial artists? What does it have to do with the imperial court? Don't be so pedantic."
Show!
Mr. Fang!
I knew it! You're a genius!
……
The bandit stronghold had cattle and horses.
More than five thousand taels of silver, roughly the weight of two adult men, were carefully tied and draped over the horse's back.
The remaining twenty-three corpses were collected by head only, and the remains were carried away on three horses.
After gathering everything, Magistrate Fang and Scholar Ren sped away into the night, returning to the county town.
They chatted all the way until dawn the next day before finally reaching the city gate.
at this time.
The people queuing to enter and leave the city, as well as the soldiers guarding the city, immediately recalled the heroic act not long ago when they saw this scene. In addition to their fear, they also had the urge to watch the drama unfold.
"I am Fang Yanping!"
"When I went out to observe the people's conditions, I encountered ruthless bandits and slaughtered them all!"
"Immediately notify Yi Zhongyan to come and take over!"
Fang Yanping shouted with great vigor.
The soldiers guarding the city dared not be careless and quickly sent someone to report.
Dismounting, Fang Yanping smiled, adopting a benevolent demeanor, and exchanged pleasantries with the people around him before publicly announcing:
"Before the autumn harvest, the county will focus on suppressing bandits. If there are any bandits causing trouble in your area, you can report it to the yamen, and the county will handle it accordingly to maintain stability in the area."
"See this guy? He comes from a farming background and is named Ren Qingshan. He is a martial artist at the Jade Marrow Realm and just passed the martial arts exam. He had previously killed a band of bandits and has now made another contribution. He is very skilled at killing bandits."
"If you think the threshold of the government office is too high, you can go to him, and you will definitely get a response."
Ren Qingshan dismounted and exchanged pleasantries with the others. They had already discussed the matter of suppressing bandits in detail on the way. The storm of cracking down on organized crime was coming!
Ren Qingshan couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.
A true political master is one who plans three steps ahead for every one step he takes: establishing the Martial Virtue Academy, recruiting martial arts talents, conducting martial arts examinations, secretly suppressing bandits, replacing the chief constable, and thoroughly wiping out bandits... all these were Fang Yanping's meticulous plans.
As for the Qian family, the strategy was to fight without breaking apart, firmly upholding the righteous cause of "bandit suppression."
Within the scope of his authority as county magistrate, he was impeccable.
This competence made Ren Qingshan curious—what were his plans for the "Decree of Grace"?
It's unlikely that they will simply submit a rash proposal and then wait for the central officials to engage in a power struggle, or place all their hopes on the emperor. There will probably be other ingenious plans.
……
Not long after.
Yi Zhongyan arrived quickly, accompanied by two constables and a group of yamen runners.
Seeing this scene, I was extremely shocked.
Fang Yanping publicly reprimanded him harshly, asking him how he handled things, how a county magistrate could encounter bandits on the official road!
Although Yi Zhongyan was indignant, he was, after all, a jade marrow, and was being scolded like a grandson... but in the end he didn't dare to refute.
After all, with so many heads on horseback, dried bloodstains on the magistrate's clothes, a large number of onlookers, and Ren Qingshan beside him... with such overwhelming momentum, Fang Yanping might actually kill him in his rage.
After giving them a dressing down, the group led their horses back to the city with the severed heads, intending to verify their identities and continue their investigation based on their backgrounds.
Upon returning to the county government office, Fang Yanping's anger subsided slightly, and he smiled, offering a few words of comfort to Yi Zhongyan.
Yi Zhongyan breathed a long sigh of relief.
Passed.
However, once the atmosphere warmed up a bit, Fang Yanping handed him 16,000 taels of banknotes and told him to go and redeem them.
Just as Yi Zhongyan's anger and joy had calmed him down a bit, he received this job again. Even though he knew it was a trap, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and accept it.
He certainly knew the origins of this band of bandits.
Fang Yanping asked him to do it, which meant he was to deliver a message to the Qian family, indicating that there was still room for negotiation.
If he wouldn't do it himself, Fang Yanping certainly had other methods.
Ren Qingshan observed all of this.
Seeing that Fang Yanping could control his emotions with ease and handled matters with great shrewdness, he secretly admired him once again.
After he finished dealing with these matters, he chatted with him privately for a few more minutes before leaving the county government office with more than five thousand taels of silver.
The more than 20,000 taels of silver seized during last night's bandit suppression have been handed over to Fang Yanping on the way, and he is to keep it all for himself.
Ren Qingshan, of course, understood what he meant:
—The expenses for subsequent bandit suppression were definitely not reported to the county government's public accounts; this was the slush fund.
……
One day later.
Yi Zhongyan took back the 16,000 taels of silver.
As for whether he took the money himself or exchanged it with the Qian family, Fang Yanping didn't ask.
……
Another day later.
At the county government office, everyone gathered.
The county magistrate, the county assistant magistrate, the registrar, the clerk, the secretary, the chief constable, seven constables, and a host of yamen runners... a total of nearly two hundred people.
Fang Yanping publicly announced the start of the campaign to suppress the bandits.
A separate "Chief Constable" will be appointed, to be Ren Qingshan, to be in charge of this matter. He can draw on capable personnel from the current staff and make decisions as appropriate.
He did not dismiss Yi Zhongyan for the time being.
Instead, it's like boiling a frog in lukewarm water—a gradual and patient approach.
……
……