HCB Chapter 292: Smashing the Drum of Injustice, Only Then the County Magistrate Arrived
Chapter 292: Smashing the Drum of Injustice, Only Then the County Magistrate Arrived
"Dong dong dong..."
In front of the Liangzhou County government office, drums were beating loudly.
The drum may have not been played for a long time, and there is a lot of dust on it.
Xiao Ruofeng's hammer hit the drum, causing smoke and dust to rise.
Lei Mengsha stood behind Xiao Ruofeng and said with a helpless smile:
"Seventh Brother, I'm not saying anything bad about you! Who would beat a drum in the middle of the night to complain?"
Xiao Ruofeng ignored his words and shook his internal strength, and the dust on his shoulders was immediately bounced off.
"Of course I know there's no government office open at night, but you heard what those kids said just now..."
"The imperial court allocated money and grain for disaster relief and exempted the two counties from taxes. Why are there still so many refugees and orphans?"
"As the prince of Dali, if I stand by and watch, how can I live in this world with dignity?!"
After saying this, he hit the drumhead with even more force with the drumstick in his hand—
"Dong dong dong..."
"Snapped!"
The drumhead was broken, and underneath the cowhide drumhead was a mold-ridden drum cavity. An unpleasant smell hit Xiao Ruofeng's face!
"What did I say? Even if you beat the drum till it breaks, the government office won't open in the middle of the night!"
There was even a hint of gloating in Lei Mengsha's words.
"Hmph, then just follow me in. I'll definitely see what kind of person the Liangzhou County Governor is. How dare he deceive his superiors and subordinates like this!"
It was rare for Xiao Ruofeng to lose his temper like this. Everyone who knew him at the Jixia Academy knew that he was a modest young man who never showed his emotions. This was the first time he had been so filled with righteous indignation, wanting to kill the corrupt officials with his own hands.
The drums and horns fell to the ground, and then the shadows in the yamen reflected a few flames, followed by the curses of the clerks:
"Which blind, unruly person is beating a drum in the middle of the night? Huh?"
"If you disturb my sweet dreams, I will make you pay for it..."
Hearing the curse, Lei Mengsha said with a wicked smile:
"See, you've woken up the county magistrate... If they try to interrogate you later, should I stop them or not?"
Xiao Ruofeng patted his sleeves and raised his eyebrows:
"Let me hear it, I'm afraid he doesn't want to live anymore!"
Just as the two men finished their words, the bolt of the vermilion-painted door of the county government office was pulled out with a bang, and then a sleepy head popped out from the door.
The head is pointed, with no crown or bun, and the hair is unkempt and messy. With a mouthful of rotten teeth, he spits out an unpleasant Northwestern Mandarin:
"through!"
"Two damned creatures, beating drums in the middle of the night, are you going to get a beating?"
The night clerk did not see the appearance of Xiao Ruofeng and the other man clearly, but just cursed at them out of his usual arrogance.
However, before he could see the figure clearly, the loose hair on his head was pulled out by a huge force, and the whole person lost his balance and fell flat on his face!
"Are you the governor of Liangzhou?"
Xiao Ruofeng's voice was cold, and he glanced at the night clerk on the ground with blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.
The clerk's lantern fell to the side, and the candle inside overturned and ignited the silk mask, and the flames shot up high.
With the help of the firelight, the clerk could see Xiao Ruofeng's appearance clearly.
He wore a tortoise-shell hair bun on his head, and was dressed in light golden robes. On his belt was a two-inch square Khotan jade pendant. Even the boots close to his nose were the rare black-skinned Liuhe boots in Liangyong!
'Oh no, this is an incredible person!'
The clerk had a sharp eye. His twenty years of work in the county government office had accumulated him a wealth of experience, so he was naturally familiar with the principle of respecting the clothes before the person.
Judging from his attire, he must be either a royal noble or a wealthy businessman!
The clerk quickly got up and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth where his front teeth had hit him.
He knew that the visitor had bad intentions, so he suppressed his anger, picked up the lantern that was burned to a skeleton on the ground, glanced at Xiao Ruofeng, then leaned over and asked in a low voice:
"I am a night clerk at the Liangzhou County Office. May I ask if you are beating the drum in the middle of the night for some urgent matter?"
Xiao Ruofeng snorted coldly and walked straight into the gate of the county government office without even raising his eyelids:
"It's nothing. A distant relative of mine starved to death in your Liangzhou City. I came to see how your county governor has been providing disaster relief over the past two years!"
Seeing him stride away, Lei Mengsha quickly followed him, tugged at Xiao Ruofeng's sleeve, and whispered:
"Seventh Brother, you're not going on a secret visit, you're coming down to the lower realms with the king's banner to call for justice!"
Xiao Ruofeng was speechless for a moment, and his handsome face immediately turned red:
"Ah... this petty official is truly despicable. Second Senior Brother, I simply couldn't stand it any longer. I didn't kill him with a single blow. It was only my years of self-control that saved him!"
He originally planned to pretend to be an old friend of the Huangfu family and a distant relative of the child in order to test the county governor here.
However, he did not expect that a small clerk in the county government office would be so arrogant, which immediately made him angry.
There is no other way. It seems that I can only go straight in now.
Lei Mengsha stopped teasing Xiao Ruofeng and just winked at him:
"Well, once we meet the county governor, you'll be in a bad mood and I'll be in a bad mood, huh?"
Xiao Ruofeng was very smart and immediately understood: "I see!"
……
The professional clerk led the two of them around in a circle and came to the meeting room on the right side of the county government office to sit down.
Soon, two clerks came into the hall holding a stove of fragrant tea and placed it respectfully in front of the two men.
"Gentlemen, please take a moment. The county magistrate usually doesn't stay at the county government office. We have already informed him, and he might be here in half an incense stick's time!"
"This is Liangzhou's local Sanpaotai tea, also known as Eight Treasures Tea. You two gentlemen might as well try it while you can."
As the saying goes, don't hit a smiling person. Even if Xiao Ruofeng was full of anger, he couldn't vent his anger when someone offered him tea or water.
He glanced at the tea set brought by the clerk and found it somewhat novel.
The tea set consists of three pieces, with a base at the bottom, a tea bowl in the middle, and a lid on top. It is exquisite and beautiful, with an antique flavor. The only difference is that the tea cup is shaped like an ancient artillery turret, giving it a sense of the ruggedness of the northwest desert.
Xiao Ruofeng and the other man did not refuse. After each of them drank a cup of tea, the county magistrate took a sedan chair and rushed to the county government office.
The door of the conference room creaked open, and first a pair of large official boots stepped in, followed by a fat belly that almost burst the official uniform, and finally the county magistrate's huge head.
Xiao Ruofeng looked at the county magistrate with disgust, but did not stand up.
The county magistrate was in his early fifties, and could be described as having regular features and a typical official appearance.
He had heard the night clerk talk about Xiao Ruofeng's attire and appearance long before he came, and now when he saw him he naturally knew that he was no ordinary person.
The county magistrate hurriedly bowed and saluted as he walked, a smile on his face:
"I am Sang Yongning, the governor of Liangzhou. I was a fellow Jinshi in the second year of the Taihe era. May I know what your address is, sir?"
Xiao Ruofeng had a blank expression on his face. He had originally thought that a local leader like the county magistrate would surround him with a hundred or so constables, but he didn't expect that the county magistrate was so sensible and even had a bit of flattery in his expression.
Xiao Ruofeng thought for a moment, then gently twisted the teacup and said:
"Thank you for bothering me, Lord Sang, and for asking you to come to the county government office so late at night."
"I'm Huangfu Feng, a nobody from Tianqi City. I came here today just to ask Master Sang a few questions!"
Sang Yongning moved his fat buttocks, sat to the right of Xiao Ruofeng and said with a smile:
"Sir, just ask. I will tell you everything I know. Haha..."