I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 435 Does this monster have any background?
Yu Buyan, the magistrate of Qufu, was sitting in a blue wool official sedan chair.

The bearers carried the sedan chair steadily, but Yu Buyan's heart was in turmoil and he was extremely anxious.

There is a saying in the officialdom, "If you were not a good person in your previous life, you will be a county magistrate in this life; if you were evil in your previous life, you will be a county magistrate in the capital; if you were evil in your third life, you will be a county magistrate in the provincial capital; if you are full of evil, you will be a county magistrate in the capital."

The magistrate is a people-friendly official who faces the common people directly. He has a bunch of "KPIs" pressing down on him from top to bottom, including building schools, opening up fields, increasing the population, equalizing taxes and levies, simplifying lawsuits, and stopping thieves. There are six general categories and dozens or even hundreds of detailed rules. If one of them is not done well, the magistrate will be demoted to a low rank. Not being promoted is the least of the matter, but he will also be dismissed from his post.

There are a bunch of mothers-in-law above you, the prefects, the district governors, the provincial governors, the censors, and the imperial censors. Any of them can treat you like a grandson and scold you.

You can't offend any of the noble families and wealthy families below. You have only been here for three years, but he has been here for three lifetimes. If you offend any of them, your job as a parent official will not go smoothly.

In the mildest case, one's examination results in a stain, which would mean he would have to waste a few more years; in the worst case, he would be impeached by the censor, removed from office, and all his twenty years of hard study would be in vain.

The only people who can be bullied are good people.

But what kind of benefits can these poor guys get?
Therefore, if you were not a good person in your previous life, you will be a county magistrate in this life.

Being a county magistrate is the most difficult job.

You work under the noses of the prefect, the provincial governor and a bunch of court officials every day. If there is any mistake, you will be the first person to be singled out and take the blame.

Do the dirtiest and most tiring work and earn the least and the smallest credit.

Yu Buyan felt that he, the magistrate of Qufu, had done evil for three lifetimes, and was on par with the provincial capital. There was no other reason, there was a Yanshenggong Mansion in Qufu County.

The imperial court can be replaced, but the Yanshenggong Mansion has been passed down from generation to generation. Don’t you think it’s amazing?

But today, someone hung a banner in front of the Duke of Yansheng's Mansion, which read "The Great Saint and First Teacher has been exiled for eternity, and the Duke of Yansheng's Mansion has left a legacy of harm to thousands of households!"

This is crazy!
He actually cursed it in front of the Yanshenggong Mansion, saying that it had brought harm to thousands of households.

Yu Buyan knew that the contemporary Duke Yansheng, Kong Shangxian, inherited the title at a young age and was kept in the capital by the late Emperor Jiajing to study. He only came back once a year to preside over the sacrifices in the Confucius Temple.

For more than a decade, the government had lacked discipline, and all kinds of evildoers had emerged, using the name of the government to bully the people.

The Yanzhou Prefecture and Shandong Provincial Governor did not care about these trivial matters for the sake of Confucius. How could a small county magistrate like me dare to take care of them?

The Yanshenggong Mansion is now ruled by Kong Zhenning, the second son of the legitimate family.

Kong Zhenning is the younger brother of the 63rd Duke of Yansheng, Kong Zhengan, and the uncle of the current Duke of Yansheng, Kong Shangxian. He has a high seniority and is resourceful. He took advantage of Kong Shangxian's long absence from the Kong Mansion to firmly grasp the real power of the Kong Mansion.

All the families and other people who were attached to him rose to prominence. These people acted recklessly and committed many evil things, making several counties in Yanzhou Prefecture and half of Shandong a mess!
The bullying was too much, and finally someone jumped out and hung such a banner on the busy street in front of the palace, blatantly slapping the face of the Yanshenggong Palace.

I believe that it won’t be long before this sentence spreads throughout Shandong and the world.

How the Yanshenggong Mansion responds is its business. What I have to do now is to go to the Yanshenggong Mansion to apologize. Otherwise, if Kong Zhenning sends a letter to Jinan, I will be in trouble!
孽 孽!
I committed evil deeds in my past three lives, so I was assigned to be the magistrate of Qufu!
The front hall of the Confucius Mansion is an official office, divided into the main hall, the second hall and the third hall. It is the place where Duke Yansheng handles official business.

Six halls were set up in imitation of the six ministries of the imperial court. On both sides of the second gate, they were the Guan Gou Hall, the Bai Hu Hall, the Classics Hall, the Music Hall, the Seal Hall, and the Book Hall, which were in charge of the affairs of the Confucius Mansion.

The third hall is also called the retreat hall. It is where Duke Yansheng receives officials of the fourth rank and above. It is also the place where the Confucius Mansion handles internal family disputes and punishes servants in the Mansion.

Sitting at the upper seat in the hall, Kong Zhenning was wearing a Qilin costume, a black gauze hat, and had a gloomy face.

He was in his forties but less than fifty, and had a handsome appearance, but his eyes were too shrewd and sharp.

Sitting first at the lower left is his eldest son Kong Shangtan, who is also the cousin of the contemporary Duke Yansheng Kong Shangxian. Following him are his second son Kong Shangping and third son Kong Shangxian, all of whom are adults.

The first person at the bottom right is Huang Wencai, his brother-in-law.

The Huang family is a prominent family in Dongping Prefecture, with fields stretching across Yanzhou, Dongchang and Jinan Prefectures.

A few years ago, Kong Zhengan inherited the title of Duke Yansheng, and Kong Zhenning moved to Wenshang. Later, Kong Zhengan died of illness in the capital, and Kong Shangxian inherited the title of Duke in the capital. He was ordered to study in the Imperial Academy, so he invited Kong Zhenning back from Wenshang to manage the Kong Mansion.

Huang Wencai is Kong Zhenning's right-hand man in controlling the Kong Mansion, and is known as the Weasel.

Sitting below him were relatives from other branches and the Kong family's powerful "in-laws", all of whom were Kong Zhenning's minions.

"Someone actually put up a banner in front of my Kong Mansion and said something extremely treasonous. In my opinion, there must be someone behind the scenes!" Kong Zhenning's third son Kong Shangxian gritted his teeth and said. "In my opinion, there is no need to send him to the county prison. Just take him back to the government office and punish him privately. Under the punishment of three sticks, the mastermind behind the scenes will definitely confess."

"Third Young Master, be patient!" Huang Wencai stroked his proud beard and said, "I went to the county prison to secretly see the old man. Although he looks ordinary and has dark skin, he has an extraordinary demeanor and exudes the majesty of a superior."

"Why, second uncle is worried about an official?" The second brother Kong Shangping said disdainfully, "Haha, in front of the Duke of Yansheng, any official is shit!"

"Second brother, be careful with your words!" Kong Shang advised frankly.

"Did I say something wrong?" Kong Shangping asked back unhappily.

"Second brother, Daddy is not the Duke of Yansheng, and you are not the Duke of Yansheng either. The Duke of Yansheng is in the capital! You keep calling yourself the Duke of Yansheng, but can you represent the Duke of Yansheng?"

Kong Shangping paused for a moment, and was speechless.

Although everyone in Shandong knows that the one in the capital is the Far Yan Shenggong, and the one in charge of the Confucius Mansion in Qufu is the Near Yan Shenggong, the one whose words are kept is the Near Yan Shenggong, who is more effective than the Far Yan Shenggong who is far away in the capital, and is the real Yan Shenggong.

But this cannot be put on the table.

Seeing that the second brother's arrogance had been suppressed, Kong Shangtan said to Huang Wencai: "Uncle, please continue."

"Well, brother-in-law, Dalang, a few days ago, the working group of the Ministry of Revenue who was surveying the land was beaten up one after another, and even caused a death. Although the attackers were all local ruffians, everyone with a discerning eye knew that the powerful families were behind it, especially the Kong family, who bore the brunt of the attack.

Minister Gao of the Ministry of Revenue has recently entered the cabinet and become the head of the Gao Cabinet. He is full of energy and is at the peak of his career.

Land surveying is a huge nuisance to us, but to the cabinet, it is a political achievement and a stepping stone to success. "

Kong Zhenning narrowed his eyes slightly and listened quietly. Then he opened his eyes and said, "Zhi De, you mean the old man who was shouting in front of the mansion gate, maybe he is from Gaoge Department."

Huang Wencai did not answer directly, but continued: "I heard that Gao Gebu has a very quick temper and is irritable. The Shandong land reclamation team has been repeatedly frustrated, beaten and humiliated, and even killed people. This is a slap in his face.

Will the cabinet let this go?"

The hall fell silent after some analysis by Huang Wencai, and everyone realized the problem.

They acted tyrannically in Yanzhou, as if they could destroy the families of ordinary people with just a wave of their hands. However, they knew very well that in front of certain powerful people, they were just like ordinary people, grass.

"Master!" the servant reported outside the hall, "Yu Buyan, the magistrate of Qufu, wants to see you."

"What is he here for?"

"The man was sent to the prison in Qufu County and handed over to him for trial. Could it be that he found out the details?"

"How is it possible! I don't even know who Yu Buyan is, but how could I get to know Yu Dian Mian so quickly?"

"He is nothing but dough in front of us, but a ruined county magistrate in front of the people."

Several people in the hall started arguing.

"Alright!" Kong Zhenning shouted unhappily, his voice echoing in the retreat hall. Everyone immediately shut up and looked at him eagerly.

Kong Zhenning closed his eyes and thought for a while, "Zhi De, Da Lang, go meet Yu Buyan and ask him about the situation. If he doesn't tell you the details, you go to Qufu County Government and meet the old man in person. You must find out the details of his background."

Huang Wencai nodded, "Yes, ask clearly. Recently, a strange book "Journey to the West" was published on the market. The stories in it are interesting. Even if you have Luo Tian's ability, you must ask clearly about the details of the monsters you meet on the road.

Monsters without any background will be killed with one blow and there will be little gossip about them; monsters with a background must first honestly make peace with the gods behind them in order to ensure safety.

A wicked person suddenly appeared in front of the Confucius Mansion, so of course I had to ask about his background in detail. "

Kong Zhenning laughed: "Zhi De, you just love to read these strange and bizarre stories. Just keep it in mind. Da Lang, listen to your uncle more."

"Yes!"

(End of this chapter)