Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 20 Fifty Strike
Can a fool become an official? Of course he can. It is not impossible for a fool to become a high-ranking official. But it is impossible for a fool to become a provincial governor.

The governor of the state was of the second rank. Above him were the first rank three dukes and the second rank less three dukes. The prime minister was also of the second rank. One could imagine how high an official this governor was at the moment. Xia Lin dared not speak nonsense in front of such a person.

But if you say he is afraid, he is actually not afraid, because he is the mayor of the village by imperial decree. Doesn't the crown prince mean he is not the emperor anymore? So today, even if he says anything, he has to get the money.

Governor Guo called Xia Lin to his study, but did not ask him any questions. He just started to organize his things and then asked someone to bring him some food. He ate while looking at the files on the table, leaving Xia Lin aside.

What can we do about this thing? We can only wait. This is not an ordinary official, but a real provincial governor, who is not on the same level as those provincial governors. This kind of person is the prime minister in Beijing and the head of a warlord outside. If ordinary people don't tremble when seeing this level of official, they are considered to have a very strong psychological quality.

On the contrary, when he got to Xia Lin's place, he actually found a place to sit down, and then picked up the half-read "Spring and Autumn Annals" next to him and started reading.

"Huh?" Governor Guo glanced at Xia Lin and was actually surprised, but he was well-mannered enough and didn't have much to say. He just continued to concentrate on reviewing the documents on the table.

About an hour later, when he finished the first batch of work, Governor Guo finally breathed a sigh of relief. After stretching himself, he looked with interest at Xia Lin, who had been wandering in the sky since who knows when.

"Do you know what crime you are accused of?"

"I know. Fifty strokes of the cane and a three-year salary deduction." Xia Lin blurted out, "I have memorized the laws of the Wei Dynasty by heart."

"Hey, you kid." Guo Zhoumu was now interested: "Then tell me, should I hit you or not?"

Xia Lin raised his eyebrows slightly, then smiled and said, "I should be beaten emotionally, logically and legally. But you can't be beaten this time."

At this time, Governor Guo stood up and walked around the room with his hands behind his back: "Why? Tell me the reason, or I will punish you severely."

"As for emotion, I am satirizing the imperial court. As for reason, I am being indiscriminate. As for the law, I am indeed an inferior who is against the superior. If any of these three charges are meted out to me, it is not unjust for me to be beaten. But why can't you beat me up? It is because I am pleading for the people. If you beat me up, it will reduce your prestige and increase my reputation. In the end, it means that I am taking advantage of you, which is not appropriate. After all, I came here just to ask for money, not for fame. I will let you beat me up when I want fame."

Hearing this, Guo Zhoumu was not prepared and almost laughed out loud: "Why are you so slippery like a loach?"

"There's nothing we can do. The world is dangerous."

"Well, let me hear how you can save face and get the money."

Xia Lin had already prepared a whole plan, and then he said, "This is easy to do. You approved my money with a wave of your hand, and then pardoned my crime."

"Then it's not acceptable in terms of morality, reason and law, right?" Guo Zhou Mu said with a smile, "Is this the method you came up with?"

"Please listen to me." Xia Lin sat down again. "You pardoned me and granted me money. This is because you are kind-hearted and want to help the people. But I can refuse it. I took the money because it is the money I want to use to seek welfare for the people in my hometown. But my punishment cannot be exempted. Not only that, I have to let you publicly and ostentatiously drag me to the most conspicuous place to beat me, to show that the law is merciless. In this way, I get the money, you get mercy, and you can also protect the law of the country. Isn't this both face and money? It just so happens that a large number of scholars have gathered here these days. When the news spreads, everyone will say that Guozhou Mu is benevolent and loves the people, and the minor officials under his rule are fair and law-abiding."

"Hahahaha, how old are you this year?" Guo Zhoumu found that the little loach was talking in an interesting way, so he asked curiously: "You look young."

"After the beginning of autumn, it will be seventeen."

"Becoming a village chief at the age of seventeen? How much money did you pay for it?"

Xia Lin scratched his head. "It didn't cost me any money. I just boasted a little in front of the Prince of Qin and made a three-year agreement with him..."

This was a very mysterious statement, because he didn't know whether Guozhou Mu and the young prince were on the same boat. If he clearly stated that he was the young prince's man, he would be persecuted if they disagreed on politics. But if he said it this way, it would be ambiguous, because everyone knew that the young prince loved to play, and it was normal for him to make a bet with others, so there was no likes or dislikes or closeness in this statement.

If Governor Guo didn't get along with the young prince, he wouldn't have played his cards with the royal faction for someone he didn't know if he was close to the young prince or not. After all, there was still the Prince of Teng in Hongdu, and everyone in the world knew that His Majesty, the Prince of Qin, and the Prince of Teng were in the same boat. But if he was close to the young prince, then this casual mention might not necessarily help, but it would definitely not cause trouble.

Governor Guo looked Xia Lin up and down. Although he had just met this boy, he liked him more and more the more he looked at him. He couldn't explain the reason. It might be the aura in Xia Lin that was different from that of ordinary scholars, or it might be that this boy made him see himself when he was young.

"Since you said so, I will give you fifty lashes."

Xia Lin pursed her lips and nodded: "Hit me...but hit me gently, I'm afraid of the pain."

"Hahahaha...you kid." Governor Guo shook his head: "Oh, that's right. What do you want the money for? To open a workshop? To repair a dock?" "Yes!"

This is exactly what Xia Lin wanted him to ask. He had done so much before and after just to make these big shots interested in the deal of 1,700 taels. It can be said that he made dumplings just for such a little vinegar.

As he spoke, he took out a map of Xinping Township from his arms, spread it out in front of Mu Guo, and then began to talk incessantly about his ideas and plans.

Actually, Mu Guo didn't care whether the silver was worth it or not, it was just a matter of one or two thousand taels. But when the boy took out the map, Mu Guo's eyes lit up. Although he was not from the military, he was in charge of the military of a state. Maps were military secrets and others were not allowed to touch them. But the map in the boy's hand was more detailed and more beautiful than any map he had ever seen. Even though the lines on it were complicated, people could still tell where was where at a glance, and it also marked the precise east, south, west and north.

"What are these squiggles?"

Xia Lin, who was talking about his thoughts nonstop, was stunned for a moment when he was suddenly interrupted: "Mountains. The big circle represents the mountain range, and the small circle represents the peak. The smaller the circle, the higher the mountain."

"Okay, okay, that's really good." Guo Zhoumu nodded and said, "What about these solid and dotted lines?"

"The solid line represents the existing road, and the dotted line is the planned route for the future. Future development must be along the road and avoid the dotted line. For a mountainous and hilly area like this, a convenient waterway must be built along the river. This thick line is a trade route that can ensure the entry and exit of large-scale caravans."

“How was this picture drawn?”

"My brother and I have measured every corner of Xinping Township."

“How can you measure so accurately?”

Xia Lin scratched his face, and then began to explain to this particularly curious adult the triangulation surveying method commonly used in later generations, and then explained what a scale is.

"You also know how to study things?"

"I know a little bit... but it's enough for me."

Guo Zhoumu looked at the picture and then at Xia Lin, but didn't say anything. He just secretly took note of this interesting boy in his heart.

But no matter how much he remembered it, Xia Lin still couldn't escape the beating. Not only was he beaten, but he was beaten in public in front of everyone. When Xia Lin was escorted to the street that day, the scene was just like the last part in The True Story of Ah Q when Ah Q was escorted to the execution ground. There were people watching the excitement all around him, and he even showed a sense of heroism.

The fastest thing in the world is probably rumors. In the morning, he was squatting at the gate of the provincial government office writing a short essay. By the afternoon, the story of a young man who was not afraid of power and petitioned for the people had spread to every corner.

So when he was paraded through the streets, countless people came to watch.

"Little sister, little sister, come with me quickly, there will be something exciting to watch today."

The second son of Prince Teng rushed to the yard and shouted loudly. Then a beautiful girl rushed out of the house and asked excitedly, "What happened?"

"Today, a village official was beating drums and cursing Cao at the gate of the prefectural government office. He was so excited that he even wrote an article to satirize those evil officials. Now he is being paraded through the streets and will be caned publicly later."

"Let's go!" The little princess lifted her skirt and rushed out.

"Little sister, wait for me. Ouch... don't run so fast."

When the two of them arrived at the place, Xia Lin was already lying on the stage. The judge next to him was reading out the causes and consequences of Xia Lin's crime. When they heard that he had come here specifically for two thousand taels of silver to build a workshop and a dock for the people, the crowd watching below couldn't help but sigh.

At this moment, the little princess and the second son of Prince Teng had already squeezed through the crowd. The little princess was short, and it took a lot of effort for her to get through the dense crowd. At this time, Prince Teng had already started to tease him, "I'm afraid this guy is a fool. What's the point of begging for those poor guys? It's a blessing to let them live."

The little princess rolled her eyes but was too lazy to say anything more to her pig-like second brother. If her eldest brother knew about it, he would definitely not be able to avoid a slap in the face.

At this moment, she stood on tiptoe and looked towards the execution platform. She happened to see Xia Lin's face and shouted in surprise, "It's him!"

(End of this chapter)