"Thank you for your support, sir!"
"Support or not, it all depends on your own abilities! Since you already know what to do, I won't linger here any longer. You can handle the rest yourself!"
Having said what he needed to say, Wang Chaoan had no intention of staying. He cupped his hands to Liao Wenxing and got up to head out the door.
After seeing Wang Chaoan off, Liao Wenxing was so excited that he started rubbing his hands together.
This was truly a windfall, a pie falling from the sky right onto his head.
Tongpan of Bozhou!
The mere thought of this position filled him with drive.
"Someone, go find Cui Hao for me!"
After a good while, Liao Wenxing finally managed to calm his excitement.
Although they had benefited from a misfortune this time, there were still many things they needed to do to completely overcome this hurdle.
"My lord, you were looking for me?"
Half an hour later, Cui Hao, sweating profusely, rushed back.
"You don't need to prepare the arrangements anymore!"
Since there were many things for him to do next, Liao Wenxing, seeing him sweating so much, didn't get angry. Instead, he poured him a cup of tea and motioned for him to sit down and talk.
"Don't need to prepare anymore?"
This made Cui Hao, who had been inwardly cursing, suddenly stunned. He could barely believe his ears.
After all, according to his calculations, he would need at least fifty thousand guan to settle this matter.
This was no small sum. If he were to produce fifty thousand guan, all the wealth he had accumulated over the years through deception and trickery would likely be emptied out this time.
"That's right, it's our good luck this time!"
Liao Wenxing chuckled and quickly recounted what had just happened to him.
Although the matter was extremely secretive, this young man was, after all, in the same boat as him. Moreover, the specific tasks still required his involvement. Therefore, Liao Wenxing didn't hide much from him.
"Congratulations, my lord!"
"Alright, stop flattering me. If this matter is handled well this time, I will surely be promoted and prosper, but won't you rise with the tide?"
"Thank you for your support, my lord!"
Even though he knew this fellow was just making empty promises, Cui Hao couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
For officials like him who were not from the Jinshi examination, without any special opportunities, County Assistant was basically their final destination!
If he could truly advance further through this opportunity, perhaps this was indeed a blessing in disguise.
"Alright, before we talk about that, we still need to think about how to use this opportunity to frame that fellow surnamed Han with the crime of eliminating dissent and wantonly killing court officials!"
Compared to these cheap compliments, he was more interested in knowing how to complete his task.
"Zhou Ding is still alive. I think we should proceed in two steps!"
After pondering for a moment, Cui Hao spoke directly.
"Tell me."
Liao Wenxing, being a Jinshi scholar, was somewhat lacking in these underhanded dealings. Hearing Cui Hao's suggestion, he was overjoyed and quickly asked.
"The first step, naturally, is to exonerate Zhou Ding!"
"That matter might not be easy..."
After hesitating, Liao Wenxing shook his head and dismissed the idea.
After all, he had some knowledge of Zhou Ding's affairs. On one hand, this fellow was not a good person. On the other hand, he was from Neihuang County, and it was somewhat difficult to intervene from afar.
"My lord, you are mistaken!"
"Oh?"
"My lord, don't you forget, didn't Steward Wang say that my lord just needed an excuse? We just need to report it, and others will handle the subsequent matters!"
After Cui Hao's analysis, Liao Wenxing felt a sense of sudden enlightenment.
Come to think of it, it really seemed that way!
Once the interrogation matter reached the Judicial Inspection Commission, others would naturally handle it. Why should he worry about it?
"Then what about the second step?"
"The second step is, of course, to label those fellows from Xiaoti as bandits! This way, it would become Han Mo colluding with bandits, eliminating dissent under the guise of suppressing bandits, and harboring malicious intentions!"
"Brilliant!"
After hearing his analysis, Liao Wenxing was filled with surprise and delight. He hadn't expected Cui Hao to be quite capable!
"My lord, I think we should do this: find someone to check on Zhou Ding again, and have him transcribe a copy of the prepared document. This way, even if your lord disapproves of the fellow surnamed Han bullying his colleagues, you are speaking up righteously by reporting it!"
Cui Hao chuckled and whispered.
"In this way, even if this matter fails, my lord will only be guilty of negligence!"
Liao Wenxing's eyes lit up. This fellow was truly talented!
"Your subordinate hadn't thought of this layer. My lord indeed has keen insight!"
Cui Hao seized the opportunity to flatter him.
"You really didn't see this?"
Liao Wenxing burst into laughter.
"Hahahahaha!"
The two of them let out a burst of laughter simultaneously, their faces full of excitement.
————————————————
It was already nearing July, and within Neihuang, there were four rivers. The flood season each year was a formidable obstacle for the local populace.
A single misstep could lead to widespread flooding, and the people's entire year's harvest could be lost.
To safely pass through the flood season, Han Mo had led his men out early in the morning to inspect the river dikes.
"Why is there such a significant difference between the dikes on both sides of the Wei River?"
After a tour, Han Mo immediately noticed the disparity.
The difference between the east and west banks of the Wei River was truly enormous.
The river dike on the west bank was nearly ten feet high. Given the water volume of the Wei River, unless it was a flood that occurred once in several decades, the dike would not be shaken in the slightest.
The other side, however, was completely different. Not only was the dike on the east bank significantly lower, but many sections were also in disrepair due to age.
"My lord, the land on the west bank belongs to that scoundrel Zhang Huai..."
Several constables following behind quickly said in a low voice.
"So that's how it is..."
Han Mo let out a wry smile. That fellow was indeed ruthless.
This clearly meant that all the funds allocated by the imperial court for river management over the years had been used to build his own dikes!
Although he was now finished, the problem was that this presented a major challenge for Han Mo at this juncture!
"This won't do. If it continues like this, and if there's a flood this year, it will be a major disaster!"
"But the imperial court has no surplus funds or grain right now, and relying solely on ourselves might be..."
Although the constables' words were unfinished, everyone understood what they meant.
The section of the Wei River dike that needed repair was nearly ten li long. With the meager funds in the prefectural treasury, it simply wouldn't be enough to sustain it!
"Money! Money! Money..."
Han Mo frowned deeply. River management was no small expense...