Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 565 - 564: Grudgingly Forking Out the Silver
The official from Kaifeng Prefecture continued, "Zhu Ganglie, you’ve never held an official position, you can’t understand the reasoning."
"There are so many people to consider, a village might temporarily be neglected, but it’s only temporary, what’s yours, even if you have to wait a little longer, it’s still yours."
Tian Peng exchanged a glance with the official from Kaifeng Prefecture and immediately understood what to do next.
He pretended to still be confused, even beginning to be willfully obstinate.
"This won’t do, how long have we been waiting already, if it weren’t for the canal being repaired, our village would probably have no people left, making us wait so long, how is that justifiable?!"
The County Magistrate paused, then explained with a sense of grievance, "Zhu Ganglie, it’s not that I didn’t want to help you, it’s just that I hadn’t had the chance to help you before you repaired the canal yourselves, how can you turn around and blame me?"
"So what are we supposed to do, the canal is already fixed, all by ourselves, the office really doesn’t care at all?" said Tian Peng, unconvinced.
"How could that be, we do care, it’s just that you all acted too quickly."
"Furthermore, you didn’t inform me while you were repairing the canal, by the time I found out, it was already done, how can you turn around and blame me again?"
The County Magistrate was getting on in years, but he wasn’t greedy for food, rather he often frequented the brothel, indulging in pleasure, his body lean and dry, and even a bit frail.
With a pitiful expression, he looked as if he could hardly stand steady as if about to faint, if it weren’t for the servant supporting him, he might not have been able to stand at all.
"Well, County Magistrate, you must have had a hard time, it’s been almost a month since we repaired the canal, and you haven’t heard anything," Tian Peng said with a cold laugh.
"I..."
The County Magistrate had yet to think of a retort, still organizing his thoughts.
Because of his appearance, even if he spoke slowly, no one would find it strange.
"Zhu Ganglie, this is where you’re wrong," the official from Kaifeng Prefecture chimed in.
The County Magistrate looked at the official from Kaifeng Prefecture with a face full of grievance, his voice even choked up, as if he had suffered a great deal.
"My lord..."
Tian Peng remained haughty, "What’s wrong with me, anyway, the canal was fixed by ourselves, we didn’t use any government funds, yet he still collects taxes from us every year, does nothing, so why should we pay taxes?"
"How can you say such a thing," the official from Kaifeng Prefecture reprimanded sternly.
Tian Peng’s voice grew louder in response to the official’s severity, "What’s wrong with me, I feel I’m completely right, it’s the government’s inaction, not only do they do nothing, they also collect our taxes."
"Now that someone from above has come, they pretend to be pitiful, saying we took the government’s job, that we didn’t give them a chance to act!"
"But what the County Magistrate said isn’t wrong," the official from Kaifeng Prefecture said, "if you hadn’t fixed the canal ahead of time, maybe the County Magistrate would have had it repaired for you."
"I just don’t believe it," Tian Peng said indignantly.
"Look at you now, you’re even starting to be unreasonable," said the official from Kaifeng Prefecture.
"But he hasn’t done anything, and you won’t even let me speak my mind?" Tian Peng was quite enraged.
With the support of the official from Kaifeng Prefecture, the County Magistrate felt his spine straighten, now just waiting for the official to admonish Tian Peng.
"No one is stopping you from speaking, but the County Magistrate also said, everyone who worked on the canal will be given a subsidy," said the official from Kaifeng Prefecture, looking back—a gesture towards the County Magistrate—"right?"
The County Magistrate was startled and didn’t expect the conversation to lead back to subsidies. He quickly nodded, "Yes, indeed, I am to give you money."
"Then where is the money?" Tian Peng said, "It has been several months by now, and not only have I not seen a penny, but none of those brothers who repaired the water channel have either."
The official from the Kaifeng Prefecture also looked at the County Magistrate, "Where is the money? Weren’t you already prepared? Hurry and get it out so this young man can take a good look and prove that you really have prepared the subsidy, you just haven’t had the chance to distribute it yet."
Thinking of the money in his private stash, the County Magistrate felt conflicted. He had not easily saved that money, and now he was unexpectedly supposed to hand it out, and to Tian Peng of all people.
However, with the official from the Kaifeng Prefecture watching, he had no choice but to go through with it.
"That, well, I really have prepared it, just waiting to give it to you," the County Magistrate said.
"Then bring it out!" Tian Peng said loudly.
"Hurry up and bring it out, so Tian Peng knows you’re not lying."
Even the official from the Kaifeng Prefecture was pressing him, so the County Magistrate, without an alternative, told his servant, "Quick, go get it, the official and the young man are waiting here, we can’t keep them waiting for nothing!"
"Oh, I’ll go get it right away," the servant quickly nodded in agreement.
He was quite clever and knew the County Magistrate had not prepared anything; he himself also didn’t know how much to fetch, so he found a safe excuse and asked, "My lord, since I’m new to the office, where did you prepare the money?"
The County Magistrate followed up on the servant’s question, "What a useless fellow, the silver is in the box on the table behind the hall, containing ten taels of silver."
"I’ll go fetch it right now, my lord," the servant said before dashing off immediately.
Tian Peng couldn’t help but smile. Only ten taels of silver for over fifty people—that wouldn’t even be half a tael each.
The silver given by the emperor was one ingot per person, and one ingot was five or six taels. Even if one didn’t compare it to the emperor’s largesse, one tael of silver per person was not unreasonable.
After all, they had nearly spent a month repairing the water channel, only for it to come to this—not even a half tael of silver to be distributed to each worker.
The official from the Kaifeng Prefecture heard what he had said and asked, "The ten taels of silver you mentioned—are they to be divided equally among the peasants who repaired the water channel?"
The County Magistrate still didn’t understand his meaning and nodded subconsciously.
In his heart, he felt exceedingly generous; after all, it was ten taels of silver. If it weren’t for the official from the Kaifeng Prefecture looking on, he wouldn’t have given them a single coin, let alone ten taels.
"You do realize that there were over fifty people working on the water channel? I’m afraid ten taels of silver won’t be enough to go around," said the official from the Kaifeng Prefecture.
The County Magistrate was stunned; he thought himself quite generous, yet in the eyes of the official from the Kaifeng Prefecture, it appeared insufficient.
But since he’d already spoken, he couldn’t call the servant back to give some more silver.
His eyes flickered as he came up with an excuse, explaining, "Please don’t blame me, my lord. It’s not that I’m stingy, but the town suffered severe disasters, and my money went to repairing the village. Really, there wasn’t much left."
If Tian Peng hadn’t known the true state of the village himself, he would have been fooled by the County Magistrate.
He spoke with such compelling sincerity, and combined that with his lean physique, he almost seemed the picture of hardship.
Unfortunately for the County Magistrate, Tian Peng knew exactly why the official was so skinny; it was the fruit of his diligent labors at the brothel.
It must be said, this dry old stick of a man could really seem quite pitiful when he put on an act.
"So that’s how it is, you really have it tough," said the official from the Kaifeng Prefecture, "Rest assured, I didn’t come here for nothing."
