In Lantian County, Malianshan held the jadeite in his arms and happily walked into his jade workshop on East Street.
"Sir, someone from the county government came over just now. They said that the magistrate has something to do with you. He asked you to come over as soon as you come back." A servant came up to greet him.
"Okay, I understand." After saying that, Ma Lianshan handed the original stone to the servant, "This is a good piece, take it and put it in my room."
"Yes." The servant slowly took the original stone.
Lantian County Government is located on Xianmen Street in the center of the county.
Malianshan put his hands behind his back and walked towards the county government office.
The gate of the county government office was brightly lit. The two government officials held water and fire sticks and looked enviously at the people eating, drinking and chatting at the stall in the distance, blinking.
Seeing Malianshan approaching in the distance, he hurriedly bowed and saluted: "Uncle, your Excellency is waiting for you inside the county government office."
"You are still on duty so late, just to wait for me?" Ma Lianshan smiled, took out some broken silver from his arms, and handed it to the two of them: "I will be off duty in a while, and I will go out to satisfy my craving."
"Thank you, uncle." The yamen servant's face was full of smiles, his hands were bent, and he caught the broken silver.
In the lobby of the county government, several oil lamps on the walls were burning brightly, illuminating the entire lobby like daylight.
The county magistrate Yang Kang was sitting on a chair, holding a jade bracelet in his hand and looking at an oil lamp on the table from time to time.
The blue sky produces jade, but top-quality jade is not very common.
As the county magistrate, Yang Kang was very supportive of the jade industry in Lantian and had his own insights into jade.
"Father-in-law, are you looking for me?" Ma Lianshan walked into the lobby and saluted Yang Kang.
Slowly putting down the jade bracelet in his hand, Yang Kang raised his head and looked at the other party: "Did you instigate Yuhuan to encircle the river to raise fish?"
"No, no, it's Yuhuan who likes fish and wants to raise fish." Ma Lianshan waved his hand hurriedly.
"She wants to raise fish. With a yard as big as her home, she can't dig a pond. She has to encircle the river?"
"The pond in the yard has stagnant water. Even if it is used to raise fish, the water in the pond will deteriorate over time and the fish will die. The river water is different. It is always flowing and as clear as ever." Malianshan said with a smile, facing Yang Kang
He was groping for the chair, trying to sit down.
"Stop, who told you to sit down?" Seeing Ma Lianshan's intention, Yang Kang raised his voice, "Will Yuhuan understand what you said? You still said you didn't instigate it?"
Yang Kang knew clearly what his daughter's IQ was. Without Malianshan's instigation, she could have played in the yard her whole life.
"Father-in-law, it's like this." Ma Lianshan chuckled and pointed to another chair next to the table, "Can I sit down and talk?"
"Sit down." Yang Kang said calmly.
Sitting on the chair, Ma Lianshan leaned forward and lowered his voice: "Didn't my father-in-law pay ten taels of silver as compensation before sending the father and son back? Does my father-in-law know why Yuhuan fought with them?"
"I just helped Yuhuan solve the problem. I didn't really ask about the specific reason. Does this have something to do with enclosing the river?" Yang Kang frowned, very puzzled.
It was wrong for his daughter to hit someone. He also checked the other person's injuries. The young man only had a little skin injury, but the old man did have a few broken ribs.
This Yuhuan does things based on his mood. I really haven't thought much about the specific reason for doing it.
I just want to give the old man some money so that he can go home and find a doctor to take good care of him.
Hearing Ma Lianshan say this, he couldn't help but feel a little doubt in his heart.
"Yuhuan and others are fighting to rob something." Ma Lianshan said in a low voice.
"what?"
"A piece of raw jadeite."
"What did you say, a piece of jadeite?" Yang Kang's eyes widened, as if he couldn't believe his ears.
What is jade? Jade is actually a stone, just a prettier stone.
But jade is different. It is the best of jade, a natural stone on the same level as jewelry.
Having been the magistrate of Lantian County for more than ten years, he also knows a lot about the jade produced in Lantian. However, he has never heard of the existence of jade in Lantian.
"A rough jadeite stone over a foot long. The entire leather is faintly glowing with a layer of green light." When he said this, Malianshan's heart began to beat rapidly.
"This rough stone was found in the river you want to circle?" Yang Kang asked impatiently.
"Yes." Malianshan nodded, "That river channel is just outside the wall of Shuilu Temple. It is the confluence of two streams. If we circle it, we can look for jade in it openly and alone. If we are lucky,
Well, we may be able to find the source of jade by following the stream. Once we process the jade jewelry, what does my father-in-law want that we can't do yet?"
Looking at Yang Kang, Ma Lianshan laughed obscenely.
"If it's as you said, it goes without saying that the wealth will be huge. What I'm worried about is that if the imperial court knew about this, wouldn't they confiscate the jade mine to the national treasury?" Yang Kang frowned and expressed his worries.
These mountains and rivers all belong to the Ming Dynasty, and the ownership is naturally owned by the court.
When nothing is discovered, the local government can control it independently. But once minerals appear, it is natural for them to confiscate the national treasury.
After all, this mountain belongs to the imperial court, how can the things in the mountain belong to individuals.
"So, my father-in-law only needs to circle this place in the name of the county government, and leave the specific matters to his son-in-law." Ma Lianshan squeezed his eyes, looking confident.
Yang Kang sat up and said, "You instigated Yuhuan to pester me to circle the river. Did you already have your own ideas?"
Malianshan chuckled: "If I forcibly circle the river, no one in Magou Town would dare to resist. But if someone really makes trouble, there will still be a lot of trouble. There is no problem in suppressing it with force, but if my elder brother knows
Now, I can't go back without a scolding from him. When he was an official in the capital, he was afraid that our relatives would hold him back. No, I wanted to renovate the yard in Magou Town several times, but he stopped me. He said that the yard had already been repaired.
It's old enough, don't make it so public anymore. Sometimes, it's really not a good thing to have someone in the family who is an official."
Looking at Ma Lianshan, Yang Kang really wanted to slap him.
Low-key, is this what you call low-key? No matter how you hear it, it has a meaning of showing off. What's wrong with your brother being an official in the capital? It's not you who is an official.
You are so powerful, why don't you marry my Yang Kang's daughter and rely on the power of the county government to run a decent business in Lantian County?
It's fine if you don't mention your eldest brother, but I'll get angry if you mention him.
He was an official in the capital, and as an in-law, he wrote to him several times, asking him to do some activities in the capital and promote himself.
But the other party was nice, he looked aloof and kept himself down-to-earth and worked hard, and the court would naturally see his results.
What is the difference between having such in-laws and not having such in-laws?
It's better now. If the river is enclosed, he will become a problem.
"It's okay to circle the river in the name of the county government, but there must be a reason to convince the public, right?" Yang Kang said.
Malianshan chuckled: "My son-in-law has already thought of this reason for you."
"tell me the story."
"The river behind Shuilu Temple is very steep with huge boulders. Anyone with a discerning eye can tell at a glance that it is formed by mountain torrents all year round. My father-in-law can encircle this place in the name of regulating the river and building water conservancy projects. Of course, building water conservancy projects will require
Money, the money of the county government is not enough to support it, so we can only rely on these wealthy households in the county to raise funds." Malianshan said with a smile.
"Then what?"
"As your son-in-law, I naturally want to support the county government's decision. Not only will I provide money, but I will also provide labor. My son-in-law will handle the specific construction of water conservancy projects alone."
"Okay, okay." Yang Kang laughed, "I married the jade ring to you, and I really married the wrong person. If the water conservancy project is completed, we will get the jade, and we will achieve political achievements. When the time comes, I will go to Xi'an
Let’s report it to the government and see if we can get you an official position.”
"No." Ma Lianshan hurriedly waved his hand and refused, "It's enough for you and your eldest brother to be officials in the court. I'd better do business for you. If you really have an official position, your hands will be tied.
I can do whatever I want like I do now. I have the support of my big brother in the capital, and my father-in-law has the final say in the local area, and I will actually operate everything for us. Wouldn't this be more perfect?"
"The waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves ahead. With your view, I feel ashamed. I will do as you say."
Holding on to the table, Yang Kang stood up with a smile.
