As soon as Lin Changqi finished speaking, he returned to the Lin Family group. But to the county magnates of the various families, his words were no different from a thunderclap crashing down, blasting them dizzy and dazed, leaving them unable to react for a moment.
The discussion that had only just quieted down rose again. This time, Lu Shiming, head of the "Cloud Water" Lu Family, directly raised his voice and demanded, "Lin Changdao has resigned from his post as county magistrate. Then who will take over as magistrate of Ludong County?"
"Silence!" Lesser Zhongzheng Guo Zhenren shouted again, suppressing the crowd's discussions. He then stepped forward and announced, "Lin Changdao has resigned from the post of county magistrate, and the court has already approved it. Since Ludong County has no Seventh-Rank county magnate clan, there is no one qualified to hold the position of Seventh-Rank county magistrate!"
"Therefore, the court has already issued an edict to select another candidate to come here and serve as county magistrate!"
"Three days from now, the new county magistrate will assume office. The county magnates of every family are to go to the county office and pay him their respects!"
"The official appointments for the newly promoted Liang Clan and Wang Clan, as well as certain adjustments to official positions, will be announced by the newly appointed county magistrate at that time!"
Lesser Zhongzheng Guo Zhenren's words were like a string of cannon blasts, battering the county magnates of the various families severely.
Only after a long while did they recover. This had clearly been arranged in advance by the Lin Family and the Lesser Zhongzheng—or rather, by them and the court—which was why they had coordinated so seamlessly.
Meanwhile, the county magnates of their families had been completely sold out, having