One county was like this, and so was a second, and a third. The fourth, however, was different. In one of its villages, they witnessed a tragic scene: a valley crammed with displaced villagers, even the bark stripped from the trees and eaten. Sobs drifted over. More people had starved to death last night.
They descended and asked around, learning what had happened. The new county magistrate was building an estate and had seized their village, turning them into refugees.
Song Lifu suppressed his fury and learned the full story.
The previous magistrate had been a decent man, but the torment he endured day and night had killed him three months ago. The authorities had sent a replacement, who was bent on currying favor with his superiors. He planned an extravagant construction project, a luxurious waterside estate, and had seized the land and driven these people out.
When Song Lifu and Lin Xiaosu left the little mountain village, their fury blazed ten thousand feet high.
Lin Xiaosu said meaningfully, "Lord Song, do you know why those three decent magistrates we saw today have remained in office? Because their prefect refuses to attend to his duties."
"Hmm?" Song Lifu did not understand.
"Under the Great Wilderness Code, appointments and dismissals of county magistrates require the prefect's nomination. The officials at the West River prefectural seat have repeatedly demanded that these magistrates be replaced, but their prefect has been lying low in Shangqiu. He would rather bear the criticism than handle government affairs, so those replacements have been delayed again and again!" Lin Xiaosu smiled faintly. "Do you see now, my lord? Sometimes, refusing to do anything is a blessing amid misfortune!"
Song Lifu let out a long breath. "But Half-Moon County was different. Its magistrate died, so whether the prefect attended