"Those villagers...have stopped making trouble?" Yan Laifu turned his back and asked the people in the hall.
"Since the government officials left, they have gradually stopped." Several strong men knelt on the ground and smiled flatteringly.
"You did a good job," Yan Laifu turned around. "Those words really stirred up the atmosphere. If it weren't for you today, I don't think Squire Hu would have to make a trip. Come, give me a reward of five yuan each." Two pieces of silver, send back to the village!"
After saying this, a servant came from the back room, holding a silver plate in his hand with grained silver wrapped in red cloth.
"Thank you, Master Yan! Thank you, Master Yan!" Everyone looked at the shining silver and smiled. They kowtowed and accepted it with trembling hands.
"audacious in the extreme!"
One of the clerks snatched the county magistrate's report document and threw it on the ground, surprising the other three.
"Master Magistrate!" He stared at the past, "Can you allow the unruly people under your rule to make trouble like this? Still sitting here quietly, I am really... alas!"
Another clerk heard this and echoed: "Master Magistrate, when we work for the imperial court, we must be loyal to the country. If we die in death, how can we repay the emperor? Please don't hesitate and give the order quickly to arrest the troublemakers. , and arrest Hu Zhizhang and Yan Laifu for treason!"
The prefect of Jinan glanced at Chen Tongpao in horror, and then calmed down, still looking down at the file: "You two, there is a saying that the law does not blame the public, you should have heard it. I have countless villagers in Qufu, how can I exhaust them all? Arrest? As for the two gentry Hu and Yan, we have no evidence to prove that they planned this incident. If we talk about a crime of treason without distinguishing between facts and facts, it will not only hurt the people's hearts, but also incur consequences for Yan Xiang. Gossip.”
"So, just let it be and forget it?" The clerk sneered.
"Now the people's hearts are boiling. If the conflict intensifies again and is not calmed down, you all know what the consequences will be. Don't think that you can just slap your butt and walk away after passing the responsibility to me. Don't forget, this plan to entertain the two of you, you He also nodded!"
The two book offices felt as if they were struck by lightning. They stood there in a daze, not daring to move.
"The prefect has a lot of difficulties," Tongpao Chen suddenly said, his face facing the two clerks, "We should understand and not be harsh. Today, we can have people issue notices to appease the villagers and forgive their crimes. "On the one hand, I informed the two gentry Hu Yan and ordered him to rest for a while to recuperate from his illness. We will put aside this discussion for the time being. This will ease the situation a little."
"How should the imperial court deal with it?" The two clerks had no choice but to obey Chen Tongpao's advice.
Chen Tongpao said: "This matter can still be suppressed for a while. Let him wait for three to five days and wait and see what happens, and then report it to the court."
The prefect asked again: "If the supervisor has no communication with the court, how can he know about the changes in the capital? Where does the word 'jingguan' come from?"
Facing the questions one after another from everyone, Chen Tongpao seemed unhurried, waved his hand and said, "Don't worry. I have plenty of ways to get the news from the DPRK, so you don't need to ask any more questions."
The three people knew that Mr. Chen was very clever and clever. After hearing these words, they all felt confident and said in unison: "Everything depends on Mr. Supervisor!"
In accordance with the order from the government office, the magistrate of Qufu asked several government officials to go to each village to post notices and explained them personally, saying, "The magistrate knows that his actions were inappropriate and has deeply regretted them. I am afraid that you and other people will be uneasy because of this." , the special messenger pardoned the crime. None of the local officials will be held accountable! 'After a while of being blamed, the villagers were finally able to calm down. Then they heard that Mr. Hu had been spared from the disaster, so they returned to their respective fields and no longer complained.
Inside the palace, the clouds were gathering.
Zeng Liang, the newly promoted Minister of Household Affairs, was standing upright under the dark palace wall, holding an oil-paper umbrella and staring blankly at the rumbling sky. He stretched his hand out of the umbrella and raised it high. For a moment, he suddenly felt a cold feeling in his palm.
"Alas..." He looked at the raindrops on his palms and clenched his fists, "God knows it too!" After saying this, his footsteps became faster and faster, and he walked straight into the lobby of a certain place.
"Gao Shangshu, Prime Minister Yan has approved another document and asked you to take a look at it." Zeng Liang opened the bamboo curtain outside the house, put down his umbrella, walked up and took out the document from his sleeve.
"Put it there." Gao Jizhi, the Minister of Civil Affairs, ignored him. He only raised his eyes and returned to his original work.
"What are you doing?" Zeng Liang asked, knocking on the table as he saw him writing furiously on a piece of white paper.
"Private matters."
"You'd better tell me," Zeng Liang's expression suddenly became solemn, "colleagues should not be secretive and guard against each other."
"Xianzhi is really suspicious," Gao Jizhi smiled and handed the paper over, "If you want to read it, just read it."
Zeng Liang's eyes swayed left and right a few times, then he became surprised: "Your reply to Chen Gongzhou? When did he write to you? You did it without telling Yan Xiang, this is a big crime!"
"I just arrived this morning," Gao Jizhi leaned over. "He sent me a separate letter, saying that the situation in Shandong was not very good, that he had temporarily suspended the new policy, and asked Prime Minister Yan what was going on here."
"You have to keep this matter secret." Zeng Liang whispered.
Gao Jizhi smiled: "Xianzhi calls himself an upright minister. Why doesn't he get angry and impeach me when he sees me doing such a big thing of deceiving the superiors and concealing the truth from the inferiors?"
Zeng Liang said sternly: "Prime Minister Yan has been doing this unkind thing for a long time, and the world is angry. He knows it but dare not speak out. I am going to court for this matter, and I am upright for the people of the world!"
"Look at you, it's just a joke. You dare to criticize the deputy prime minister in front of your colleagues. This is enough to show Xiangzhi's loyalty." Gao Jizhi said with satisfaction, "Wait a minute, I'll finish writing first. Say it again."
"Read the document first." Zeng Liang pushed the document from the Central Publishing House over. "Didn't Chen Tongpao ask for news from the court? After reading it, I can just add a few sentences."
Gao Jizhi then put down his writing brush, lowered his head and silently read the fine print on the document. The paper windows began to crackle, and the rain intensified.
"One member of Guangdong's Xinzhu who was dissatisfied with the New Deal was the head of a small county... Jiangxi's five members of Xinzhu who were dissatisfied with the New Deal, the one with the highest position was a scholar... Guan Shaanxi was punished for six... Sichuan was punished for three..."
"That's crazy." Gao Jizhi immediately put down the letter, cold sweat breaking out from his forehead.
"Prime Minister Yan told me that these are the people who deserve to be killed. This method is very effective and we can take back the school fields. Let my household department re-count the local farmers and ask you to send officials to fill the vacancies as soon as possible."
"Kill anyone you meet, who wants to make up for it!" Gao Jizhi was a little angry and stood up resolutely, "If we obey orders honestly, it will be the same as killing people!"
