Wang Meng knew that he came from a poor family and might not be able to convince the public. If he wanted to govern Nanzheng, he must first establish his authority.
Before taking office, he found Huan Xi and asked:
"If someone commits adultery and commits crimes under a lower official's administration, should he first seek instructions from his lord?"
Huan Xi understood what he meant. Since he was asking in public, he naturally hoped that Huan Xi would give him the power of life and death. Huan Xi said seriously:
"I have always believed in employing people with no suspicion and distrusting those with suspicion. Today, I have handed over Nanzheng County to Mr. Sir. He can make his own decisions on how to govern it. There is no need to ask me for instructions on everything."
Wang Meng felt warm in his heart, and he knew that he had indeed seen the right person.
The next day, Wang Meng was appointed magistrate of Nanzheng County without being appointed by the imperial court. With just a word from Huan Xi, Wang Meng was appointed magistrate of Nanzheng County. On his first day in office, Wang Meng set up a grievance drum outside the county government office in order to hear people's grievances.
Wang Meng wanted to kill people to establish his authority, but he was new to the country and it was difficult to distinguish between loyal and traitorous people.
Huan Xi may know it, but Wang Meng is not willing to rely on Huan Xi in everything, otherwise why would the other party bother to invite him to help.
Wang Meng thought hard and finally found a way.
It turned out that he was not familiar with the place in Nanzheng County, so it would be better to let the sufferer come to his door and talk to him.
Wang Meng pointed to a drum and called to the clerk:
"Set this drum outside the government office and order people to post notices in the city. If there is any grievance, you can beat the drum to complain. I will go to court to investigate the case and will never tolerate it."
The petty officials knew that the new county magistrate had Huan Xi as his backer, so they did not dare to neglect him, fearing that Wang Meng would take him down and kill the chicken to scare the monkeys. They all cheered up and followed Wang Meng's instructions meticulously.
However, the grievances were raised, but the people were skeptical about it.
Although Wang Meng tried many disputes, the big fish he expected never appeared.
The reason is that the people don't know whether he really wants to make decisions for the people or whether he is trying to gain fame. At the same time, they are afraid of retaliation, so they hesitate.
Hanzhong County, Nanzheng County, Li Mansion.
Li Shun, the son of the head of the family, Li Zheng, entertained guests at his mansion. Everyone was drinking and chatting happily, and the topic inadvertently led to the central figure in Liangzhou's public opinion, Wang Meng.
Li Shun didn't know where he got the news. He sneered in public:
"I heard that Wang Jinglue was just a pawn of a trafficker. He used to sell dustpans as a business in his early years. Such a person can actually be entrusted with important tasks. The world has really changed.
"You must also warn your nephews and sons at home. When you travel abroad to study in the future, remember not to say that you are from Nanzheng, so as not to be ridiculed by others, but you are actually a citizen under the rule of the county magistrate."
When everyone heard this, they all burst into laughter, and the name of the County Magistrate spread like wildfire.
When the incident came out, Wang Meng had not expressed anything, but Huan Xi felt the humiliation. He said to Wang Meng angrily:
"I must kill this beast to vent my anger on you!"
Instead, Wang Meng comforted Huan Xi:
"My lord, there is no need to be angry. I was poor in my early years. I sold dustpans and relied on them to support my family. Now that my lord has valued me, I have been entrusted with a county. How can I forget my roots and be ashamed to mention this matter."
"My lord, there is no need to anger others. I am worried that the people cannot understand my sincerity. Now that the reputation of the magistrate of Binji County is far and wide, the people of Nanzheng should also understand that Wang has also experienced hard times and has the same background as them. "
Huan Xi finally calmed down his anger, otherwise, even if he broke with the Li family of Nanzheng, he would severely punish Li Shun and support Wang Meng.
The conversation between the two was reported out of the general's mansion by someone unknown. When Li Zheng learned about it, he was shocked and angry. He called Li Shun to him and slapped him with a raised hand.
Li Shunren was stunned. He stroked his red and swollen cheeks, looked at his angry father in disbelief, and asked:
"Father, what happened to make you so angry?"
Li Zheng said angrily:
"You still dare to ask me, you are so drunken that you can speak freely and ridicule Wang Meng in public. Don't you know how much Huan Xi values this person?
"In the eyes of others, you are not only humiliating Wang Meng, but you are also saying that Huan Xi has no knowledge of people!
"Between you and me, father and son, you can speak freely, but you dare to say that when entertaining guests. Don't you know how to be careful with your words and actions!"
Li Shun was shocked. He finally understood what the problem was. As the heir of the Huan family, Huan Xi could be greedy for money and lustful. These were not problems, but he had to be knowledgeable about people.
And Li Shun ridiculed Wang Meng, thinking that he was embarrassing his big job, which was a disguised way of saying that Huan Xi had hired the wrong person, and the consequences could be big or small. Huan Xi originally wanted to make use of the topic, but without Wang Meng's persuasion, Li Shun would only Afraid of being in jail.
Now that his father is so furious, this matter must have reached Huan Xi's ears. Just when Li Shun was panicking about this, his father Li Zheng pointed out the way out for him:
"You will go to Wang Meng's house now to plead guilty, admit that you made a mistake while drunk, and ask for his forgiveness."
Li Shun felt embarrassed and asked him to plead guilty to a trafficker. If this matter spread, he was afraid that he would be laughed at.
When Li Zheng saw his hesitation, he could only tell the truth:
"Do you know that when Huan Xi learned about this, he threatened to kill you to vent his anger on Wang Meng. If Wang Meng hadn't advised him, you would have been dead!"
Li Shun's legs went weak and he collapsed on the ground. He murmured:
"Why is this, why is this..."
Li Zheng saw this and continued:
"Shun'er, listen to your father's advice. Since the mistake has been made, you must try your best to make up for it. Now Huan Xi is not seeking revenge, but I guarantee that he will not remember this one day, and our whole family will be implicated by you.
"If you can endure the humiliation and bear the burden, ask for Wang Meng's understanding, and work hard for you as a father to make it a good story, even if Huan Xi has a grudge, he will not dare to blame you anymore because of his reputation."
Li Shun heard this and said helplessly:
"Children, listen to your father's teachings."
On the same day, Li Shun came to the county government office to plead guilty, shirtless and carrying a thorn stick on his back.
This move greatly exceeded the expectations of the Liangzhou scholars. Those who came to watch the excitement gathered on the inner and outer three floors of the Yamen. They were not only ordinary people, but also many children of aristocratic families.
But Wang Meng did not go out immediately. It was not until dusk, when it was already time to go off duty, that Wang Meng walked out of the office. When he saw Li Shun kneeling outside the door to plead guilty, he pretended to be surprised and said:
"If you have any grievances, you should beat the drums to complain. Why are you kneeling outside the door with a thorn in your back?"
Li Shun endured the stinging pain on his back and apologized:
"My Excellency, Li Shun, a person from this county, made a drunken remark before and offended the county prince. I ask for your forgiveness."
When Wang Meng heard this, he helped Li Shun up and laughed in front of everyone:
"Who I said it was, it turned out to be Mr. Li, who called me the magistrate of Fanji County."
With that said, Wang Meng untied the vitex sticks from Li Shun and said to the crowd who came to watch the excitement:
"I, Wang Meng, was born in Qingzhou. I suffered from war disasters since I was a child and was displaced from place to place. Mr. Li is right. I once sold dustpans. This skill of weaving dustpans has still not been forgotten to this day."
Hearing him laugh at himself, some people couldn't help laughing and laughed out loud. Wang Meng didn't mind. He pointed to the injustice drum outside the Yamen and continued:
“I came from a humble background, suffered many hardships among the people, was bullied, and had nowhere to complain.
“Therefore, I established the Drum of Injustice to seek justice.
"Today, all the fathers and fellow villagers are here. I have one thing to say. Wang dares to tell you that Wang comes from a poor family and has never forgotten the injustice he suffered when he was young!"
As soon as he finished speaking, someone shouted:
"well said!"
Everyone followed the sound and saw that the crowd was separated, and a noble man in brocade clothes walked out surrounded by guards.
He looked around and said loudly:
"Under Huanxi, I was ordered to serve as the governor of Liangzhou, the general who conquered the captives, the commander-in-chief of all military affairs in Guanzhong, and the captain of the Western Barbarians!"
In fact, as soon as Huan Xi showed up, many people recognized him, but this did not prevent Huan Xi from introducing himself. He continued:
"Today's words from King County Lord are very much in line with my wishes. From today on, if you have any grievances, feel free to report them to King County Lord. From Huan Mou down, no matter who bullies the people or is arrogant and lawless, he will not be leniently spared.
"If anyone dares to retaliate, I will kill him as a warning to everyone!"
As he said this, Huan Xi looked at Li Shun who was standing aside. Li Shun could not help but shudder and quickly lowered his head.
The crowd of onlookers was already excited. The children of the aristocratic families left with dark faces, while the ordinary people all raised their hands in joy.
Huan Xi had previously won the hearts of the people with the help of the land equalization order. Now that he has come forward as a guarantee, no one will doubt whether Wang Meng really wants to uphold justice for the people.
The next day, as soon as the Nanzheng County government office opened its doors, there were people clamoring for help. The subordinate officials had no choice but to come out to maintain order.
For three days in a row, the Nanzheng County government office was crowded with people who came to complain about their grievances. However, Wang Meng responded to Huan Xi's suggestion and chose to hold a public trial in the downtown area.
From officials taking bribes, bending the law, bullying the people, to neighborhood disputes, fighting over land and property, Wang Meng accepted them all.
And he also followed Gang Huanxi's suggestion and chose to hold a public trial in a busy city, attracting many good people to watch.
Sometimes, more than a dozen cases had to be tried in a day, but although Wang Meng concluded the cases quickly, he never misjudged a single case.
From childhood to adulthood, Wang Meng's talents finally convinced Zhu Xu and others.
But Wang Meng was not satisfied. He privately advised Huan Xi:
“A country with stability can use rituals, and a country with chaos must use laws.
“Today’s world is in chaos, and only strict criminal laws can restrain it.
"The official believes that the "Laws of Jin" are no longer suitable for the current troubled times, and the lord should have made plans in advance."
Huan Xi was convinced of this. The "Laws of Jin" were revised during the Cao Wei Dynasty by Jin King Sima Zhao. After that, Sima Yan usurped the throne and revised the laws issued by his father, resulting in the current "Laws of Jin".
Compared with the laws of the Han and Wei dynasties, the "Jin Code" has relaxed punishments, which is reflected in the principle of different punishments for the same crime, that is, if the superior offends the inferior, the greater the status gap, the lighter the punishment.
If one offends one's dignity with one's inferiority, the greater the status gap, the more severe the punishment.
Of course, the Sima family's regime was established with the support of the high-ranking gentry, so it was natural to safeguard the interests of the gentry.
Huan Xi also wanted to promulgate new laws, but not now. He did not have the power yet.
