In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, people's livelihood was already in decline, but corrupt officials were rampant, and the people's lives were indeed difficult.
Lu Zongyi knew that official corruption was related to the low salary of the imperial court, and also related to the severe punishment of emperor beheading or skinning for any amount of corruption.
For some officials, they cannot afford to live a good life with a meager salary, so they can only be greedy. Since there is no difference between being greedy for six hundred taels, greedy for six hundred taels, six thousand taels, or sixty thousand taels. They all go to the Tutu Temple to wrap up straw and watch the night, so why not be more greedy, and simply live a free and happy life? Year.
This kind of chaos is getting worse and worse, and it cannot be solved by beheading.
Lu Zongyi thought of something, put aside the case, and asked instead: "I heard that you have set up a trustworthy bank in Quanzhou government office, and subordinate officials and servants can get a lot of salary. Is this true?"
Gu Zhengchen nodded slightly: "That's true."
Lu Zongyi stared, a little unbelievable: "You are acting like this and violating the regulations of the imperial court. Aren't you afraid of the emperor's anger? You must know that privately dividing the money and food from the government treasury is a capital crime."
Gu Zhengchen looked deeply at Lu Zongyi, and when he saw his serious attitude, he knew that he didn't know him very well, unlike Wu Kang, Qin Xin and others who had detailed information about him.
"Lu Shenzheng, the reason why I set up the Integrity Bank is to reduce and avoid corruption. In my opinion, whether it is a government office or a county government, they should give some money and food to officials and servants every month, not to mention generous support. But I hope that their family can have enough food, sleep and warmth, and have some surplus to cope with birth, old age, illness, death, weddings and funerals. I think these officials and servants will not risk beheading to be greedy and prey on the people."
Lu Zongyi nodded slightly after listening to Gu Zhengchen's explanation.
Officials in Yanping Prefecture, Fuzhou Prefecture, Funing Prefecture and other places are also corrupt. The root cause is that the corruption of these officials is not due to too much personal desire. They want romance, beauty, and delicacies. They are not doing it to live a good life, but to live a good life. . After solving the problem of living, the family no longer has to be as poor as a beggar, and the officials can live like human beings. Many of them do not have any thoughts of corruption.
Some officials with good moral character could not withstand the desolation of being almost homeless, so they had no choice but to take risks.
"So, are you really not afraid of death?"
Lu Zongyi asked.
Gu Zhengchen pulled a chair from the side and sat opposite Lu Zongyi: "It's hard to say whether I'm afraid of death or not, but I really want to live and I want more people to live better. As long as I continue If you stay in Quanzhou as the magistrate, the Integrity-raising Silver will not only exist in the Quanzhou government office. Before the end of the year, all officials and servants in the seven counties of Quanzhou can get the Integrity-raising Silver."
Lu Zongyi laughed: "How can a dying person come up with such calculations?"
With a smile on his face, Gu Zhengchen picked up a recruitment brochure and glanced at it: "Lu Shenzheng came to the Quanzhou government office. Didn't he come after hearing that I arrested Gao Shenzheng?"
Lu Zongyi asked: "How can you see it?"
Gu Zhengchen narrowed his eyes and stared at Lu Zongyi: "If I have the courage to arrest one political party member, I will naturally have the courage to arrest the second political party member!"
Lu Changyan, who had been beside Lu Zongyi all the time, lowered his wrist slightly, and a chopstick slipped out from his fingertips. His dim old eyes became sharp at this moment.
Lu Zongyi looked at Gu Zhengchen and said word by word: "You want to arrest me?"
The two people looked at each other across a desk.
The silent lobby was filled with a chilling air.
Snapped!
The sound of a teacup breaking.
Lu Changyan took action instantly and ducked to Gu Zhengchen's side. He put a chopstick against Gu Zhengchen's temple. He stretched out his other hand, pointed the chopstick at Zhang Pei who was rushing over, and said coldly: "I don't want him to die. Just don’t go any further.”
Zhang Pei took a step back and twitched the corners of his mouth slightly: "I have underestimated you."
Gu Zhengchen didn't blink and looked at Lu Zongyi: "He alone can't influence the government office. So, you are not here because of Gao Hui. In other words, people from the provincial government office will come to Jinjiang soon. I I think it should be Chen Taichen joining politics this time, right?”
Qin Song hurriedly walked into the lobby and was shocked when he saw the scene in front of him. He was about to take action, but Gu Zhengchen raised his hand to stop him: "Tell me, what's the matter?"
Qin Song solemnly said: "I received news that a large number of sergeants appeared north of Luoyang Town, and a small number of sergeants have passed Wan'an Bridge. Before dusk, a large number of sergeants are likely to appear in Jinjiang City."
The corner of Gu Zhengchen's mouth moved slightly: "What is supposed to come will come eventually, so step back."
Qin Song was a little anxious: "Can you inform the Quanzhou Guard?"
Gu Zhengchen stood up and said calmly: "Why do you need to inform the Quanzhou Guards and ask them to come over and fight with the Fuzhou Guards? They are all soldiers of the Ming Dynasty and serve the same court. There is no need to go to war over this."
Seeing this, Qin Song had no choice but to retreat.
Gu Zhengchen looked at Lu Zongyi: "I am busy and have no time to chat with Lu Shenzhengxu. Why don't you ask your old servant to stop."
Lu Zongyi asked with a cold face: "Why didn't you ask the guards to stop first?"
Gu Zhengchen laughed, raised his hand and said, "Xiao Cheng, don't use such a dangerous thing against Lu Shenzheng, put it away, it doesn't matter."
Lu Changyan looked in shock, and saw that the originally sleepy man had actually sat up, holding a small crossbow in his hand, while the other man had also stood up, holding a pebble in his hand.
Lu Zongyi was a little unbelievable: "You are just a prefect, why are there so many guards around you? The one who brings tea and water to you is probably a sergeant. The two people who just came in to report are still."
Fujian is not at peace. Some people dare to rob even those who participate in politics. In order to avoid being beaten, I asked someone to find him. Only then did I find such a master from the clan. It is said that he has practiced with the master for twenty years. In the Yuan Dynasty, He mingled with thousands of households in the army, but later he really couldn't stand Yuan Ting and didn't want to join Zhang Shicheng's army, so he hid in the countryside.
He had put in a lot of effort for such a master butler, but Gu Zhengchen was just a prefect, and he had not only guards with military backgrounds around him, but not just one or two, but many!
Gu Zhengchen walked back to the magistrate's desk and said with a smile: "I am the magistrate of Quanzhou and a man from Quanzhou County. Isn't it worth making a fuss about having a few more guards around me?"
Lu Zongyi nodded.
It is a matter of course for a noble person to have guards, but the people around him can only be servants and servants, and cannot be called guards.
Gu Zhengchen spread out the paper and took up his pen to moisten his ink: "You can do whatever you want, Lu Shen, you have no restrictions on the government office. You can go wherever you want, and the same goes for the prison cell."
Lu Zongyi understood what Gu Zhengchen meant and said: "There is no problem with your interrogation. Since the physical evidence and witness evidence are complete, and they have confessed their guilt, there will be no unjust case. Only Gao Shenzheng can be seen in the prison cell, but I think in the government office Meet him in the lobby. It won’t be long before he’s here, isn’t it?”
Gu Zhengchen nodded and said with a smile: "Yes, when the Fuzhou Guards sergeants surrounded the government office, Chen Shenzheng arrived, and it was time for Gao Shenzheng to arrive in the lobby. It's just Lu Shenzheng, I want to ask a question."
Lu Zongyi nodded: "Speak."
Gu Zhengchen grinned: "Did you know that Gao Shenzheng wanted to arrest me, so he brought sergeant Xinghua Guard here, and Commander Zhang He led the team himself?"
Lu Zongyi suddenly stood up and pointed at Gu Zhengchen, his face a little pale: "What do you mean?".??m
Gu Zhengchen put down his pen and said softly: "I like to hear and see people who are my enemies. After all, fighting with others is endless fun. But if he is the enemy of the 300,000 people in Quanzhou Prefecture, Gu will not be unable to hold a sharp knife - cut off the head." !”
Lu Zongyi's expression suddenly changed: "What do you want to do?"
Gu Zhengchen looked at the sky and looked at Zhang Pei: "What time is it?"
Zhang Peidao: "It's just past noon."
Gu Zhengchen nodded, moved his wrist slightly, and names flowed out from the tip of the pen. After putting away the pen, Gu Zhengchen handed the paper to Zhang Pei: "Tell the prison cell that after half an hour, these people's heads will fall to the ground! "
Lu Zongyi took a step forward and shouted sternly: "Gu Zhengchen, how can I allow you to act so recklessly here!"
Snapped!
The gavel trembled.
Gu Zhengchen slapped the case and shouted: "Lu Shenzheng, I want to kill people, you'd better not stop me! I just want to use these heads to tell the people of Quanzhou Prefecture that they are extorted by officials in various names, squeezed by heavy taxes and corvee, and trampled on The days of being trampled under your feet end today!"
Lu Zongyi looked angry and pointed at Gu Zhengchen: "Killing requires review by the Ministry of Punishment and a verdict by the emperor! Now that Chen Shenzheng from the province is about to bring the Fuzhou Guard, don't raise the butcher's knife again and increase the charges!"
Gu Zhengchen laughed: "Assuming I leave Quanzhou, I can be sure that at least 30% of the officials detained in the prison will be changed from death to innocence! Don't underestimate the protection of officials, as long as the files and recruitment here are not delivered in one day In Jinling, they have countless means, just like when Qin Xin changed Wu Kang’s innocence, it was easy!”
Lu Zongyi shouted angrily: "As a provincial political participant, I order you not to kill anyone!"
Gu Zhengchen shook his head: "Unless you take away my prefect seal, I will kill these people today!"
Just as Lu Zongyi was about to speak, Xiao Cheng and Lin Baifan were already on both sides of Gu Zhengchen.
Xiao Cheng stared at Lu Changyan next to Lu Zongyi, his eyes full of fighting spirit: "Although you are old, I can feel that you have killing skills, but I don't know how many times you can take action."
"It only takes one move to kill someone."
Lu Changyan said coldly.
Xiao Cheng clenched his fist and asked: "Kill me?"
Lu Changyan fell silent.
The person in front of him put a lot of pressure on him. He was not an ordinary sergeant. Although his appearance was very ordinary, some powerful people were indeed inconspicuous in appearance.
Lu Zongyi sighed and stepped back: "I regret coming to the government office today. If I weren't here, I wouldn't be so entangled and troubled. But I am here, I can only stop you. It doesn't matter whether the stop is successful or not. , I have tried my best.”
Gu Zhengchen took a deep look at Lu Zongyi and said to Zhang Pei: "Let's make arrangements."
Zhang Pei took the paper and turned around.
Lu Zongyi saw the names flashing across the paper: Shi Ruji, Cao Rui, Wan Chao, Lu Min...
