Gu Zhengchen naturally gave serious thought to whether the content of the imperial edict should be made public or not.
The content of the imperial edict was disclosed, as Wu Zhen said. Gu Zhengchen had a reputation for "killing people". When other prefectures and counties heard that Gu Zhengchen had the power to "act cheaply and kill first and report later", they would definitely be cautious and act like a grandson for a while without going too far. Oppressing the people and making too much noise.
But the problem is that once the imperial edict is made public, Gu Zhengchen is no longer simply the prefect of Quanzhou, but is similar to the Pingzhang Administration of Fujian Province. He is an official who is superior to the Fujian Provincial Government Office. He has responsibilities on his shoulders and eyes in his eyes. The people and the scope of power will no longer be limited to Quanzhou Prefecture.
It is impossible for Gu Zhengchen to leave Quanzhou Prefecture at this moment. The officialdom rectification here has not yet been completely completed. The lives of the 300,000 people in Quanzhou Prefecture have not yet improved, and countless people are living in difficult situations. If he went to Fuzhou to deal with the affairs of Fujian Province, Gu Zhengchen would not be able to stay in Quanzhou, and he would not be able to personally organize and arrange the opening of the sea and the Nanyang trade.
The affairs of the whole government have exhausted Gu Zhengchen's energy and energy. Now that the whole government is not in peace, how can he deal with the affairs of the province?
The most important thing is that Gu Zhengchen believes that he is not qualified for the position of "pingzhang political affairs" in a province. He lacks political experience. He climbed from the county magistrate to the prefect, but in the position of the prefect, he struggled with wits and courage. It takes only a month to solve the problem. If you switch to the provincial government office and face officials who are more cunning, treacherous and loyal, and officials with more sophisticated corruption methods, how long will it take you to fight them?
Now is not the best time to disclose the contents of the imperial edict. I need to accumulate experience and achieve greater governance results. Besides, it doesn't matter if you take it out. The officials restrained themselves for a while and saw that they had done nothing in Quanzhou Prefecture. Those who dare to be greedy will still be greedy. To solve the corruption problem, some officials must hand over their heads.
I have no skills, and it is impossible to care about external affairs at the moment. I can only do this for the time being.
Gu Zhengchen looked at Wu Zhen and asked, "Those things are coming soon, right?"
Wu Zhen pinched his fingers and calculated: "Half a month at the latest, but are you sure it will work?"
Gu Zhengchen smiled confidently: "You will definitely be inseparable from them. With these things, the navy does not need to fight with the Haikuotiao Gang all the time. They are all raised by their mothers and fathers. No one will feel bad if they die."
Wu Zhen grinned, stood up and said, "Just prepare the manpower and goods, and leave the rest to Chu Xing and Zhang He. I can't stay in Quanzhou for too long. We'll meet again when those things arrive."
Gu Zhengchen sent Wu Zhen out of the office and waved goodbye.
Huang Senping came over and said to Gu Zhengchen, "Prefect Gu, do you have any further instructions?"
Gu Zhengchen shook his head: "Select three hundred sergeants who are proficient in water properties and tell them to sail away at the end of November."
"Voyage, where are you going?"
Huang Senping was very puzzled.
Gu Zhengchen chuckled: "The Bu family has stored so much silk, ceramics, tea, and utensils in the Jingming Villa. They can't be turned into money and food in Quanzhou. Naturally, they can go to sea and barter in Southeast Asia."
Huang Senping was a little nervous: "This - can the emperor agree?"
Gu Zhengchen raised his hand, patted Huang Senping's shoulder, and said seriously: "I have been married for less than a year."
Huang Senping blinked.
What do you mean, do you miss your mother-in-law? Why are you leaving? Explain.
Yu Siye coughed and whispered: "What Gu Zhifu means is that he is nostalgic for beauty and does not want to die..."
Prison cell.
Gao Hui sat in the prison cell, and the more he sat, the more he felt something was wrong.
Didn't Chen Tai and Wang Kegong arrive at the gate of the government office? Why hasn't anyone come to pick them up after an hour?
They must be interrogating and reprimanding.
hold on.
Another hour passed, and the banging of the wooden clappers at the second watch was over, but no one was looking for me.
Gao Hui finally panicked and stood by the window of the prison cell and said outside: "Come here, come here."
Huang Ke yawned, walked over, glanced at Gao Hui, and asked: "Gao Shenzheng, there are still many people in this cell who want to sleep. Few of them can sleep peacefully, so don't disturb them." They're gone."
Gao Hui shouted: "Where is Gu Zhengchen?"
Huang Ke was a little depressed: "Of course I went to bed."
"Where is Chen Shenzheng and Wang commanding the envoys?"
"Let's go. Didn't I tell you before that they have all come to the gate and want to go back with you. It's you who don't want to go back. Magistrate Gu is a good and mature official, so naturally he won't force you, so let them go back first. As for you, just stay."
"I want to go out!"
"No, you said that you will not leave unless Magistrate Gu begs you to go out. When Magistrate Gu is willing to beg you to leave, you can leave. If Magistrate Gu is not willing for ten or twenty years, I'm sorry, you You have to live here. By the way, can you ask your son for your food money?"
"I want to go out!"
"Oh, someone will write a document tomorrow to ask Gao Dongxu for food."
"I want……"
"No noise!"
Huang Ke was too lazy to pay attention to Gao Hui and turned around to leave.
Gao Hui shouted dozens of times, but no jailer came. He had to sit down sadly, with an uncertain expression on his face as he speculated on what had happened.
Xinghua Prefecture, Putian.
In the Xinghuawei camp, Commander Zhang He was half-lying in a wicker chair, holding a red date in his hand, throwing it up and grabbing it again and again, with a blanket covering his legs, looking at the stars in a trance.
Mrs. Zhang walked over, feeling the night was a bit cold. She raised her hand and stroked her arm, and said softly: "In the final analysis, you should not leave Gao Shenzheng in Quanzhou Mansion. Now Chen Shenzheng and Wang Commander have mobilized more than a thousand sergeants. Going to Quanzhou Prefecture, Magistrate Gu will not be able to deal with it, and when Gao Shenzheng is released, he will definitely look for opportunities to retaliate."
Zhang Hexian glanced at Mrs. Zhang, and the corner of his mouth moved: "What do you, a woman, know?"
Mrs. Zhang was a little unhappy: "I am a woman and I don't have much knowledge, but I also know that I would rather offend a small official than a high official. Gu Zhengchen is just a prefect, but he is so messy in Quanzhou Prefecture. I heard that even the prefects dare to Public beheading, he will be convicted by the emperor sooner or later. It is a good thing that you offended him, but you have offended Gao Shenzheng..."
Zhang He threw the red dates into his mouth, chewed a few mouthfuls, and spit out the date core: "Don't say he offended Gao Shenzheng, even if he offended the Prince Consort, he couldn't offend Gu Zhengchen. His terror is beyond your imagination. Looking back, Gao Shenzheng Either stupid or bad..."
Zhang was in disbelief.
In the past, my husband was considered a shrewd man, but after a trip to Quanzhou Prefecture, he changed.
Zhang He said nothing.
The entire Fujian Province has the power to act for convenience!
Who can bear this?
Not to mention Chen Tai and Wang Kegong, even Wu Zhen, the founding Marquis of Jinghai, had to give him some face when he went there. It's just that I can't say these words. I have been given a gag order, and if I say it, there will be disaster.
Quanzhou County man!
A dead man who was ridiculed by others was actually highly trusted by the emperor and entrusted with important tasks. Why did he hold such privileges at such a young age?
There must be something special about this person!
At five o'clock in the morning, Wei Zhu from a thousand households suddenly knocked on the door and asked for an audience.
Zhang He stood up, his expression a little solemn.
At this moment, if there was nothing urgent, Wei Zhu would not be able to disturb him.
Wei Zhu arrived in a hurry and did not have time to salute, so he hurriedly handed over the document: "Jinghai Marquis issued a transfer order and ordered Commander Zhang to set off for Quanzhou Port within three days and be at the disposal of the Quanzhou Prefect."
"What?"
Zhang He was a little surprised. He took the document and looked at it carefully. It was indeed a document from Jinghai Marquis Wu Zhen.
Because of Premier Wu Zhen's maritime affairs, the coastal navy and garrison were mostly controlled by him, especially the Fujian Coastal garrison, which fought alongside Wu Zhen the most. Once something happens at sea, Wu Zhen has the right to issue dispatch documents and can command the coastal guard station to fight with the navy.
Mrs. Zhang was even more shocked.
Judging from the time, Chen Tai, Wang Kegong and others probably arrested Gu Zhengchen at this time. Why did Marquis Jinghai issue such a strange document and let Zhang He go to Quanzhou Port and still listen to Gu Zhengchen's orders?
Zhang He put away the documents, thought for a moment, and said seriously: "Send the generals to the office after dawn. It seems that Magistrate Gu is going to make a big move."
That night, Gu Zhengchen didn't sleep peacefully.
Although Chen Tai, Wang Kegong and others were sent away, the matter in Quanzhou Prefecture was not over yet. The Bu family had not yet been executed, and there were still some corrupt officials who had not been sent to Caishikou.
The most important thing is that the people's livelihood in Quanzhou Prefecture is in dire straits. How to quickly revive the people's power is an issue that Gu Zhengchen must consider.
It's almost November, and the collection of autumn taxes has begun in various places. The trick of kicking the stems with the tip of the tree is not limited to Jurong, and people will still do it in different ways.
If people's livelihood is not taken care of, it will be difficult for the people of Quanzhou Prefecture to have a stable year this year.
But there is no way for Gu Zhengchen to solve all the problems caused by the autumn tax in seven counties within one month, and it is impossible for Gu Zhengchen to keep an eye on all the counties and all the villages. .??m
Gu Zhengchen was so worried that he couldn't sleep deeply, and was awakened by the slightest movement.
"Is something wrong?"
Gu Zhengchen sat up and looked out the window.
Zhang Pei whispered: "Master, Li Zongfeng hanged himself."
Gu Zhengchen frowned, got up and dressed, and walked into Tongpan's house. He saw Li Chengyi looking at Li Zongfeng's body in a daze, without any sadness or a tear.
Because Li Zongfeng had not yet explained many things, and because of his relationship with his master Li Chengyi, Gu Zhengchen had been busy handling the Bu family's cases and dealing with provincial officials. He did not order Li Zongfeng to be imprisoned in the prison cell, but temporarily confined him in the Tongpan Mansion. inside.
Unexpectedly, Li Zongfeng chose to commit suicide!
Zhang Pei handed a letter on the desk to Gu Zhengchen: "This is the suicide note written by Li Zongfeng."
Gu Zhengchen took the letter and read it. In the suicide note, Li Zongfeng admitted all his crimes and repented of his past actions. He was ashamed to face his son Li Chengyi, and finally chose to commit suicide to apologize.
The shipwreck case has been solved.
But the real murderer is also dead.
Li Chengyi looked at Gu Zhengchen blankly, with an indifferent expression: "I have been looking for the murderer for more than two years, but I never expected that the murderer is always beside me and is the person closest to me! Now I realize that knowing the truth cannot It makes people happy, but it also doesn't make people feel relieved. Magistrate Gu, do you want people to go to sea? Let me go to sea."
"Three years of filial piety..."
"Bury him at sea, and I will fulfill my filial piety at sea."
Gu Zhengchen knew that the filial piety in Li Chengyi's heart had collapsed.
If he wants to go to sea, let him go to sea.
It's time to prepare for a long voyage and start the Ming Dynasty's great navigation era.
