According to the regulations of the imperial court, the imperial court sealed the ceremony in December and officials took a month's rest.
But this year's Quanzhou Prefecture is an exception. The government office does not seal it, and it will issue notices and work as usual.
The magistrate is not resting, and the officials of the government are naturally not able to go home. When the Jinjiang County Government saw this situation, they issued a decision not to seal it and not rest. After hearing this, Anxi, Tong'an and other counties directly followed suit.
Although all the seven county offices in Quanzhou had a rest, there were not many complaints.
After all, those who take advantage of others are short-handed and cannibalistic. Gu Zhengchen promoted the maintenance of honest banks throughout the government, including officials, clerks, and handymen. Take the government officials as an example. They used to receive six dou of rice a month, but now they receive two guan of money a month, which is equivalent to four shi of rice, which is more than six times the amount.
With this money, it is enough for a family to live a good New Year, and there is no big problem if they don't go home.
As for officials, due to the avoidance system, most of them are not from Fujian Province. They want to go back over the mountains, kowtow to their parents and say hello when they get home, and then they can say "I'm going there" and start the return journey.
Since there are benefits to staying, and there are a lot of unfinished things, it’s not a big deal to work overtime.
Although Gu Zhengchen did not plan to seal his home and go home, he was still very considerate of the subordinate officials and handymen. Those who were far away from Jinjiang City came to have four days and three days off. Those whose homes were in Jinjiang City or outside the city did not need to live in the government office. Go to bed at home, have lunch, go to the government office to attend to errands, go home in the evening, and announce that you will not have a bath on the 27th of the twelfth lunar month until the fifth day of the first lunar month.
It's not that Gu Zhengchen doesn't want to rest and is looking for trouble, but there are too many cases and problems accumulated in Quanzhou Prefecture and seven counties. A group of officials have dealt with it, but the people who have been wronged in the past seven years need to clear their names, and those wrongly convicted cases need to be corrected. There are also local bullies, gangsters, showy big businessmen, etc., who also need to be dealt with.
Evil has inertia, and evil will not disappear suddenly just because a group of officials are killed.
Gu Zhengchen not only had to deal with the affairs of the prefect's yamen, but also had to deal with the backlog of cases in seven counties.
Once things are put there, it always takes time to chew on them bit by bit.
Gu Zhengchen was very disciplined. He would get up early in the morning to practice swordplay, then process documents and check backlog of cases. In the afternoon, he would go to court for interrogation or call in witnesses for questioning, and in the evening, he would analyze the case.
On this day, Prison Warder Huang Ke suddenly ran over and said to Gu Zhengchen: "Gao Shenzheng is ill and seems to have caught the cold."
Gu Zhengchen was stunned for a moment and asked, "What does his falling ill have to do with the government office?"
Huang Ke blinked and replied uneasily: "Have you forgotten, Gao Shenzheng is still in our prison cell..."
Well--
Only then did Gu Zhengchen remember that Gao Hui was still being imprisoned by him. He followed Huang Ke to the prison cell. Looking at the sallow and decadent Gao Hui, Gu Zhengchen shook his head: "I asked you not to go back when I asked you to go back. I have to let you go." I beg you, and I kneel down to beg you. I am sure that I cannot resist the provincial government office, and I can only bow my head and accept your insults. But so what now, you have been locked up in the prison cell for almost two months. Who will do it for you, Chen Tai or Lu Zongyi? Have you spoken?"
Gao Hui felt bitter.
At that time, I wanted to watch Gu Zhengchen grovel and see him begging. But something unexpected happened, so that he was detained and no one cared about him...
"Are you here to humiliate me?"
Gao Hui asked coldly.
Seeing that Gao Hui's clothes were thin and his quilt was a little torn, Gu Zhengchen said to Huang Ke: "Let the medical officer come and take a look and make him some soup. Don't die in the prison cell. In addition, give him some thick clothes and thick clothes." Quilt, it’s the twelfth lunar month, it will inevitably be a little cold at night.”
Gao Hui stood up and shouted to Gu Zhengchen: "I don't need your charity!"
Gu Zhengchen walked out of the cell and looked at Gao Hui through the window: "Don't you want to live until the day when the court documents are delivered to the government office?"
Gao Hui took back his words, told the medical officer that he felt unwell, drank the medicine, put on thick clothes and got under a thick quilt.
The imperial court will definitely seek justice for itself!
Gu Zhengchen asked Huang Ke: "Gao Hui's son Gao Dongxu has never come to the government office to visit the prison?"
Huang Ke shook his head: "Not once."
Gu Zhengchen frowned: "This is a bit interesting. Chen Tai, Lu Zongyi and others have all come here, but his biological son has not come. Do you think he is afraid that I will arrest him to keep him company with his father? , so you don’t dare to come to the door?”
Huang Ke didn't know and couldn't guess, so he could only say: "At least, he is very unfilial."
Gu Zhengchen nodded.
My father was bullied and imprisoned. As a son, instead of filing a complaint and complaining, he should at least come to the prison cell to give him some clothes and a meal. I remember when I was living in the prison cell of the Ministry of Punishment, Zhang Xiwan visited the prison with food.
Gu Zhengchen thought for a moment and said to Huang Ke: "Once someone visits Gao Hui in prison, he must inform him immediately. No one can agree without my permission."
"yes."
Huang Ke responded.
Gu Zhengchen returned to the second hall and continued to review the files. More than half of the property of the Quanzhou government office and the Bu family was dividends from maritime trade, but Hui'an County was different. Shi Ruji was the real magistrate of the county, plundering Hui'an's common people, merchants and big households. Without going to extreme lengths, most of his money comes from the common people.
And this means that Hui'an County has a large number of unjust cases and countless grievances that need to be cleared away.
But nowadays, too many officials in Hui'an County have been killed. There is only one official, Luo Geng, who is relatively clean and stands up to take charge of the situation. But after all, he is not a real county magistrate. Can handle these backlogs.
Counting the days, it would have been twenty-four or five days since Xiao Cheng arrived in Jinling.
I wonder if Lao Zhu can control his temper after seeing those files and documents.
I heard that the prefect of Xinghua even participated in a book of his own. Is it really okay for you, a melon-eater, to file a complaint without knowing the truth?
If it weren't for the fact that Xinghua Magistrate Gai Tianlin and Tongzhi Zhao Xiang had a good official reputation and the people were relatively stable under their rule, I would have wanted to run over and ask Gai Tianlin what he thought about using such a domineering name.
In any case, after so long, Lao Zhu should have sent someone to deliver the documents.
There is no need to worry about paperwork, but the officials themselves need it. You can't always manage the government office and "act" as the magistrate of Hui'an County and Dehua County, right?
Just when Gu Zhengchen was wondering how many more days would be needed, Yan Sangsang came to the government office again.
Facing this chivalrous woman who had gone several times but failed, Gu Zhengchen was a little depressed. No one in Quanzhou Prefecture would stop you. If you want to go back, just go back.
But Yan Sangsang's words made Gu Zhengchen feel very heavy: "After Lin Zhuo left, his wife was so sad that she passed away yesterday evening. Lin Chengyi has no family in this world."
Gu Zhengchen's eyes were filled with worry and he was silent for a long time before asking Yan Sangsang, "Can she still hold on?"
Yan Sangsang shook his head and said sadly: "She is like a house with pillars falling down one after another. If you don't want her to be depressed, over-worried and short-lived, then go and see her."
Gu Zhengchen looked at the files on the desk, hesitated, and shook his head: "I can't leave."
"Gu Zhengchen!"
Yan Sangsang became anxious and shouted angrily: "Why are you so heartless towards her?"
Gu Zhengchen sighed: "It's not heartless, but ruthless."
Yan Sangsang looked at Gu Zhengchen and shook his head sadly: "I misjudged you. I thought you were a person who valued friendship and loyalty, but unexpectedly you turned out to be ruthless and unkind!"
Gu Zhengchen watched Yan Sangsang turn and leave, feeling very depressed.
Zhang Pei walked aside and persuaded in a low voice: "Master, if you really don't want to go to Shuangxikou, you might as well visit Lin Zhuo's grave."
Gu Zhengchen pointed to a pile of files: "Going to Shuangxikou will take you a day to go back and forth. If you stay here, at least a dozen households can wash away their grievances. The people are burdened with grievances, as if they have bamboo sticks stuck in their bodies. Struggling in pain every day and night! Is their pain less severe than Lin Chengyi’s?”
Zhang Pei understood this and said: "These backlogged cases have been over for a long time, so it's okay to delay them for a day or two..."
Gu Zhengchen shook his head solemnly: "It's just because it's been too long, so we can't keep them waiting any longer."
Seeing this, Zhang Pei had no choice but to say no more.
After Gu Zhengchen approved the two files, he sighed and asked, "Is Baili Yao still singing in the restaurant?"
Zhang Pei nodded: "Ever since the master rescued her from the Bu family, she has been wandering around various restaurants playing the pipa and singing ditties, making a living."
Gu Zhengchen thought for a moment and made arrangements: "Invite her over."
Zhang Pei glanced at Gu Zhengchen in surprise, did not dare to ask more questions, and went out to send someone to invite him.
Baili Yao's life was not easy. Although Gu Zhengchen gave her some money, she didn't have to worry about food and clothing in the short term, but in the long term, after all, people don't only live for a few years. You need to prepare some dowry yourself.
Quanzhou Prefecture is in decline, and there are not many merchants in Jinjiang City. People in Quanzhou Prefecture seem to be living in poverty, and few people will reward them with a few pennies for listening to music.
Baili Yao once wanted to commit herself to Gu Zhengchen, but he didn't want her.
While walking around Jinjiang City, Baili Yao could always hear people talking about Gu Zhengchen, and this name was stuck in her heart over and over again. When she heard that Gu Zhengchen was a man from Quanzhou County, Baili Yao finally understood how impossible everything was.
Just when Baili Yao was holding Pipa and preparing to go back, Zhao Sanqi came up to her.
Baili Yao didn't know why Gu Zhengchen was looking for her. After entering the second hall of the government office and saluting, she looked at Gu Zhengchen expectantly and asked him for a word, even a hint.
Gu Zhengchen looked at Baili Yao and said slightly sadly, "I want to ask you for a favor."
"I do."
Baili Yao didn't ask what he was going to do and agreed without hesitation.
Gu Zhengchen shook his head: "Just listen to me."
Baili Yao looked at Gu Zhengchen seriously: "The magistrate has saved Yaoyao's life, and he should repay her at the cost of his life."
Gu Zhengchen frowned, asked Zhang Pei to get twenty taels of silver, and then said to Baili Yao, "I need you to go to Shuangxikou."
The west wind is strong and the sails are swaying.
Xiao Cheng stood on the bow of the boat, looking at the vast sea, spreading his arms and roaring to the sky.
Gu Zhengchen, you are a dangerous person. Someone always needs to keep an eye on you to make the emperor feel at ease. Let me, Xiao Cheng, do this.
