On the twentieth day of the twelfth lunar month, the Palace of Qin.
The majestic palace and the upright imperial guards.
At the bottom of the hundred steps, a group of officials and generals, all wearing official uniforms, were gathering together in twos and threes to talk.
"Master Zhang, I haven't seen you for a long time, but you still have the same style..."
"Ah, Mr. Wang, you are fine..."
"I heard that Yong'an's business is prosperous, its grain production is abundant, and Brother Li has made outstanding political achievements. He is expected to be promoted this year..."
"Huh? No matter where you are, you are all working for the king, for my Great Qin..."
While the officials were complimenting each other, a eunuch also stood in front of the palace door on the steps and loudly announced:
"Your Majesty ordered all officials to enter the court~~~~"
Hearing this chant, everyone stopped talking in unison, then quickly adjusted their official uniforms and stepped up the steps.
Not long after, hundreds of officials entered the palace.
Xiao Yuan also wore black and red royal robes, a royal crown on his head, nine strings of jade beads on his forehead, and the King of Qin sword hanging on his waist, and stepped onto the throne.
All the ministers knelt down and said in unison: "I will see you, your Majesty. I will be king for ten thousand years——"
"Everyone is at peace." Xiao Yuan waved his sleeves and robe slightly and took a seat on the throne.
"Thank you, Your Majesty——" People shouted in unison again. After standing up, they also lined up on both sides and stood with bows.
Although the court meeting hall is already grand enough, for this year-end court meeting, there are too many officials. Not only are they standing in rows, but some of the lower-ranking ones are even close to the palace gate.
After scanning for a week, Xiao Yuan said: "All the ministers are the pillars of the country. This dynasty is also a time for local military and political officials to return to the capital to report on their duties. But before that, I want to say something first."
"What is an official?"
"On this matter, the people have their own opinions, the ministers have their own opinions, and I also have my own opinions."
"Some people believe that the way to be an official is to have both sides and seek progress through detours."
"Some people believe that if the water is clear, there will be no fish, and if people are careful, there will be no disciples."
“Some people adhere to the golden mean.”
"These are official opinions, and the ministers have studied them, right? At first glance, they sound reasonable."
Xiao Yuan said, looked at the ministers again, and said with a smile:
"But in my opinion, these are not important."
"If an official thinks that he makes no mistakes, he is a good official, then I would like to tell you that mediocrity and lazy administration are actually more despicable than corrupt officials!"
"Only those who care about the people and think about the country can be our Qin officials."
As soon as he finished speaking, all the ministers said in unison: "I will obey the teachings of the king——"
"Okay." Xiao Yuan raised his hand and said: "One more thing, Qinzhou City River, did all the ministers see it when they entered the capital?"
"There are many cities in our counties and cities with clear rivers. When we go back, we should take a look at them to see if the clear rivers in the cities are still benefiting the people."
"The State of Qin has developed from a desolate and barren land to the present day and has gradually become stronger. However, regardless of whether the country is rich or powerful, people's livelihood is still the most important thing in our country's affairs."
After saying this, Li Minggui, the governor of Yong'an County, also stood up immediately, bent down and said with his hands: "The king has a golden saying, after the humble minister returns, he must visit and inspect to better understand the people's livelihood in the county."
"Well, that's a good thing to say." Xiao Yuan pointed at him and said, "Our officials should be like Mr. Li and visit more people and villages. Don't think that they are county guards. , what an official. Before, there were some county magistrates in central Shu who were full of complaints and refused to understand the sentiments of the people. They walked on mountain roads for fear of getting their feet dirty! If you ask him the population of the county he governs, he will not be able to answer. , and so on, how to become an official! How can the court trust the place to them! "
"What your Majesty said is absolutely true. A county magistrate like this has no regard for the people's livelihood and only cares about his own entertainment. We should dismiss him and investigate him!" Li Minggui quickly agreed.
"Of course, Qin does not need such officials."
Xiao Yuan said, and then changed the topic: "Also, according to the report from Mr. Zhang of the Ministry of Household Affairs, the issue of household registration of the national population has not been truly implemented. Regarding this, your county guards should all have jurisdiction over it. Do the inner people have an idea?"
After hearing this, the governor of Zitong County immediately stood up: "Back to your Majesty, Zitong has seven counties under its jurisdiction. Including the population of the county and city, there were originally more than one million people. However, in recent years, the population should have increased, and there are many The more remote villages have not been registered.”
"Yes." Xiao Yuan nodded and said: "This is the question raised by the Ministry of Household Affairs. If Zitong is like this, it must be similar in other counties. Therefore, in order to complete the population census, every household must be registered to ensure household registration. It needs to be improved. This needs to be supervised by your local governors personally after they return."
"I obey your orders——" All the ministers shouted in unison again.
"Okay, now let's talk about the governance of each county."
Mentioning this, the Beiling County Sheriff quickly stood up, as if he was afraid of being overtaken by others: "Your Majesty, after these two years of development, Beiling's population has not only increased, but in terms of grain production, every year, compared with the past, , have all increased, and this year it has increased by a full 20%, with frequent business trips, stable tax revenue, and prosperity."
He is obviously showing his political achievements.
You must know that this time the great dynasty is very important to the governors of various places. If you perform well in politics and perform well, you are very likely to be promoted.
As soon as Beiling County Governor finished speaking, someone else stood up and also began to report on their political achievements.
Officials on the scene began to appear one after another.
Not long after, Zhang Gongyou, the governor of Yiyang County, stood up. After bowing his hands and saluting, he first reported a series of situations in Yiyang to Xiao Yuan, and then changed the topic and said seriously: "In addition to reporting on my duties, I also want to report to the king. Please refer to Yiyang Bachelor’s book.”
The bachelor of Yiyang is the chief official of the school. To put it simply, he is the local education director.
When Xiao Yuan heard this, he was somewhat surprised and couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and asked: "Oh? What's the reason?"
Zhang Gongyou said: "Feng Ji, a scholar from Yiyang, is the director of the school. His personal morals are related to the entire school. However, he did not fulfill his filial piety. Not only did he not support him, but he also left his old mother in a dilapidated thatched hut, causing her to freeze and starve. And die.”
"What!?" Xiao Yuan frowned.
Zhang Gongyou continued: "Your Majesty established schools in various places for scholars to study. In this regard, the imperial court first recommended the Filial Piety Classic at the beginning of the people's literacy. But Feng Ji, the head of the school, all the students in the government, the Filial Piety Classic It’s not funny here!”
"Is this serious!?"
"My lord, tell the truth, if your Majesty has any doubts, you can ask someone to investigate." Zhang Gongyou returned seriously.
"This is unreasonable!" Xiao Yuan was furious: "Send an order to the Imperial Guard Camp to escort Feng Ji back to the capital!"
