Watching everyone leave, Wang Xiaolie felt a little confused for a moment. I originally wanted to talk about the relationship between theory and practice, but seeing the blurry eyes of the officials below, as if they were confused, I really couldn't go on.
Standing up, Wang Xiaolie shook his head involuntarily. It was because I was a little impatient. How could such a huge ideological gap be understood by the people below at once? You should figure it out for yourself, proceed step by step, and take your time.
When I first started speaking, the people below were so enthusiastic that they gave themselves an illusion. I feel that what I am talking about is the supreme magic, and the people below are listening to the sounds of nature. In fact, these people suddenly became officials and faced the respect of their handsome minister.
After returning to the official hall and drinking tea, Wang Xiaolie said to Wang Ruohai and Chen Yuyi: "It's still early, let's go to Dezhi's place to have a look. He was suddenly suspended from his post and fined his salary. Don't get carried away for a moment." There will be a lot of this kind of thing in the future, let him do something there.”
Wang Ruohai and Chen Yuyi looked at each other and respectfully said yes.
Chen Qiudao is considered to be the most important official under Wang Xiaolie. Suspending him is a real shock to others. Although Wang Xiaolie's attitude has always been gentle, Wang Ruohai and Chen Yuyi are still worried. Today it is Chen Qiudao, who will it be tomorrow?
After leaving Zhizhi Si Yamen, we walked eastward. After walking not far, we arrived at a place surrounded by high walls. There are tall trees on both sides of the road in front of the gate, and there are few pedestrians on the road, which is unusual at first glance.
This is where officials who have received lighter sanctions such as suspension stay. Wang Xiaolie wanted to call this place a school, but other officials thought it was inappropriate to call it a school, so there was no name for the time being.
After receiving the news, the Tijuan officer hurried out and saluted Wang Xiaolie and others.
Wang Xiaolie said: "I have nothing to do, let's come over and take a look. By the way, it's time for your lunch, right?"
Tiju said: "Genjieshuai, there is less than half an hour left."
Wang Xiaolie nodded: "We will go out for a meal with Chen Qiudao later, so I won't waste your time."
Tiju hurriedly said: "What did Commander Jie say? As long as you give orders, the subordinates will naturally do it."
Wang Xiaolie said: "You have your rules. Even I will not break the rules unless necessary. Remember, we require officials to write diaries every day. For things like my visit, or if someone does not follow the rules, it must be You must write it down. If you don’t remember what you should, you still have to come here to learn. Officials, don’t break the rules.”
Lift said yes. He led Wang Xiaolie and others through the gate.
Chen Qiudao is not the only person who has been suspended. Now, there are more than fifty officials imprisoned here. Most were suspensions of varying lengths of time. Here, there are rules for daily routine and rest. Besides labor, the most important thing is learning.
There are no restrictions on the personal freedom of students. During rest time, you can report out and go out for dinner, which is relatively free. It's a place between school and prison, and it's a light punishment for officials.
Wang Xiaolie and the others walked around inside and couldn't help but nod when they saw that everything was neat and tidy. Behind the school are hundreds of acres of land, where rice, wheat, and various fruits and vegetables are grown, and are taken care of by students.
Chen Qiudao was in class and Wang Xiaolie did not disturb him. Seeing that the time was up, he asked Tiju to call Chen Qiudao out.
I saw Chen Qiudao wearing civilian clothes, neatly dressed, and looking in good spirits. Wang Xiaolie said: "Thank you for your hard work. We have nothing to do today, so we came to see you. Tiju and I asked for leave for you, and we went out to have a drink together."
Chen Qiudao looked at his clothes and hesitated for a moment.
Wang Xiaolie said: "I don't need to worry about those customary etiquette. I just asked about Tiji and said that the food in a nearby restaurant is very delicious. Let's find a pavilion, drink two glasses of wine and chat some gossip."
Chen Qiudao couldn't say anything else, so he hurriedly thanked her and walked out of the door together.
Not far away, there is a restaurant around the corner. The scale is not large, but the business is extremely prosperous.
Chen Qiudao said: "To be honest, most of the people in there with me are officials and have some wealth. In their spare time, they often go out to parties and drink. I have been to this restaurant two or three times."
Wang Xiaolie said: "This is the best. We must balance work and rest, and don't really treat this place as a prison."
The three of them entered the restaurant and were led by the waiter to a pavilion. Chen Qiudao was very familiar with this place. He ordered the food and asked the waiter to serve tea. They drank tea and chatted.
Wang Xiaolie said to Chen Qiudao: "You have been here for some time, how do you feel?"
Chen Qiudao said: "To be honest, including me, the officials here feel like they are in prison. They eat, sleep, do work or go to class every day, and don't think about anything else. The life is quite comfortable."
Wang Xiaolie nodded. After thinking for a while, he said: "We have strict requirements for officials, so naturally many people make mistakes. This is inevitable. We live in the secular world, eat all kinds of grains, and are surrounded by fireworks. No matter what is unintentional, mistakes will inevitably be made. For these small mistakes, it is impossible to ignore them. Once you let go, it will be difficult to put it away again. However, it is not appropriate to punish them severely. Many people simply make unintentional mistakes. Therefore, when building such a place, stop Come and clear your head after retiring."
Chen Qiudao smiled bitterly: "I have thought about it over and over these days, and I feel that I am not innocent. Among the senior officials, only my family has companions as slaves. Several of you, including the Commander-in-Chief, resigned early. In this case, What do you have to say?"
Wang Xiaolie said: "If you want to rectify the officialdom, the first knife must be cut off from me. If I can't do it myself, how can I ask the officials below? When I went to Ruzhou, I ordered Yang Shen to kill his family. The restaurant was sold. If you can't bear it, stop being an official and go home to do business. Although Yang Shen was reluctant, he sold the restaurant. Now the entire supply and marketing cooperative is under his control, and his salary is generous, so it's not a loss. Of course, between the two capitals, an old servant brought by my father named Wang Zhong took care of me. After returning to Ruzhou, I asked him to go home to farm and stop being with me. I came here with my sister last year. Xiangyang, they rely on my salary to support them. Although they are not rich, they still have enough food and clothing. At that time, I was afraid that if I didn’t cut off their business ties with society, something would inevitably happen in the future. Now it seems that what I did at that time was the right thing.”
Chen Yuyi and Wang Ruohai didn't think that much. The two of them were literati, and because the current system in Xiangyang was not suitable for raising maids, they did not hire them. It is convenient for the guards sent by the envoys to do daily chores. It wasn't until something happened to Chen Qiudao's family that they realized how right they were to do so. No matter how strict you are about self-discipline, how can you ensure that nothing happens to the servants at home?
