Chief Envoy of Shandong Province.
After the chief envoy Li Yanzhen read the list and checked the number of people, he was ready to set off. Behind him were almost all officials from six prefectures, fifteen prefectures, and eighty-nine counties in Shandong, numbering more than a hundred people, following the north wind southward. Prepare to participate in the imperial court's grand pilgrimage.
According to the regulations of the Hongwu period, a major pilgrimage was held once every three years, when officials from various prefectures, prefectures, and counties went to Beijing for pilgrimage.
There are more than a thousand counties, nearly 200 states, and more than 100 prefectures in the Ming Dynasty. If these officials go on their own, it is very unsafe and can easily waste time. In case someone goes the wrong way and sleeps If you don’t turn your head and don’t attend roll call during the Hajj, you will be in big trouble.
Therefore, every time during the Hajj, instead of taking the No. 2 donkey cart to the capital when the magistrates and magistrates go out, they first transfer to the No. 8 ox cart to go to the Chief Envoy’s Yamen to sign in, then wait for colleagues to arrive one by one, and finally hold hands and sing together Singing songs, he rushed to the capital.
Although the Hajj stipulates that officials from all over the country must participate in the Hajj, there are still some special exemptions. For example, this person is a magistrate of Sichuan. Unfortunately, he is not an official near Chengdu, nor in Chongqing or Guangyuan, but in Lugu County, although there is Lugu Lake at home, which is extremely beautiful, but I have to run from Lugu to Chengdu, and then from Chengdu to Nanjing...
Considering that in some remote areas, especially for officials in remote mountainous areas, a trip to the capital would take at least three months. If your legs hurt from walking, and you have to rest for a few days in between, it would probably take half a year. In this way, a trip to the capital would be enough. Damn, this is still a year older...
This requires a three-year term, two years of work, and one year of business trip. This life is not enough...
Therefore, when dealing with these officials, the court needs to submit a list to the emperor in advance and tell them which officials cannot come, or it is too difficult to come. The emperor should give them grace and let them stay where they are for the assessment.
These officials received the approval in advance, so they naturally did not need to travel across mountains and rivers.
In addition to these officials, in some places where there have been natural disasters, wars, and bandits, officials need to stay to appease the people. There are many things that need to be dealt with, and the court will grant permission that they do not need to participate in the Hajj.
Therefore, Huang Zicheng, the prefect of Qingzhou, Shandong, did not come with him. Qingzhou has been in chaos for so long this year, and it is always necessary for the prefect Huang Zicheng to take charge and do something. But Huang Zicheng doesn't think so. Qingzhou is very cold in winter. No matter how to appease the people, the people will not go out.
Who wants to go out for a walk in the strong north wind? Besides, there is no need to clear any crop fields in winter, and no one is willing to get up to do heavy work. At this time, the role of officials is no longer obvious. As long as the people have food, the cold If you don't die, there will be nothing wrong with the officials.
Huang Zicheng really wanted to return to the capital to participate in the pilgrimage. This was a good opportunity to reminisce with Zhu Yunwen, and it was also a good opportunity for him to return to the capital. Unfortunately, he was "granted" to stay in Qingzhou.
However, Qingzhou is not his permanent residence, and he will definitely return to the capital as soon as possible.
Huang Zicheng is very confident, and his confidence comes from his friends.
Kaifeng City.
Qi Tai and Jing Qing both received letters from Huang Zicheng. Jingqing took the letter to Qi Tai and said, "We need to help Huang Zicheng. It's really difficult for him in Qingzhou."
Qitai remained silent.
Jing Qing continued to persuade: "The big pilgrimage to the capital is coming soon. If Huang Zicheng stays in Qingzhou and waits for three years before performing the pilgrimage, it will be too long. He was sent down because he just said the wrong thing..."
Qitai looked at Jingqing, poured a cup of tea and handed it over, still saying nothing.
Jing Qing kept chattering: "What does the Qingzhou chaos have to do with Huang Zicheng? Now that people have settled down, it's time for him to go back. Now what does the imperial court mean by exempting him from going to the Hajj? It must be that Jie Jin deliberately wrote his name at the end above……"
Qitai yawned, his ears buzzing.
At the end of Jingqing's words, he really got a little annoyed and stood up and said, "You should give me something."
Qi Tai touched his beard, took out the letter sent by Huang Zicheng, and said: "The words in the letter are extremely bitter. Those who read it will cry and those who hear it will be sad. It's just that... he suffered more than us. Kaifeng Mansion?"
Jing Qing opened his mouth, not knowing how to refute.
Kaifeng Prefecture's Ku Jingqing ate it one bite at a time. The officialdom had collapsed and needed to be rebuilt. The people were disengaged and the people's hearts needed to be rebuilt. He had forcibly brought a group of common people who couldn't even wear pants to the point where their families could at least afford to eat. .
For these, what did you pay for? It was walking all the counties in Kaifeng Prefecture several times with two legs. It was killing officials one after another that I promoted and trusted. It was working with the people to cultivate the land and sweating like an ox. !
These hardships are not something ordinary officials can endure, nor can they imagine.
In order to govern the Kaifeng government and completely solve the people's livelihood problems, Qitai and Jingqing worked hard day and night to deal with government affairs and visit the people's sentiments.
but!
Is Huang Zicheng bitter?
Is he suffering enough?
What Huang Zicheng did in Qingzhou was not a secret, and with the occasional correspondence between the three of them, it was clear what Huang Zicheng had done.
According to his conscience, Huang Zicheng did a lot of practical things in Qingzhou, such as appeasing the people, redistributing farmland, rebuilding Qingzhou City, recruiting merchants, and gradually restoring life to a lifeless city.
But, that's all.
Huang Zicheng was not like Qi Tai and Jing Qing, who frequently "carried" the government offices to the county, to people's homes, or to the fields. Instead, he stayed in Qingzhou City from beginning to end, directing officials to do things.
Can this kind of command be said to be a hardship?
Not bitter, not bitter enough, but filled with bitterness and tears in the letter. Why?
Pack!
Pretending to be miserable!
Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng were both officials of the East Palace and had followed Zhu Yunwen in the early days. However, this was the first time that Qi Tai saw clearly the other side of Huang Zicheng, who was pretentious to win sympathy.
If he is really miserable, then that's it.
As a friend, Qi Tai was willing to mention Huang Zicheng to Zhu Yunwen during the Hajj. But now, he was wearing a hypocritical mask and asked himself to ask for kindness. Qi Tai thought he couldn't do it!
Jing Qing understood what Qi Tai meant. Thinking about it carefully, he and Qi Tai were also involved in Kaifeng Mansion. Since they left the capital, they must have the consciousness of local officials instead of thinking about going back. Forgot what you really want to do.
"If we don't say anything, I'm afraid it won't be easy to explain."
Jingqing hesitated.
Friends in the officialdom are all sitting on the boat of friendship. If you help me, I will help you. If you don't help me, then our boat will still capsize. As for whether you drown or I come ashore, it depends on what we do after it capsizes.
Now Huang Zicheng secretly asked Jingqing and Qitai for help through letters. If he didn't help, then Huang Zicheng would probably put his hands on his hips, spit in his mouth, and shout: "Bah, what kind of friends are they..."
Qi Tai rubbed his brows. Huang Zicheng could live such a happy life in Qingzhou because Qi Tai and Jing Qing had established a lot of relationships. Otherwise, with his record of offending Geng Bingwen, it would be a problem for him to sleep peacefully.
But what is depressing is that Huang Zicheng himself did not know about the relationship between Qi Tai and Jing Qing, and thought Geng Bingwen was afraid of him...
Look, if you do good things without leaving your name, you will also get into trouble...
It was precisely because Huang Zicheng thought that Qi Tai and Jing Qing had never helped him that he opened his mouth to ask for help. This is the first time brothers have opened their mouths. You can't refuse, right?
It is impossible for Qi Tai and Jing Qing to reply to Huang Zicheng at this time: Brother, we have helped you once before, but we really can't help you this time.
"Help."
Qi Tai had a headache and added: "I will write a memorial and hand it to the emperor after the Hajj. You should not participate in it."
Jing Qing looked at Qi Tai and nodded solemnly.
Huang Zicheng was expelled from the capital because he said the wrong thing, recommended the wrong person, and misjudged the situation. For the wise Zhu Yunwen, such people were not welcome. Speaking for Huang Zicheng required taking great risks. It was impossible to say Will also be implicated.
Beizhili, Jinghai.
Song Zhengchen stood in the howling north wind, his nose was red from the cold, his hands were cracked with cracks, and the bright red flesh was exposed inside. Behind him were the censor, some officials from Ji Shizhong and Jinghai.
Now Song Zhengchen is no longer the little seventh-rank censor when King Qi brought trouble to Qingzhou, but the imperial censor of Qiandu, a fourth-rank censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate.
There was a river in front of him. Due to the dry season, the river, which was originally nearly six feet wide and nearly one foot deep, seemed to have shrunk slightly. It was freezing cold, and thick ice had already formed on the river. Even if people walked on it and the ice rattled, they would not fall into the water. On the opposite side of the river are rows of houses, which are more like ordinary adobe houses and thatched houses.
Song Zhengchen came here not to watch the river or skate, but to curse. The people he cursed were the magistrate of Jinghai County, the county magistrate, the bookkeeper and a group of officials.
The people who came out of the houses, braved the howling wind, looked at Song Zhengchen reprimanding the people, their eyes were a little red.
Song Zhengchen scolded: "Jinghai wanted to immigrate, and the imperial court gave it to you, and you promised to accept it well and settle it down well. This is what you call settlement. What do you mean by loving the people like sons, no different from the people of Jinghai? Magistrate Wang Chan, tell me, How far is the residence here from Jinghai County?!"
Wang Chan shivered and whispered: "Twenty, more than twenty miles."
Song Zhengchen took two steps angrily and shouted: "It's been more than twenty miles, why don't you move the county government here? It's such a long journey, so far away from the county seat, how can you let these immigrants survive?" This winter day? They have worked hard for several months, and their bodies are so tired. They need to cultivate themselves. When they are sick, you place them more than 20 miles away. How can they find medical treatment? "
"Yes, it's because we didn't think carefully."
Wang Chan's voice became even lower.
Song Zheng pointed to the house and said, "County Magistrate Zhao Bin, did you arrange for people to build this house?"
"That's right!"
Zhao Bin shouted loudly.
Although the houses are not as luxurious and grand as those in Beizhili, the quality is still decent. They can't be blown down by strong winds and heavy rains, and they are not afraid of Song Zhengchen's criticism.
Song Zhengchen looked at Zhao Bin's face waiting for his praise, stepped forward and kicked him, shouting to Zhao Bin who was lying on the ground: "Are you blind? This is the northern section of the Huitong River, and there is also the Triangle Lake to the north. Once something happens, If there is a flood, what should these people do? I have read the Jinghai County Chronicle and found that there have been two floods affecting both sides of the river in ten years! Are you planning to put people's homes on the river?"
"ah……"
Zhao Bin never expected this.
Song Zhengchen pulled Zhao Bin up, pointed to the house and asked: "Tell me, which house has a door facing north? Do you think that the house cannot be blown down and it does not leak? Have you ever thought that this will freeze the people to death? ?"
"this……"
Zhao Bin was also confused. Although he was Jinghai's contractor, he didn't know how to work. He was subcontracted. Who knows how many times these grandchildren subcontracted. In the end, he only promised himself that he would definitely be strong enough. It works, but who knew there were so many problems!
Song Zhengchen became angry, and Jinghai's officialdom was over.
From the county to the government officials, all corruption and problems have been dealt with. It doesn't matter whether the Hajj has your name or your grandfather's name.
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