Early the next morning, a large number of officials from Taiyuan City and surrounding prefectures and counties gathered outside the Shanxi Governor's Office. The officials from the surrounding prefectures and counties who hurriedly arrived were full of excitement and expectation. For them, being able to attend the meeting Tianyan, and the new king who has only been on the throne for a year, is naturally an extremely honorable thing. If they cannot be promoted, they, like ordinary gentry and common people, may never see the holy face in their lifetime.
But all the officials in Taiyuan City were not happy at all. They all had solemn faces and anxious moods. Zhenwu visited Taiyuan for four days and paid private visits incognito every day. God knows if there was any clue that he could catch? I'm afraid it's not a happy event to meet the Holy Spirit today.
At around 4:00 p.m., three people came quickly in small sedans. Kuixu, Su Keji, and Su Zhan saw them and hurriedly greeted them. From this, a group of officials guessed the identity of the person and greeted them one after another. The sedan landed on the ground. , Ma Qi, Wang Juan, and Fang Bao walked out one after another. A group of officials stepped forward to greet Ma Qi and Wang Juan, but Fang Bao, who was wearing a sixth-grade official robe, was ignored.
However, Kuixu knew Fang Bao's identity. Although he had just acted as the magistrate of Taiyuan, he was only from the fourth rank, but he was an old member of Prince Xun's family and had a deep connection with the saints. This was also evident from the tone of Zhenwu's conversation with him yesterday, and he In the future, we will have to rely on the Taiyuan prefect of Xinzha who is trying out the New Deal. After meeting Ma Qi and Wang Guan, he stepped forward to greet Fang Bao cordially.
Fang Bao did not dare to be rude and hurriedly greeted him respectfully. Kui Xu's status was extremely valuable. Such behavior naturally attracted everyone's attention. They all inquired about Fang Bao's identity. After hearing clearly, they all came forward to greet him. They may not We know the relationship between Fang Bao and Zhenwu, but Fang Bao's literary name is very popular.
Fang Bao did not dare to be negligent and returned the favor one by one. These officials were now his superiors, subordinates or colleagues. They would have to interact with each other frequently in the future, so naturally they should not be negligent.
At the beginning of the morning, the gates of the governor's Yamen opened. A guard came out and shouted loudly: "The emperor has a decree to announce that all of you will come to see me."
Only then did all the officials know that Zhenwu had moved to the governor's Yamen last night, and they were quickly divided into two teams according to their rank. Some officials did not forget to check their robes and crowns, for fear of losing their etiquette in front of Zhenwu, and then , and then entered the gate under the leadership of the guards. Go all the way through the second gate and the lobby and wait quietly under the steps outside the second hall door.
After hearing the news, all the officials were already waiting outside the second hall. Zhenwu was dressed in a dragon robe and neatly walked out. As soon as Zhenwu sat down, all the officials, led by Ma Qi and Wang Tuan, went out. Kneel down and kowtow six times and shout long live.
"My dear ministers," Zhenwu said lightly. After everyone stood up, he said with a smile: "It's not easy for you to meet me once. It's not easy for me to meet you. Let's do this. The state and county magistrates will come up one after another to report their duties and status. Name. Let me have an impression of you."
All the officials were stunned when they heard this. They did not expect Zhenwu to be so accommodating. Several state and county officials were overjoyed. Wang Degui, the magistrate of Taiyuan County, was the first to go out and kowtow: "The humble minister Wang Degui, the magistrate of Taiyuan, kowtows to the emperor." .¡±
Zhenwu looked him up and down before saying, "No courtesy, stay on your own."
"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty." Wang Degui thanked him and then stood up. Although it was just a very simple conversation. He was also very nervous, and his palms became sweaty immediately.
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? out of Yangqu, Yuci, Taikoo. Qixian, Xugou, Qingyuan, Jiaocheng, Wenshui. The magistrates of Lan County, Xing County and the neighboring counties of Pingding Prefecture, Liaozhou Prefecture and Fenzhou Prefecture came forward to kowtow one by one.
After all the county officials who were waiting for him knelt down one by one, Zhenwu said slowly: "The prefecture and county officials are officials who are close to the people and the parents of the people. They are also the cornerstone of the government's administration. The key to the long-term peace and stability of the imperial court lies in the prefecture and county officials. The imperial court will gradually pay more attention to state and county officials in the future. I have been thinking about the reform of official administration. In the future, high officials in the imperial court must have experience as state and county officials. How can they be called the pillars of the imperial court if they don't know the sufferings of the people?"
This is good news, and all the state and county officials couldn't help but be excited. If this is really the case, the state and county officials will become the meat and potatoes of the state. Ma Qi and Wang Guan frowned when they heard this. Reform of official administration? This master's innovations are really endless. When will this innovation be completed?
After a slight pause, Zhenwu continued: "In the next few years, the imperial court will introduce a series of reform measures. As state and county officials, you must patiently and meticulously publicize the imperial court's innovative measures and actively cooperate with the imperial court to implement reforms. I It is often said that everything has advantages and disadvantages, and every disadvantage must have advantages. The same is true for innovation.
As state and county officials, you must weigh the pros and cons of various innovations. As the saying goes, water can carry a boat or capsize it. What is this water? It¡¯s the people, what about the boat? Not only the court, but also the gentry. The Qing Dynasty actually ruled the world together with the squires. The truth that no eggs are left intact after the nest is overturned must be explained clearly to the squires.
In recent years, the imperial court has invested a huge amount of money to solve the livelihood problems of the people and immigrate to Australia.?, disaster relief, interest-free loans, low-interest loans, promotion of high-yielding drought-resistant crops, etc., totaling hundreds of millions of taels of silver. What is the purpose? It means easing conflicts and stabilizing people's hearts. If the Qing Dynasty wants to prosper, the court and the gentry must be united and united to ensure that the people have enough food and clothing. Don't just look at the immediate benefits, but look at the long term and think more about future generations. "
All the officials felt nervous when they heard this. Although Zhenwu didn't say it clearly, everyone knew that it was definitely an innovation that harmed the interests of the Jin gentry, such as dividing the land between people and farmers. This was the innovation that caused them the most headaches. All the state and county officials Not daring to think too much, they hurriedly said in unison: "Your Majesty's instructions, all ministers must bear them in mind and serve with diligence and caution."
Zhenwu glanced at everyone, changed his tone, and said in a deep voice: "Shanxi has a barren land and a dense population, and it is suffering from a spring drought. I have issued a decree to exempt taxes for one year. If anyone is bold enough to levy corvee taxes on his own, I will definitely not do it. Be gentle."
As he said that, he stared at Su Keji, the governor of Shanxi, and said: "Sukeji misappropriated disaster relief money and food, and recruited corvees privately. Before, I had already decided to dismiss him and keep him in office. In the past few days, I have paid private visits incognito, and I have repeatedly heard about his misdeeds. I am dismissing him pending investigation. Kuixu was temporarily assigned the post of governor of Shanxi and ordered Ma Qi and Wang Gong to conduct a strict investigation on the spot."
No one expected that Zhenwu, who had been gentle just now, would suddenly attack Shanxi Governor Su Keji like a storm. Everyone was stunned and did not come back to their senses for a while. Su Keji's face was ashen, and the chief envoy Su Zhan's heart sank. Su Keji's dismissal pending investigation would be a catastrophe for officials in Shanxi Province.
Zhao Fengzhao, the prefect of Taiyuan, was very smart. When he saw this situation, he immediately realized that this was an excellent opportunity. He immediately stepped out and bowed and said: "To report to the emperor, since Su Keji took office, he has repeatedly extorted money and food from the prefecture and counties. Only Taiyuan Prefecture , the accumulation over the years has reached as high as 400,000 taels, I sincerely pray that the emperor will investigate strictly."
There are few officials in Shanxi who are unaware of the grudge between Su Keji and Zhao Fengzhao. Zhao Fengzhao added insult to injury, and no one was surprised. Beating the dog in the water has always been a common way to deal with enemies in official circles, so there is nothing strange about it.
Ma Changcai, the prefect of Fenzhou Prefecture, was also very smart. He immediately realized that Ma Qi and Wang Guan's investigation of Su Keji's case would definitely involve Shanxi's deficit case. This was an excellent opportunity to frame the blame. Moreover, Su Keji had been involved in the investigation of Su Keji in recent years. The money collected was a bit too harsh. Since it was a case specially appointed by Zhenwu, Su Keji not only suffered losses but also took bribes. It can be said that there was no chance of recovery. It was just a good opportunity to transfer the losses incurred during his tenure to Su Keji.
He immediately stepped out and bowed and said: "Sukeji was domineering and arrogant. On the one hand, he strictly ordered his servants to wait and not to conquer more, but on the other hand, he was greedy and greedy. He used clever excuses to extort prefecture and county officials. Fenzhou Prefecture accumulated up to 200,000 taels in consecutive years. "
Ma Changcai¡¯s shot reminded all state and county officials, who didn¡¯t suffer a loss? Moreover, Su Keji was indeed greedy and extortionate in these years. Many officials gave him a lot of money. At that moment, officials came out one after another to testify, listing one by one how much money had been extorted from various states and counties.
Neither Ma Qi nor Wang Juan expected that such a situation would occur, and they couldn't help but frown secretly. It seems that Su Keji is very unpopular on weekdays, and he stretched his hand too long, which caused public outrage. Zhao Fengzhao was secretly happy. As a result, Su Keji would never have a chance to turn over. If he failed, he would be confiscated and exiled.
Seeing everyone coming forward like a swarm to expose and accuse him of corruption, Su Keji couldn't help but lose all hope. He didn't even have the thought to defend himself. How could he defend himself in the face of this fierce group of people? No excuses! Corruption and bribery certainly exist. Which provincial governor does not have corruption and bribery today? He really didn't expect that these officials could be so shameless. On weekdays, during holidays, sick birthdays, and wives and concubines' birthdays, these officials would give gifts, but now they would give them away and turn them into blackmail.
Zhenwu also never expected that such a situation would occur. He immediately felt that there was something fishy in it. The number reported by these officials alone was already as high as two million taels. There must be moisture in it. Why are these officials being pushed down by everyone? Aren¡¯t you worried about Su Keji¡¯s resurrection?
It seems that Su Keji's bribery is indispensable, but it's just the amount. The reason why these state and county officials made false reports is most likely because of shortfalls. If this is the case, Shanxi's shortfalls are quite scary. Thinking of this, his face suddenly changed. It seems a bit ugly. Currently, Jiangnan is implementing the new policy of dividing people into acres, and Taiyuan will also trial new policies such as dividing people into acres and integrating officials and gentry to pay grain. If Shanxi's deficit is quite serious, it is not appropriate to conduct a strict investigation at this time. There is no way to say, so Su Keji can only Carry them all on your back to stabilize people's hearts.
After pondering for a moment, Zhenwu smiled and said: "Shanxi is really a good place. After leaving Kali, Su Keji came again." As he said, he glanced coldly at Su Keji, who had a dull expression, and said: "Sukeji, Do you know your sin?"
Su Keji was so excited that he knew that now was not the time to defend himself, and that he could not defend himself.??, he hurriedly stepped forward and knelt down and said: "Your Majesty, this slave deserves death and has betrayed the emperor's favor. I sincerely pray that the emperor will issue an edict to severely punish me. I sincerely pray that the emperor will confiscate the slave's property to correct the rules of the court."
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