Let’s talk about the rich people in the world, no one is innocent!
Almost no one in the world who has amassed a large amount of money is clean, and some of them have violated laws to some extent.
If you are an honest person, you can only live a moderately prosperous life. If you want too much money, it is almost impossible.
Especially in the social environment of the Great Yin Dynasty, it was rare for landlords and wealthy people to abide by the law. They would do some illegal things in private. This is due to the environment and is commonplace.
For example, mistreating servants, deducting wages, seizing land, bullying men and women, killing cattle and eating meat without permission, lynching, discord with parents, disrespecting elders, etc. These are all common behaviors and belong to the people who do not hold office.
Generally speaking, the government will not interfere too much in matters that are not investigated.
But rich families have many servants, and when there are more people, there are more things to do. Occasionally, some murder cases occur, which is not uncommon. It is also not uncommon for the rich man to have an affair with a maid, and the maid is beaten to death by his wife. If you really care about it,
No one has a clean butt.
Let's not talk about others, just Li Mu. If it is really investigated, he is also a man with bloody hands, killing officials, killing people, and beheading the city god. If he follows the law, even ten heads are not enough.
The cases committed by other rich squire families may not be as serious as Li Mu's, but they may not be incapable of receiving the death penalty.
Especially when Baoming County was hit by a disaster recently, Qinghe County was also implicated. There were countless victims, and casualties were common. It was a good time for these wealthy families to bully men and dominate women and seize women.
Almost everyone has a few women trapped in their homes as maids and servants. It is also common to force girls into prostitution and even death.
After Zhou Daoquan arrived in Qinghe County, he ordered people to investigate the place carefully. Shen Chong had a group of subordinates who were highly capable and powerful. After careful investigation, he found out everything in less than three days.
The powerful squires present were all criminals. Even Li Mu was registered for hanging a robber and castrating a monk.
"After investigation, Gui Youhu of Qinghe County bullied men and women, forced girls into prostitution, harmed the common people, snatched away women, used lynching, and resisted taxation. His crimes were extremely heinous and he should be punished according to the law!"
Holding a book in his hand, Shen Chong stood in the granary courtyard and recited loudly to everyone: "Come here, lock Gui Youhu!"
"My lord, this is unfair!"
A middle-aged man was so frightened that he knelt down and kowtowed: "I am willing to donate half of my family property to help the victims! Please spare my life!"
Zhou Daoquan shouted angrily: "How courageous! Is this officer a corrupt person and perverting the law? You have committed such a serious crime, how can I keep you? Take you under custody and wait for your orders!"
"Yes!"
A government official walked over, picked up the iron shackles and locked Gui Youhu up. He said in a low voice: "Mr. Gui, why are you doing this? The governor personally came to invite you, but you don't even give him this face.
, how can you still be left behind? Look at Mr. Li Daguan, he took out one hundred thousand catties of wheat seeds at once, pulled them over in carts, and placed them in the yard. It was so bright! It was a huge sin. I am happy.
I won’t care about it anymore!”
Gui Youhu beat his chest and felt regretful: "If I had known this day, I would have donated all my family property and I would not dare to disobey the boss!"
As he was locked up, several wealthy gentry nearby were also locked up and taken to prison.
The remaining gentry at the scene were all in danger, sweating profusely, and in an instant, their heavy clothes were soaked with sweat.
Gui Youhu and others were arrested. Anyone with a discerning eye can understand at a glance that these are extremely evil people, so they were arrested.
Since the crime is unforgivable, he will be killed sooner or later. It is just at this time that the lock is taken to kill the chicken to scare the monkey.
After a few people were arrested, Zhou Dao looked at everyone with a gloomy expression: "Since I arrived in Qinghe, except for a few wealthy households who have helped the victims, the rest of them have been indifferent to the victims. Not only did they not save people, but they took advantage of the situation and robbed them.
They use the opportunity to make money, use very little food to exchange for the land of the victims, traffic in people, pile up everything, violate the law, and destroy their conscience!"
The scene was quiet.
After a while, Zhang Shihong stood up and saluted: "Sir, this is a student who is careless, please blame me!"
Zhou Daquan waved his hand and said: "You are the temporary county magistrate. You have not been responsible for arresting human rights before. Recently, you have been busy relieving victims and maintaining public order. It is reasonable that you have no time to pay attention to this matter. I can't blame you for this matter." p>
When he said this, he looked at Li Mu: "Muzhi, do you have anything to say?"
Li Mu said: "In the opinion of the students, Gui Youhu and others can be dealt with according to the law. As for the other people with less severe circumstances, if they sincerely repent, adults should also give them a chance to change their ways."
Zhou Daoquan nodded slightly: "I am not a murderous person. If these people sincerely repent and atone for their sins, it would be okay to let them live."
Everyone in the courtyard breathed a sigh of relief when they heard this.
An obese old man wiped his sweat and stood up; "Sir, ordinary people are willing to donate 10,000 kilograms of grain and 100 taels of silver to help the victims!"
Another middle-aged man stood up and said: "I am willing to donate 30,000 kilograms of food, and I don't need the victims to return it."
Afterwards, everyone at the scene enthusiastically signed up, and the donation amount was more than ten times higher than before. Soon, they donated 3,000 taels of silver, plus more than 70,000 kilograms of grain.
But the total of these things is still far behind the rations and seeds needed by the victims.
Zhou Daoquan's face became increasingly ugly. He stood up and nodded slowly to everyone: "Okay! Very good!"
Then he said to Shen Chong: "According to the rules, we must capture the criminals one by one and do not let any criminal go!"
Shen Chong cupped his fists and saluted: "Don't worry, sir, my subordinates will definitely watch them carefully, and no one can escape!"
Zhou Daoquan said no more and ordered: "Prepare the sedan chair and go back home!"
After a while, he rode in a red sedan and returned to the county government office.
The remaining people, except for a limited number of people such as Li Mu, Zhang Shihong and Sun Honglie, the rest of the squires were all locked up and taken to the prison.
"The so-called magistrate who spends his family, the magistrate who destroys his family, hey, Mr. Zhou's attitude is so good, these people are still reluctant to part with this little thing in their home, they really want money rather than their lives!"
Li Mu looked at the people who had been locked away and couldn't help but shake his head and laugh: "The county magistrate is not as good as taking charge now, let alone the governor, who is in charge of a state and can be regarded as a prince in the area. He has the power of life and death. These guys will die.
It’s coming, but I don’t even know it.”
Sun Honglie said: "They think they are used to it. Usually the county magistrate just forces a little family wealth and never bleeds them, so they think Master Zhou is the same."
In today's world, the imperial power does not go to the countryside, and local officials and gentry govern the country. Naturally, they will not exploit the gentry too much. At most, they will only extort some money.
After all, most county magistrates are not locals. If they really offend all the local gentry, I am afraid that any order will be difficult to get out of the county government. Even if they act normally, there will be various obstacles, so it is rare to offend the officials of the entire gentry group.
But this is only limited to small officials with weak personalities. If you get to a feudal official like Zhou Daoquan, who is the governor of a place, if you need money and people, whether you are a squire, a wealthy household, or a household on land, it will all be given to you for free.
If you move, you can turn your hand to destroy it.
These wealthy gentry in Qinghe County were accustomed to being arrogant and arrogant in Qinghe County. They completely forgot the difference between a governor and a county magistrate. They refused to repent until they died. As a result, they were punished by Zhou Daoquan in accordance with the law and sent to prison. Even though they were not
If the family is destroyed and everyone is killed, the vitality will definitely be severely damaged.
The so-called greed for small things and loss of big things, picking up sesame seeds and losing watermelons, is nothing more than this.
Zhang Shihong wiped the sweat from his forehead and bowed to Li Mu: "Brother Li, you saved another life!"
If Li Mu had not negotiated with him and lent grain seeds together, Zhang Shihong would never have taken the initiative to lend grain to the people. After all, during the famine years, his own grain might not be enough to survive, so why would he lend it to others?
When Zhang Shihong first became the county magistrate, he had some key issues to deal with, but he still lacked the ability to predict things in advance and take action in advance.
If he and Li Mu were not the first to donate money and food today, Zhou Daoquan would be very likely to be angered. Not only would the newly acquired county magistrate not last long, he might also be imprisoned.
After all, the old Zhang family has been a squire in Qinghe County for several generations. With little wealth, their behavior is a bit flamboyant. Among the things they have done over the years, there are also things that violate the law.
If we really want to pursue the case, not to mention Zhang Shihong, even Zhang Shihong's parents will have to face a lawsuit, which will inevitably lead to imprisonment.
If you keep a good home, it will be ruined and disappear in an instant.
"This is Brother Zhang's luck. Brother is just a suggestion, and it is Brother Zhang who makes the decision."
Li Mu helped Zhang Shihong up and said with a smile: "We have passed Master Zhou's test, and we will just do our best from now on."
Zhang Shihong said: "Brother Li said that in the future, I will definitely fulfill my duties and serve the country and the people!"
After the two of them said a few words in the courtyard, Li Mu stepped aside, sat down under a tree against the wall in the courtyard, poured out tea, and drank tea slowly.
Zhang Shihong pretended to be the county magistrate, sat in the courtyard, and ordered three squads of government officials to lead the victims to distribute grain.
In the two counties of Qinghe and Baoming, there were almost more than 200,000 victims. Later they died of illness and starvation. Tens of thousands of people died, and some fled to other places. They are still wandering in Qinghe and Baoming counties.
There are only more than 30,000 victims left.
The grain at the grain depot, plus Li Mu's previous 100,000 jins, is only 170,000 jins. When distributed to everyone, each person has less than eight jins of grain.
These eight kilograms of grain are just grains. As for food, they have to use work-for-relief methods to let them eat something reluctantly so as not to starve to death.
Let these people come one by one to receive the grain. After receiving it, they sign and pledge it as a voucher.
Zhang Shihong and Sun Honglie were personally at the scene to supervise the victims to receive seeds. They worked for five days in a row before distributing the seeds.
During this period, Li Mu took out another 100,000 kilograms of seeds. In this way, each person can have more than ten kilograms of seeds. If they can be planted well and the weather does not change much, it will be enough to prevent these disaster victims from being killed next time.
Years of starvation.
On the fifth day, fewer and fewer victims came to collect grains. Zhang Shihong called Li Mu: "Brother Li, just wait until the grains are lent out today, then you can go see the boss and report the matter, which can be regarded as a settlement."
."
Li Mu smiled and said: "Finished? Lending the grain seeds is just the first step. How to farm in the future, how to protect the seedlings, how to water, how much harvest can be produced in the next year, everything is not your business? What do you want?
To settle it? I’m afraid it won’t be settled in three to five years!”
Zhang Shihong sighed: "I used to only see the prestige of being an official, but now that I am an official, I find that being an official is really hard work.
When there is a flood in the east or a fire in the west, I have to come forward. Farming and harvesting, drought, floods and epidemics have to be dealt with. I am exhausted all day long. No wonder so many corrupt officials turn a blind eye when they are in office.
At first glance, it turns out that being a good official is so difficult!"
Li Mu said: "In such troubled times, it is difficult to be a good official!"
Zhang Shihong said: "Since I have become a young man, I should work hard for it. How can I read this sage's book in vain? Just do your best and go all out."
Li Mu nodded: "Brother Zhang can have such an idea, it is not a waste of time."
While the two were talking, Li Mu suddenly raised his head and looked outside the door.
The two of them were sitting in the granary compound at this time. There was a jujube tree in the compound. The Yamen servants placed a big table under the tree. The two of them sat at both ends of the table, supervising the people to come to collect grain seeds.
Handle emergencies.
At this time, there were only two or three victims in the courtyard, and there was not much food. Almost all the food that had been piled up in mountains had been taken away, and the whole courtyard was much empty.
When Li Mu looked outside the door, he saw an old man walking with a cane at the courtyard gate.
This old man has a bare forehead and no hair on his head, but he is not a monk. He is wearing blue clothes, his face is full of wrinkles, even his bare scalp is wrinkled, and the two whiskers at the corners of his mouth have turned pure white.
His whole body was so dark and gloomy that he was almost too old to look at.
Cliché, cliché, this old man is not only toothless, but also hunched over and coughing constantly.
The old man was holding a cane, taking a breath, taking a step, resting, walking, and resting. He walked from the gate outside the courtyard to Li Mu. It took several minutes. Even a turtle could run faster than him.
.
"Boys, can I get grain seeds here?"
The bald old man hunched his shoulders and stuck his head forward. He looked at Li Mu and Zhang Shihong with his two small mung bean eyes: "Our family has always been without food. We have been hungry for several years. The hungry little old man is dizzy and shaking when walking."
.Brother, can I get some seeds here so that I can plant some food as soon as possible after I go back so that my whole family and several friends will not starve to death?"
"How many years have you been hungry?"
Zhang Shihong laughed dumbly: "Old man, have you been hungry for several days? Don't worry, we still have a lot of dry food here. You can eat some first and wait until you have the strength. As long as you are from Baoming County and Qinghe County, you can
The official will give you twenty kilograms of grain seeds to cultivate."
"You still...have to be from Qinghe County? Is it okay if you are not a human being?"
The old man looked troubled: "We have lived in Qinghe County for hundreds of years and have never registered a household registration. If we don't have a household registration, can't we receive this grain?"
Zhang Shihong glanced at the old man with a surprised look on his face: "Are you not a human being?"
The old man said honestly: "We are demon cultivators from the neighborhood. We have always done our jobs properly and have never killed anyone. We usually open up wasteland and grow some food to satisfy our hunger. But in the past few years, the weather has been bad, and we have never killed anyone."
After the harvest was over, I could only retreat and eat food. I had been hungry for three years, and suddenly I woke up from hunger. Several children were also dying of hunger, and I was afraid that they would not survive."
He said to Zhang Shihong: "I wanted to go down the mountain to carry some grain, but unexpectedly a great scholar showed up in Qinghe County, so I didn't dare to make a mistake. I saw that there were grain seeds here to collect, so I came here to collect some grain seeds. It's good
Plant food and feed my children."
When Zhang Shihong heard this, his face changed color and he turned to look at Li Mu.
