Zhang Zhuyang arrived in Fuzhou and spent two days inspecting the river.
He was really an expert. He quickly found the crux of the problem and ordered his officials to purchase earth and stone, hire manpower, and prepare to start construction.
Kang Shouming, the director of the Ministry of Industry, submitted the list. After Zhang Zhuyang read it, he smacked his lips and said, "Mr. Kang, the price of this soil and stone is more expensive than food."
Kang Shouming quickly explained: "Sir, you don't know something. Fuzhou is short of earth and stone. The locals also say so. The earth and stone here are more expensive than rice."
Zhang Zhuyang's eyes trembled and he smiled and said: "Fuzhou is very mountainous, so just hire people to dig it out."
"The earth and rocks on the mountain are not easy to move. Fuzhou is an evil place. You must have heard of Huntiandang. It is within the boundary of Fuzhou. If anyone goes in, no one will come out alive."
Zhang Zhuyang continued to smile: "We said we were going up the mountain to collect earth and rocks, why did we talk about Huntiandang?"
"That's the truth. You can't go to Huntiandang, and you can't just go to this mountain. Who knows what is in the mountain, and we can't afford to offend it!"
Zhang Zhuyang nodded when he heard this, and then looked down the list: "Hiring a laborer costs three hundred cash a day? Even in the capital, sixty cash is enough."
"Sir, the farming season is busy right now. It's hard to hire people. It would be nice to hire someone for three hundred coins."
"This, this is unavoidable..."
"Sir, this is not the first time we have gone out on errands. We all know the rules, so you don't need to worry about these things. When the work is done, you will just wait for news from us."
Zhang Zhuyang nodded repeatedly: "Mr. Kang, could you please call all your colleagues here? I have something to discuss with them."
Upon hearing this, Kang Shouming laughed.
Zhang Zhuyang is still the same Zhang Zhuyang, on the road!
Calling everyone here must be for the purpose of sharing money.
He quickly gathered everyone together and waited to listen to Zhang Zhuyang's instructions.
Zhang Zhuyang asked his attendants to bring out a box. When he opened the box, he saw that it was filled with fifty taels of gold ingots.
The money appropriated by the court was silver. How did it turn into gold?
Everyone was puzzled, Zhang Zhuyang smiled and said: "This is Zhang's savings and a little thought. Colleagues, don't be too little. One hundred taels of gold per person.
This time, let’s not think about anything else and concentrate on running the river affairs well. Zhang, I sincerely thank you all.”
Everyone looked at each other, looked at several boxes of gold, and then looked at Zhang Zhuyang, and the atmosphere gradually became solemn.
The director Kang Shouming spoke: "Zhang Yushi, you can't trust us? Why do you let us take your money?"
Zhang Zhuyang waved his hands repeatedly and said: "How dare you, how dare you, it's just a matter of colleagues, fate, and a heart. Everyone, please accept it."
Seeing everyone's silence, Zhang Zhuyang sighed with a smile: "Buying earth and stone, hiring manpower, it's not a big deal. Zhang can just do it by himself. I have to trouble you all to take care of this dangerous place on the river embankment. Please help Zhang take care of it."
With."
Zhang Zhuyang distributed the gold to everyone, but everyone couldn't help but dispersed.
The Ministry of Industry promoted Yue Hongji and said, "What does Zhang Zhuyang mean? How do you want to eat alone?"
Kang Shouming shook his head and said, "I can't guess what he's thinking. Let's wait for two days to see what he wants to do."
…
Three days later, the Marquis Mansion.
Xia Hu rushed back from Fuzhou and gave Xu Zhiqiong a list of names.
Xu Zhiqiong took a look at the list, which recorded the crimes of thirteen officials.
After Xu Zhiqiong read it, he gritted his teeth and said, "Why is it so difficult?"
Xia Hu said: "I went to the porridge shop and took a look. I can count the rice in a pot of porridge."
Xu Zhiqiong tightened his grip on the list and said, "Isn't Lao Meng here? But he just doesn't care?"
Xia Hu sighed: "I met Meng Denglang, and he recognized me. He said the porridge was too thin, but Jia Xingbang told him that disaster relief is a matter of the Ministry of Revenue, and the Deng Yamen has no right to interfere."
…
Fuzhou, Luohuai County, Shangyuan Village, Porridge.
The lids of several large pots were lifted. There was no rice in the pots, and even the soup was clear.
More than three hundred villagers were holding bowls and waiting for this bowl of porridge.
I only have this bowl of porridge every day, but I may not be able to drink even this bowl of porridge today.
Bao Dexing, the head of the Household Department, stood on the stage next to the porridge shed, holding a whip, silently watching the people waiting to receive their porridge.
Normally, he rarely comes to the porridge market, but today he made an exception. Yesterday, a dozen people made trouble in the porridge market because they thought the porridge was too thin. They were caught by the officials, and now they are kneeling under the table.
Bao Dexing walked up to an old woman, raised his foot and kicked the old woman to the ground: "You are too old to be ashamed!"
A middle-aged man was kneeling next to the old woman. Bao Dexing stepped forward and whipped him twice on the face: "Can't you scream? Didn't you say you don't have enough to eat? Just scream and I'll listen!"
There was an old man kneeling next to him. Bao Dexing stepped forward and stepped on the old man's face, cursing: "I didn't starve you to death, but you dare to cause trouble here!"
A dozen people were kicked and beaten one by one, and Bao Dexing shouted: "The imperial court sent an imperial envoy to come to relieve the disaster. We followed Lord Jia and worked tirelessly to fight for your food. You just repay us like this. Where is your conscience? Are you going to let the dogs eat it?"
Bao Dexing walked to the porridge pot and scooped out a spoonful of rice soup: "Do you know where this food comes from? It was all saved from our mouths by the few of us who followed Mr. Jia. For you, we broke our legs and were fucked to pieces.
Heartbroken,
You guys are holding bowls and waiting for food every day. It’s okay to be ungrateful. Why are you making trouble here? If this porridge is eaten by you, it might as well be eaten by dogs!"
"Then let me eat it for you!"
boom!
Someone kicked Bao Dexing in the back. Bao Dexing stumbled and fell to the ground. The rice soup that had rolled away was knocked over and spilled all over his body.
"Ah! Ah!" Bao Dexing wailed like a pig, "Who! Who dares to attack the imperial official! Come on, take it down, quickly kill this mob..."
Bao Dexing opened his eyes and looked for a moment, then murmured: "Hou, Mr. Hou..."
Standing in front of him was Xu Zhiqiong.
Behind Xu Zhiqiong are a group of fierce lantern men!
Xu Zhiqiong's veins popped out, he grabbed Bao Dexing's hair, pressed him down next to the pot, gritted his teeth and said, "Is this porridge?"
"Yes, it's porridge, Lord Marquis, it's porridge..."
"Is it porridge? Try it again!" Xu Zhiqiong pressed Bao Dexing's head against the surface of the rice soup, and the rising steam scalded Bao Dexing's face.
"Master Hou, Master Hou, please spare my life!"
"Where is Jia Xingbang?"
"Imperial envoy... then, what, Mr. Jia is at the county government office, handling official business!"
Xu Zhiqiong turned around and shouted: "Lao Meng, tie up Jia Xingbang and He Jianzhong over here!"
…
In the county government office, Jia Xingbang was taking a nap in his bedroom. A handsome maid stood beside the couch, gently shaking her fan.
Suddenly hearing a noise outside the door, Jia Xingbang opened his eyes and shouted: "Who is making such a noise!"
The maid was about to go out to check when she saw Meng Shizhen opening the door and walking in.
Jia Xingbang sat up and frowned: "Meng Baihu, why are you here at the county government office?"
Meng Shizhen smiled and said: "Come and invite your Excellency to a porridge shop."
Jia Xingbang said angrily: "Your Majesty ordered me to take charge of disaster relief matters. I have said more than once that I will not interfere with this matter!"
"If you don't interfere, how about interfering?" Meng Shizhen stepped forward and kicked Jia Xingbang over.
Jia Xingbang shouted: "I am an imperial envoy of the imperial court, and you beat the imperial envoy with the intention of treason!"
Meng Shizhen spat and said: "The real imperial envoys are here, and you are still here pretending to be an imperial envoy. Get me tied up! Send it to the porridge market!"
With the help of Onmyoji's magic circle, Meng Shizhen soon sent Jia Xingbang and He Jianzhong to the porridge together.
Before leaving, Jia Xingbang's sin karma was five inches and two. In just a few days, it had grown to five inches and five. Xu Zhiqiong knelt down and asked, "What did I tell you before I left? I told you not to be greedy." , tell me how much you have been greedy for?"
Jia Xingbang gritted his teeth and said, "You have no evidence, but do you want to kill me unjustly?"
"It's not an unjust killing, it's a beating! Lao Meng!" Xu Zhiqiong called Meng Shizhen, "beat him to death, in front of the people, until he admits his guilt."
Jia Xingbang shouted: "Xu Zhiqiong, you thief, do you still have the king's law in your eyes? I will let you beat me, let's see if you can break my iron bones!"
Meng Shizhen started beating with a whip, Xu Zhiqiong ordered people to count the rice grains and cook porridge and rice again. Just as Li Pu'an ordered people to pour out the rice soup in the pot, a woman rushed up with a child in her arms.
"Sir, please don't spill this porridge and rice. Give my wife a bite to eat. Sir, I won't eat. My wife is starving. Just give her a bite. I beg you."
Li Pu'an quickly took the bowl, scooped out as much rice as possible, and served the porridge to the woman.
After serving the porridge, Li Pu'an still didn't hand it over.
He didn't think that girl looked right.
"Sir, sir, I beg you, I will give my girl a bite, just one bite, and I will kowtow to you. I kowtow to you, sir."
The woman kept kowtowing.
Li Pu'an hesitated for a moment and handed over the porridge.
The woman put the porridge and rice in the girl's mouth, but the girl didn't eat it.
"Eat, eat quickly. After eating, you won't be hungry anymore." The woman gently poured the rice soup into Nizi's mouth.
"No, that, that..." Li Pu'an didn't know what to say, "This girl, your child, she, she, she all..."
That Nizi can't be eaten.
I can't eat it anymore...
"Eat, mother feeds you," the woman put her arm around Nizi and held the bowl with the other, pouring porridge and rice into the child's mouth. "There is food to eat. You are not hungry anymore. There is food to eat!"
Rice water flowed out from Nizi's mouth.
Ma Guangli clenched his fists: "These bastards!"
He stepped forward and punched Jia Xingbang and kicked him several times. Jia Xingbang coughed and said, "Don't hit me again. This is none of my business. It's Bao Dexing and He Jianzhong. They lied about the victims and the price of rice. They cheated." This officer, I am responsible for the oversight!"
Bao Dexing shouted: "You also accepted the money and sent it to you in the capital. Are you going to turn your back on me and refuse to admit it?"
Meng Shizhen snorted coldly: "I've said what needs to be said, why are we still fighting?"
Ma Guangli picked up his whip and said, "Hit him. If he beats him like a bastard, wouldn't he say that he has an iron bone?"
…
Hearing that Xu Zhiqiong was coming, Zhang Zhuyang and Censor Wei Dongliang rushed over.
The crimes committed by Zhang Zhuyang and his officials have not changed.
Wei Dongliang, the censor, was responsible for supervising the use of assets. When he left, he was guilty of all his crimes.
Now, the sinful karma is two inches and four.
Xu Zhiqiong looked at Wei Dongliang, there were some things that he couldn't understand.
This is a good official!
"How much have you been greedy for?"
Wei Dongliang exclaimed in shock: "Why did Marquis Yun slander me? Since I arrived in Fuzhou, I have spent my own money on meals and nights. I have never..."
Before he could finish his words, Xu Zhiqiong shouted: "Old Ma, tie him up and beat him together!"
…
In the secret pavilion, Emperor Changle looked at Xu Zhiqiong silently, with only despair in his eyes: "Brother, I promised them, I said it in front of them, I said I would promote them when I come back, I said never
treat them badly,
I said, you can’t be greedy this time, just for this little thing, why is it so difficult?”
Xu Zhiqiong remained silent. He also overestimated the bottom line of these people.
Liang Yuyao said from the side: "I just said that there is no such thing as greed, but that guy Zhang Zhuyang is promising, that's all. I'll send an envoy in red to give them a good beating."
"No need to knock!" Emperor Changle, who has always been optimistic, was furious, "Kill, kill all those who are greedy for money! Get the money for disaster relief back to me!"
"The money for disaster relief is easy to come by. If their house is confiscated, the money will naturally come out," Xu Zhiqiong stood up and said, "If I go to the Ministry of Household Affairs to select three officials to provide disaster relief, and let them carry three heads to Fuzhou, I don't believe in reform.