"Thank you so much, Marquis Changnan, for your help."
As soon as he entered the hall, Xi made it clear what his purpose was. Today, he made a special trip to express his gratitude to Hei Fu.
"I am just a small official from a border county. He is about to die from an illness, but has no way to seek medical treatment. My family has prepared the coffin and put in the slips that I have transcribed over the years little by little, just to wait for my death."
"But I didn't expect that the Marquis of Changnan would mention me in front of His Majesty, so that I could go up to heaven to listen. His Majesty also sent an imperial doctor to come thousands of miles away for treatment. I was lucky enough to escape from the great commander's place.
live……"
Heifu remembered this incident. It happened three or four years ago when Qin Shihuang was on his eastern tour. He received a letter from his family saying that he was ill and about to die.
Heifu took pity on him and felt that such a good official should not be allowed to remain unknown, so he took the opportunity of advocating engraving and printing to use Xi's copying of laws and regulations as an example.
At that time, he felt that Xi's story should not only be known to millions of people in future generations, but also to Qin Shihuang! At the grassroots level of the empire, there was such a diligent and conscientious Qin official!
Unexpectedly, Xi was actually saved by the imperial doctor sent by Qin Shihuang. After recuperating for a year and a half, Xi was in good health.
Not only that, Xi was a blessing in disguise and was molded into a model by the imperial court. Although he did not engage in any "learning from Comrade Xi" activities, Xi was immediately promoted from the fake county magistrate and given two levels of nobility. Now he is the fifth official.
He sincerely thanked him, but Hei Fu did not even dare to say so, so he avoided the table and said, "If Mr. Xi had not enforced the law impartially, Hei Fu had been framed more than ten years ago and was in jail. How would he have happened?"
Xi She, who was nearly fifty years old and already showing his age, had looked at Hei Fu for a long time. When he saw that he was rich and wealthy and returned to his hometown, he was still not arrogant or impetuous. He nodded and said:
"Anlu County, Nan County, has truly produced an extraordinary person!"
Recalling the case more than ten years ago, the humble Guizhou boy in the past is now one of the top ten emperors in the empire. I can't help but feel a lot of emotion. As someone who has witnessed this junior's humble beginnings, I am also very happy.
After the two exchanged their thanks, they sat down and chatted about business: although they had known each other for a long time, they had no personal friendship.
What Heifu is most concerned about is, of course, the military situation in Dongting County.
Dongting County is Qianzhong County, located in Guizhou, western Hunan in later generations. Two thousand years later, it was a Manchu ethnic autonomous prefecture and county. Not to mention now, the ratio of local Xia people to barbarians is about one to ten. In some places, it is even one to one.
Than a hundred...
In the early days of unification, a conflict broke out between the Yue people and the Qin army there. The defeated Yue people fled south into Xi'ou, which was the trigger for the Qin-Ou war. After the southern expedition began, a partial division in Qianzhong County also crossed the border.
He crossed the Yuanshui River and headed south, stationed in Tancheng (Jingxian County, Hunan Province), and became at odds with the Guilin Army...
Xi said: "Dongting County has a mixed mix of barbarians and barbarians, which is inherently unstable. In recent years, people from Nanjun have often come to deceive the barbarians and bring them back to Nanjun as slaves. There have been frequent conflicts between Xia and Yue. Since the war began, there have been frequent betrayals by Yiyue and Yue in the county.
Before the Tancheng army had time to attack Xiou, they had to stop and suppress the rebellion, so they did not go deep into Lingnan and the army still existed."
"It's just that Tancheng is blocked by mountains. It's difficult to transport food and fodder, and the army is short of food. The county lieutenant hopes that they can return to Qianling County to eat."
Hei Fu sneered in his heart. The Dongting County captain had followed the trend two years ago and clamored to join Bashu in driving southwestern Yi and marching to Qilan and Yelang in the west. These generals were greedy for Li Xin. Hei Fu and his team's achievements.
The eagerness to achieve meritorious service, regardless of the situation of the county, and repeated provocations on the border were one of the reasons why the Qin Dynasty used troops on all sides. Now it was frustrated and its enthusiasm had faded.
"Emotions are all over the world. The only one who wants to fight this battle is Qin Shihuang..."
Heifu complained in his heart and asked about matters related to Xi's work: "How is the administration of officials in Dongting County?"
Xi sighed, shook his head and said: "It's not good, the administration is getting worse..."
…
In Xi's opinion, compared to the enterprising spirit before unification, the atmosphere among the Qin officials seemed to have changed.
"There are always those who look for excuses to accept gifts."
Xi mentioned an incident: "Two years ago, when I recovered from illness and returned to my post, I heard that the magistrate of Yuanling County not only invited guests and friends to marry his daughter, but also notified the three elders and officials in the county to come to congratulate her.
, sit under the hall."
"I punished those who blatantly took bribes, but all the officials said that this was a wedding gift to the county magistrate's son, not a bribe. The county magistrate also thought that it was not enough to punish him, so I finally rejected all opinions.
, the county magistrate will be removed from office, and the remaining officials will be slightly punished."
Hei Fu nodded and collected money for the banquet. It was similar to Lu Gong's family in Peixian County. If Xi was in Surabaya County, Peiling would be in trouble. It's a pity that there are too few judges like Xi.
When he was in Jiaodong County, he also saw a similar situation: when officials left, colleagues gave three to five hundred or even one thousand yuan. This was a common thing, but the government turned a blind eye. After all, Qin officials had low salaries, and everyone had to live.
.
But now, there are more "welcome money" in various places. When officials take office, local nobles give money one after another, which is called settling-in allowance, but in fact it is bribe. Anyone who gives it will turn a blind eye to the new official.
Yiyan was not in trouble with the corvées, but passed the heavy burdens on to the common people, even the barbarian tribes.
In addition to these favors and courtesies, there are also those who directly take bribes and bend the law.
Xi handled a case. A prisoner who had been arrested by Dongting County for committing a crime received a letter from his hometown jailer, saying that there was still a case there and that it would be sent for trial. If Xi had not noticed something wrong after checking the love letter, he would have sent someone there.
If you chase him, the prisoner will be released when he returns.
There are also extortionists. Dongting County is a remote area, and people from the Six Kingdoms region are often moved here. The officials escorting them take advantage of the opportunity to extort people, plunder the money of the immigrants, and decide the distance of migration based on the amount of bribes they accept.
Xi sighed and said: "There is no way. Changsha County and Dongting County are no better than Nan County. Many county and township officials are retained by the old Chu officials. After more than ten years, they only have a rough understanding of the laws and regulations. Once they are replaced, the government will have no way to collect taxes and corvee."
Heifu expressed his understanding. He had faced the same situation in Jiaodong. He even ordered the magistrate of Mi County to work with the eldest son of the Tian family in Yeyi, and they formed a partnership to sell private salt!
This is true even for long-term officials. The food-fighting officials are even more fully held by local people. Although they have little power, they are enough to intimidate the common people. Like Liu Ji did in the past, he took advantage of the position of the pavilion chief to eat and drink, and refused to pay, so the restaurant had to pay the new debt.
There are so many things like old accounts being written off.
He has always followed the rules and never doubted the joy of laws and regulations, but he has also seen the disadvantages:
"It is a good thing to have strict laws and regulations, but now many new officials do not practice the law, and the administration of officials is corrupt, which makes it possible for petty officials to use the law to bully the people and commit crimes because of the law. Therefore, the people fear officials like tigers and wolves, because a petty official quotes the law and order.
Just slap on any charge and your family can be ruined, and dozens of people can become prisoners."
As the county magistrate, Xi was in charge of the judiciary and was already working hard to clean up the officialdom. However, there was one thing he could not do, and that was the increasing burden of corvee.
Things were fine when they were first unified. The south had been peaceful for a long time and a lot of wealth had been accumulated. However, since the 33rd year, the Qin Dynasty has used troops against Baiyue. Although Qianzhong County is poor, it has been allocated a lot of corvees and taxes.
As the war reached a stalemate, casualties on the front line gradually increased and needed to be supplemented. Almost every household had to provide one person to transport military supplies and build roads and canals.
What should we do if the Xia people are not captured enough? There are not many barbarians in the area, so let the barbarians come to work! As a result, the forced labor caused conflicts, and the conflicts led to bloodshed, and the barbarians in the territory also rebelled. There were even merchants from Nanjun who took the opportunity to buy slaves, and the Yixia people
The relationship is more acute.
Xi said to himself: "In the past two years, I have been the father of murderers, the son of an orphan, cut off the feet of people, and tattooed the heads of countless people. Although according to the law, they committed the crime of Jiangyang and missed the deadline, they indeed deserved the punishment.
But……"
However, when the prisoners in a county account for one-fifth of the residents, something is not right.
"Last year's statistics, recorded in the "Book of Disciples", showed that Qianling Sikong had 125 male prisoners and 87 female prisoners, a total of 226 people. In the entire Qianling County, there were only 152 registered households.
More than 800 people."
Similar things were done in Xi's time. Because they protected the traitors, more than a hundred people in Blind Mountain were all punished to be tortured without mercy.
But what he is facing now is not an occasional collective crime, but a continuous vicious circle that spans the entire world.
The war lasted for a long time - taxes and corvees were heavy - many people fled in fear of death - officials hunted them down and brought them to justice and made them prisoners - more people fled in fear - heavier punishments were imposed... the result
It means that the road is full of prisoners.
These prisoners were all thrown into the southern expedition team. The emperor seemed to really want these "unruly people" to die in the tropical rain forest.
Officials like Xi who still have some conscience are in a dilemma: if they completely follow the orders of the imperial court, as the executor of policies and the collector of taxes and levies, they will naturally be resented by the head of Guizhou.
If you are soft-hearted and open to the rule of Guizhou, you will not be able to achieve the goals required by the court, and you will be punished by laws and regulations, and will be banished to a distant place for crimes such as "not being straight in prison".
Xi has never been soft-hearted and has never violated the laws of the imperial court, which is why he has been able to serve until now...
Xi also told Heifu something: "This time, the counties in central Guizhou, Nanjun, Changsha, and Hengshan were punished for non-explicit crimes and were assigned to serve in the Changnan Marquis Army. There may not be less than dozens of them, and there are indeed people who have been corrupt and bribed.
, but there are also officials who cannot bear to criticize the head of Guizhou harshly and are convicted of dereliction of duty."
"Relegated officials, prisoners, this is the '300,000 soldiers and civilians' that the emperor promised me?"
Heifu couldn't help but have a headache. No wonder in history, when he heard that something happened in the Central Plains, the Southern Army directly blocked the passage and refused to go back.
There are no elites who can be sent to a place like Lingnan. Most of them are cannon fodder. It’s strange that they have strong combat capabilities...
"This is what Xi has witnessed in the past few years. I originally hoped that things would be a little better after the war, but now that His Majesty has appointed the Marquis of Nanchang as a general, grain, prisoners, and soldiers are constantly going south. It seems that this battle will
, the fight is about to continue."
Heifu smiled bitterly: "It is difficult to return, but since I have been ordered by you, I have no choice but to do it. I just hope that the whole army can win and save the southern counties from suffering."
He said happily: "Although I am in a border county, I often hear that the Marquis of Changnan is not only a good soldier, but also loves the people. He will definitely live up to your majesty's responsibility."
He still has great confidence in Heifu.
At this point, Xiye was about to stand up and say goodbye. He handed Heifu over and said:
"Marquis Changnan, I am very happy to be here. One is to say thank you, and the other is to say goodbye."
"Goodbye?"
Heifu had just returned and was still unaware of the transfer order that Xi had just received.
He said happily: "Mao Jun, the imperial censor, has assigned me to serve as an official in the Censor's Mansion in Xianyang. I have agreed and will set off soon!"
…
Hearing that Xi was going to Xianyang to become an official, Hei Fu was stunned and scolded Mao Jiao in his heart for poaching people to his backyard.
But thinking about it, I still blame myself. It was expected that a typical person like Xi, who was well-known in the emperor's ears, would be sent to the capital, so he smiled and said:
"It's a good thing to be an official in the court. A 600-stone official is far better than a 600-stone official."
Xi shook his head: "I thought that the official position is not between the government and the public, and the salary and position are not high or low. Whether it is a fight for food or two thousand stones, we are not all Qin officials? We must abide by the laws and regulations."
He pointed at his gray beard and said: "But apart from being able to memorize laws and orders, I have no other talents. I have been wandering around the place for thirty years with no name. The imperial court suddenly summoned me to the capital. I was really scared. I was afraid that I would be incompetent and ruin the national affairs."
"
This statement was sincere, very much like an old party member of later generations, and Heifu was a little moved.
"But I also heard that the job of the Yushifu is to supervise officials and revise laws and regulations. In recent years, the court's laws and regulations have become more and more stringent. It is not said that the head of Guizhou is difficult to cope with. Even the officials can hardly breathe. I always feel that there is something wrong.
Something wrong.”
In Xi's eyes, laws and orders are the foundation for maintaining local order and must not be violated. Legal principles must outweigh human sentiments.
But what if the harsh decrees of the imperial court were the main reason for disrupting local order?
Then there must be something debatable about this law.
In the past, he had a humble status and was powerless, so he could only follow silently, but now, an opportunity is in front of him.
"When I go to the Censor's Mansion this time, I have nothing else to ask for. I just hope that I can use my own modest means to inform the Censor of what I have seen and heard in the local area, so as to gain a little benefit from the law and order collection."
Heifu said: "Xijun knows the laws and regulations well and will definitely be a good censor."
But he didn't think so in his heart. The national leaders have become bloated and have ideological problems. It won't help if you try to supervise the legislative or financial departments.
The king is the one who creates the law, the ministers are the ones who abide by the law, and the people are the people who follow the law. In this era where the king is greater than the law, no matter how much the laws and regulations are gained or lost, they will ultimately treat the symptoms but not the root cause.
I'm glad you're entering Xianyang this time, but don't be like Hai Rui when he entered Beijing. You were full of ambition when you arrived, but you ended up running into the cold reality...
But Heifu still congratulated him and sent him out personally.
When the two said goodbye, Heifu said with emotion:
"Although it has been a long time, I still remember that at the end of September 2020, Ji Ying and I were falsely accused by the head of the Huyang Pavilion and went to the county jail for litigation. Before entering the hall, I still remember the words written on the earthen wall."
Xi Ziran remembered the layout of his office and nodded: "The Lord is talking about the way of being an official?"
"Yes, that's the way to be an official!"
It was an article that every Qin official must read by heart, and it was also a must-read textbook for civil servants in the Qin Dynasty. Heifu can still recite a few sentences.
He recalled: "At that time, I was humble and despicable, and I didn't know much about literacy, but I could still see the idea of being an official from it. Then I heard that Xijun held the lawsuit, and it was indeed as the article said, pure and upright, prudent and solid.
He is a selfless judge, meticulous and meticulous, quiet and not harsh, and judges as rewards and punishments. He is really a good official, and I admire him endlessly. From that day on, I determined to be a Qin official!"
Xi was a little surprised and hurriedly said: "I don't dare."
Hei Fu said: "You don't need to be humble to be happy with you. When Hei Fu was the pavilion chief in Anlu, you often taught me something, catching thieves and thieves. I am happy with you, just like a teacher."
"Today, Mr. Xi will enter Xianyang, and Mr. Hei will also give you the words that Mr. Xi taught you in the past! I hope that no matter what happens in the capital, whether you succeed or fail, you will never forget your true heart!"
Xi did not expect that Heifu would praise him so highly and even say something like treating him like a teacher. However, he was always cautious and was not overjoyed. He still calmly bowed and said: "Your Majesty, please speak."
Heifu solemnly said:
"The Dharma is the program of the world and the instrument of all things!"
"Officials are where the people's lives hang in the balance!"