One hundred thousand taels is not public money, but is really the deposit of the six Jia people. It can also be said to be the inheritance of the sixth ancestor Jia.
It was left by the third father of Kangxi, the holy ancestor of Jingling.
Although it is not a branch, in theory, as long as Kangxi's third father dies, his legacy will of course be inherited by his other nephews and descendants.
There is an old saying in China: If you stand in front of your nephew's door, there is no such thing as a family.
It's useless to have ten sons-in-law, only a nephew.
The scene shifts to the office.
In the face of big right and wrong, Prince Rui doesn't like to pretend to be public for personal gain.
Embezzling public funds and using personal savings are completely different in nature.
In principle, giving Lao Zheng one hundred thousand taels was not to bribe the governor, who was nearly seventy years old, because he was really a good and upright official.
His official reputation and public opinion were both excellent, and he was a rare good official that Jia Liu encountered since he became an official.
So, this is just my condolences.
I hope that with this money, Mr. Zheng can better serve the Qing Dynasty and serve the people.
No other meaning.
As the old saying goes, a clever woman cannot make a meal without rice, and the same is true for officials.
Hubei's fiscal revenue is basically zero. For the cash-strapped governor, this hundred thousand taels is a real help in times of need.
Whether the governor uses this money to express condolences at the grassroots level, use it to pay civil servants' salaries, or use it for other post-disaster livelihood projects, or hire technicians to pinch your feet, it is all up to the governor himself.
Prince Rui will not check other people's accounts.
This is the measure and ambition of Prince Heshuo.
It was the governor who was obviously a little shocked in front of this huge sum of money, and then refused to accept it.
This made Prince Rui a little unhappy: "Old Zheng, do you look down on me? Do you think, like others, that I am a talker and weak in my work? Or am I a playboy with no ability?"
These words were a bit strong, which made Lao Zheng quickly express his position: "Your Majesty, this is not what I mean by being a lower official."
"What does that mean? I have said that this hundred thousand taels is my personal sponsorship of your Hubei Governor's Yamen, and it is not for you, Lao Zheng. If you are so evasive, do you think I have any purpose in giving you the money?
?Do you want to form a clique with you, the governor of Hubei, and set up a new mountain behind the imperial court's back to form a clique for personal gain?"
Prince Rui's tone was obviously unhappy. In his entire life, he had never seen anyone refuse to accept his money.
In principle, anyone who refuses to accept his money will die.
However, Prince Rui has the lowest moral bottom line.
He still respects the truly honest and good officials and gives them high priority, no matter who criticizes them, it will be of no use.
Wang Jie, the censor of the capital, who exposed his shortcomings twice in the court, was not lucky enough to escape the disaster of death and prison.
The fundamental reason is that Prince Rui has the lowest moral bottom line.
Governor Zheng did not expect Prince Rui to speak so straightforwardly, and for a moment he did not know how to answer the question.
"Take it, Hubei has been in serious trouble with thieves in the past two years. The place is dilapidated, the people have suffered disasters, and the province is even more stretched. It's not easy for you, the governor, to be the governor. All these things are seen by me, and I am worried. I can only temporarily
After a while, the thieves couldn't be defeated, so I could only say it symbolically, if you use this money to do something practical for the people, you will be worthy of me."
Jia Liu gently pushed a thick stack of banknotes in front of Lao Zheng. Seeing that the tea in his tea bowl had gone cold, he quickly stood up and refilled it with hot tea.
After sitting down, he sighed softly: "In the past, it was said that Huguang is well-known and the world is rich, but I never imagined that Huguang is in such a state today."
After a pause, he looked at Lao Zheng affectionately again.
He didn't speak, but there was great sincerity in his eyes.
Lao Zheng was extremely hesitant and hesitated to speak, but every time he wanted to say something, he was stopped by Prince Rui's sincere eyes.
After a while, the governor, who was nearly seventy years old, stood up and expressed his gratitude to Prince Rui on behalf of the Hubei officials and people, and then silently accepted the banknote.
He is really short of money right now.
Not to mention the following, the governor’s office has not paid wages for half a year.
The group of book office staff who followed him were all spent by him with his own personal money.
Jia Liu saw this, felt happy in his heart, and nodded slightly.
In addition to expressing condolences, he also raised the issue of official governance in Hubei.
Given that Hubei's civil service system is basically paralyzed, and most leading cadres at or above the department level have problems with lack of integrity, Prince Rui expressed the hope that Governor Zheng could address the issue of officialdom.
It is to rectify the Hubei civil service system. In principle, Governor Zheng decides who can and cannot use it.
Prince Rui will not interfere in principle.
"The riots in Hubei this time are certainly not a good thing for the people, but it is actually a good thing for the government. In the past, it was always useless to talk about the problem of government. The reason is that it is deeply rooted and officials protect each other, which makes the officialdom a mess."
"Every year the imperial court talks about rectifying the administration of officials and cracking down on corrupt officials, but it remains the same every year. It doesn't work to catch a group of people and kill a group of people. Then the corrupt officials will spring up like bamboo shoots after a rain, and they will follow up incessantly. Mo
You are a governor, even I, Prince Heshuo, can't do anything about it."
"As the saying goes, cleaning a house makes it easier to receive guests. Officialdom is just like a house. There must be dust everywhere. How do you put your feet and sit down when guests come?
So what I mean is that you, Lao Zheng, might as well take this opportunity to rectify the officialdom, promote officials who can do things, do practical things, and do good things, put them to practical use, and kick out those who can't do things. In this way,
, Hubei’s officialdom can take on a completely new look.”
Jia Liu took a sip from his teacup as he spoke, "In common people's terms, if the house is ruined, then it needs to be demolished and started over."
I still hold my tongue a little bit, and I really can’t start over again without saying anything.
Prince Rui hoped that Governor Zheng could seize this opportunity and set an example for governors across the country.
"I will lead the army to quell the chaos, and you, the governor, will focus on rebuilding the officialdom. After such chaos is calmed down, the officialdom will be revitalized and the people will truly feel the new changes. The people will feel that it is good to be an official. This
Isn’t the country and the country as stable as Mount Tai?
Just go ahead and do it boldly. No matter who is involved, don’t have any worries. If the sky falls, I will support you!"
When it comes to the emotional part, Jia Liu's face is also filled with sadness.
". It seems difficult for my king to lead troops to fight, but it is actually easy. However, managing officials seems easy, but it is actually difficult.
If you, Lao Zheng, can straighten out the officialdom in Hubei this time, so that the officials behave like officials, the officials behave like officials, and there is harmony between top and bottom, your contribution, Lao Zheng, will be greater than that of my king. You are a true living Bodhisattva. I, my king, will do your best for you.
Please give me credit, and you will be like Ziguang Pavilion in the future. If the court does not give you a correction in a hundred years, I will get it for you!"
Prince Rui spoke one thing after another, as if he was going to the Imperial College to invigilate the postgraduate examination.
The governor of Hubei was very moved and excited.
Frankly speaking, since he entered officialdom in the first year of Qianlong's reign, Mr. Zheng has never seen a prince who considers the people and the country like this.
I couldn't help secretly thinking that the minister really couldn't tell the difference between friend and foe, and was slandering Prince Rui out of nothing.
To be honest, compared to Prince Rui, the current emperor is far inferior.
It would be a blessing for the Qing Dynasty and the country if heroes like Prince Rui could become the masters of the world.
Well, how could I think that?
Lao Zheng was so excited that he quickly asked the author to stop writing randomly.