"Thank you Changnan Hou for your help."

As soon as he entered the hall, Xi made it clear that he had come to thank Heifu today.

"Xi is just a small official in the border county, infected and dying, but there is no way to seek medical treatment, the family has prepared the coffin, and put the slip I have copied for many years into it little by little, just waiting for the death period."

"But I didn't expect that the Marquis of Changnan would mention me in front of His Majesty, so that I could reach the heavens, and His Majesty also sent the imperial doctor thousands of miles away to come to treat me. Let me be lucky enough to get out of the place of the great priest and live......"

Heifu remembered this, it was three or four years ago, when Qin Shi Huang was on his eastern tour, and he wrote from his family that he was sick and would die.

Heifu took pity on him, and felt that such a good official should not be left unknown, so he took the opportunity of advocating engraving and printing to take the example of Xi copying the law.

At that time, he felt that the story of joy should not only be known to tens of millions of people in later generations, but also to Qin Shi Huang! At the grassroots level of the empire, there is such a diligent and conscientious Qin official!

But unexpectedly, Xi was really revived by the imperial doctor sent by Qin Shi Huang, and after a year and a half of recuperation, he was in good health.

Not only that, Xi was also a blessing in disguise, and was molded into a model by the imperial court, although he did not engage in any activities of "learning from Comrade Xi", but Xi immediately straightened directly from the fake county and gave him two knights, and now he is a five doctors.

He sincerely thanked him, but Heifu didn't dare to say anything, and avoided the table: "If there was no Xijun to enforce the law impartially, Heifu was framed and imprisoned more than ten years ago, how could there be anything later?" ”

Nearly fifty years old, the old man has looked down on Heifu for a long time, and when he saw him return to his hometown, he was still not arrogant or impatient, and said:

"Anlu County, Nanjun, is really an amazing character!"

Recalling the case more than ten years ago, the humble young man in the past, but now he is the top ten monarchs and princes of the empire, I can't help but feel a lot of emotion, as a person who witnessed this younger generation from the end of the world, I am also very relieved.

After the two thanked each other, they went to the table and chatted about business: although they had known each other for a long time, they had no selfish friendship.

What Heifu is most concerned about is, of course, the military situation in Dongting County.

Dongting County is Qianzhong County, located in the later generations of Xiangxi Guizhou, two thousand years later are Mandi Ethnic Autonomous Prefecture County, not to mention now, the ratio of local Xia people to barbarians, about one to ten, some places, even one to one hundred......

In the early days of reunification, there was also a conflict between the Yue and the Qin army, and the defeated Yue people fled south into Xi'ou, which was the fuse that triggered the Qin-Ou War. After the southern expedition began, Qianzhong County also had a partial division, which crossed the Yuanshui River and went south, stationed in Rongcheng (Jingxian County, Hunan), and formed a horn with the Guilin army......

Xi said: "The barbarians of Dongting County are mixed, and they are already unstable, in recent years, there are often people from Nanjun who have gone over, deceived and lured the barbarians, and brought back to Nanjun as slaves, and Xia Yue often had conflicts. Since the start of the war, there have often been betrayals in the county, and the army of Rongcheng has not had time to attack Xiou, so it can only stop the rebellion, so it has not penetrated into Lingnan, and the army still exists. ”

"It's just that the city is blocked by mountains, the transportation of grain and straw is difficult, and the army lacks food, and the county lieutenant hopes that they can return to Qianling County to eat."

Heifu sneered in his heart, this Dongting County Lieutenant still followed the trend two years ago, clamoring to open the southwest with Bashu and march to Jilan and Yelang in the west. This group of border generals coveted the exploits of Li Xin and Heifu, and they were eager to make meritorious contributions, regardless of the situation of the county, and repeatedly provoked on the side, which was also one of the reasons why the Qin Dynasty used troops from all sides.

"Feelings are all over the world, and if you want to fight this battle, Qin Shi Huang is the only one left......"

Heifu complained in his heart, and asked about things related to Xi's work: "How is the governance of Dongting County?" ”

Xi sighed, shook his head and said, "It's not good, the rule of officials is getting worse and worse......"

……

In Xi's view, compared with the forge ahead before the reunification, the atmosphere in the ranks of Qin officials seems to have changed.

"There are those who look for excuses to accept gifts."

Xi talked about something: "Two years ago, when I recovered from illness and returned to work, I heard that the Yuanling County ordered the marriage of a daughter, not only invited guests and friends, but also notified the three elders and officials in the county to come to congratulate, and ordered those who were less than 1,000 yuan to sit in the hall. ”

"I am legally responsible for taking bribes in such a blatant manner, but officials of all sizes say that this is congratulatory money, a wedding celebration for the son of the county commander, and it is definitely not a bribe. The county guard also thought that it was not enough to commit a crime, and I finally tried to dismiss the county order from office, and the rest of the officials were slightly punished. ”

Heifu nodded, the banquet collected money, and the Lu family in Pei County, but it was the same, if he was in Surabaya County, Pei Ling would be unlucky. 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 the officials left, their colleagues sent three or five hundred or even thousands of dollars, which was a common thing, and the government also turned a blind eye.

But now, there are more "welcome money" in various places, and when officials arrive, local nobles send money one after another, which is called settling-in allowance, but it is actually a bribe. Whoever gave it, the new official turned a blind eye to whom, and he was not embarrassed in the conscription, but he passed on the heavy service to the common people, and even the barbarian tribes.

In addition to these human courtesies, there are those who directly corrupt and pervert the law.

Xi has dealt with a case, a prisoner who was arrested by Dongting County for a crime, and a letter was sent from his hometown prison, saying that there was still a case there and he wanted to send it for trial. If he hadn't checked the book and noticed that something was wrong, he sent someone to chase him, and the prisoner would have been released when he returned.

There are also extortionists, Dongting County is a remote area, and people from the Six Kingdoms region are often relocated, and the officials who escort them take the opportunity to extort money, plunder the money of the resettlers, and also decide the distance of migration according to the amount of bribes accepted.

Xi sighed and said: "No way, Changsha County and Dongting County are not as good as Nan County, many county and township officials, all of them are old Chu officials who have been retained, and after more than ten years, they will also be rough in the law, once they are replaced, the government will not be able to collect taxes." ”

Heifu said that he understood, he also faced the same situation in Jiaodong, and even ordered the county to worship the eldest son of the Yeyi Tian clan, and the two sides partnered to sell illegal salt!

The chief officials are still like this, and the fighting officials are more completely served by locals, although the power is small, but it is enough to intimidate the common people. Like Liu Ji back then, with the help of the pavilion chief's position to eat and drink, the debts were not given, and the restaurant had to write off the new debts and old accounts.

has always followed the rules, never doubted the joy of the law, but also saw the drawbacks:

"It is a good thing that the law is fine, but at present, many new officials do not practice the law, and the rule of the officials is corrupt, so that the small officials can use the law to bully the people and become traitors to the law. As a result, the people were afraid of the officials like tigers and wolves, because a small official invoked the law and could make him ruined his family and more than a dozen people were reduced to prisoners. ”

As a county magistrate, he is in charge of justice, and he is already trying to purge the rule of officials, but there is one thing he can't do, and that is the increasing burden of servitude.

Fortunately at the time of reunification, the south had been peaceful for a long time and had accumulated a lot of wealth. However, since the thirty-third year, the Qin Dynasty has used troops against Baiyue, and although Qianzhong County is poor, it has also received a lot of conscription and taxes.

As the war reached a stalemate, the casualties on the front line gradually increased and needed to be replenished, and almost every household had to send one person to transport military rations, build roads and canals.

What should I do if Xia people don't catch enough? The local barbarians are not very much, let the barbarians also come to work! As a result, the urging led to conflict, which led to bloodshed, and the barbarians in the territory rebelled. There are even Nanjun businessmen who take the opportunity to buy slaves, and the relationship between Yixia and Xia is even more acute.

Xi said to himself: "In the past two years, I have killed the father, the son of a lonely man, the foot of a man, the head of a man, innumerable, although according to the law, they have committed the crime of taking the sun and missing the time, and they should indeed be punished, but ......"

However, when a county prisoner accounts for one-fifth of the entire household, things are not quite right.

"Last year's count, recorded in the "Apprenticeship Book", there were 125 male prisoners and 87 female prisoners under the jurisdiction of Qianling Sikong, a total of 226 people. In the entire Qianling County, there are only 152 registered households and more than 800 people. ”

Something similar happened to Xi back then, because of the people who shielded the little people, more than 100 people in the blind mountain, all of them were punished for the city, and they were merciless.

But what he is facing now is not a collective crime that occurs by chance, but a vicious circle that continues to be global.

The war dragged on—Heavy taxes and forced labor—Many fled in fear of death—Officials pursued and brought them to justice, and captured them as prisoners—More people fled in fear—Heavier punishments...... The result is a full range of prisoners.

These prisoners were stuffed into the ranks of the Southern Expedition again, and the emperor seemed to really want these "Diao people" to die in the rainforest.

An official like Xi, who still has a little conscience, is in a dilemma: he completely follows the orders of the imperial court to do things, and as the executor of the policy and the conscription of the enslavement, he will naturally be resented by the head of the Qian.

If you are soft-hearted and open up to the leaders under your rule, you will not be able to meet the targets required by the imperial court, and you will be punished by the law, and you will be sent to a distant place on charges such as "not governing the prison directly".

Xi has never been soft-hearted, and he has never violated the laws of the imperial court, so he has been able to serve until now......

Xi also told Heifu one thing: "This time, the counties of Qianzhong, Nanjun, Changsha, and Hengshan will be punished for not being directly punished, and there will probably be no less than dozens of people who have been assigned to serve in the Hou army of Changnan, among which there are indeed those who have embezzled and accepted bribes, but there are also officials who cannot bear to criticize the head of Qiantou and are judged to be derelict in their duties. ”

"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 history heard that there was an accident in the Central Plains, and the Southern Army directly blocked the passage and was unwilling to go back.

can be sent to a place like Lingnan, how can there be any elite, most of them are cannon fodder, and it is strange that the combat effectiveness can be strong......

"This is what I have witnessed in recent years, I was expecting that it would be a little better after the war, but now Your Majesty has appointed the Marquis of Changnan as a general, and the grain, prisoners, and soldiers continue to go to the south, and it seems that this battle is going to be fought again."

Heifu smiled bitterly: "It's hard to return, but since I was ordered by the king, I have to do it, I just want to win with all my divisions, so that the southern counties will suffer less." ”

Xi said: "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, and will not live up to His Majesty's responsibility." ”

He is still extremely confident in Heifu.

Speaking of this, Xi was about to get up and say goodbye, and he bowed to Heifu:

"Changnanhou, happy to come, one is to thank you, and the other is to say goodbye."

"Goodbye?"

Heifu had just returned, and he was not aware of the order that Xi had just received.

Xi said: "Imperial Historian Mao Jun, transfer me to Xianyang Imperial History Mansion as an official, I have promised, and I will leave soon!" ”

……

Hearing that Xi was going to Xianyang to be an official, Heifu was stunned, and scolded Mao Jiao Lao'er in his heart, and dug people into his backyard.

But thinking about it, I still blame myself, a typical person like Xi, who is famous in the ears of the emperor, was transferred to the capital It is also expected, so he smiled:

"It's a good thing to be an official in the court, the history of serving the emperor with 600 stones is far better than 600 stones."

Xi shook his head: "I thought that Ren Guan was not in the government and the opposition, and there was no high or low position, whether it was fighting food or two thousand stones, it was not all Qin officials?" and obey the law. ”

He pointed to his gray beard and said: "But except for being able to recite the law, the old decay has no other talent, and he has been in the place for thirty years, and his nationality is unknown." The imperial court suddenly summoned me to the capital, and I was really frightened, for fear that I would not be able to do it and ruin state affairs. ”

This remark was sincere, like an old party member in later generations, which made Heifu a little moved.

"But I am happy to hear that the position of the Imperial History Office is to supervise officials and amend laws. In recent years, the imperial court has become more and more stringent, and Hugh said that it is difficult for the head of the Qiantou to deal with it, and even the officials are almost out of breath, and they always feel that something is wrong. ”

In Xi's eyes, laws and regulations are the foundation of maintaining local order, and they must not be violated, and legal principles must be greater than human feelings.

But what if, the imperial court's harsh orders become the main cause of the destruction of local order?

Then there must be something debatable about this law.

In the past, he had a humble status and could not do anything, so he could only follow silently, but now, an opportunity is in front of him.

"This time I went to the Imperial History Mansion, I don't want anything else, I just hope that I can use my own modest efforts to inform the Imperial Historian of what I have seen and heard in the local area, and make a little profit or loss to the legal order."

Heifu said: "Xijun knows the law well, and he will definitely be able to be a good imperial history." ”

But he didn't think so, the country's leaders were inflated, there was something wrong with their thinking, and it would be useless for you to go to the legislature or the financial department to supervise it.

In this era when the king is greater than the law, no matter how the law is lost or the law, the symptoms will not be cured.

I like to enter Xianyang this time, but don't be like Hai Rui when he entered Beijing, he was full of ambition when he went, but he ran into a cold reality......

But Heifu congratulated him and personally sent him out.

When the two said goodbye, Heifu sighed:

"Although a long time has passed, I still remember that at the end of September of the twentieth year, Ji Ying and I were framed by the head of the Huyang Pavilion and sued in the county prison.

Xi naturally remembered the layout of his office and nodded: "What did the prince say, the way of the officials?" ”

"Yes, it's the way of officials!"

It is an article that every Qin official must be familiar with, and it is also a textbook that must be read for civil servants in the Qin Dynasty, and Heifu can still recite a few sentences.

He recalled: "I was lowly and despicable, and I didn't know much, but I could see from it the idea of being a servant. Listening to Xijun presiding over the lawsuit again, it is really as the article said, clean and upright, prudent and firm, selfless, subtle and meticulous, quiet and not harsh, and judging rewards and punishments, he is really a good official, which makes me admire. From that day on, I was determined to be a Qin official too! ”

Xi was a little surprised, and hurriedly said: "Don't dare." ”

Heifu said: "Xijun doesn't have to be humble, Heifu was a pavilion chief in Anlu for those days, catching thieves and catching thieves, you often taught me, Xijun Yu Heifu, really like a teacher." ”

"Today, Xijun will enter Xianyang, and Heifu will also give back the words that Xijun taught in the past! No matter what happens in the capital, success or failure, you can never forget your heart! ”

Xi didn't expect Heifu to hold him so high, and even said such a thing as treating him as a teacher, but he had always been cautious and did not be happy, so he still bowed calmly and said, "Please speak." ”

Heifu said solemnly:

"The Dharma is the program of the world, and the instrument of everything!"

"Officials, the people's lives are also hanging!"

……

PS: See chapter 74