Ma Jingyuan took the two prefects back to his prefect's yamen, and did not serve them tea, and asked directly: "You tell the truth to the official, can the allocated grain be swallowed privately?" ”

Qian Yiai has never done anything at all, first of all, he has not a deep foundation when he first arrives, and his subordinates still don't know it. The second money bequeathed the family is a big landlord in Changshu, and the family has huge assets, where this kind of small profits are needed, not to mention the lack of money, it also damages their reputation. However, I don't know what happened to my subordinates, so Qian Yiai arched his hand and said: "Master Ma, this official has not swallowed it privately, but I don't know what my subordinates are!" ”

Zhang Yuanlin despised Qian Yiai when she heard this, this Qian Yiai is really shameless, I don't believe that he doesn't stretch out his hand for such fat meat? But it's really admirable to put the blame on his subordinates.

Zhang Yuanlin didn't dare to say that he had swallowed the relief food privately, and he also arched his hand and said: "Lord Prefect, the lower officials have never touched the grain, but when the lower officials first arrived, the adults must also know what the officials under them look like, and they dare not guarantee whether they move or not!" ”

Ma Jingyuan also scratched his head when he heard these two say this, but now there is no way but to get through this difficulty first.

"Okay, this official will believe what you said first, this time the emperor personally inspected the camp of the exiles, the matter is very important, if something goes wrong, we will all be unlucky. No matter what method you use, this official will go back today and make up for the lack of food overnight, if something goes wrong at that time, don't blame this official for not saving you! ”

Qian Yiai and Zhang Yuanlin nodded again and again, and promised that there would be no problems in the inspection two days later.

Ma Jingyuan listened to these two and waved their hands to let them go down, Ma Jingyuan is now the prefect of Yingtian, in addition to Shangyuan and Jiangning counties, there are six counties to manage. This time, the emperor should settle the displaced people, and the Tianfu will resettle more than 200,000 people, and now there are problems in Shangyuan and Jiangning, and the other counties are not much worse. Ma Jingyuan hurriedly wrote to the other six counties, don't stretch out your hand on the relief food of the displaced people, and don't complain about the ruthlessness of the national law if you are caught.

Qian Yiai sat in a daze on his official sedan chair out of the prefect's yamen, although he was smart, but he didn't know anything about this kind of officialdom, did he go home and ask his father? But now that he has come out to be an official, asking his father about such a trivial matter can't help but make people laugh.

Qian Yiai sat on the sedan chair and didn't say where to go, and the sedan chair man was very puzzled. A palanquin man asked, "Master, go back home or go there?" ”

Qian Yiai summed up his own mansion Isn't there a high staff, Liu Fangyuan has a salary of 2,000 silver dollars a year, it is better to ask him.

Qian Yiai returned to his Shangyuan County to find Liu Fangyuan in the back house, and saw that Liu Fangyuan was drinking tea and reading books under the service of the concubine. This high counselor is really not worth it, Liu Fangyuan has never given an idea since he became his master, and he borrowed 200 silver dollars from himself to buy a new thin horse as a concubine, and hid in the house every day and was happy with the concubine.

Liu Fangyuan saw Qian Yiai coming and said with a smile: "Zigao is here, Qin'er, don't serve tea to the grandfather!" ”

Qian Yiai asked with a smile: "Brother Wendu is so comfortable, I don't know if there have been difficulties in the past month?" Silver dollars are needed to speak though! ”

Liu Fangyuan heard Qian Yiai say this and knew that he was a little unhappy, but Liu Fangyuan's radish face was neither red nor white, and said: "Zi Gaozhen said that I am in my heart!" I'm going to have to pay an advance of 200 silver dollars to add some jewelry to Jean! ”

Qian Yiai listened to Liu Fangyuan say this, so he was so angry and crooked his nose, although this Liu Fangyuan did not have money in his own family, but he was also a well-off family in Hangzhou. Now he completely regards himself as a landlord and a big man.

Liu Fangyuan is also a little unhappy in his heart, he used to be a four-grade prefect, and now he is so downcast that he wants to be a master for a person, although this is the teacher's arrangement, but Liu Fangyuan still has some resentment in his heart. So when I arrived in Shangyuan County, I didn't have any ideas for Qian Yiai, and every day was a stormy day.

Today, Liu Fangyuan saw that Qian Yiai's official uniform came to him, knowing that this young master had encountered a problem, although he was not happy in his heart, but he still had to help him when he saw the master's face.

Liu Fangyuan took a sip of tea and asked, "Zigao, have you encountered any problems?" Can you talk to your brother? ”

Qian Yiai hurriedly told Liu Fangyuan what happened just now, and asked himself what he should do?

"Zigao, this is very simple, do you have the idea of fighting relief food to tell you the truth?"

"Brother Wendu, Zigao is deeply favored by the emperor, so he can do that kind of thing, plus this bit of money, food, and money is not eye-catching!"

Liu Fangyuan smiled: "Isn't this over, what are you afraid of if you don't take money?" ”

Qian Yiai hurriedly said: "Of course I'm not afraid if I don't take it, but what are those officials under him, Brother Wendu should know, what if they take it and implicate me?" ”

"Hey! Zigao, do you think those officials are a bunch of rubbish? Their methods are much better than yours, just tell them the emperor's orders, and they will do the rest!" ”

"What? Leave this kind of big thing to those officials themselves? ”

Liu Fangyuan glanced at Qian Yiai, and sighed in his heart, this junior brother is smart, but he still doesn't understand officialdom!

"Brother Zi Gaoxian, these officials have always paid attention to deception and concealment, you don't know them when you are new to the court, the old man estimates that it would be good if there is still one-third of the relief food allocated by the imperial court."

"A third? What do the outcasts eat outside the city? ”

"What to eat is not what the officials should be in charge of!"

Qian Yiai thought about it for a while, and asked, "Brother Wendu, what should the little brother do?" ”

Liu Fangyuan was very useful when he saw Qian Yiai's respect, took a sip of tea and said: "This is an opportunity for the virtuous brother to collect his heart, he must be gracious and powerful, the board is raised high, but it falls gently, so that those officials can work happily in the future!" ”

"But are they not punished for embezzling money and food? And to exonerate them? ”

"Brother Xian, you are wrong, you are just one person, can you do the affairs of the whole county? Aren't you going to make a political performance improvement? This requires these officials to collect taxes, solve cases, and levy conscripts, so they can only be appeased, and when things get bigger, they can find a few substitutes for the dead ghosts, but they can't be killed with a stick, you know? ”

Qian Yiai thought for a while and said, "Zigao understands, what should I say for a while?" ”

"It's simple, tell them to wipe their butts, and if they commit it, they won't tolerate it!"

Qian Yiai got Liu Fangyuan's true biography, nodded and went out to find the head of the soap class, and asked him to beat the drum and arrange the ya.

It was an important right of the magistrates, probably similar to the enlarged meetings of the county-level standing committee in later generations. The county magistrate sat in the middle, and the various officials in charge under him reported the situation, which was very majestic.

The head of the soap class doesn't know what the platoon is doing at this time, isn't it the morning of the fifteenth day of the new year every time, and now it's almost evening.

"Returning to the master, it's approaching evening, and the county government is not evenly staffed, so it's better to wait until tomorrow?"

Qian Yiai heard what the head of the class said, and said angrily: "Do you still need to teach you how to do this official?" If you don't have it, go to the house to find it, as long as you don't die, you can find it for the official, and if you don't come for half an hour, you will be hit with ten boards! ”

The head of the squad saw that this young county magistrate was angry, and he didn't dare to speak much, so he hurriedly went out to beat the drum and rehearse the ya.

As the team leader said, only five or six people came after beating the drum, none of the masters of the sixth room came, nor did the county officials, the master book, and the canonical history. Qian Yiai waited for half an hour before the county officials arrived.

Shangyuan County Cheng is a lifting person, and his fame is the same as that of Qian Yiai, seeing that the young master is called Pai Ya so late, he can't help asking: "Master, I don't know what is the matter with letting my subordinates come at such a late hour?" ”

Qian Yiai saw that ninety percent of his subordinates came, and several important officials came.

"Today, the official asks you, can the 12,000 stone of grain allocated by the household department last month be all there?"

When the county Cheng heard how to ask this question, he quickly replied: "Master, they are all in the twelve granaries outside the city, and there are guards from the inspection department!" Master He, go and bring the account book to the grandfather to see! ”

The chief bookkeeper is in charge of the county's money and grain, and he thought that the master was going to check the accounts today, and he was just about to go to the back to get the account book, but he knew that Qian Yiai said: "No need, today the official asked you the truth, how much grain is left?" ”

The main book didn't know why the county master asked about this matter today, he glanced at the county Cheng, and complained in his heart that it was better to give the county order a point, but now it's okay, the county order will not let go!

The county man hurriedly stood up and said: "Master, the grain was allocated on February 24, and now there are more than 10,000 stones left!" ”

Qian Yiai stood up and said: "This official is not checking on you today, the emperor issued a holy decree in the afternoon, and he will come to check the situation of the displaced people in two days, if you don't tell the truth now, everyone will be unlucky when something happens!" ”

The county originally thought that the county order had not reaped the benefits and was looking for trouble for himself today, but now when he heard that the catastrophe was in front of him, his face turned white with fright.

As soon as Qian Yiai saw the disappearance and discoloration of the officials under him, he knew that these guys were not honest, and asked, "Tell me quickly, how much food is left?" ”

Seeing that there was no way to hide it, the county Cheng could only tell the truth: "Master, there is not a single stone of grain!" ”

Qian Yiai felt black when he heard the news, he thought that these officials could have some left, so he thought that these guys were so bold and divided all the food.

Qian Yiai stabilized her mood and said, "Okay! Good! You are so bold to wait to go to the edict of Jinyiwei! ”

At this time, several officials such as the county chief and the chief secretary knew that the big thing was not good, and since Zhu Hongsan occupied Nanjing, Jinyiwei made the entire Nanjing officialdom frightened. Qian Lide's newly formed Jinyi Guard's means were far above the old Jinyi Guard, and he was ruthless in cleaning up those officials and nobles who clinged to the Manchu Qing Dynasty. Qian Yiai's predecessor Zhixian was imprisoned for collecting military rations for the Manchu Dynasty, and all the men in the family were cut off and abandoned the city, and the women sold the teaching department to become official prostitutes. Before the execution, these officials and officials of Shangyuan County were also organized to watch the execution, and the nine men of the county magistrate's family, including the minor children, were beheaded and tossed on the ground for half an hour before dying. Thinking that they were going to be like that, many officials sat in the hall with their legs weak, and a few of them were so frightened that they peed their pants.