"Yes, our folks are very beautiful in their hearts, and all the good officials we meet. Everyone is talking about it, if you meet it, you have to kowtow and thank you, but I said brother, such a big official, where can ordinary people like us see it in leisure. ”

The two chatted for a while, and it was almost noon. The old farmer looked up at the sky, patted his buttocks and stood up, "Brother, I have to go, and I have to go to Luogou Village in front of me." We'll have a date later. Yuan Laosan grabbed the old farmer's wrist, grabbed him and said, "It's noon, where are you going?" I'll go home for dinner with my brother. ”

The old farmer hurriedly refused: "Brother, there is really something, I will come back next time." Yuan Laosan exerted his strength in his hand, and pretended to be displeased: "What, the food in Luogou Village is more delicious?" Don't say anything about it, so let's go back with me to fill our stomachs first, our old brothers look like a general, don't you still look down on my brother? ”

One wants to be invited, and the other is thanked. The two were pulling and pulling, and not far away, Yuan Laosan and his two sons heard the movement, straightened up from the field and looked over, looked at it for a while, wiped their sweat and bent down again.

Just as they were holding each other, a rapid sound of horses' hooves came from far and near. The two stopped their movements and looked over, Yuan Laosan saw the old peasant's demeanor, and seemed to know the person on the horse, and sure enough, he opened his mouth and asked loudly: "How did you find me, is there something urgent?" ”

The horse was in front of him in an instant, and the person on the horse jumped down, and saw that he was dressed as a county official. Yuan Laosan was shocked, and couldn't help but let go of the hand that was still holding the old farmer's arm, but saw the official come up in two steps, saluted the old farmer, and said loudly: "Cao County Order, I listened to the words of the king master, the county order is going to visit Huagou Village and Luogou Village today, so I will find it by horse, and it is indeed here." The county order quickly went back, and Gao Taishou's new order arrived. The prefectural order hurriedly rode back first, and I walked by myself. ”

This old farmer is none other than Cao Mo, the commander of Shouyang County. Since taking office, he has devoted himself to public affairs and has done his best to revive the agricultural work under his rule. He knew that the people were dependent on food, and the county also needed more people to promote production and enrich the treasury. Therefore, he devoted himself to all the towns and villages, large and small, visiting and inquiring, just to grasp the most basic and real people's feelings.

Because the preliminary statistics of the number of household registration in the two villages of Huagou and Luogou have just been completed in the last two days, he went out early in the morning today, planning to go around, check on the spot, and was about to stop his steps and go to the next station, but he didn't want to be stopped by the officials who were responsible for conveying it.

On this side, the three words 'Cao County Order' made Yuan Laosan take two steps back in shock, sat on the ground with one butt, staring dumbfounded, unable to move for a long time. Cao Mo and Peng Yan had a brief conversation, then turned around and helped the dazed Yuan Laosan upright, and said warmly: "Brother, look, this is really urgent, I have to rush back to the county government immediately, you take care of your body, let's meet again in the future!" ”

Like a spring thunder exploding overhead, Yuan Laosan woke up when he arrived, and when he saw that Cao Mo was about to turn over and get on the horse, he hurriedly took two steps forward, knelt down in front of the horse's head with a puff, and kowtowed again and again.

"Oh, brother, what are you doing, don't do this!" Cao Mo hurriedly turned around and bent down to pull, which made Yuan Laosan refuse to get up.

In ancient times, local governors such as prefectures and counties, because they were in direct contact with the people in their jurisdictions, and at the same time had the right to decide whether to kill or kill, and had both the characteristics of leadership and love, and paid equal attention to grace and power, so they were called parents by the people.

What is an official? It is the plenipotentiary representative appointed by the Son of Heaven to guard the party, and it is the authority of the royal law of the imperial court, and the sacred majesty is inviolable. As the name suggests, the parent official is the heaven on the head of the people, and he is the most authoritarian master. In some film and television works today, there are heroes of the proletarian people at every turn, outwitting, joking, and resisting the dog officials who suck the blood and sweat of the vast number of working people. In practice, it is basically impossible.

Slow to say that people are officials, it is impossible to spend a lot of time every day with you to "fight wits and courage", there are really conflicts and contradictions, you dare to rush and commit murder, you don't say it, detention, cane punishment, exile and even for the crime of trying to rebel, it is normal to kill the head directly, and if you can't kill you, you will lose your skin. As the old saying goes, Yun Min doesn't fight with officials, is it just talking?

Officials go out, and idle people and others "avoid and be quiet." "Some civilians will never see their parents in their lifetime. As soon as the official stood in front of him, a kind of power that could suppress the nervousness and panic of the civilians. Under normal circumstances, most of the idle people are in awe when they see the grassroots cadres of the informal civil organization who are not even officials, such as the lieutenant chief and the village secretary, not to mention the county magistrate in person, at least they have to be "helpless, prostrate on the ground, sweating like pulp." ”

Confucius said with deep feelings: "Fear the destiny of heaven, fear of adults, fear of the words of saints." "Fear of adults" means fear of officials. Therefore, there is a popular saying among the people, called: "The county order that breaks the family, and the government that destroys the door", which shows that the ancient county orders and prefects have great power and have great harm to the common people.

Even if young people are not sensible, Yuan Laosan has lived for most of his life, how can he not know how powerful this is. This county order is the sky that is directly on our heads, and if you really want to make it difficult for you, it is as simple as holding an ant.

There is another layer, Yuan Laosan knelt down to worship Cao Mo, and he was also very grateful in his heart. The hard work of the ancient peasant family is really a bead of sweat and nine drops of blood, and then encounters natural and man-made disasters, military chaos and harsh government, etc., the hardships and sourness are indescribable, and finally paid for a lifetime, and there is still nothing, and poverty is compounded. For the vast number of peasants, the simplest requirements are sometimes difficult to meet. Therefore, for the traitorous officials who exploit fish and meat, they are still good officials who love the people like sons, and the common people have rods and scales in their hearts, and their feelings of joy and hatred are extremely clear.

Yuan Laosan's two sons, seeing their father talking to people from afar, and then looking up, they saw their father kneeling down and kowtowing to others, and they were all inexplicably surprised. The two of them hurriedly rushed over with three steps and two feet, one bent down to help, and the other was about to ask Cao Mo, when Yuan Laosan suddenly straightened his upper body, turned his head and scolded: "Two foolish things!" This is the county of Cao County, the lord of the county, and he doesn't kneel down with me! ”

With two pops, his two sons were already kneeling down behind Yuan Laosan, one left and one right, and couldn't bow down with their father. Many nearby villagers were alarmed by this movement, and they all stood up, hesitantly watching, and a few of them had already stopped and walked over this way.

Cao Mo couldn't, so he had to stop and persuade hard, and it was easy to persuade the three of the Yuan family, father and son. He patted Yuan Laosan on the shoulder, "Brother! Don't be like this, you see that it alarmed the villagers, and when there are many people, it is not good to surround it. In fact, when I made this county order, I thought that you could all live well, and I felt comfortable in my heart. Now I really have urgent business to go back to deal with, I'm leaving, next time I have time, I will definitely go to your house to sit down, our old brothers are still doing homework, don't you still owe me a meal? ”

Cao Mo got on his horse and galloped away, and the officials also walked away. Yuan Laosan's father and son, like three wooden stakes, looked at them in a daze, speechless. Many people had already gathered around to ask who Fang Cai was, and Yuan Laosan suddenly shouted: "Lord Qingtian, what a good official!" ”