readx;?readx; Chapter 644: The Emperor's Wrath

The sun is slanting in the west, the heat has not subsided, the Zhili on the trees is still chirping desperately, and there is not a trace of wind in the lobby......

The chubby county magistrate knelt on the ground, and there was obviously a circle of sweat stains on the edge of the ground around him. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 ｉｎfo

"Lord Qiqi, please see Xu Tancheng, the governor of Longyou." A report came from outside the lobby.

"Let him wait outside." Qin Lei said expressionlessly: "You go on." This was said to the fat county magistrate.

As soon as he heard that his big boss had arrived, Fat County's heart trembled, and he begged in a low voice: "Lord Wang, can you talk in a different place, there are many people." ”

Hearing this, Qin Lei glanced at the crowd below the stairs and said coldly: "The lonely king has nothing to say to others. ”

Hearing him say this, the fat county commander had no choice but to say in a muffled voice: "In the first year of the New Deal, there was indeed no checkpoint. But later, my colleagues found out that with only the little money issued by the imperial court, they couldn't support the big family in the mansion......"

"How much is the Seventh Rank Official?" Qin Lei interjected and asked.

"Back to the prince, according to the provisions of the new policy, Zhengqipinzhi County can receive one hundred and twenty taels of silver a year." The fat county commander replied in a low voice. That's double the number.

"How much rice can you buy for one hundred and twenty taels?" Qin Lei said in a deep voice.

"Since the new deal of the prince, my Great Qin's national strength has been thriving, and God has also protected it, and it has been smooth weather," the fat county commander seized every opportunity to pat himself on the back and said: "The criminals elsewhere don't know, but here in Hexi Mansion, the price of rice has been stable at one or two stones." ”

"It's one hundred and twenty stones," Qin Lei sneered, "Is it possible that your house is full of rice buckets?" Can't feed 14,400 catties and 100 meters? ”

"The prince is angry, if these incomes are enough to support his wife and children, there are still a large number of people who live on criminal ministers." Nazhi County said aggrievedly: "The county is no better than the province of Fuli, let alone the six departments of the imperial court, everyone is a big yamen, what kind of errand there is, what kind of official position is complete." For example, in the superior Hexi Prefecture of Shangyang County, there are two Tongzhi below the prefect Lu Daren, one person each of the general judge, an official, an experience, a governor, a light mill, a school inspector, and a prison, who are in charge of all aspects of the government, such as civil, judicial, financial, tax, industrial and commercial, etc. ”

He said with a sad face: "As the saying goes, 'although the sparrow is small, it has all the organs', and there are things in the government and the county, but the scope is different." But no matter how small it is, you can't ignore it, right? As he spoke, he spread his hands and said, "But what kind of officials did the imperial court assign to the county?" In addition to the lower officials, there is only one county clerk of the eighth grade and one chief bookkeeper of the ninth grade. Just the three of us who are the size of sesame mung beans, how can we manage such a big mess? ”

Qin Lei nodded, agreeing with his statement.

Seeing that the prince was loosened, the fat county order hit the railway while it was hot: "In order not to delay the errand of the imperial court, we have to pay out of our own pockets, and invite a cadre to help with the errand, there is a gatekeeper, a manuscript for signing the ink in the detention room, and a person who is on duty in the court, and who uses the seal, which is only an errand in the county yamen, and those who are not in the yamen, but are equally important, and they have to be asked to do it." ”

Saying that, he lowered his head and muttered: "A county magistrate manages so many things, and it is not possible to hire people at all." Those people look like a lot, but this big gang all has to be supported by the guilty ministers alone, and there are very few of them on everyone. In addition, the officials have to be sent to us, and they have to walk around during the New Year's holidays, and the lowly family really has to drink the northwest wind. ”

After listening to his eloquent self-defense, Qin Lei said lightly: "So you ignore the ban of the imperial court, set up private checkpoints, and extort business travelers?" ”

"Oh, my lord, I have wronged the villain." The fat county magistrate suddenly called out to hit the sky, cried and wiped his tears: "If it weren't for the order from above, the neighboring states and counties would have done this, and the criminals would have eaten the gall of the ambitious leopard, and they wouldn't dare to set up cards to collect taxes." ”

"Whose order?" Qin Lei asked around, and then asked back to the origin.

"The clerk from the state said that it was ordered by the province." The fat county commander pointed to the back and said, "Who is that, quickly bring the documents to the prince to see." His main bookkeeper hurriedly ran to the back hall, and soon came back with a brown paper paper bag, and presented it to the prince with both hands.

Shi Dang took the bag, took out an official envelope from it, and checked that it was safe before handing it over to the prince.

Qin Lei took out the letter paper, and saw that it was true, it was an official letter written by Hexi Mansion to Shangyang County, saying that it was ordered by the province that the counties opened cards to collect taxes and subsidize the finances.

"It turns out that your name is integrity, but you are really blind to this good name. Who is Zhou Yanhe? Qin Lei asked in a low voice.

"Hui Wang, our prefect." Honest and ashamed said: "The criminal is indeed worthy of the name given by his father. ”

"Since it's an official document, why does he use a private seal?" Qin Lei's fingers frowned slightly, and he said in a deep voice: "Is it still called an official document without an official seal?" ”

"The criminal minister was also puzzled at the time, and he also asked Zhou Futai specifically, and he asked us very unhappily, what is the difference, isn't it all his order?" Integrity muttered in a low voice: "We didn't dare to anger Shangguan, so we went back to the county and started the execution." ”

"Really?" Qin Lei teased sarcastically: "I see that you Zhou Governor both want to be a bitch and want to set up an archway!" ”

"Now that I think about it, it seems to be true." Of course, Lian County Ling couldn't wait to push the responsibility on the boss, nodded like garlic and said: "The criminal minister only wants to be loyal to the country, but he doesn't want to be deceived by the boss because of too much honesty. This set of words is extremely slippery, and it is obvious that it has been practiced in my heart for a long time.

"Do you want to make meritorious deeds?" Qin Lei groped his chin and said with a smile: "Maybe......" ”

When Lian County Ling heard that there was a door, he was immediately overjoyed and said: "The criminal must know everything and say everything." ”

"Okay," Qin Lei nodded, and asked in a deep voice, "How many tolls have you taken away in total over the past year?" ”

"This ......" pondered for a while, and Lian County Ling finally gritted his teeth and said: "Shangyang County began to set up cards in June of the second year of Tianyou, and by the end of last year, a total of ...... 50,000 taels of silver were stripped of it, and since the first half of this year, more than 80,000 taels have been collected. ”

"What about the other counties?" Rao had been prepared for a long time, but Qin Lei was still taken aback by this number.

"Not all counties are so good-natured, there are trade routes passing through the office," Lian Zhengtian said shamelessly: "There are six counties in Hexi Prefecture plus one prefecture city, a total of seven cities, and they can really collect tolls, but only four of them are roughly this number." ”

"The house is 520,000 taels." Qin Lei's right fist clenched and relaxed, relaxed and clenched, and said in a deep voice: "Right? ”

"It should be about the same, I heard from the people of the prefect's yamen say that there are always 500,000 taels." Integrity lowered his voice and said: "This is because I didn't dare to let go of my hands and feet last year, or I could have received 800,000 taels." ”

Qin Lei suddenly thought of those merchants, wasn't he angry because of the rising transit fees? Then he asked in a deep voice, "What are your plans for the second half of the year?" ”

"At least 100,000, the more the merrier." Lian County Ling first showed off, but when he saw that the prince's face became very gloomy, he hurriedly shirked and said: "This is all Zhou's original words, and the prince will know when he detains him and asks." ”

"Where did all this money go?" Qin Lei couldn't help but teased again: "You parents have been divided up to do business?" ”

"Absolutely not." Lian Zheng shook his head like a rattle, and said continuously: "Of the 130,000 taels of silver, only 30,000 taels were left in the county, and the rest were sent to Fucheng...... But even these 30,000 taels will also be allocated to half of the township elders' association, and our county government will only leave a little more than 10,000 taels of maintenance fees. ”

As he spoke, he complained bitterly: "In addition to the normal operation of the yamen, we also have to repair the city wall and dig the canal, and it is already beyond our means to make ends meet." ”

"That's hard for you." Qin Lei laughed and said: "The finances are so tight, and you can still build a county government so magnificently, just look at the green tiles on the wall, even if it is the cost price, it will cost five hundred yuan a piece." ”

Hearing the prince's question, Lian County Ling would have repented of his intestines, if he hadn't played with his newly married aunt today, he wouldn't have seen the documents from the province so late...... The document informed that the prince was going to patrol the east to align with the front line, and he might pass by the counties, asking the counties to behave for themselves, keep to themselves, and not show their feet, and play themselves to death, but don't get all the big guys in!

After he saw the document that had been pressed for a long time, he immediately realized the seriousness of the situation, so he ordered people to bury the county government to the level of poor middle peasants, and on the other hand, he also asked people to call back those guys who collected taxes at the city gate.

Helplessly, it was a step too late. Before he could disguise himself, Wang Bantou took the deadly ancestor to the door.

But he never expected that His Royal Highness King Wucheng, who was under one person in terms of dignity and the most powerful in Great Qin, actually played a private interview with Weifu, and actually played on his head.

Unexpectedly and unprepared, everything is as it is...... This is really a hard life, and you can't blame the government, and you can't blame the society......

After a long time, he said: "The criminal thinks that the county government is not only the office of the county official, but also the face of the county, which is related to the spirit of hundreds of thousands of fathers and elders in the county, and also about how people from other counties and other places think of us!" Only a fairly magnificent county government can cheer up the people, make outsiders look up to me, and let the people who are up to us stand with can also stand up their chests! ”

Qin Lei was not distorted by his crooked reasoning, and mocked: "Since you are so arrogant, what else is there to hide and cover?" As he spoke, he pointed to his patched robes and said, "Could it be that the parents dressed like this can boost the confidence of the people?" ”

"Recently, the criminal officer wants to teach the people in the county what 'thrift is to cultivate virtue'," Lian County Ling Zhenzhen said: "Don't you set an example......

Qin Lei was finally amused by him, bent down and patted his cheeks, and said with emotion: "If it's really an official with two mouths, right and wrong follow the official." ”

"The prince misunderstood, the humble position is just seeking truth from facts." Integrity was about to perform, so Qin Lei used his strength to clamp his cheeks tightly, and he was speechless with a whimper.

"Do you know what shame is?" Qin Lei raised his right hand, and actually lifted the more than 180 catties up, and said with a face like frost: "What are people like you doing while they are still alive?" As soon as he said that, he shook his hand, and with a 'boom', he slammed Na Lian Zhixian into the hall.

Although Lian Zhixian was smashed, he was shocked by the coldness in the prince's tone, and he got up, kowtowed like garlic and said: "Prince, didn't you say that you could spare me?" ”

"King Lone's words count, but Lone just said that it was possible...... It means that it may or may not let you go. Qin Lei lowered his face and said word by word: "Now I have to make a choice!" Not only was it honest, everyone's eyes were focused on Qin Lei's face, wanting to hear what the answer was, only to see him put his palm on his throat and gently swiped it: "Lone decides...... I won't let you go! ”

As he spoke, he picked up the whip, slammed it on Lian County's back, and said angrily: "Hit me!" "The black-clothed guards have long looked at this fat man unpleasantly, but just now the prince still wants to ask, this is just a small test, and now that he has the order to let go of the fight, he naturally no longer keeps his hand. The storm picked up the whip and slashed it at Lian County's body.

As soon as the pain in Lian Xianling's body was alleviated, he was hit hard again, and the pain made him howl like a human voice, and then he was drowned in the sound of a raindrop-like leather whip.

Listening to the crisp sound of the whip, Qin Lei felt less heart-burning and angry. In fact, in good conscience, he was not a tyrannical person, and he never had a habit of obtaining pleasure by torturing people. But this time it was an exception, and he was already thoroughly enraged.

As soon as he thought of his painstaking and lonely changes, being ruined like this by these people, Qin Lei wanted to kill people for a while. He felt that he had compromised with all the forces and did not push anyone to a dead end...... On the contrary, he tried his best to let each party get benefits, and for this reason, he did not hesitate to dilute a large amount of imperial power and those interests that belonged to him.

For what? Isn't it better for everyone to live a little better, so that Daqin becomes a little stronger? Let this day end the melee one day earlier, and let this Shenzhou have fewer orphans and widows?

Which of these is for me? Does I, Qin Yutian, still need to prove something? Is there anything else you need to get? No! I don't need anything, I just have peace of mind, and I'm going to get it done!

Well, since you don't eat and drink in the toast, then don't blame me for being rude! Since you can't be self-disciplined, then don't blame me for being high-pressure and terrifying! Since I am polite and compromised, and I am regarded as weak, bullied, and insulted at will, then you can taste what the anger of the emperor is!

The wrath of the emperor, the blood is drifting, let this integrity be the first victim!

After fighting for a while, the sound of the leather whip became more and more dull, because there was no intact place on Lian County's body, and the bloody and blurred fight naturally couldn't be heard. His moans grew quieter and quieter, until he stopped moving.

The black-clothed guard who was executing secretly looked at the prince, but saw that Qin Lei still had a cold face, and did not say anything, so he had to continue to whip, and beat for nearly a quarter of an hour, only to hear a 'snap', and the whip actually broke in response. The black-clothed guard looked at the broken whip in his hand with some horror, this thing is made of fine cooked cowhide, first-class toughness, he has been executed for so many years, and it is the first time he has broken the whip.

Looking at the Lian County Order there, he is completely out of shape.

Bending down to probe his snort, the black-clothed guard tested his pulse again, and then got up and said, "Lord Wang, it's dead." ”

Qin Lei was not surprised, he stood up calmly, walked to the backyard, and said lightly: "Hang him on the flagpole for me, and invite all the officials of Longyou Province to watch the ceremony collectively." ”

"Yes!" The black-clothed guards dragged the dilapidated corpse down the lobby, and the rest of the black-clothed guards also went their own way, and there was no one in the originally lively lobby in a blink of an eye, leaving only a long blood mark one foot wide!

Seeing that the black-clothed guards dragged Lian County's order out, the merchants and civilians who were listening outside the lobby hurriedly moved out of the way, watching them leave in silence.

The two black-clothed guards continued to drag the integrity out, and passed by a middle-aged official wearing a purple official robe and a gold belt around his waist, the official knelt straight in the courtyard, his hat rested on the ground beside him, although he was soaked, he still knelt motionless, and even the black-clothed guard dragged the corpses of his subordinates over, and he still did not squint.

This person is Xu Tancheng, the governor of Longyou, he has been kneeling outside for an hour, his whole body has long been stiff and numb, looking like a wood carving, but his heart is turning over the river and the sea, he actually recalled that summer in the seventeenth year of Zhaowu, he also knelt outside the door of the Fifth Highness, and used the most expensive price in exchange for his forgiveness and ...... trust, this made the Xu family have no danger in the stormy seas after that, and only then did they have their own comeback and go to the next level.

Especially in the first year of the Great Purge, seven of the nine governors of the country went, and only he and Zhuo Wenzheng of Jiangbei were spared, which highlighted the fact that he was a hardcore confidant of King Wucheng.

In the midst of the flattery, the once very alert Governor Xu finally lost his vigilance, thinking that his position would always be as solid as a rock, plus the governor was in charge of the affairs of a province, and a non-border province did not have much military affairs to do. With nothing to do, and countless people currying favor, Xu Tancheng finally began to indulge in beauty and pleasure when he was approaching the destiny of heaven.

He thought that everyone's flattery was to slap him, and then leaned on the big tree of the prince. But in fact he was wrong, because there are still people who are not unfamiliar with that big tree, and want to plant a few more of the same trees.

People with ulterior motives took advantage of his slackness and began to openly sabotage the New Deal in several provinces with lightning speed. For some reason, Qin Lei's well-developed intelligence network was unaware of it...... At least there was no feedback, so that His Royal Highness King Wucheng, who has always prided himself as wise, was firmly kept in the dark.

Of course, Xu Tancheng has never been a straw bag, although he is addicted to wine, but after a long time, he still noticed from the clues that there are people around him who are not authentic, so he quietly sent someone to investigate, and the result made him shocked and inexplicable...... In just a few months, the prince's new policy has been subverted, if this is known to his old man, under the wrath of thunder, I don't know how many people will die.

He hurriedly wrote a secret report to present it to the prince, but when the letter was written, it was not sent, but burned. Because he found that he could not escape a charge of dereliction of duty or dereliction of duty no matter what. According to the prince's habit, he has already forgiven the Xu family once, and he will not forgive the second time. Then the best result for yourself will be dismissal and exile, and if you don't get it right, you will have to go to prison.

Whether to report or not, this is not a problem for the originally wise Lord Xu, but the wine and wealth have blocked his heart, and he hesitated for a long time. He thought that the prince hadn't found those cats until now, and it seemed that he had been fooled by those people, so as long as he didn't make a noise, would everything be business as usual?