"Yes! My lord!"
The yamen servant was flushed with excitement, and he glanced at those big men who were arrogant just now, but now they were a little uneasy, and said to Ye Xiaotian: "My lord, there is a war with the Burmese in Yunnan recently, a large number of military supplies The county has been transported to the past, so the post roads have been severely damaged, and repairs are often needed to ensure passage. These people are all members of the family who are serving to repair the roads."
Ye Xiaotian had vaguely guessed something when he heard this, and couldn't help asking: "Is someone dead?"
The yamen servant said: "Yes! Two days ago, there was a landslide in a lot, and more than ten people were buried."
Ye Xiaotian said: "Serving corvee is the duty of every commoner. It is unfortunate that he died because of this, and I sympathize with it, but the imperial court has its own regulations on pensions, which have become a rule, and the officials and the people abide by it. Like this?"
The yamen servant hadn't spoken yet, when suddenly a woman shouted angrily, "My lord, the common people should serve as corvee, and the common people naturally know about it. However, my man has been out of work four times, and the working hours have been more than one and a half months. According to the rules, my family originally There are only two servings in a year, spring and autumn, half a month each time."
At this time, it was the people who died in the family who spoke out, not the big men who made the most noise just now. They are not the family members of the laborers who were involved in the accident, but were bought by someone with a heart to cause trouble. If they hadn't fanned the flames, these ordinary people might not have the courage to block the yamen.
However, when Ye Xiaotian came, they became dumb. The name of a person, the shadow of a tree, this classic history even killed Master Qi Muqi, who would not be afraid of such a ruthless character
Although the classic history of fighting against Qi Mu was called Ai Feng, more and more people know that Ye Xiaotian is Ai Feng, and this is already an open secret in Hu County. These big men were with Qi Mu back then, seeing Ye Xiaotian was seeing their nemesis, and instinctively felt fear.
Ye Xiaotian stepped forward to gently help the woman, he didn't put on airs to the peasant woman, he sympathized with the woman, but this is the duty of every citizen, as for the accident, the government also doesn't want it to happen . Ye Xiaotian persuaded: "Sister-in-law, don't you understand the reason that wartime is unusual? If you really want to let the Burmese come in, or even enter Guizhou, what will it be like then? No one would think about accidents."
The woman sobbed: "However, my neighbor Chen Er only served corvee once, and this time Chen Er should have gone. If the government can act impartially, my husband will not die."
"Someone accepted bribes to help Chen Er escape corvee!"
This thought flashed through Ye Xiaotian's mind in an instant. This kind of thing is very possible. In the face of the power, the ordinary people can only be at the mercy of the powerful. It is better to serve one more corvee than to fight for reason. Since then, they have often been targeted by people in the government Make things difficult, so most of them swallow their anger.
In this case, if Chen Er didn't want to endure hardship and spent money to buy some officials, then his corvee would easily be distributed to those common people who were easy to bully. A month's work has cost lives, and the people who can bear it can't bear it anymore.
Ye Xiaotian turned his head, his eyes were as sharp as a knife: "What this sister-in-law said, is it true?"
"it is true."
The yamen servant was a little embarrassed, he hesitated to agree, moved to Ye Xiaotian's side, and said in a low voice: "My lord, but there is nothing I can do. I have never recruited so many corvees so frequently before, and I have never recruited so many people at the same time. The books of the department are in a mess, and the statistics are not clear at all. Xu Xiancheng was in a hurry, so he had to count people randomly, and this happened that some people served more corvee, and some missed it."
"Xu Xiancheng?" Ye Xiaotian's eyes flickered for a moment, and he said slowly: "Are they all here to ask Xu Xiancheng?"
The yamen servant smiled bitterly and said: "No, they... are here to seek justice from the county magistrate."
Ye Xiaotian was stunned, and said: "That's right! Anyway, the county magistrate is the official seal of the county, the Supreme Lord of Baili. For such a big matter, the person in charge is Xu Xiancheng, so we can only seek justice from the county magistrate."
The yamen servant showed a strange look on his face, and said: "That's not the case, my lord. Xu Xiancheng is only responsible for the maintenance of the post road, the dispatch of transportation, the arrangement of mules, horses and vehicles, and all the necessary logistics such as horses and manpower. , are all in the charge of the county magistrate.”
Ye Xiaotian was stunned. Seeing Ye Xiaotian's weird look, the yamen servant called out tentatively: "My lord! My lord?"
Ye Xiaotian took a deep breath, shook his head and sighed: "You pull out the prongs when you lead the donkey, the county magistrate is really getting more and more promising."
The yamen servant said: "That's... ahem!" He missed a word, and he quickly stepped back with his chin hooked.
Ye Xiaotian already understood that Xu Xiancheng took the matter that seemed to be the most responsible to him, and for Huazhi County, who never liked to take responsibility, this was exactly what he wished for. However, it is very likely that he did not think of it at the time, and Xu Xiancheng did not remind him that after Xu Xiancheng undertook the repair, scheduling and arrangement of the entire post road, all the logistics and supplies were all on Hua Qingfeng. .
It was too late for Hua Qingfeng to wake up and regret it. Originally, there was a Master Wang in the county, and he was supposed to be responsible for these matters, but with Master Wang's cunning, would he take over? With Hua Zhixian's courage, he has the ability to let Master Wang take over
Not to mention that Master Wang and Xu Xiancheng have been working together for a long time. With their mutual support, Master Wang may have figured out himself before Hua Qingfeng figured out the joints. Ye Xiaotian couldn't help asking: "Where is the master Wang? Is sick, visiting relatives, or going to the post road with Xu Xiancheng?"
The yamen servant said with admiration: "Your Excellency is wise! Firstly, Master Wang went to the post road together with Xu Xiancheng. Later, because of his old age and frailty, he traveled too much and became seriously ill. Now he is recuperating at home."
Ye Xiaotian sighed again after hearing this. This is good, if the imperial court wins the battle between Yun and Burma, they will be rewarded for their merits, and Xu Boyi must be the first to ensure the transportation of luggage in Huxian County, and the king who has always liked to keep a low profile has the opportunity to go to the post road first, recover With the experience of being seriously ill, even a single effort can't escape. Even though Hua Qingfeng, who is the official seal of Hu County, is ranked third, it's hard to be noticed.
Originally, as the official seal of a county, he was the first to make any contribution to his subordinates, just like Ye Xiaotian transferred water up the mountain to alleviate the drought, and this first contribution was Hua Qingfeng. Although the people in Hu County knew that this was Ye Dianshi's skill, the court didn't know it.
The imperial court needs to use formal information channels. This channel is from Hua Qingfeng, the Qipin Zhengtang in Huxian County, Guizhou, all the way up to the entire official system of the imperial court center. You Ye Xiaotian can't get around Hua Qingfeng, this first achievement must be someone else's work , Just like in the army, no matter how brave and skillful you are in the military, you have to let those old army leaders take most of the credit.
But it's easy to get ahead in the military anyway, as long as you have real skills. Because those high-ranking generals and marshals also know who to rely on in the real fight, so their appearance will not be too ugly. But local bureaucrats are different. Are you afraid that you will go to heaven
However, this time is different. Once the court wins the battle, who will write the memorial? It's the military! The military and the local bureaucracy are two completely different systems, and some potential rules will be broken. People in the military are in contact with Xu Xiancheng all day long, and Xu Xiancheng is also the person who is busy and dedicated. In this credit book, will you Huazhi County be greatly praised and your name will be ranked first
But what if Hu County's protection is not strong enough? It's easy for Xu Xiancheng to attribute the cause to the county magistrate. It's his inability to provide enough protection, and he can't get enough manpower or vehicles, horses and tools. Is it easy for me to eat dirt on the post road every day? But it's hard for a clever woman to cook without rice.
How could Huazhi County not see through such a simple trick? Ye Xiaotian was angry and funny at the same time, he originally thought it was Xu Boyi's responsibility, and wanted to let these common people make a fuss, but he didn't expect it to be Hua Qingfeng, that idiot. This dear friend is probably stupid in reading the scriptures, and I am afraid that he has not learned the ability to manage the world at all. It is estimated that in the past few years in Hu County, he has not had much contact with serious government affairs, no wonder Xu Boyi took advantage of the loopholes.
Since Huazhi County is the one who is in dire straits now, he can't ignore it. No matter how incompetent Huazhi County is, he is now his ally. Even if Hua Qingfeng is useless, at least his signboard of Qipinzhengyin can still provide Ye Xiaotian with moral help in fighting against the two superiors, the county magistrate and the chief secretary.
Ye Xiaotian turned to the women and children who were kneeling in front of the yamen, and said loudly: "Fellow folks, the collapse of the post road is something that none of us want to see, but some things are unavoidable. As for the confusion of household registration books, causing Some people did not bear the due corvee, the government will come up with a solution as soon as possible to avoid more chaos. Your relatives died for the country, the government will give you more pensions, and you will never be left without a living. "
As Ye Xiaotian said, he stepped forward to help the woman who spoke just now, and said kindly: "Sister-in-law, as for saying that Chen Er next door should be responsible for this corvée, don't say such things anymore. Life and death are up to you, this landslide is half a It is natural disaster and half man-made disaster. One is the steep mountain and the soil is too soft in some places. On the other hand, the service labor is impatient and some necessary reinforcement measures have not been taken. If Chen Er is serving this time, will it definitely collapse? Your family and neighbors usually get along very well, so how can you let the Chen family feel embarrassed when you say that?"
The woman listened to what he said, but she didn't refute anymore. She just thought of the dead family members, and she couldn't help but feel sad after all, so she couldn't help crying softly.
Ye Xiaotian said: "If you block the yamen, it will definitely affect the work of the yamen. Nowadays, the soldiers in Yunnan are still bleeding and sacrificing, and the post road transportation must not be affected. Otherwise, if they lose the battle because of it, no one can afford it." This responsibility. Your family members have sacrificed for the country, if you are convicted of this, how can their spirits in heaven rest in peace? Folks, you should go home first, the government will definitely deal with this matter properly!"
Although these words are reasonable, the people in extreme grief may not be willing to accept them. consciousness? What is enlightenment, but the person who said this is Ye Xiaotian, so the weight in their hearts is different.
In their hearts, Ye Xiaotian is a real good official, an honest official, and an official who can uphold justice for the people. They believe what Ye Xiaotian said, the deceased is dead, they are sad and resentful, but now they only hope to get as much compensation as possible, so that the officials who did wrong things will be punished.
And all of this, since Ye Xiaotian promised, they believe that Ye Xiaotian will be able to do it. Of course, in addition to trust and reverence, they still have enough awe for Ye Xiaotian. For an official, it is not enough to be loved by others, but also to be awe-inspiring, which Ye Xiaotian also does not lack. This classic history has defeated a county magistrate and a powerful Qi Mu who was even better than the magistrate's magistrate. No one among the people would dare to challenge his authority.
Ye Xiaotian said: "Fellow folks, go back, I have agreed with you on a deadline, three days! Within three days, the yamen will give you a satisfactory answer!"
With this sentence, the common people took a reassurance. They supported each other and slowly stood up. Seeing that the common people had the intention of retreating, those big men who were hired by others to make trouble couldn't help retreating. They exchanged winks and wanted to leave in despair.
Ye Xiaotian watched coldly from the sidelines, and realized that they were not the same as the family members of the deceased. Seeing that they were about to slip away quietly, Ye Xiaotian's expression turned cold, and he shouted in a deep voice: "Stop! None of you can leave!"