The dividends from the anti-Japanese war have been distributed one after another.
Zhu Ping'an was promoted to the fifth rank of the Criminal Investigation Department for his meritorious service; Liu Mu, Liu Dadao, Liu Daqiang, Liu Dachui, Liu Dafu, and Liu Dagang were all awarded the lowest rank of military officer - Xiaoqi - for their meritorious service; more than 2,000 people from Jingnan who participated in the defense of the city also received generous rewards beyond their imagination... ...
Not long after Zhu Ping'an and his colleagues returned to the county government office, they received an official document sent by the Ministry of Personnel at full speed.
The Ministry of Personnel was very efficient this time, and Zhang Xiancheng, Yao Zhubu, and Li Dianshi, who were placed under "double supervision", received their final punishment.
The Ministry of Personnel issued a document: County Magistrate Zhang and Chief Clerk Yao were demoted to civilians and would never be employed again; Dianshi Li was exiled to Liaodong.
Of course, the accompanying punishment for the three of them also included confiscation of their property.
"Big Knife, Big Hammer, Big Steel, the six of you will form teams of two and go to the residences of County Magistrate Zhang, Chief Secretary Yao, and Dianshi Li to search their homes. Apart from the necessities of life left for them, all other property, house deeds, land deeds, etc. will be confiscated. Keep an eye on your men, and during the search, harassment of the women is strictly prohibited."
After receiving the official document from the Ministry of Personnel, Zhu Ping'an ordered Liu Dadao, Liu Mu and others to lead a team to confiscate the properties of the three families.
When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. If County Magistrate Zhang and his men were still in office, it would have been very difficult to confiscate their property. However, at this time, they had been demoted by the Ministry of Personnel and became common people. They no longer had any power, so Liu Dadao and his men did not encounter any obstacles when they confiscated their property.
County Magistrate Zhang had the richest family fortune. A total of 280 taels of gold, 11,400 taels of silver, a full box of gold and silver jewelry, a cart of antiques and calligraphy and paintings, five street shops, and more than 300 acres of fertile land, not to mention the mansion with three entrances and exits. This wealth is really rich, worthy of being a local tyrant who has been entrenched and plundered in Jingnan for decades!
Li Dianshi's wealth was about half of Zhang Xiancheng's. A total of 100 taels of gold, 6,500 taels of silver, a box of gold and silver jewelry, and very few antiques and calligraphy and paintings were confiscated. It was estimated that Li Dianshi was a rough man and was not interested in antiques and calligraphy and paintings. However, Li Dianshi had more land than Zhang Xiancheng, a total of more than 600 acres.
Yao Zhubu had the least wealth, but he also had 100 taels of gold, 3,000 taels of silver, 100 acres of fertile land, and a collection of more than 50 pieces of calligraphy and paintings. Yao Zhubu was very knowledgeable and the calligraphy and paintings he collected were all works of famous artists and were very valuable.
"They are all good people. They helped me out of my urgent need..."
After Zhu Ping'an read the list of property confiscated by Liu Mu, Liu Dadao and others, he couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth.
"Brother Mu, these house deeds, land deeds and their houses should be sold as soon as possible. Post a notice outside the county government office and sell them at an 80% discount. First come, first served. Of course, if there are simultaneous competition, the one with the highest bid will win." Zhu Ping'an instructed Liu Mu.
"Yes, sir." Liu Mu clasped his fists and accepted the order.
After the notice was posted, many people were interested in buying land and houses. They had just received their reward and were well off. In the farming era, they were obsessed with land. After seeing the notice of selling land and houses, people came to buy land, shops and houses. The threshold of the county government was almost broken by the people who registered to buy land, shops and houses.
In less than a day, all the fields and shops of the three families were sold, and they received more than 15,000 taels of silver.
The mansions of the three families, as well as celebrity paintings and calligraphy, antiques, and collectibles have not yet been sold for cash.
However, with tens of thousands of taels of silver in his hands, Zhu Ping'an was no longer in a hurry.
The Ministry of Personnel also passed on the message that the county governor, chief clerk, and registrar of Jingnan County would be appointed along with the new county magistrate.
During this period, the positions of the county magistrate, chief clerk, and secretary of the Jingnan County Office remained vacant until the new county magistrate took office. The leadership of the Jingnan County Office was left with only Zhu Ping'an, the "acting" county magistrate.
In fact, for Zhu Pingan, it made no difference whether there were county magistrates, chief clerks, and registrars. When Zhang and his colleagues were still in office, they did not cooperate with the work, did not do any real work, and only hindered the work, affecting administrative efficiency. Now that they are gone, Zhu Pingan feels that the county government is running more smoothly.
When Li Dianshi was exiled and left Jingnan County in shackles, the autumn harvest had begun.
In the early morning, as the red sun rises, the heavy rice bends to greet the morning sun, announcing its maturity.
Zhu Ping'an led a group of people from the Jingnan County Court and arrived early in the morning at the rice fields in a suburban village about ten miles outside the county town. Surrounded by the elders and gentry from the surrounding villages, they began the autumn harvest ceremony.
The so-called autumn harvest festival is to offer sacrifices to the Earth Mother and the God of Agriculture, praying for a smooth autumn harvest and a good harvest, and to seek a good omen for the upcoming autumn harvest. The ancients who "emphasized agriculture and farming" attached great importance to this, from the emperor to the common people. This can be felt from the ballads sung by children playing in open-crotch pants on the fields, "On the second day of the second month, the dragon raises its head, the emperor plows the land and the ministers drive the cattle, the queen comes to deliver food, the ministers of the court throw seeds, spring plowing and summer weeding lead the world, a good harvest and a peaceful autumn..."
As the magistrate of Jingnan, Zhu Ping'an had the duty to encourage people to engage in agriculture and sericulture, so he could only follow the local customs.
Today's Autumn Harvest Festival is a small sacrifice, praying for a smooth autumn harvest. After the autumn harvest is completed, there will be a main sacrifice to the land and grain on an auspicious day in the first month of winter, which is the so-called "Autumn Report" sacrifice of "Spring Prayer and Autumn Report".
"The auspicious time has arrived."
Old Liu, the clerk of the etiquette room of the county government, complained, and several young men set off firecrackers, while Zhu Ping'an led everyone to start the autumn sacrifice.
"The sky is above, the earth is below, the magistrate of Jingnan, Zhu Ping'an, leads the elders of Jingnan to pay homage. Chinese farming has a long history. The great sage Shennong looks up to the heaven and earth; the father sky and the mother earth, growing grains and nurturing all things. Now we pray for your protection of a smooth autumn harvest and a good harvest of grains..." Zhu Ping'an took the lead and recited the sacrificial words.
After the sacrifice, Zhu Ping'an led the county clerks to roll up their sleeves and trousers, went to the rice fields, and harvested a bundle of rice. Amid the cheers of the people, the autumn harvest in Jingnan began.
"Thank you, magistrate, for letting me go home from prison to help my mother harvest rice. My mother is old and has difficulty walking. If it weren't for the magistrate's mercy, my eight acres of rice fields would have rotted in the fields this year. Thank you, magistrate. After the autumn harvest, I will return to the prison on time..."
When Zhu Ping'an was inspecting the autumn harvest, a man who was cutting rice ran to the edge of the field and knelt down to thank Zhu Ping'an. His mother, who had difficulty walking, also knelt down to thank Zhu Ping'an with a cane.
Zhu Ping'an was quick-witted and quick-handed. As soon as the old lady made a move, he took the lead to help her up and encouraged them.
Such scenes occurred many times when Zhu Ping'an inspected the autumn harvest in various villages. Zhu Ping'an also encouraged them with kind words.
If you have food at home, you will not be worried.
Seeing the smooth progress of the autumn harvest and the sincere smiles on the people's faces, Zhu Ping'an, who had not had a good rest for several days, suddenly felt refreshed.