After Tan Lun accompanied Xu Hai and others out of the black market, he looked a little disappointed. He had worked hard for Taizhou Prefecture these days, and he could be said to be working day and night without a day off. However, after visiting today, he did not expect that the situation in Taizhou Prefecture was still so serious. He was so fierce in his operations, but when he saw the record of zero and five, how could he not be disappointed.
"A good cook cannot cook without rice. This is due to the situation and is beyond human control. Magistrate Tan has done a very good job." After noticing Tan Lun's disappointment, Wang Meng patted him on the shoulder and encouraged him.
"Tan is deeply ashamed for failing to honor the Emperor..." Tan Lun still couldn't bear the loss.
"Prefect Tan is so dedicated to the people, yet the situation is still like this. I wonder how corrupt Jingnan will become!"
Xu Hai couldn't help but sigh.
"Zhu Ping'an is like a cooking pot to the people of Taiping. The people of Jingnan are all being cooked in it. There is no time to lose. We can't delay for a moment. Let's go to Taiping County quickly, call the Taiping County Magistrate, and go straight to Jingnan to eliminate this scourge for the people of Jingnan."
Zhang Wenbo took the opportunity to urge everyone to set off for Jingnan to bring the corrupt official Zhu Ping'an to justice.
"Yes."
Peng Cheng and others nodded repeatedly.
Zhu Ping'an was the most important task of their trip, so Xu Hai and others, accompanied by Tan Lun, went straight to Taiping County.
As soon as Xu Hai and others entered Taiping County, they found that the situation in Taiping County was much more serious than that in Taizhou Prefecture.
There were as many starving people as cattle and sheep, and the elderly and children were wailing everywhere. Xu Hai and his companions saw more than a dozen corpses of victims who had starved to death. The fields were endless and there was no green at all. The grass and trees were withered, and the land was barren for hundreds of miles because the starving people had eaten up all the leaves, bark, and grass roots that were edible.
"Is this a flood or a drought?" Looking at this tragic scene, Xu Hai and others couldn't help but sigh.
When the Taiping County Magistrate learned that the Taizhou Prefect Tan Lun was accompanying the Beijing on a mission, he organized the county clerks and wealthy gentry to welcome him, and at the same time sent people to drive away the refugees from the north gate of the county town in order to maintain his image.
However, when the Taiping County Magistrate was still organizing at the city gate, Xu Hai, Tan Lun and his party arrived. They happened to see the Taiping County Magistrate ordering the officers to push and drive away the refugees and whitewash the facade.
Seeing this, Taizhou prefect Tan Lun couldn't help but hold his forehead...
"I didn't know that the superiors and the governor were coming to my humble county. I failed to welcome them from afar. I really deserve to die..."
The Taiping County Magistrate recognized the Taizhou Prefect Tan Lun, who was in plain clothes, and realized that the person he was accompanying was an official from the capital. He hurriedly stepped forward to greet him, his face extremely embarrassed, as if he was a young wife who had been caught in bed.
"Okay, stop bothering the people and making trouble!" Xu Hai glanced at him and shouted with an unhappy look on his face.
It is said that first impressions are formed, and because of this scene at the city gate, Xu Hai's good impression of the Taiping County Magistrate completely disappeared, and his disgust increased greatly. Driving away refugees and disaster victims, whitewashing the peace, this kind of fraudulent and superficial local officials are the most despised by the officials of the Ministry of Personnel.
"Yes, yes."
The Taiping County Magistrate was in a panic and hurriedly ordered the officers to stop.
A welcoming scene that was meant to be peaceful turned into a complete farce, which was extremely shocking.
Taizhou prefect Tan Lun was already dissatisfied with Taiping County Magistrate, and now he frowned even more when he saw Taiping County Magistrate's poor performance. Taiping County Magistrate was his subordinate, and he was also ashamed when Taiping County Magistrate was caught cheating.
"I'm sure you know what's going on here. Why don't you change into casual clothes and go to Jingnan with us to investigate the fact that Jingnan County Magistrate Zhu Ping'an colluded with grain merchants, raised grain prices, and accepted huge bribes."
After the Taiping County Magistrate stopped the farce at the city gate, Xu Hai said to him with a long face.
As expected, he came for Zhu Ping'an. It seems that my memorial has reached the emperor's ears. Then my luck will change... ... The embarrassed Taiping County Magistrate suddenly cheered up. With a look of excitement on his face, he borrowed clothes from a local squire on the spot and took off his official uniform and put it on in a corner behind the city gate.
Before going to Jingnan, the magistrate of Taiping County, in order to show his performance and restore the image of the city gate, specifically asked Xu Hai and others to visit their grain store in Taiping County on the way, indicating that he had stabilized the grain prices in Taiping County.
Firstly, the magistrate of Taiping County invited him sincerely, and secondly, it was on their way, so Xu Hai and others fulfilled the magistrate's wish.
Taizhou prefect Tan Lun watched on coldly and inspected the situation in Taiping County with Xu Hai and others.
However, Taiping County was the same as Taizhou Prefecture, or even worse. Although Taiping County also stabilized the grain price, the grain price was 500 coins per stone, but there was no demand. I visited several grain shops along the way, and like Taizhou Prefecture, they only had grain prices but no grain to sell. Many grain shops were closed, and only one was still selling grain, but it was also limited.
Having checked the grain market, let's take a look at the black market as well. Zhang Guyi, a captain of the Eastern Depot, asked someone to find a black market nearby.
As a result, the grain price in Taiping County's black market was even more outrageous than that in Taizhou Prefecture's black market, at 3,800 coins per stone. Moreover, the black market was small, and the amount of grain it supplied was pitifully small. Grain was in short supply, and people scrambled to buy grain in the black market. Several fights broke out, and the whole situation was in tatters...
After coming out of the black market, Taiping County Magistrate was sweating profusely, and his face was even more embarrassed and humiliated than when he was at the city gate. He hurriedly said to Xu Hai and others, "Wait for me to write a letter and order the officers to wipe out this black market!"
"Stupid!" Upon hearing this, Taizhou prefect Tan Lun could not help but scold Taiping County Magistrate, "The black market has no fixed place to stay, like leeks that grow back after being cut, how can it be eliminated in a short time?! The important task of the officials now is to investigate the case of Zhu Ping'an of Jingnan colluding with grain merchants for corruption. How can they have time to wait here for your handwritten letter?!"
"Yes, yes, I lost my composure and almost delayed the mission and the important affairs of the governor..." Taiping County Magistrate bowed hurriedly to admit his mistake.
"Let's go to Jingnan."
Xu Hai said expressionlessly.
So the group went straight to Jingnan from the south gate of Taiping County. Not far from the south gate of Taiping County, they saw a large open space with a dark and dilapidated shanty ruins in the vacant space. It seemed to have been burned. It should have been a gathering place for disaster victims, but now it was burned and no one lived there. It was very desolate. Groups of carrion-eating crows flew up and down over the dilapidated shanty, as if their food was inside... ...
"This was originally a resettlement area for disaster victims set up by me, but more than ten days ago, the county government had no more food aid... ... A few days ago, there was a plague here, and people dispersed. I was worried that the plague would spread, so I burned this place down..."
Seeing the inquiring looks of Xu Hai and others, including someone from the East Factory, the Taiping County Magistrate had no choice but to explain with an embarrassed look.
After passing this disaster relief resettlement area, head south all the way to Jingnan.
The whole way was filled with wailing and misery. When we were about to reach Jingnan, the situation was a little better. Although the villages on both sides of the road were in ruins and empty, with no one living within ten miles, there was greenery and the trees and grass were preserved.
Going further south, we saw many groups of disaster victims on the road, carrying the elderly and children, and they seemed to be fleeing towards Jingnan.
Wrong direction?! How can we escape to Jingnan? There are corrupt officials like Zhu who eat people without blinking an eye! It's hell on earth now!
"Fellow men, where are you fleeing to?" Xu Hai and others couldn't help but stop a group of victims and asked.
"Of course we'll go to Jingnan. Once we get to Jingnan, everyone will have food to eat." One of the victims answered, with a look of certainty and yearning on his face.
What?!
When we get to Jingnan, everyone has food to eat?!
Are you guys starving?!
Xu Hai and others were stunned, with an expression of disbelief on their faces. They felt that these disaster victims were so pitiful that they had to flee to hell!