"Well, this is probably a misunderstanding, but it's very difficult to deal with. If we punish those people severely, it will dampen the enthusiasm of the detectives, and the good situation in Xiangzhou may disappear. If we don't punish them severely, there will definitely be people who gossip and point the finger at Xiangzhou officials. Can you tell which is more important?"
After Fang Yun finished speaking, he looked at Dong Wencong expressionlessly.
Dong Wencong looked at Fang Yun seriously for more than thirty breaths before he said solemnly, "Your Excellency is right. Nothing is perfect in the world. This crackdown on spirit beast dealers is a just act. Even if there are some noises, it is harmless. Your Excellency rest assured, I will handle this matter properly to avoid causing a bigger disturbance."
"Well, you go down." Fang Yun said.
Dong Wencong bowed solemnly and said goodbye.
Dong Wencong walked out of the Governor's Mansion slowly, thinking as he walked. After walking for a while, he hurried to get the official seal, then issued a letter to issue an order, and then looked through the letter that had just arrived.
Fang Shouye, the governor of Xiangzhou, was the first to send a letter.
"Boss, what's going on? I sent a letter to Fang Yun asking him how to handle this matter, but he actually said it was a small matter and left it to you. This is not like his style! The key is that the crackdown on spirit beast dealers is in full swing and he is about to celebrate his success. This incident has dealt a heavy blow to his prestige! The crackdown on spirit beast dealers is so powerful that it is inevitable that some people will take advantage of the situation and cause dissatisfaction among many people. Once this incident comes out, it will inevitably cause controversy."
Dong Wencong sighed lightly, his face showing hesitation. After a few breaths, he became determined and replied with a letter.
"This achievement belongs to the Governor, and I will not allow anyone to destroy it! Fang Dayan, you are my old friend for many years, and you are also Fang Xusheng's uncle, you should know how to do it!"
A full quarter of an hour passed before Fang Shouye replied to the letter.
"I understand. The stability of Xiangzhou is not easy to come by. No matter what we do, there will be some small accidents. Even if there are impacts, we must control them within a certain range and must not affect the overall situation. But, how do you want to deal with it?"
"Thank you, Commander-in-Chief Zhang, for your understanding. This matter... I'm afraid I'll need to borrow some personnel from the army to accompany me to the scene of the incident, to express condolences to the families of the deceased, to apologize to the families of the deceased, and to ask them to give up pursuing this matter. We will give them adequate compensation." While delivering the letter, Dong Wencong's expression slowly returned to normal. Like all bureaucrats, he was experienced and calm in handling this matter.
"Don't worry, Lord Governor. I will definitely arrange elite soldiers to follow and protect the scene to prevent people with ulterior motives from taking the opportunity to stir up trouble!"
Dong Wencong thought about it and decided to use the rare flying boat to go to the scene of the incident, find the elders of the deceased's clan, and finally suppress the matter by using both soft and hard tactics. The detective who committed the murder was transferred from the local area to a sinecure in the state government.
However, the news somehow got to the discussion board, and soon, a candidate from the Qing State posted an article on the discussion board, criticizing Fang Yun.
The article pointed out very sharply that Fang Yun was a hypocrite who was fond of showing off. In order to prevent this incident from affecting the action of cracking down on spirit beast traffickers, to avoid damage to his own political achievements and for the sake of his own reputation, he actually covered up the case and did not severely punish the murderer.
This time, many scholars who supported Fang Yun did not speak out, because given the current situation, Fang Yun was really wrong to do so.
However, some people fought back.
"Anyone who is Fang Xusheng would do the same. This crackdown on spirit beast dealers is not an isolated incident. It involves the murder of a family of fifteen, his oath, and even the open and secret struggles between the two countries. If Fang Xusheng severely punishes the detectives, it means that the detectives were wrong, that many detectives will have to restrain themselves, that revenge for fifteen lives is empty talk, and that Fang Yun admits that this operation was a big mistake! Then, Jingguo Liushan's party will definitely take action, turning the original credit into guilt! For the sake of those fifteen lives and for the peace of Xiangzhou, Fang Xusheng is right to do so."
"If the Xiangzhou officials had turned a blind eye to this matter, we could have criticized Fang Xusheng. However, the governor of Xiangzhou went to apologize in person, handed over the compensation to the family of the deceased, and even received the forgiveness of the entire family. I think Fang Xusheng did nothing wrong. If we must say that he was wrong, then his mistake was that he could not control every official all the time!"
The two sides continued to argue, and the discussion became extremely lively.
Fang Yun seemed not to be affected by this incident at all. After Dong Wencong dealt with the matter, he never mentioned it again, but began to rectify the administration of officials step by step.
Following the momentum of the severe crackdown, Fang Yun's authority was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and there was no obstruction in the rectification of official administration.
Fang Yun had previously rectified the writing style, requiring Xiangzhou documents to be concise and accurate, using easy-to-use vernacular characters, and abandoning the previous style of speaking out without restraint. This process went very smoothly.
And now, Fang Yun began to rectify the extravagant lifestyle and listed some very strict rules.
For example, officials could participate in literary gatherings, but any rewards they received from the gatherings exceeding ten taels of silver had to be either returned or confiscated.
At the same time, all literary gatherings held by the government were required to be simple. Except for major festivals and literary gatherings that were customary, other literary gatherings could not be held in the name of the government. Different literary gatherings had different scales, and the expenses of each scale were clearly listed, and they must not exceed the budget.
In addition, all government offices were required to save on expenditures and avoid waste.
The rectification of official administration has taken place in every dynasty, so the officials in Xiangzhou were not very afraid. As before, they responded to Fang Yun’s call on the surface, but they were no different from before in private.
On October 14, a piece of news spread like wildfire in various government offices in Xiangzhou that the magistrate of Minggu County had privately held a literary gathering in the name of the government without reporting it to the provincial government, and had indulged in eating, drinking and merrymaking at the gathering. He had been taken away by people from the Governor's Office for investigation.
The officials in Xiangzhou were in panic, not knowing what Fang Yun was going to do this time.
On October 16, the Governor's Office officially issued a document, revealing the various misdeeds of the Minggu County Magistrate, and sent it to the capital for investigation. Although the document could not announce the verdict, it contained words such as "bad influence", "serious crime", and "acting against the wind". Everyone knew that the Minggu County Magistrate was finished.
The magistrate of Minggu County was a Jinshi graduate. As long as he had not committed a serious crime, at most he would be transferred to the battlefield to fight against monsters and barbarians. However, once convicted, it would mean that he would never be able to serve as an official in Jing State again.
The magistrate of Minggu County is exactly a person of the eclectic school. It can even be said that he either betrays his country and goes to Qing State, or abandons the eclectic school's holy way. Otherwise, he will never be able to break through and become a Hanlin even in his eternal life.
This is already the most severe punishment for Jinshi. If it is more serious, the punishment will be deprivation of the official title.
The incident involving the Minggu County Magistrate shocked everyone everywhere, and everyone then realized that Fang Yun was serious.
Fang Yun began to use Xiangzhou officials to establish his authority!
Many officials stopped immediately, and some timid officials went between the government office and their homes every day and refused all social engagements.
.(To be continued)