Chapter 394: The County Government and the Governor (1)
Cao Qianhu turned around and went back to the county government office, borrowed pen and paper again, and briefly wrote down what he saw and heard, to be sent to Governor Sheng.
Then he took the document and went to the Jiangning County Express Delivery Shop located in the southeast corner of the county government office, but was ruthlessly rejected by Pu Bing.
The Ming Dynasty's delivery system was spread throughout the world (five hundred years later there were still many places named Shilipu and Twenty Miles). It was specially designed to deliver official documents, and delivery resources were very scarce.
Your last submission to Cao Qianhu was approved by the county magistrate and Mr. Qin Da. Our express delivery shop will take care of it and send it to Jurong for you.
But how can a person from a mere thousand households from outside come from such a big face and just take something without official seal and send it away?
Cao Qianhu was angry and had nothing to do. He wanted to get on his horse and leave, but looking at the sky, it would be dark halfway even if he left the city.
So he endured the night at the county government office, and early the next morning, he got up and rushed to the county government office gate to observe the situation.
But I saw several mules and carriages parked at the intersection of Yaqian Street. When I walked to the county government gate, I saw several government servants standing outside the door.
In order to inquire about the news, Cao Qianhu walked over and said hello. After a few pleasantries, he asked: "How many cars has the county government prepared?"
The yamen officer didn't want to hide anything and replied: "Twenty cars."
Cao Qianhu calculated in his mind that if each vehicle transported three people at a time, sixty complainants could be transported to Jurong every day!
And if you leave early in the morning, you can come back in the evening of the same day! This stupid Jiangning County government really has money to spend!
At this time, another yamen official added another notice next to the "Convenience Services" notice, to the effect of:
"If serious criminal cases such as human life, robbery, rape, etc. need to be handled urgently, you can still report them to the county government. All other cases will be handled according to the notices on the side."
Cao Qianhu felt more and more that the county government was more careful. Since the county government was more prepared, it would be harder for Fuyuan to handle it!
Thinking of this, Cao Qianhu couldn't bear it any longer. He immediately returned to the county mansion, got on his horse, and after leaving the city, he hurried back to the Jurong County camp.
In fact, this morning, after Governor Sheng, who was good at keeping in good health, woke up from enough sleep, he saw the report sent by Cao Qianhu from Jiangning County yesterday.
Because there were very important guests in the morning, Governor Sheng didn't have time to think too much, so he handed the report to his two staff members for discussion. He went to meet the guests first.
This guest also came from Nanjing. He was also a messenger for others. He reported to Governor Sheng:
"In the first two stages, from seizing family property to bullying and dominating the market, rumors in the city were very popular, and negative comments about Qin Dewei have been spreading.
Without further ado, Qin Dewei cannot be given time to contact the capital, and it is time to proceed to the next stage.
First of all, the content of the rumors will be upgraded to include Yuan Feng colluding with the government and competing with the people for profit. In Yurou Township, our dissemination efforts will also increase, and at the same time, some people will sue Qin Dewei with more serious charges.
Then persuade all parties to let you, the governor who is aloof from outside the city of Nanjing, come to review Qin Dewei's case, and at the same time deprive the Yuanfeng title from the government."
Governor Yingtian does not care about the affairs of Nanjing City, but it is precisely because of this that he appears objective, neutral and detached.
After all, the official name carries the word "Yingtian". As long as there is enough public opinion to support it, it is not impossible to handle individual cases by unreasonably stepping forward as an imperial envoy.
This is what makes governors different from local officials. As an imperial envoy sent by the imperial court, they still have some political privileges.
As the saying goes, "Behead first and report later", and then find a way to report to the court for approval afterwards, then it is completely legal. To put it bluntly, it is actually an all-round game.
Governor Sheng nodded and said, "I understand."
The man emphasized: "It is still as agreed upon, after calling the Yuanfeng account, 20% of future profits will be given to Dazhong Cheng!
If you don’t want to share the income, then five thousand taels of silver will be offered directly to you!
But Qin Dewei is by no means an incompetent person, he will definitely do various things, Dazhong Cheng, you don’t have to resist it!"
After sending away the guests, Governor Sheng called for two more staff members and asked, "Did you, gentlemen, see anything in that report?"
One of the staff members said: "First of all, it can be concluded that Qin Dewei used Jiangning County to force the palace. He used this extreme method to force Ming Gong to publicly declare his abandonment of the Jiangning County case."
Isn’t this nonsense? Governor Sheng complained secretly, why should he consult others when he can see it himself?
The crux of the matter is, if the court does not give in, can it accept the Jiangning County case?
But this issue is difficult to judge. It requires extremely rich experience in grassroots work and an in-depth understanding of the grassroots situation in Jiangning County.
Anyway, Governor Sheng knew that he did not have this ability. He had always been a down-to-earth official like the Taichang Qing of Nanjing, the Minister of Rites of Nanjing, and did not have much grassroots experience. This was also the point of hiring staff.
A staff member hesitated and said: "Except for those in the backlog, there shouldn't be too many people traveling a hundred miles to complain, right?"
At this time, the Chinese officer Cao Qianhu came back. Governor Sheng shouted and asked: "Has Jiangning County ever released anyone?"
Cao Qianhu replied with a bitter face: "Jiangning County insists on not letting go. The official made it clear in his report yesterday. I rushed back today because there are some new circumstances!"
Then Cao Qianhu reported in detail what he saw and heard yesterday and this morning.
Finally, he said: "Xiaguan worked hard and rushed back one step ahead. The carriage carrying the complaint is already on the road behind! Please ask Dazhong Cheng to make plans early!"
Governor Sheng was furious and slapped the table: "Jiangning County is so brave, daring to run against me!"
The two staff members looked at each other, and one of them said: "Although I don't know the specific data, for a large county like Jiangning County, the number of petitions received every year should be in the order of thousands."
Governor Sheng interrupted and said: "Based on ten items per day, it won't take too long. It will only take a month or two. Can Fuyuan be able to sustain it?"
Another staff member said: "This county's Yamen has the advantage of geographical convenience when trying cases in this county. There is no need to travel hundreds of miles to investigate the case.
The number of clerks in the county government’s execution room can be expanded at will, and there are also government servants who are familiar with the local situation to help run errands, all of which are lacking in the nursing home.”
Governor Sheng thought for a while and asked again: "If we ask Jurong County to borrow some manpower, can it last for a month or two?"
The two staff members laughed bitterly and told the truth: "If you grit your teeth and hold on for a while, you should be able to withstand it."
Governor Sheng ordered: "Then quickly go to Jurong County to borrow people!"
Cao Qianhu couldn't help but interrupt and said: "This official is a little short-sighted, please think twice, Dazhong Cheng! I see that Jiangning County has specially prepared twenty carts, it's definitely not a good person!"
Moreover, Qin Dewei has always been known for his strange behavior, which cannot be treated with common sense! Therefore, it is better not to take the position of Fuyuan! "
Governor Sheng said angrily: "What a bastard! Could it be that our hospital is afraid of Jiangning County and still has to retreat?"
Cao Qianhu was scolded and kicked out of the meeting hall. He could only sigh and lament that his advice was unpalatable to his ears.
Officials like Governor Sheng who have always been on top really don't understand the complexity at the grassroots level.