When he saw someone coming to his door, Guo Zhigui knew that the matter was not going to go away, and couldn't help but feel a splitting headache.
After the county received the assassination incident at Guhe Ferry, Guo Zhigui couldn't help but be full of resentment towards Xiao Feng Xiuzhuan. You, the prefect of Yongping Prefecture, came to Shuntian Prefecture to cause trouble. Isn't this right?
Are you deliberately torturing people?
Of course he knew that Feng Ziying came for the refugees, but what he couldn't understand was that when it came to the refugees, just arranging one or two officials to come and inquire about it along the way was considered a good idea. Why did the imperial court require officials with good taste to do so?
Are you going to go abroad to ask for help? What else can this be besides acting?
But it is an indisputable fact that something happened within his own jurisdiction. If the torture chamber hadn't investigated the scene and confirmed that an assassin was dead on the spot, he would have doubted whether the other party was playing a trick.
"Mr. Feng, I'm really sorry. What happened in Yutian? This magistrate and county committee is actually not huge. Don't worry, I have arranged for everyone to go down and investigate immediately. I will definitely give you an explanation!"
There was great resentment in his heart, but Guo Zhigui also knew that the superficiality was enough. The assassination of officials would definitely alarm Long Jinwei and the Ministry of Punishment, and it was no longer something that the county could handle.
But on the surface, Guo Zhigui had to look distressed, otherwise it would be difficult to explain to the other party.
"Master Guo, to be honest, my injury is not serious, but I am very worried about another thing, worried about this Yutian..." Feng Ziying's face was full of worry and anxiety.
"What happened?" When Feng Ziying said that he was not seriously injured, Guo Zhigui felt a little calmer, but when he heard the other party mentioned Yutian, Guo Zhigui felt agitated again.
He is the most afraid of trouble, but the refugee's southern route must pass through Yutian, and it is quite long in Yutian. This road itself has experienced Mongolian harassment, unstable public security, and numerous bandits. As soon as the refugee comes,
It added a bit of confusion.
The more you are afraid of trouble, the more trouble will come.
The things that can come out of this little Feng Xiuzuan's mouth are definitely not trivial or good things.
"According to the investigation of my people, this assassination is very likely related to my coming here to check on the refugees." Feng Ziying got straight to the point.
"Lord Feng, what do you mean by this? Is it an assassination by a refugee?" Guo Zhigui didn't believe such words at all. If refugees are of this level and can compete with professional guards and attack with bows and crossbows, how can it be wrong?
Didn’t he become a rebel and a bandit?
"That's not true, but I came here this time to check on the refugees, because our Yongping Mansion was investigating a secret missionary incident by the White Lotus Cult bandits, which involved the refugees moving eastward. According to the confessions of the cult bandits we captured,
They themselves have some support in Shuntian Prefecture, and they want to take advantage of this time the refugees move eastward to coerce and win over more people along the way. Therefore, at the current speed of the refugees' movement, they may not be able to completely reach Yongping in a month.
, coupled with the lack of preparations in Yutian, I heard many complaints from the refugees at the ferry and the county town. There were even some officials who helped them, lending money, buying slaves and even bullying women. This is like a spark. If you are taught by such
Used by bandits..."
Guo Zhigui was taken aback, and quietly checked the change in the other person's expression with some guilt.
Is the White Lotus Sect not spreading in the various counties and counties here in Shuntian Prefecture? This is a tacit secret that everyone knows.
On the surface, these White Lotus cultists don't seem to have much abnormality, but everyone knows that this is a very dangerous trouble, but if they want to be severely banned, it is very difficult.
Firstly, these people are very well-hidden, and it is not easy to take control of them; secondly, many of them are closely related to the local gentry and influence them; thirdly, they are really going to be stabbed to death, and they will explode all at once, and in the end it will be you who will be hit.
, everyone knows that it exists in other places, and no one wants this pus to burst and bloom here.
So now everyone is trying their best to suppress and contain this kind of thing from happening, sternly warning the local gentry and asking them to prevent the spread of the White Lotus Sect, but the government itself is not sure how effective it will be.
Unexpectedly, this outsider suddenly lifted the lid. Fortunately, the other party did not deny that they also had the White Lotus Sect in Yongping Mansion, and they were still connected with them. But how could Yongping Mansion compare with Shuntian Mansion?
Even a trivial matter may attract the attention of the imperial court. If the imperial court learns that the White Lotus Sect is plotting to assassinate imperial officials in Yutian, then the fire may start in Yutian. How can I end up doing well?
He was extremely anxious, but Guo Zhigui did not dare to directly raise the issue. How to suppress this troublesome matter or even transfer it out was the top priority.
He picked up the tea cup and took a sip. This was not a farewell, but a subconscious action in a hurry. Guo Zhigui immediately woke up, put down the tea cup, and coughed dryly: "Master Feng, here are some clues to the situation..."
"There is absolutely no mistake. If Mr. Guo needs it, I can immediately arrange for someone to be sent from the government office. Please also ask Mr. Guo..."
Feng Ziying's clean answer also made Guo Zhigui feel even more desperate and anxious. It seemed that this was not a false threat to him. What could he do?
"Master Feng, how about this? Please give me a little more information and investigate, and I will definitely come up with a proper solution."
…
When the staff member said goodbye and left, both Feng Ziying and Wu Yaoqing showed satisfaction on their faces. It was done.
Although Mr. Guo was pedantic and slow, he paid special attention to his black hat. Realizing the complexity and seriousness of the problem, he decisively sent the guests off and made some calculations. After that, he sent his staff to discuss plans with Feng Ziying.
.
The result was that Feng Ziying basically followed Feng Ziying's request, immediately arranging manpower to provide necessary supplies, and at the same time vigorously urged the refugees to get on the road. However, Feng Ziying was also asked not to let his assassination go unchecked and cling to the White Lotus Sect.
, he couldn't bear the consequences.
"Sir, now..."
"Go back to Yongping immediately. I don't want to stay in this land of Shuntian Prefecture for a day. I can't imagine that these county officials in Shuntian Prefecture are so incompetent and weak. I reminded them, but in exchange they asked for help.
I don’t want to expose this..."
Feng Ziying, who was extremely satisfied, was still a little deeply angry and worried. Looking at the performance of these officials, you can see how bad their performance in daily administration was. When there was a problem, it was not about finding ways to solve the problem, but how to cover up the problem in the first place.
When it comes to passing the buck, the most exquisite trick you can use is to delay.
Don't be afraid if you have problems. As long as you can postpone it to the next person to take over, it's none of your business. It's better to have more to do than to have less to do. This is clearly reflected by these officials in Shuntian Prefecture.
People like Liu Sixui, the magistrate of Fengrun County, are already very outstanding, although in Feng Ziying's mind they are just qualified at most. In modern times, officials like these are being exposed for dereliction of duty and being investigated for dereliction of duty every minute.
Officials of this era, especially the local magistrates and county magistrates, although many of them were Jinshi scholars, their ability to handle current affairs was very low, or they had a disdain for the handling of such current affairs.
I think that is what deputies, staff or officials do, and they only need to give orders from above.
There has never been a scientific and detailed evaluation of how it was done, whether it could be done well, or even what the consequences would be. The result can be imagined, either it is a mess, or it is too much, and it is overthrown by the officials below.
, controlled by staff and even subordinate staff.
Although I had been mentally prepared for this situation and had seen similar situations in Yongping Mansion, there was no doubt that the situation in Shuntian Mansion was worse than that in Yongping Mansion.
The collusion between Yongping Prefecture officials and local gentry is more serious, and the corruption is even worse, but they are obviously better than Shuntian Prefecture in terms of ability. Even an old official like Zhu Zhiren has clear thinking and good handling.
He can also grasp the key points on issues and dare to delegate power when it is time to do so.
In Feng Ziying's evaluation of officials of this era, Zhu Zhiren was at least qualified, but people like Guo Zhigui were typical monks who couldn't even ring the bell, or were even unwilling to ring it.
Feng Ziying really didn't want to stay with Shuntian Mansion anymore. Before he found out who the attacker was, he was really a little scared.
My beautiful life has just begun, and I encountered such a danger. It can even be said that my life was almost frozen at that moment. This is not an acting, it is a real assassination, the same as what I faced in Ganzhou and Yangzhou.
The dangers are completely different. The one in Ganzhou was because of too much trust, while the one in Yangzhou was obviously a warning and intimidation, but this time it was someone who really wanted to take his own life.
Seeing Sister You and Jin Chuaner, Xiangling surrounding her with tears in her eyes, Feng Ziying still felt a little satisfied in her heart. At least she already had people who cared about her and people who cared about her in this world.
This feeling is both happy and full of pressure.
The greater the sense of happiness and satisfaction, the greater the obligations and responsibilities you bear. Now you are no longer alone. People who depend on you have formed a huge group.
In addition to his own family members, including people like Wang Wenyan and Wu Yaoqing, they now rely on themselves as the center. Once they die, the entire system will probably collapse.
And Shen Yixiu still has his own unborn children in his belly, girls like Jin Chuaner and Xiangling who have already been taken over by him, and concubines like Second Sister You and Third Sister You. Their future fate will be the same. There will be a crisis.
In a sense, it is just like the popular saying in modern times. As soon as you die, others will sleep with your woman and beat your children. As a time traveler, he is not willing to see such a tragic scene. It is too sad. , too ridiculous.
