"These people have nothing to do with their corpses, and they also bully the people and force them to collect money for protection. Isn't it that my lord has never been used to the way these people behave, so why do you still keep them in the mansion?" Huo Qubing was puzzled.
Xie Yuan was looking through the booklet left by the former governor, which recorded various disputes reported over the past ten years.
Some are about economics, some are about killing, and some are about emotions.
Many of them were very complicated, but the governor ignored them all and piled them aside, only dealing with the affairs of the nobles' children. As a result, the files next to them were piled up as high as a mountain.
Because the governor could raise troops, the account books of the army were also read by the governor.
But after the governor left, these soldiers had to stay, so the account books also stayed with them.
Among the many military account books, the governor only dealt with those belonging to the nobility.
The eccentricity is visible.
After hearing what Huo Qubing said, Xie Yuan slowly closed the bamboo slips and said with a smile: "If they want to continue to serve, then let them do so."
Huo Qubing looked at Xie Yuan's smiling face and silently mourned for those officials in his heart.
When the lord smiles, someone will be in trouble.
It's obvious that these people are in trouble.
On October 25th, an edict was issued from the governor's mansion in Yangzhou and sent to all counties and even the army.
This is a summons written by Xie Yuan specifically for his subordinate officers and military lieutenants. There are several laws and regulations in the summons -
"The clan is strong and the right is right, the land and houses are beyond the control, the strong is used to suppress the weak, and the masses are used to oppress the few."
"Do not obey the edicts, follow the old laws, do more than the public and ask private questions, ignore the edicts to protect the interests, invade the common people, and gather money for traitors."
"Don't worry about suspicion and jail, kill people due to wind and history, punish them when you are angry, reward them lustfully when you are happy, kill Li Yuan with annoyance, cruelty, and make the people sick, mountains and rocks will fall apart, and you will tell lies."
"The selection of the office is unfair, I love my beloved, I am a virtuous person."
"My son, relying on his father's power, please be appointed as the supervisor."
"Being in violation of official duties, the subordinate is powerful, engages in bribery, and undermines government orders."
After the decree was read out, the expressions of all officials in Yangzhou, including the prefect, changed.
As common people, they have not read the book and cannot understand what it means.
A few bold people stepped forward to ask the officials who were reading out the laws and regulations from Metaiyuan, and asked them what these laws and regulations meant.
These officials were all the retainers replaced by Xie Yuan. When they heard their questions, they answered them with a smile.
The first article means that it is restricted but not limited to the children of the gentry. No one can annex land, and we are firmly opposed to tyranny;
Article 2 means that senior local officials are not allowed to abuse their power for personal gain;
The third article means that local officials handle affairs unfairly and cannot handle various matters based on personal preferences. They must pay attention to fairness and justice;
Article 4 means that officials cannot favor relatives and friends when handling matters, let alone treat them differently because the complainants are common people and the defendants are children of the gentry;
Article 5 means that relatives of officials cannot do whatever they want just because they have officials in their family. Even if you are from a noble family, you must abide by the rules;
Article 6 means that the government cannot collude with local wealthy families, especially bribery and the like, which are not allowed.
After hearing this, the people were all shocked.
These laws are all directed at local officials.
Most of the local officials are from noble families, and many of them rely on bribes to get into office. Doesn't this cut off people's wealth?
This new governor is really brave.
"My lord has said that if you encounter any local officials who violate the above six laws and regulations in Yangzhou, you can write a letter and send it to the Yangzhou governor's office. The lord will personally interrogate him and will never forgive him because he is a nobleman. How to punish him will be up to him.
How to punish!"
The officials who read out the order finished their explanations and spoke loudly again.
The people were doubtful.
They have already become numb because of the fear of being oppressed.
Moreover, if the gentry wanted to suppress the common people, it would be a matter of just a few clicks. Who would report to local officials when they have nothing to do?
These are local snakes who are running rampant in the state, and the emperor is too lazy to take care of them. How can the words of a governor be of any use?
After hearing the order, the people dispersed one after another, doing whatever they were supposed to do.
The local officials in Yangzhou secretly hated Xie Yuan because of these laws.
When the Jin Dynasty was founded, Emperor Tianwu also issued a similar order and issued similar laws - but the aristocratic families were in power, and they regarded these laws as nothing.
Except for the officials who came from poor families who strictly abide by it, everyone else does whatever they like. Anyway, they are all from noble families and have the support of big families. The sky is high and the emperor is far away, so he can't control it.
Even if he wanted to control the emperor, he wouldn't dare.
Now, a newly appointed governor has issued such an order, isn't it clear that he wants to suppress the children of their noble clan?
He is a person from a poor family, this is clearly a slap in the face of their noble family!
The local officials were very angry, thinking that Xie Yuan had just taken office now, and he would be in office for a long time in the future, so they tried to find a way to write a memorial to impeach this guy and have him step down directly.
Damn it looks bad.
As for these laws and regulations, local officials simply dismissed them as farts.
Only a fool would comply. Wouldn't this be ruining his own financial path?
After the decree was issued, the governor's mansion did not receive any letters of complaint from the common people. Instead, it received a bunch of letters from the nobles scolding him for his lack of knowledge.
Xie Yuan took all these bamboo slips and burned them as firewood——
Although the nobles could afford paper, they would only use it on important occasions. In normal times, they mostly used bamboo slips instead.
So Xie Yuan received hundreds of kilograms of bamboo slips.
Don't waste the firewood delivered for free.
In November, it rained heavily for five days in Yangzhou, which was considered the beginning of winter.
"My lord, it's already November, and the laws and edicts you sent down are like nothing." On this day, Huo Qubing studied ink for Xie Yuan and couldn't help but sigh, "Those people have been oppressed for so long that they don't even know how to resist."
In Taiyuan, wherever the Huo family was in charge, no common people would swallow their anger.
So there are almost no bullies there.
"Don't worry, there are always people who don't want to swallow their anger all the time." Xie Yuan put down the bamboo slips recording the accounts in his hand and rubbed his head, "On the contrary, Dazai Wang and the former governor left a lot of mess for me."
He has been looking at various account books and rosters left by the former governor these days, and he can easily find that the former governor embezzled the money sent by the court - that money should have been used to build canals and other buildings.
Then it all went into the pockets of the former governor.
Then, he used the money to bribe the court, and then he was promoted and left.
At the end of the year, the censor of the capital sent people to inspect, especially officials from poor families, and the inspections were even tighter.
If you are found to have made any mistakes, even if it is a small mistake, your official position will be terminated.
After reading the first batch of account books, Xie Yuan finally understood why Wang Dazai so easily asked him to be the governor.