Chapter 136: Trivial matters at the end of the year
After coming out of the Zhao Mansion, Li You went to the government office to find Wang Tongzhi and told Mr. Zhao San that he had asked him to write a memorial.
Wang Tongzhi asked in surprise: "In just two days, did you really get a clue?"
Without waiting for Li You to wait, he agreed: "This is how you should do it to stabilize people's hearts! I take the responsibility for myself."
Li You cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, sir."
"Although this matter is easy, but..." Wang Tongzhi said meaningfully: "It can't just be like this."
Li You knew that Wang Tongzhi was going to make some conditions, so he listened to him.
"It is necessary to ask the Ministry of Rites of Zhao to discuss with the imperial envoy, and ask him to state in his memorial that if he wants to appease the people, not only should he re-employ prestigious local ministers, but also re-employ local officials who are familiar with the political situation. Only in this way can we be targeted, and a two-pronged approach can achieve political integrity and harmony.
"
Li You was stunned. He wanted to borrow Wang Tongzhi's name as a representative of the government. It was understandable that he proposed exchange conditions. Political means were originally exchanges of interests, but what he didn't expect was that Wang Tongzhi would also take advantage of it...
If this "local official who is familiar with the political situation" is not Wang Laotongzhi, who are he talking about? How can he be reused? Isn't it just to appoint him as the prefect? What Wang Laotongzhi means is that since everyone is campaigning together to say that corrupt officials have caused the situation in Suzhou government to be unstable
To maintain stability, important ministers with deep local roots are needed to come to express their gratitude and appease the people. Therefore, officials in the government who do not associate with corrupt officials and are familiar with local people's conditions should also be used in conjunction with local officials.
What left Li You speechless was that he racked his brains and planned painstakingly, pulling the Zhao family's tiger skin and pulling the Zhao family's banner to open up a way forward. As a result, Wang Laotongzhi just said a few words here and let nature take its course.
After gaining strength, Li You felt as if he was cutting through obstacles to clear the way for Wang Tongzhi.
He suddenly realized that it was no wonder that Old Man Wang had talked so much about the possibility and benefits of Li You being promoted to a seventh-grade official the day before yesterday, just to arouse his anger; it was also no wonder that Old Man Wang lamented in front of him yesterday that the local government was not responsible.
The important ministers are sitting in charge and the public sentiment is turbulent, which is obviously a hint to him.
Wang Tongzhi and Governor Li are two grasshoppers with similar attributes on the same line in this case. As long as Li You can create a reputation, Wang Tongzhi can easily take advantage of it. That's why Wang Tongzhi, who has no background relationship, will desperately encourage Li You to do it.
Although he was struggling with his official position, Li You still knew a little bit about people who could reach heaven, and he was a little more knowledgeable than Wang Laotong.
As expected, Li You lived up to his high expectations and lived up to Old Man Wang's evaluation of "I'm optimistic about your understanding"...
After a long while, Li You sighed: "The boss's style of doing things is simply...the breeze sneaks into the night, moistening things silently."
"I'm old and lazy, so you won't suffer any loss." Comrade Wang said with a chuckle.
Two more days passed, and the time entered late December. The New Year atmosphere became more and more intense, and the streets gradually became lively (although they are usually very lively). However, the front of the government office was deserted, and the people who were eating in front of the government office were all crowded.
Knowing that the government offices have been basically paralyzed recently and business is hard to do, it is better to concentrate on going home to celebrate the New Year.
On this day, Xie Zhongcheng left Suzhou Prefecture, and of course thirteen official prisoners and several key witnesses and evidence were still in custody. Xie Zhongcheng only briefly inquired about the prisoners and confirmed the general outline of the warehouse case, which was considered as completing the imperial mission.
Let's just bring Magistrate Mao and a few others to the capital. He doesn't have to waste time in Suzhou to shoulder all the responsibilities.
All in all, Xie Zhongcheng's time in Suzhou was only seven or eight days. It can be said that he came and left in a hurry.
As for the more than 30 officials, they were all thrown into the government prison. It was dirty to let the dignified imperial envoy and deputy capital censor handle these little people personally, so they were handed over to the local government for interrogation and reporting according to the old customs of punishment.
The only two officials in the Suzhou Prefecture, Wang Tongzhi and Governor Li, rushed outside Changmen to see the imperial envoy off. When Li You watched the imperial envoy fleet leave, he said with great emotion: "I often hear that people who are appointed as imperial envoys have two fears.
The road is close, but I am afraid that the time will be short, so I only wish to delay it for a long time and travel around to collect more gifts. This Xie Zhongcheng, however, acts vigorously and resolutely, which is really refreshing to my subordinates, and he is really a pillar of the country."
"Really? Do you really think so?" Wang Tongzhi asked.
Li You laughed and said, "Of course."
For Xie Zhongcheng, it is definitely the best choice to leave as soon as possible at this time. Investigating a major case is already a credit, so why bother to stay by the powder keg? What if something goes wrong and he is implicated? What if the people gather together to find the imperial envoy?
What to do if he petitions? He doesn't have the ability to spend tens of thousands of kilograms of rice to appease the poor.
All the lobby entrances in the government office that had been sealed by the imperial envoy for several days were lifted and started to operate again with great difficulty. There were still many non-staff clerks, but no one from the chief clerk to the prefect could really take charge of the affairs.
When Li You, the governor of the Department of Experience, saw the clerk from the Chengfa Office carrying a stack of documents two feet high in front of him, everyone was numb. Is this still a way to celebrate the New Year?
"Master Li, you are the only one left in the Experience Department." The clerk said helplessly.
Li You jumped out to six words: "There is also Mr. Tongzhi."
The two-foot-high document was placed in Tongzhi's hall. Wang Tongzhi said calmly: "The mountain people have their own clever plans."
Immediately call the yamen servants to bang the clappers and gather all the yamen staff outside the Tongzhi Hall.
"Tomorrow is the winter solstice. According to the old rules, the government offices will be closed and everyone will stop working and go home to celebrate the New Year!" Wang Tongzhi ordered.
Li You sighed, as expected, Old Man Wang has never been a tough-tempered person who is afraid of difficulties. He always uses the word soft in everything he does. To put it nicely, it is called using softness to overcome strength. But it should be more comfortable to have such a boss.
It is indeed a yamen tradition to close the yamen during the winter solstice, which is equivalent to the beginning of the Spring Festival holiday. During this period, the office is closed and usually comes back on the tenth day of the lunar month.
Unlike the previous times when he returned home dejected, Li You was in a good mood this time. The cold wind was blowing his horse's hooves, and the boat had already passed the Ten Thousand Mountains.
After entering the house, he visited his parents and reunited with his wife and concubines in the back hall. The family had received the news earlier, and had prepared food and wine, and prepared a banquet. Li You ate, drank, and chatted with his wife and concubines from the third room, and they seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Li You observed secretly, and there was something surprising to him. Although there was no quarrel between the three rooms in the house, they were more or less distant from each other. Li You's efforts to reconcile at home were ineffective.
.I came back today and found that they were much closer, which was a surprise.
Analyzing the reason, most likely it was because when Li You was at home, all the girls wanted to compete for favors without saying anything, and they couldn't get close. When the master was away from home for a long time, there was no one to compete with, and this kind of competitive mentality
It gradually resolved. After all, they were all women of the same age and there was no real grudge.
Just when Mr. Li was intoxicated with the fantasy of a harmonious harem, Mei Zhi, who was waiting on the side, suddenly said: "I heard that because of my father-in-law's becoming a monk, my reputation back home in Xishui Town is not very good."
Li Youqi said: "What nonsense are you talking about? Sir, I haven't returned to Xishui for a long time. How can I have any reputation? Besides, it doesn't matter whether Liu Laotaishan became a monk. I didn't force him to become a monk."
Guan Xiuxiu took over the conversation and said: "My husband didn't know something outside. This is all my father's fault."
What did your ignorant father do? But to save Aunt Guan's face, Li You didn't ask directly.
Mei Zhi added: "Mr. Guan has also become a monk outside the home. There are rumors outside that I am not an honest man, so my two father-in-laws were forced to leave the home."
Li You was furious for a moment. It would be fine if one father-in-law became a monk. If both father-in-laws became monks, it would inevitably cause controversy. Besides, many people knew about Mr. Guan and his affairs, and others increasingly believed that Mr. Guan was robbed by his son-in-law.
After taking away the family property from his daughter, he was forced to become a monk.
"Your father..." Li You said half of it to Aunt Guan, swallowed it back, and glanced at Mei Zhi from the corner of his eye. This maid must have mentioned this matter on purpose.
