Emperor Kangxi sent me to marry

For a farmer in the Qing Dynasty, missing the farming season was enough to make him despair.

It is not an accident for a desperate person to do anything outrageous.

According to the laws of the Qing Dynasty, all military and civilian lawsuits must be reported from the bottom up.

If you go beyond your parents' official, you can file a complaint directly to the higher government office.

The rod is responsible for fifty.

In front of the governor's office in Shaanxi, there is a big drum.

For several years, it was never sounded.

In this early morning, it is about to stop singing and become a blockbuster.

Shocked the entire officialdom of Shaanxi.

Zhang Gong, an old farmer, came with a few young people from the countryside who had volunteered to stay and did not go to Guihua City to pray.

Commonly known as, civilian complaints.

This drum had not been touched for many years, and the government officials had not cleaned it carelessly, so it was covered with dust.Zhang Gong took off the drumstick and hit it as hard as he could. The sound was not very loud but gray, but it made him choke and make him sneeze several times.

The sky was just getting bright.This lonely drum sound quickly disappeared in the empty and tall front hall of the governor's office.

No one came out to receive him.

Zhang Gong had been warned that this would be the case, and he did not give up. He continued to knock patiently.

once, twice
Slowly, he himself lost count.

Finally, with great difficulty, a violent voice came out from the crack in the door, cursing.

"Calling souls or claiming lives! You're not letting anyone sleep anymore! What are you doing?"

"Lord, the common people are complaining."

"Go back. Now is not the time to complain. Come back on the first day of August!"

"You know, every year from April [-]st to July [-]th, during the busy farming season, the yamen does not handle cases except for rebellion, treason, theft, human life, corruption and violation of the law. It's not only March, why can't it be done?"

"Hmph, you quite understand. Bring it here."

Zhang Gong knew that this was to honor money, so he threw the 30 taels of silver that had been prepared for him in General Sun's mansion through the door.

At that moment, he couldn't help but think, how much hard-earned money of ordinary people like him had flowed through this gap that he could only put his hand through over the years?

Almost immediately, there was a sound of anxiously counting money inside the door.

"Okay, although it's a little short. What do you want to sue? Household marriage? Land? Money and debts?"

"No. The common people want to sue Zhang Mingyuan, the magistrate of Liquan County, for deducting money from the seeds of the people under his rule."

The sound of counting money stopped abruptly.

Then the money bag was thrown back.

"Old man, I will give you a piece of advice from Xiu Xiu in the afterlife. People will not win if they sue the officials. Instead of going to the local county government to sue, you skip your rank and go to the governor's government office. This is a crime. Do you know the consequences? If it is a false accusation. "

"The crime will be increased three times, the punishment will be one hundred, and the punishment will be three thousand miles of exile."

Zhang Gong dug a few times into his arms, threw the three gold bars in through the crack in the door.

"It's just a small thing. Master, just help spread the word. The common people know that your job is worth 2000 taels of silver. How can I ask you to be responsible for it? If the governor is convicted, the common people will pay 3000 taels and give away a tael." Enter the small house."

"Where?"

"The hometown of the grassroots, Xianyang County."

"Oh"

The yamen servant inside the door was in a dilemma. The bright gold bars were so dazzling that he could not resist the temptation. Finally, he unbolted the door and let Zhang Gong and his party into the governor's yamen.

Although Zhang Gong was awkward, Sun Sike's two sons insisted that he change his appearance, so Zhang Gong could only obey and changed out of his plain coarse clothes.

The inside and outside are made of dark medium satin, and it is an eight-sided melon hat. In the brim of the hat, a pearl the size of an abacus bead is embedded.

Even if he couldn't pretend to be a landlord, at least he looked like a rich peasant.

The yamen servant glared at the money with a pair of copper-bell eyes, scanning it here and there, and finally believed it.

"You are from Xianyang County, how can you sue the magistrate of Liquan County?"

"To tell you what I'm saying, the grassroots people in Xianyang County have a small output, but they have many sons, so they always want to buy more. It happened that Liquan County was opening up wasteland, and they said they would lend money to buy seeds without interest. This is a good thing. The grassroots people were interested in buying and selling seeds. But when it came time to buy seeds, the county government said they had no money and asked me to pay for it myself, and I would pay it back in ten days. Who knew."

"Okay, okay, you don't have to tell me, you won't get the money back, right? How long has it been?"

"I owe you three years."

"how much is it?"

"Not much, less than 500 taels. Master, this is the warrant."

"Just for this little money, you came all the way to complain?"

"How can you do it? If the people sue the officials, they are still going beyond the level and knocking on the door. It's not worth paying for this. Only when someone gives advice can the common people come over."

Zhang Gong handed another letter written by General Sun Sike to the government official.

"Okay, I understand. Since you have your own way, don't bother me. The governor hasn't gotten up yet. Besides, the case will be heard in court at noon. Why don't you go outside and wait first? Finish your lunch early. .”

"Hey, Master Meng gave me some advice." Zhang Gong took a few young people to eat at the largest restaurant near the governor's Yamen.Upon entering, he first gave the waiter a purse of five taels of silver and asked him to bring more wine and meat.Don't ask for any tips after eating, just give them to the cook.

When they returned to the Yamen to wait for interrogation, they were in the duty room with hot tea and seats, so they could sit and wait.

As noon approached, Bei Henuo, the governor of Shaanxi who had just arrived, was served by his concubine who had come with him. While putting on his official uniform, he asked the staff outside the screen:

"Tell me, do I want to take this case?"

"Aren't you afraid of offending General Sun Sike? He can speak well in front of the emperor."

"So what? No matter how powerful he is, he is still a military commander. I am a civil servant. We don't dare to interact at will. Besides, Zhang Mingyuan is the eldest brother's man, so I can't touch him."

"Then don't move. You have your own rules and regulations. If you act according to the rules, you will never go wrong. If the master doesn't accept it, General Sun will naturally have to find someone else. When the court in the capital comes to discuss it, the master will not be able to escape because of his 'dereliction of duty'. . He is determined to intervene, and I am afraid that everything has been arranged in the capital at this moment."

Halfway through the words, Bei Henuo finished dressing and came out from behind the screen.

The staff hurried forward and symbolically straightened him up, wearing a scarlet crown on his head and straightening out the string of beads on his chest.

"Look below, the sufferer who came to complain is full of flaws. His speech and behavior are not like those of a wealthy family. In fact, what does it matter whether things are what he said? In these years, among the county magistrates in Shaanxi, which one is honest? Yes? The accounts look good, but there is no money or food in the treasury. I have just arrived, so I use this as an excuse to check it out. To avoid having trouble in the future, I will have to make up for the shortfalls of my predecessors."

These words touched Bei Henuo's heart. He drank most of a cup of strong tea to refresh himself, and then went to the court for questioning.

The government officials made arrangements early and moved the official seat to the middle of the lobby.

Bei Henuo sat upright and asked his subordinates to postpone other matters and interrogate Zhang Gong first.

"Bring it up."

The class official then opened the door, took the hearing card in his hand, went out, called Zhang Gong, and instructed him to kneel at the east corner gate.

"Zhang Gong, a citizen of Xianyang County, is here to hear the trial."

After the yamen servant reported in a loud voice, Zhang Gong followed the hearing card and kowtowed to answer.

From now on, no one is allowed to enter the gate or the corner door; if anyone is snooping outside, wandering around, making noise and causing trouble, the officer in charge of order can immediately take him down.

Two gatekeepers in the hall, holding sticks and polishing ink, stand far away from the pillars.

On the left side of the hall, a person is recruited to take dictation of oral confessions.

After the mighty drink, there was silence.

Bei Henuo first asked Zhang Gong to hit him with fifty big boards.

"This is the rule, this is how you do it."

The yamen servant who had collected the gold bars stepped in to help explain:
"Plaintiff Zhang Gong is old and sick. He has a son who followed him and is willing to suffer the punishment for his father."

"Oh, it's quite filial. So, let them mark it outside, and I will ask about the case first."

Zhang Gong didn't dare to raise his head, walked over from the corner door with his waist hunched over, and knelt down in the hall again.

"The common people send their regards to the Governor."

"Since you are old, please stand and reply. I have already read the petition. It is written clearly and clearly, which is very rare."

What follows is just a formality.The current governor of Shaanxi added a few words to the questions asked by the Yamen servant that morning and asked them again.Zhang Gong answered again respectfully.

"Yes. I still need to verify something: since you said that the Liquan County Yamen is holding back your seed money, is there any physical evidence?"

"Going back to the governor, they kept trying to evade it, saying that the yamen still owes you this little money. Why don't you pay it back? They refused to establish a written record. I think the only way to do it is to look through the account books of the money and food master in charge of the people in the county yamen."

"Did you see that he recorded your affairs in the account book?"

"Yes, Xiaomin saw it with his own eyes."

"Oh, then, we can only check the records of Liquan County. Please step back."

"Thank you, Lord Governor. The common people will retire."

When Zhang Gong walked out of the governor's office, his back was covered with cold sweat, soaking through his thin spring shirt.

Several young people who had followed him limped over and came to pick him up.

"How's it going? Is it a heavy blow?"

"It's okay. We came here in turns and spent dozens of taels of silver. The government officials didn't put in much effort."

"Alright then, let's go."

Hurrying back to the inn, the steward of Sun Sike's family had already set up the car and was waiting for them to hit the road to Guihua City.

Zhang Gong only asked the young man to get on the bus, but he firmly stated that he wanted to stay.

"The general is so kind and kind. He not only lent us money, but also helped to rectify this gang of corrupt officials. I stay here. If something happens and someone finds out, I will say that I have trouble with that county magistrate, so Complain. We will never implicate the general."

The steward couldn't persuade him no matter what, so he reluctantly agreed to Zhang Gong's stay.

"It doesn't matter if you are here, I guess you still have to deal with a few court cases. There are still a lot of things missing over there. By the time you finish here, the house over there will be built, and I heard that the fields have been planted. By autumn, , collect the grain, and this calamity is over."

Zhang Gong drove the carriage to the city gate and solemnly warned several villagers.

"If you dare to be lazy and pretend to be sick and don't go to the fields, you will be beaten when I come over. We are what we are today because of the two generals and the four princesses and female Bodhisattvas who rescued the suffering. Find a temple and set up a memorial tablet for longevity. Please go home, morning and evening. Kowtow everywhere.”

"I know, Uncle Zhang. Let's go."

The description of knocking in this chapter mainly refers to the Qing Dynasty Laws and Regulations and the Complete Book of Fuhui.Slightly modified according to plot needs.The Complete Book of Fuhui was written by Huang Liuhong, the county magistrate of the Kangxi Dynasty. It mainly reflects his experiences while serving as an official. It is an important material for understanding the history of the early Qing Dynasty.The laws and regulations of the Qing Dynasty were actually finalized during the Yongzheng period, but the treatment of people who complained to officials should not be much different from the Kangxi period.In addition, this seed planting case is a real thing in history. The farmer who reported the case was named Zhang Gong.Of course, other details and relationships are all my imagination.