Chaos of Ming 1628

Clearly, he came here to demand an explanation!

Sun Quan's momentum weakened, and when he looked at Sun Qing again, he felt embarrassed.

But it only lasted for a moment.

Looking at the boy before him, he was only sixteen. He felt that this person was still young and arrogant. At this age, what experience could he have? He spoke of caring about the country and saving the Ming Dynasty, and even said that he would become the pride of the Sun family.

"Ridiculous," these two words were directed at Sun Qing, but also mocked himself. Just now, Sun Quan had actually felt the urge to believe him, if he hadn't suddenly realized that this man was only a sixteen-year-old boy: "In my opinion, what you've said is all empty talk and sentimentality."

"I see no ability in you to bring peace to the world. Your sharp tongue and reckless manner only make me look ungrateful!"

Sun Quan did indeed see through Sun Qing's thoughts, but the worst thing to do when dealing with this person is to reason with him.

People who can recite the Four Books and Five Classics fluently and who have been immersed in officialdom must also be perfect in their speech and actions.

The only thing we can do is to catch him off guard, just as planned from the beginning.

Sun Qing chuckled, his eyes turning cold: "There's no need to elaborate on the power of the Wei faction. Even if the current emperor ascends the throne, no one will dare to question Wei Zhongxian's position."

"I orchestrated divine retribution to let the world know that Wei Zhongxian is an outrage against Heaven. How could Madam Ke wreak havoc on the court? How arrogant she was?!"

"The court has become dominated by one faction, and the people are suffering terribly. The eunuch faction persecutes loyal officials, and all you know is to avoid their sharp edge."

"With your talent, are you only fit to be a county magistrate? Does the Sun family not have anyone more capable than you? Is it so that no one else serves in the court besides you?"

Sun Quan's face turned red; Sun Qing's words hit the nail on the head.

Sun Qing didn't stop there: "You're hesitant, timid, and incompetent, yet you criticize others for being incapable. If you can't do it, don't judge others."

These words struck a chord with Sun Quan; who wouldn't want to be a hero? He was momentarily speechless, but his expression remained calm: "You're just a young man..."

"I can ensure that everyone in Jiahe County has food to eat, clothes to wear, and a place to live. Can you do that?"

Sun Quan blushed deeply, his mouth agape for a long time, but he couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.

It's not that he doesn't want to, it's that he can't!

Having achieved the desired effect, Sun Qing's tone softened: "I know that as the magistrate of Gaoyuan County, you have repaired the city walls, ensured the safety of the people, and suppressed bandits. But what you have done is only treating the symptoms, not the root cause."

"The root of the problem is that ordinary people simply cannot settle down and cannot survive. That's why they wander around; the strong become bandits, and the weak become refugees..."

Sun Quan listened attentively. At this moment, he realized that what this person, who was even younger than his own son, was saying made a lot of sense.

"With the eunuch faction currently in power at court and the situation on the Liaodong border in disarray, extraordinary measures are needed in extraordinary times. Please stop worrying about these trivial matters of impersonation."

Sun Quan remained silent for a long time.

Impersonating the Sun family and engaging in improper conduct would indeed be a serious matter under normal circumstances. But as Sun Qing said, what does it matter compared to the greater cause of the nation?

Sun Quan had been successfully fooled, and Sun Qing's tone softened: "Trusting me this once is also giving the Sun family a chance, isn't it?"

"Even if the Emperor recalls Grand Secretary Sun, what difference will it make if we place our hopes on him?"

"Given the political situation at the time, could Grand Secretary Sun still have turned the tide?"

"Even if His Majesty personally invites him back, can he truly guarantee that His Majesty will not harbor any resentment towards him, given that he was the late Emperor's teacher? And can he live up to His Majesty's high expectations?"

Although Sun Quan didn't speak, his eyes still conveyed a great deal of information.

He knew Sun Qing was right. Leaving aside the fact that his father was already sixty-four, who could guarantee he wouldn't make a single mistake?

If a mistake is made, will the current emperor tolerate it?

Having figured all this out, Sun Quan let out a bitter laugh, turned around, and refused to look at the astonishing young man any longer.

He simply said, "I'll give you six months. Don't let me down!"

"I'm afraid I can't wait six months." Sun Qing smiled. "One month, I only need one month."

Sun Quan paused slightly, then walked outside without turning back.

The woman behind him stepped out, her face full of confusion: "What can you do in such a short time?"

"Turning the tide." Sun Qing turned around and smiled at Shen Junru.

The burden on his heart was finally lifted, and he no longer needed to pretend in front of Shen Junru: "After tomorrow, I will hold court."

"Then there will be plenty of excitement."

Shen Junru nodded indifferently, not because she was uninterested in what they were doing, but simply because no matter how much they explained, she wouldn't understand.

Every day, people gather outside the county government office.

"Is Mr. Sun going to take on the previous cases? Is he trying to redress the grievances of ordinary people like us?"

"Don't call me Young Master Sun, now you should call me Lord Sun."

"It feels like a dream. Will our grievances really be redressed?"

The people were gossiping, and the yamen runners stood there, shouting, "Lord Sun said, if you have any grievances, just hand over your petitions."

"If someone doesn't have the money to write a legal document, a temporary 'legal aid' service has been set up at the side gate of the county government office, where legal documents can be written for free."

This news is truly shocking!

Many people suffer injustices, not because they don't want to seek justice, but because they don't even have the money to write a petition.

"Heaven has truly opened its eyes! Let's go, let's write the petition!" The people wiped away their tears and headed off one after another.

In no time, the entrance to the county government office was packed with people.

Three days have passed.

Meng Zhaoxiang had served as an official in the capital for many years, specializing in law. Upon seeing so many petitions, large beads of sweat rolled down his face.

Standing to the side, looking at Sun Qing, her voice trembled: "Young Master, are you sure you want to handle all of these cases?"

"We had already compiled a list of over a hundred cases that needed to be processed. Just the day the complaint papers were posted, we received over fifty more."

Mentioning this, Meng Zhaoxiang still felt lingering fear: "It's fortunate that free lawyers simply can't write all the cases."

"It's alright! Let's begin court!"

Sun Qing straightened his clothes. Although he was only acting magistrate, he was still dressed in the regular attire of a seventh-rank official. He wore a black gauze hat with straight gauze wings on both sides, which was quite dignified.

Although the official robe was not adorned with gold or colorful embroidery, it was enough to keep the gentry in line.

Sun Qing nodded.

Immediately, the sound of three drumbeats came from outside.

After the sound, Sun Qing slowly walked out of the back room, his steps steady.

The county government's main gate was already completely surrounded by people, including those from riverside shantytowns, tenant farmers, and江湖人士 (jianghu figures).

The passageway, the walls, and the street corner outside the lobby were all crowded with people.

Today, even the workers who are participating in the reconstruction of Botou took a day off and all gathered around.

Seeing this, Sun Qing felt sorrow in his heart.

By this time, it was already at its last gasp. The Ming Dynasty, though seemingly powerful, was already hollowed out. Jiaohe County was merely a microcosm of this era.

Throughout the entire Ming Dynasty, in which place was not the eunuch faction in power, and the people had nowhere to seek redress for their grievances?

The county government office has many gates; those with money can easily enter, while the poor find it difficult to even get a peep. Why do people come here? It's not just because Young Master Sun is going to hold court, but also because of a spark of inspiration.

The beacon of hope for the Ming Dynasty.

If Jiahe County can clean up its atmosphere, will this trend spread and be imitated everywhere?

Sun Qing understood what the people were thinking and dared not agree. His actions were a last resort, and even if Jiaohe County became what everyone hoped for, this trend would not change.

After all, was Emperor Chongzhen's purge of the eunuch faction truly for the sake of the people of the Ming Dynasty?

Partisan strife has always existed; with the fall of the eunuch faction, the Donglin faction rose again. Could those bookish nerds who constantly proclaim their service to the country and its people truly act on it?

Sun Qing suppressed his emotions, slammed the clapperboard, and the noisy crowd instantly fell silent.