Chapter 57 of 100
Chapter 57
15 min read3,863 words
"Really?"
"Mr. Cheng is the parent official of Yan Prefecture and also a prime minister of the state. How could a commoner dare to deceive Mr. Cheng? Moreover, I have brought the money." As he spoke, Zhu Huan walked out, and two servants carried in a chest.
Zhu Huan opened the chest, revealing stack after stack of paper money.
"Please, Mr. Cheng, take a look." Then, Zhu Huan bowed and withdrew.
In the Song Dynasty, officials were given high salaries to discourage corruption, and Emperor Zhenzong's Xianping governance initiated multiple layers of supervision. Although minor officials might still misbehave, the corruption among officials was somewhat better controlled. However, it still existed. Not long ago, the case of Xiao Gu, a criminal department official, who, while serving as the governor of Guilin, ordered his subordinates to sell women and was caught smuggling goods into the Two Zhejiangs, caused a great stir, even reaching Yan Prefecture. But Cheng Kan would never be corrupt.
Cheng Kan was not corrupt, but he was staring at the paper money in a daze.
Could the sun start rising from the west from today?
The answer was quickly revealed.
No one knew what Zhu Huan was up to, but Cheng Kan still wrote a recommendation letter for him. This was five thousand paper salt certificates. As long as there was no treachery involved, it would be a visible and tangible political achievement, a great deed of education!
But a few days later, the answer left him both laughing and crying. And before that, something had already happened that made him both laugh and cry.
As the weather gradually turned cold, the situation was temporarily good. It was autumn, and the village was selling sheep on a large scale, with every household receiving some income, especially the Jian family.
It couldn't be called a wealthy life, but at least it was a life of warmth and fullness. Some families started to buy new clothes, and the village was becoming more and more prosperous day by day.
Wang Ju gathered everyone and, holding a portrait of Cheng Kan he had somehow obtained, said, "Fellow villagers, let's build a shrine for Mr. Cheng."
Everyone was puzzled.
"Everyone, if it weren't for Mr. Cheng's wise judgment and his support for the soldiers last time, what would we have done?"
Cheng Kan wasn't being fair; the situation had forced him to act that way. In his heart, he hated Wang Ju to death and still harbored a huge bias. He was talented, but a talented Ding Wei, a talented little villain!
How could the villagers know? Wasn't it natural for officials to favor the soldiers? Wang Ju's words made sense.
"Everyone, Yan Prefecture has always had some labor services. Even the previous governors, such as Mr. Wu, a famous minister, and Governor Xia, a talented official, and Governor Lu, the eldest son of the famous prime minister Lu Wenzheng, none of them ever compensated the people for their labor."
The truth was that Cheng Kan had forced the Ding family to pay 20,000 strings of cash as a fine, but Cheng Kan had used almost all of it to compensate the people who built the road. How could Wu Yu, Xia Anqi, and Lu Gongbi have come up with 20,000 strings of cash?
"Would you say Mr. Cheng is a good official?"
With such guidance, how could he not be a good official?
At least, the case in spring was handled well. Seven soldiers killed Wang Lao Liu with multiple stabs, and Cheng Kan had them all executed on the spot. Then he transferred the soldiers from Weilin Village and removed the commanding officer. He also transferred the Baojie Army to Weilin Village, which included a few soldiers from Wang Family Village. In handling this matter, everyone was very grateful to Cheng Kan.
But the repeated incidents in Weilin Village had given Cheng Kan a headache. In the end, he realized that the main reason was the special geographical location of Weilin Village. Since the young man requested the Baojie Army, he would transfer them there. The border was the most important part of Yan Prefecture, and peace was essential. There was no other way.
But how many villagers could understand this?
If Wang Ju didn't have the knowledge from his past life and had lived here all along, he wouldn't have thought of it either.
It wasn't that all the villagers were much less intelligent than Wang Ju. Even if someone was more intelligent, their knowledge and experience limited their wisdom!
So, as the saying goes, one doesn't gain wisdom without experiencing setbacks. The process of experiencing setbacks is the process of gaining knowledge.
Everyone agreed, and they began to build the shrine.
Building a shrine in ancient times was no small matter, and it quickly alarmed Cheng Kan. He didn't think Wang Ju could be grateful to such an extent. He wondered what the young man was up to. After sending someone to investigate, he understood. It turned out the young man knew he was angry and was trying to curry favor. It wasn't as if he was giving a reward after a beating; Wang Ju didn't have that kind of status.
Knowing Wang Ju's ulterior motives, Cheng Kan was still a little pleased, even though it made him both laugh and cry.
The people of Fulin Road built a shrine for Zhang Kang, but it didn't have much effect on Zhang Kang, who was neglected by his parents. But it would have an effect on him. Lu Hui, you big mouth, you only rely on your great-grandfather Lu Duan, saying I am talentless and ignorant, outwardly kind but inwardly treacherous, associating with the powerful, advancing through connections, favoring private interests, and wielding power. Moreover, being over seventy, I should return power. Recently, I was removed from the Council of State, and now you give me command of the army. How can I be competent? Moreover, in our dynasty, the position of Xuanhui Envoy is not given to those without military or noble background. I request the revocation of Cheng Kan's appointment.
I have people building a shrine for me. You have been the magistrate of several counties, but who has built a shrine for you, and who has asked you to stay when you left?
Then, Cheng Kan shyly wrote a memorial to the court.
Your humble servant has not done much, just a little kindness to the people, and unexpectedly, the people have built a shrine for me. The people are so simple and honest. Please, Your Majesty, show kindness to the people.
Emperor Zhenzong, upon reading the memorial, deliberately issued an edict to commend him, saying that Cheng Kan, over seventy, was even more resolute, and the emperor was very pleased.
But Wang Ju's intentions were not what Cheng Kan thought.
One day, Cheng Kan was handling official documents.
His body was still quite strong, but he was old and didn't like going out in winter.
At this moment, the head of the Ding family, Ding Buling, brought two famous litigators from Yan Prefecture to the prefectural office, accusing Zhu Huan of sending servants to defraud him of 12,000 strings of cash.
Cheng Kan was puzzled about the 12,000 strings of cash and thought, "So that's how it is."
He had some resentment towards Wang Ju and the Zhu family but could still tolerate them. Although they operated on the edge of the rules, they didn't completely cross the line and knew to provide appropriate compensation.
The Ding family, however, had completely crossed the line.
Today, for a bit of personal grudge and petty gain, they could collude with the Western Xia to invade the village. Tomorrow, they might collude with the Western Xia to invade Yan Prefecture for more profit.
If he weren't afraid of causing too much trouble and having big mouths like Lu Hui and Fan Shidao criticize him, even if Ding Buling paid 20,000 strings of cash as a fine, he would still investigate thoroughly and bring the relevant people to justice.
There was no other way, he had to endure.
But he was still angry.
However, he was also curious, so he asked, "Ding Buling, I ask you, 12,000 strings of cash is not a small amount. Even a fool wouldn't easily hand over so much money. Moreover, you are a merchant. How did Zhu Huan manage to defraud you of so much money?"
Are you even dumber than a fool?
The bailiffs standing on both sides couldn't help but turn their heads and cover their mouths to laugh.
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