Chapter 57

"Let them dream on!" Wei Zhixian, the county magistrate, had become so engrossed in his role that he could hardly extricate himself. He slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "This official will not bow to them!"

"Sir, we must still follow the rules," Sima Qiu, sweating profusely, said with a wrinkled face, "We should at least give them some face..."

"Master, this is not about face," Wang Xian, finally invited to the inner office, no longer needed Sima Qiu to relay messages, "This time, it's not just about the autumn grain, but who has the final say in Fuyang County!" He paused and continued, "To put it bluntly, the time, place, and people are not on the magistrate's side. They have united and are not afraid of the magistrate's authority. To subdue them, there is no other way but to be ruthless and firm!"

"Spoken well! This official agrees!" Wei Zhixian clapped his hands in approval, "If we are to talk, it must be at the county office, following my rules. Otherwise, there will be no discussion!"

"Sir, you must not go too far," Sima Qiu, almost pulling out his few rat-like whiskers, said anxiously, "If this play continues, it will be hard to pull back. If they don't fall for it, we will be in a difficult position!"

"Uh..." Wei Zhixian looked at Wang Xian and asked, "Can you find a way to resolve this?"

"It should be possible," Wang Xian thought to himself, "It's really hard to make the boss remember me. After all this effort, I'm still 'that guy'."

"Alright, then let's continue!" Wei Zhixian seemed to be addicted to the performance.

"Ah." Sima Qiu looked at the young magistrate and the even younger Wang Xian, sighing inwardly, "There is a generation gap, indeed..."

Three days later was the first day of the eleventh month.

According to the regulations, on the first and fifteenth of each month, the magistrate must personally lead all the officials of the county to preach the imperial edict in front of the office, so that the people can frequently hear the imperial teachings and understand the imperial will, thereby being loyal to the emperor and patriotic, and deeply educated.

Today was another day for preaching the imperial edict. Before the hour of Chen (7-9 AM), the street in front of the office was already crowded with people. Among them were the elders of the li-jia system who had to come to listen and then pass the message to the villagers; county residents who came to join the crowd and see the spectacle; and some specially invited gentry and district grain officials, whose numbers were more than twice the usual.

This was because there was a rumor that the magistrate would lose his temper today!

As for the content of his outburst, the common people naturally did not know, but this made them even more curious. The gentry, who knew some of the inside story, were anxious to see if the magistrate would really dare to expose the truth!

At a quarter to the hour of Chen, the people on the street in front of the office saw the main gate of the office slowly open. Three rows of bailiffs lined up, standing at intervals, holding water and fire sticks to guard, all the way to the high platform in front of the eight-character wall, where the two rows met.

After the bailiffs were in position, solemn music played, and the noisy crowd fell silent. The main gate slowly opened. Six black-robed officials carrying "Silence," "Avoidance," and "Imperial Command" signs led the way. Then, four more black-robed officials carrying the magistrate's rank signs came out, inscribed with "Juren of the Yiyou year," "Jinshi of the Bingxu year," and "Magistrate of Fuyang County," to highlight the magistrate's credentials.

After the procession passed, Wei Zhixian, dressed in a red silk court robe and wearing a two-ridge hat, stepped out of the county office with a proud stride.

Behind him followed the county vice-magistrate Jiang, the chief clerk Diao, the county historian Ma, and the county school instructor and assistant instructor, all dressed in court robes. Further back were the green-robed clerks, including Wang Xian. Seeing this imposing scene, Wang Xian couldn't help but envy it. "Damn, this is what it means to be the main character. I'm just a minor clerk in green robes, not even a major supporting role..."

On the platform in front of the eight-character wall, a square table was already set up, covered with yellow silk, on which the "Imperial Edict" and "Great Proclamation" of the First Emperor were placed. After the magistrate and all the county officials stood in order in front of the eight-character wall, the official in charge of the ceremony, a clerk from the ritual office, loudly announced:

"Kneel and pay homage to the Imperial Edict!"

Everyone followed Wei Zhixian and bowed to the "Imperial Edict."

"Proclaim—Imperial Edict—!" After everyone stood up, the clerk from the ritual office announced again.

Wei Zhixian then walked to the platform, picked up the imperial edict with both hands, and read it aloud to the crowd: "The First Emperor's Imperial Edict has six points: 1. Filial piety to parents, 2. Respect for elders, 3. Harmony in the community, 4. Education of descendants, 5. Each person should focus on their livelihood, 6. Do not commit crimes! You must remember these at all times and not violate them!"

"Comply with the edict!" The people, led by the officials and gentry, responded loudly.

After a pause, Wei Zhixian continued, "This time, I will preach the sixth point, 'Do not commit crimes!'"

"From ancient times, the people have been taught, the children have been trained, the leaders of the community have been guided, and the teachers have been instructed to warn people to love themselves and not to commit crimes." Wei Zhixian then opened the "Great Proclamation" of the First Emperor and said solemnly:

"The requirement of 'Do not commit crimes' is to not do forbidden things, and certainly not to do illegal things. For example, the First Emperor's edict states: 'For the benefit and harm of the country, scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants are all allowed to speak freely, except for students! If a student makes a suggestion, it is considered a violation of the system, and they will be expelled and punished. If a student has personal matters, their family is allowed to report them. If they have no personal matters but still enter the office, they will be expelled for improper behavior. If they gather to protest and insult officials, the leader will be punished and exiled, and the rest will be expelled and made commoners!'"

The crowd in front of the office was silent. The common people did not understand the classical language, but the gentry were shocked... They never expected that the magistrate would find the basis for punishing the students in the outdated "Great Proclamation"!

Jiang, the county vice-magistrate, then explained in plain language to the people: "The First Emperor's edict stipulates that for national affairs, scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants can all give opinions, except for students. If a student gives an opinion, it is considered a violation of the system, and they will be expelled and punished. If a student has personal matters, their family is allowed to report them. If they have no personal matters but still enter the office, they will be expelled for improper behavior. If they gather to protest and insult officials, the leader will be punished and exiled, and the rest will be expelled and made commoners!"

Now even the common people understood. The magistrate was indeed losing his temper, and the first blow was aimed at the students who had filed complaints!

This was not a secret in Fuyang County, especially such a major event. Everyone knew that ten days ago, more than ten county students had hit the drum to file complaints, demanding that the magistrate recall and punish the tax collectors sent to the countryside. The magistrate was unwilling to comply but did not want to offend them, so he decided to delay.

However, these students were incredibly bold and surrounded the magistrate, forcing him to recall his subordinates and conduct an investigation.

The actions of the students were a topic of much discussion among the people. Some thought they were lawless, daring to defy the magistrate. But more people supported them, as the students claimed to be "rescuing the people from suffering," and in the eyes of the people, they were speaking for the common folk...

Now, the people realized that the students' actions violated the laws set by the First Emperor, which put them in a difficult position. The First Emperor held an extremely high status in the hearts of the people, and his every word was considered a golden rule that no one dared to violate.

On the other hand, the government had not preached the "Great Proclamation" for several years, and the people felt somewhat unfamiliar with it. Moreover, becoming a scholar was so difficult, and just for speaking up for the people, they were to be stripped of their titles. Was this not a form of retaliation?

"Mr. Han, have you dealt with the thirteen students who came to the office to file complaints?" Wei Zhixian asked the county school instructor in front of all the people.

"Not yet," the instructor quickly stepped forward, "The county school does not have the authority to expel students and must report to the provincial education office!"

"Report as soon as possible. This county will also send a letter to the provincial education office to severely punish the students who openly violate the system!" Wei Zhixian said solemnly, "This is not a lack of humanity on my part, but a necessity to follow the system. Moreover, these people deserve their punishment! Even without the system, I would still punish them!"

The crowd was in an uproar. This was too straightforward...

"Do you know why the First Emperor took the time to write the 'Great Proclamation' to educate officials and the people?" Wei Zhixian changed the subject, "It was after the 'Guo Huan Case'!"

"What was the 'Guo Huan Case,' and why did it make the First Emperor decide to write the 'Great Proclamation'? Let me explain in detail," Wei Zhixian's gaze swept over the crowd, pausing briefly on a few grain officials, "This was a massive corruption case involving officials from the Ministry of Revenue, Guo Huan, down to the smallest grain officials, who colluded to extort money from the people and embezzle taxes from the government!" The eight-character wall had an echo effect, making Wei Zhixian's voice deafening:

"When the First Emperor heard about the corrupt officials exploiting the people, he immediately ordered a thorough investigation. The more they investigated, the more corrupt officials they found, and the amount involved reached 24 million shi! The First Emperor could not tolerate such corruption and ordered the execution of 30,000 corrupt officials, corrupt officials, and corrupt grain officials!"

This statement caused a great uproar among the people. Killing 30,000 people, that would have wiped out all the officials and grain officials in the country!

"Even if they were all killed, it would have cleansed the corruption left by the Yuan Dynasty, curbed corruption, and made the country politically clear and prosperous. Those who are a bit older should remember this!" Wei Zhixian looked nostalgic, as if he wished it could happen again.

"Yes..." Those over forty nodded, reminiscing, "During the First Emperor's time, there were no corrupt officials, and the taxes were much lighter. Life was much better then."

"How did they embezzle so much money and grain?" someone asked curiously.

"They used all kinds of tricks! Let's start with the grain officials around you. The 'Great Proclamation' says that when they collected taxes, they used various methods to extort more, such as water fees, cart fees, food fees, warehouse fees, straw basket fees