During the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, there was a county magistrate in Qingyang County named Jia Qingquan. This man is an upright person and an honest official. During his two years in office, he has done a lot of practical things for the local people and is loved by the people of the county.
Jia Qingquan was a Jinshi in the fifth year of Daoguang. Because he did not pay homage to the powerful ministers of the dynasty, he was sent to the capital early to become a county magistrate.
In fact, at the beginning, the position given by the Ministry of Personnel was only an eighth-grade official position. After everyone discussed it, they felt that a Jinshi assigned such a small official position would lose the face of the court in the end, so it was temporarily changed to Qing. The magistrate of Yang County.
01
When he first arrived in Qingyang County, when the local people said that there was a new county official, the streets were filled with people coming to visit.
The previous county magistrate had been in office for three years. He openly promised some good things to the people, but secretly colluded with the local wealthy gentry to plunder the people's wealth.
All the local merchants who do some business have been cheated by the previous county magistrate.
For various reasons, the court wanted to provide disaster relief, where there were refugees, where there was a war, and where the people were given more farming tools, etc. In three years, local merchants shared taxes with each other more than a hundred times.
According to the local people: "I have been doing business for three years and farming the land for three years. I have not made any money or harvested more grain. I have collected more than 100 yuan for plaques of various sizes."
Some businesses do For those who were older, I thought it would be good to hang a plaque issued by the government so that the descendants of the family could pay their respects, so I gritted my teeth and continued to donate money.
In the end, the money was gone, and the remaining plaques were not dared to be thrown away, let alone burned as firewood.
If the county magistrate comes to the house one day and sees that there is no plaque, he will be beheaded.
During that time, when the common people saw the county magistrate, they were gnashing their teeth, smiling on their faces, and thinking of killing people in their hearts.
It was not until the previous county magistrate was transferred that the locals breathed a sigh of relief.
Today I heard that the court sent a new county magistrate, and the people came to see if this magistrate would be more greedy than the previous magistrate.
And because of this incident, private citizens and wealthy gentry took the lead in forming a boycott group.
If the new county magistrate behaves like this, then we will drive him out of Qingyang County together. Anyway, the people also know that since ancient times, there has been a principle that the law does not punish the public.
02
Before leaving the capital, an adult felt a little guilty about driving him out of the capital. After all, according to Jia Qingquan's literary talent, if he stayed in the Hanlin Academy for two or three years, he would still have a very good chance of entering the courtiers' corps.
Therefore, he gave him the carriage that he had not used before.
Jia Qingquan had just been ostracized by the court officials, and he was still very scared. This carriage made him feel that there were good people in the court, which comforted his dissatisfied heart after taking office.
When the carriage entered the Qingyang County Road, the driver saw the people on both sides of the road from a distance and thought they were coming to greet them.
I have been driving for so many years and I have followed two officials, but I have never seen such a battle.
He stopped driving, turned to face the car and said, "Look, sir, I am a somewhat knowledgeable person, but I have never seen so many people lined up to welcome a new official when he takes office."
Jia Qingquan Hearing the coachman's words, he raised the curtains and saw a crowd of people on both sides of the road not far away.
"Are so many people here to welcome me? Oh my God, it's time for me to catch up with the number one scholar parading on horseback."
"Hahahaha, in this case, I have been sent to the local government. It's worth it. "
" is fast. Stop quickly, I want to get out of the car and walk over. This is my first time in Qingyang County. The people are so enthusiastic, so I can’t let them down. It’s time for me to take a look and get to know the people of Qingyang County.”
After that, Jia Qingquan hurriedly jumped out of the carriage before it stopped.
Let’s talk about the people on both sides of the road, watching a luxury carriage approaching the city gate in the distance.
No need to guess, this must be the new county magistrate.
The people of the whole city have discussed today. No matter rich businessmen, ordinary people, or beggars, no one is allowed to go out today. They must unite to see if the new county magistrate is also a corrupt official.
"It's broken, my mother-in-law, you look like a coward! Look, it's better than the carriage that Wang County Magistrate came last time to ride in when he took office!"
A begging Hwarang held a broken bowl in one hand. , shouted with a stick in one hand, pointing at the carriage.
"Yes, when Mr. Wang took office, he still came in an ordinary carriage. I saw this with my own eyes. At that time, I thought he was an upright official who could do something practical for us."
"Look at this horse This is the standard for the rich and famous local gentry. Most of the new officials are from humble backgrounds and are reluctant to waste their money to buy such a carriage."
As the beggar Hwarang shouted, the people next to him started. Talk to each other.
The story spread from ten to ten, and before the carriage reached the city gate, what the common people said reached the ears of the wealthy gentry behind.
"It's over! It's over! I say stop watching here, go home and close the door quickly! If this person is also a faint official, I won't be able to keep my coffin!"
One of them came up! The elderly wealthy gentry heard the words coming from the front and said in shock.
"Mr. Wang, please be patient and wait for me to make arrangements. Let's give him some color first and try what kind of person he is."
The young wealthy gentleman next to him grabbed Mr. Wang's arm and turned around. He winked at the servant behind him.
The servants behind saw their master speaking, and several people started to run forward.
The speaker is called Sun Shaoxing. His ancestors once produced a second-grade official. Relying on the fame and money left by the previous generation, he has become the largest wealthy gentleman in Qingyang County.
After hearing Sun Shaoxing's words, the rich gentry beside them stopped talking and looked forward quietly.
03
Looking at the people in front of him, Jia Qingquan began to salute.
"Today is the first day that Jia took office. The folks from Qingyang County came to welcome him. This moved Qingquan very much. I would like to give everyone a gift to express my gratitude."
After that, Jia Qingquan faced both sides of the road. The people bowed deeply.
"One Wang Papi left, and another Jia Papi came! The new one came in such a good carriage, he must be another corrupt official!"
"Folks, beat him!"
"Hit him! Beat him!"
.. ....
There was a burst of shouting, and the people in front began to take out the dirt hidden under their clothes and began to throw it at Jia Qingquan's body!
looked at the people who were fine just now, and now they were all shouting to beat themselves.
Jia Qingquan was stunned for a moment. Before he could think about it, the first piece of trash was thrown on his head.
"Ouch!"
The pain made Jia Qingquan wake up and covered his head.
"Folks! Don't do anything! I am the newly arrived county magistrate! Did you admit the wrong person!"
"You did not admit the mistake! It was you who was waiting for me! You are the one I am beating now!"
The people shouted in unison, Saying this, he did not forget to continue throwing the things in his hands.
After a quarter of an hour, the number of people throwing things began to decrease.
"Folks! After throwing away all the things, run away!"
Before Jia Qingquan even raised his head, the group of people dispersed.
"You are a traitor, you are a traitor!"
Jia Qingquan covered his face, screamed and pointed at the scattered people, shouting.
He now regrets that he did not listen to his family's advice and hired two people to escort him to his post.
"Hey, I thought the court was a very messy place, but I didn't expect it to be even more difficult than the capital city. God, they say that Jinshi are all Wenquxing who descended to earth, and I, a Wenquxing, ended up here."
played With dirt on his body, Jia Qingquan called to the driver to follow him and continue walking forward.
04
After entering the city gate, there was no soldier guarding the gate.
However, I saw a few Hwarangs begging for food. Seven or eight people, old and young, gathered together.
"You are also a hard-working person, and I am also a hard-working person. Take this little bit of money and buy some food."
After saying that, Jia Qingquan shook his head with a wry smile and continued to walk forward.
The old man who got the broken silver looked at the broken silver in the bowl and then looked at the county magistrate. He didn't believe it.
Although he is relatively poor and has been begging for a living for half his life, it cannot be denied that he still has experience at his age.
Looking at the expression, actions and tone of the county magistrate, he felt that the people in the city might have misunderstood the county magistrate. Maybe he was not a corrupt official...
When Jia Qingquan came to the gate of the county government office, he discovered that the county magistrate Officials from the Yamen government began to come out one after another.
took out his official seal and official documents, and then the officials showed courtesy and helped Jia Qingquan in.
"Ouch! I told you to slow down, man. My arm just blocked a lot of dirt, and it's still hurting badly."
When the county magistrate said this, everyone looked at each other and lowered their heads. Dare to look directly at the face of the county magistrate.
Just now, they also joined the crowd and threw a lot of garbage at the county magistrate.
As a subordinate of the county magistrate, although the previous county magistrate did not miss their food and wine hospitality, he was also exploited and very little was left.
After Jia Qingquan finished taking a bath and changed into his official uniform, he immediately arranged for someone to go to court for questioning. When
learned about what the previous county magistrate had done and heard the chief bookkeeper complaining about the shortfall in the accounts, he cursed three times as a thief!
It turns out that he was punished for the previous county magistrate.
When the police officer asked if he would send people to arrest the people in the busy city and hold them accountable, the county magistrate waved his hand and dismissed it. He also knew that the law does not punish the public.
If he arrests people today and holds them accountable, I'm afraid it will be more difficult for him to serve as an official here in the future.
If you don't do anything, it won't matter. When the time comes, people in the whole city will protest against you. When the time comes, you will still be the one to blame.
"Hey, but I am also a local official. I can't keep silent when the people beat me. Otherwise, it will be a joke in the future. If something happens, the people will imitate what I did today. Then won't I still be able to do it in the future?" to be beaten "How many times?"
Thinking of this, the county magistrate ordered the police to prepare some scarecrows in the evening. After putting on clothes, they took them to the street and put a few boards on them.
05
In the following time, the county magistrate became busy.
Although it is the first time to be a county magistrate, I still have a lot of knowledge in my mind.
He first visited the famous wealthy gentry and expressed his future attitude.
has abolished the old regulations and no longer charges innocent fees.
At the same time, it also carefully sorted out the agriculture, commerce, and entertainment industries in the county.
promulgated several regulations that benefit the people.
Slowly, after half a year, all walks of life began to return to their original appearance, and the people also saw the difference in the county magistrate during these six months. This is how
does something with heart. Some people are not optimistic about it, and some people are more optimistic about it.
Slowly, the people began to accept the county magistrate, and some even fell in love with him.
Especially for farmers, if you want to file a complaint but cannot find the county magistrate, then you can go to the fields to look for him. Many times the county magistrate will follow the elderly in the fields to learn how to grow crops.
More than a year has passed like this. According to the statistics of the main bookkeeper, the tax payment, harvest, stability index, etc. of all walks of life in the county have almost caught up with the political achievements of Yongzheng period.
When the political achievements of Qingyang County were reported to the governor's office, the governor happily reported them to the court.
The imperial court not only rewarded many things from top to bottom, but also set Qingyang County Magistrate Jia Qingquan as a model for county magistrates across the country.
When the award was delivered to the government office, the prefect prepared to take people to Qingyang County to award the award.
html During the summer period, Qingyang County has experienced heavy rains in recent days.
The county magistrate had not had a good rest for several days, and he was very anxious.
Because the wheat harvest was about to begin, I couldn’t help but feel anxious when I saw the ripe wheat soaked in the rain.
Just as he was discussing with everyone how to harvest wheat, a servant suddenly came to report that the water in the nearby river had begun to spread.
It won't take long for the floods to open up the rivers, and half of the county will be submerged by the rivers.
Hearing this, the county magistrate led a group of people and started walking towards the river.
Another servant came to report that the prefect personally came to commend him and asked him to go to the Yamen to greet him.
was worried about whether the water level in the river would break through the embankment. The county magistrate didn't even think about asking his servant to reply, and waited until he was done with his work before going to plead guilty.
When the county magistrate arrived at the embankment, he found that the water level had spread to the entire river.
In less than an hour, the flood will cover the levee. At that time, the levee will be broken, and the flood will submerge the fertile fields, along with the people in the city.
"Sir, are you preparing to release the flood? Hongze County The area bordering our county is covered with trees and jungles for fifty miles. There is a sinkhole in the jungle, and the two rivers there cannot overflow. It will not endanger the floods at all. People in Ze County, we can try to break the dikes and release the floods from there,” suggested the people around
.
At this time, not only the common people arrived, but also many wealthy gentry came to the embankment.
"Then arrange for people to check. I will give you half an hour to explore the road and see if there are any residents there. After an hour, I will lead people to break the dike."
The county magistrate immediately replied.
"No! You are not allowed to release the flood from there without my permission!"
Suddenly a county official came to Jia Qingquan and said seriously.
"Who are you? Why did you stop me? Do you know that this is a matter of safety for the people of the county!"
Jia Qingquan touched the rainwater on his face and asked.
"I am the magistrate of Hongze County. How can you decide this matter privately without my permission!"
"Now, Mr. Jia, on behalf of the people of the county, will ask this gentleman for a favor. I I will block the river again to ensure that the flood does not spread out for twenty miles and will not endanger the safety of your county!"
Jia Qingquan said with a hand.
"Huh! You can tell me this after meeting the prefect!"
After saying this, Hongze the county magistrate threw away his hands and left.
Helpless, Jia Qingquan had no choice but to comfort everyone and wait while he went to ask the superior for instructions first.
When Jia Qingquan saw the prefect and explained the matter, he did not expect that the prefect disagreed with the matter.
also labeled him as disrespectful to Shangguan.
did not allow him to say any more, so he was carried to the prepared flood discharge area and made to kneel there to prevent him from secretly releasing the flood again.
06
The people on the embankment waited and waited until the county magistrate came back. Looking at the water filling the river, everyone became anxious.
"Mr. Sun, take a look at this. Why don't you take someone to take a look? If the flood continues, the county will be flooded!"
The people shouted to Sun Shaoxing.
"Okay, then come with me, and let's see where the prefect took the county magistrate!"
After that, the group of people walked towards the prefect's office.
"It turns out the prefect is you!"
As soon as the people came here, they recognized the prefect.
Isn’t this the last good county magistrate, Mr. Wang Huairen?
"You are a bunch of unruly people, why don't you kneel down when you see me!"
Wang Huairen shouted loudly!
"Master Wang! Magistrate Wang! You are causing so much trouble to the people of the county!"
"If we don't talk about this now, where did you take our county magistrate?"
Sun Shaoxing asked.
"Yes, we are waiting for the flood to be discharged. Why do we only see the adults coming here but not returning?"
The common people also shouted.
"Hahahaha, where is your good lord?"
Wang Huairen pointed at Jia Qingquan in the distance and said.
Everyone looked along the fingers and saw a man in the distance laboriously digging the river embankment.
"Come here! Stop him! Don't let him destroy the embankment!"
Hongze County Magistrate shouted!
For a moment, everyone ran away.
07
Before anyone could arrive, the overflowing river began to pour out along the small opening.
Within a few breaths, the water opened a large hole.
After a few more breaths, a big wave covered the area, and the flood began to flow down the river, completely breaking through the river embankment.
The dark shadow that could be seen just now disappeared in an instant.
"Sir! Hurry! Go and save your lord!"
A group of common people and wealthy gentry began to shout and began to run towards the flood area.
The raging flood seems to have found an outlet, and it is no longer possible for humans to rush up.
After three days, the heavy rain stopped and the river water returned to a stable state again.
After searching for the common people for three days in a row, there was still no trace of the county magistrate.
All the people with good water skills in the county participated.
...
is written at the end:
Ten days later, the river water completely became smaller, and the Qingyang County Magistrate was still not found.
The prefect Wang Huairen left Qingyang County early with his brother-in-law, Magistrate Hongze. After such a big thing happened, and without a court official, he needed to hurry up and try to clear up the relationship between the matter.
But what he didn't know was that the people of Qingyang County complained to the governor's hall the next day.
After the governor's investigation, coupled with the confessions and evidence of the people of Qingyang County, the prefect Wang Huairen and the Hongze County Magistrate were dismissed and investigated.
The magistrate of Qingyang County was notified and commended by the court.
At the request of the people of Qingyang County, the imperial court changed Qingyang County to Qingquan County as a sign of comfort.
At this time every year, the people of Qingquan County will spontaneously come to the river embankment to worship the Qingquan County Magistrate.
They were not only grateful to Qingquan County Magistrate for leading the people in the county to change the predicament of the past,
they were also grateful to this kind and loving parent for saving the lives and family businesses of the people in the county;
Most importantly, they always felt guilty in their hearts ;
Just like the old man kneeling in front of him said: "The Qingquan County Magistrate did not follow us to live a life of prosperity and wealth. We even beat him when he first came here. We have always wanted to find an opportunity to apologize to the County Magistrate. , but before anyone opened their mouths, it became a lifelong regret in everyone's heart..."
