HLnovel Chapter 402 Honest Officials Have No Humanity
Chapter 402 Honest Officials Have No Humanity
Chapter 402 Honest Officials Have No Humanity
The girls were full of confidence, but their families were all dumbfounded. Did Wang Qingtian really want the girls to join the army? The people couldn't understand it, after all, women had never served in the army since ancient times, but none of them objected. No matter what Wang Qingtian did, these girls wouldn't starve.
Chen Yuanyuan glared at Wang Wenzhou and said sarcastically, "Husband, stop staring. Your eyes are practically glued to you. All these female soldiers you've taken in will end up fighting in your bed, won't they?"
Wang Wenzhou said seriously, "Yuanyuan, how can you say that? Do you think I'm that kind of person?"
If you're not that kind of person, what kind of person could you be? Not only Chen Yuanyuan and Wang Ying thought so, but Yu Tao thought so too. You know, Lord Wang even needs to be fed by a young lady.
Wang Wenzhou cupped his hands to the people and said, "Fellow villagers, please go back. I really have official business to attend to and cannot delay any longer. I must go back and pack my things and set off immediately."
Miao Ping said, "Wang Qingtian, we, the people of Gaoling, are truly reluctant to see you leave! But you have official duties to attend to and cannot be delayed. We have no choice but to respectfully see you off as you leave the city."
"Yes! Old Miao is right, Wang Qingtian, we just wanted to see you off!"
"Why isn't the Governor of Shanxi Wang Qingtian?"
"I really hope that Gaoling County can be under Wang Qingtian's rule."
The people were talking all at once.
Wang Wenzhou bowed to the people and said, "Thank you, fellow villagers."
“Old Miao, it just so happens that you are here as well. Xiao Qiang has no experience in politics and is unfamiliar with Gaoling. I am afraid that he might make some mistakes if he temporarily acts as the magistrate of Gaoling. I have a favor to ask of you. Can you help Xiao Qiang by appointing him as the registrar of Gaoling?” Wang Wenzhou asked.
Miao Ping was extremely excited. As an old scholar who had repeatedly failed the imperial examinations, he had long lost hope and thought that he would never become an official in his life. Unexpectedly, yesterday, because of a poem and a moment of impulse, he helped "King Wen of Zhou" seek justice, and today he became the registrar of Gaoling County.
"Lord Wang, rest assured, I will do my best to assist you," Miao Ping said hurriedly, cupping his hands in greeting.
"Xiao Qiang!" Wang Wenzhou waved to Wang Qiang.
Wang Qiang quickly jogged over.
Yu Tao and the others immediately tensed up because Wang Qiang was carrying a weapon, and they were afraid that Wang Qiang would suddenly intervene to save Wang Wenzhou.
"Xiaoqiang, this is Lao Miao, the clerk of Gaoling County. If you need anything, ask him for advice," Wang Wenzhou said, pointing to Miao Ping.
Wang Qiang nodded and said confidently, "Young Master, don't worry, it's nothing. I've already figured out what you were doing in Hanshan. Rest assured, within six months, I can turn Gaoling County into a metropolis with hundreds of thousands of people!"
Wang Wenzhou curled his lip. Hanshan was different from Gaoling. At least the people of Hanshan had food to eat and could survive. The people of Gaoling were starving to death; where would they get the money to pay the city entry tax?
Wang Wenzhou reminded him, "Xiaoqiang, it's good that you want to build Gaoling well, but I'm afraid you'll do something wrong. You must remember that no matter what you do, you must think about the people, make sure they can survive, and ensure they can benefit from the development."
Miao Ping exclaimed, "Lord Wang is truly devoted to the people! Young Master Qiang will certainly not disappoint Lord Wang."
Wang Qiang hurriedly urged, "Young Master, it's getting late, you should go now."
Wang Wenzhou laughed and scolded, "You little brat, are you trying to chase me away? Remember this: when you're an official in a region, even if you can't bring benefits to the people, you can't harm them."
"Understood!" Wang Qiang was very puzzled. What's wrong with the young master? Didn't you say that being an official is all about making money? When did you really start caring about the lives of ordinary people?
Wang Wenzhou didn't want to explain further to Wang Qiang, after all, Wang Qiang was only temporarily acting as the magistrate of Gaoling County, and the imperial court would reappoint him after a while. Wang Wenzhou said this because he was deeply moved; people are all made of flesh and blood, and so many people were selling their children just for a bite to eat, all because of the sins committed by Shen Zizhen.
Wang Wenzhou returned to the county government office, tidied up, and the group set off.
Almost all the people of Gaoling County turned out to see Wang Wenzhou off as he left the city.
"Wang Qingtian!"
"Bon Voyage!"
With tears in their eyes, the people waved goodbye to the carriage carrying Wang Wenzhou, reluctant to leave.
Wang Wenzhou lowered the carriage curtain and said softly, "The common people are so simple and honest. If an official does even a little bit of good deeds, the people will remember your kindness. The people long for honest officials and yearn for honest officials. But in the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty today, where are there any honest officials? And no one wants to be an honest official. After all, Hai Rui is a cautionary tale."
Wang Ying asked, puzzled, "Why do you say that? What official doesn't want to be an honest official?"
Wang Wenzhou laughed and said, "Sister-in-law, you're too naive! In the Ming Dynasty's officialdom, factions are everywhere and all sorts of unspoken rules exist. Where can an honest official find a foothold?"
"Take Hai Rui for example. There's the story of Hai Rui killing his daughter. One day, he saw his five-year-old daughter eating a cake and asked who gave it to her. When he learned it was from a servant, Hai Rui was furious and said: 'How can a good woman accept things from a man so easily? Only if you starve to death will you be my daughter!' From then on, his daughter was terrified and cried incessantly, refusing to drink or eat. No matter how her family tried to coax or persuade her, it was no use. Seven days later, she finally starved to death." Wang Wenzhou looked at Wang Ying and said seriously.
"Hai Rui did this because he didn't want to give his political enemies any ammunition to attack him. This shows how dangerous it was for an honest official in the Ming Dynasty!" Wang Wenzhou said with a smile.
Wang Ying frowned and retorted, "This is just a rumor, not a fact."
“Sister-in-law, have you forgotten? Legends are often more truthful than facts. Although this matter may not be true, the principle remains the same. An honest official cannot be lenient, whether it is a colleague, friend, or relative. Over time, he will become isolated. In the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty, factions are everywhere, and it is very difficult for an isolated person to survive.” Wang Wenzhou said with a smile.
Wang Ying nodded, agreeing with her friend's assessment.
Wang Wenzhou continued, "Sister-in-law, if you were Hai Rui's daughter, would you want to have a father like Hai Rui? Because you made a small mistake and ate someone else's cake, your father forced you to die. In my opinion, such a father is simply inhuman!"
Wang Ying nodded and said with a wry smile, "If this is true, Hai Rui did indeed go too far."
Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "Yes, an honest official has to be ruthless! Otherwise, how can he be an honest official? Sister-in-law, for example, if you were an official now, could you control your relatives and friends so that they wouldn't do things under your name? If you don't let them use your name, they will turn from relatives into enemies."
Wang Ying frowned and retorted, "According to you, there are no honest officials left in our Great Ming Dynasty?"
Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "I dare not say that there are no honest officials at all, but if you randomly pick ten people in the officialdom and investigate them carefully, not one of them will have a clean record."
Wang Ying nodded with a wry smile. No wonder Zhu Youjian often complained that people only knew how difficult it was to govern the people, but they didn't realize how much more difficult it was to govern officials. But Wang Ying still couldn't understand why an honest official had to be inhumane.