"County ...... The county honors, we also come to resign......"

When Old Man Liu was indignantly resigning to Zhu Ping'an, two more newly recruited errands came, both of whom were young men who had made meritorious contributions to the anti-Japanese war, and they also came to resign to Zhu Ping'an.

"County Zun, don't you feel ashamed that even an illiterate errand is ashamed to be with you?"

Old man Liu and the others snorted and glanced at Zhu Ping'an with slanted eyes, their words both indignant and sarcastic.

Zhu Ping'an smiled bitterly and rubbed his head, since the rain began in Jingnan, since the beginning of the rain, this month, Zhu Ping'an has been going out early and returning late every day, working overtime and staying up late, and he hasn't had a good rest for a day, and now he is very tired.

"Well, it's my fault, it's my rush to get it done, and I didn't consult everyone in advance before the decree was issued, which caused everyone to misunderstand. In this way, please gather in the lobby of all the officials and errands in the county office, and I will explain to you in a unified manner. After that, if you decide to resign, I will not stop you. ”

Zhu Ping'an rubbed his head, cheered up, and said bitterly to Old Man Liu and others who came to resign.

"Misunderstanding? Hmph, I'll wait and see how the county reverses black and white. It's just that the county honorable don't forget what he just said. After the explanation in the lobby, I waited for my resignation, and I hoped that the county would let me go quickly. ”

Old man Liu and the others snorted coldly, how much they trusted Zhu Ping'an before, and how deep their prejudices about Zhu Ping'an are now.

Soon, all the officials and errands who were working in the county office at the moment were summoned in the county office hall.

Zhu Ping'an stood in the lobby and glanced at everyone, taking in the micro-expressions of the officials and servants in the hall.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I know that since the release of the official document defining 'Jingnan grain price of 2,500 wen per stone' in the morning, you have very much opinion of me. I believe that everyone has scolded me in private, a dog official, a corrupt official, and a traitorous official...... To tell you the truth, there are already many people who want to draw a clear line with me, a corrupt official, a dog official, and a traitorous official, and have submitted their resignations to me. ”

After Zhu Ping'an waited for everyone to come, he pulled the corners of his mouth and said to everyone with a self-deprecating smile.

"County Zun, please take back your life, the highest price of grain in other places is only 1,350 wen per stone, and you define the grain price of Jingnan as 2,500 wen per hour, doesn't this force our people in Jingnan to a dead end?!"

"County Zun, we don't know how to read big characters, but we can also distinguish between good and bad. The county respects us to set the price of grain in Jingnan so high, and makes black money from it, I don't have the face to run errands under the county honor, otherwise if I go back, the people in the village will poke my backbone......"

"County Zun, do you know how the people outside scold you, everyone scolds you for being a maggot with a black heart......."

"County Zun, you are trying to drive our Jingnan fathers to a dead end, 17 wen per catty of grain, which is enough to buy a catty of meat before the flood. The price of food is so expensive, everyone can't afford to eat, so they can only drink porridge. ”

"County Zun, we are on an errand today, and we have seen with our own eyes that the grain merchants in our county have come to give you thank-you gifts one after another, and I heard that you have not refused any of them. County Zun, you have changed, you are no longer the Qingtian lord in our hearts who asks for the people's lives and has a clean breeze on his sleeves. ”

......

The officials and servants in the hall had great opinions, and for a time there was a lot of chaos in the hall, like a vegetable market.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is my fault, I was in a hurry, and I failed to consult everyone in advance before the decree was issued, which caused everyone to misunderstand." Zhu Ping'an pulled the corners of his mouth and smiled bitterly, and said to everyone.

"Misunderstanding? Hehe, county honor, you say we misunderstand?! Could it be that the county respects you to raise the price of my grain in Jingnan and set it at 2,500 wen per stone, or is it for disaster relief and for the people of Jingnan? ”

A sneer rang out from the hall.

"Yes, it does." Zhu Ping'an nodded, with a serious face.

"Huh?"

"Huh...... Who believes it?! ”

As soon as Zhu Ping'an's words fell, there was a burst of laughter in the hall.

"I believe it!"

"I believe it!"

"I believe in our son!"

In the midst of everyone's laughter, Liu Mu, Liu Dadao, Liu Dazhui and other five people stood up and replied categorically, with a loud voice and firm eyes, they did not have a trace of doubt about Zhu Ping'an's words.

What the? There are still people who believe the nonsense of the county honor?!

When everyone heard this, they were stunned for a moment, and when they saw that it was Liu Mu, Liu Dadao and others who spoke, they were not surprised, and sneered, "You are the cronies of the county honor, and you have reaped enough benefits with Zhu Ping'an, of course you believe it." Oh, don't say that the county said that he raised the price of food for disaster relief, that is, the county said that the sun came out in the west, and you must not blink and say that the sun is rising in the west today! Hmph, this time the county honored the black money, you may also share a piece of soup! ”

"What nonsense are you talking about!" Liu Dadao and the others glared at them angrily, "County Zun is not that kind of person!" ”

The crowd sneered back at them.

"Alright, listen to me." Zhu Ping'an waved his hand and controlled the situation that was about to get out of control.

"Ladies and gentlemen, do you think silver is important, or is life important?" Zhu Ping'an asked everyone.

"Do you need to ask, of course life is important. Money is something outside the body, silver can never be earned, and those who earn more and less have their own ways of living, but there is only one life. The crowd replied without thinking.

"It's just that the county honor, does it have anything to do with you raising the price of grain?! You don't have to quibble anymore. Now that the flood has not receded, the people have suffered heavy losses, and for everyone, of course, the lower the food price, the better it is for everyone. If the price of food is low, everyone will still be able to buy and eat. The price of grain has risen from 400 wen per stone to 1,350 wen before the disaster, and the common people are already miserable, and now you have raised the price of grain to 2,500 wen, and ordinary people can't even afford to eat, so they can only drink porridge with their families. Ordinary people from poor families can't even afford to drink porridge, so they can only wait to starve to death. ”

"County honor, in order to control and reduce grain prices, Fucheng cut off the heads of two profiteers on the street, and Linhai County, Taiping County and other counties also arrested several profiteers who raised grain prices and sent them to prison in order to control and reduce grain prices! Relying on this thunderous method, the price of grain in Fucheng and other counties has been lowered, and it has stabilized at about 500 wen per stone. Now the local government is using thunderous means to reduce food prices! For the sake of your own selfish interests, you have gone against the grain price of our Jingnan and defined it as 2,500 wen per stone in official documents. If you do this for disaster relief and for the good of our people in Jingnan, then the way of this world will be black and white upside down, and the sky will have no eyes! We have nothing to say, so we can only forgive us! ”

Zhu Ping'an, who everyone thinks, raised the question of which is more important, silver or life, but it is just strong words and confusion.