Kneeling in front of the screen door leading to the vestibule, Hakuba Prefecture's face was blue from the cold winter wind, and his beard was covered with hoarfrost. He didn't wear a hat, his gray hair was also exposed to the wind, and strands of messy hair were floating in the wind, looking pitiful.

This is the third day that Zhu Li has knelt in front of the county office. The day after the Son of Heaven issued an edict to investigate the illegal acts of the grain merchants, Zhu Li came to Han Gang to plead guilty. But Han Gang ignored him, allowing him to come early in the morning and go at night, and knelt for three days in a row.

In the past three days, many people have come in and out of the county office, and they have all seen Zhu Li kneeling on the ground. The people in the county are discussing whether the county is going to take the knife from all the families. The people in Baima County have also heard about the matter in Kaifeng, and Zhu Li was mixed with the profiteers who were about to be arrested. Wang Xianggong's son-in-law wants to do it, of course, he will not let go of Zhu Li.

Before selling grain at a high price, Zhu Li did attract a lot of resentment. But later, before the edict of the Son of Heaven, the price was reduced and the grain was sold, and people also saw it. Now looking at his fifty-year-old man kneeling in the cold wind for three days in a row, most of the people are soft-hearted, and the public opinion outside has a little sympathy for him.

Today, Han Gang didn't walk straight past him, and finally stopped. He looked down at the back of his head for a long time, and asked, "How much grain do you have in your house?" ”

Finally waited for Han Gang to speak, Zhu Li's heart was relieved, and his body was shaky. With the last energy, he forcibly maintained the composure in his heart, and replied honestly without the slightest concealment: "There are more than 21,000 stones." ”

This figure made the surrounding officials and the three staff members behind Han Gang couldn't help but exclaim, and the warehouse in the county was only twice as high. Hidden in the depths of 20,000 stones, the families are indeed hoarding.

"Take them all out and donate an official!" After Han Gang dropped a sentence, he turned around and left.

The feet wearing a pair of thick-soled official boots were removed from front of him, and Zhu Li's strength disappeared, and he sat on the ground limply. The two younger brothers, who had been hiding on the side, immediately ran forward and asked nervously, "Big brother, how is it?" ”

Zhu Li just nodded, and the excitement and relaxation made his face return a little bloody: "Save, keep." ”

Although it is painful to donate 21,000 stones, the price of rice converted into today is actually only more than 20,000 yuan, and the families can still afford it. Using this money to buy the stability of the whole family is cost-effective.

If Han Gang went up and said that the Baima County official Zhuli was 'endowed with treacherous and cunning and hoarded fishing profits', then after the thirty-seven grain merchants who were arrested and put in prison, one more Baima Zhuli would be added, and the whole family would be finished.

Seeing Zhu Li nodding, Zhu Lin and both of them also softened their feet. For days they had nightmares night and night, each time waking up from the end of their dead race. Now that Han Gang has finally relented, he can sleep more peacefully.

The three staff members followed closely behind Han Gang, and only You Yu frowned and asked, "Why do you want to let this profiteer go." ”

Han Gang looked back at the three of them, Fang Xing and Wei Pingzhen were not surprised. It seems that these two people have already understood their hearts. He asked Zhu Li to kneel here for three days and ignored it, in fact, it was already clear that he had no intention of punishing him, otherwise he would have been imprisoned on the first day. Only You mellow is young, and he doesn't see the doorway.

Han Gang chuckled and said, "The big fish and the small fish have all entered the net, so it doesn't matter if there are shrimp or not." Seeing that You Yu was about to argue, he continued: "Besides, when the incident didn't happen before, I asked him to lower the price, and he also obeyed the order." No matter what Zhu Li was thinking at the time, at least he didn't make a fool of me in his actions. And since Zhu Li had already reduced the price and sold grain before the edict was issued, it was a bit unreasonable to dispose of him again, and it was a little reluctant to add the crime to him. ”

From the bottom of his heart, Han Gang actually wanted to sweep Zhu Li into it easily, and when he was ordered to reduce the price and sell grain, it was not without a calculation. However, the Son of Heaven ordered the liquidation of the grain merchants two days later than expected, which made it difficult to establish the charge of 'hoarding and causing the people to revolt' by following Han Gang's orders and selling rice and noodles at a reasonable price.

If you force him to go to jail, the excuse used will seem too reluctant. When the time comes, this will instead become a breakthrough for the opponent to counterattack. When someone attacks the rest with one point, when trying other grain merchants, it is indispensable to be troublesome—in fact, this is one of the important reasons why people are handled separately in many cases in later generations—and now they can only let them live. Come to think of it, I was indeed a little anxious a few days ago.

Han Gang walked into the lobby, and then said, "It's also that Zhuli is smart enough, and he has only been kneeling alone for three days. If the three brothers of the various families come to kneel together, I will have no choice but to send him to prison. ”

If the two sons-in-law of the Zhao family come to kneel and beg for mercy, their actions are equivalent to threats, and if Han Gang doesn't take them to death, then it is called a ghost. Zhu Li did not do this, but put his posture to the lowest. Zhuji, who always appears in the county government with a tough attitude, has a soft waist now, and it is like noodles.

"But it's too cheap to let him go." Youol is still lingering.

"So Zhengyan made him kneel for three days." Wei Pingzhen said: "If it weren't for this kneeling, Zhengyan would have had some discussion if he let him go." ”

Fang Xing followed: "What's more, Zhengyan has already driven him out of the county government and dug up his roots, letting him go is like letting go of a dead dog, it's not a big deal." ”

You Yu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly suddenly, and then worried: "I'm afraid that after he has an official, he will exploit the people and earn back all the expenses of the Su." ”

Wei Pingzhen rolled his eyes, and asked with a smile: "If you have an official body, will you be sent?" ”

You Yu opened his mouth and stammered, and Fang Xing also laughed. The number of officials in the Great Song Dynasty is several times that of Shique, how many officials can be sent in a good way in their lifetime?

Han Gang asked Zhu Li to take all the food in his family to donate to the official, which was definitely a punishment - Nasu donated officials, the official position was very small, and there was no room for promotion, and it was easy to be discriminated against, it was extremely difficult to be sent, and it was even more difficult to send a fat poor, so few people did this. Under normal circumstances, they spend money to marry a clan relative, and from then on they have an official position and a backer - and when Zhu Li has an official body, it is impossible to be a clerk anymore.

Although Zhu Li helped his two younger brothers marry the daughter of the clan and earned two crony officials back, he has always maintained a state of being unofficial and light, not that he can't be an official, but that his interests in the yamen are too great, and he is reluctant to be an official. But now that Han Gang is forced to buy an unwanted official body, the influence that has been accumulated in Baima County for thirty years will come to naught.

Influence is a combination of prestige, power and connections. Zhu Li's prestige, status and connections are all gradually gathered by relying on his thirty years as a priest in the county government. Now that his position does not exist, and he was punished by the magistrate because he sold grain at a high price, his prestige is no longer there, his status is gone, and of course his connections cannot be kept. It's better to donate directly to build bridges and pave roads, at least it can save some yin virtue, gather some hope, and leave some shade for future generations.

And as soon as Zhu Li went, no one among the county officials dared to act for personal gain. Hu Er and the others, who were originally pressed by Zhu Li, even if they came to power, would have to bow their eyebrows to Han Gang and dare not disobey them. The top and bottom of the county are like fingers, and when they deal with next year's disaster, Han Gang has another grasp.

……………………

"It's playing with fire!"

Wen Yanbo threw the report on several cases, and Wang Anshi's methods of dealing with the grain merchants made him smell a hint of bad smell.

None of the scholars and doctors could look down on the group of crony officials who clinged to the Son of Heaven and sucked the blood of the people. Their life and death will not be placed on Wen Yanbo's heart at all. It's just that Wang Anshi's method of putting them to death made Wen Yanbo deeply uneasy - he turned out to be provoking public opinion!

In Wen Yanbo's opinion, Wang Anshi has gone too far.

Although when the ministers write for state affairs, they inevitably bring the will of the people and the will of the people, and they all make a posture of asking for the people's lives. But when it comes to mobilizing the people to do things, no one will agree.

Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize a boat.

Who doesn't know this? The gathering of the people represents a danger to the rulers.

Prohibition of obscenity, prohibition of evil. Teaching, promoting etiquette, propagating the rules, and letting the people under their rule follow the rules is what officials should do.

Wen Yanbo was able to be the prime minister back then, but he relied on the suppression of the Maitreya rebellion instigated by the king of Beizhou. How terrible the people who were instigated were, Wen Yanbo knew better than anyone else. Those who are evil. The bewitched members of the sect are like madmen who do not care about life and death. Otherwise, the king sat in the city of sorrow, only occupying a small Beizhou city, and even let the 100,000 troops of the imperial court besiege it for several months, and finally relied on digging tunnels to break the city.

Wang Anshi's method of dealing with the grain merchants seems to be painful, but if such incitement methods are used in the wrong place, the consequences will inevitably be unimaginable.

But Wen Yanbo knew that Wang Anshi had already passed this hurdle. After coercing public opinion, the current prime minister has re-established his image. At the same time, 1.3 million stone of grain was confiscated from the hands of 37 grain merchants, and the fields and silver money have not yet been counted. This major case is the one with the largest net profit since the founding of the People's Republic of China. For the Son of Heaven and the court, with more of these grains, there is more certainty for coping with next year's disaster.

In the current situation, it is even difficult to attack Wang Anshi. Only by looking forward to the continuation of the drought can we use the truth of heaven and man and the continuous flow of displaced people to expel them from the political hall - although this can be regarded as relying on the will of the people, incitement and exploitation are two different things, Wen Yanbo defended himself in his heart.

However, the grain merchants ended up like this, and the wealthy merchants in the capital may have to feel sad about the death of rabbits and foxes. Wang Anshi has completely antagonized the wealthy businessmen through the even-loss method and the market change law before, and this time he is so ruthless, let's ask which wealthy businessman is not worried that Wang Anshi will eat the marrow in the future, and find an excuse to destroy them.

Fear can drive people crazy, Wen Yanbo ...... We know this.