Rise From the Humble

  Chapter 1248 Explaining Doubts and Misunderstandings (Part 1)

   "County... county lord, we also come to say goodbye..."

  While Old Man Liu and the others were angrily bidding farewell to Zhu Pingan, two more newly recruited servants came.

   "Master, don't you feel ashamed that even illiterate officers are ashamed to work with you?"

  Old man Liu and the others snorted, squinted at Zhu Pingan, and spoke indignantly and ironically.

  Zhu Ping'an rubbed his forehead with a wry smile. Since the continuous rain in Jingnan, Zhu Ping'an has been going out early and returning late every day, working overtime and staying up late every day. He hasn't had a good rest yet.

"Well, it's my fault. I was too eager to get things done. I didn't seek everyone's opinions in advance before the decree was issued, which caused everyone to misunderstand. How about this, please gather all the subordinate officials and servants in the county government office in the lobby, and I will unite as one Everyone explain. After that, if you still decide to say goodbye, I won't stop you."

  After rubbing his forehead, Zhu Pingan cheered up, and said bitterly to old man Liu and others who came to say goodbye.

   "Misunderstanding? Hmph, I'll just wait and see how the county venerable turns black and white. But the county lord must not forget what he just said. After the explanation in the lobby, I will bid farewell, and I hope the county lord will let you go quickly."

  Old man Liu and others snorted coldly. How much they trusted Zhu Pingan before, now they have a deep prejudice against Zhu Pingan.

   Soon, all the subordinate officials and servants working in the county government office at the moment were summoned in the county government hall.

  Zhu Ping'an stood in the lobby and scanned the crowd, taking in all the micro expressions of the subordinate staff and servants in the hall.

"Everyone, I know that since the announcement of the official document defining the 'Jingnan grain price of 2,500 renminbi per shi' in the morning, you all have great opinions on me. I believe that everyone has scolded me as a dog official, a corrupt official, and a treacherous official in private. No. To tell you the truth, there are already many people who want to draw a line with me, a corrupt official, a dog official, and a treacherous official, and have submitted their resignations to me."

  Zhu Pingan waited for everyone to arrive, twitched the corners of his mouth, and said to everyone with a self-deprecating smile.

"Xianzun, please take it back. The highest food price in other places is only 1,350 yuan per stone. You set the price of grain in Jingnan as 2,500 yuan per hour. This is not to put us in Jingnan. Are you cornered?!"

"Xianzun, we don't know the big words, but we can tell the good from the bad. The county lord set the price of our grain in Jingnan so high and made black-hearted money from it. I don't have the face to work under the county lord. Otherwise, I will go back. People in the village will poke me in the back."

   "Xianzun, do you know how the people outside scold you? Everyone calls you a black-hearted maggot."

"Xianzun, you are trying to drive our Jingnan elders to a dead end. Food costs 17 renminbi per catty, which is enough to buy a catty of meat before the flood. The price of food is so expensive that everyone can't afford it. Let's drink porridge."

"Xianzun, we are on errands today. I saw with my own eyes that the grain merchants in our county came to give you gifts one after another. I heard that you didn't refuse any of them. Xianzun, you have changed. You are no longer the person who serves the people in our hearts. Pray for your life, Master Qingtian with a clean sleeve.”

  The subordinate officials and servants in the hall had great opinions, and the hall was chaotic for a while, like a vegetable market.

   "Everyone, this is my fault. I was too eager to get things done. I failed to solicit everyone's opinions in advance before the decree was issued, which caused everyone to misunderstand." Zhu Pingan twitched the corners of his mouth and smiled bitterly, and said to everyone.

   "Misunderstanding? Hehe, the county lord, you said we misunderstood?! Could it be that the county lord raised the price of my Jingnan food at 2,500 yuan per stone, or was it for disaster relief or for the people of Jingnan?"

   There was a sneer in the hall.

   "Yes, that's true." Zhu Pingan nodded with a serious face.

"what?"

   "Hehe. Who would believe it?!"

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

"I believe!"

"I believe!"

   "I believe in our son!"

  Amidst the ridicule of the crowd, Liu Mu, Liu Dadao, Liu Dachui and other five people stood up and answered decisively. Their voices were loud and their eyes were firm. They had no doubts about Zhu Ping'an's words.

What? There are still people who believe the magistrate's nonsense? !

When everyone heard the words, they were stunned for a moment, but when they saw Liu Mu, Liu Dadao and others who were speaking, they were not surprised, and sneered, "You are the county lord's cronies, and you have made a lot of money by following Zhu Ping'an. Of course I believed it. Oh, don’t say that the county lord said that he raised the price of grain for disaster relief, even if the county lord said that the sun rises from the west, you would definitely say that the sun rises from the west today without blinking your eyes! , this time the magistrate collected the unscrupulous money, you may also share a share of the soup!"

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

   Everyone sneered back at them.

   "Okay, everyone, listen to me." Zhu Pingan waved his hand, controlling the situation that was about to get out of control.

   "Everyone, do you think money is more important or life is more important?" Zhu Pingan asked everyone.

   "Do you need to ask, of course life is important. Money is something outside of the body, money can never be earned, and everyone has their own way of living if they earn more or less, but there is only one life." Everyone replied without thinking.

"It's just a question of the county lord. Does it have anything to do with your raising the price of food?! You don't need to argue anymore. Now that the flood has not receded, the people have suffered heavy losses. For everyone, of course, the lower the food price, the better for everyone. Good. If the price of food is low, everyone can still afford to buy food and eat food. The price of food has risen from 400 ren per shi before the disaster to 1350 ren per stone. As high as 2,500 Wen, ordinary people can’t even afford to eat, so they can only eat porridge with their families. People from poor families can’t even afford porridge, so they can only wait to starve to death.”

"Xianzun, in order to control the reduction of grain prices, Fucheng chopped off the heads of two profiteers in the street. Linhai County, Taiping County and other counties also arrested several profiteers who raised grain prices and sent them to prison! With this kind of thunderous method, the food price in Fucheng and other counties has dropped, and stabilized at about 500 yuan per shi. Now all the governments in various places are using thunderous method to lower the price of food! You are going against the grain for your own self-interest, and you are going against us. The price of grain in Jingnan is defined as 2500 ren per stone in official documents. If you do this for disaster relief and for the good of our people in Jingnan, then the world will turn black and white, and the sky will be blind! We have nothing to say It can be said that I can only forgive you!"

  Everyone thinks that Zhu Ping'an's question of whether money or life is important is just arrogance and confusion.

  (end of this chapter)