Rise From the Humble

"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 officers came. They were both young men who had made contributions to the anti-Japanese war, and they also came to bid farewell to Zhu Pingan.

"Your Majesty, even an illiterate police officer is ashamed to be with you, don't you feel ashamed?"

Old Man Liu and the others snorted and glanced sideways at Zhu Ping'an. Their words were both indignant and sarcastic.

Zhu Pingan rubbed his forehead with a wry smile. Since the continuous rain in Jingnan, Zhu Pingan has been leaving early and coming back late every day, working overtime and staying up late every day. He has not had a good rest yet, and now he is very tired.

"Well, this is my fault. I was eager to get things done. I failed to consult everyone's opinions in advance before the decree was issued, which caused everyone to misunderstand. Let's do this. Please ask all subordinate officials and servants in the county government to gather in the lobby. I will unify Everyone explains. After that, if you still decide to say goodbye, I won’t stop you."

Zhu Pingan rubbed the back of his forehead, cheered up, and said bitterly to Old Man Liu and other people who came to say goodbye.

"Misunderstanding? Huh, let's wait and see how the county magistrate confuses right and wrong. But the county magistrate must not forget what he just said. After the explanation in the lobby, I will say goodbye later. I hope the county magistrate will let you go quickly."

Old Man Liu and others snorted coldly. As much as they trusted Zhu Pingan in the past, they are now so prejudiced against Zhu Pingan.

Soon, all the subordinate officials and servants who were working at the county government were summoned to the county government lobby.

Zhu Ping'an stood in the lobby and scanned everyone, taking in the microexpressions of all the subordinate officials and servants in the hall.

"Everyone, I know that since the announcement of the official document defining the price of grain in Jingnan at 2,500 yuan per stone in the morning, you have had a lot of opinions on me. I believe that in private, you have often called me a bad official, a corrupt official, and a traitorous official. No. To tell you the truth, many people have already submitted their resignations to me, who want to draw a clear line with me, a corrupt official, a bad official, and a traitorous official."

After Zhu Ping'an waited for everyone to arrive, he twitched his lips and said to everyone with a self-deprecating smile.

"My lord, please take back your order. The highest price of food in other places is only 1,350 yen per stone. You define the price of food in Jingnan as 2,500 yen per hour. This does not mean that we, the people of Jingnan, Are you forced into a corner?!"

"Your Majesty, we don't know Chinese characters, but we can still tell the difference between good and bad. Your Majesty has set the price of food in Jingnan so high for us to make shady money from it. I have no shame in working for you, otherwise I will go back." The villagers will poke me in the spine.”

"My lord, do you know how the people outside scold you? They all call you a maggot with a dark heart."

"County Lord, you are trying to drive us Jingnan elders to a dead end. Each catty of grain costs 17 cents, which was enough to buy a catty of meat before the flood. Food prices are so expensive that everyone cannot afford to eat, so we can only Have some porridge."

"Your Majesty, we are on duty today, and we have seen with our own eyes that grain merchants in our county have come to give you gifts of thanks one after another. I heard that you have not refused any of them. Your Majesty, you have changed. You are no longer the person who serves the people in our hearts." I beg you, Lord Qingtian, whose sleeves are full of breeze."

The subordinate officials and servants in the hall were very dissatisfied. For a while, the hall was noisy and noisy, like a vegetable market.

"Everyone, this is my fault. I was eager to get things done and failed to solicit everyone's opinions in advance before the decree was issued, which caused everyone to misunderstand." Zhu Pingan said to everyone with a wry smile.

"Misunderstanding? Haha, County Lord, you said we misunderstood?! Could it be that County Lord, you are raising the price of food in Jingnan, setting it at 2,500 yuan per stone, or is it for disaster relief and for the people of Jingnan?"

There was a sneer in the hall.

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

"ha?"

"Haha. Who believes it?!"

As soon as Zhu Pingan finished speaking, there was a burst of jeers in the hall.

"I believe!"

"I believe!"

"I believe in our young master!"

Amid a burst of jeers from the crowd, five people including Liu Mu, Liu Dadao, and Liu Dachui stood up and answered decisively, with loud voices and firm eyes. They did not have any doubts about Zhu Pingan's words.

What? There are still people who believe the county magistrate’s lies? !

When everyone heard the words, they were startled for a moment. When they saw that the speakers were Liu Mu, Liu Dadao and others, they were not surprised. They sneered, "You are the county magistrate's cronies. You have reaped many benefits by following Zhu Ping'an. You Of course I believe it. Oh, let alone the county official who said that he raised food prices for disaster relief, even if the county official said that the sun rises in the west, you would definitely say without blinking that the sun rises in the west today! Humph! , you might also get a share of the dirty money collected by the county this time!"

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

Everyone sneered back at them.

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

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

"Do you need to ask? Of course life is important. Money is something external to the body, and you can never make enough money. Those who make more or less have their own ways of living, but there is only one life." Everyone replied without thinking.

"It's just the county minister. Does this issue have anything to do with you raising the price of food?! You don't have to quibble anymore. The floods have not receded yet, and the people have already suffered heavy losses. For everyone, of course, the lower the price of food, the better it is for everyone. Okay. If the price of food is low, everyone can still afford to buy food and eat. The price of food has increased from 400 Wen per stone before the disaster to 1,350 Wen. The people are already suffering terribly, and now you are raising the price of food again. As high as 2,500 yuan, 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."

"Your Majesty, in order to control and reduce food prices, the prefectural city chopped off the heads of two profiteers on the street. In order to control and reduce food prices, Linhai County, Taiping County and other counties also arrested several profiteers who were driving up food prices and sent them to prison! Damn it! With this thunderous means, the price of food in Fucheng and other counties has dropped, stabilizing at around 500 wen per stone. Now governments everywhere are using thunderous means to lower food prices! For your own selfish interests, you are acting perversely and destroying us. The price of food in Jingnan is officially defined as 2,500 yuan per stone. If you do this for disaster relief and for the good of our people in Jingnan, then the world will be upside down and the sky will be blind! We will have nothing to say. It can be said that I have no choice but to forgive you!"

Everyone felt that Zhu Ping'an's question of whether money or life was more important was nothing more than strong rhetoric and confusing the public.