Half an hour later.
The strong man Zheng Feng rushed over in a panic.
His legs and feet are not very convenient.
He always limps when he walks.
Seeing Ning Que's frosty face, one knew he was bound to be punished. Zheng Feng was no slouch in battle, but this time it involved local governance. Ning Que showed no mercy to any problem.
Ning Que treated his soldiers with impeccable care, treating them as his brothers. However, he held them to extremely high standards, and during training, he would punish them. If anyone dared to slack off, he would be beaten without mercy.
In Ning Que's words, if you don't sweat in peacetime, you'll bleed in battle. If you don't train well enough, you might even drag others down.
Furthermore, the Ning Wang army had an iron rule: they were to treat the people with impunity. Wherever the Ning Wang army went, they were not to take a single needle or thread from the people, and they were even required to share their own food with the victims.
"Village Chief Zheng Feng, greetings to the prince!"
"Yes." Ning Que didn't ask him to stand up immediately. He said slowly, "I remember you. You were once a retainer of the palace, under the command of Tie Niu. You were brave in battle, and you killed the enemy without a doubt. This time, defending Linzi, you fought to the death, and in the end, your right leg was run over by a chariot, leaving you with a chronic injury. With your military rank and title, you are more than qualified to be a county lieutenant. Now I ask you to be a village chief. Are you dissatisfied?"
"I dare not!" Zheng Feng hurriedly bowed. "No matter how high or low our position is, we all serve the people. I have no complaints, but..."
"Your Majesty, the village chief has been very kind to us."
"Yes, you must not blame him."
"The village chief is also helpless..."
Seeing that the people were all pleading for Zheng Feng, Ning Que finally nodded. "Well, I believe you. But now, look at this little girl. Her father was a guard at Anping. He was killed by the rebels, but he didn't receive any compensation. Her mother is seriously ill and doesn't even have money to buy medicine. I want to ask you, why didn't you report this incident?"
"Your Majesty...how dare I not report it?"
Zheng Feng's eyes were red, and he looked very aggrieved. "I reported the news to the county magistrate half a month ago. But the new county magistrate said that whether it was a brave soldier who died in the defense of Anping or a deserter who fled the battlefield, it needs to be verified again and again. Their family hasn't had a turn yet, so they can only wait. I thought about reporting their family's situation to the prince, but..."
"But what?"
"I'm only a village head, so I can't report this to a higher authority. The key point is that the county magistrate told me that the prince is currently busy preparing for the Eastern Expedition. If he has to bother the prince with such trivial matters, then what use are we officials?"
"Ridiculous!" Ning Que suppressed his anger and shouted, "I told you before, as long as it concerns the people, no matter how small the matter is. If you can't solve it, you should report it. If the county magistrate doesn't care, you should report it to the prefect!"
"I'll remember..."
"Never mind, it's not your fault."
Ning Que waved his hand.
Then he looked at the iron ox next to him.
"Go, call the county magistrate to me."
"I want to know how he governs his people!"
"promise!"
Ning Que suppressed his anger.
The prosperous Linzi was ruined by these conservative officials.
They are even more annoying than corrupt officials!
If it's a corrupt official, then it's simple.
As long as he finds out, Ning Que will directly order the execution.
Even if you are serving the emperor, you still have to praise the killing and say it is a good move.
Moreover, they know they are wrong.
But people like Zuo Ankang are different.
They also think they are good officials.
Because they have always abided by the laws and rules.
Just do what you have to do.
Don't favor anyone.
They are not greedy for money.
I also feel that I have done a good job.
As for situations like that of the little girl?
What does the life and death of ordinary people have to do with them?
If you encounter problems, you have to find a solution yourself.
They have just taken office and have a lot of government affairs to deal with.
As for the pension?
It’s not that the money will not be given, but it needs to be reviewed.
Just go back and wait!
Just a few words can shut people up.
The key is, is there anything wrong with this?
It makes perfect sense.
All procedures are in compliance with regulations.
But in the end it is the people who suffer.
Therefore, when Ning Que was selecting officials, he tried his best to pick those with quick minds, and at the same time decentralized power to allow them to have some autonomy.
But the emperor's approach was different. He needed officials who obeyed his orders, preferably those who only followed the law. This was a safe and reliable way to avoid any unexpected problems. For many officials, the goal was not to achieve merit but to avoid mistakes.
Ning Que sat casually beside him.
Looking at the little girl's withered hair and patched clothes, he couldn't help but feel distressed. Perhaps because he was about to become a father, Ning Que couldn't bear to see this.
"Little girl, have you eaten today?"
"have eaten……"
"What are you eating?"
“Black beans.”
Ning Que's expression changed.
Black beans should not be eaten too much even as feed.
If people eat too much of this stuff, they won't be able to digest it at all.
Bai Yu is also quite self-aware.
He handed the dry food he carried with him to the little girl.
It’s the red bean paste bun made in the palace.
"Mother, you eat."
"I don't want to eat..."
The woman smiled and shook her head.
Ning Que looked at her and said softly, "Stretch out your hand, I'll show you."
"ah?"
"This... How can this be possible..."
"No problem." Ning Que waved his hand calmly and said calmly: "You are the patient, I am the doctor, it's that simple."
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