Chapter 75 Appoints Mo Jingchun as the head of Sifang County...
"...After a public trial by the Anling County Criminal Court, Chen Changhai, Jiang Feng, ... were sentenced to death with immediate execution. They will be beheaded at noon three days later."
Sitting upright on the judge's bench, Zhu Youchuan slammed the gavel down heavily in his right hand.
He then said in a deep voice, "The prisoners' descendants for three generations are not allowed to enter the administrative hall."
The people watched the trial with great anger, and when they heard that the traitors had been sentenced to death, they cheered with satisfaction.
The public trial should have been held long ago.
However, in order to show respect to the soldiers who had gone to war, the administrative office planned to wait until the two generals and the strategist returned in triumph with the army before starting.
Later, the situation changed. Hu Dazhu and Ning Huai'an were going to conquer Sifang County and would not be able to return for a while. So the administrative hall set up a court to conduct a public trial of the traitors.
They were given more time to live for no reason!
Many people were already dissatisfied and questioned the judicial authorities openly and covertly many times.
Now that they have finally been put on a public trial, everyone is very happy: those who betrayed the goddess deserve to die!
Chen Changhai and the others standing below the hall all turned ashen-faced.
They were crippled by the goddess who cut off their legs and arms, and imprisoned for months waiting for the axe hanging in the air to fall.
Because they knew all too well that neither the officials of the Executive Yuan nor the people would allow them to live any longer.
Now that the dust has settled, the court, headed by Zhu Youchuan, has pronounced their death sentences.
Fortunately, the court did not implicate their families; they were simply barred from working in the Executive Yuan for up to three generations.
At least I'm still alive.
This is the grace of the goddess.
It is also a benefit to the judicial system of later generations.
Chen Changhai knelt on the ground, his voice hoarse, and said, "Thank you so much, Goddess, for your great kindness!"
Jiang Feng glanced at his parents, who were crying their hearts out, then suddenly closed his eyes, prostrated himself on the ground, and said, "Thank you so much, Goddess, for your great kindness!"
He Qinglan stopped giving them any more glances.
From the moment they decided to betray her, they were no longer her people.
There's no point in regretting it now.
If only I had known this would happen, why did I do it in the first place?
However, she did initially have a bit of a "let's watch the show" mentality, so she wanted these people to live to see the future and witness how they could have risen to high positions and made a name for themselves in history, but instead, due to a single wrong decision, they became crippled and imprisoned.
They will surely be in unbearable pain.
After the court was established, Zhu Youchuan and his team held several meetings and unanimously decided to sentence these people to death.
They came to He Qinglan to report their opinions and persuaded her.
Zhu Youchuan said, "We are not only punishing those who violate the law, but also deterring potential criminals. Some people are afraid of death and can control their impulse to commit crimes. We want to deter these people."
"Goddess, in order to establish your authority, you flooded all of us with seawater. If you were to let the traitor go in the end, wouldn't that be contrary to your original intention?"
He smiled and said, "I can't just swallow those mouthfuls of seawater for nothing."
He Qinglan was persuaded.
Ultimately, it was just a bit of a quirky sense of humor.
The court is a legitimate institution, and their opinions should be taken as the primary consideration.
After watching the trial, Pei Wenzhao went to see Zhu Youchuan.
The two started their conversation by discussing Zhu Youchuan's masterpiece, and the more they talked, the more enthusiastic they became.
Zhu Youchuan offered his own perspective, suggesting how Legalist thought could develop in the future.
Pei Wenzhao pointed out the shortcomings in his viewpoint.
Zhu Youchuan disagreed and offered three rebuttals.
Zhu Youchuan remained firm in his stance, stating, "True law should bind everyone, including the monarch."
Pei Wenzhao laughed, “However, the Legalist school of thought has been designed to serve the monarch since its inception.” He stared at Zhu Youchuan, “Our policies of keeping the people ignorant and our exploitation of the common people are all for the purpose of making the country strong and expanding the monarch’s power.”
Zhu Youchuan refused to back down, saying, "You've read my book; you know where the drawbacks of Legalist thought lie."
Pei Wenzhao scoffed lightly, "But do you think it's possible to restrain the monarch and truly achieve 'equality before the law'?"
To everyone's surprise, Zhu Youchuan said, "Impossible."
Pei Wenzhao looked at him with suspicion.
Zhu Youchuan laughed, “People’s hearts are moved by self-interest. I don’t believe that crime can be completely eliminated, and naturally I don’t believe that ‘equality before the law’ can be truly achieved.”
The young man had sharp features, "but it should become the guiding ideology."
Pei Wenzhao remained silent.
After a long silence, he said, "The monarch will not agree."
For any idea to be used by a monarch, it must align with the monarch's interests and enable him to seize power.
You want to restrain the monarch...
“The goddess is different from them.”
Zhu Youchuan answered decisively.
The little old man sitting opposite him looked surprised.
"You...you mean..." Pei Wenzhao could hardly believe his ears.
His mouth remained agape for a long time, "You... the goddess... she really..."
As if in a dream, Pei Wenzhao murmured, "How could this be..."
There never has been...
Zhu Youchuan opened his folding fan and shook it casually.
He spoke with a relaxed air, “Long ago, humans carved oracle bone script on tortoise shells; later, they carved bronze script on bronze vessels and wrote large and small seal scripts on bamboo slips; and now, we print clerical script and regular script on paper. In the future, there will be other fonts.”
"Let alone people three hundred years ago who couldn't have imagined making paper, could you have imagined a year ago that we could print paper books today?"
Zhu Youchuan smiled and said, "Things move forward, nothing is impossible."
What does it matter if a woman becomes emperor?
Little did they know that in later generations there would be cars, high-speed trains, and airplanes, enabling people to traverse the entire Chinese mainland in a single day.
Little did they know that in later generations, mobile phones, computers, and the internet would allow people to talk face-to-face with relatives and friends who are far away.
Little did they know that in later generations there would be mushroom eggs; if just one were dropped, an island could be razed to the ground in an instant.
...
Pei Wenzhao, of course, had no idea.
But he was hit head-on by a materialist worldview, which caused his mind to briefly go blank.
Zhu Youchuan stared at Pei Wenzhao and extended a warm invitation, "Lord Pei, would you be willing to join me in contributing your efforts to turn the impossible into the possible?"
Pei Wenzhao: "..."
Zhu Youchuan gritted his teeth slightly. "I think you wouldn't accept that all future dynasties would promote Confucianism, would you?"
Pei Wenzhao: "???"
Pei Wenzhao: "!!!"
As it turns out, no matter how much prospect and feasibility Zhu Youchuan talked about, it was not as damaging as this one sentence to the bigwigs of the Legalist school today.
The white-bearded old man was furious. "What did you say?"
Two hours later, Pei Wenzhao took his leave, his wrinkled face full of fighting spirit.
Zhu Youchuan watched his figure disappear through the doorway and couldn't help but smile.
The following day, Mo Jingchun, who had been inspecting work in the countryside, finally returned to Anling County with her colleagues.
Travel-worn, she immediately returned home, washed up, changed into clean clothes, and went straight to the Goddess's Mansion to see He Qinglan and Cheng Hui.
Then the goddess struck him with a thunderbolt.
The young woman stared blankly at He Qinglan, then turned to look at the smiling Cheng Hui.
She pointed at herself and said, "Are you...are you sure?"
The last syllable rose abruptly, "You want me to be the head of Sifang County?!"
Are you kidding me? Sifang County has just come under the jurisdiction of Shennv. Its development and construction are not just about improving the lives of the local people. In a sense, it is also an example for the people of Jinzhou to see.
Look, as long as you have faith in the goddess, you can live a good life!
What virtue or ability does she possess to be called Mo Jingchun?
She's so young, only in her early twenties.
She has average talent, and her learning relies entirely on diligence and hard work.
The books she's read... oh, she's managed to read over a thousand books in the last two years, even when she's not busy.
Her experience... well, although the work of the Ministry of Civil Affairs had encountered many setbacks, it was carried out smoothly under the guidance of the goddess and her teacher, and with the help of her colleagues and the people.
Thinking of this, Mo Jingchun was stunned.
Huh?
Huh?
She looked surprised: Why can't I?
Why did I immediately think I couldn't?
He Qinglan calmly looked at Mo Jingchun and said, "You can."
Instead of reasoning, she conjured up a book out of thin air—the very book Mo Jingchun had read hundreds of times for the civil service exam.
"In the world where this book is set, their government trains young people to be village chiefs, township chiefs, and county chiefs. They believe in their young people, and Cheng Hui and I believe in you."
Cheng Hui said with a kind face, “Xiao Mo, no one is born knowing how to be a good official, but look at the history books. Even empress dowagers in the deep palace who have not learned the art of power can still rule from behind the curtain and govern a huge country well.”
The elderly teacher gazed at his young students, his aged eyes filled with love and trust. "You must believe in yourself."
Could you have predicted three years ago that you would become the Minister of Civil Affairs of a county?
Being young doesn't mean you're incapable.
Experience also grows through work.
With two years of work experience, Mo Jingchun surpasses countless officials in the world.
Cheng Hui continued, "Even if you don't do well at first, don't be afraid. Behind you stands the goddess."
He Qinglan nodded. "Not bad."
Mo Jingchun took a deep breath.
She looked at the goddess with encouragement in her eyes, then at her teacher with trust on her face, and calmed herself down. Nervousness, shock, doubt, worry, fear... she suppressed all these emotions.
"I understand," Mo Jingchun nodded firmly and said, "I will do my best to do my best!"
The young woman rose and bowed respectfully.
"I will become a role model for everyone, and I will certainly not let down the goddess and my teacher!"
He Qinglan smiled and said, "Okay, let's continue our conversation."
Cheng Hui said, "We will first transfer about half of the staff from the county and prefecture administrative offices to go to Sifang County with Xiao Mo."
Mo Jingchun asked, "Draw half of them off?"
Cheng Hui explained to her, "Our Anling County will soon hold civil service examinations to recruit a group of people to fill the administrative offices of the two counties. Also, Xiao Mo, you can also be specially recruited there if you go to Sifang County." Sifang County also has people who are both knowledgeable and capable.
Cheng Hui: "As for the various workshops, we only need to select a small number of people to go there, build the workshops first, and then recruit workers from the local area."
Sifang County has over 100,000 people. In addition to farming and road construction, these people can also work in workshops.
There is no need to draw too many people from Anling County.
He Qinglan had no objections.
She said, "Okay, compile the list as soon as possible, and everyone should set off for Sifang County to carry out their work."
Cheng Hui replied, "Yes."
Mo Jingchun, full of energy, replied: "Yes!"
Noon.
Zhu Youchuan had just finished lunch and was preparing for a nap.
Yun Youning came to see him, saying she had important matters to discuss.
Seeing the young woman's tense expression, Zhu Youchuan stepped aside to let her into the office.
“I’ve decided to go to Sifang County,” Yun Youning said firmly, tapping the armrest of her chair with her fair fingers. “I will hand over the work of the Ministry of Finance in Anling to Song Li, who will serve as the Minister of Finance in Anling.”
Song Li was her successor, whom she had personally promoted and cultivated. After her departure, with Zhao Yong's assistance, Song Li was able to take over smoothly.
Zhu Youchuan looked shocked upon hearing this and asked, "Why do you want to go to Sifang County?"
Yun Youning smiled slightly, "Because Mo Jingchun is going."
She looked at Zhu Youchuan, her eyes flashing with a strange light, "Mo Jingchun will be the head of Sifang County. She invited me to go to Sifang with her."
If it weren't for Mo Jingchun's personal invitation, Yun Youning originally planned to send Song Li and Zhao Yong to Sifang County to build a new Ministry of Finance.
"Mo Jingchun?!" Zhu Youchuan was stunned.
But upon closer reflection, she is indeed the most suitable.
First, Mo Jingchun and her mother's lives were saved by the goddess, and everything she has now is given to her by the goddess. Naturally, she will stand on the goddess's side and be loyal to her.
Secondly, Cheng Hui was Mo Jingchun's teacher, who taught and nurtured her. Her teacher-student relationship with Cheng Hui makes her more credible than others.
Thirdly, there is Mo Jingchun's personal ability. Although she is not as talented as Zhu Youchuan and Yun Youning, she is diligent and eager to learn, and her ability to handle grassroots affairs is extremely strong.
Ultimately, the goddess resides in Anling, and her influence over the surrounding counties is not as strong as that of Anling County.
Mo Jingchun was doing well at her job in Anling, but she gave it all up to start over in different places. The difficulties she would encounter were unimaginable.
But she made this decision.
And Yun Youning also...
Zhu Youchuan's gaze deepened, "You mean..."
Yun Youning looked at him with a smile, "Mo Jingchun doesn't want to hide in Anling County and live off his past achievements, and neither do I."
In the future, the territory ruled by the goddess will grow larger and larger, and may even take over the entire Jinzhou. They want to improve their abilities through practice to adapt to future needs.
"Moreover, more and more people will come to the goddess in the future. I hope that I can continue to stand by the goddess's side because my abilities are strong enough, not because I came early."
The young woman appeared calm and composed.
As a woman, she was at a natural disadvantage in politics. To stand out in future competitions, she had to be so outstanding that others could only look up to her.
Mo Jingchun didn't need to spend much time to persuade Yun Youning to go to Sifang County with her.
Because they are in the same situation.
They will face the same difficulties in the future.
Zhu Youchuan and Yun Youning looked at each other for a moment, then suddenly smiled.
“I understand,” the young man said with a gentle smile on his handsome face. “Go do what you think is right. Behind you, the goddess will always stand.”
Yun Youning said sarcastically, "Oh, according to the storybook, shouldn't you say that you'll always be standing behind me?"
Zhu Youchuan spread his hands, looking quite helpless. "Minister Yun, I am your colleague. If you can't solve it, I certainly can't either."
Yun Youning raised the corners of her lips.
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