After the people learned about this, it did indeed spark a heated discussion.
No one expected that this was actually a matter of entanglement between officials and bandits, yet it had caused the people so much harm over the years.
This has angered the people!
Three days later, at the execution ground in Caishikou, countless people, holding rotten eggs and vegetable leaves, all took their places.
When Magistrate Zhou and his gang of bandits from the Black Tiger Gang were all brought to the execution ground, a deluge of rotten eggs and vegetable leaves rained down on them.
On the execution ground, Zhu Yunwen sat in the executioner's seat, looking at the kneeling Zhou County Magistrate and his men, who were covered in rotten eggs and vegetable leaves and reeked of a foul stench. He then asked:
“County Magistrate Zhou, is this the result and situation you wanted after thirty years of hard study?”
At this moment, have you ever thought about the elderly parents and young children you have to support? Have you ever felt that this outcome is fair to your parents who supported your education? Is it fair to yourself after thirty years of hard work and study?
County Magistrate Zhou cried, saying it was impossible not to regret it. His conversation with Zhu Yunwen had made him reflect deeply on himself over the past three days.
It was only at that moment that he realized there was nothing wrong with being an honest official.
At least in this county, as long as he doesn't make any mistakes, the imperial court won't cause him any trouble. He can also receive a monthly salary, live in the county government office, and live a peaceful life.
If he does a few more good deeds, the people will call him "Upright and Just Lord," satisfying their little vanity.
In this way, one lives carefree every day, occasionally indulging in vanity. Although life may be tight, it's peaceful and worry-free. Isn't that already better than most people's lives?
But his insatiable nature led him down a path of no return.
To be honest, I've made some money and enjoyed some things over the years by doing this kind of thing, so what?
Those ephemeral things, once enjoyed, leave nothing behind.
Were there really any happy times? Were there really any joyful moments?
At that moment, it seemed as if nothing else existed, only fear remained. Fear of death, only regret, regret for how foolish I had been in the past.
County Magistrate Zhou slowly raised his head, looking at the blue sky and white clouds. At that moment, he uttered only one sentence:
"It turns out that what I've always been dissatisfied with wasn't my circumstances, but rather my own inner... dissatisfaction..."
Zhu Yunwen sighed, picked up the skewer, threw it out, and shouted:
"cut!"
With a swift stroke of the knife, Magistrate Zhou went from heaven to hell.
Even if there is regret, there is no cure.
After this incident, Zhu Yunwen severely punished the registrar of the county government.
Although the registrar was not the main figure in the whole incident, he still received benefits and had offered advice.
Therefore, Zhu Yunwen demoted him from his post, gave him twenty strokes of the cane, and expelled him from the county government.
Subsequently, Zhu Yunwen, in his capacity as the Crown Prince, wrote an order and delivered it to the superior government office under the jurisdiction of the county government.
The prefect of the superior government was instructed to temporarily send an official to take over Heiyun County.
As for the future arrangements for officials here, that will be handled by the local authorities themselves.
After dealing with the matter, Zhu Yunwen, Zhao Qingzhu, and ten Imperial Guards returned to the capital.
Zhu Yunwen thought a lot along the way, so after returning to the capital, he went to find Zhu Yuanzhang as soon as possible.
He then summoned Yang Rong, Yang Pu, and Yang Shiqi to the Imperial Study.
Zhu Yuanzhang was initially pleased to see Zhu Yunwen return, but upon seeing that the Three Yangs had also been summoned by Zhu Yunwen, he immediately realized that Zhu Yunwen had something important to do.
Immediately inquire:
"Yun Tong, you've resolved the issue of Heiyun County this time. It seems you have something else on your mind. What is it? Why don't you tell me quickly?"
Zhu Yunwen nodded solemnly, then looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and the Three Yangs and said:
"This matter concerns countless officials of our Great Ming Dynasty, as well as the vast number of people and the imperial court."
When Zhu Yuanzhang heard him say this, he became even more serious.
Zhu Yunwen continued:
"You all probably know about what happened in Black Cloud County, but ultimately, Magistrate Zhou doesn't want to be someone who colludes with bandits."
Of course, his dissatisfaction also plays a significant role. However, his treatment of others is indeed a problem that cannot be ignored.
The issue of salaries has indeed always existed for some grassroots officials, and even mid- to high-level officials, in our Great Ming Dynasty.
I think this is a bit of an overreaction. Such severe deductions from their salaries make it easier for them to take an extreme path.
For example, accepting bribes, operating a black market, or engaging in shady dealings to make money are all possibilities.
Zhu Yuanzhang had heard similar suggestions before, but his responses were always quite forceful, stating that salaries must be kept low.
Officials need to understand that making money is not easy, so that they will not act like aloof officials and will experience the hardships of life.
But now that he heard Zhu Yunwen say this, he had to reconsider, because what Zhu Yunwen said was always reasonable and necessary.
A moment later, Zhu Yuanzhang said to Zhu Yunwen:
"Does the Crown Prince mean to increase the salaries of the court officials?"
Zhu Yunwen nodded: "That's right. Only in this way can the officials of the country not have to worry about their daily expenses."
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