Chapter 1112
Chapter 1112
Pan Yun smiled at him, grabbed Zhu Jianji, and jumped off the roof.
Xue Shao quickly and respectfully bowed to Zhu Jianji: "Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Zhu Jianji quickly returned the greeting: "Lord Xue, my teacher and I are traveling here. If there is anything inconvenient, please let us know."
Pan Yun: "Yanming, will you leave?"
Zhu Jianji said with a serious expression, "I know their difficulties, but I will not leave."
Pan Yun smiled and looked at Xue Shao.
Xue Shao looked helpless and stepped aside to let them go first: "It is truly a blessing for Heilongjiang that the Imperial Preceptor and His Highness have come to Heilongjiang."
He wished they could stay longer, so they could help him identify more problems and come up with more solutions for managing the area.
Only Xue Shao would have such thoughts; other local officials wouldn't have the mindset or courage to do so. Zhu Jianji was about to laugh when he turned around and saw his teacher casually hand him a handkerchief, which Xue Shao naturally took and wiped his face.
Zhu Jianji was stunned. When Xue Shao suddenly turned to look at him, he blurted out without thinking, "I thought Lord Xue had already swallowed his pride..."
Zhu Jianji's expression changed slightly, and he wished he could cover his mouth with his hand. What did he just say?
How could the crown prince say such things to a high-ranking official of the court?
But Xue Shao didn't seem to take it to heart, and smiled at him, saying, "Wiping it with a handkerchief will make it dry faster."
Xue Shao invited the two men to sit in the Provincial Administration Office: "Where are you staying? Would you like me to arrange accommodations?"
“Okay,” Pan Jun readily agreed, “I think your city is well-built and has a large population. It’s a good opportunity for him to learn from it.”
Zhu Jianji looked around curiously. Was this a well-constructed area with a large population?
The Wuzhewei was dusty and grimy. Although it was the seat of the Provincial Administration Commission, the city was only the size of two wards in the capital. Most of the houses were low, and so far, he had not seen any buildings with more than two stories.
The population is even smaller; the entire city's population combined probably doesn't even equal the population of Chang'an Avenue.
Pan Yun and Xue Shao both saw through the young prince's thoughts. After all, the child wasn't very good at hiding his feelings; what he was thinking was written all over his face.
The two exchanged a glance and smiled slightly. Soon, the child would understand what it meant for different places to be different.
Zhu Jianji settled in the backyard of the Wuzhewei Provincial Administration Office. Every day, besides wandering around with his teacher to observe the people's conditions, he also followed Xue Shao to handle government affairs.
Zhu Jianji originally thought that as the Provincial Governor, he would be dealing with important matters. However, after witnessing Xue Shao being besieged yesterday, he thought that there were only some trivial and mundane affairs here. But after following Xue Shao in and out for ten days and then following his teacher to tour the Wuzhewei area, he realized that he had been too presumptuous.
Heilongjiang is a vast and sparsely populated region, and although Wuzhewei was the seat of government, it still had a small population.
There are few people, but there are large forests outside the city, as well as large areas of flat land that have been cut down and reclaimed. At a glance, it looks desolate and quiet.
Every day, Xue Shao would meet with different garrison commanders and county officials, listen to their complaints about various difficulties, and then find supplies or solutions for them.
Every now and then, people would bypass the county magistrate and kneel directly outside the provincial administration office to lodge their complaints.
From large-scale land grabbing and murder to small-scale fighting and theft.
The most outrageous case Zhu Jianji had ever seen involved an old man kneeling and weeping outside the Provincial Administration Office. His reason was that his neighbor always gave him a disdainful look and cursed him in his heart whenever he passed by. He was indignant and went to the county government to complain. However, the magistrate colluded with his neighbor and instead of severely punishing him, fined him and forced him to sweep the streets for three days. He was dissatisfied, so he walked for five days and five nights from his county to Wuzhewei to file his complaint. That's right, he wasn't even from Wuzhewei, but from Sachahewei, a hundred miles away.
Zhu Jianji was dumbfounded. He thought Xue Shao would at least be angry and give this person ten lashes as a warning to others.
As a result, Xue Shao brought the man into the yamen, had food and wine served to him, and listened to him recount the case while he ate and drank.
After finishing a pot of wine, the old man hugged Xue Shao and burst into tears, recounting his grievances.
When he was young, his family was richer than his neighbors. They owned not only cattle and sheep but also horses. He was more hardworking and better at managing his business than his neighbors, and his family's life was getting better and better.
Thirty years passed. He had a son, and his son had a son, as did the neighbor. But his son accomplished nothing; the family's horses were sold, and the cattle and sheep were only half of what they had in his youth. Meanwhile, the neighbor's son was successful and filial. He not only obeyed the neighbor in everything but also wanted to move his family from Sachahewei to Wuzhewei.
Everyone says life is getting better and better, but what's the point if those good days haven't come my way?
Zhu Jianji frowned upon hearing these resentful words.
Xue Shao didn't speak, but listened quietly until he finished crying before asking gently, "Does your son gamble?"
"I never gambled."
"Have you abandoned the old man?"
“I never abandoned him, but he was also unfilial. He always disobeyed me. I told him not to open that rice shop, but he wouldn't listen. Later, he secretly saved money and borrowed money to open a silk shop. It just so happened that the Nurgan Regional Military Commission was at war with the imperial court that year, and trade routes were cut off. Silk from the Central Plains couldn't come in, and we couldn't sell our furs. We owed a lot of money, and the business was all ruined... From then on, he never told me anything he did again…”
The old man was in great pain and asked in bewilderment, "Sir, did I really do something wrong? I just wanted him to live a peaceful life, to honestly herd livestock and farm, and our family would have been fine. It's because they were so restless that they ruined our good family business."
"Old man, everyone has their own life to cultivate when they come into this world. Your child has neither gambled nor abandoned you, so it is clear that his character is acceptable. Parents, lower your expectations for your child and change your mindset. Perhaps you will reap different rewards."
The old man wouldn't listen; he just kept holding Xue Shao and crying.
Xue Shao didn't force him and just listened to him. After he repeated it three times, Xue Shao saw him off after he had eaten and drunk his fill.
Zhu Jianji followed him closely and asked, "Lord Xue, are you going to overturn his case?"
Xue Shao said, "The magistrate's judgment was not wrong, so there is no question of overturning the case. However, the old man is old, and since it is a neighborhood dispute, as long as he apologizes to his neighbor, the matter can be considered closed. He should not be punished with caning."
What if he doesn't apologize?
“A fine will suffice,” Xue Shao said. “At his age, let alone ten strokes of the cane, even three strokes would be fatal. It is unacceptable to take someone’s life over a mere argument. A small fine will suffice.”
"He's clearly just jealous of his neighbor's good life, so why does Lord Xue have to listen to his rambling on for so long?"
Xue Shao smiled and said, "At his age, he walked a hundred miles to find me, just so I could hear about his troubles. I am the local official, and if I don't even have this much patience, I would be unworthy of being the local official."
"Moreover, he also understands the people's sentiments. From him, we can learn about many people's troubles, anxieties, and hopes for the future. Isn't this exactly what we should be doing?" Xue Shao said, "Your Highness, among the people of this world, there are those who are of pure character and those who are purely evil, but most are ordinary people who have both good and evil qualities. They are all subjects of the Great Ming Dynasty. The ruler is not the ruler of just one group of people, but the ruler of all people."
Zhu Jianji seemed lost in thought. (End of Chapter)