I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 131 The Mad Master Zhou! I Dare to Do What the Imperial Inspector Dares Not Do
February 20th.

On the ninth day that Master Zhou was detained in the Xiangfu County jail.

Because he could only drink two bowls of thin porridge each day.

He had lost more than ten kilograms and was now skin and bones.

He was so thin he was unrecognizable.

During this period, the scholars and farmers who were familiar with him were all arranged by Wu Qing, the magistrate of Xiangfu County, to act as persuaders to convince Master Zhou.

Some say that if the tax is spread evenly among each farmer, it doesn't amount to much more land tax; they can easily make up for it by working at the Zhou Prince's residence.

Some say that the common people cannot fight against the officials, and if Master Zhou insists on going against them, he will only die of illness in the county jail.

Some people say that if Master Zhou does not yield to the county government, even if he gets out of jail, the farmers will never send their children to his private school again after this experience, and he will have difficulty supporting himself in the future.

……

However, Master Zhou was stubborn and inflexible.

He believed that it was wrong for local authorities to fail to strictly implement the imperial court's decisions, arbitrarily increase land taxes for the people, and falsify land measurement tools.

He didn't intend to bring down the Zhou Prince's Mansion, nor did he intend for the officials of Kaifeng Prefecture to be severely punished.

He only wanted to seek justice for the people.

This sense of justice, a principle he had learned from the classics, was more important than his own life.

He was prepared to continue the resistance.

At this moment, his only hope is that Zhang Jian, the Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate in Kaifeng, will learn of this matter and uphold justice for him.

……

Night falls, in the county jail of Xiangfu County.

A bowl of stale-smelling porridge was placed in front of Master Zhou.

But outside the prison gates.

A jailer was carrying a tray with a roast chicken, two steaming buns, and a pot of yellow wine on it.

As usual, the jailer asked, "Are you still going to file a complaint? If not, all of this is yours. You'll be released tomorrow, and the day after, you'll be the instructor of the Xiangfu County School!"

"Humph!"

Master Zhou snorted coldly, picked up the thin porridge, and drank it all in one gulp, even licking the rim of the bowl clean.

The other party would love for him to die in prison, but he couldn't let them have their way.

The jailer looked at him with disdain.

"With a teacher like you, the students you teach will surely be stubborn and inflexible. What future can they possibly have?"

After saying this, the jailer left.

Upon hearing this, Master Zhou felt a chill in his heart.

He simply couldn't understand why everyone thought he was wrong.

About half an hour later.

Magistrate Wu Qing of Xiangfu County, accompanied by Shi Danian, the head of the bailiff squad, came before Master Zhou.

"Master Zhou, shall we continue to sue?" Shi Danian asked.

"I will sue!" Master Zhou said through gritted teeth.

Wu Qing smiled slightly and said, "Master Zhou, I already know the whereabouts of your married daughter. Do you think I can't find her just because she married into another province? I'm going to order someone to bring her and your two grandsons here so they can see you, see that you, a private tutor, have become a troublemaker who stormed into the county government!"

Upon hearing this, Master Zhou immediately clenched his fist.

His daughter married a small merchant who ran a ship, and they had two children.

He only learned that he had two grandsons after receiving the letter.

Because they live far apart, they have never met.

But he wrote quite a few letters.

His daughter and two grandsons were proud that he was a scholar and a private tutor.

If his daughter and grandson saw him in this state, he would rather be dead.

This is his only weakness.

Seeing Master Zhou's dejected expression and his slightly trembling lips, Wu Qing asked again, "Are you still going to sue?"

Wu Qing liked obedient and docile people.

He has countless ways to make some troublesome people fear him.

His good qualities must be acknowledged.

He could have Master Zhou die unexpectedly in the county jail, but doing so would not be fulfilling and could tarnish his performance evaluation.

The imperial court will thoroughly investigate any matter involving human life.

He hoped that Master Zhou would compromise.

Making such a troublemaker bend down is Wu Qing's favorite thing to do.

In his eyes, it was not difficult to make the people obey; they were too weak and timid.

Master Zhou raised his head and said coldly, "Sue! Sue until you die!"

Wu Qing said nothing more, then turned and left with Shi Danian.

He believed.

Once Master Zhou's daughter and grandson are standing outside the prison gate, Master Zhou will surely compromise.

He understands the vulnerabilities of these ordinary people and is adept at stabbing them in the back.

……

Early the next morning.

Another bowl of thin porridge was placed in front of Master Zhou.

But he didn't eat it.

Last night, he imagined the scene of his daughter, whom he hadn't seen for many years, and his grandson, whom he had never met, seeing him.

sleepless nights.

He didn't want his loved ones to see him in such a disheveled state.

He even began to think that even if the Censorate knew about this, they might not necessarily plead his case, impeach these two-faced officials to the court, or remeasure the land in Kaifeng Prefecture.

After all, Henan's overall goal this year is to complete all land surveying tasks within a year.

If the task is not completed, the imperial inspector will be severely punished.

So, if we don't sacrifice the interests of the people, whose interests should we sacrifice?

The more Zhou Fuzi thought about it, the more depressed he became, and he was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

He had lost all hope in the world, but he was still not prepared to compromise.

He is preparing to go on a hunger strike.

Death will end all suffering, both physically and mentally.

……

February 23rd, near dusk.

The imperial examination in the capital city concluded successfully, and the candidates walked out of the examination hall with a sigh of relief.

The examiners dipped their brushes in ink and began grading the papers. For the next few days, they stayed up until around midnight every night.

And at this time.

Master Zhou lay dying in his cell, unable to even stand up.

They probably won't last more than three days.

at this time.

The prison door was opened, and Master Zhou was carried out by two constables from outside Xiangfu County.

Imperial Inspector Zhang Jian has arrived in Xiangfu County.

……

The second hall of the county government office, inside the front hall.

Zhang Jian, a 45-year-old imperial inspector, sat on a large chair with a gloomy expression, looking at Wu Qing, the magistrate of Xiangfu County, who was standing to the side.

Although both of them were of the seventh rank.

Even Shi Mengzhong, the governor of Henan, dared not underestimate Zhang Jian.

Zhang Jian represents the imperial court and the imperial power, and has the power to impeach all officials in the Henan Provincial Administration Commission.

“Inspector Zhang, please don’t listen to the nonsense of some scoundrel. Forging bows and bow stones is a capital offense. How could I dare to do that?” “If you don’t believe me, I can immediately produce the fish-scale register (i.e., land registration book) of the newly measured fields this year, and all the bows can be presented to you for inspection. If you… if you still don’t believe me, you can go and ask the farmers in the countryside.”

"This Master Zhou is out of his mind. He's just trying to gain a false reputation. He's talking complete nonsense. Last time he gathered a crowd to storm the county government office, those farmers who stormed the office all thought they had been deceived by him!"

……

Currently.

Wu Qing had moved the counterfeit bow to another location and forged a fish-scale register specifically to deal with the inspection by the censors.

As for the common people who knew the inside story, they were all thoroughly subdued by him.

I would never dare to speak recklessly.

The investigating censor Zhang Jianruo could not find any evidence and dared not easily write a memorial to impeach him.

"Take the fish-scale book, the bow and the bow stone!" Zhang Jian said solemnly.

soon.

Two archery stones, more than ten archery bows, and several fish-scale books appeared before Zhang Jian.

Zhang Jian immediately ordered his subordinates to investigate.

Half an hour later.

A clerk bowed and said, "Reporting to the Inspector, no problems have been found so far."

Upon hearing this, Wu Qing straightened his chest.

He was quite adept at dealing with the inspections of the imperial censors.

In addition, Master Zhou is currently half-dead and doesn't even have the strength to speak, so he is not a threat at all.

Zhang Jian took out a bow, looked at it, and compared it with the bow on the stone, saying, "These are all five-foot bows?"

“If it’s even an inch short, you can directly punish me!” Wu Qing said with particular confidence.

Zhang Jian raised the bow and said, "I believe these are five-foot bows, but I found a batch of bows that seem to be out of specification at the grain transport depot in the south of the city. Would Magistrate Wu like to take a look?"

Upon hearing the words "Chengnan Expressway Station," Wu Qing's expression changed drastically.

He hid those non-standard bows at the South City Delivery Station.

"Bring it in!"

Soon, two constables who were following Zhang Jian brought two bows to Wu Qing.

Zhang Jian was a veteran censor.

They have extensive experience in outsmarting and outmaneuvering officials at the state, county, and township levels.

He knew that Wu Qing would definitely hide the bow and forge the fish-scale register.

Therefore, he quietly arrived in Xiangfu County early yesterday morning and began his covert investigation.

In the county and township areas, those who know everything are not the county officials, but the county clerks and the idle rogues who are ordered around by them.

These people treat money like royalty.

For the right price, they can reveal the secrets of anyone they know.

Zhang Jian found out where the fake bow was stored without lifting a finger, and cleared the place out half an hour ago.

Wu Qing took the bow and measured it on the bowstone. He said, "This...this seems to be a five-and-a-half-foot bow. This...this...it wasn't made in Xiangfu County. It wasn't made in Xiangfu County!"

Wu Qing became agitated.

"Who exactly built it is not for you to decide. Let me investigate!"

After saying that, Zhang Jian strode outside.

As an imperial inspector, when faced with such important matters concerning the new policies, Zhang Jian was required to investigate thoroughly and then submit a memorial to the emperor for a decision.

At present, he does not have the right to dismiss or imprison Wu Qing.

He also needs to investigate whether other officials in Kaifeng Prefecture were involved in the matter.

While censors could impeach officials based on hearsay, they would be severely punished if they were involved in false accusations.

Especially matters concerning the new policies.

On that day, Zhang Jian set up a temporary government office at the county school in Xiangfu County, informing the people that they could appeal for any grievances they might have.

This falls within the responsibilities of the imperial inspector, yet the common people dare not speak out.

Wu Qing has already written to his superiors for help.

……

The next day, early in the morning.

After eating some hot soup and rice, Master Zhou recovered somewhat. He then learned that the Imperial Inspector Zhang Jian had received a letter from his student and had come to Xiangfu County to investigate the matter of the fake archer.

Master Zhou's mood improved considerably, and his eyes regained their light.

About half an hour later.

Zhang Jian came before Master Zhou and asked him what had happened recently.

He impeached Wu Qing, and Master Zhou was the most crucial witness.

then.

Master Zhou then recounted everything that had happened: his trip with the farmers to the county government office to steal the fake bow, his encounter with Xu Daren, the Left Councilor of Henan, and his subsequent threats by Wu Qing, the magistrate of Xiangfu County.

"Inspector Zhang, the forgery of bows and arrows is not limited to Xiangfu County. I estimate that the entire Henan Provincial Administration Commission is doing the same thing. In order to protect the interests of the imperial clan and avoid offending them, they are arbitrarily increasing the land taxes of the people. You...you must impeach all these people and give the people of Henan justice!"

Master Zhou was extremely excited; he felt he was about to see the light.

Zhang Jian thought for a moment and said, “Master Zhou, the censors need to have solid evidence to impeach officials. At present, we only have evidence that Wu Qing, the magistrate of Xiangfu County, forged the bow and arrow. In addition, Xu Daren, the left councilor of Henan, is only suspected of being involved.”

"I suggest you write your confession truthfully and without any conjecture. At this point, I can only impeach Wu Qing, the magistrate of Xiangfu County."

"The only option...the only option is to impeach Wu Qing? Inspector Zhang, can't you see that the entire Henan officialdom is fabricating evidence? They've conspired together to protect the interests of powerful clans. Why only impeach Wu Qing?"

"This is just your guess. There's no evidence yet. We'll talk about it again once we find out the evidence!" Zhang Jian said seriously.

Master Zhou looked at Zhang Jian.

The light in his eyes suddenly dimmed again.

“Inspector Zhang, are you afraid that you will be punished by the court if you fail to complete this year’s land survey task? Are you afraid to impeach those high-ranking provincial officials who devised this policy that harms the people? Do you think that sham land surveys, increasing the land tax of ordinary people and reducing the land tax of imperial princes, is the best way to promote land surveys?”

"How dare you! I have never had any personal motives during my inspection of Henan. What right do you, a mere scholar, have to order me around!"

Upon hearing this, Master Zhou felt a chill in his heart.

He murmured, “A scholar should be the first to worry about the world’s troubles and the last to enjoy its pleasures. I… I did it for the sake of the Ming Dynasty and the people of Henan Prefecture. Was I wrong?”

“Evidence? Is there any evidence? I can’t bear the charge of falsely accusing a provincial official. I can’t bear the responsibility of delaying the land survey and causing the new policy to be postponed!” Zhang Jian said, raising his voice.

He had his principles and the laws that censors should follow. If he acted recklessly, he might be dismissed by the court before any investigation even began.

Master Zhou paused for a moment and said, "Inspector Zhang, after you impeach Wu Qing, can you still find evidence? I have a plan that can get the court to investigate the false land survey in Henan. I wonder if Inspector Zhang has the courage to help?"

Zhang Jian straightened his chest.

"Master Zhou, do not underestimate me. As long as it is for the good of the court and the people, I, Zhang Jian, am willing to die!"

"it is good!"

Master Zhou put his hands behind his back, looked towards the door, and said, "The 'Great Proclamation' states in the chapter on eliminating calamities for the villagers that any official, whether in office or retired, who dares to manipulate lawsuits, instigate crimes, frame others, collude with the government, or harm the local community is permitted to have the virtuous and upright people of the area arrested and sent to the capital. No one may obstruct them along the way..."

"I plan to take these fake bows, arrest Shi Danian, the head of the yamen-making gang in Xiangfu County, and go to the capital to file a complaint with the emperor!"

Upon hearing this idea, Zhang Jian's eyes lit up.

This policy was personally approved by Zhu Yuanzhang to help the people deal with the corrupt officials who preyed on the local people.

Moreover, it can only deal with clerks and clerks, not officials.

However, no one has used it in recent years.

Because in many places, the gentry, local worthies, and local officials were all one family.

Master Zhou meant that he went to the capital to file a complaint against Shi Danian, the head of the tax office.

In this way, the whole world will surely know about this matter.

While Shi Danian was in prison, he would surely confess truthfully to the interrogation by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Master Zhou could also take this opportunity to sue all the provincial officials of the Henan Provincial Administration Commission.

This approach is extremely risky. Master Zhou will bear all the blame for falsely accusing the provincial official, and will at least be exiled for three thousand miles.

He seemed to have no regard for life or death.

But if it succeeds, it will benefit all the people of Henan.

this moment.

Zhang Jian blushed slightly; he completely lacked Master Zhou's courage.

Zhang Jian thought for a moment and said, "I will go crazy with you this once. I will go and capture Shi Danian, protect your daughter and grandson, and send people to escort you to the capital!"

(End of this chapter)