Chapter 157 The action begins
Although Qi Heng was born into a noble family, he did not understand the unspoken rules of officialdom. When he saw the dilapidated back yamen, he thought that this was a show of power given by the officials of Weishi County to him as the county magistrate.
However, when he arrived at the restaurant for the welcoming banquet at noon, a group of officials from Weishi County were very enthusiastic towards him.
In the next few days, these officials did not shirk their responsibilities and completed their tasks very well.
Even when he ordered to clear the land in the county, the officials did not refuse or object at all and carried out the order immediately.
For a time, Weishi County began to clear the land in full swing.
Before taking office, Zhao Xing had looked for him and Sheng Changbai, telling them that clearing the land was difficult and asked them to be more careful.
At the beginning of the land survey, Qi Heng was very nervous and was ready to deal with any emergency at any time.
However, after a few days, the work of clearing the land went extremely smoothly. Not only did the officials cooperate, but the local landlords and gentry also cooperated very well.
Of course, it's not without difficulties.
During the clearing process, some crops were inevitably trampled, and the people went to the county government to make trouble.
Qi Heng didn't care. This was inevitable, so he decided that the government should pay compensation to the people.
The people received compensation and no one caused trouble anymore.
The people of Weishi County praised Qi Heng, the new county magistrate, highly.
…………
Bianjing
Just as Zhao Xing guessed, Luo Hui's impeachment was unexpected by those who originally wanted to impeach Zhao Xing and prevent the land measurement.
So Zhao Xing managed to avoid the morning court session that time.
However, it is a good thing that Luo Hui took the lead. If the emperor gets angry because too many people impeach the prince, Luo Hui can also take the blame.
After all, he was the one who started it.
In the following days, letters impeaching Zhao Xing flew onto the officials' desks like snowflakes.
Zhao Xing secretly instigated people to shift the focus of the impeachment toward himself.
This trick really worked. The government put aside all the impeachment petitions and did not hold regular meetings.
However, as more and more people impeached Zhao Xing, and as many problems arose during the land survey in the counties under Kaifeng Prefecture, the government had no choice but to call Zhao Xing over.
"How many times have I told you that as the prefect of Kaifeng, you should focus on studying and not mess around. Even if you want to do something, you can discuss it with me. But what about you? You always insist on doing it your own way."
The official said with an unpleasant expression: "Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish. You can neither rush for success nor be lazy. How long have you taken over Kaifeng Prefecture, and you have already ordered the land to be cleared? Have you made adequate preparations?"
The reason why he had waited until now to find Zhao Xing was because when those people impeached him, they had the intention of subtly belittling Zhao Xing, which made him very angry.
Secondly, he wanted to see if Zhao Xing had any backup plan in this matter.
However, Zhao Xing's performance disappointed him very much. It seemed that he acted on impulse without any preparation, let alone any backup plan.
This made the officials somewhat disappointed.
"Father, don't you find it strange that I just ordered a survey of the land in Kaifeng Prefecture, why did so many people oppose it?" Zhao Xing said.
"What I care about is not why so many people oppose it, but how to make these people stop opposing it. Do you understand? As the crown prince, you will inherit the throne in the future. You can't even manage Kaifeng Prefecture properly now, how can I hand over the world to you with confidence?" said the emperor.
"Father, how do you know that I have no backup plan?" Zhao Xing said with a smile.
The official was startled and asked, "If you have a backup plan, why did you end up in this situation?"
"Father, I don't want to explain now. Can you give me some more time?" Zhao Xing said.
The official looked at his son and saw Zhao Xing's determined face. He was silent for a while and said, "How long do you want?"
"Ten days!" Zhao Xing said word by word, "Give me ten days. I promise that no one in the court will continue to impeach me."
"Okay, I'll give you ten days."
The official hesitated for a while, agreed, and said: "If you can't settle this matter in ten days, then the land measurement must be stopped."
"Yes, I understand." Zhao Xing bowed.
"Go ahead." The official waved his hand and said, "Don't feel too much pressure. After all, you are still young. Even if you make a mistake, it won't be a big deal. Besides, the officials in Kaifeng government office are also responsible for not being able to assist you well."…………
Only after Zhao Xing left the palace did he understand the meaning of his father's last words.
The emperor is hinting at him to find someone to take the blame.
What I mean is that the officials of Kaifeng government failed to assist him well and they are also responsible.
He had just cleaned out a group of officials in the Kaifeng government office, and the Tongpan retired to his hometown when he was only in his forties. Who would dare to stop him at this time?
The fathers all knew about this, but they said they were also responsible.
I have to say that my father is still a bit sinister.
After returning to the Eastern Palace, Zhao Xing asked someone to call Yin Hanzhang over.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince!" Yin Hanzhang bowed.
"No need to be so polite. How are they?" Zhao Xing asked, waving his hand.
"County Magistrate Sheng and County Magistrate Pan have already taken initial control of the overall situation. There are some problems with Young Master Qi. This is the information recorded by the spies. Your Highness, please take a look." Yin Hanzhang took out a folder and held it up with both hands.
Sanshui stepped forward to take it and presented it to Zhao Xing.
Zhao Xing took it, opened it and started reading.
After Sheng Changbai took office, he found all kinds of reasons to get angry and tried to win people over through some means.
Before long, officials in their county secretly defected to them.
Through those officials, he gained control over some other people's leverage and now has initially gained control of power.
Although Pan Lun and Sheng Changbai's methods were different, they were actually similar, and they had already taken control of the power in their counties.
However, Qi Heng was deceived by the performance of the officials in Weishi County. He thought he had already taken control of the power in Weishi County and directly began to clear the land.
When Zhao Xing saw this, he shook his head slightly and was a little disappointed with Qi Heng.
Sheng Changbai and Pan Lun also encountered the same situation as Qi Heng, but they did not believe the goodwill shown by those officials.
Instead, he controlled the situation through his own means.
In fact, a county's power is not so quickly taken control.
But they had an advantage, they were selected and sent by Zhao Xing himself.
The officials of a county may appear to be harmonious on the surface, but it is impossible for them to be truly harmonious behind the scenes.
Putting aside other things, there are officials of different ranks, so isn't there any hatred between them?
Even if they have common interests, there will always be some who get more and some who get less. Can those who get less feel balanced?
The new county magistrate was selected by the crown prince Zhao Xing, and all the officials are smart people.
It was impossible for those officials not to find out the relationship between Sheng Changbai and Zhao Xing.
It is normal for some people to choose to side with Sheng Changbai and others for their own future.
But the prerequisite is that Sheng Changbai and others can demonstrate their abilities.
Those in the officialdom are all shrewd people. If Sheng Changbai and others are not capable enough and cannot win the power struggle, who would be foolish enough to join them?
Qi Heng is the type of person who has not demonstrated any ability.
Perhaps in the eyes of Weishi County officials, Qi Heng was the kind of person who was not worth consulting with.
However, Zhao Xing could understand to some extent that although Pan Lun came from a humble background, he had studied and traveled to many places over the years and therefore had some experience.
Sheng Changbai was influenced by his father, so even though he had never been an official, he understood a lot of things.
Qi Heng was born into a noble family, but his father was not a veteran official, so there was not much he could teach him.
"We can take action now. Let's wait for Weishi County first." Zhao Xing said.
"Yes!"
Yin Hanzhang was a little excited. This action was also a time for him to demonstrate his abilities.
(End of this chapter)