Volume 3: Dragon and Snake Movement Chapter 372: The Good Place? The Bad Place?
Outside the county government office, through the two students from Wendao Yishu, the onlookers heard almost every sentence and every word of Zhang Shou's verdict in the court. Although they could not understand some of the flowery words, the people who came to watch the excitement today were not just ordinary people, but also scholars and even scholars who had passed the imperial examinations.
With their explanation, even those illiterate people could understand the meaning of every sentence. For example, before Ge Yong explained the words that came from Lao Tzu, an old scholar shook his head and commented on it with simple words . At this time, no one laughed at him for showing off his knowledge. People even had to divide their attention, listening to the students of Daoyi School on one hand and listening to others' explanation on the other.
When Ge Yong explained again, the old scholar immediately shut up. And the little peanut, who was in the crowd and was so nervous that he clenched his fists at first, was so happy that he burst into tears when he learned that Xian Yunhe would not die. Especially when he heard Zhang Shou's words that he deserved death and his situation was pitiful, he couldn't help but grab the old salty fish's arm and whispered, "Uncle, what do you mean by this?"
Although Lao Xianyu had taken over three spinning workers from Ah Liu whose houses were burned down like Xian Yunhe's but who were rescued and settled elsewhere by Ah Liu, he had brought them here this morning to show his strength, but he was still not sure how Zhang Shou would sentence him. When he heard that people had just evaded the seriousness of the case and decided that the final punishment would be caning and exile, he was also as excited as Xiao Huasheng.
However, he waited until he had heard all of Zhang Shou's words and found that his proposal to plant trees had really been adopted. He felt relieved and laughed, "Their crimes deserve death, but their circumstances deserve sympathy. That is to say, according to their crimes, they deserve death, but according to the reasons and circumstances of their crimes, they deserve sympathy."
He had realized that Zhang Shou had cleverly reversed the sentence "his feelings were pitiful, his crime deserved death", so that the verdict was no longer cold and hard, but had a bit more compassion. Even if the previous verdict had caused an uproar in the court, these eight words might be enough to move some officials.
But no matter what, he really owed him a huge favor! Perhaps only by taking out his last treasured possession could he repay Zhang Shou for being willing to offend a lot of people to save Xian Yunhe's life!
The other onlookers understood Lao Xianyu's explanation. Seeing that he was not wearing a scholar's robe, they couldn't help but praise him: "Brother, you are amazing. You can understand such literary words? Then tell me, this exile to Qiongzhou Prefecture... Where is Qiongzhou Prefecture? Could it be that he didn't die in Cangzhou, but died outside?"
Seeing that many people were waiting for his answer, Lao Xianyu was silent for a moment, then he smiled. The serious demeanor just now disappeared without a trace, replaced by his usual exaggeration.
"Qiongzhou Prefecture is the southernmost place in the Ming Dynasty. It can even be said to be the southernmost place. In the Song Dynasty, Dongpo was demoted to Qiongzhou Prefecture, where he left the story of the end of the world. It is more than ten thousand miles away from Cangzhou. The climate there is hot and humid, and there is no winter in all four seasons. It is completely different from Cangzhou..."
Before he finished speaking, the man who had just asked the question widened his eyes and said, "Is it really that far? However, a place with no winter all year round is a good place. Here, we have to wear cotton-padded jackets and fur coats every winter. Moreover, if we can't afford charcoal for heating, it will be too cold to sleep at night. How much money will it cost every year! Speaking of which, how many beggars who sleep outdoors freeze to death every winter!"
"If this were Qiongzhou Prefecture, at least we wouldn't have to worry about freezing weather, right? Heat is always better than cold!"
Although Xiao Huasheng had not lived with Lao Xianyu for a long time, he still knew his uncle's temper very well. As soon as he heard what Lao Xianyu said just now, he knew that Qiongzhou Prefecture should not be a bad place. At this time, the man who asked the question was already talking about heat being stronger than cold with great interest, which made him a little confused.
Could this guy be someone that Uncle hired to help fool people? But he was also involved in running errands before, and he was often with the expressionless Sixth Brother next to Dr. Zhang. How come he didn't notice this person?
He looked at this unexpected guy for a few more times. Then, he heard Lao Xianyu sighing, "Isn't it? In Qiongzhou Prefecture, you only need to wear one pair of pants most of the time. Even when it's coldest, you only wear one piece of clothing and one pair of pants, which really saves a lot of money. And there's less land and more people there..."
Even Peanut didn't know that Old Salted Fish had traveled to Japan and Goryeo before, and had rarely traveled to the South Seas, so he had never been to Qiongzhou Prefecture. At this time, the old man was talking nonstop based on the rumors he heard from others. Seeing that more and more people were gathering around him because Zhang Shou had already solved the case, he talked even more excitedly.
After he had enough free time to express himself, Lao Xianyu finally smiled and said, "But speaking of it, Qiongzhou Prefecture is actually a good place to grow cotton. As for the old-fashioned spinning wheels and looms, you may think they are slow now, but if they were used one or two hundred years ago, they would have been the most powerful gadgets. Only people in Qiongzhou Prefecture knew how to use them."
"If Huang Daopo hadn't brought back better textile tools from Qiongzhou Prefecture, how could we have so many people in the Central Plains growing cotton, spinning yarn and weaving cloth? We would still be using those old tools that are broken and slow, and can't spin much yarn or weave much cotton cloth in half a day. Moreover, I heard that the weather and land in Qiongzhou Prefecture are most suitable for growing things, and rice can be harvested twice or even three times a year..."
Although not all cotton growers know about Huang Dao Po from one or two hundred years ago, as long as some have heard of her, after discussing it in groups, they will understand what Qiongzhou Prefecture is. As for those who don't grow cotton or spin or weave cloth... they have also heard of rice, which is loved by southerners. When they learned that it can be harvested twice or even three times a year, many people are almost drooling.
Of course, leaving one's hometown is indeed a hurdle that most people cannot cross in this era, so people just admire him. There are those who envy him, and there are those who are dissatisfied: "I have heard of that Dongpo Jushi, isn't he the Dongpo in Dongpo Pork? If Qiongzhou Prefecture is so good, why was he exiled there?"
"Of course it's not all good." Old Salty Fish shrugged and said with a sigh, "From July to October every year, there are sometimes sudden strong winds and heavy rains there. Plus there are a lot of insects, it's hot and humid, and some people will suffer from acclimatization. So most people really can't stand the weather there. If you get caught in the miasma, you really have to leave it to fate!"
miasma!
Almost instantly, all those who were curious and longing for Qiongzhou Prefecture were frightened and immediately retreated. Northerners may yearn for the warmth and harvest in the south, but they are absolutely insensitive to those potentially fatal diseases. So, in an instant, the rumor that Qiongzhou Prefecture was full of miasma and prone to serious diseases spread faster than before.
Since they heard that Qiongzhou Prefecture was full of malaria, most people no longer had any interest in asking about Qiongzhou Prefecture. In addition, they heard that there would be no execution in the county government today, so they all left. Little Peanut, who had been unable to hold back any longer, immediately rushed forward, grabbed Old Salted Fish's sleeve, and asked anxiously, "Uncle, malaria is rampant over there, what if Uncle Yunhe goes there..."
"fool!"
Old Salted Fish was both angry and amused, and flicked his finger on Peanut's forehead. At this time, there were fewer people in front of the county government office, and it was too conspicuous to stand there, so he dragged the little guy back to his shop on Shuishi Street.
When they reached a place with few people, he whispered, "Think about it, Yunhe and the others are exiled, not to let them enjoy themselves. If Qiongzhou Prefecture really has no winter and is warm and comfortable, even if it is thousands of miles away, do you think it can still be a place of exile? Even if there is miasma, since the early years of our dynasty, there have been few exiles in Yunnan and Guizhou, the southwestern border, and Qiongzhou Prefecture."
The places where the most criminals are exiled are Liaodong, Gansu, and the outer regions, where they need manpower to fight against the Northern Tartars. Of course, now that the Northern Tartars have been defeated again, perhaps those places are no longer suitable as places for criminals to be exiled...
Peanut's eyes lit up at this point: "So Uncle, what you mean is that the miasma you just mentioned was all fake?"
"Nonsense...it's all true!"
Old Salted Fish flicked Little Peanut's finger hard again. Seeing him covering his forehead with his hands and looking at him in astonishment, he sighed and said, "That disease is actually called malaria. It is not only found in Qiongzhou Prefecture, but also in the hot and humid places with many trees in the south. I also experienced it once when I traveled to Haidong. It was malignant malaria. Eight of the twenty or thirty people on the ship died."
Six of them died of the disease, but the remaining two did not. At that time, many people on the ship were also infected with the same malignant malaria. If they had not met the "prophet" from the Ming Dynasty, they would have been lucky enough to save their lives. They got a precious medicine called quinine, but even such a precious medicine could not save everyone's life.
Two people eventually died, and two others almost went blind because of the medicine... However, this result was much better than what he had heard about where the captain had to abandon people on some island to fate after they were infected with malaria.
It was precisely because he still had this medicine in his possession and was confident that he could get someone the seeds that he had made the outrageous request to Zhang Shou to plant trees in Qiongzhou Prefecture.
If rubber trees can be planted in Qiongzhou, then cinchona trees should also be planted in Hainan, right? If possible, he might be able to have Zhang Shou present this drug that can treat malaria to the emperor, which would be a small favor for him!
As for the risk of Xian Yunhe going to Qiongzhou Prefecture, compared with losing his life, getting sick is nothing. Moreover, compared with the distant Haidong, he believes that Qiongzhou Prefecture should be more livable, otherwise the court would not have set up three prefectures and ten counties in Qiongzhou Prefecture!
Of course, Little Peanut didn't know that Old Salted Fish had thought so much in such a short time. He wanted to continue to ask whether the malaria could be cured, but he got hit on the head again.
"Anyway, don't ask me. You know, I was to Dr. Zhang."
Peanut was stunned for a moment, but didn't ask any further questions. Then he suddenly remembered another more important matter and became nervous again: "Oh, Uncle, Uncle Yunhe and the others will be beaten with a hundred sticks. Can they bear it? Why wasn't they executed on the spot? Will they do something about the caning later..."
"With Yunhe's current body, can he withstand a hundred blows?" Old Salty Fish snorted, and then said calmly, "He will be transferred from the palace to the Cangzhou County Office. Those people from the Ruiqi Battalion will not be able to retaliate against him anymore."
Of course... Zhang Shou might also offend all the soldiers in the Ruiqi Battalion because of this!
In this sense, his cinchona tree has not yet flown away, and the so-called cinchona frost has only a small amount. If he really wants to repay Zhang Shou, it may not be enough.
In the Changlu County Court, after two not-so-long trials, just as Lao Xianyu had said, Zhang Shou did not immediately order the caning, but instead ordered the officers to take Xian Yunhe and others to jail.
Du Heng frowned at this unexpected scene and couldn't help asking again, "Why are Xian Yunhe and the other eight no longer detained in the palace?"
Seeing Zhu Tingfang sneer but not responding to Du Heng's questioning, Zhang Shou was not in a hurry. It was not until the newly joined officers of the Zaoban took Xian Yunhe and others away that Du Heng, although looking very unhappy, did not actually stop them. Only then did Zhang Shou start to explain sincerely.
"Previously, we detained the prisoners in the palace because it was an emergency measure, not a long-term solution. The county government had been repeatedly cleaned up, and there were huge gaps in the number of clerks from the third shift to the sixth room. In addition, there were still many people in the county jail because of Xu Cheng's evil policies. If we don't make a selection, there would be no cells to vacate."
He paused, then smiled and said, "As for now, thanks to General Zhu's unremitting efforts to clean up the prisons, all the unjust, false and wrong cases in Cangzhou have been cleared up, and all the cases that have not been solved for a long time have also been resolved, so more than half of the county jail is empty. They only have eight people, so they can be locked up. And the most important thing is..."
This time, Zhu Tingfang said, "The third shift of yamen runners has been replaced by a new group of people. Those guys who used to cheat their superiors, bully others, and extort money have all been cleared out. They have been replaced by young men with clean backgrounds and good martial arts recommended by various martial arts families. Since there is no problem with the defense of the county government, there is no need to bother the Ruiqi Battalion to do the work of the prison battalion."
Prison camp? Was this a sarcasm or just a statement of fact? Du Heng's eyebrows immediately raised, and he could not say the words he had prepared to retort. Especially since Ge Yong did not speak, but just sat there with a smile, the old master's qualifications, reputation and status were all there, and he was completely unable to compete with him.
Therefore, he could only stand up with a sullen face and said: "In this case, it seems that the Ruiqi Battalion troops are no longer needed in Cangzhou City. Then I will report to the emperor and request to return to the capital."
Rather than retreating to advance, his words were more like angry words. But at this moment, he heard Zhu Tingfang ask very abruptly: "General Du was the commander of the Linhai Camp of the Navy. In your opinion, is it feasible for the Linhai Camp to be divided into Cangzhou?"
