However, Fang Yun didn't just use Minggu County Magistrate to establish his authority. The day after Minggu County Magistrate was arrested, officials from all over the country were arrested and brought to Baling.
The Governor's Office spread the word that these people were the same as Minggu County Magistrate. After Fang Yun announced the reorganization of the officialdom, these people didn't stop.
At first, many officials thought that Fang Yun was purging the Qing officials or the Left Prime Minister's influence. This was because anyone with a bit of experience in officialdom knew that the so-called reorganization of the officialdom and punishment of corruption were essentially political struggles. In essence, a new Emperor brought in new officials.
If a new official didn't beat down a group of people, how could he eat his fill?
After a few days, people realized that Fang Yun was completely different from the previous officials. The people arrested didn't follow any pattern. Not only were there Gyeongo or Left Prime Minister's background, there were even staunch loyalists. There was even a seventh-rank county magistrate who was a relative of the Empress Dowager. He grew up in diapers with the Empress Dowager's brother-in-law.
If there was one thing these people had in common, it was that after Fang Yun warned them, they didn't stop. They didn't know how to restrain themselves.
In less than ten days, two Hanlin Scholars, eleven Jinshi, ninety-four Juren, and more than three hundred xiucai were arrested one after another.
Those with serious crimes were escorted to the capital for sentencing. In the end, they might be exiled to various places.
Those with less serious crimes were fined ten times the amount of corruption. They were stripped of their official robes and chased out of the yamen. Then their criminal records were sent to the Notre-Dame. The various countries and Notre-Dame would never hire them.
They couldn't kill scholars indiscriminately, but they couldn't let them commit crimes without paying a price.
Fang Yun's iron fist shocked the entire human race. Many people realized that this time, Fang Yun was serious. He really wanted to create a relatively honest and hardworking officialdom.
Gradually, all the people of Xiangzhou felt that all the officials had changed. When they went to the yamen, no one would ignore them. Before, some officials had taken the initiative to ask for benefits. Now, they didn't dare to ask for it, for fear of being caught.
In the past, whenever he reported something to the yamen, the yamen would usually drag things out for a long time. But now, he arrived very quickly and did things meticulously according to the rules of the yamen.
Many officials began to complain, but there were also some officials who felt that this was not bad. At least, they did not have to accompany people to eat and drink every day. They clearly had strong bodies, but they were ruined by eating and drinking.
For the first time, the people of Xiangzhou deeply felt the benefits of Fang Yun's arrival. Their respect for Fang Yun grew.
Some commoners gathered in front of the Governor's Office to thank Fang Yun. Fang Yun did not receive them. Instead, he asked the officials of the Governor's Office to go out and pass a message to the commoners.
"The human world was originally a room of orchids and orchids, overflowing with fragrance. But when evil prevailed, the room of orchids and orchids was transformed into a place of abalone. Staying in an abalone place for a long time, smelling the fragrance of orchids again, you can cheer in joy, you can be deeply grateful, but you must remember, we are like orchids! "
Fang Yun's words had a deep meaning. Different people had different interpretations, but no matter what, it had a positive meaning.
The people of Xiangzhou grew more and more fond of Fang Yun. Whenever someone said that Fang Yun was not good, they would inevitably be refuted by many.
Very soon, the officials of Xiangzhou coined a phrase: "Officials do not talk about strangers."
Not long after, a few officials handed in their resignation forms and left the office.
Everything in Xiangzhou seemed to be under Fang Yun's control.
Every winter, the lower-ranking officials would use the excuse that their superiors wanted to buy wood to keep warm and offer them some silver. However, they would never mention money, calling it a "tribute of charcoal." During the hot summer, they would offer a "tribute of ice."
However, this year, none of the officials of Xiangzhou dared to offer charcoal to the officials of the capital. The low-ranking officials of Xiangzhou also did not dare to offer charcoal to their superiors, because some of them had been arrested by Fang Yun for doing so.
Without the tribute of charcoal, the officials of Xiangzhou suddenly felt rather inconvenient. In particular, some of the officials who were tight on money felt some emotions that they should not have.
On the twenty-eighth day of the tenth month, the Giant Plain Manor issued a decree. In response to the governor's call, from that day onward, all of the chefs in the manor would reduce the number of meat dishes. All meals would be limited. Everyone had to save food for the sake of the human race.
As soon as this decree was issued, the Giant Plain Manor was filled with complaints. Some of the officials were even more dissatisfied with Fang Yun.
Meetings in the imperial court usually lasted for a long time. After the meeting, the monarch would arrange a meal for the officials. Thus, the meal that the imperial palace arranged for the civil and military officials was called "return meal." Because the location of the meal was in the front porch of the palace, it was also called "porch meal."
Ordinary offices would arrange a free lunch for all of the officials every day. Since they did not dare to call it return meal, they called it "public chefs."
As soon as this decree was issued, most of the places watched from the sidelines. However, there were a few counties that followed suit and also announced that they would reduce the amount of food in the public chefs in response to the governor's call.
As a result, many of the officials in these places went to work in the afternoon with empty stomachs. When the time came, they practically ran home to eat.
This matter was written in an official document and placed on Fang Yun's desk. Fang Yun glanced at it, thought for a moment, and then put it aside as if he did not care.
The eleventh month had just passed, and every household was preparing for the Winter Solstice.
On the fifth day of the eleventh month, the Grand Mountain Prefecture issued an official document stating that in order to return the Xiang Province's Orchid Fragrance, all of the official fee for this year would be confiscated.
As soon as this news was released, all of the officials in the Grand Mountain Prefecture were in an uproar. Some of them even went to the prefect's house to look for him, but they were berated by the prefect and forced to leave.
The official fee was originally the public funds given to high-ranking officials to use, such as travel expenses. Later on, many of the funds were also counted as official fee.
The government operated some workshops. If the workshop's profits were good, the government would give the officials some official fee every new year. During the best period, the official fee would be dozens of times the salary of the imperial court.
Although the profits of the Grand Mountain Prefecture's workshops were mediocre, the official fee from the Winter Solstice to the Laba Festival, the Little New Year, and the Spring Festival was equivalent to half a year's salary. To many of the officials, this was not a small sum.
The lower the level of the officials, the more honest they were, the more they needed this money. It was not an exaggeration to say that this money was life-saving money.
Now that the Grand Mountain Prefecture had directly confiscated it, these people's lives were completely disrupted.
The next day, the Grand Mountain Prefecture issued another announcement, canceling all of the winter gifts for this year.
Many of the officials began to curse.
The winter gifts were originally New Year goods given by the monarch to the officials, such as silk and cotton clothes, rice, flour, oil, chicken, duck, fish, and so on. The various regions would also give some similar goods to the low-ranking officials. Although the winter gifts from the Grand Mountain Prefecture were not much, it was enough for the family of three of the officials to change into new clothes and eat for two months.
Soon, the Giant Plain Prefecture also issued an announcement, canceling all official fee and winter gifts.
The officials of the two places began to curse wildly. Some fearless old officials went to the yamen and cursed in front of everyone, but no one could punish them if they did not mention names.
This matter was quickly spread to the rankings. Many people felt that it was ridiculous. Charcoal and the like were things that could not be said openly. However, the envoy money and the winter gift were legal and reasonable subsidies for officials in various countries. It was too much to embezzle this kind of money.
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