Qing official Ji Zepu

(1)
In 1923, a clean and honest county magistrate named Ji Zepu came to Dai County. His rumors and anecdotes are widely circulated in Dai County.
Ji Zepu is from Jimo County, Shandong Province, with the courtesy name Wenyuan. During the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty, tribute was paid. After he was transferred from Fencheng to Daixian that year, he abolished an old regulation as soon as he took office. According to the old practice, the daily necessities of the county magistrate and their families are provided by the county chamber of commerce. He said, 'Officials have their own salaries when they serve, and they should take care of themselves. There is no reason for chambers of commerce to worship them.' This regulation was immediately revoked.
The daily affairs of his family are never handled by subordinates, but by family members. The whole family never buys flour, and the lady manually grinds it day by day.
Ji Ze Pusheng has clear eyebrows and delicate eyes, thin and capable. He is dressed in cloth clothes and carries a short cigarette bag and a cloth bag whenever he goes to the countryside. The bag contains the Four Treasures of the Study. He is skilled in poetry and calligraphy, with gentle brushstrokes and able to handle official matters on the spot; Those who seek books, regardless of their social status or wealth, will always be granted permission. Many years have passed, and his ink treasures still exist in Dai County today.
(II)
In the 14th year of the Republic of China, there was a severe drought with no rain for three consecutive seasons, and many half slope areas did not even sprinkle manure piles. On that day, Ji Zepu led several followers to inspect the disaster situation in the southern part of Hutuo River. Walking to the Hutuo River, several yamen officials knew that he had scabies on his legs and were eager to carry him across the river. He politely declined and then crossed the river. The scabies healed without treatment within two days. For this, he also wrote a limerick to commemorate it:
To visit the disaster situation in Henan,
I want to roll up my pants in the Hu Tuo River,
Floods soaked in fine sand and stubborn diseases,
Healing the devastated race doctor.
Ji Zepu and his group walked to the boundary of Zhongjie. I saw a sea of people bustling with excitement. At first glance, it is clear that they are praying for rain. There are two traditional ways of praying for rain in Dai County in the past: one is to pray for good. Villagers burn incense, offer sacrifices, kowtow, and pray in the Dragon King Temple. They took turns on duty until it rained. Another type is' evil prayer '. In addition to participating in all activities of good prayer, the villagers also have an additional activity of fetching water. This activity fully embodies the word 'evil'. The villagers carried the Dragon King in a sedan chair, holding small bottles ready to hold water, and went to the nearby spring on the mountain to fetch water. This team is quite spectacular: in the front is the band paving the way, in the middle is the Dragon King's sedan chair, and behind is a male water fetching team. All those praying for rain are barefoot, with bare upper bodies and only wearing wicker hats on their heads. The most pitiful ones are four sedan chair bearers, each of whom uses needle and thread to pierce through the flesh skin on their arms, with a small bottle of water hanging at both ends of the thread. Although the small bottle is made of paper, there are already blood stains on it. The most terrifying thing is the four big men closely following the Dragon King's sedan chair, each with a large guillotine tied to their arms. If they are not careful, the guillotine blade will hit their neck. There was still a small knife inserted into each person's shoulder, bloody and bloody. This was done to show Lord Long how hard the common people were suffering. If it didn't rain, they wouldn't be able to survive.
Ji Zepu also squeezed into the crowd to watch the excitement, his eyes filled with bitterness in his heart.
At this moment, the scorching sun was as hot as fire, and the villagers were walking barefoot on the scorching road, sweating profusely. Four men were carrying a mud dragon king weighing over a hundred pounds, walking slower and slower. The man in front suddenly collapsed due to physical exhaustion, and the sedan chair leaned forward. The mud dragon king rolled out of the sedan chair and lay on the roadside. Everyone present was stunned, shouting and the team was in chaos. Ji Zepu immediately walked over and helped up the Mud Dragon King. He grabbed the Dragon King's beard with one hand and pointed at him with the other, cursing, "Your duty is to bring down sweet rain and benefit all sentient beings. As a derelict Dragon King, what's the use of you?" With these words, he slapped the Dragon King in the face and pulled off his beard. Then he said to the villagers, "Fellow villagers, I am Ji Zepu. Don't panic, everyone. It's not that I can't get along with everyone, but this bastard Dragon King has no conscience and is praying for rain without taking responsibility. Hurry up and go back to fetch water and plant some seeds
In a few days, heavy rain fell throughout the county. The common people say, "County Mayor Ji is really powerful, even the Dragon King is afraid of him
(3)
Despite the rain after the Three Fortunes, the harvest that year was still poor. However, the higher authorities have increased taxes. Ji Zepu was so worried about this that he couldn't sleep or eat, and his teeth ached uncontrollably. Hiring a doctor and taking medication were all to no avail. Some people say that sticking sludge on the face can cool down and relieve pain. If you really get sick and seek medical treatment recklessly, why not give it a try? So Ji Zepu sent the yamen to dig up the mud in the backyard well. It's not much time, "the yamen came back and said." It's a severe drought, and the well has dried up early without any mud. Upon hearing this news, Ji Zepu was overjoyed and seemed to feel that his teeth no longer hurt. Because he came up with a trick. Just in time to deal with the state officials who came to smash taxes today. He hurriedly sent people to the street to drink and cut meat, preparing to entertain his superiors. He also called several confidants and instructed them to act according to the situation.
At noon, the state official's sedan chair entered the county government office. Strangely, the county government courtyard is empty. State official Zhang Congliang got out of the sedan chair and only heard the constant noise in the backyard. He hurriedly walked over and saw a wooden board next to the well in the backyard, with a person lying on it drenched in water. The surrounding yamen were rescuing him. Zhang Zhouguan saw that the person on the wooden board was none other than Ji Zepu. He was about to ask the reason when a yamen official said, "I just pulled the master out of the well. Look, this is his farewell letter." The yamen official presented the book to Zhangzhou official. I saw it written above: "There is no rain in the dry weather, and I will not collect the grains. I want to collect taxes, but my conscience does not allow it. I have no choice but to make my own decisions
Upon seeing the uncertain fate of Ji Zepu, Zhang Zhouguan couldn't help but sigh and say, "Poor officials all over the world. It seems that Dai County was indeed a major disaster." It is said that in that era, all taxes in the county were waived.
(IV)
Ji Zepu has a habit of getting up early. In the early morning, there were still few pedestrians on the street, and he had already started walking around with a small cigarette bag. One morning, he walked to the back street of the ancient building and saw an elderly person picking up feces, which had already filled his basket. He stepped forward and asked, "When did the old man get up? Why is he so diligent?" The old man replied, "We are from a rural household, and we rely on diligence. We get up every day without knowing the weather. I have already turned three streets." After chatting with the old man, he learned that his family was poor and had a sick son. He leaves early and returns late every day, collecting firewood and feces to make a living. Ji Zepu quickly took out all the money on his body and said, "I'm Ji Zepu. This little money is not much, it's just for those who are diligent and fast. You can take it." Unexpectedly, this matter was discovered by a second rate person. He also got up early, carrying a basket of feces on his shoulders and wandering around the street. Coincidentally, I also met Ji Zepu. Guess what? Ji Zepu not only didn't give him money, but also spat at him a few times. And he cursed, "You don't even have a single egg in your basket, and you're still holding a dry tobacco (cigarette) in your mouth. You're not a serious person
(V)
According to legend, there was a boy in Xiguan Village whose father had passed away early. He made a living by selling charcoal every day to support his mother. One day in the depths of winter, a young man carrying charcoal walked onto the Sanli River. Due to the frozen and slippery ground, the donkey lost its front hooves and lay on the ice. At a moment when the young man was at a loss, an old man in cloth suddenly walked over and helped him lift the charcoal pack. He also asked about his well-being and was very friendly. The old man learned that the young man came from a poor family and his mother was sick, so he quickly took out a few dollars and gave them to the young man. The boy was naturally pleasantly surprised. He told passersby that it was County Mayor Ji who helped him. The boy returned home and told his mother about his adventures on the road. His mother was grateful and asked the boy to cut two pounds of pork to pay tribute to County Mayor Ji. Ji Zepu knew very well that unscrupulous butcher shops often lacked weight, so he asked the young man to weigh again. As a result, two ounces of meat were missing. Ji Zepu and the young man came to the butcher's door again and ordered, "You go in and cut another two pounds of meat. The young man doesn't know why, so he had to follow the instructions. Ji Zepu weighed the two pounds of meat he had cut back elsewhere, but there was another two pounds missing. At this time, Ji Zepu carried the meat he had cut twice and entered the butcher's shop, asking the boss to weigh it again. The boss didn't know the situation, but after weighing it again, he said it was three pounds and twelve taels (at that time, weighing one pound was sixteen taels), and the four pounds of meat he had cut twice was exactly four taels shorter. Ji Zepu said with anger," Everyone outside the door comes in. "After the young man and several constables entered the butcher's shop, Ji Zepu pointed at the young man and asked. Boss:" Do you still recognize him? "When the boss saw that the situation had been exposed, he quickly knelt on the ground and begged for mercy:" Please spare me, sir. I will never dare to be short of weight and deceive the people in the future. "Currently, Ji Zepu fined the boss 40 yuan, Hand over the pork to the young man and instruct him to be diligent in managing the household and filial to his mother when he returns.
(VI)
County Mayor Ji has a habit of patrolling the streets at night. One late night, he made a private visit to a residential house. The surroundings were pitch black, with only a dilapidated courtyard and bright lights. He entered the courtyard alone to see what was going on. Across the window, only the cries of a baby could be heard coming from the house. The woman cried and said, 'Poor my son walked into the wrong door. I dare not take care of you.' The man said, 'Tomorrow, let's go send him off.' The woman said, 'Who dares to take care of more children these days and months? Let's just die.'. The man said, "Ah, my child, don't blame my father for being heartless. I really can't support you..." County Mayor Ji was shocked when he heard this and shouted, "Fellow villager, I'm Ji Zepu. I'm here to congratulate you. County Mayor will open the door for your son. He will definitely be a lucky and noble person in the future. Hurry up and take care of your child, don't hurt him. Tomorrow, go to the county government office to collect the money
It is said that County Mayor Ji took care of this child during his tenure. After he grew up, although he was not a high-ranking official, he became a tycoon in the business world and was known as Qiao Da's shopkeeper.
(7)
Ji Zepu's impartial law enforcement and skillful judgment of suspicious cases have been praised by the world and widely praised. In the lobby, he wrote a couplet that read: "Tuoshui Yinggong Hall dares to promote simple governance, ensure the safety of the people, and officials are as clear as water; Xingshan Arch Adjudicates Cases, Steals Wishes, True Love, and True Law." As his motto, it is also a true reflection of his life as an official.
Ji Zepu is currently presiding over a case. Suddenly, two people came in loudly from the hall. One is a young man with five big and three thick bones, and the other is an old man who is as thin as a stick. Ji Zepu asked the old man, "What is your name, where is your family, and why are you calling for justice?" The old man replied, "My name is Zhang Buquan, from Zhongjie Village, Henan. I was blind since I was young and made a living by selling divination. Today, I was really unlucky to encounter this young man bullying me, the blind old man, and trying to deceive me with this piece of cloth. I hope the old man can investigate. Let me carry him on my back. I saw that he was blind and pitiful, so I handed him the cloth to carry him across the river. Unexpectedly, after crossing the river, this old man turned his face and tried to deceive me with this cloth, scolding me for being heartless and bullying the blind. I am a villager and never tell lies. I hope the master can give me a fair judgment and bring it back to me
Ji Zepu asked the old man again, "Where did you buy your cloth from
I didn't buy it, it was given to me by my nephew, "the old man replied.
Where does your nephew live
He lives at No. 10 Carbon Market Street and also owns a large dyeing house
Ji Zepu ordered the police to quickly go to the city to confirm the confession. Not much time, the yamen came back and said that the two people's testimonies were true and not lying.
Ji Zepu looked at the two people in the hall and thought to himself, "It's strange that there are two masters of one commodity." He then carefully observed their expressions, analyzed their professions and their testimonies, and suddenly felt a sense of certainty in his heart.
Ji Zepu gently unfolded the cloth and placed it on the table in front of the hall. He laughed and said, "This blue cloth is not lazy. Both young and old people love it. May I ask who bought the blue cloth? The county magistrate is incompetent and cannot cut it
Just as Ji Zepu finished his oil painting poem, the blind old man continued and said, "The county magistrate is right. My nephew runs a dyeing house, so of course Blue Cloth can't be wrong
The blind old man's words caused a burst of laughter among the people present. At this moment, Ji Zepu slapped Jingtangmu and rebuked him, "Zhang Buquan, you are so blind. This is clearly a white cloth. Why do you say it's a blue cloth? Let me ask you, where did your blue cloth go?" Zhang Buquan heard the truth and had to resort to real measures. He said pitifully, "There was an old man behind the ancient building who insisted on taking Blue Cloth away. Afterwards, he felt heartbroken and suddenly had malicious intentions to do this heinous thing." Ji Zepu chuckled and casually recited a humorous poem: "The thief's heart is not old, he has many hobbies, he sacrifices cloth to solicit prostitution, deceives others, and leads to trouble. He will not be lenient." Ji Zepu suddenly changed his face and said, "Someone, take Zhang Buquan to the prison, reflect for three days before making a trial