I

Nanjing, Forbidden City, Yingmin Hall.

Mei Zhuyou was uneasy and looked at the emperor from time to time, but did not see the emperor getting angry.

After the emperor read their investigation report, he didn't say a word, but looked outside the palace in a daze. It was so calm, without a trace of sound, just like the night before a storm.

Finally, Zhao Han withdrew his gaze and no longer stared at the open space in front of the palace.

Zhao Han asked: "How many of the police officers in the capital of Quzhou, including the court officials, are reliable?"

Mei Zhuyou said: "Reporting to Your Majesty, I'm afraid I can't figure this out."

Zhao Han sighed and said: "Well, there is no need to go to Hangzhou to mobilize officials. You can recruit peasants and soldiers on the spot in Quzhou Prefecture. Don't investigate secretly. Arrest people directly and interrogate them separately. After finding out the clues, I asked Xiao Huan to solve the case in person. "

"According to the order!"

Mei Zhuyou didn't know whether to be excited or scared.

When anti-corruption officers inspect local areas, they usually ask local officials to cooperate. This was the first time that peasants and soldiers were directly mobilized to work in local areas. It was obvious that the emperor no longer trusted the officials in Quzhou.

Mei Zhuyou left the Forbidden City and rushed back to Quzhou by speedboat.

Zhao Han asked Ding Shijing, who was recording daily notes: "Do you have any members of your clan who are serving as officials?"

Ding Shijing didn't know the details of the case, but he only guessed that there must be a big case. He put down his brush and said: "Your Majesty, although I was born in poverty and was looked down upon in my childhood, after I became an official, some clan members emerged. One clan uncle is serving as the county magistrate, and another clan brother is serving as the county official."

Zhao Han asked again: "If you become a minister one day, will your uncles and brothers use your guise to do evil in the local area?"

"This..." Ding Shijing thought carefully and finally said, "Uncle Chenna is an upright and rigorous man, and he will definitely not act like this. But brother Chenna has a good face and an outgoing personality. If I become a minister, he will He will not take bribes and bend the law, but he will also publicize his relationship with his ministers."

Zhao Han asked: "If your clan brother does evil and does evil in your name, how should you be punished?"

"This... this..." Ding Shijing had already guessed that a certain important minister's family had violated the law. How could he dare to say nonsense? He could only say vaguely, "I live in Nanjing as an official and have not been in contact with my clan for a long time. The clan borrowed my name from me. It's evil. I really didn't know about it. If I was severely punished for this, I would definitely feel aggrieved. But it is a state-owned and national law. If I am really implicated by my tribe, I have nothing to say."

Zhao Han turned to Li Xiangjun and said, "Call Xiao Huan."

Li Xiangjun left Yingmin Hall and sent a female official to deliver the message.

About an hour later, Xiao Huan ran over quickly, bowed his hands and said, "Kowtow to Your Majesty."

Zhao Han pointed to the investigation report of the anti-corruption officer: "Read it yourself."

Xiao Huan returned the report and sat down to read it carefully. The more he read, the more frightened he became.

In terms of the circumstances of the case alone, the case in Henan last year was even worse. The province's grain transportation system was almost completely broken, and the money and grain involved were astronomical.

However, this thunderstorm in Quzhou Prefecture first implicated several central officials, and secondly, it involved occupying land for mining.

In the new dynasty of Datong, land has always been a red line, and anyone who dares to cross even one foot will be doomed.

Zhao Han said: "I trust Li Aiqing (Li Banghua). He must be unknowing and being used by his tribe. What is your impression of Zheng Tongfu?"

Xiao Huan replied: "Zheng Tongfu is a capable minister and official, and he is extremely diligent. He has not returned to his hometown for several years and has been working as an official in the capital. In the Camp and Repair Department of the Ministry of Industry, he is the earliest to come every day, until He would not leave until dark. There was not a single mistake in the projects he handled. During holidays, he either rested at home or went to the Wenhua Hall to borrow books and read. He had never been to the Qinhuai River, and he had never participated in any cultural gatherings. Like this He can be called a model official. With all due respect, Zheng Tongfu... it is such a pity that he has such bad parents."

"That's why I feel sad," Zhao Han said with a sad expression on his face, but also very angry at the same time, "Zheng Tongfu is diligent, capable, incorruptible, and a rebellious scholar. Such a perfect official must be ordered within ten years Minister, I will personally promote him to be Minister. What kind of father is this? Is there anyone who would cheat his son like this? His father actually said that the world's surname is Zhao and the surname of Quzhou is Zheng. Does his Zheng family want to rebel?"

Xiao Huan was silent.

Zhao Han asked again: "Where is Liu Anfeng?"

Xiao Huan said: "Liu Anfeng is a close friend of Chen Shangshu (Chen Maosheng)."

Chen Maosheng's best friend, this is not an answer, but it is better than an answer.

Chen Maosheng is a staunch revolutionary who has never changed and has always been so pure. He has offended many colleagues in recent years.

Among all the civil and military officials in the dynasty, Liu Anfeng was the only one who could become close friends with Chen Maosheng. You can imagine what kind of person Liu Anfeng was.

Zhao Han suddenly said: "Go to the Ministry of Personnel and look for Liu Anyong's files!"

The next day, Xiao Huan came to resume his life.

Xiao Huan said: "Your Majesty, I not only checked the official files, but also made insinuations. Liu Anfeng was born in poverty, but Liu Anyong was born in wealth. Although they are brothers, they are separated by three villages. It was after Liu Anfeng became famous. , then Liu Anyong came to visit relatives."

After hearing this, Zhao Han felt a little better, at least the central officials were fine.

But just because the central officials have no problems, it doesn't mean that their relatives have no problems. Just like this Liu Anyong, three villages away, he can come out to get married. Which important minister doesn't have a lot of relatives?

Zhao Han said: "The case in Quzhou will be handled by the Metropolitan Procuratorate in accordance with the rules. As for the central ministers, I will make the decision myself and leave it to the court meeting in three days. You, make arrangements!"

Three days later, morning.

The ministers were sitting in the palace with relaxed and happy expressions, waiting to chat with the emperor.

They are used to having court meetings three times a month, and each time there is a special topic. The first few times we talked about Europe and America, it really broadened the ministers' horizons.

Later, we talked about the benefits of opening up the sea and summarized the disadvantages of the Ming Dynasty's sea ban.

Then we talk about the tax policies of past dynasties, and inform the issues in advance so that officials can go home and read the history books.

The fine morning meeting was actually turned into a sutra banquet meeting by Zhao Han.

What are we going to talk about today?

Everyone was looking forward to it, because at every court meeting, there were always officials praised by the emperor.

Zhao Han said: "Today we will talk about corruption. Official corruption is commonplace, and this is the beginning of the corruption of officialdom. If corruption is not punished properly, the new Datong Dynasty will sooner or later become like the previous one."

"What your Majesty said is true!" All the officials agreed.

Zhao Han directly named him: "Mr. Li Ge, what do you think about corruption?"

Li Banghua said: "Severe punishment will not be spared!"

Zhao Han said: "If...I mean if, Li Ge's relatives commit evil and violate the law, how should we deal with it?"

Li Banghua said: "He should be beheaded, he should be put in jail, and he should never show favoritism!"

Zhao Han asked again: "What if Mr. Li Ge's relatives use Mr. Li Ge's name to frighten the local officials and dare not take care of it, or even collude with him?"

Li Banghua frowned and said: "This... If I knew about it but ignored it, I would be guilty of connivance. If I didn't know about it, I should punish myself and only punish my relatives according to the law. I am not speaking for myself. , but for the officials of the court, it is inevitable that some family members will commit crimes in the local area. As long as the person does not know about it, he should not be punished severely, otherwise the officials of the court will all be in danger. "

"How to judge whether Li Ge always knew or didn't know?" Zhao Han asked.

Li Banghua was speechless.

Zhao Han pointed at Xiao Huan: "You tell me!"

In the doubtful eyes of the ministers, Xiao Huan slowly stood up, cupped his hands and said: "Liu Anyong, the co-president of Quzhou Prefecture, and Zheng Hongyi, a wealthy businessman in Quzhou, colluded and committed crimes. The Zheng clan members committed six murders, but they were all covered up. , the murderer is at large. The Zheng family colluded with the government, cut corners when building river embankments, and withheld workers' wages for a long time. The Zheng family bullied the market, colluded with village and town officials, corrupted local farmers' associations, exploited and oppressed the people. They also raised thugs, and a suspected murder case is ongoing. During the investigation, dozens of cases of injuries were reported. The Zheng family’s mines operated across the border and occupied civilian fields for mining..."

Zheng Tongfu, a doctor in the Ministry of Industry, was dumbfounded by this.

He has been working as an official in Nanjing for several years and has never returned to his hometown. How could his family do such a thing?

Xiao Huan is still talking: "Zheng Hongyi has a son, Zheng Tongfu, who is a doctor in the maintenance department of the Ministry of Industry. He also has a son, who is the nephew and grandson-in-law of the cabinet minister Li Banghua..."

As soon as this statement came out, the whole court was in an uproar, and Li Banghua was actually involved.

Xiao Huan said: "Zheng Hongyi said that the surname of Zhao in the world is Zheng, and the surname of Quzhou is Zheng. He also said that he had led horses for the emperor, and as long as he could not raise troops to rebel, officials at all levels would have no control over him. He also said that he and Li Ge were always relatives, and the leader Fu also has to give me three points of thin noodles."

Li Banghua's whole body was trembling slightly. He was angry that someone actually pulled his tiger skin.

Xiao Huan said: "Liu Anyong, the co-president of Quzhou Prefecture, is the younger brother of Liu Anfeng, the Minister of Household Affairs. He also secretly accepted Zheng Hongyi's concubine niece as his aunt, and is suspected of sharing the dividends in Zheng's mines..."

Liu Anfeng finally couldn't sit still anymore and stood up suddenly and said: "Your Majesty, Liu Anyong is indeed my brother and a native of the same town. But our two families are almost out of five. I was poor when I was young. , did not receive help from the tribe, but suffered the cold eyes of the tribe. After I became an official, tribesmen came to cling to me. I restrained my family members from getting involved with the same tribe, and they were not allowed to show favoritism to the same tribe. That Liu Anyong should really be killed, but with I have nothing to do with it. I am pure and clean, and there is no room for such stain..."

After saying that, Liu Anfeng took off his official hat, knelt down and kowtowed: "I beg you to resign and return home!"

There was dead silence in the hall, and the Minister of Hubu actually resigned.

Chen Maosheng stood up and bowed: "Your Majesty, I guarantee with my life that Liu Shangshu will never condone his clan members."

Li Banghua sighed, took off his official hat and knelt down: "I invite you to become an official!"

Well, things have gotten serious, and the deputy minister of the cabinet has to resign.

Zhao Han narrowed his eyes and said angrily: "Are you threatening me?"

"Don't dare!"

Li Banghua and Liu Anfeng answered in unison.

Zhao Han asked Xiao Huan: "Has the Quzhou case been verified?"

Xiao Huan replied: "Basically verified, the arrest has been ordered. The charges I just mentioned are definitely correct. After the arrest and interrogation, new cases may be involved."

"Then without waiting for the case in Quzhou to be settled, I will personally decide the several central officials involved," Zhao Han glanced at the ministers, "Li Banghua, the second assistant in the cabinet, was not strict in running the family, and he was deprived of his title and promotion. . Retain the position of secondary assistant and pay a fine of three months. If any of his clan members engage in corruption again, they will be dismissed from office immediately and returned to their hometowns!"

Xiao Huan was startled and suddenly looked up at the emperor.

Cao Guan, who was recording the contents of the court meeting, was so frightened that his hands shook, and a ball of ink appeared on the paper.

Seizing titles, there were not many titles granted in the new Datong Dynasty, and some of them were people like Zheng Zhilong who were not officials. If you directly seize the title, the punishment is already extremely severe.

As for the official title, Li Banghua's official title was Prince's Young Master, which was also an extremely noble title.

His promotion was also taken away!

What did Li Banghua do?

He is a great-niece, married to Zheng Hongyi's son.

Li Banghua had lived in Nanjing for several years and had many nephews. He probably didn't know about this marriage.

Xiao Huan wanted to dissuade him, but he didn't dare to dissuade him, so he could only sit there in a daze.

Other officials did not dare to intercede.

Zhao Han added: "Liu Anfeng was not strict in running the family. He was demoted to one level and dismissed from the post of Shangshu of the Ministry of Household Affairs. Change it to...what should it be changed to? Let the Ministry of Personnel arrange it!"

Liu Anfeng roared: "Your Majesty, please resign! I have not been lax in running the family, so don't let this kind of stigma be with you!"

Zhao Han thought about it carefully: "Okay, you can become an official."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Liu Anfeng picked up his official hat and returned to his seat to sit down.

Zhao Han continued: "Zheng Tongfu was demoted to five levels and transferred to Luzon. He will not be allowed to come back within ten years!"

This man is completely ruined.

Although he was only a doctor of the Ministry of Industry's Maintenance Department, he was of the fifth rank, but he was a position of real power, and his status surpassed that of the prefect of the fourth rank.

Moreover, as the head of the Youshui Yamen, Zheng Tongfu was honest, capable and diligent, and had long been remembered by the emperor. This kind of person, as long as he lives for another twenty years, he will be a minister at worst, and maybe even a chief minister!

Now he was demoted to five ranks, thrown to Luzon, and not allowed to return to the court for ten years.

This is crueler than killing him directly!

Zheng Tongfu had already shed his soul, like a dead corpse, and could not hear what Zhao Han said at all.

The next day, Zhao Han received the news that Zheng Tongfu went home and committed suicide.