I

Hangzhou.

Gan Dashou, director of the Zhejiang Officials Selection Department, received the news of the collapse of the Quzhou officialdom. He sat there for a long time and finally uttered two words: "It's over!"

In the selection and promotion of officials at all levels, the Ministry of Personnel is only responsible for county magistrates and above.

Provincial-level officials selection offices can directly appoint officials below the rank of seventh-rank official in prefectures and counties. If there are vacancies for officials below the fifth rank, agents can be appointed directly. Officials of the seventh rank to the fifth rank can be recommended to the Ministry of Personnel and attached with resumes, and the Ministry of Personnel will decide whether to select them after review. Very powerful!

The Civil Service Section of the Civil Service Bureau in Fuzhou County has similar responsibilities to the Civil Service Department, but the grades of officials it can manage are different.

So many prefecture and county officials were arrested in Quzhou Prefecture, and Gan Dashou was 100% held accountable.

This old man was born in Juren, and he captured Yang Jiamo, the commander-in-chief, and went to join Zhao Han. Become the magistrate of Xiangshan County first, then the prefectural magistrate, magistrate, and director of the official selection department. You will be promoted step by step. You will be able to participate in politics (this official position has been restored and the deputy governor in charge of specific affairs), or even be transferred to the Ministry of Personnel. Be the right servant.

"check!"

After being devastated for a while, Gan Dashou suddenly stood up, slapped the table and shouted: "Zhejiang Official Selection Hall, immediately investigate and correct yourself to find out which bastard has colluded with Quzhou officialdom!"

The only thing we can do is to make amends. Maybe we can find one or two moths, so that Gan Dashou can make up for his mistakes.

While the officials selection office was in a state of panic, Zhang Ruohai from the Zhejiang Integrity Department was almost crying. Of course he had heard about the situation in Quzhou Prefecture, but due to the difficulty of managing his face, he felt that there was no big problem.

Who would have thought that those guys would stab the sky and even seize farmers' land.

After thinking about it, Zhang Ruohai simply wrote a letter, hoping that Hu Dinggui could help plead for mercy.

After writing a letter asking for help, Zhang Ruohai became even more depressed and secretly burned the letter. Firstly, Hu Dinggui was in Liaodong, so he could deliver the letter in the Year of the Monkey and the Horse. Secondly, he knew the emperor's temper, and intercession from important ministers was likely to be counterproductive.

When Hu Dinggui first led the army, he worked as a historian of Nanchang for a year, while Zhang Ruohai was the magistrate of Nanchang County at that time.

The friendship between Zhang Ruohai and Hu Dinggui is like Liu Anfeng and Chen Maosheng. They are as strong as ever. Since it would not help the matter, Zhang Ruohai did not want to trouble his friends, and it would be even more difficult to deal with Hu Dinggui if he was implicated.

After burning the letter asking for help, Zhang Ruohai wrote another memorial, admitting that he was a vegetarian but had absolutely no corruption or bribery. He asked the emperor to thoroughly investigate the Zhejiang Integrity Department. After the investigation was completed, he would take the blame and resign.

After sending someone to send the memorial to Nanjing, Zhang Ruohai personally sealed all the files of the Office of Integrity and no one was allowed to come in and touch them.

He also restricted the officials of the Department of Integrity, and no one was allowed to leave the city of Hangzhou unless ordered by their superiors.

After doing all this, Zhang Ruohai guarded the archives room and sat slumped in the chair, heartbroken.

He was born into a family of farmers. He was not even considered a boy, let alone a scholar. He only had a few years of elementary school education. If he hadn't followed Zhao Han in rebellion, he would never want to be an official in his life.

Now he is not only an official, but also a fourth-rank official. He is truly proud of his ancestors.

As the leader of Zhejiang's clean government system, Zhang Ruohai knew how strict the court was in investigating and punishing corrupt officials, so he never dared to be corrupt from beginning to end. But he didn't want to offend the central boss, so he chose to turn a blind eye to certain things.

To put it bluntly, he is just a mediocre official and a fool!

Now I've fooled myself into it.

Zhang Ruohai really wants to go back to those years. Although there is only half of Jiangxi, everyone is very passionate and motivated. He led the officials and people of the county to fight floods and provide disaster relief together. The people sincerely supported him and regarded himself as the great master of the blue sky who rescued the suffering people.

How did it get to where it is now?

Zhang Ruohai remembered that when he was studying, he hated corrupt officials, mediocre officials and ignorant officials, and now he has become a mediocre official.

Liu Anyong, the co-president of Quzhou Prefecture, was reported two years ago. Zhang Ruohai knew that this person had problems early on. But he just pretended not to know and became completely blind and deaf. Zhang Ruohai was definitely to blame for the collapse of Quzhou's officialdom.

…

Zhao Han said that Xiao Huan would try the case in person, but there was really no need for the top procuratorate to come forward.

So, the second in command of the Metropolitan Procuratorate came.

Liu Anyong was stunned when he heard that Zou Guangdi was presiding over the trial.

Like pouring beans out of a bamboo tube, he said whatever he wanted without daring to hide anything.

Zou Guangdi once went on a killing spree in Guangzhou, not only dealing with local officials, but also dealing with bribery businessmen, making the then Integrity Department famous in one battle!

"How?" Zou Guangdi asked.

Dai Wenmeng replied: "I don't want to say anything. I keep working hard. I guess I'm still thinking that someone will come to rescue me."

Zou Guangdi said with a smile: "No tricks?"

"The President is here in person, what other means are needed?" Dai Wenmeng also laughed.

Although Zhao Han repeatedly emphasized that torture should not be used to extract confessions. But this is impossible. No matter Hei Wuchang or Bai Wuchang, or there are local departments, there are still some invisible methods of coercing confessions.

Zou Guangdi walked into the interrogation room, where Zheng Hongyi was resting with his eyes closed.

Zou Guangdi pulled up a bench and sat down, and said, "What a pity, Mr. Zheng."

Zheng Hongyi showed no reaction and didn't even bother to open his eyes.

Zou Guangdi continued: "Mr. Zheng is a well-known good official in Nanjing and has won many awards from His Majesty. People say that within ten years, Dr. Zheng will be the minister. It's a pity, it's a pity that I met a father like you. "

Zheng Hongyi finally spoke: "I'm not guilty. It's all my clan members who broke the law. The most they can say is that I'm not strict in running the family. As for Quanzi, it has nothing to do with him. He hasn't returned to Quzhou for several years."

Zou Guangdi said: "Your Majesty also knows that Mr. Zheng was wronged, but what you have done is too great, so you can only kill Ma Su with tears. Thinking of the old relationship, Your Majesty still has room to demote Mr. Zheng to five levels and throw him to the Lu Song will become a minor official."

"This matter has nothing to do with Quanzi. I want to see His Majesty!" Zheng Hongyi became excited.

"Listen to me," Zou Guangdi sighed again, "Mr. Zheng is pure, how can there be any stain? With the emperor on one side and his father on the other, how should he deal with himself? Mr. Zheng... alas!"

Zheng Hongyi felt something was wrong and asked, "What's wrong with my son?"

Zou Guangdi stared at the opponent and said word by word: "Xuan... Liang... commit suicide!"

As if all the bones in his body had been torn apart, Zheng Hongyi collapsed there.

Zheng Hongyi is a "love-minded" person who would even protect his relatives from committing crimes, let alone his most promising son.

His family was in decline, and his marriage was regretted. At that time, many bank accounts came to collect debts.

Zheng Hongyi asked one by one for a grace period for repayment, but only the Feng family agreed. When they heard that he was going to reorganize his business, Mr. Feng lent him five hundred taels.

After Zheng Hongyi made a comeback, he regarded Mr. Feng as his benefactor and asked to marry the granddaughter of the Feng family. He takes great care of the Feng family, so he protects his brother-in-law again and again when he behaves mischievously, and even helps him clear out of murder charges.

Now, the Zheng family is finished, and so is the Feng family.

Zou Guangdi added: "You have harmed many people. Mr. Li Ge was deprived of his title, and Liu Shangshu resigned and returned home. The two of them were implicated for no reason. Will their disciples and former officials let your Zheng family go?" Let your Feng family go?"

Zheng Hongyi's eyes were blank and he stared blankly at the wall, his soul already flying to the sky.

His son's suicide was a huge blow to him, and he was completely devastated.

"I heard that you smoke?" Zou Guangdi clapped his hands.

Someone brought in smoking utensils.

Zou Guangdi opened the tobacco bag himself and put the cut tobacco into the pipe: "Would you like to take a sip of the finest Nangan cut tobacco?"

Zheng Hongyi subconsciously took the pipe, opened his mouth and bit it, waiting for Zou Guangdi to light a cigarette for him.

Zou Guangdi took out the fire knife from his pocket and struck a few matches with it. The match was quickly ignited and he slowly walked to the smoke pot.

As the tobacco burned, Zheng Hongyi took two strong puffs. Tears flowed down his cheeks. He reluctantly sat up straighter and said, "If you have anything to say, just ask."

Zou Guangdi nodded to Mei Zhuyou, who immediately began to study ink.

“Iron ore is being mined across the border and occupying farmers’ fields,” Zou Guangdi asked. “Who is taking money there?”

Zheng Hongyi said: "I know Liu Anyong from the same government."

"Only him?" Zou Guangdi confirmed.

Zheng Hongyi said: "He is the only one in the iron mines. The other officials get their money elsewhere. Give me the pen and I will write it out myself."

After a while, he wrote down a list of officials.

Zou Guangdi asked again: "Are there any officials in Hangzhou who are colluding with you?"

Zheng Hongyi said: "Hangzhou is too far away and we don't have many contacts. I have a nephew who was probably arrested by you. He is the county magistrate in Longyou County. This official position was given to Li Jisi of the Zhejiang Officials Selection Office three hundred taels. Zhejiang Hu Yue from the Integrity Department came to Quzhou Prefecture for inspection early last year. There were three of them, Hu Yue received two hundred taels, and the other two received one hundred taels each. The three of them often visited the West Lake Boat, and that boat was mine. . They invited people to visit the lake, and I paid for the expenses on the boat."

Zou Guangdi asked: "Where is Zhang Ruohai, the director of the Zhejiang Integrity Department?"

Zheng Hongyi shook his head: "I have never made any friends. He is very cautious and does not meet guests in private or meet merchants at the Yamen."

Zou Guangdi asked: "Many of the Zheng family members have become town mayors and village chiefs, and they also bought official positions?"

Zheng Hongyi replied: "Wang Yi and Ouyang Fang from the Quzhou Prefecture Official Selection Bureau, Pan Zhen and Hong Tai from the Xi'an County Official Selection Section, Qin Zhensheng and Wang Huan from the Longyou County Official Selection Section... these people all accepted my money. .”

Zou Guangdi suddenly did not ask about the content of the crime, but curiously said: "I have investigated many cases over the years, and the people who committed the crimes are just for money. As far as I know, your ticket number, jewelry, and mines, even if they are normal Legal business can be said to be a daily income. You colluded with officials to do so many things, but you didn't seem to make any money. Instead, you poured money into it. Even if you made money, it went into the pockets of your clan members. You risked beheading. Danger, why do you do these things?”

Zheng Hongyi couldn't answer because he didn't know either.

After thinking for a long time, Zheng Hongyi said in an uncertain tone: "Perhaps it's for the sake of prestige. No matter where I go, everyone has to be in awe and call me Lord Zheng. All my relatives near and far regard me as their master." My ancestors provide for me and if I don’t solve their problems, how can I still be an ancestor?”

Zou Guangdi was speechless. This was the first time he encountered such a principal criminal.

He did such a big thing and tricked his own son to death, all just for the sake of face.

Why bother?