On the first day of November, it began to snow in the capital, and the whole capital was covered with snow overnight.
It was just dawning, and the elders, wearing thick winter clothes, got up from the bed as usual. After a brief wash, they came to the Jinshui Bridge and prepared to go to court.
In recent times, the capital city has been very lively. Previously, the emperor issued an edict and ordered the three divisions to interrogate the case of corruption by Liu Yi, the doctor of the Dongchang secret report. Now more than a dozen officials have been arrested and sent to the edict prison. Among them
Four people, with solid evidence, have been deprived of their official positions and are waiting to be punished. The others are still under trial.
This turmoil can be said to be the biggest case in the court in recent years, and from the current point of view, the investigation will continue, with no intention of stopping.
Because of this, it can be said that everyone in the DPRK is in danger now and wants to save face. Talking earnestly and earnestly should not lead to a big fight. Removing all the courtiers will inevitably lead to social turmoil.
Not wanting to save face, they started to find faults in the case. Some said that the evidence in the case itself was insufficient, and some said that the case was punished by torture.
Going forward, some people were even forced to panic. Even Wang Hong, who had petitioned for the people and killed Wang Zhenyu's party, did not care about the public relations. He handed over a series of memorials and began to attack the trial.
Several officials involved in the case said that they deliberately framed the case and fabricated evidence in order to gain credit. In short, they started talking nonsense with their red mouth and white teeth.
Of course, these last people were basically desperate. Most of them were found guilty of bending the law for personal gain or corruption and were imprisoned not long after the memorial was made.
In addition to these overt methods, there are also some covert and shady methods, including those who build relationships and intercede, and those who directly send money. There are even some despicable people who set up a banquet to kill one of the officials who was investigating the case.
Invite him to a banquet, and then find a "good woman" to falsely accuse her of evil intentions.
Anyway, these people basically used every means they could think of. Unfortunately, what they faced seemed to be the officials of the Third Division led by Wang Hong, but in fact they were facing the emperor Zhu Qiyu.
Moreover, he was an emperor who had traveled for hundreds of years.
Facing the impeachment in the court, Zhu Qiyu remained motionless and handed it over to Wang Hong and others, asking them to conduct an inventory within a time limit. He first seized the most energetic ones and sent a group of people to prison to scare the monkeys. As expected,
, and immediately felt a lot more at ease.
As for those whose weight is heavy enough and cannot be easily moved, either because of insufficient evidence, or because they are truly incorruptible and are just being deceived and indignant, Zhu Qiyu will either be summoned into the palace to impress him with emotion and reason, or he will be temporarily absent.
Out of sight, out of mind, out of sight.
And those secret methods are even simpler. Dongchang and Jinyiwei are not just freeloaders, especially Dongchang. Under Shu Liang's management, the three religions and nine streams are all-encompassing. There are Dongchang in every prosperous place in the capital.
Zhu Qiyu directly sent Jin Yiwei to dress up as his entourage to protect some important officials who were investigating the case, and to guard against these tricks.
In short, in one sentence, Zhu Qiyu thought of everything he could think of one step ahead. He was very determined on this case and provided almost everything he could to help.
It is worth mentioning that at the beginning, Wang Hong was quite resistant to Jin Yiwei's personal 'protection', feeling that it was not only unnecessary, but also detrimental to the minister's dignity. Until one day, he almost died in an alley
Only after being slapped in the face did the stubborn boss change his mind.
Of course, the subsequent result was that Wang Hongman returned to the Metropolitan Procuratorate angrily, worked hard for several days, and convicted several officials in one breath.
There are still many unresolved issues in the case, but all the officials involved in the trial have basically learned their lesson and stayed in the yamen most of the time. They would not even go home unless necessary.
However, even if these external factors are removed, the case itself is involved, the situation is complicated, and some are too old. Therefore, even with the assistance of Dongchang and Jinyiwei, the investigation will not be easy and will take time.
Verify.
After all, if such a high-profile case cannot be made into a solid case, it will definitely leave excuses for those who are interested.
Because of this, this is not a matter that can be solved in a short time. It will definitely last for a while. However, in addition to the case of the Third Division, it is said that the Ministry of Punishment has also made big moves recently. Many officials who were investigated in the previous plan were originally
It was coming to an end, but at the end, a case involving Chen Xun's son, Chen Ying, was discovered, which put the Ministry of Punishment in a dilemma.
Because it involved seven ministers, the Ministry of Punishment did not dare to neglect it, and Lord Shangshu Jin Lian personally presided over it.
Several months have passed since the case was exposed. More than a month ago, the key witness in this case, Ji'an Prefect Liao Ting, was escorted to Beijing and directly imprisoned in prison.
Subsequently, the Ministry of Punishment interrogated relevant personnel several times. Although there was no public interrogation process, since there was an interrogation, there were naturally people involved from top to bottom. Even if it was kept secret, there would inevitably be news.
leaked out.
If nothing else goes wrong, the Ministry of Punishment will report this matter to the court this morning, and there is a high probability that Chen Shangshu will also be implicated in it.
This can be known by just looking at the arrangement of ministers by the Jinshui Bridge. Normally, there are always many people around Chen Shangshu, but these days, it has basically become deserted.
Today, there is no one left...
The morning bell rang as usual, the sky was gray, and snowflakes were still falling. As the palace door was pushed open, the snow-covered palace appeared in everyone's eyes. The ministers lined up under the guidance of the etiquette officer.
, and enter through the side door in turn.
"Long live my emperor! Long live!"
With a burst of neat salutes, the morning meeting officially kicked off. As usual, each department began to report government affairs. The Ministry of Personnel handed over the Beijing Police Regulations that had been revised for the third time. If nothing else, this is the final version.
of.
Logically speaking, this charter should have been finalized a long time ago. After all, according to the emperor's previous decree, this Beijing inspection will last from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. Now, there is only more than a month left before the imperial court seals it before the New Year.
, after the regulations are finalized, the official department still has to prepare the corresponding matters in advance, so time is very tight.
However, there is no way. Over the past year, there have been too many cases, especially the case of Liu Yi that is still under investigation by the Metropolitan Procuratorate, which involves many officials in Beijing. If these people are demoted, then Beijing will definitely take advantage of it.
There will be more opportunities for inspection so as not to affect the normal operation of the court.
As a result, many items in the original Beijing inspection assessment had to be readjusted. These adjustments must be reasonable, consider the impact on future Beijing inspections, and take into account the actual situation. This really makes the officials very worried.
Embarrassed, basically every version has been revised several times before being submitted, but even so, it was still rejected several times...
Fortunately, this time the emperor didn't say anything else. After reading it, he wrote and approved the articles of association, and it was considered approved.
Of course, the bosses all know very well that this is definitely not because the officials have done everything to perfection, but because there is no time, so if they can pass the test in a careless manner, that's it.
But in any case, the official level has been passed, and what comes next is the specific implementation stage of the Beijing inspection after the New Year. However, that is what the ministers in the court should worry about.
After the officials, there is the Hubu. After the routine cry of poverty, the Hubu reported the sudden severe cold this winter. Today is the first snow in the capital, but it is not the case in other places. Shandong has been snowing for half a month.
It started to rain before, stopped for three days, and then started to rain again. It was later in Henan, but it started to snow heavily a few days ago and it hasn't stopped.
Following the lessons learned from the Fengyang Eight Guards at the beginning of the year, the Ministry of Revenue made preparations in advance this time and has now begun to ask for disaster relief materials.
This move has caused a lot of criticism in the court. Many people feel that the Ministry of Household Affairs is making a fuss out of a molehill. Shandong can forget it, but other places, logically speaking, are far from the extent of causing snow disasters. This
It would be too early to start preparing for disaster relief at this time.
Of course, the more important reason for their opposition is that once the Ministry of Revenue really starts preparing for disaster relief, the first thing that will bear the brunt is the various rewards and gifts during the New Year, which will definitely not be distributed. The second is the budget of each yamen.
We have to face the situation of deduction again.
In addition, there was vague news from the Ministry of Finance in the past two days, saying that after the Chinese New Year, the method of reducing peppercorns' salary will be re-implemented. This time it will be more severe, directly discounting the salary by 50%.
Although it has not been proposed in the early court this time, how can the elders agree to this method? Therefore, as soon as the Hubu report was announced, many censors came forward to impeach the Hubu.
However, facing this situation, the emperor just frowned, then looked at Chen Yi, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and said.
"The statement made by the Ministry of Household Affairs makes sense. Everything can be done if it is not prepared. It is better to make a fuss out of a molehill than to be caught off guard when the real disaster strikes."
"I previously issued an order for all state governments to purchase fuel in advance. What is the current situation?"
This snowstorm has long been inevitable.
Moreover, Zhu Qiyu knew very well that the scale of this snowstorm was far greater than before, affecting Henan, Shandong, Zhili, Zhejiang and other places. For several months, many state capitals were covered with snow several feet thick, making it difficult for people and horses to pass through. , people and livestock froze to death, at least tens of thousands.
It can be said that this is the biggest disaster he is about to experience since he ascended the throne. Therefore, he has already ordered the Ministry of Household Affairs to make preparations in advance. It can even be said that a series of measures such as merchant ships and imperial houses are all for the sake of disaster. Preparations for this snow disaster.
As for the previous disasters, compared with this time, they can only be regarded as minor troubles.
After hearing this, Chen Yi cupped his hands and said.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured that since June, the Ministry of Household Affairs has sent notifications to various prefectures to reserve fuel charcoal. According to the information reported by each prefecture, Shandong, Henan, Zhejiang and other prefectures have sufficient fuel charcoal reserves to support the people through the winter. The specific figures have been repeatedly verified by the inspection censors in various places, and those who engaged in malpractice for personal gain have been dismissed from their posts and held accountable."
"In addition, in accordance with His Majesty's decree, at least half of the autumn grain collected in various places this year has been retained by each state capital to prepare for disasters. In areas that have been severely affected by disasters and areas that have experienced snow disasters, more than 60 to 70% of the autumn grain has been retained, and the remaining Some of them have now begun to be shipped to Beijing."
"Starting from September, the Ministry of Revenue sent separate documents to the various state governments, instructing them to mobilize corvees in advance, and to renovate the official roads before November. After it started to snow in various places in Shandong, the Ministry of Revenue immediately sent a document to all states, ordering them to mobilize corvees. The snow must be cleared at all times, reports are made every two days, and official roads must be kept clear. So far, messengers from various states have arrived on time, and the local people's situation is stable, with no major disasters occurring for the time being."
Disaster relief is difficult to say and easy to say. Take this snow disaster as an example. The most important thing is to ensure that the people have enough fuel and food for the winter. As long as these two can be sufficient, then they can survive the disaster year. , it’s not that difficult.
When Chen Yi said this, someone suddenly stood up in the Kedao on the side and said.
"Your Majesty, Lin Cong, the minister of household affairs, is impeaching the mining tax eunuchs Liu An, Dong Kun, Guan Shan and other twelve people. Under the pretext of Your Majesty's decree, they wantonly bullied the people and forcibly transferred the people's livestock to the imperial village. As a result, many families were destroyed and people were killed, and there was no way to ask for help. The memorial is here for your majesty to read."
No one expected that at this moment, Lin Cong would suddenly appear and point the finger at Huangzhuang.
The chamberlain presented the memorial, and Lin Cong continued to speak, explaining the contents of the memorial in detail in front of everyone.
However, he did not notice that Zhu Qiyu frowned after reading it.
What is said in this memorial should be said to be true. Strictly speaking, these mining tax eunuchs did harass the people and buy and sell by force.
But this move was actually approved by Zhu Qiyu.
As for the reason, of course it was snow disaster. According to Zhu Qiyu's experience in his previous life, this snow disaster lasted for several months. Although it did not snow continuously, it did not stop for several days at a time, and the entire winter was extremely cold.
Under such circumstances, it is difficult for even ordinary people to survive the winter, let alone domestic animals. In the end, they will basically freeze to death and then be sold at a low price.
So taking advantage of now, Huangzhuang began to purchase these livestock on a large scale, not just cattle, but also other livestock. Some were supplied to the palace, and some were raised in Huangzhuang. At least, with the strength of Huangzhuang, they could
Let most of these livestock survive the winter safely.
Therefore, in a sense, what Lin Cong did was actually against Zhu Qiyu's original intention. However, looking at the memorial in front of him, Zhu Qiyu's brows could not help but tighten more and more...
This chapter has been completed!