"Everyone in the world is here for profit, and everyone in the world is for profit. This old saying has been used for many years. I have always felt that the word profit has different meanings for different people.
The interests of ordinary people lie in supporting their families, the interests of merchants lie in money and goods, and the interests of officials lie in their official title and power. This is generally the case, and there will be no exceptions.
But when it comes to Changsun Shunde, Du Yan and others, high-ranking officials with generous salaries and trivial profits should not be in their eyes, but look at what these are?
No matter how big or small the profit is, everyone wants to take it for themselves, and they are greedy and despicable. What are the virtues of these people in the market? What about their integrity? Have you read all your books into the belly of a dog?
He talks about benevolence, justice and morality, but only commits male thieves and female prostitutes. He is really a sin deserving of death."
Li Po walked back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back, sighing that the world was declining and people's hearts were not as old as before. People like Changsun Shunde and Du Yan were able to do despicable things for the sake of mere wealth. It was really shocking.
Somewhat stunned.
Of course, this is an emotion based on the current situation. Later, there wouldn’t be too many such things, and even ordinary people would be too lazy to say anything.
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The world was still different back then. Although you don’t have to expect too much from the nobles at this time, generally speaking, most corruption and bribery in the officialdom still happened to low-level officials.
The great nobles, or it can be said to be the great families, as well as those officials who have reached a certain level, will not ruin the reputation of themselves and their families for the sake of small gains.
Needless to say, the bad things that happened to the nobles in private. The character of most of them is not very high, but in the end, everyone still wants to have face. Reputation is indeed very important to them sometimes.
They have no talent or trust, like to eat, drink, have fun, indulge in women, etc. If any of these factors are added to them, they will suffer in their official career.
But the name of bribery is still the worst kind. It's like a rich man who has millions of dollars in wealth. It's up to you how you enjoy it. At most, everyone will envy and hate you, but you still have to go to the street to show off to passers-by.
Asking for those few pennies is disgusting, isn't it?
For example, Dugu Huai'en, the head of the Dugu family, was greedy for military funds when he was leading the army. You think it's strange or not. If Li Yuan hadn't deliberately labeled him, it would have been very confusing.
The current Changsun Shunde and Du Yan are in a similar situation. Is it natural greed or moral decay? Do they want to amass wealth to achieve great things, or do they have to spend money to support their talents and have to stretch their hands randomly?
It was reflected in Du Yan's confession. He had many favors and his living standard was not high, so he gradually began to accept bribes. Over the years, he no longer took it seriously. Instead, he felt that it could deepen their relationship.
"Friendship" means using interests to closely connect people together.
In other words, after doing this for a long time, seeing that there was no loss and no one to hold him accountable, he let go. No matter how long it lasted, it was impossible to stop.
There is nothing new in the world. Most corrupt officials have been like this since ancient times. It’s just that in the officialdom of the world, such operations are considered inferior. Not many people are willing to destroy their reputations and join in the same deeds with such people.
…………
Fan Wenjin was also listening in the palace. He shook his head secretly and felt that what the emperor said was a bit ridiculous. He remembered that in Liangzhou back then, it was very common for officials there to tamper with others.
From Li Gui to his ministers, this is the case. Changsun Shunde and others are not surprising. Just because they come from a famous family, won't they avoid bribery?
Zhang Liang was Li Po's confidant. He laughed awkwardly and said: "Your Majesty... When I was in Henan, people in and outside the city had a hard time. Who doesn't want to accumulate more so that they can survive?"
?
Du Zhili and others were all officials in Luoyang City, so they may have acquired such habits. Now that the world is at peace, they still have old habits that are difficult to change.
Just kill them, so why should Your Majesty worry about them?"
Li Po snorted, "You are ignorant and incompetent, are I talking about killing a few people? Everyone is standing in the court, and if there are many such arrogant people who are just greedy for a little profit, I will kill them all."
Finished? Are you done killing?
Is this just the capital, what about the local area? Nowadays, who has not escaped from the war, how could life have been so easy before?
How many Changsun Shunde are there among them, and how many Du Zhili and Zhang Wentong are there?
Huh, once the atmosphere gets bad, even if God comes, there will be nothing left to do."
Having said this, Li Po had returned to his seat, patted the table, looked at Zhang Liang who was shrinking from being scolded by him, and said: "Send this to the imperial mausoleum to Changsun Shunde, if he is still shameless and doesn't want to die.
, and asked Yuchi Jingde to escort him back."
The chain of evidence is already very complete. The truth about the examination fraud in Yuanzhen's fourth year has been revealed. The examination fraud in Yuanzhen's seventh year was also committed by this group of people.
After investigating for so long, the target has actually been narrowed down to a certain range. If you test freely, you can't go wrong. Now that you have Du Yan's confession, the evidence is conclusive, and there is no need to discuss the rest, just wrap it up.
After Changsun Shunde and others started to recruit scholars in the imperial court, they took a lot of bribes and secretly wanted to cultivate some talents who were loyal to them.
This alone is no different than treason.
It can be said that in the early Tang Dynasty, no one could compare with Changsun Shunde and others in terms of crimes. Gao Shen, Gai Wenda and others who were killed before were much inferior.
So it's no wonder that Li Po is so angry. A series of scandals in the past few years are almost all related to Changsun Shunde and others. This is no longer a matter of mouse droppings.
The long list of officials implicated in the crime made Li Po feel a little regretful. He shouldn't have deliberately indulged them. Maybe it would have been better if he had taken action earlier?
Who knows, things like the atmosphere of officialdom are invisible and intangible. People often say that after great chaos there must be great order, but in fact they are only half right.
It is true that people feel at ease after the war, and the official team is very capable, but in fact many things will still be greatly affected.
Henan was a mess in the late Sui Dynasty. Whether it was officials, soldiers, or ordinary people, after more than ten years of war, their mentality was different from that of people in other places.
There are also those Jiangnan aristocratic families who controlled the place during the pre-Sui Dynasty. They were extravagant and lustful, and worshiping Buddha became a common practice. When they occupy high positions in the court, will the atmosphere be improved?
Therefore, the Luoyang aristocratic clan forming a party gave Li Po a deeper understanding of the political situation at that time...
Killing is not the purpose, it can only be regarded as the final resort. The strategy of checks and balances will never go out of style. It is absolutely undesirable for one family to dominate, given the vastness of the Central Plains. Whoever takes the lead will be suppressed mercilessly.
If a person has no long-term worries, he will have immediate worries. Only by always being vigilant can he gain temporary peace.