About half an hour later, the imperial censor Chao Cuo led Zhonglang General Zhidu and the new court lieutenant Zhao Yu to come to Liu Che.!
Liu Che then put down the report recorded by Yang Feng and stood up to greet him.
"I'm here to pay my respects to you!" Chao Cuo, along with Zhi Du and Zhao Yu, bowed slightly to Liu Che.
Liu Che quickly asked someone to give him a seat.
After An sat down, Chao Cuo immediately asked: "Is there any order from the unknown family that has urgently summoned ministers to come?"
However, Liu Che did not answer, but looked at the new court captain Zhao Yu and asked: "Qing Zhao, I ask you, if you murder the prince's subordinates according to the law, what crime should you do?"
When Zhao Yu heard this, he was shocked! Who dares to kill the prince's subordinates? You are impatient to live, right?
Let alone killing someone related to the prince!
Even breaking a vase in the prince's womb is a capital crime!
However, he was young and reacted quickly. He immediately went out to pay homage and said: "Go back to your family. According to Han law, murderers must die. Killing officials is equivalent to rebellion. Murdering the prince and his subordinates is an additional crime. The first offender shall be punished.
Depending on the degree of participation, the accomplices will be punished by cutting in half, abandoning the market, beheading, hanging, death penalty, exile, and the plotters!"
When Liu Che heard this, he laughed and said: "Good!"
This is why he wants to summon Ting Wei!
He then answered Chao Cuo's question and said: "Gu urgently summoned the ministers and others to come here this time because Gu's minister Yang Feng was corrupted by evil officials and became a bandit in Henan County when he was inspecting Guandong County incognito under Gu's order.
, all three of Yang Feng's escorts died under the siege of evil officials. Yang Feng went to the county guard's office to complain, but was beaten with sticks. Please tell me. How should this matter be dealt with? "
Zhao Yu was surprised and happy!
Surprisingly, such a thing actually happened!
The happy thing is that this is simply a God-sent opportunity!
As the saying goes, if you don’t take what God has given you, you will suffer the consequences!
He bowed almost immediately: "If this is really the case, I would like to ask my superiors to give an order, and I will immediately take people to Henan County to thoroughly investigate the matter!"
For Zhao Yu at this time, there was nothing more to his liking than such a major and important case.
Last year, the former Tingwei Zhang Ou made a counterattack and rose to power as a dark horse. With the support of Chao Cuo, he took the position of prime minister.
The position of Tingwei was immediately vacant and became the focus of competition among all parties.
Zhao Yu was able to become a Tingwei at less than forty years old, which can only be described as lucky!
Even Zhao Yu himself felt as if he was dreaming.
You know, a year ago, he was just an official serving a thousand dan.
According to tradition, a middle-level official like him would have to wait at least ten or eight years before he could hope to get an opportunity to work abroad and then upgrade himself to the level of two thousand dan.
Officials like Zhao Yu, who were promoted in a rocket manner, are rare even if you open the history books of the Han Dynasty!
Therefore, after taking office, Zhao Yu could be said to be very cautious. He was walking on thin ice for fear that something would go wrong.
But on the other hand, he also worked hard and wanted to handle a major and important case to convince the public and to make his name known!
Liu Che looked at Zhao Yu and nodded with satisfaction.
With the cooperation of Tingwei, this matter immediately became much simpler. At least, there were no problems with the procedure.
In the Han Dynasty, as long as Ting Wei takes the lead, there is no case that cannot be solved!
Regarding Zhao Yu, Liu Che was still very satisfied with the new Tingwei. He was brave enough to fight and charge, and he was full of courage. Soon after he took office, he changed the lazy administration of his predecessor Zhang Ou, actively adjusted the Tingwei Yamen, and solved several cases.
, and even solved a large number of problems left over from the Zhang Ou period.
In contrast, Tingwei's prison is also somewhat overcrowded...
Zhao Yu's position as Tingwei was really hard-won. Liu Che looked at Zhao Yu and felt some different emotions in his heart.
Speaking of which, Liu Che also contributed to Zhao Yu becoming a court captain!
Initially, Zhao Yu was not on Tingwei's list of candidates.
But later, all the recommended candidates were rejected by the emperor's father. The prime minister, who was in a hurry, had no choice but to stuff a few young and strong factions into the list out of anger.
The original intention was to recruit the emperor's army, but who could have imagined that the Qingzhuang faction who was thrust in actually contained a person with a big backer like Zhao Yu.
Zhao Yu's candidate was Taiwei Zhou Yafu.
Although Zhou Yafu recommended Zhao Yu and then left it alone, at that time, Zhou Yafu was favored and was a popular figure in the country. The emperor's father wanted to give Zhou Yafu face, so he mentioned it to the court.
in the list.
Originally, when things came to this point, Zhao Yu would have nothing to worry about.
For a newcomer to the officialdom with neither qualifications nor noble background, it is already a great honor to be able to attend a meeting to discuss the selection of the Nine Ministers.
Who dares to hope for more?
But, at that time Liu Che took action.
A secret letter in the name of Ji An was delivered to the emperor's case.
Then, Zhao Yu unexpectedly became a Tingwei.
Liu Che actually didn't say anything. He just asked Ji An to cite various data about Zhang Ou when he was a court captain in the memorial. After seeing the various data about Zhang Ou when he was a court captain, the emperor immediately canceled the appointment of those people.
A layman's plan.
Who asked Zhang Ou to be a court captain? He did an "excellent" job!
Judging from incomplete statistical data, Zhang Ou served as a court captain for two years. As a result, hundreds of death row prisoners who should have been convicted were not punished by law. Instead, they waited in the court prison for amnesty by the emperor.
.
The law has not played a role in deterring crime. The dignified official, who is supposed to be the enforcer of the law, the protector and upholder of fairness, ended up becoming a protector of crime for the sake of his personal reputation.
How unbecoming is this!
Therefore, Tingwei still has to be a legal worker who specializes in prisons.
As a result, most of the candidates became unqualified, and Zhao Yu successfully passed the model of selecting generals among the dwarves and became the new Tingwei.
Of course, the more important reason may be that the emperor's father sent someone to ask Zhou Yafu.
Thinking about these things in his mind, Liu Che didn't stop talking.
He looked at Chao Cuo and asked, "What do you think, the imperial censor?"
If you want to punish a two-thousand-stone county guard, a court lieutenant alone cannot do it.
The censors had to take action. Liu Che believed that the supervising censor sent by Chao Cuo to Henan County must have a lot of dirty information about Dou Quan.
It all depends on whether Chao Cuo is willing to risk offending the Dou family and stand up as the mt!
Liu Che's heart was like a mirror. If he killed Dou Quan, Dou Guangguo, or Queen Mother Dou, as long as he made it clear and communicated well, the problem would not be big, and the rest of the Dou family would not dare to have any dissatisfaction.
But Chao Cuo, who was in the early years, was different.
Dou Quan's family didn't dare to complain about the prince, why didn't they dare to complain about Chao Cuo?
What's more, Dou Ying already had a rift with Chao Cuo, and this matter was going to escalate again. Chao Cuo was with the Dou family. It is estimated that Chao Cuo's reputation would directly turn into hatred, and he would never stop fighting!
Liu Che looked at Chao Cuo calmly, waiting for Chao Cuo's answer.
Chao Cuo's answer was exactly what Liu Che had guessed. He replied calmly: "Returning to the report home, I thought that what Tingwei said was true. Those who kill must die. This is the iron law of Emperor Gaozu. What's more, killing the prince and his subordinates is a crime in Henan."
What the county governor did is not dereliction of duty, and I should be impeached!"
Liu Che nodded with satisfaction after hearing this.
Chao Cuo is indeed the same Chao Cuo!
He is worthy of being the ruthless man who pushed for the elimination of vassals in his previous life despite the pressure of the whole world.
However, since Liu Che didn't tell why the officials in Henan County wanted to kill the prince's subordinates, Chao Cuo was naturally smart enough not to ask.
He is not stupid and knows that there must be something ulterior motives here. If not, it may trigger a super storm that sweeps the entire country.
After all, not even a fool can see how rotten the grassroots level of Guandong County is!
Xiapi County is a very vivid example!
Against the backdrop of the continuous cutting of leeks in the Lingyi system, the local tycoons and landowners and officials in Xiapi were able to pull out a rebel army of tens of thousands and swept across the entire Huaihe River Basin. The court actually wanted to mobilize the seven counties of the Three Kingdoms
Only with troops and horses can we contain...
It can only be said that over the years, local problems have gradually become stubborn.
In fact, the imperial court is not unaware of these issues.
It's just that everyone buries their heads in the sand, pretending not to see or listen, and refuse to speak out until they die.
Anyway, no matter how serious these problems are, they cannot harm them. Those who suffer are just mud-legged people. What does it have to do with us?
Liu Che looked at Chao Cuo and then at Zhao Yu.
Originally, he thought that Chao Cuo and Zhao Yu might ask him what happened that caused all this, so that he could throw away the blank papers he was holding now.
However, now I see Zhao Yu and Chao Cuo with their heads lowered and their bodies bowed.
Liu Che sighed deeply in his heart.
How could he not understand that these guys, probably like Zhang Tang, adopted a strategy similar to turning a blind eye to the difficulties faced by the people, but I just couldn't listen, right?
"Hehe..." Liu Che sneered in his heart, and he suddenly said to Chao Cuo: "There is something I want you to know. In June of this year, the lone general will be tested again. This time, there will be no threshold and the test will be cancelled.
Regarding the property limit, I have already discussed this matter with my father and received the royal approval!"
When Chao Cuo heard this, he felt a mixture of emotions that he couldn't describe.
The restriction on accrual was probably a unique feature of the Han Dynasty.
According to Liu Bang's regulations, if you want to be an official, you can, but there are prerequisites. The prerequisite is that you must have a fortune of more than 100,000 yuan!
This is a rigid rule, and it is also the fundamental policy that determines that the Western Han Dynasty belongs to the elite, aristocratic and wealthy class.
This is similar to how Europe in later generations stipulated the property and income of electors in the early days of the republican system after the industrial revolution.
This shows that the ruling class must and must all come from families above the middle class. Coupled with the harsh recommendation system, the upward path for the bottom has almost been blocked.
It is almost impossible for a farmer’s son to make progress through studying!
Just look at Liu Che's ministers and you will know.
Ji An was from a family of officials who had been officials for generations, and Yan Yi's family was even more impressive, with thousands of hectares of fertile land and countless beautiful maids. Even the worst-off master, Fu Yan, was not a white man, and his family was also a landlord.
Even Yang Yi, a disciple of the Mohist family, is a standard rich second generation!
Liu Che's subordinates were all like this. You can imagine who the Manchu civil and military officials, local governors, and county magistrates were.
Trying to rely on a bunch of powerful landlords, aristocrats and noble businessmen to care for the common people is impossible even if you think about it!
This is the main reason why people's lives are becoming increasingly difficult, land annexation continues to increase, people's livelihoods are unsustainable, and officials impose excessive taxes and deceive others.
The emperor will never hear the voices from the lowest level. The policies introduced to benefit farmers are like lofts in the sky. The so-called light corvee and small taxes naturally become a medicine that treats the symptoms but not the root cause. It can only delay the contradiction but cannot solve the problem.
Fortunately, the Liu family is not stupid. Each generation of princes will be deliberately released to let them go deep into the people, interact with heroes from all over the world, drink with the three religions and nine streams, more or less, know some things, and will not be treated like a monkey by the courtiers.
.
Chao Cuo opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something.
But Liu Che turned his back, put his hands behind his back and began to recite: "People don't worry about being unwise, they don't worry about being deceitful, they don't worry about being brave, they don't worry about being violent! They don't worry about not being rich, they don't worry about being tired of death.
That’s right! He is an honest man, and his few desires are easy to satisfy. Now I am willing to serve as an official for more than ten people. I dare to ask you, what do you want from an honest man?"
This was really a high-minded counterattack, and it instantly blocked any possibility of Chao Cuo's argument.
"Master Yushi and the Tingwei please go back first!" Liu Che said with his back on his back: "Zhonglang will stay, but I have something to talk to General Zhonglang!"
"No!" Chao Cuo and Zhao Yu looked at each other, and both saw a hint of worry in the other's eyes.
The abolition of accrual restrictions will inevitably have a long-lasting and far-reaching impact on the current political structure.
However, both of them knew that this matter was probably a foregone conclusion.
The Emperor of the Liu family rarely changes things once they are decided, not to mention that this matter is something that the Emperor of the Liu family has been thinking about and exploring.
Expanding the source of officials, supporting the middle class, and suppressing powerful nobles have been Liu's national policy since the late emperor, and it is a policy that will not change!
After sending Chao Cuo and Zhao Yu away, Liu Che turned around and looked at Zhidu.
These days, when Liu Che was repeatedly discussing the examination matters with the emperor's father, he once asked the emperor's father, "If there is a big issue and the ministers are undecided, who can they consult with?"
Zhidu is the name mentioned by the emperor's father.
In other words, in the eyes of the emperor's father, neither Zhou Yafu nor Chao Cuo is as trustworthy as Zhi Du.
Because, these people may have selfish desires, but Zhidu will never have them!
He is the emperor's eagle dog, Liu's hunting dog, and a ruthless law enforcer.
He will carry out the emperor's orders without compromise.
Whether it's killing people or saving people...
Therefore, if you have some words that are not convenient to tell others, you can tell them to Zhidu, and Zhidu will be the mouthpiece to pass them on to the emperor.
Especially something like today.
Liu Che ran to the palace to report it himself, which was too conspicuous!
It would be much better if the voice was conveyed through Zhidu. At least, there wouldn't be too many eyes staring at Zhidu.
What happened in Henan County, Liu Che knew how sensitive it was. It is no exaggeration to say that if the lid was lifted, he might even burn his own hands!
Liu Che didn't believe that such a thing happened only in Henan County!
In the entire Guandong County, similar things should exist, but the severity is different.
In the words recorded by Yang Feng, the complaints of rural farmers were mentioned many times, and there was no one who did not complain that the government collected too many taxes and life became increasingly difficult! (To be continued, please search Piaotian Literature, the novel is better and updated faster !
ps: Note: According to the unearthed Han bamboo slips, during the Jing Emperor period, some places already collected Fu four times a year... Ahem, some crazy guys collected Fu eight times a year...
ps:
Life is good when there is internet, but I will go back to Guangxi on the 2nd...
So the update won't be too fast for the time being, and I'll probably be able to stabilize it after the 3rd.
Then, I went to the hospital for a CT scan today. Damn it, I have cervical spondylosis and bone hyperplasia. It’s so scary. The most terrifying thing is that I also have problems with my lumbar spine...
