The inner hall was empty, with Fu Yuanlong sitting on the main seat and Xu Chong standing at the foot of the hall with his hands down.
"That's probably what happened."
Fu Yuanlong rubbed his temples and said, "Tell me, how to end it now."
He has completely calmed down.
With Sun Yourong gone, it has become an indisputable fact that Xueyiwei has lost the important bargaining chip that he instinctively held.
For such a big responsibility, at least it would be dismissal and investigation.
The top priority is to find a solution, the rest is unimportant.
"Your Excellency, are you worried about the court's accountability?"
Xu Chong's eyes were steady and his voice was neither humble nor arrogant. "This matter was all caused by the official's negligence. I am willing to write a letter to explain my fault, so that I will not implicate you."
"Don't say it's useless."
Fu Yuanlong smiled disdainfully: "This is not something you can afford if you want to."
"That water ghost, why is he called Zhou? Zhou Ze, yes."
Fu Yuanlong knocked on the table, "How much do you know about him?"
"The official has already checked the file."
Xu Chong opened his mouth to answer. "Zhou Ze was selected by the Ministry of Civil Affairs thirteen years ago and was appointed to Canglong, where he has served as the chief registrar until now."
"During these thirteen years, Zhou Ze had neither any major faults nor any political achievements."
"Thirteen years ago..."
Fu Yuanlong became depressed, "It seems that he was coerced and not a rebel."
If so, in addition to his fault for letting Sun Yourong go, he would also be charged with not investigating and being cowardly.
The situation is not optimistic.
"No, I think it's just the opposite."
Xu Chong said eloquently, "It is these thirteen years of tenure that show that Zhou Ze has a problem."
"Huh?"
Fu Yuanlong perked up and said, "Tell me carefully."
"Yes."
Xu Chong bowed his hands and started talking.
"In the first nine years, Zhou Zeli passed the exam three times, and his evaluations were all competent."
"No matter what method he used, it stands to reason that the ninth-year general examination should be normal at best."
"But Zhou Ze's comments on the general examination were incompetent."
"And in the twelfth year, his passing the exam turned into being competent."
Before he finished speaking, Fu Yuanlong's brows furrowed tightly.
Daqing's local officials take the exam once every three years, and there are three grades: competent, ordinary, and incompetent.
Those who are incompetent will be dismissed from their posts to serve the people, those who are ordinary will be demoted and retained, and those who are competent will remain in their original posts.
Every nine years, there is another general examination in Fucheng. Those who pass the three examinations are all qualified. Those who are qualified in the general examination will be promoted, those who are ordinary will be transferred, and those who are not qualified will stay in office.
Under normal circumstances, those who can pass the exam three times should be ordinary, and be transferred to another place at the same level, and continue to pass the exam in the next round.
But Zhou Ze got an incompetent job.
It can be said that Zhou Ze, the chief clerk, got worse as he worked, but after passing the general examination, he became competent again.
No matter how you look at it, there is something fishy.
Fu Yuanlong's eyes shone, "Continue talking."
"Zhou Ze's exam is entirely in the hands of the county magistrate Wu Wenjing. If Zhou Ze is a water ghost..."
"Coercion!"
Fu Yuanlong stood up suddenly, "Wu Wenjing was coerced by him and had to give a competent assessment!"
"That's the only way it makes sense."
Xu Chong nodded.
"So... he plans to start from the chief secretary and work his way up to the imperial court? And Tong Kao's incompetence is because he cannot intimidate the officials in the city..."
Fu Yuanlong continued following this line of thought, and soon frowned, "But in this case, why would he continue to stay in Canglong after the general examination? He has already wasted one nine years, and he plans to get another nine years.
Are you going to gamble next year?"
"What if Zhou Ze's incompetence in the General Examination was not something he couldn't do, but something he did deliberately?"
Xu Chong asked back.
"Uh...what do you mean?"
Fu Yuanlong failed to understand.
"In other words, is it possible that Zhou Ze's goal from the beginning was to stay in Canglong?"
Xu Chong was a little tired, secretly thinking that the reflex arc of grabbing people was really long.
"You mean..."
Fu Yuanlong was horrified and finally reacted, "Canglong County has what Taiping Road needs!"
"Unable to determine."
Xu Chong shook his head, "Everything is just the inference of the lower official. It is also possible that Zhou Ze is not a rebel, but just an ordinary bookkeeper."
"Not a rebel?"
After Fu Yuanlong pondered for a moment, he said firmly: "No! He must be a rebel."
Are you kidding?
Not a rebel?
If he wasn't a rebel, wouldn't he have to resist his mistakes?
Vice versa.
If Xu Chong’s inference is the truth, he may even have merit and demerit!
Can a new generation of Taiping Taoists be compared with more than ten years of conspiracy?
Obviously not.
It’s really another village where everything is bright and clear!
Thinking of this, Fu Yuanlong immediately waved his hand and said, "Go and search Zhou Ze's residence. Don't miss anything. If you find anything, report it immediately."
Everything is ready now, except for the lack of evidence that Zhou Ze is a rebel.
"Yes."
Xu Chong bowed and accepted the order.
Fu Yuanlong watched Xu Chong leave, thankful that he had resisted the murderous intention at that time.
What is talent?
This is fucking talent!
He works seriously and his brain is so good.
"Well... I have to find a way to conquer him completely."
Fu Yuanlong ponders.
………
Mountain trails.
Zhou Ze's face was tense, and he walked at a measured pace, not daring to go faster or slower.
The reason why he didn't dare to relax even though he was extremely tired was the woman in a white dress ten steps away.
Time goes back to half a day ago.
Wu Wenjing and Zhou Ze were playing chess in the backyard of the county government office, discussing how to deal with Fu Yuanlong.
It was raining, and someone suddenly appeared behind Wu Wenjing, and silently landed a palm.
Wu Wenjing died like this.
Before Zhou Ze could react, he heard a voice without any emotion.
"Do you want to die or live?"
Just kidding.
Do you think Zhou Ze is scared?
Zhou Ze: "I want to live."
He dared to kill a seventh-grade official without any reason. Apart from being a traitor, he could not think of any other possibility.
So he cooperated very well and was kidnapped, and even put on a strange outfit.
At that time, Zhou Ze felt that although this female rebel was a bit eccentric, at least he was luckier than Wu Wenjing, and at least he still had a chance to choose.
Wu Wenjing died before he could even say a word.
However, this kind of lucky mentality could only be maintained until Fu Yuanlong appeared.
Hasn’t Fu Yuanlong been chasing this rebel thief for a long time? He must be stronger than the rebel thief, right? Why not take action?
Zhou Ze didn’t understand very much.
In the end, I finally understood it after combining it with the line of blood characters.
He was used as a gun.
The water ghost in the character "Xing Xing" should be dressed in a coir raincoat and bamboo hat.
The real water ghost is probably more powerful than Fu Yuanlong.
Otherwise, Fu Yuanlong will never back down.
I am being treated as a rebel!
Zhou Ze's heart was churning endlessly, filled with extreme unwillingness and resentment.
If he were not inferior to others, he would have used all the cruelest methods in the world on this female rebel.
Toenail extraction, nose pinching, tongue pulling, ear cutting, skin peeling...
Just as he was thinking this, the figure in front of him suddenly stopped.