[ps: Regarding the time of going to court, as mentioned in the previous article, Emperor Jing was considerate of all officials, so the time of going to court was postponed by one hour. The real time of going to court in ancient times was very early. ]
"You are so brave!"
The official whose name he just named has been taken down by the guards who came in from outside. Emperor Jing looked down, his face extremely gloomy, "In a few years, hundreds of thousands of taels of silver... I am not raising an official.
You’re raising a bunch of moths!”
"I am guilty, please forgive me!"
"Your Majesty, please have mercy!"
"Your Majesty, have mercy!"
…
…
At this moment, no one had any illusions about this matter. Nearly ten people fell to their knees on the ground, wailing loudly and bursting into tears.
A trace of tiredness appeared on Emperor Jing's face, and he waved his hand and said: "Remove these people's official positions, first take them to Dali Temple, search their property, and put all the proceeds into the national treasury!"
Soon, those people were taken away by the guards. The courtiers below were all silent, looking at the ground, not daring to raise their heads.
The person whose name was named by His Majesty just now has reached the highest official rank of the fourth rank, and a little higher is the level of six ministers. In recent years, this is the first time that such a large-scale dismissal of officials has occurred.
And judging from His Majesty's appearance, this is just the beginning.
Could it be that His Majesty is really determined to subvert the entire court?
"Yesterday, the Institute of Accountancy sent the results of the account verification to the palace." Emperor Jing turned around, walked upwards, sat back on the throne, and said: "I have been looking through the accounts one by one all night long... I am very happy.
Sad..."
Hearing His Majesty's voice sink, the hearts of many courtiers also sank.
Judging from the previous situation, any problematic accounts cannot be hidden from the students of the accounting college. Doesn’t it mean that all evidence of corruption among Beijing officials is in the hands of His Majesty?
Thinking of this, even those officials with a clear conscience feel a chill down their backs.
As for those who feel guilty, they are already a little unsteady on their feet.
Is it really impossible to escape this time?
…
…
"Boy, you are the one your Majesty trusts the most. This time, does your Majesty really intend to catch all those people?" General Xue pushed Li Yi and asked with a frown.
The old emperor was talking so loudly just now that he couldn't sleep. Li Yi had actually woken up. Hearing the words, he opened his eyes and said, "What will your Majesty do? The generals don't know, right?"
General Ma waved his hand and said: "Your Majesty's behavior these days is very different from before. Even some of us can't figure it out. Don't be pretentious, tell me quickly..."
Li Yi shook his head and said: "How could your Majesty watch the court being in chaos? Don't worry, generals."
General Xue stared and asked, "Do you really know the inside story?"
"Shhh..." Li Yi raised a finger and whispered: "This time, it depends on the generals whether they can seize the opportunity..."
After a while, General Xue looked happy and asked: "Is this true?"
Li Yi asked: "When have I deceived several generals?"
"Good boy..." Old General Xue patted his shoulder and rubbed his palms, his eyes shining brightly.
A faint aroma wafted from his side. Her Royal Highness the Princess stood beside him and asked, "Is there anything good going on?"
During the morning court, the only woman who could enter this hall was Her Royal Highness. Li Yi thought about it and felt that the eldest princess still had to take her with her. Just as he was about to speak, another figure approached him.
…
…
"Feng Yuan, the left minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was born in a poor family. He failed in the imperial examination. I hired him as an exception. He has been promoted single-handedly over the past fifteen years. The minister of household affairs is in charge of money and food. Do you know how much he has been greedy for?
Ten thousand taels, a total of 150,000 taels!"
"Do you know that the Minister of the Ministry of War and the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue almost fought in front of me for the military expenditure of 50,000 taels, which is not enough for Feng Yuan to be greedy for a year!"
"You may not know Chen Ying, the chief of the Du branch, but I remember clearly that he was a Jinshi in the eighth year of Yuanhe. In the tenth year of Yuanhe, I promoted him to be the chief of the Du branch, with a salary of 80,000 taels, and in three years, 80,000 taels..."
Emperor Jing's voice gradually turned from grief and anger to sadness. Among the courtiers below, some were pale and trembling, while others had a look of shame on their faces.
"It's not that you people here don't have problems. You are not much better than the people I just captured. You are touching your own conscience. Do you still have a conscience?"
…
…
After a while, as if he was tired of talking, Emperor Jing sat back on the throne with some dejection and said: "I've finished speaking, it's your turn."
Most of the courtiers still lowered their heads, and the whole hall was silent.
At this time, whoever speaks first will be the first to face His Majesty's wrath.
"I have something to say."
In such silence, an unhurried voice came from behind a pillar.
Looking at the young man walking out from behind the pillar, surprise and confusion appeared on everyone's faces.
Uncle Li County is actually Uncle Li County!
This audit of the accounts was completed by students from the School of Accountancy. As the dean of the School of Accountancy, and the person with the most holy ties in the court, he could have stayed out of the matter, but he stood up at this moment. What on earth did he want to do?
?
Doesn't he know that His Majesty is angry and whoever gets ahead will be the unlucky one?
Among the crowd, Li Mingze, the Minister of Civil Affairs, raised his head with a worried look on his face, Yan Bing, the Minister of War, frowned slightly, and Dong Wenyun, the Yin of Jingzhao, glanced at him in surprise, and there were also gloating looks from several corners.
"Say." Emperor Jing glanced down and said calmly.
"Your Majesty." Li Yi raised his head and said: "It has been half a month since the opening of the School of Mathematical Sciences. In order to create a good learning environment for students, I want to dig an inner lake in the School of Mathematical Sciences. However, the school has insufficient budget.
Therefore, I would like to apply for a grant from His Majesty..."
Before he finished speaking, many people in the hall were already stunned.
Are we talking about digging the lake now?
Your Majesty is talking about corruption. What does it have to do with digging lakes?
To put it bluntly, what does digging the lake have to do with the study of college students?
Does County Uncle Li really think that relying on His Majesty's respect, he can be so presumptuous in the court?
Before they could react, another figure came out. General Xue said in a rough voice: "I am bold and want to ask your Majesty to allocate one hundred thousand taels to purchase a new batch of ordnance for the frontline soldiers..."
Li Yi glanced at General Xue and said, "One hundred thousand taels." Jiang is still old and spicy, and his heart is also old and cruel...
Before everyone could figure out why General Xue wanted to join in the fun, another voice came from the palace. Her Royal Highness the Princess stepped forward and said: "I have been ordered to build a women's college, and the funds are temporarily short of 50,000 taels..."
Prince Ning's son Li Xuan, the president of the Academy of Sciences, stepped forward and said: "The Academy of Sciences is about to open, and I would like to apply to your Majesty for a research fund of 50,000 taels..."
…
…
Crazy, all crazy.
This is the most intuitive feeling of the courtiers.
It is precisely because of the tight national treasury that there is this inventory of accounts and His Majesty's thunderous wrath.
If you say something like this at this time, aren't you asking for death?
Uncle Li County is suffering from hysteria, and General Xue is confused and understandable, but why do His Royal Highness the Princess and His Highness the Crown Prince come to join in the fun?
Immediately, many people in the court changed their expressions, and many had gloating expressions on their faces.
The next moment, Emperor Jing stood up, and with everyone watching, he slowly said: "New arithmetic is very important to our country, Jing. The soldiers are fighting the enemy at the front, and weapons are indispensable. The establishment of a women's college is also a matter for the benefit of women.
The research of the Academy of Sciences is beneficial to the country... However, the national treasury is tight and money needs to be spent on the most important places..."
Emperor Jing thought for a while and said: "The national treasury cannot be used without authorization. Let's do this. I will withdraw ten thousand taels from the inner palace. As for how to distribute it, you can discuss it yourself."
Old General Xue said quickly: "Your Majesty, you must not do this. The inner government is responsible for the expenses of the palace. You must not confuse these with these."
Emperor Jing waved his hand and said: "It doesn't matter, the standard of banquets in the palace will be lowered by one level in the future, and I can save some money from other places."
All the courtiers in the palace looked astonished, but His Majesty successfully took over the topic without any reproach?
Compared with these things, the accounting issue that almost caused the court to collapse seems to be more important, right?
Among the many courtiers, a middle-aged official suddenly came to his senses. The next moment, his breathing became short and his face turned red.
He took a deep breath, strode forward, and said righteously: "Your Majesty, the inner government is responsible for the expenses of the palace. It has been carefully planned. The expenses must not be reduced. As a minister, I should share your worries for your majesty.
, I am willing to donate 20,000 taels to our Jingguo soldiers!"
Many officials in the court were stunned for a moment. After looking at each other, they finally seemed to realize something. Immediately, many people's faces became excited...
