The Dayan Dynasty had regulations that officials were not allowed to serve in the place where they were born. Therefore, it was impossible for Xia Zhou to serve as county magistrate in the place where his family was.
But Shen Shikang's intention in asking this was not here, his purpose was still behind.
"Exactly!" Xia Qing saw that the emperor did not stop him. Although he felt that Shen Shikang was troublesome, he had to answer his question.
"Well, I have a question, I wonder if Sir Chief Assistant can help me clear it up." Shen Shikang looked sternly, his eyes gleaming when he looked at Xia Qing.
"How much money did your tribe Xia Zhou embezzle? How did he embezzle money? Other subordinates think it is not important. You should explain this clearly first."
When Xia Qing heard this, he was not in a hurry to answer. He wiped his tears with a handkerchief, but he was thinking in his heart, what amount would the emperor be satisfied with?
He thought for a moment and felt that he couldn't say too much, but he couldn't say too little either. Otherwise, the emperor would not leave him any room.
"In Yishui County, he accepted bribes from some merchants in the name of a minor official, and also colluded with other merchants to murder merchants who had interests with them. These patriarchs did not go into details in their letters, but only gave a general outline. "
He knew this Xia Zhou well. Previously, Xia Zhou's parents were very close to his parents and they were very good at flattering each other, so the two families moved around quite frequently.
Later, his parents passed away one after another, and their contact with him gradually faded away.
However, this Xia Zhou was a very good man. He came to his house several times and gave him some new year's gifts from the clan.
This person is very polite and eloquent. In the name of giving New Year's gifts, he has given him many benefits in private.
Because he comes every year and the gifts he gives are very expensive. Xia Qing specially sent someone to inquire about this person, and then he knew the general situation of this person.
This man made a lot of money in Yishui County through his reputation, so naturally more and more people pay him filial piety every year.
In this regard, for the sake of money, he turned a blind eye.
The reason why he was chosen was that he was familiar with the source of his money. If the emperor sent someone to Yishui County to verify, he would not be afraid.
Secondly, it was because he was greedy for the most money. If he wanted to satisfy the emperor, it would be impossible to get too little money.
Xia Zhou had been greedy a lot over the years, and the filial piety given to him must have been only part of it, not even half of it.
Before, he restrained himself because he was afraid that the imperial censor would stare at him. He planned to deal with this person slowly in the future, and had to make more oil and water come out. Unexpectedly, now he has taken advantage of the emperor.
"How much is that? Did the head of your family mention it?" Shen Shikang became a little anxious when he saw that Xia Qing was still trying to pass things off.
If there is too much money, the emperor may punish Xia Qing as well. If Xia Qing hides it, it will definitely be exposed in the future.
The emperor had no choice but to send an imperial envoy to investigate the case. Xia Zhou himself accepted bribes, but what about his superior? Did the magistrate of Yishui County not know about it at all?
"It's about one hundred thousand taels. I've sent someone to send a letter back overnight, and I'm going to interrogate this person."
Xia Qing thought about it for a while and then came up with this number.
"Huh? One hundred thousand taels? That much?"
As soon as Xia Qing said these words, there was an uproar in the palace. None of these people expected that a small county magistrate would allow him to covet so much money.
When the emperor heard this, he immediately turned pale. He didn't expect that the Xia family could come up with so much money. It seems that in the past few years, the Xia family, relying on Xia Qing's official position in the court, was able to embezzle so much money.
"Are you sure it's one hundred thousand taels? Huh! A small county magistrate has the guts to covet so many taels of silver, and he's not afraid of the silver taels biting his hand."
The emperor snorted coldly. He did not expect that Xia Qing would be so willing this time. It can be seen that Xia Qing really has nothing to do this time.
"Then why didn't your clan leader report it to you earlier? What happened to this person now? Does the magistrate of Yishui County know about this?"
When Shen Shikang heard that there were so many silver coins, he couldn't help but feel excited.
One hundred thousand taels! If it were filled into the national treasury, it would be able to sustain the imperial court's expenses for a while.
Then, he suddenly had another idea. The old man wanted to solve the border salary issue!
He settled one hundred thousand taels by himself, and the Ministry of Revenue had no reason to rely on him for the remaining money.
Shen Shikang couldn't help but secretly hate that Xia Qing was really cruel!
He could even abandon his clan members, and Xia Zhou would definitely give him a lot of money every year as a filial piety. Now when something happens, he will cross the river and demolish the bridge and push him out as a scapegoat.
"This Xia Zhou is not serving in the county where his family is located. How could my clan know about it? It is impossible for him to do this blatantly. The clan leader only learned about it from an acquaintance."
Xia Qing was a little annoyed at Shen Shikang's insistence on not letting go. But at this moment, he couldn't have an attack again, so he could only endure it.
"Hmph! Let me ask you, did the magistrate of Yishui County know that he accepted so much money as a bribe? Did the magistrate of Yingnan Prefecture ever know?"
The emperor does not believe that a county magistrate has such great ability. If it were not for the protection of officials, how could this person be so successful?
The magistrate of Yishui County accepted a lot even though he couldn't help it, and the magistrate of Yingnan Prefecture also needed to check.
"Back to the emperor, the patriarch is a commoner, so how dare he go and investigate these two adults? He stated in the letter that he only found a reason to tie Xia Zhou at home, and outsiders do not know the real reason."
After Xia Qing made plans, he had already made arrangements, and the magistrate of Yishui County was also greedy.
This time they uprooted him, and he had to push the county magistrate out to block him, so that he could atone for his sins.
Xia Zhou's weight alone may not satisfy the emperor.
"Xia Aiqing! Is there anyone in your clan who is colluding with this person? Don't hide it and protect your clan members!"
The emperor's words made Xia Qing jump with fear. Is the emperor still not satisfied? Many people in his clan have dirty hands and feet, and he can't possibly push them all out.
Xia Qing quickly explained: "Your Majesty, Xia Zhou has not had much contact with the clan. The letter shows that his family is not aware of this matter."
Xia Qing finally felt a little guilty in his heart. He had already stated in the letter he sent back that leaving a legitimate son of Xia Zhou would be regarded as leaving a bloodline for him.
At the same time, it also let Xia Zhou know what should be said and what should not be said.
All the account books related to him were destroyed, and this person could no longer implicate him. The clan leader would definitely do what he said, and he was not worried about this.
"Since he has plundered so much money, he must be involved in a wide range of things. Why was he only exposed now? Xia Aiqing, it seems that you are well-known. Who dares not to give you face?"
The emperor sneered, looking at Xia Qing his eyes were no longer calm.
"Your Majesty! Weichen is wronged! Weichen has not returned to his hometown for a long time, and he is unaware of what his clan has done. This time, it was the clan leader who wrote a letter and reported it that made him aware of the matter." 11