[Zhou Zhenwen's words made the two officials, who regarded themselves as Qingliu, froze on the spot and found it difficult to recover for a long time. 】
[The two opened their mouths, wanting to say something, but nothing came out. 】
[Zhou Zhenwen’s words had a huge impact on their hearts. 】
[The dialogue between them is unprecedented in history...]
When the empress Liang Zhao saw this scene, why wasn't she like this?
Empress Liang Zhao was trained by the late emperor since she was a child. She read poetry and history books. She had always hated corrupt officials and believed that the country's downfall was due to them.
Corrupt officials should be killed like Emperor Wu.
Anyone who dares to make money will be implicated in the nine tribes, and their heads will be rolling, until they dare not be greedy, and they don't even dare to think about it!
However, facts have proven that corrupt people have emerged in endlessly throughout the dynasties. Even scholars who have read the books of sages will gradually forget their original intentions, become greedy, and become beasts after putting on this official robe.
Empress Liang Zhao always believed that those scholars who studied hard for more than ten years, from county examinations, government examinations, hospital examinations, provincial examinations, general examinations, palace examinations, to the imperial court, their initial wish was never to become a corrupt official and enjoy glory. Wealthy and noble, they became treacherous ministers, but in the end they all became the people they hated the most.
I would rather bear the infamy, be greedy, amass power, and climb up by any means necessary.
The dragon slayer will eventually become a dragon.
Empress Liang looked at the scene in the Sims and looked at Zhou Zhenwen, whom she considered a traitor to the country. She did not agree with some of his arguments, but she approved of his actions.
Empress Liang Zhao had to admit that the chief minister of the cabinet who formed cliques for personal gain and was greedy for power and money did have very strong abilities.
This kind of ability is not available to the princes of the imperial court.
He is greedy for power and wealth, and he forms cliques for personal gain, but his ability is truly unmatched.
Empress Liang Zhao has never seen such a cabinet chief minister.
"Zhou Zhenwen, Zhou Zhenwen, you are really a... strange minister?"
"What on earth should I do to you?"
Empress Liang Zhao originally planned to be like the empress in The Sims, she couldn't wait to get rid of Zhou Zhenwen, prove her ability to the empress dowager, and let the empress dowager delegate power to herself, and truly be the master of the family and control the imperial power.
But now it is discovered that if Zhou Zhenwen dies and there is a famine in Qingzhou, I am afraid that other ministers will be replaced. The amount of disaster relief funds sent by these courts will reach Qingzhou. I am afraid that not even one out of ten will be saved.
As a result, how many more people will die in Qingzhou?
"Although one-third of these disaster relief funds are still misappropriated by these officials, large and small, compared with not saving one out of ten, at least two-thirds of the disaster relief funds are left to reach the disaster area..."
"From this point of view, greed is actually right?"
"How ironic!"
If it was normal to embezzle disaster relief funds and reach such an amount, Empress Liang Zhao would definitely be furious and want to kill these officials, confiscate their homes and exterminate their clans. But this time, after understanding Zhou Zhenwen's good intentions, she felt that she had to follow authority in a hurry and could be forgiven.
Compared to the life and death of the victims, she could endure these trivial details.
Empress Liang Zhao suddenly remembered what the late emperor once said, "You must use treacherous ministers, powerful ministers, capable ministers, and loyal ministers. Not only must you use them, but you must also make them check and balance each other, so as to ensure the stability of the country."
"With only treacherous ministers, the court will be in danger and the country will perish."
"There are only powerful ministers, and the imperial power may be in danger of overthrowing if it falls to the side."
"With only capable ministers, strong branches and weak trunks, the imperial authority cannot be restored, which is not a long-term solution."
"Only loyal ministers. If there is a wise emperor, a wise emperor and wise ministers, the court will naturally be stable. If the emperor is dull and the loyal ministers are ignorant, it will be difficult to continue."
"Only treacherous ministers, powerful ministers, capable ministers, and loyal ministers work together to check and balance each other. This is the long-term way."
Empress Liang Zhao sighed quietly: "Hey, Father, is this the reason why you didn't kill Zhou Zhenwen? Do you have to use it to treacherous ministers and corrupt officials..."
The scene of the Sims continued, and when the scene changed, the empress Liang Zhao's perspective came to Zhou Zhenwen's mansion.
[Steward of Zhou Mansion: Master, everything is ready. 】
[Zhou Zhenwen: Then let’s go! Use waterways to transport things to disaster areas. 】
[Steward of Zhou Mansion: Yes, sir. 】
"Huh? What is this Zhou Zhenwen doing?"
"What is he sending to the disaster area?"
Empress Liang Zhao frowned slightly. She didn't quite understand. It was already this time, what else was he going to do?
Soon, as the scene changed, the time came to more than ten days later.
Zhou Zhenwen and others led the imperial troops and grain transport teams to arrive in Qingzhou after traveling day and night.
[Everything is just as Zhou Zhenwen said, the victims are like locusts. Wherever they pass, grass roots, tree bark, and everything else that can be eaten are eaten up. 】
[Victims from all over the country moved towards the prefectures and counties according to their instincts. They all knew that there must be food in the prefecture. 】
[With the efforts of Zhou Zhenwen and two court officials, mountains of bran and fodder were transported to various gathering places for the victims. Under the control of soldiers and horses, the victims lined up one after another to receive the food. 】
[The famine in Qingzhou has been temporarily brought under control. 】
Seeing this scene, Empress Liang Zhao breathed a sigh of relief and murmured: "Fortunately, Zhou Zhenwen is here, otherwise these disaster relief funds may not reach the victims..."
In the scene deduced by The Sims, wealthy families and state and county officials from all over Qingzhou sent people to pretend to be disaster victims in an attempt to defraud them of relief food. However, when they saw the bran and fodder, they couldn't swallow it, and Zhou Zhenwen sent people to arrest them all. Caught.
In order to prevent these people from continuing to have other ideas about the disaster relief food, Zhou Zhenwen led his troops and personally visited the major aristocratic families.
Zhou Zhenwen brought all the copper coins distributed by the court, including many mysterious boxes that he asked the officials to arrange for transportation to Qingzhou.
[Clan Chief Gongsun: Lord Chief Assistant, what a great official power? He personally led his troops to visit. Are you planning to bloodbath our Gongsun clan? 】
[The heads of several aristocratic families also looked at each other angrily, with unkind expressions, and were ready to take action if they disagreed with each other. 】
When the empress Liang Zhao saw this scene, she couldn't help but feel nervous in her heart.
[Zhou Zhenwen: You are all aristocratic and powerful families in Qingzhou. Whether it is reputation, status or strength, you are the pillars of Qingzhou. How could Zhou dare to attack you? 】
[Clan Chief Gongsun: What does Lord Shouxu mean? 】
[Zhou Zhenwen: Zhou hopes that you will understand the righteousness and help the court survive this famine. 】
[Clan Chief Gongsun: Sir, you asked us to donate, and we donated. You asked us to donate grain, and we also donated. Before you, the Qingzhou Prefect also asked us to donate grain, and we also donated. We have done our best to the imperial court. 】
[Nowadays, we are also very poor and don’t have much food, so we really can’t donate it. 】
[Zhou Zhenwen asked his men to open all the boxes. 】
[Densely packed copper coins and pieces of gold bars appeared in front of the eyes of all the family heads. 】
[Zhou Zhenwen first pointed to these boxes containing copper coins: These are the disaster relief funds distributed by the court, one hundred thousand taels of silver. I exchanged them all for copper plates, bran, and fodder. After adding the consumption these days, there are still thirty-eight thousand taels left. Thousands of copper coins. 】
[Zhou Zhenwen pointed to these gold bars again: These are the silver I earned in recent years. I exchanged them all for gold bars, a total of one hundred thousand taels of gold. 】
[Clan Chief Gongsun: Lord Chief Assistant, what do you mean? 】
[Zhou Zhenwen: This money is yours. Add in the money earned from manipulating food prices during this period, you should be satisfied enough, right? 】
[The face of the Gongsun clan leader changed: What exactly do you want to say? 】
[Zhou Zhenwen: There are only two ways before you. One, accept the money and take out all the stored grain, bran, and fodder to relieve the victims. At the same time, purchase grain from the other twelve states to help The imperial court will completely solve this famine. 】
[Second, if you refuse, I will take the relatives of Qingzhou Prefecture and local officials out of Qingzhou. At the same time, I will stop the distribution of relief grains, open the weapons depot, and tell the victims the locations of your family's granaries and clan ancestral halls. Tell them, It was you who controlled food prices that ruined their families. 】
[What will happen then? You know very well...]
[If the disaster relief fails, I will be dismissed from office or exiled to Lingnan when I return to the capital. But you will be hit hard by the crazy victims, and hundreds of years of foundation will be destroyed. 】
[We will die together, we will die together. 】
