"Master Su," at this moment, a confidant suddenly walked up to him and bowed, "I don't think Prime Minister Liu will investigate the case of the Ministry of Industry with great fanfare to make us feel vigilant. Of course. It’s better to start somewhere else and follow the clues.”
After hearing this, everyone stopped making noise and nodded one after another. Su Zongshan was somewhat interested when he heard what he said, so he raised his hand and said, "Continue talking."
"Since last month, many foreign officials have come to rely on you, either for bribes or transfers, and all their wishes have been met. Those people are no better than our Beijing officials. They have to ask you before doing anything. Say hello, but often you can't control it, and without a pair of eyes watching you, you start to act wildly. It's just a disaster to the local people. It's a common thing for an official to break the bones and suck out the marrow. But you are afraid that they will use your banner. , if you act beyond your authority, I'm afraid there will be problems if you investigate. So the most important thing now is to contact officials from other places as soon as possible to learn about the situation there, so as to avoid being taken advantage of. As for the several public cases in the court, let's leave them aside for the time being. For the best.”
It was rare to meet a reasonable and sensible person. Su Zongshan was overjoyed and did not find fault with him in detail. He immediately confirmed the plan and sent people to the nearby state capital overnight to inform his party members of the changes in the court and ask them to Be restrained during this period and don't let others take advantage of you.
But Niu Yuan's movements must be one step faster after all. He obtained Liu Zhennian's consent early, and quickly ordered Lu Yingshan, the deputy imperial commander who was on leave at home, to enter Shi Xiushen's camp and take over the old ministry. He sent soldiers to send messages to the governors of various provinces and arrest the "suspicious party members" within a time limit.
Lu Yingshan's mission was to conduct reconnaissance, and all his soldiers were agile and fast. That night, they picked a few fast horses, took the official road, and ran in all directions.
One day later, at dawn, Su Zongshan's confidants had only walked halfway cautiously. Some of the Forbidden Army had already arrived in Henan and Shanxi. They met with the local governors and solemnly stated their future intentions. The governor knew the background of his subordinates very well, how could he not know who his subordinates were? Normally I am still afraid of them, but today I see that Prime Minister Liu is not willing to protect them, how can I let go of this God-given opportunity? The governor of Henan was the most opinionated and the most ruthless. After only waiting and watching for two days, he was sure that the person coming was not a test, so he flattered him, hurriedly wrote a list, and called the officers and soldiers to arrest them.
Unfortunately, a confidant sent by Su Zongshan had just arrived today and was having a pleasant chat with the Kaifeng magistrate. Suddenly, he heard a sharp sound outside the door. Officers and soldiers rushed into the room, overturning tables and chairs in a mess, and the two of them With nowhere to hide, they were all captured and thrown into prison for interrogation.
The prefect knew that the evidence was all there and it was difficult to deny it. He was afraid of being beaten up by the government officials, so he honestly confessed to corruption, power manipulation and other crimes and put his hands on the bond. The confidant of the prime minister was not ambitious and was frightened when he saw this situation. His soul was gone, and he just kowtowed to the governor as if he was pounding garlic. However, the governor saw that his whereabouts were suspicious and refused to listen to his plea. He asked the yamen to straighten all his bones. This made the man miserable, and finally revealed Su Zongshan's name. The governor was very happy and quickly received the confession and revised the form to submit a letter.
'Buzz...'
The Western clock in Zhongshu Province suddenly rang. Liu Zhennian glanced sideways there, then turned his gaze back, pressed his hand on the sealed memorial piece, and said with a solemn face: "Everyone, please take a seat."
The hall was filled with officials from all major affairs. Lu Zhixian was the last one to arrive, smiled at everyone, his expression was a little embarrassed, and he quietly sat down on the armchair.
"Today I got a big piece of news from Henan," Liu Zhennian moved his hand on the kraft paper cover, "There must be some of you who dare not listen. Whoever is afraid of hearing it should get out first."
Everyone looked at each other with solemn expressions.
"We are taking care of such a big thing for the Prime Minister, how can we not dare to say anything? It doesn't matter if you just say it." Su Zongshan had already guessed in his heart, so he had to show a weak smile and said bravely.
"Listen to me. I don't like to be long-winded. I only read important things." As he said that, Liu Zhennian opened the cover, took out the memorial, shook it twice, and read aloud: "After investigation, this province has already Sixteen people from Henan were found guilty of corruption and perversion of the law, and one official from a department in the capital... Among them, the prefect of Kaifeng was particularly corrupt. A total of 17 million taels of silver, 1 million taels of gold, and other farm and house servants were confiscated. Unexpectedly... According to the confession, the offender also embezzled public land and pretended to be an official by his family members. Most of them were protected by the senior officials of the capital, so they had nothing to do for a long time. The criminals who came from the capital were also confessed to be the perpetrators of this senior official."
After reading, Liu Zhennian raised his eyes slightly and looked specifically at Su Zongshan's expression. He only frowned slightly. So, he put down the document in his hand and dusted his sleeves: "Of course he knows who he is referring to, but he is afraid of getting into trouble and is unwilling to tell us clearly. The words 'capital official' are really impressive. People are so elusive!”
"Recently, the Ministry of Household Affairs' deficit has been extremely severe, and this person is probably responsible for it. This case should be investigated in depth and punished severely!" Zeng Liang stood up and admonished impatiently.
Su Zongshan was not surprised by his reaction. After all, Zeng Shangshu was impatient and never wanted to suffer losses, so he was more concerned about the opinions of other officials and stared at them closely.
Ye Yongjia from the Ministry of War had long been numb to these dirty things, and even seemed to have an attitude of not caring at all; but Cai Xianqing beside him couldn't sit still. He didn't consider the name of this 'capital official' and said directly: " The country is already in a difficult situation, but it still has to be exploited by such traitorous ministers. Who can bear it? I beg the Prime Minister to investigate thoroughly!"
Su Zongshan's eyebrows trembled, and it became difficult for him to breathe.
"If you don't speak, do you object?" Liu Zhennian glanced coldly.
"I am willing to obey Liu Gong's order!" The officials at the foot of the steps hurriedly replied with deep bows. Su Zongshan was so nervous that his voice trembled, but fortunately he was drowned in the shouts.
"It's good that you support me," Liu Zhennian nodded and said, "but the truth is still unclear. If you doubt others without permission, it will be too easy to kill Zhongliang by mistake."
When Su Zongshan heard these words, he felt a little comfort in his heart. He secretly exhaled a long breath, and his tense face relaxed.
"Therefore, I believe that we should go to Kaifeng for inspection and try the case in person. Seeing is believing. The date will be set for the day after tomorrow, and the officials of the six departments and the provincial ministers will follow, just like back then... It’s like patrolling Qingrai.”
"As for the affairs in the capital, they will all be handled jointly with Lieutenant Gui and the Crown Prince. I will try to come back as soon as possible."
