At dusk, Jinling City, Jiankang Mansion, the government office lobby.
Hu Yuanfeng, the magistrate of Jiangning County, stepped into the government office, feeling suspicious. I don’t know what’s going on when Shangguan comes here at this time.
He had just taken a bath and was going to Qinhuai River to relax. Yesterday he was told that there were several new people on the ship, all of them young girls who were still in love. He was itching all the time and was about to go when he was told that Shangguan had summoned him and asked him to go to the Yamen of Jiankang Prefecture.
Hu Yuanfeng cursed his mother secretly. At this time, Shangguan called suddenly, hoping not to delay for too long and miss the business of eating, drinking and having fun. After all, there are no official prostitutes now. Everyone is willing to do what they want. It is natural, reasonable and legal, so there is no need to worry about anything.
Hu Yuanfeng entered the county government hall and saw a young man without official uniform sitting at the seat of the magistrate.
Beside the young man, there were several men in casual clothes. Several sergeants with guns and knives stood on both sides of the hall, raising their heads and chests, staring eagerly.
What surprised him was that these sergeants were all wearing iron armor and helmets. They were all fully armored and tall and mighty. They seemed to be elite soldiers of the Imperial Guard in Lin'an City.
"Are you Hu Yuanfeng, the magistrate of Jiangning County?"
"Excuse me, are you..."
Hu Yuanfeng stepped forward suspiciously and bowed his hands.
This person is so powerful that he can command the imperial guards to follow him, but he doesn't wear official uniform and calls him by his first name, but he doesn't know who he is?
"Hu Zhixian, this is Mr. Zhou Pingzhou, the head of the Anti-Corruption Department. You must have heard of it, right?"
A young Confucian scholar beside the young man said softly, which startled Hu Yuanfeng.
Who doesn't know that Zhou Ping, the head of the Anti-Corruption Department, is the uncle of the current dynasty and a proper upstart of the new dynasty.
"I have met Mr. Zhou. I wonder why Mr. Zhou summoned me here?"
Hu Yuanfeng was uneasy and subconsciously felt that something was wrong.
The Anti-Corruption Department was looking for him, and his uncle Zhou Ping came forward in person. He couldn't be too busy, right?
Thinking of the shameful things he had done, Hu Yuanfeng unknowingly had difficulty breathing and his heart beat faster.
"Zhixian Hu, do you know why the Anti-Corruption Department called you here?"
Zhu Liang, a member of the Anti-Corruption Department, continued to ask.
Zhou Ping said nothing and just looked at Hu Yuanfeng coldly.
"Returning to your superiors, my subordinates really don't know!"
Hu Yuanfeng was shocked, but his expression remained unchanged.
At this time, we can't mess up our position, we must refuse to admit our mistakes.
"Hu Yuanfeng, you have done so many corrupt things and perverted the law, such as reselling official food, torturing prisoners, and molesting young girls. Do you want me to tell you about them one by one? Do you really think that the Anti-Corruption Department is just looking for trouble?"
Zhu Liang looked at Hu Yuanfeng coldly and remained calm.
These corrupt officials are full of twists and turns. They are all human beings. They don't shed tears when they see the coffin. They are tough enough.
Unfortunately, they made the wrong calculation. The Anti-Corruption Department came here today and only arrested people without giving them a chance to defend themselves.
As for the review, there will be a joint review by the Anti-Corruption Department, the Criminal Investigation Department, and the three departments of Dali Temple.
"Mr. Zhou, I really don't know what crime I have committed. I would like your superior to explain it clearly."
Hu Yuanfeng was panicking, but he was still tough on his words.
As a court official, he cannot be tortured as hard as a scholar-official, right?
"Hu Yuanfeng, you still want to..."
Zhu Liang's words were interrupted by Zhou Ping waving his hand.
Footsteps sounded, and it turned out that an official entered the government office lobby at this time. Hu Yuanfeng looked back and quickly greeted him.
"I have met Mr. Gu!"
At this time, Gu Song, the general judge of Jiankang Prefecture, arrived, and he was probably going to be questioned.
"Hu Zhixian, why are you here?"
Gu Song glanced at Hu Yuanfeng in surprise, then turned to Zhou Ping and others. Just as he was about to ask, Zhu Liang had already spoken coldly.
"Gu Song, Gu Tongpian, do you know the crime?"
Gu Song was startled. He glanced at Zhu Liang and Zhou Ping one by one, stood with his hands behind his back, and smiled calmly.
"May I ask your Excellency, who are you and why do you appear in the lobby of the government office? Sitting in the lobby, aren't you afraid that I will punish you for contempt of court?"
Judging from his calm and calm look, he didn't take Zhou Ping and others seriously in front of him.
"Gu Song, I am Zhou Ping, the head of the Anti-Corruption Department. Do you plead guilty to corruption?"
Zhou Ping went straight to the point and made no secret of the purpose of his trip.
The main reason why these two were not called to the Anti-Corruption Department was that they were afraid of leaking the information and alerting the public.
In addition to Gu Song, the most corrupt official on Jiangnan East Road, several other officials from various government offices on Jiangnan East Road, including Hu Yuanfeng, are to be arrested.
"Master Zhou, I have long admired your name. Please tell me what crime I have committed, Master Zhou."
Gu Song was shocked, but his face remained calm. Instead, he asked Zhou Ping.
"Gu Song, on Zhongshan in the east of Jinling City, you have a private house. It was donated by the wealthy businessman Liu Hao in March this year and is worth more than 30,000 yuan. In the west of the city, at West Water Gate, on the side of the Qinhuai River, you have another mansion. It was your fault. The proceeds of an unjust case and plundering are worth more than 40,000 yuan. Do you want me to continue?"
Zhou Ping read slowly. He raised his head and looked at Gu Song coldly.
"Gu Tongpuan is very punctual when he visits the Qinhuai River every three days. Your fourth concubine and seven or eight confidants are not enough for you? Your third concubine was also a gift from the wealthy businessman Liu Hao, right? .His silk business needs the care of various Jiankang officials, right?"
Zhou Ping's cynicism surprised Hu Yuanfeng.
When it comes to arrogance, extravagance, and lining one's own pockets, compared with this Shangguan, I am really inferior.
"Master Zhou, since our country has established its own country, there are very few corrupt officials. This is probably because political and civil affairs are complicated and difficult to resolve by law. Moreover, women donating houses and property is a rule. Could it be that Master Zhou wants to use these rules to punish me? Official?"
Gu Song smiled slightly and talked.
Hu Yuanfeng also felt courageous in his heart.
The kings of the Song Dynasty and the scholar-bureaucrats ruled the world together, what else could the court do to them?
"Punishment? It was obvious to all that Liu Hao killed his husband and took his wife, but you intervened and was found not guilty. Just for this case alone, you cannot escape the blame."
Zhou Ping snorted coldly, as if he heard something funny.
"Gu Song, as a high-ranking official of a party, you should have served as an official and benefited the party, but instead you accepted bribes, colluded with businessmen, enriched your own pockets, and did not say anything about the unjust, false or wrongful convictions, but instead spoke plausibly and showed no regrets. Do you think I dare not kill you? You?"
Zhou Ping looked at Gu Song with cold eyes and a chilling tone.
If Gu Song is killed, the officials on Jiangnan East Road will be frightened, and the implementation of the Jingjie Law will be much smoother.
"Mr. Zhou, you don't have this power! I don't accept it!"
Gu Song was still arrogant and wanted to exit the lobby, but was blocked by the imperial army.
"I don't have this power?"
Zhou Ping snorted coldly, with a hint of sarcasm in his words.
"Gu Song, just because you have embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the crimes you have committed, without any review, I can let you live in a different place. However, today I am just arresting you and taking you to the Criminal Division for joint trial. Mingzheng A typical example to serve as a warning to others.”
"Take it!"
Zhou Ping shouted sharply, and the imperial guards in the hall stepped forward and held Gu Song's arms directly. Zhu Liang stepped forward and knocked the black gauze off his head.
"Are you worthy of this official uniform?"
"I am not convinced! I am not convinced!"
Gu Song's arm was twisted so much that it hurt, and he shouted loudly.
At this time, he was afraid.
The imperial court issued numerous orders and published articles in the newspapers. Officials accepted bribes, and it was a capital crime for officials to accept bribes of more than 10,000 yuan.
Based on the amount of bribes he accepted, the court could kill him ten times.
According to the ancestral family law of the Song Dynasty, scholar-bureaucrats and those who wrote letters were not allowed to be killed. He was a brilliant scholar-bureaucrat!
"Put it down!"
Zhu Liang shouted in disgust, and the sergeant took Gu Song down.
"Mr. Zhou, please spare my life!"
Gu Song went away crying and howling like a wolf. Hu Yuanfeng was so frightened that he knelt on the ground and kowtowed frequently.
Gu Song and other important officials of the imperial court were treated in this way. He, a small county magistrate of Jiangning, was not a piece of cake.
"Put it down!"
Zhou Ping waved his hand in disgust, and Hu Yuanfeng was also removed from the Wusha and taken away.
The officials who came in from behind were arrested one by one by the sergeant in public, and none of them escaped. They all screamed that they were wronged and kept crying.
After the officials made the arrest, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhang Jin reminded Zhou Ping softly.
"Sir, officials are difficult to manage, and subordinate staff are even more difficult to manage. You must be more careful when dealing with local officials such as Tongpuan, otherwise you will think that His Majesty is riding a tiger and is unable to dismount."
As Zhou Ping's childhood friend and good friend, Zhang Jin was thoughtful and considerate of his situation.
"I just want to take advantage of him and kill the chicken to scare the monkeys!"
Zhou Ping's eyes were cold and stern.
Gu Song, the general magistrate of Jiankang Prefecture, was a fifth-rank official in the imperial court. He could almost stand and sit with Wang Gang, the prefect of Jiankang Prefecture. He was also the leader of the officials on Jiangnan East Road. Once this person is investigated and dealt with, the officialdom on Jiangnan East Road will probably be able to calm down.
"Sir, Gu Song is a protégé of Hu Ju, the minister who participated in the political affairs of the dynasty, and he has a close relationship with Xue Ji, the Prime Minister. If Gu Song is to be moved, I am afraid that many people will be involved, especially Hu Ju, the minister of the Ministry of Industry. When the time comes, the trap will be big. I'm afraid it won't be easy for Your Majesty to handle it and it will be difficult to end it."
Zhang Jin bravely said it.
The relationship between these scholar-bureaucrats is intricate, and officials protect each other. I am afraid that more than one Gu Song will be poached.
"Master, under the ancestral system of our court, we are not allowed to kill scholars and officials. If Gu Song is arrested, if Your Majesty really kills him, I am afraid he will be drowned in the saliva of those court officials and officials."
Zhu Liang followed the advice and was worried.
Once the news about Gu Song's arrest spreads, I am afraid that all the ministers in the court will come to Jinling to dissuade the emperor.
"Drown? You've already killed me. How many bowls of saliva are you still afraid of?"
Zhou Ping smiled coldly, which made Zhang Jin's hair stand on end.
"You have to fight tigers and swat flies. Cut off a few heads and see who is not submissive and obedient? Those courtiers have dirty butts and have too much time to take care of themselves. Your Majesty will clarify the administration and will not be merciful. Otherwise, all the efforts made , it’s all wasted.”
It may not be a big deal for officials to accept bribes, but it is often accompanied by corruption and bending the law. Several crimes are punished at the same time, and few corrupt officials can escape.
Zhou Ping paused for a moment before continuing:
"Inform Xu Liang of all the high-ranking officials involved in the Gu Song case. He knows what to do."
Xu Liang is responsible for official corruption and anti-corruption matters on Liangzhexi Road, and those officials in Lin'an City are the focus of his investigation. Leave the important officials involved in the court to Xu Liang and let Xu Liang take care of them.
Zhu Liang and Zhang Jin looked at each other, both secretly shocked.
In this way, several important officials of the imperial court will inevitably be involved, and I'm afraid it will really cause a big fuss.
"Everyone must be careful when going out to do business. Many officials have committed heinous crimes, and they will definitely not sit back and wait to be punished. Although the emperor has sent the imperial army to protect us, we still need to be cautious."
Zhou Ping was serious and warned the officials below.
Most of the members of the Anti-Corruption Department are from the private sector, and many of them are his relatives and friends. Anti-corruption involves the lives and fortunes of our employees, so we must be careful.
"I know, boss!"
Zhang Jin and others nodded in agreement.
"Your Majesty's grace will help you to rise to great heights and leave your name in history. Don't be greedy, know the law and break it, and harm the country and yourself. Everyone, remember this!"
If the members of the Anti-Corruption Department are not clean themselves, then a big deal will be missed and a big problem will arise.
Zhang Jin and others responded with serious expressions.
"There are also Huang Rucheng, the magistrate of Ningguo Prefecture, and Du Shi, the magistrate of the Guangde Army. These officials have a bad reputation. When investigating, you must..."
Before Zhou Ping finished speaking, the Imperial Army hurriedly ran in.
"Chief, something big has happened! Officials from the Jingjie Office were clearing land for land use in Ningguo County, Huizhou and other places. Civil uprisings occurred in both places. Official offices were destroyed and many officials were killed or injured!"
Zhou Ping was shocked and slumped down on his chair.
Just as I told my subordinates to pay attention to their safety, something happened at the border office. This really confirmed his worries.
With Zhao Hong's impulsive temper, Jiangnan East Road is going to be in big trouble now.
