Imperial City, Ministry of Punishment.
As soon as Xu Fenglei stepped into the hall, he was greeted by Li Daozong, the Minister of Punishment.
"General! Oops... I missed the welcome from afar. Please accuse me."
He said with great enthusiasm,
"General, please take a seat."
"Come on! Hurry up and give the general some tea! You don't have any eyesight at all!"
"Yes, yes..." How dare the little official on the side dare to neglect? Quickly ran to make tea.
In a moment, two cups of tea were served.
"Thank you, thank you very much."
Yan Liben held the tea cup and thanked him repeatedly, looking a little embarrassed, like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world.
I always hear my brother say that the minister has a high status in the court and everyone has to give him face! He didn't understand it before, but now he really realized it...
The Minister of Punishment and the Minister of Industry are both among the six ministers. There is no distinction between them. The status of the Ministry of Industry is even lower.
However, Li Shangshu in front of him was nodding and bowing at the moment. How could it be like communicating on a equal level?
It looked like he was meeting with a superior!
Even he got the benefit of the doubt...
"Brother Chengfan, now that I have returned to the imperial court, I have also resigned. Don't keep calling me a general."
Xu Fenglei sat down casually and said with a smile,
"If you don't know, you think I'm greedy for military power!"
Li Daozong looked stern.
"Yes, I made a mistake."
He continued,
"Let's call you Grand Master!"
"No, I'm here today as the Minister of the Ministry of Industry. Let's treat each other as brothers." Xu Fenglei waved his hand and said with a smile, "Brother Chengfan, you deserve a lot of credit for capturing Jieli Khan alive during the Turkic War. Xiao Wow! How are you doing lately?"
When Li Daozong heard this, he hurriedly raised his hands.
"It all depends on the guidance of the Grand Master!"
He said sincerely,
"If the Grand Master hadn't arranged for me to go to Suni's lost tribe, how could I have achieved this great merit?"
"Two days ago, I was still talking about how I wanted to visit your house. I had bought all the gifts for you. Unexpectedly, His Majesty suddenly issued a decree and sent me to be the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment. Tell me... Isn't this a rush of money? How can I care about the punishment?"
As he spoke, Li Daozong had a bitter look on his face.
Xu Fenglei laughed.
"This is a promotion! What a happy event!"
He said seriously,
"You have to know that these battles are becoming less and less frequent. After destroying the Turks, His Majesty immediately made a decree not to use weapons for five years! After going to pay tribute to the families of the fallen soldiers yesterday, his determination to stop fighting became even more determined ”
"In the peaceful and prosperous era, the world belongs to civil servants. It's hard to be a general like this! Being able to get the position of minister among the civil servants means that your majesty still values you. You have to work hard and occupy this position!"
"If this guy can't sit still and is pushed up by someone who comes after him, he'll have to stay at home!"
After hearing these words, Li Daozong's expression became a little more serious.
"The great master's good advice, Chengfan has written it down."
He bowed slightly and said seriously,
"I will take good care of this punishment department so that Your Majesty will not find any fault!"
He also knew that military generals in the peaceful age were uncompetitive, not to mention that he was still the prince of the clan!
If you don't change your thinking as soon as possible, you will be eliminated sooner or later.
"This is it."
Xu Fenglei put down the tea cup and suddenly said casually,
"That's a lot. How was the trial of the two people I sent to the Criminal Department two days ago?"
Li Daozong was slightly startled.
"The Grand Master asked... is it the case of corruption of ink by the head of the Ministry of Industry?" He raised his eyes and asked.
Xu Fenglei shook his head and sighed.
"Exactly."
He said solemnly,
"I'm shocked and angry that such a worm has appeared in the Ministry of Industry! I can't wait to cut such a scum into pieces with a thousand knives!"
"Chengfan! Don't be hesitant. You will interrogate him to death. I don't believe that he is so brave alone and dares to risk the disapproval of the world! There must be someone behind him!"
"We must pull out the roots of this tree! Otherwise, the entire officialdom will be damaged in the future!"
This straight-to-the-point statement really made Li Daozong a little surprised.
"You guys step back first."
He ordered.
Several officials from the Criminal Department retreated and closed the door.
"The Grand Master brought up this case, and I personally investigated it."
Li Daozong thought about it for a while and then said,
"Grand Master, you may not understand the process. In fact, once the criminal arrives, he must be tried by Dali Temple first. After the trial results are determined and the punishment is determined, it is the time for our punishment department to impose punishment. At this time, there is also the Yushitai to monitor. "
"This is the trial system of the Tang Dynasty. Our Ministry of Punishment has no power to try criminals, only the power to impose punishment."
"so……"
Xu Fenglei nodded.
"I see."
He held his forehead and said,
"I was ignorant. I should have sent them to Dali Temple at that time."
"Now...should I go to Dali Temple?"
When Li Daozong heard this, he smiled and waved his hand.
"Of course not. When the criminal was sent to the Criminal Department, he was transferred to Dali Temple."
He said,
"Knowing that the case was brought by the Grand Master himself, Dali Temple was also very efficient and quickly came up with the result - the director of the Ministry of Works surnamed Zhao had indeed embezzled thousands of taels of project funds! He had already signed and pledged the money for the project. He confessed the facts of the crime.”
"This case is quite refreshing. According to the "Zhenguan Law", beheading is enough! As for the forces behind the scenes and secret collusion that the Grand Master is worried about, I think... there should be none."
"There are so many people in the imperial court, and it is normal for a few scum to appear occasionally..."
Xu Fenglei frowned.
"Is that what you think?"
Li Daozong nodded repeatedly.
"Yes, that's what I think! In my Zhenguan Dynasty, the politics were absolutely clear and there weren't so many scheming things!"
He patted his chest, looking proud.
"Liben, you go out first."
Xu Fenglei pondered for a moment, then suddenly waved his hand.
"yes."
Yan Liben was a little confused, but he still retreated obediently.
There were only two people left in the lobby of the Criminal Department.
"Brother Chengfan, what you said just now, can I take it as... that you are guaranteeing it?"
Xu Fenglei stared at Li Daozong and said slowly.
Li Daozong was shocked.
"Grand Master...you, what do you mean?" He asked hurriedly, "What guarantee? Who are you guaranteeing for...I don't understand!"
Wow.
Xu Fenglei stood up suddenly.
"Forget it if you don't understand. Maybe you are too naive."
He waved and said,
"Maybe I'm overthinking, maybe not."
"All in all, the project funds are my bottom line. Whoever dares to touch this money will fight with me to the end! I will report this matter to the emperor and will continue to pursue it. It would be best if it were so simple, but if not... …”
Uh-huh.
His eyes fell on Li Daozong.
"What Brother Chengfan said today is a crime of dereliction of duty and negligence. If His Majesty pursues the case, it is possible that he will be punished for covering up."
Xu Fenglei said lightly,
"Farewell."
After that, he was about to walk away.
He said the same thing to Yan Lide.
But for his subordinates, it was just a beating.
But now it has a hint of warning to Li Daozong!
At this moment, Li Daozong's expression began to change...
The moment Xu Fenglei stepped forward, he finally stood up.
"Grand Master...you really want to make this matter a big deal."
Li Daozong smiled bitterly and said,
"There is corruption in the Ministry of Industry, and it has been brought to His Majesty's attention. The whole court has known about it, and it has also damaged your reputation. After all, you are the Minister of the Ministry of Industry..."
Xu Fenglei looked sideways.
"You understand, I don't want to make a fuss, I just want to make it clear."
He said coldly,
"As for the damage to my reputation? I never consider those rumors, so what if someone gets involved with me?"
"On the contrary, if you just push this matter away in a daze, it will be damaged, and my Taoist heart will be damaged!"
What Taoist mind?
An upright heart that follows the right path!
Xu Fenglei will never allow this heart to be deceived!
"Alright alright……"
Li Daozong was speechless and could only say:
"You sit down, sit down first."
He personally served Xu Fenglei hot tea.
"Are you willing to tell the truth?" Xu Fenglei looked at Li Daozong condescendingly, still having a bad look on his face.
"Hey...it's actually not a big deal. You may think it's too complicated."
Li Daozong said helplessly,
"You know, after our military generals returned to Chang'an, there were always some dishonest people. We took advantage of others and secretly embezzled public property."
"In fact, His Majesty knows these things more or less, but he also turns a blind eye. As long as it is not too outrageous, he will not delve into it."
"The things that happened in your Ministry of Works are actually shared by other ministries and departments. It's just that we don't expose them out of consideration."
Snapped.
Xu Fenglei sat on the chair.
"Don't talk about so much, just get to the point!"
He said in a deep voice,
"who is it!"
"...Huh." Li Daozong thought about it again and then said, "The Director Zhao from the Ministry of Works once served as the Director in the Ministry of War and was transferred there. He used to work in the Arsenal Department and was a subordinate of Hou Junji... … That’s all I can say.”
A cold light flashed in Xu Fenglei's eyes.
"Hou Junji?"
He recited softly and sneered,
"Haha... The idea came to my head. I'm so brave!"
When Li Daozong saw this, he quickly comforted him and said:
"Grand Master...Grand Master! Please don't get angry."
"I don't think Hou Junji is very clear about this matter. He probably didn't instigate it. It was simply the dirty hands and feet of his subordinates who enriched their own pockets."
"Everyone you see when you raise your head and look down are old brothers who have been through life and death. Don't make it too ugly!"
Xu Fenglei snorted coldly.
"Can you pick it off with just one unclear sentence? When his subordinates honor his money, is he so at ease?"
he rebuked,
"By accepting the money, you are acting as a protective umbrella by default! Since he is a protective umbrella, the corruption incident cannot be separated from him. Not only is it inseparable... He is also very closely related!"
"This is how corruption often breeds! How can the people below have such courage? It's not just because of their courage!"
He spat angrily, causing Li Daozong to wipe his sweat away.
"Let me ask you, did the manager named Zhao really only embezzle wages and food money? Is there anything else?"
Xu Fenglei stared at Li Daozong and asked in a deep voice,
"Speak clearly! I have sent my men to check the accounts!"
Li Daozong: "..."
"Indeed, there are more."
He held his forehead and sighed,
"As you know, the man surnamed Zhao was originally the head of the Arsenal Department of the Ministry of War, that is, in charge of iron tools. When he was transferred to the Ministry of Works, he was mainly responsible for the iron used in construction."
"After the idle ironware in the Arsenal Department is melted, it is purchased by the Ministry of Works and then used for construction... He is in charge of both ends."
Xu Fenglei's face turned cold.
"You mean...this person eats both ends?"
He said sharply,
"He can embezzle a fortune from the cost of molten iron, and how can he embezzle a fortune by cutting corners on the project side?!"
Li Daozong's face turned bitter, but he nodded in the end.
boom!
"brute!"
Xu Fenglei said angrily,
"The money for this project was all squeezed out of the treasury by the imperial court and from the bank I worked so hard to manage!"
"Every penny of it, not a penny spent, must be used for project construction! This is my bottom line! This beast is really good. It rubs back and forth on my bottom line. Do you really think I am a piece of clay?!"
"Damn it, I'm going to cut him alive right now!"
With a sudden leap, he stood up and was about to rush out!
"Master, Master, please calm down!"
Li Daozong quickly grabbed him and said anxiously,
"Don't be impulsive, don't be impulsive! Director Zhao has already sentenced him to beheading. He will die without you taking action!"
"Why bother……"
Xu Fenglei glanced at him coldly.
"Did I say I was going to chop him?"
Li Daozong was stunned; "You just said..."
"The one I want to chop is Hou Junji!"
He said murderously,
"You know it's my territory, but you still dare to arrange for people to do this kind of thing. You don't take me seriously at all!"
"Drive away, don't block the road!"
Li Daozong: "!!!"
Good guy, this is going to start a war!
"Master, Master!"
Li Daozong held Xu Fenglei tightly and begged,
"Can you please stop being so grumpy? It is a serious crime to kill an official of the imperial court, not to mention that Hou Junji is still a meritorious official from Conglong!"
"He is currently serving in the Ministry of War. You can't kill him even if you go like this! Don't be impulsive, don't be impulsive..."
He tried to calm down Xu Fenglei's furious lion with his persuasive words.
But the murderous intent in Xu Fenglei's eyes did not diminish at all.
"Oh, this is easy to handle."
He said coldly,
"Although I surrendered my military power, I still have an Emperor's Sword in my hand. Your Majesty has changed it into Shang Fang's Horse Sword and given it to me!"
"With this sword in my hand, I have the right to kill the traitor, behead him first and show him later! I am rushing into the lobby of the Ministry of War to kill him, who dares to stop him?"
"I will kill anyone who stops me! Are you trying to stop me now?"
Li Daozong was shocked and immediately let go of his hand.
In terms of power and prestige, Xu Fenglei, who carries the power of destroying the Turks, can indeed kill any minister with Shang Fang's horse-killing sword!
Even though he has a high position and is a hero from Conglong!
"Grand Master, I'm not stopping you...but, there is obviously a better way to handle this matter!"
Li Daozong said helplessly,
"You can't just act impulsively, right?"
"Now if you go to the Ministry of War, you can indeed kill Hou Junji, but what happens after that? How will it end? What will His Majesty say... Have you thought about it?"
"I can understand that you are angry, but you can't just be quick because of your temporary anger!"
(End of chapter)
