While Wang Yun was fighting with Fu Wan, Yin Zhongji from Henan, Ling Chen Gong from Luoyang, and Ma Lang, the prime minister from Luoyang, also came to Li Cao.
Xun You was not polite to them. The three of them stood in front of him instead of sitting down.
Xun You looked cold and spoke calmly, saying: "Henan Yin has the ability to make such a big fuss. The three of you are now famous. What do you think of my position? Come up and sit down?"
"The lower official is aware of the crime." Zhong Ji, Chen Gong, and Sima Lang immediately raised their hands and said.
Xun You was recognized as a good-tempered person, always gentle and polite to others, and never said a harsh word. Such eccentricity obviously showed his anger.
The incident of "Henan Yin misappropriating autumn grain for disaster relief" attracted the attention of both the government and the public, and huge pressure was directly placed on Xun You, the official Cao Shangshu.
Xun You sat upright, looked at the three people with stern eyes, and said: "These days, I have gone to the Yushitai more times than since I became an official. Prime Minister, the prince just came back and called me to the Shangshutai. In front of me I stood there for more than two hours. What I am explaining to you is that my mouth is dry. I have said it countless times, but I can’t find the words myself. Three colleagues, do you think you should give me a reasonable answer? explanation of?"
Zhong Ji is a tall man with a brave spirit. His expression remains unmoved. He raised his hand and said solemnly: "The official has caused trouble to the minister. The official will bear this matter with all his strength and will not in any way implicate the minister!"
Xun You stared at him, snorted coldly, and said: "You will bear it? How can you bear it? What do you want me to do with you? The chancellery, the imperial censorship, the court, what do you want your majesty to do with you? I will deal with you, your majesty. Has your majesty been damaged and attracted countless criticisms?”
Zhong Ji's face was twitching, and he raised his hand and said, "It is a serious crime for a lower official to misappropriate autumn grain. I have written a letter of apology and asked to be dismissed!"
"Dismissal?"
Xun You couldn't hold back his anger, and said: "Is it me who is here to revolutionize, or is it the minister's desk? You slapped your butt and walked away, how can we explain to your majesty? How can your majesty explain to the victims of the disaster and the entire Han people?"
Zhong Ji straightened his face and opened his mouth again and again, but no words came out.
Sima Lang stood aside, lowering his head and saying nothing when he saw Xun You's rapid-fire reprimands.
Chen Gong wanted to defend Zhongji, but he couldn't find a reason.
Now, although Zhongji is against the law, he has gained fame and put the court in a dilemma.
Xun You vented his anger, but his anger was still uncontrollable, and he said: "Speak!"
Zhong Ji said with a stern face: "I have nothing to say, I am willing to plead guilty!"
"you!"
Xun You's anger was rising again, his face was gloomy, he wished he could send this kind of gangster to jail now!
He glanced at Sima Lang and said, "Take him to see Sima Shangshu. Zhong Tingwei is also waiting there!"
Sima Lang was shocked and quickly raised his hand and said: "I obey your orders."
Zhong Ji raised his hand towards Xun You and left side by side with Sima Lang.
Xing Cao and Tingwei Mansion are not together with Wu Cao, so they still have to go a long way.
Chen Gong was left behind, his expression unmoving, and he bowed in front of Xun You.
Xun You looked at him and said, "I think you were quite methodical and smart in your actions in the past. You handled the government affairs of Luoyang County quite well. Why are you so stupid this time?"
Chen Gong was startled, looked at Xun You, slowly raised his hand and said, "What does Xun Shangshu mean?"
"You are still so ignorant until now. It is in vain that His Majesty took a fancy to you and appointed you as the Luoyang Order."
Seeing that Chen Gong was still in the dark, Xun You sneered, "Don't you have any doubts about this matter from beginning to end?"
Chen Gong felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave. All the doubts he had always had seemed to suddenly open up at this moment. He opened his eyes angrily and said: "He, is the disaster relief work a fake one, or is the corruption real?"
Xun You opened his mouth to curse, but the clerk on duty came in and said: "Shang Shu, Captain Han is here."
Xun You snorted again and said, "Does he still have the nerve to come?"
Han Bin came in later and happened to hear it. He looked helpless and said: "In the past few months, I ran from Sili to Bingzhou, and then ran back to Sili from Bingzhou. I also went to Yanzhou and Qingzhou before I could talk. I rushed back without stopping and met When things like this happened, there was also trouble in the Sanfu area. I hurried there and came back today. I said, Xun Shangshu, what do you want me to do?"
Xun You listened to his grievances and said, "In any case, you are Sili's commander in charge of grain management. You are responsible for this matter."
Han Bin was tired and had not even had time to change his clothes. He smelled of sweat. He glanced at Chen Gong and said to Xun You: "Let's not talk about my responsibilities. Let's talk about this matter. What are your plans?"
The autumn grain season is coming to an end, all the big shots have returned to Beijing, and the case of Henan Yin will be brought to light.
Xun You was at a loss for words and said, "Ask me, can I decide?"
Han Bin could see that Xun You was suppressing his anger. Even though he was an old friend, he didn't want to provoke him more. He pondered for a while and said, "I didn't expect the autumn grain to be much less."
After hearing what was going on, Xun You took a deep breath and said, "How many are there?"
Han Bin glanced at Chen Gong and said, "Less than 100,000 stones."
One third missing?
Xun You's expression changed, he stood up hastily and said: "Go to Hucao."
Han Bin did not move and said, "What should County Magistrate Chen do?"
Chen Gong quickly raised his hand, feeling uneasy in his heart.
He had a clear premonition that the development of this matter exceeded his expectations, and there might be thunder!
Xun You looked at Chen Gong, hesitated to speak, and then said: "You go find a place to stay, and you will be called at any time."
"I'll take my orders," Chen Gong said, but he sighed deeply and left Xun You's room.
Xun You had no time to care about him, so he went to Xun Yu's check-in room with Han Bin.
As the commander-in-chief of grain management, Han Bin received real autumn grain. Xun Yu didn't know that it was only one hundred thousand shi.
On the other side, Sima Lang led Zhongji to Xingcao.
Sima Jun, the criminal cao, was on duty, and Zhong Yao sat beside him.
Both belong to the Yingchuan family, and the Sima family is quite prestigious. Although Sima Jun has never been a high official, he lived to be nearly eighty years old. Now all the officials in the court are juniors, and they can even be considered grandsons.
Zhong Yao, who was in his early forties, looked respectful to Sima Jun, who had always had an excellent reputation, and said, "Mr. Sima, this kind of investigation is here. I don't know how to solve this case?"
Sima Jun was sitting on his knees, his eyebrows raised, and there was a sharp look on his old face, and he said: "If you cut it off, it will be cut off. If you misappropriate autumn grain, you should be killed according to the law!"
Zhong Yao was startled and said: "Sima Gong, do you really want to kill him?"
Zhong Ji is Henan Yin. To kill him, he must commit a serious crime. The crime of "misappropriating autumn grain" is not enough to warrant a "death sentence".
After all, Zhongji was under the banner of 'relieving the victims'. Once such a sentence is imposed, there is no telling how much impact it will have.
"In troubled times, use heavy codes,"
Sima Jun said without any hesitation: "The laws of Han Dynasty are strict, and there must be no room for corrupt officials!"
Zhong Yao's usually solemn face became more serious.
Sima Jun was recruited by the palace in person at the recruitment hall. This must be the palace's intention, right?
"Is that what your Majesty meant?" Zhong Yao was still worried and asked. In the past, he would never have said this more.
Sima Jun looked at him and said, "No."
What he told was the truth. Judging from Sima Lang's report, Sima Jun judged that Liu Bian wanted to reuse Zhong Ji, because there was no distinction between loyalty and traitor in Liu Bian's words, and it was more 'pragmatic'.
But in order to politely refuse Liu Bian's call for him, he unswervingly punished Zangji severely in front of Liu Bian. Now that he has relapsed, he naturally cannot break his promise.
Zhong Yao was startled when he heard this. Didn't he mean it from the palace?
Since it is not the palace's intention, there is room for change. Zhong Yao pondered and said, "Sima Gong, you should be cautious."
Sima Jun said without changing his expression: "The evidence is conclusive, I intend to seize it immediately, send it to the prison for strict interrogation, and make an announcement as soon as possible to curb criticism!"
Zhong Yao did not expect that Mr. Sima was so strong and had no intention of negotiating.
He couldn't help but frowned and said: "Sima Gong, this move may cause worries to officials everywhere."
Zhong Yao's words actually make it very clear that there are no officials in the Han Dynasty who are not greedy, and Zhongji has the protection of "relief to the victims". Once Zhongji is dealt with openly, it will definitely cause a tsunami-like chain reaction, affecting the imperial court. The 'New Deal' was extremely unfavorable.
"Shang Shu, Zhong Tingwei, Henan Yin Zhongji, Luoyang Prime Minister Malang, please see me." At this time, the porter suddenly came to the door and said solemnly.
Sima Jun's eyes sharpened and he said, "Let them come in."
Zhong Yao looked at Sima Jun and had a bad feeling in his heart.
Not only the Henan Yin incident at hand, but also the future DPRK situation!
This Sima Jun may occupy a very special and important position in the court!
After reading, Sima Lang came in one after another, with different expressions on their faces.
Zhongji's face was broad and tinged with a hint of fierceness. Sima Lang was cautious and bowed his head.
"I have met Sima Shangshu and Zhong Tingwei." The two came closer and raised their hands in greeting.
Sima Jun threw a pile of official documents in front of him and said in a deep voice: "Zhong Ji, you extorted money from numerous Yin families in Henan and used the money as autumn grain to help the victims. You deceived the king and humiliated the court. Do you know your crime? "
As soon as Sima Jun finished speaking, four officers rushed in and surrounded Zhong Ji.
Zhong Ji's face suddenly changed, and he looked at the scattered official documents on the ground, then his face became as dark as water, and his eyes flashed fiercely.
Sima Jun waved his hand and said: "Take him to the sky prison and interrogate him strictly!"
"etc!"
Zhong Ji opened his eyes angrily, stared at Sima Jun and Zhong Yao, and said, "Why are you arresting only me? Not to mention the Twelve Prefectures of the Han Dynasty, it is Luoyang County. Am I the only one who has been corrupted and accepted bribes?"
Sima Jun's eyes moved sharply and he said, "Say it!"
"Prime Minister Yang Biao!" Zhong Ji frowned and said loudly: "His son Yang Xiu received an inkstone from me ten days ago, worth millions of dollars!"
Zhong Yao's heart skipped a beat, his expression was cold, and he shouted: "Zhongji, you dare to slander the prime minister, you will be punished with a third degree of punishment!"
Zhong Ji said: "I have committed a capital crime, so what should I fear?"
Zhong Yao suppressed his uneasiness and said to Sima Jun: "Mr. Sima, this man's words cannot be trusted. If the prime minister really accepted his bribe, he could have blackmailed him into saving him instead of confessing now."
Zhong Ji sneered and said, "Now that you have discovered it, can the Prime Minister still save me?"
Sima Jun said expressionlessly: "Take him to the sky prison and interrogate him strictly!"
"Yes." The four officers locked Sima Jun tightly and dragged him out.
"Hahaha……"
As soon as he went out, Zhongji suddenly looked up to the sky and laughed, the laughter was so loud that it lasted for a long time.
When Zhong Yao saw that Sima Jun had dealt with it so neatly and had Prime Minister Yang Biao involved, his heart dropped. He stood up and raised his hand and said, "Mr. Sima, I have other things to do, so I'll take my leave first."
Sima Jun nodded slightly and watched Zhong Yao leave.
After Zhong Yao left, Sima Lang hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Grandpa, does this involve the prime minister?"
Sima Jun picked up the walking stick on the side and said, "Go back early, I'm going to the palace."
Sima Lang's panic was written on his face. Seeing that his grandfather refused to say anything, he had no choice but to bow respectfully and retreat.
Not far away, I heard all kinds of discussions in the prison.
"Sima Shangshu is so decisive. This kind of compilation will be won immediately!"
"I feel like something big is going to happen. If nothing else, everyone in Henan Yin is talking about it. There are at least a dozen people involved!"
"I am one of the tens of thousands of victims of the disaster in Yinna, Henan. When I hear the news, if someone instigates me, a big change may happen!"
…
After hearing this, Sima Lang was immediately deeply worried for his grandfather. He turned back and looked at his grandfather's room attendant, and left in a hurry.
As soon as he walked out of Xingcao, he saw Xun You, Xun Yu, and Han Bin walking quickly towards Tingwei's mansion.
Sima Lang immediately raised his hand to salute, but the three people ignored him. Not far away, Zhong Yao was already waiting.
At the same time, inside Deyang Hall.
Liu Bian sat on a chair and quietly looked at the memorial that Han Bin had just delivered.
This memorial is very long, listing the autumn grain situation in each county, from the estimate to the depletion to the actual delivery to Taicang, it is written in great detail.
Liu Bian's expression was calm and his eyes were like swords, staring at the number of 'one hundred thousand stones'.
From the initial 220,000, then 150,000, to the final 100,000, it was less than half!
Pan Yin walked closer quietly, observing Liu Bian's expression, and stood not far away, not daring to step forward.
"What's the matter?" Liu Bian said calmly without raising his head.
Pan Yin felt a sudden change in his heart and hurriedly stepped forward and said: "Returning to your majesty, the prince has been staying at the Yushitai for more than half an hour. It is said that he was discussing the affairs of merging some officials in the state. Zhongji went to Xingcao, and was punished by Sima Xingcao. Under the witness of Zhong Tingwei, the minister took it directly and sent it to the prison."
Liu Bian's eyes flashed slightly and he said to himself: "Does this Sima Jun not care about his reputation?"
Although the evidence of Zhongji's corruption of autumn grains is conclusive, in the eyes of outsiders, it is still a kind and fearless act of "misappropriating autumn grains to provide relief to the victims without sacrificing himself"!
This kind of behavior is most likely to be praised by scholars.
Pan Yin waited for a while and then said: "Your Majesty, the prison officer said that before that editor was taken away, he said that he had given an inkstone worth one million to the Prime Minister's Mansion."
Liu Bian was startled, thinking about Yang Biao's temper, turned to look at Pan Yin, and said, "Are you done with it?"
Pan Yin said: "It is said that it was given to Yang Xiu."
Liu Bian looked strange and said, "Didn't Yang Xiu go to Cao Cao's army?"
Pan Yin paused for a moment and said cautiously: "The official who reported it didn't go into details. We have to interrogate to find out the inside story."
Liu Bian snorted and looked at the memorial in his hand again. His expression was quiet. After a moment, he said softly: "Prioritization, it seems, can't be delayed any longer. Pan Yin, pass the decree, Shangshu Terrace, Yushi Terrace, The Six Cao Cao, Ting Wei, Jiu Qing, etc. entered the palace and discussed matters in the Jiade Hall."
The corner of Pan Yin's mouth twitched unnaturally, his mind tensed, and he whispered: "Yes, I will go now."
After checking, I was not very optimistic. The stone was a bit big, so I probably had to go out for a minor operation.
For the time being, I can’t stay up late, can’t sit for long periods of time, and should refrain from drinking alcohol...
〒▽〒
My thoughts are confused, so I will update first and then repair. Today is a little short, so I will make up for it tomorrow. For some time to come, the update will be in the evening ~ I need to recuperate and prepare for the surgery.
(End of chapter)
