Hearing the purpose of his visit, thoughts quickly came to Liu Chengyou's mind, and they were directed at Shi Hongzhao. Who is this Zhao Li, and is he related to the struggle in Xijing? In Luoyang, the battle between Shi Hongzhao and the nobles and ministers has become the main conflict in military and political affairs. You criticized me, and I suppressed and punished you. This has been going on for a while, and it was still the cause planted by Liu Chengyou.
Liu Chengyou looked at the man who was alone in the palace, his head buried so low that he couldn't see his face.
Liu Chengyou turned his body slightly to the side, with a calm expression on his face, and said calmly: "Do you know who Shi Hongzhao is? A small censor who stayed in Taiwan dared to go to the meeting to impeach the great Han Dynasty hero and the feudal official. How courageous!"
There was a hint of protection for Shi Hongzhao in Liu Chengyou's words, but Zhao Li didn't seem to hear it. He kept saluting and worshiped sincerely: "As a censor, I only fulfill my duty to impeach officials in Xijing, but Observe his actions, regardless of the importance of his power or the dignity of his official position!"
This statement was so upright and fair, and Liu Chengyou suddenly felt a sense of rejection in his heart. Since Shi Hongzhao guarded Xijing, he has received a lot of criticisms and accusations against Shi Hongzhao, but this is the first time that this person has been impeached in such a face-to-face manner. Liu Chengyou subconsciously attributed him to the group of distinguished people in Xijing.
However, everyone spoke so uprightly, and since Liu Chengyou prided himself on being a good listener of advice, he naturally listened to what he had to say. He waved his hand and gave him a chance to continue: "I want to hear what happened to Shi Qing again?"
Hearing this, Zhao Li finally raised his head. He had a clean face and a normal expression. The so-called appearance comes from the heart. Liu Chengyou suddenly had this thought: Perhaps, this person really just wanted to impeach Shi Hongzhao.
Of course, Zhao Li did not hear the dissatisfaction in Liu Chengyou's tone, and he did not know that Liu Chengyou had just praised Shi Hongzhao before and said directly: "Zheng Guogong has been in Xijing for half a year. He relied on his power to dominate others, bullied the good, and seized power. People’s wealth…”
Listening to the same old rhetoric, Liu Chengyou interrupted directly: "Tell me something specific!"
Zhao Li hesitated slightly, a little surprise flashed in his clear eyes, but he quickly calmed down and said what was going on without mentioning those empty remarks.
Not to mention the past, Shi Hongzhao has committed many crimes since Liu Chengyou's Western Expedition. The Prime Minister of Luoyang County bought a cloth industry and took advantage of the Western Expedition to suppress the rebellion. They actively supplied military uniforms and gained a lot of money. Shi Hongzhao planned to seize the property. The prince Taibao Wang Yan, because of a verbal conflict, was sent by Shi Hongzhao to break into the house. In the house, he was punished with a rod and asked for mercy; he forced the young men to transport grain and equipment, and detained and tortured people, causing the death of more than ten people; during the autumn harvest, he sent people to break into the manors and houses, apportioned grain, and carried out extortion; Shi Hongzhao His younger brother Shi Honglang...
In short, from Zhao Li's point of view, Shi Hongzhao was a vicious and domineering official who disrupted government and harmed the people.
For him, Liu Chengyou's reaction was very calm. He only believed half of it. Many things should not be taken at face value. Not to mention other things, if Shi Hongzhao was as heinous as Zhao Li said, the people of Luoyang would have been in dire straits long ago. However, in fact, in the counties under Xijing's rule, although the people were suffering, the public security was relatively stable. What is really difficult is the noble officials.
Of course, Shi Hongzhao did a lot of bad things. He bought properties and filled his own pockets, which was more serious than when he was in Tokyo.
"Are you done?" As his words fell, Liu Chengyou stopped tapping his fingers on the table, changed his posture and asked calmly.
He had given his words of advice, but when he saw the emperor's cold reaction, Zhao Li couldn't help but show a trace of obvious disappointment on his face. When faced with questions, some don’t know how to answer.
He waved to Zhang Dejun: "After talking so much, he must be thirsty. Give him a bowl of tea to moisten his throat."
Soon, Yuzhan was handed over, and Zhao Li took it blankly, thanking him.
"I know what you are saying." Liu Chengyou's attitude seemed perfunctory.
"Your Majesty!" This man was really ignorant and a little unsure of how to advance or retreat, so he called out excitedly.
"That's enough!" Liu Chengyou stopped him: "I have my own concerns. If there is nothing else, just step back."
What surprised Liu Chengyou was that this man was not only blind, but also stubborn. He opened his mouth, took a deep breath, hesitated for a moment, and then said: "I still have impeachment matters!"
"Speak!" Liu Chengyou was really interested now.
"Shi Yancheng, the judge who stayed in Xijing, did not follow the government when he was in office and handled official duties at home; Jiang Chan and Shaoyin Cui Shu were promoted to officials, and they neglected the administration; the prince washed horses and Zhang Jining, and every time he asked for leave, he was not allowed to worship him; Si Feng Li Yu, a foreign minister, and Li Long, a doctor of the Imperial Academy, gathered guests at banquets, criticized the state affairs, and often made complaints..." In one breath, Zhao Li spit out a series of names.
Except for a few false posts, almost all the officials with real power in Luoyang Left-behind Mansion were impeached by him.
Now, Liu Chengyou was almost sure that Zhao Li was not just targeting Shi Hongzhao.
In the end, it was simply dismissed. However, Liu Chengyou's thoughts were heavy. The situation in Luoyang is much better than it was at the beginning of the founding of the country. But the facts proved that he should not be too optimistic. He also knew something about the situation here, but he was still a little confused when he was exposed directly to his face.
"What do you think of the situation in Luoyang?" After thinking for a while, Liu Chengyou asked Fan Zhi directly.
Fan Zhi also understood what Liu Chengyou meant. He thought about it for a while, and while observing Liu Chengyou's eyes, he solemnly said: "The struggle between the powerful and the powerful here in Xijing has become more and more intense. If it is not curbed, the impact will spread to the military, government and people's livelihood!"
Fan Zhi's words have a strong reminder meaning. Seeing Liu Chengyou frowning, he said again: "Your Majesty needs to know that going too far is not enough!"
Obviously, Fan Zhi knew Liu Chengyou's purpose of placing Shi Hongzhao in Luoyang. The noble bureaucrats here have been tortured for half a year. Liu Chengyou only wanted to suppress the rampant nobles and crack down on illegal activities, but he had no intention of eradicating them. If he allowed Shi Hongzhao to continue, he would probably cause trouble.
Moreover, Shi Hongzhao's own unscrupulousness cannot be allowed to go unchecked. If he can harm officials, he can also harm the people. The dozen or so Minzhuang people who were casualties during the liberation were enough to serve as a reminder.
Waving his hand, he motioned for Fan Zhi to step back as well. Liu Chengyou stayed on the dragon chair and thought about it carefully.
Suddenly he raised his head and ordered Zhang Dejun: "Go and find out what happened to Zhao Li!"
"yes!"
The next day, Zhao Li's situation was presented to Liu Chengyou's desk. A native of Luoyang, he started his fortune as a county official. His family was poor, he was upright, and he did not take bribes. He was often demoted because of his direct criticism of current affairs, and offended his superiors... Simply described, he is an "angry young man." Such a person is generally None of them end well.
"It seems that Zhao Li is a loyal and upright man. He is too humble to worry about his country..." Putting away the report, Liu Chengyou muttered secretly.
...
After resting for a day in Luoyang, Liu Chengyou was sent to Tokyo. He was eager to return home.
However, on this day in Luoyang, Liu Chengyou directly impeached Zhang Jining and Shi Yancheng who were impeached by Zhao Li.
, Jiang Chan, Cui Shu, Li Yu, and Li Ao, all of them were removed from office, dismissed from office, or seized from their posts to eliminate unhealthy tendencies in Luoyang's officialdom.
The only one who didn't move was Shi Hongzhao, who had committed "heinous crimes."
Before leaving, Liu Chengyou called Shi Hongzhao to the imperial court again and gave him some instructions. For example, there was the famous Baima Temple in Luoyang and Buddhist temples in the western capital. There were many illegal things. He secretly asked him to investigate and rectify them carefully. ....
When it comes to offending people, Liu Chengyou believes that Shi Hongzhao will do a good job.
"Go in person and get that Zhao Li from me!" After seeing off the victorious army, Shi Hongzhao returned to the government office and summoned his younger brother Shi Honglang, commander of the Xijing Infantry Army, and coldly ordered: "How dare you go to the imperial court and slander me? You really don't know how to live or die! If the emperor hadn't been wise, wouldn't Shi have fallen into his hands?"
"Yes! I'll go right away!" Shi Honglang looked sinister.
Compared with when he was in Tokyo, as far as Shi Honglang was concerned, it was still more comfortable to stay in Luoyang. His brother had the power and there were not many restrictions, so he was much more comfortable.
However, when Shi Honglang and his men rushed to the dilapidated house of the Zhao family in an arrogant manner, they failed. It was reported that Zhao Li had been summoned to Tokyo as the censor and went to Kaifeng with his wife... .
"Brother, what does the emperor mean? He actually promoted the traitor Zhao Li to an official position?" Shi Honglang's face was full of dissatisfaction.
After hearing the news, Shi Hongzhao's expression was a little ugly, with his eyebrows furrowed and his fists clenched. However, his body slowly relaxed, and after pondering for a while, he ordered Shi Honglang: "From now on, let your subordinates restrain themselves. If anyone dares to do anything illegal, I will deal with it personally!"
"Brother——" Shi Honglang didn't react.
"Do as I say and convey it to all servants. If you dare to disobey my order, don't blame Shi for being ruthless!"
"yes!"
"In addition, you should lead people to inspect and control the Buddhist temples under your rule, especially the White Horse Temple. How dare a bald donkey amass such a huge wealth, no wonder the emperor cannot tolerate him..."
Perhaps his thoughts were simpler, but Shi Hongzhao saw it particularly clearly.
