"My lord, Liu Xigu, the censor of Zuodu, has been waiting for an audience for a long time!" As soon as he entered the slaughterhouse, Zhao Pu received a report from his subordinate officials.
Hearing this, Zhao Pu suddenly showed a look of urgency on his face and asked, "Where is he?"
"Back to my husband, I am serving tea in the side hall!"
"Quick, please see me!"
Soon, the silver-haired and twilight-looking Zuodu Censor Liu Xigu slowly walked into the hall. Seeing his old appearance, Zhao Pu was very enthusiastic. He stepped forward and helped him sit down personally, and kept apologizing. : "It's my fault for keeping Mr. Liu waiting for so long!"
"Mr. Zhao's words are serious!" Liu Xi's pale old face was full of indifference, and he responded with a chuckle: "Mr. Zhao is the prime minister, presides over the affairs of the country, and manages everything on a day-to-day basis. How can it be that we and other ministers and ministers just meet each other... ..."
"I am so ashamed of what Mr. Liu said!" Hearing this, Zhao Pu said: "If it is just someone else, I have neglected Mr. Liu, and if word spreads about it, wouldn't people accuse me of disrespecting my veteran minister?"
Liu Xigu had a high reputation in the court, and he could not be faulted in terms of talent or virtue. His ancestor was Liu Rengui, a famous official in the Tang Dynasty. He had been an official in the Han Dynasty for more than 20 years, and he never made any serious mistakes in his political affairs.
More importantly, he was a minister, noble and prosperous, but he lived in poverty. This quality was extremely rare in the increasingly impetuous environment of the Han Dynasty.
The year before last, because the attic where his bed was located was in disrepair, his family persuaded him to repair it to prevent it from falling into danger. Liu Xigu sternly refused, so he just moved out of the dangerous building and found a shabby room to live in, where he was content.
Somehow this matter reached the ears of Emperor Liu, so he ordered that Lu Mengzheng be responsible for renovating the attic for Liu Xigu at the expense of the Shaofu.
There is no shortage of important ministers in the court who are poor and simple, such as Fan Zhi in his early years, and the late Liu Wensou, Minister of Rites, especially Liu Wensou, who was able to return even Emperor Liu's rewards for the sake of his reputation. figure.
For now, Liu Xigu is obviously the leader of the Qingliu in the court. Especially a year ago, he was transferred by Emperor Liu to be the censor of Zuodu and in charge of the Metropolitan Procuratorate. He is even more worthy of the name of Qingliu.
Moreover, Liu Xigu was also retained by Emperor Liu. He originally wanted to resign early because of his old age and frailty, but the seal of resignation was retained by Emperor Liu, who personally talked to him and said that the DPRK It was still necessary for a respected old man like him to continue to play a role, so he reluctantly agreed and continued to shine in the Metropolitan Procuratorate.
An old minister like Liu Xigu was already over seventy years old, and he was indifferent to fame and fortune. He was strong without desire, and he was in charge of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, so no one dared to offend him.
The same is true for Zhao Pu. Such an old minister can only be supported. Of course, the most important reason is that Liu Xigu poses no threat to his position. After all, he is already at the end of his political career and may retire at any time.
After a few words of greeting, Zhao Pu took the initiative and asked: "I don't know what's going on, why would you like Mr. Liu to come here in person?"
Mentioning this, Liu Xigu no longer relied on his old age, his expression became serious, and his tone became more solemn. He took out a memorial from the sleeve of his robe, handed it to Zhao Pu, and said: "The Huaidong Supervisory Censor presented a memorial Prime Minister Zhao asked for a copy of the impeachment chapter. The memorial states that Hou Zhi, the prefect of Yangzhou, is suspected of serious corruption!"
"Huh?" Upon hearing this, Zhao Pu immediately became interested, flipped through the impeachment chapter quickly, and asked casually: "What is the specific matter involved?"
Liu Xigu said: "What the supervisory censor learned was a report from a salt supervisor under the jurisdiction of Yangzhou Prefecture, saying that Hou Zhi colluded with local salt merchants, accepted bribes, and made it convenient for them to seek personal gain..."
Zhao Pu carefully read the impeachment chapter, put it down gently, looked up at Liu Xigu, thought about it, and then said: "These are just one-sided words, and the only thing worth paying attention to is probably the impeachment officer." Salt official, the question is, is there any evidence? If there is no evidence, it’s just hearsay!"
"That's why I came here in person to listen to Prime Minister Zhao's opinion!" Liu Xigu's old voice said in a long and unhurried tone.
"Mr. Liu has thrown a difficult problem to me!" Zhao Pu said with a slight smile.
Liu Xigu said: "The duty of the Metropolitan Procuratorate is to supervise and supervise. The Yangzhou Supervisory Censor reported the matter and has done his duty. Regarding this matter, it is not up to the old minister to decide how the court should respond.
The specific situation, how to determine it, whether there is any hidden secret, and in-depth investigation are the matters of the Ministry of Punishment, Dali, and the Huaidong Police Department! "
"What Mr. Liu said is wrong!" Zhao Pu immediately shook his head and said: "The Metropolitan Procuratorate ranks among the three judicial divisions, and Mr. Liu is a good minister who enforces the law impartially. He should have some thoughts on this matter! Otherwise, why would he go to court in person? ?”
Hearing what Zhao Pu said and meeting his eyes, Liu Xigu thought for a moment and then said: "I think that there must be a reason for the rumors to come out of nowhere. Yangzhou is an important place for taxation by the imperial court, and Yangzhou's salt tax accounts for 40% of the world's salt profits. , if there is indeed a malpractice, then the court must correct it to avoid greater losses. If this is not the case, then the facts should be found out and Yangzhou Prefecture should be cleared!"
"Mr. Liu, this is an honest statement!" Zhao Pu gave a small compliment.
In response to this, Liu Xi returned to his old demeanor and said: "It's just a brief discussion of opinions. The specific way to deal with this matter needs to be decided by the political affairs hall!"
"Hou Zhi has a reputation of being honest and honest. In less than a year since he took office, he has fallen so far and caused such evil. I can't help but have doubts in my mind!" Zhao Pu's tone was full of emotion and seemed to be pity.
Listening to his sigh, Liu Xigu took a deep look at Zhao Pu and didn't say much.
"In this way, regarding this report, we will hold a discussion later and let the princes and the Three Law Divisions discuss it together. Since the Metropolitan Procuratorate was the first to notice it, Mr. Liu is also invited to attend the meeting and express his opinion at that time!" Zhao Pu looked at Liu Xigu Road.
Liu Xigu frowned slightly, but still did not refuse, just whispered: "It should be!"
"For the Yangzhou Supervisory Censor, the files about this case and the salt official who reported the case need to be properly protected. This is extremely important evidence!" Zhao Pu added.
"Please rest assured, Prime Minister Zhao, my subordinates in the Procuratorate will not neglect matters concerning their responsibilities!" Liu Xigu said without hesitation.
Zhao Pu didn't pay attention to the slight dissatisfaction in Liu Xigu's tone.
In fact, the focus of this case is not whether there are any shortcomings in the Yangzhou salt incident, or whether the prefect Hou Zhi colluded with salt merchants and committed corruption. The key is that Hou Zhisu had close contacts with Lu Duoxun, the minister and Tongping Zhangshi, and it was this Yangzhou magistrate who was recommended by Lu Duoxun.
In the summer of the twelfth year of Kaibao, Lu Duoxun finally came forward and was promoted by Emperor Liu from the position of chief envoy to Zhejiang and Zhejiang Provinces to Beijing to become prime minister.
By this year, the power center of Han Dynasty has taken on a new situation with the transfer of personnel.
Xue Juzheng, Duke of Ji, who had served in Jiannan Road for many years, was transferred to Beijing to replace Lu Yin, who was ill and difficult to cope with, as the cabinet bachelor. The governor of Kaifeng was Lu Duan, the transfer envoy to Henan and Lu Yin's younger brother.
After Wang Pu was released to the east of Guangnan, his successor in financial management was Wang Zhu, the southeast transfer envoy. A large number of local important ministers and officials were able to join the transfer center. These people all had meritorious service. Obviously, they had great influence on Zhao Pu. The impact is huge.
It can even be said that it was to check and balance the power of Zhao Pu, the prime minister. Among them, the one who showed the strongest signs of breaking up with Zhao Pu was undoubtedly Lu Duoxun. Within the imperial court, it was Lu Gong who carried the banner of "anti-Zhao".
The grudges between Zhao and Lu can no longer be rekindled, but in the Han Dynasty in the 13th year of Kaibao's reign, the two were already incompatible.
Therefore, when it was learned from Liu Xigu that Hou Zhi might have committed a crime, it would inevitably trigger a new round of court struggle. If this can be done, it will be a heavy blow to Lu Duoxun, who is increasingly domineering in Zhao Pu's eyes. When considering the position of Yangzhou magistrate last year, Lu Duoxun strongly recommended him. In less than a year, something went wrong. .
And even if the matter is found out and Hou Zhi is innocent, such a turmoil cannot be exploited.
In the Guangzheng Hall and the Assembly Hall, after a short closed-door meeting, the central officials of the Han Dynasty dispersed one after another.
Among the prefectures in the world, Yangzhou can be ranked in the top ten. However, for the possible evils of a Yangzhou prefect, the prime ministers and the chief officials of the Three Laws Department were summoned to discuss it, but it inevitably gave people the feeling of making a mountain out of a molehill. .
When Lu Duoxun walked out of the meeting hall, his expression was as gloomy as water, with a little embarrassment. The other ministers did not bother him, and they all understood that he was in a bad mood.
After discussion among the ministers, it was decided that the Sanfa Division would dispatch officials to Yangzhou and work with the Huaidong Inspector to investigate the abuses in Yangzhou. As for Hou Zhi, he was temporarily suspended from his post until the investigation was clear, and then dealt with.
People haven't completely left the meeting hall, but the voice of Zhao Puduo's explanation was still faintly heard.
Who was Lu Duoxun, how could he not feel the aggressive targeting? In the year when he became the prime minister, Lu Duoxun was somewhat complacent, and Zhao Pu had not reacted excessively before.
However, once Zhao Pu seizes the opportunity, it comes with force and sharpness, which also makes Lu Duoxun feel a lot of pressure. Judging from what Zhao Pu meant, he didn't go to investigate Hou Zhi. He clearly wanted to see if Mr. Lu was also involved.
How to deal with it has become a headache for Lu Duoxun. Of course, the most important thing is that he cannot really implicate himself in it and let Zhao Pu catch the sore foot and chase him...
