Chapter 154 Cleansing
Luo'er's affair caused another stir in the capital, involving Jiang Yangzong in forcibly abducting a woman and taking her life.
Logically, the Censorate should have reported Duke Lu for failing to discipline his child properly, and Jiang Yangzong would have been imprisoned.
But both of them died.
Soon after, the Chamber of Commerce in the capital exposed to the Dali Temple that Duke Lu had been corrupt and accepted bribes while serving as the Minister of Revenue.
The account books submitted recorded in detail how much silver one had to pay to be included in the candidate list when selecting imperial merchants, and how much additional silver one had to pay after being selected.
In addition, the amount of silver required for each approval document is recorded in the book one by one.
This matter does not involve only the Duke of Lu.
There are few clean people in the Ministry of Revenue, from top to bottom.
Shocked the government and the public.
In the Golden Palace, the eldest princess was furious.
The sword was unsheathed and the Minister of Revenue was killed on the spot.
"I remember that it was the Empress Dowager who promoted this Minister of Revenue. He was recommended by the Minister of the Central Secretariat himself."
Song Guang's robe was still stained with warm blood.
He remained calm. "Over the years, I have recommended countless officials, many of whom are honest and upright, and care deeply about the people. Princess, please be discerning."
The eldest princess approached with a sword in her hand, and blood dripped onto the hall. The emperor felt very uneasy and restless.
"There are too many good-for-nothings in the court, those who are just sitting there doing nothing but eating. They should all be removed," she said, looking around at the officials with an imposing manner. "Where is the Minister of Personnel?"
"I am here."
"I would like to re-evaluate the officials in the capital, starting with the six ministries. What do you say?"
The Minister of Personnel dared not speak.
"What do you think, Your Majesty?" The eldest princess narrowed her eyes and looked at the emperor.
"I think it's okay." The emperor didn't dare to look at the eldest princess at all.
Song Guang said, "Your Highness, the Princess is making a fuss about nothing. Officials are evaluated every year. Why do you have to do it all over again?"
The eldest princess said bluntly, "I don't trust you."
This sentence made Song Guang's face change slightly.
How dare she be so arrogant?
The princess patted Song Guang's shoulder with her blood-stained sword and said, "The Minister of Personnel you recommended died of syphilis in his later years. You didn't know him well."
"Such a huge mistake occurred in the Ministry of Revenue, and you, the Minister of the Central Secretariat, were completely unaware of it. This is dereliction of duty."
The princess took a step closer, her tone becoming more pressing. "If the money embezzled by the Ministry of Revenue were to go into your pocket, it would be a heinous crime."
Without waiting for Song Guang to speak, she flicked her sleeves and said, "The Beijing official assessment will be carried out immediately. If you have any objections, come to the Princess's Mansion and speak to me."
At this time, anyone who dares to object is guilty of something he has to hide.
The Ministry of Revenue was the first to be investigated, followed by the other five ministries.
After those parasites who had been entrenched for many years were eradicated, the candidates for the Hanlin Academy began to be appointed to official positions one after another, and young forces gradually infiltrated the court.
These people got the opportunity and were more or less grateful to the eldest princess.
If the eldest princess had not conducted a thorough investigation of the six ministries, they might never have had the opportunity to enter officialdom in their lifetime.
Those who were smart went to the princess's mansion to pay a visit, but no one could see the eldest princess.
The female official said, "You are selfless and dedicated to the public, and love the people like your own children. You will naturally have the opportunity to meet the princess in the future."
The Dali Temple, the Ministry of Justice, and the Censorate tried countless cases in just over a month.
It was not until the beginning of March, when the grass was green, that everything gradually came to an end.
In the quiet and hazy afternoon of early spring, Jiang Yanzheng came to the princess's mansion.
He stood in the hall, his back straight, holding a jade pendant in both hands.
When his grandfather was demoted, the eldest princess gave him this jade.
In all these years, my grandfather has never come to ask for help.
The sound of footsteps came closer and closer. Jiang Yanzheng did not look up, but only saw a pair of luxurious embroidered shoes stopped in front of him.
"Student Jiang Yanzheng pays homage to Her Royal Highness the Princess."
The princess's wide sleeves blew a breeze, and she said simply, "What's the matter?"
Jiang Yanzheng took out a memorial from his bosom and presented it with both hands, "Please review it, Your Highness."
The eldest princess raised her eyebrows and motioned for the female official beside her to take it.
The female official unfolded the memorial and began to read it.
The eldest princess's brows gradually furrowed.
The memorial recorded in detail the various evidences of Duke Lu's corruption over the years, and was very clear and organized.
"Your uncle's offense was not minor, but considering that the Duke's Mansion has a royal seal of approval, His Majesty has shown some leniency."
The eldest princess' eyes were filled with inquiry. "Yet you are asking to have your title of Duke revoked and all your property confiscated?"
"yes."
"Tell me."
Jiang Yanzheng's eyes were clear, "If it's wrong, it's wrong."
"Our ancestors fought bloody battles to earn this red seal and iron certificate, which was to protect their descendants from following the righteous path. However, our descendants use this as a shield to act recklessly."
He shook his head, a look of regret in his eyes, "This red book and iron certificate has gone from blessing to shielding."
The eldest princess looked at the young man carefully.
He has sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, a figure as straight as a pine tree, and a sense of righteousness in his words and deeds.
Such young people are rare in today's court.
"What do you want?" the eldest princess asked directly.
If you don't have any requests, you can just submit this memorial directly to the emperor.
Jiang Yanzheng was neither humble nor arrogant, "I am an official in the Censorate."
This answer made the princess slightly stunned.
She suddenly laughed, "You really are the one who goes there even though you know there's a tiger there."
"The court is in constant strife. One of the Chief Censors has died, and the other has been exiled. Yesterday, the Grand Censor also resigned and returned home. Now everyone is avoiding the Censorate, and yet you are taking the initiative to go there?"
"Someone has to go, someone has to do the work of setting things right." Jiang Yanzheng's voice was not loud, but every word was sonorous.
"Your grandfather was also an imperial censor, but he was demoted for speaking for me," the princess said, her tone turning cold. "Do you want to follow in his footsteps?"
Jiang Yanzheng raised his eyes and met the eldest princess's gaze. "Grandfather always taught his students that keeping silent out of fear of disaster is not the way for us to live."
The princess looked into the boy's dark, blazing eyes and said, "After entering the Censorate, the first memorial he submitted was to impeach Song Guang."
“Students need evidence.”
The eldest princess said, "That's easy."
She said with a warning, "What you should worry about is your life."
"Students are not afraid."
The eldest princess waved her hand and said, "Go ahead. The appointment from the Censorate will arrive soon."
When Jiang Yanzheng reached the door, the eldest princess suddenly called out to him, "Jiang Yanzheng."
"Your Highness, do you have any further instructions?"
"Is your grandfather in good health?"
A trace of tenderness flashed in Jiang Yanzheng's eyes. "Thanks to Your Highness's great blessing, although my grandfather is old, he is still in good spirits."
There seemed to be a ripple in the eldest princess's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure. "Tell him to live well."
Jiang Yanzheng nodded solemnly and turned to leave.
At the end of March, the imperial court issued several edicts.
Among them, the most surprising thing was that Zhang Jing, the governor of Binzhou, was transferred to Beijing to serve as the Imperial Censor.
This decree made it less noticeable that Chi Yuan was appointed as the Crown Prince and married to Princess Jia'an.
Binzhou is the eldest princess's fiefdom, and Zhang Jing is her confidant.
All the officials knew that there would be another bloody storm in the court.
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