Chapter 46 Inquiry
He wanted to let the people know that not all officials were greedy and afraid of death, and not all of them exploited the people; there were also people who were willing to forge ahead, willing to keep a clear mirror hanging high, and willing to let fairness exist among the people.
Looking at his gaze, Xu Zhi finally gained courage and understood that this adult might really be different.
Afterwards, Zhao Yan ordered all those involved in the case to sign and seal their names. Before leaving the court, he said to Xu Zhi, "The government officials will be on guard at your house for the next few days to prevent anyone from deliberately seeking revenge."
Xu Zhi nodded in agreement.
When the people outside learned the verdict, they were all excited and called the governor a good official.
Soon, the crowd outside dispersed, and Zhao Yan looked up and saw Yu Huatang leaving.
At this moment, Zhao Yan did not chase after him, but just watched him from afar until he could no longer see the figure.
After Yu Huatang and Xu Fu came back, they didn't say anything, but just focused on catching up on the delayed work.
Xu Fu was a child by nature, and today, after witnessing the governor severely punishing Jiang, he was filled with admiration. "Senior Sister, do you think Lord Zhao really has such great power to wipe out all the rotten teeth of the governor of Fuzhou?"
Yu Huatang didn't stop what he was doing. He said calmly, "There will definitely be resistance. Things aren't that simple. But he should be able to do it."
Xu Fu asked curiously, "Why do you say that, Senior Sister? I see all the officials in the government office are here today. It seems that Lord Zhao has taken control of Quanzhou with lightning speed. I think those people can't escape."
Yu Huatang said, "Today's conviction is just one of the charges. If corruption is to be implicated, other officials will definitely be retried. Among the subordinate officials, County Magistrate Yan holds the highest position. If he agrees, it will be easy. If he doesn't agree, Lord Zhao will need higher-ranking officials to support him."
Xu Zhi said, "Then why would Lord Yan disagree?" Then he thought, "Forget it, this is not something I can figure out. I guess these lords are not as straightforward as we see."
Yu Huatang did not respond. These matters were no longer something that ordinary people like them could control. The only thing they could do was to try not to cause trouble for the case and do their own thing.
There were already many obstacles in investigating Jiang Huaxiang, but after hearing the words of the people outside today, Zhao Yan suddenly felt stronger and more determined.
The fact that she came here naturally meant that she also hoped that the corrupt officials would be caught. At this moment, he no longer hesitated.
By the time Zhao Yan had sorted out the documents in the afternoon, the other subordinates in the government office had already left.
He changed his clothes, took Anfu out of the government office, and said to Master Ji, "Let's go to the Yan Mansion."
Yan Quan was informed by the guards that Zhao Yan had arrived. After thinking for a while, he finally decided to pretend to be sick.
He lay in bed humming from time to time. Hua knew what he meant, so she asked the doctor to come over and act out a play with him.
Finally, the doctor said that I had caught a cold, so it would be best not to move around for the time being and just rest at home.
Yan Quan pretended to be regretful and sighed, asking Zhao Yan for a few days off.
Zhao Yan sneered, "Master Yan is getting sick really fast."
Yan Quan continued to pretend, "Yeah, I guess it's because of my age. I was fine this morning, but now I feel dizzy and dazed."
Zhao Yan was unwilling to negotiate with him and said bluntly, "Master Yan is definitely unwilling to participate in Jiang Cheng's retrial. If you miss this opportunity, you will never get it again."
Yan Quan lamented, "...I really can't do it..."
Zhao Yan continued, "Why did Lord Yan think that informing the governor of Jiangzhou was a good thing? Why did he think that the governor of Jiangzhou considered you one of his own?"
Yan Quan hadn't expected him to be so direct and was a bit stunned, but he didn't want to offend him either, so he hesitated for a while before finally saying, "...Your Excellency, you may not know that before you took office, whenever there was a natural disaster or man-made disaster here, Jiang Chengdu would donate money and supplies, and the governor of Jiangzhou would send officials to express his condolences."
"Let's put aside other things. The real gold and silver jewelry was given to Quanzhou Prefecture. Your Excellency has only been here for a short time, so why not take a look first?"
"Oh? I heard that Jiang Cheng was ostensibly donating money and supplies, but in reality he was bribing officials. He donated 1,000 taels, but the higher-ups got 700, the people working there got 200, and only 100 was actually used. Not only that, but because of his fame, he bankrupted all the lumber shops in Quanzhou Prefecture, leaving only his own shop standing."
"After that, they started to take over the construction of the government office. The governor of Fuzhou abused his power for personal gain and exaggerated the reported silver by dozens of times, truly taking advantage of both the government and the people." Zhao Yan asked in return.
Yan Quan didn't dare to say anything after hearing this. They both understood that this was a direct and public discussion.
Jiang Cheng and Jiangzhou Mu said on the surface that they were doing things for the people, but it was just a cover to make money using more covert methods.
Yan Quan sighed, "Sir, even so. The people did receive help from the government in their time of need. Why bother to dwell on this? You come from a prominent family and have a bright future. As long as you stay here for a few years, gain experience, and earn a good reputation among the people, it will be easy for you to enter the cabinet in the future."
"Your Excellency has been an official for some time now. Don't you know that when water is too clear, there are no fish? If you take down the Governor of Jiangzhou today, you will surely be impeached by his followers and influence, and they may even keep a close eye on you for decades. Even if the Governor of Jiangzhou is gone, won't there be another Governor of Xuzhou?"
"That's not how you act, sir. Why would you make so many enemies for yourself and make the rest of your life miserable?"
Zhao Yan looked at Yan Quan and fell silent. Yan Quan then remembered that he had been so organized just now that he really didn't look sick. He felt a little worried for a moment. He had to hint again, "If you insist on investigating, why not go to Fuzhou first and have a cup of tea with Jiangzhou Mu to understand the situation? It won't be too late."
Even after he said this, if Lord Zhao still remained stubborn, there was nothing he could do.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Yan said, "If that's the case, I think Lord Yan must have thought it through very clearly."
Yan Quan was terrified. He knew this was an opportunity to make a name for himself. A thorough investigation of a provincial governor would surely reach the emperor's ears. He had only passed the imperial examination at the age of thirty, then been transferred elsewhere and finally ended up here.
Apart from meeting His Majesty during the palace examination, there will be no other opportunity throughout the year.
Now, as long as he participates in this matter, if it succeeds, His Majesty will know his name, and those officials and groups in the capital will also know him, and then someone will come to promote him.
But these are only possible if you succeed. If you fail, you will have nothing.
He is not that stupid. This matter needs to be handled directly by someone. Zhao Yan has a father who is the left prime minister, so he can do whatever he wants. Can a small fry like him do this?
Yan Quan made up his mind and continued to be vague, "...Oh, my lord, you just heard it, the doctor also told me not to work hard these days, I am afraid I am unable to do it..."
After hearing this, Zhao Yan stopped talking and left.
Yan Quan stole a glance at his expression and ordered the servant to go and see him off.
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