Chapter 173
Yao Chunnuan felt that the time and space she was in should be a branch of Chinese civilization. It also had the Spring and Autumn Period and the various schools of thought.
When Yao Chunnuan realized the shortage of legal talents, she rushed to Zhu Hongtao's house.
Zhu Hongtao was training talent for Yichun, and now he could be considered one of their own. Furthermore, birds of a feather flock together, so perhaps he knew someone powerful within the Legalist school. If so, he could help introduce one or two. That's why Yao Chunnuan came to him for help.
Zhu Hongtao is now the principal of Yichun Public School. Now that the school is on vacation, he is resting at home.
Zhu Hongtao was surprised at Yao Chunnuan's intentions before saying, "I do have someone here. He's a close friend of mine."
Yao Chunnuan was delighted when she heard this. "That's great. What's this person's name, and where is he now?"
Zhu Hongtao signaled her to calm down. "Listen to what I have to say first, and then decide whether to recruit him or not."
"My good friend is an upright man, strict with himself, and a master of law. He once served in Daliang, where he was in charge of the capital's prisons. However, because he was too ruthless, stubborn, unreasonable, and incapable of compromise, he offended many people during his tenure and was subsequently dismissed from office by a joint petition submitted to the court."
Yao Chunnuan: ...
What a rubbish court, what a delayed pill.
Originally, Daliang was in its twilight years, plagued by numerous flaws and corrupt officials. For the past few decades, this man had been like a scavenger. If the emperor had steadfastly supported Zhu Hongtao's friend and cleansed the court, perhaps Daliang could have held out for a few more years. Had the old emperor been more decisive, and waited for Zhu Hongtao's friend to purge the court, then without further ado, he would have passed the throne to the crown prince, shouldering the responsibility of liquidating the old ministers. Perhaps Daliang could have once again been revitalized.
Yao Chunnuan asked, "When did this happen?" This was definitely not the time when the prince had a say in political affairs. He must have been still young at that time.
"Twenty-one years of Ganhe."
Yao Chunnuan calculated in his mind, oh no, at this time the old emperor was in his forties, he had been on the throne for too long and was in a period of fatigue, but he was also watching his sons grow up and was most afraid of losing power.
"Later on, the court should have wanted to invite him to serve again, right?" After all, the prince did not seem like such a foolish lord.
Zhu Hongtao glanced at Yao Chunnuan in surprise. She had guessed it right. "Yes, but my friend refused."
Yao Chunnuan probably knew the character of the good friend he was talking about. He hated evil and believed that black was black and white was white. He insisted on his own opinions and was a bit aloof.
"Lord Yao, you probably know now what kind of person my good friend is. Think carefully, do you really want to recruit such a person for the city lord?" When asking this, Zhu Hongtao was actually inexplicably nervous in his heart, and the palms of his hands in his sleeves were a little hot.
Yao Chunnuan said confidently, "Really? I'm sure that our Yichun City Lord's Mansion needs a legal expert like your friend to preside over legal affairs."
She wanted this kind of legislative talent! He was ruthless and unyielding, even if he was unreasonable. In troubled times, harsh punishments were needed! There was no need for gray areas in Yichun right now. The salaries and benefits the City Lord's Mansion provided to its officials were already generous. If they still engaged in corruption or other illegal activities under such conditions, then they would not be lenient.
"I wonder what your good friend's name is, and where he is now? Do you need our City Lord's Mansion to send troops to pick him up?" There was war in Daliang at the moment, and Yao Chunnuan was really worried about the safety of this talented person. She was worried that if he went alone, if something happened on the way, wouldn't it be their Yichun that suffered the loss?
Her words clearly showed how much she valued her friend. Zhu Hongtao was filled with joy, his expression softening considerably, and he even smiled. His friend had finally reaped the rewards of his hard work and was now able to put his skills to good use.
"His name is Zhang Jiuxiang."
Yao Chunnuan blinked. It was him? No wonder all that talk about his friend had sounded vaguely familiar to her. His nickname, Zhang Baizhan, wasn't the random nickname people use later. It referred to the fact that on his first day in office, he arrested nearly a hundred of the city's noble disciples. He had practically wiped out all the city's dandies, leading to the joint petition by court officials to the emperor requesting Zhang Jiuxiang's removal.
"There is no need for the City Lord's Mansion to send troops to pick him up. My good friend has already arrived in Yichun." Zhu Hongtao said with a smile.
When he became the principal of Yichun Public School, he wrote to his friend. While his friend accepted the letter, he didn't immediately leave for Yichun. However, the two continued to correspond, and his friend kept an eye on Yichun's developments. By the end of the year, his friend finally decided to come to Yichun. He was currently staying at the government office, but he still wouldn't let Yao Chunnuan and the others know about his presence. He said he wanted to see Yichun carefully; whether he would take up official duties was another matter.
Yao Chunnuan quickly said, "This is great news. I'd appreciate it if Mr. Zhu could help introduce me to someone."
Zhu Hongtao smiled again. "He's staying at home right now. Lord Yao, please sit for a while. I'll be right back."
"Thank you."
Yao Chunnuan waited for a while, and Zhu Hongtao brought in a tall middle-aged man in his early forties.
As the middleman, Zhu Hongtao introduced the two people.
After a few simple greetings, Zhang Jiuxiang looked at her with a sharp gaze and said, "I understand your purpose. But I have a few questions for Master Yao."
Yao Chunnuan sat upright, "Mr. Zhang, please ask."
Zhang Jiuxiang asked, "What do you think of the Legalists?"
Yao Chunnuan thought for a moment and said, "The Legalists are a school of thought centered on the rule of law. They actively engage with society, understand the world, and focus on the practical effects of law. They take it as their mission to enrich the country and strengthen the military. They are very practical. Furthermore, there is no order without rules. People need restraint, and some behaviors cannot be restrained by morality alone. The existence of Legalist jurisprudence is very necessary."
Zhang Jiuxiang said expressionlessly, "One last question."
Yao Chunnuan raised an eyebrow. Is this the last question? It seems he is satisfied with his answer.
The other man looked at her sharply. "If I were to serve as an official in Yichun, even if you broke the law, I would not show any leniency and would sentence you accordingly. Do you still want me to serve as an official?"
Yao Chunnuan remained calm, "Of course. If the emperor breaks the law, he should be punished just like the common people, not to mention a mere Gongcao."
"I hope you can do what you say." Zhang Jiuxiang looked at her deeply and smiled meaningfully.
Afterwards, with the introduction of Yao Chunnuan and Zhu Hongtao, Zhang Jiuxiang went to meet the city lord. After a detailed discussion, the city lord's mansion decided to establish the Qingli Division, with Zhang Jiuxiang as the director of the Qingli Division, and he took office immediately.
When the Qingli Division was first established, not only the members of the City Lord's Mansion but also the common people of Yichun were unaware of its powerful and destructive nature. It wasn't until the Qingli Division captured Li Lanshan of the Li family that everyone realized something was amiss with this Division. After all, Li Lanshan of the Li family was Lord Yao's cousin, and the two families were rumored to be very close. The Qingli Division immediately struck Lord Yao in the face with a savage slap. Their stubbornness and audacity stunned everyone, and silenced them.
Li family
When Li Lanshan's wife learned that her husband was arrested and imprisoned by the Qinglisi, she burst into tears.
She cried and begged Uncle Li, "Grandpa, please go and ask my cousin for help."
Uncle Li said coldly, "After doing something like this, how can I have the nerve to beg your cousin?!"
"My husband really didn't mean it. How could he have known there was something wrong with that batch of coal? He was thrown in jail just because of a small mistake. It's really unfair. Besides, my husband is my cousin's brother. It would be embarrassing for her to have her cousin thrown in jail, right?"
"How dare you two say that? Li Lanshan is already an adult in his twenties. Doesn't he know what he can and can't do? Now you've implicated your cousin!"
"Wow, wow, wow--" Li Lanshan's wife covered her face and cried.
The perpetrator was gone, and the others had already cursed him. Uncle Li finally decided to go to the Yao Mansion, not to ask his niece to rescue him, but to ask her for advice on how to deal with this matter. After all, the Li family didn't belong to Li Lanshan alone, and he had more than one grandson. No matter what decision his niece made, he wouldn't blame her, and he didn't have the face or the right to blame others.
When Uncle Li came to visit, Yao Chunnuan also received news that the Qing official Wu had arrested Li Lanshan.
What was going on? Yao Chunnuan wanted to know, and someone quickly found out the whole story, then compiled the details and presented them to her.
The cause of this incident was simple. The weapons workshop had always been a major user of coal, and recently it had received a new batch of coal, not from the original owner, but from a different one. Initially, no one took it seriously and used it normally. But strangely, the weapons they produced were always shapeless, a huge waste of refined iron ore.
The master craftsman at the Arsenal was furious. The Arsenal was facing a tight deadline, and most importantly, there was a shortage of refined iron ore. How could there be so much to waste?
The Arsenal had to start investigating the cause. Later, the master chef of the Arsenal discovered that it was caused by the charcoal fire, and the investigation led to the discovery of the latest batch of coal.
In order to confirm the problem, the master chef asked someone to compare some of the remaining coal from last time with the new coal, and found that it was indeed a problem with the new coal. It was probably because of its inferior quality. The fire did not burn as vigorously as the original coal, so the molten iron was not burned well.
Once the cause is identified, the responsibility must be investigated.
The first people to be held accountable are naturally the ones who made the decision to replace the coal at their arsenal. They had a good supply of coal, and you just replaced it, and then you replaced it, and then you replaced it with inferior coal. Who else should be held accountable if not you?
This matter involved military equipment and supplies, and the losses were significant. Most importantly, it delayed the construction schedule, preventing the weapons from being delivered on time. The master chef showed no mercy and reported the matter to his superiors before any results were announced.
The investigation led to the discovery of Li Lanshan, who was the one who decided to change the owner of the coal company.
This matter happened to be handled by Zhang Jiuxiang. He arrested the man at the first command.
Yao Er Ge, who was standing by, frowned after hearing this and said, "That's not right. I remember that cousin Lan Shan's job had nothing to do with military procurement."
Li Lanshan's carefree personality doesn't make him suitable for this job.
Uncle Li said with dismay, "He secretly changed his job. He agreed to help someone after drinking two cups of horse urine."
"Confiscate people's property?"
"I heard from his wife that he collected some, so I brought it all here. Ah Nuan, it's up to you to handle this matter. No matter what the final result is, we will accept it."
Yao Chunnuan smiled bitterly, her head aching. Li Lanshan's situation wasn't a big deal, but the consequences were enormous. Countless eyes were probably watching her to see what she would do.
This is a move made by Zhang Jiuxiang. It depends on how she responds to it. If the result is not what the old man wants, he will probably resign again.
The city gate established credibility. Whether the prestige of the Qinglisi and Zhang Jiuxiang could be established depended on her thoughts. Yao Chunnuan pressed her forehead. She said that the other party's expression when he agreed to serve as an official was a little strange. It turned out that he was waiting for her here.
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