For a moment, even though the officials of the two factions were kneeling, they were still arguing with each other until their faces turned red and their necks became thick. Zhou Beichen sat on the dragon throne and looked at them coldly, and he could see the expressions of the ministers.
Zhou Zhaonuan originally thought that attending court was such a sacred thing, but now he realized that it was just like a large vegetable market among the people. These guys were so noisy that it hurt his ears.
Zhou Beichen held his forehead helplessly and rubbed his temples. "Alright, shut up, aren't you ashamed? You all have old faces. I'm afraid some of you already have grandchildren. Isn't it shameful, you guys?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Zhou Beichen knocked hard on the imperial desk with his fingers, and the ministers quieted down again and knelt down in unison.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me!"
Zhou Beichen: “…”
Can you please not say the same thing all the time and say something useful?
All the ministers lowered their heads and looked away, not looking at the emperor who was on a high throne. After this incident, the ministers who had just wanted to persuade Zhou Zhaonuan not to attend the court secretly gave up the idea and decided to wait until this matter was over before talking about it. It was better not to offend the emperor at this time.
General Ye was a military man, standing there with his head down. Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind. Wouldn't it be better to push this matter to Princess Chang'an? If she couldn't answer, she would naturally have to run back to the harem in shame. Why not do such a thing?
He calmed his mind, stood up in silence, and bowed to Zhou Beichen.
"Your Majesty, since Princess Chang'an has already come to court, she must participate in court affairs. By now, Princess Chang'an must have understood this matter. I wonder what Princess Chang'an has to say."
This was a naked provocation, and Zhou Beichen's face darkened for a moment. However, he looked at Zhou Zhaonuan, who was wearing a four-clawed python robe, and spoke in a light-hearted manner.
"Nuannuan, if you have any ideas, just tell me directly. If they are useful, I will naturally reward you. As for if they are not useful, that's fine. I will just not adopt them."
Ministers: “…”
Their hearts choked. The emperor was too biased. They also had a daughter at home, and they really couldn't understand why the emperor insisted on raising his daughter as a son. He raised a good girl into a vicious and evil girl.
When their daughter was as old as the princess, she had not yet started reading the Four Books and Five Classics. She only learned "Rules for Women" and "Instructions for Women". Now look at the princess, she is already attending court. It's so sad and lamentable.
Under everyone's gaze, Nuannuan walked to the center of the hall with confidence, thought for a moment, and spoke with full confidence.
"Reporting to the Emperor, I believe that corrupt local officials should not be executed."
As soon as these words were spoken, the ministers who had just opposed it could no longer bear it. Just as they were about to speak, Zhou Beichen slammed the table with a cold look in his eyes.
"Alright, please take a break. We've been arguing for so long, but we still don't know what to argue about. And yet, you're still a first- or second-rank official. I feel ashamed."
Many ministers felt their faces burning; they were humiliated, but they dared not refute or speak out.
Deshun couldn't help but raise the corner of his mouth. It was what he deserved. He really deserved it. He had disliked these ministers for a long time.
"Nuannuan, go ahead."
When Zhou Beichen looked at Zhou Zhaonuan again, he couldn't help but slow down his tone, which could truly be described as gentle as water.
The ministers felt even more bitter. No, they had to go back home and talk to their wives.
Zhou Zhaonuan smiled generously and continued.
"Father, in my opinion, this corrupt official cannot be executed for two reasons. First, if you kill all the corrupt local officials, who will distribute all the food? Therefore, he cannot be executed."
As soon as Zhou Zhaonuan finished speaking, many ministers snorted, especially General Ye, who stroked his beard with a look of high respect and dignity on his face.
"I thought the princess had some brilliant ideas, but isn't this the same reason the ministers just gave?"
Zhou Beichen nodded lightly, and General Ye returned to his original position, feeling even more puzzled. The emperor was obviously not a tyrant, so why did he always act like a tyrant when he met the princess?
"Secondly, as the saying goes, 'too clear water for fish'. Since Your Majesty employs people, especially local officials, Your Majesty cannot be too strict. That is, you cannot kill them. Therefore, I beg Your Majesty to spare their lives. According to the list Your Majesty has, find someone, raid their house, and pour all the embezzled money into the national treasury. In addition, since the people are already living on coarse food, let the ministers eat the same food for a month or two. After that, if any official embezzles again, they will be beheaded on the spot."
Zhou Beichen raised his eyebrows, and the depression in his heart finally eased a lot.
"This method is feasible. My dear ministers, what do you think?"
He raised his eyes, and looked down with sinister eyes. One of the ministers came out and gave a loud warning.
"Your Majesty, this cannot happen. If this continues, corrupt officials will inevitably extort even more money from the people. After all, the emperor is far away, and the court cannot always send ministers to monitor them. What's more, it might even lead to greater mutual protection among officials, and then chaos will break out."
Zhou Beichen frowned, Zhou Zhaonuan took a deep breath, walked up to the adult and smiled coldly.
"That's easy. Don't these local officials all have direct superiors? If they dare to embezzle, the money they embezzle will be directly recorded in the accounts of their direct superiors, and then accumulated layer by layer until it reaches you gentlemen. Otherwise, gentlemen, each of you will choose a region to govern?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the hall fell silent. The minister who had just spoken lowered his head and rolled his eyes wildly. What a sin, what a sin! When the water is too clear, there will be no fish. Officials like them have all been corrupt, but it is very rare for officials in the capital to embezzle. The amount of money they embezzle in a year is not as much as what local officials earn in a day.
Many ministers were frustrated and kept silent. Zhou Beichen let out a long sigh of relief, raised his hand, and smiled.
"Alright, since you all have no objections, I approve of what Nuannuan said."
The people below had different thoughts. Zhou Beichen thought for a moment and said again.
"Also, from now on, anyone who embezzles more than one hundred taels of silver will be put to death without mercy."
The ministers immediately broke out in cold sweats. It seemed that the emperor was really determined to crack down on corrupt officials.
The ministers knelt in unison, "Your Majesty is wise."
Zhou Beichen nodded cheerfully. "I have established the Integrity Silver. All officials who have not embezzled anything within a year can go to the Ministry of Revenue during the New Year to receive 800, 700, 600, or even 100 taels of silver. Each tael will be distributed according to the official's rank. This is my reward to you."
This was great. The ministers' faces immediately lit up with smiles, and they shouted "Long live the emperor" three times. They even looked at Zhou Zhaonuan with a much better eye.
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