Chapter 435 Requesting the Conferment of an Imperial Decree
The Imperial Study.
Emperor Jingwen's face was ashen. Zhejiang, with its superior geographical location, abundant resources, convenient transportation, and thriving commerce and trade, was one of the wealthiest regions in our dynasty.
In such a prosperous place, it's normal for corrupt officials to emerge. How many officials in the court are truly innocent? As long as it's a minor problem, Emperor Jingwen can turn a blind eye and pretend he doesn't know anything. But if corruption is serious, he will never tolerate it.
Emperor Jingwen originally trusted the Zhenguo Duke's mansion. Han Jin was the current Zhenguo Duke's uncle, and he was quite talented and capable. So he appointed him as the governor of Zhejiang. Unexpectedly, he put a parasite in this position.
Han Jin was corrupt and abused his power for personal gain. He falsified accounts to deceive the emperor, siphoning off a portion of the annual tax revenue and fabricating expenses to enrich himself. The amount of embezzlement was enormous. In addition, he accepted bribes from subordinate officials and merchants to do favors for them, and the amount of bribes he received was also enormous.
During his years as the governor of Zhejiang, Han Jin became incredibly wealthy.
If Han Jin was like this, then there were many corrupt officials below him. This case had far-reaching implications, and even the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion behind Han Jin was not clean.
This not only resulted in a huge loss of money for the national treasury, but also led to the abuse of power by officials who accepted bribes, wronged innocent people, and left victims with nowhere to seek justice, demonstrating rampant corruption.
It is often said that prosperous times breed corrupt officials, while chaotic times produce heroes, and this is indeed true.
If it weren't for Han Jin's brother-in-law, Wei Heng, it would have been impossible to trace Han Jin and other corrupt officials.
Seeing Emperor Jingwen's angry expression and grim face, Gu Jingxi quickly said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Don't upset yourself. This is actually a good thing."
Emperor Jingwen looked at him: "How so?"
Gu Jingxi replied, “Your Majesty, take a look at these accounts. They can add money to the national treasury. In addition, they can eliminate a group of corrupt officials and overturn the cases of those who were wronged in the past. There are also some people who were harmed but were released without charge because officials accepted bribes. Now their cases can be retried.”
Upon hearing this, Emperor Jingwen's expression softened somewhat. He then began to flip through the account books that Gu Jingxi had previously presented. When he saw the amounts, his expression gradually relaxed. The national treasury would indeed be much fuller this time. After closing the account books, he asked, "Han Jin and Wei Heng have both been brought back?"
Gu Jingxi replied, "Your Majesty, not only them, but all the other relevant officials have also been escorted back to the capital and are being held in the Dali Temple prison."
Emperor Jingwen was very satisfied after hearing this. He looked at Gu Jingxi again. Gu Jingxi had made a great contribution, and even if he wanted to promote him, there was no suitable position for him at present. He asked in a kind tone, "My dear minister, you have made a great contribution this time. What reward do you want?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi immediately knelt down and respectfully said, "Your Majesty, I wish to request an imperial title for my wife. I hope Your Majesty will grant me this request."
He had originally intended to use this achievement to ask the emperor for this reward, and now that the emperor had asked him, he could just bring it up directly.
He and Ayao were unable to have a normal wedding, and Ayao is still being criticized by people. He cannot make up for Ayao's past grievances by giving her a wedding. He can only try his best to win glory for Ayao and make up for Ayao's past grievances.
Emperor Jingwen was somewhat surprised, but considering that Lady Meng was now pregnant with Minister Gu's child, she was a great contributor to the Gu family, and the entire Gu family valued her highly. It was normal for Minister Gu to use his merits to ask for this reward for Lady Meng. He nodded and said, "Very well, I grant your request. Minister, please rise."
Gu Jingxi kowtowed to express his gratitude: "Your Majesty, I thank you for your great favor. Long live the Emperor!" After saying this, he stood up.
Emperor Jingwen noticed his tired face and knew that his trip to Hangzhou must have been tiring. Considering his minister's health, he said as always, "My dear minister, you have worked hard this time. There is no need to rush to Dali Temple. Go back and rest for a few days and recover your strength before going on duty."
Just when he was about to fall asleep, someone offered him a pillow. Gu Jingxi seized the opportunity to further his plan: "Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty. I was just about to ask for five days' leave, but now that Your Majesty is so considerate, I will not submit a memorial to ask for leave."
Emperor Jingwen was slightly surprised upon hearing this. In the past, when Minister Gu was away on official business for two or three months, he would ask him to rest for a few days. However, Minister Gu would tell him, "Your Majesty is kind, but I do not feel tired and do not need to take a vacation."
As is customary, he mentioned it to Minister Gu, who immediately wanted to take a vacation. Could it be that she didn't feel tired when she was younger, but now that she's older, her energy isn't what it used to be?
But she's only thirty years old, is it really necessary?
However, Emperor Jingwen did not dwell on it and generously said, "I grant you a ten-day leave. Go back and rest well, and return to the Dali Temple to take up your duties after you have rested."
Gu Jingxi respectfully said, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your great favor."
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After leaving the palace, Gu Jingxi went to the Dali Temple to hand over the matters that needed to be explained to his subordinates.
Qi Yunwen hadn't seen him for almost three months. When she saw him arrive, she immediately greeted him with a smile and said, "Yaoling, I didn't have time to congratulate you before, as you had already set off for Hangzhou. Now that you're back, I'm making up for it. Congratulations on becoming a father."
Gu Jingxi smiled as she thought of her unborn child: "Thank you."
Qi Yunwen laughed and said, "Now that we both have children, maybe our children can even become in-laws."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi asked in surprise, "Is your sister-in-law pregnant again?"
Qi Yunwen shook his head: "No, but your sister-in-law gave birth to a son and a daughter for me. You've met my two children; they're both good kids."
Gu Jingxi looked at him with an incredulous expression: "Mo Bai, did you become a father too early? Have you already forgotten how old your children are this year?"
Qi Yunwen replied, "My daughter is thirteen and my son is nine. What's wrong?"
Gu Jingxi said calmly, "Your daughter will be getting married in a couple of years. Even if your wife is carrying a son, your daughter can't wait for him to grow up. In another six or seven years, your son will also be ready to get married. Even if your wife is carrying a daughter, in six or seven years, she'll still be a child. Give up, we're not destined to be in-laws."
Qi Yunwen: "..."
He didn't know why, even though he was only a year older than Yaoling, when they talked about children, he felt much older than Yaoling. In another three or four years, he would probably be a grandfather, and his generation would be much higher, while Yaoling would still be the father of an uneducated child.
Gu Jingxi glanced at him indifferently and said, "By the way, His Majesty, out of consideration for my hard work, has given me a ten-day leave so that I can go home and rest properly. In the next ten days, unless there is something important, you don't need to look for me."
Qi Yunwen: "...I have something I want to tell you."
"It's not a big deal, you can handle it yourselves."
After Gu Jingxi finished speaking, he didn't give him a chance to speak. He gave some instructions and then left Dali Temple before heading back home.
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(Note: Madam Gu already holds an official title, so the male protagonist doesn't neglect his mother just because he has a wife.)
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