Merchants, citizens, peddlers and vendors walked back and forth. On the Qiantang River, countless pleasure boats and houseboats were either docked on the shore or swaying gently in the river, demonstrating the prosperity of this city, which was second only to Bianliang and Kaifeng in the Song Dynasty.
Zhao Jun's boat docked at the pier. When he got off the boat, officials from Liangzhe Road and local officials of Hangzhou, dozens of people, were already waiting on the shore.
After he got off the boat, he was surrounded by people and went all the way to Taihe Tower.
The saying "Spring scenery in the imperial capital fills Qiantang River, and Su Xiaodang's wine is doubly fragrant. Three thousand guests are given a feast in pearl shoes, and twelve rows of golden hairpins are arranged at the back." describes the scene inside Taihe Tower.
This was a grand restaurant that was no less famous than Fanlou in the Northern Song Dynasty. It prospered until the Southern Song Dynasty, when it was destroyed by the Mongol invasion at the end of the Southern Song Dynasty.
Zhao Jun, with his hands behind his back and a stern face, entered the building surrounded by Zhang Xia, the transport commissioner of Liangzhe Road, Wang Yong, the provincial judge, Li Jianzhi, the chief judge, Xu Yuan and others.
The building was brightly lit, but there was not a single guest. On the stage in the center, many singers started dancing at the same time almost the moment Zhao Jun entered.
The sound of music filled the entire Taihe Building.
Zhao Jun looked around and then went upstairs under the guidance of Zhang Xia.
Apparently, Taihe Tower was booked by the government today. The restaurant that could accommodate hundreds of people was empty. Even with many officials coming in, it still looked a bit desolate.
But it finally gained some popularity.
The restaurant owner came over with a flattering smile to greet him, and after Zhao Jun sat in the seat of honor, he immediately started serving the dishes.
Soon everyone was seated, and delicious food and wine were served.
Zhang Xia, who was sitting to Zhao Jun's right, personally poured wine for him. He then raised his glass and said to him with a smile, "I am honored that the Governor has come to Hangzhou. I offer a toast to the Governor."
"Drink this wine slowly first!"
Zhao Jun glanced at the officials sitting at his table, then asked sternly, "Who is Sun Mian?"
Sun Mian was actually not at his table.
Because the prefect is a fifth-rank official, and who are the high-ranking officials in Liangzhe Road?
The chief officers, adjutants, and assistant officers of the four departments were all between the fourth and fifth ranks, and only they were qualified to accompany Zhao Jun.
Officials from other provinces and below the fifth rank could basically only sit at the table next to them.
But it’s not too far, it’s the table on the right.
At this moment, Sun Mian was shocked when he heard what Zhao Jun said.
Because he had guessed that Zhao Jun came to Hangzhou most likely to cause trouble for him.
He also asked for favors.
But the problem is that Zhao Jun has no relatives or friends.
The only people who were close to him were probably the prime ministers and the emperor in the Constitutional Court.
If he could ask for favors from others and get them from the Council of Civil Affairs and the emperor, what was Sun Mian still doing as a prefect now?
He would have been the prime minister a long time ago.
As for directly contacting Zhao Jun himself.
Sun Mian doesn't have the courage yet.
After all, if you ask someone else to speak for you out of favor, it probably won't be a big deal.
But if you go directly to the person, that would be providing evidence.
If Zhao Jun refused to budge, he would obviously be unable to escape the charge of bribery.
So when Sun Mian learned that Zhao Jun actually came to Hangzhou, he was terrified.
I originally thought that even if the other party came to Hangzhou, they would probably find evidence and then cause trouble for him.
I didn't expect that he would be called by his name at the welcoming banquet.
This gave Sun Mian a bad feeling.
But Zhao Jun called him, and he couldn't ignore it, so he stood up from the table beside him and bowed to Zhao Jun, saying, "I am Sun Mian, the governor of Hangzhou. I am honored to meet you, the governor."
"Are you Sun Mian?"
Zhao Jun looked the man up and down with a serious expression, then snorted coldly, "Hangzhou businessman Xu Ming, do you know him?"
"Reporting to the Magistrate, this man is plotting treason, and this is the case that I am trying."
Sun Mian just felt a chill on his back.
He thought that he had indeed failed to completely eradicate the problem at the beginning and had actually forgotten to get rid of Xu Ming immediately, which led to Li Jianzhi's intervention and then Zhao Jun's intervention.
He originally wanted to kill Xu Ming, but he was taken away by Li Jianzhi, and he didn't have the ability to go to the Criminal Justice Office to kill people, so this key witness fell into Zhao Jun's hands, which caused big trouble.
However, he quickly regained his composure, believing that he had destroyed all the evidence, and that even if Zhao Jun wanted to overturn the verdict, it would be difficult. So, he remained calm on the surface and said, "This thief intends to become king. The evidence is irrefutable. Please investigate carefully and do not listen to his sophistry."
"I will naturally investigate this matter, but the reason I'm looking for you today isn't just about Xu Ming."
Zhao Jun said coldly, "Sun Mian, you were the prefect of Shouzhou. During your time there, a major corruption case occurred. Shouzhou included Huoqiu and Anfeng counties, and over 200,000 hu of grain, worth hundreds of thousands of strings of cash, was embezzled from the imperial court for disaster relief. As the prefect at the time, you were completely unaware of this, which means you didn't even visit the local areas to inspect the disaster relief efforts. This is a dereliction of duty on your part. Therefore, this court suspends your assignment for dereliction of duty and detains you in the Hangzhou prefectural government. I will personally visit the government office to investigate your crimes. What else do you have to say?"
When these words came out, all the officials in the room were shocked.
Sun Mian opened his eyes wide and opened his mouth, unable to speak.
He thought that Zhao Jun would come and use Xu Ming's case as a starting point to investigate the evil deeds he had done in Hangzhou, and then follow the clues to find out the truth of the corruption case from him.
You never expected that they wouldn't play tricks on you at all and would just suspend you from your position for dereliction of duty.
Although the crime of dereliction of duty does exist and has indeed been practiced.
For example, during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of Song, a woman in Kaifeng Prefecture was severely injured after being beaten by a drunk man. She went to the government to appeal for justice, but the government, after hearing her complaint, refused to accept the case. Eventually, the case reached the imperial court, and all the judicial officials involved were dismissed.
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