Chapter 374: Forcing the emperor to abdicate!
Qinzhou.
The usually deserted entrance to the government office has seen long queues in the past two days.
The inspector from Chang'an came to Qinzhou. On the first day of his arrival, he suspended the Qinzhou Beijia and Facao for abuse of power.
At the same time, a notice was posted at the gate of the government office, stating that if the people of Qinzhou had grievances to be redressed or complaints to be filed, they could just beat the drum to appeal, and the censor would make the decision for them.
At first, the people just watched and tested the situation.
The first thing the Inspector-General did after taking over the government office was to investigate wrongful convictions.
He brought out the prisoners from the cells one by one and re-interrogated them. During this trial, there were more people imprisoned in the government prison.
Many of the prisoners who were originally detained in the cells were acquitted in court, but the officials of the Qinzhou government office were sent in one after another. The Beijia was suspended from his post, the Changshi was detained, three of the six ministries were investigated, and a group of constables, prison wardens, etc., who were arrested and detained by prisoners, became prisoners themselves.
Among them, Fa Cao's crime is the most serious.
As a lawyer, he was in charge of the legal affairs of a state. However, he lost his ideals and beliefs, deviated from the original intention of being an official, abused his power, accepted bribes, perverted the law, and acted recklessly. He was immediately dismissed and investigated.
Qinzhou Beijia, as a court official, opened a brothel in disregard of the court's ban, and used his power to cover up his daughter's various illegal behaviors. He was temporarily suspended from his post and awaited the court's decision.
The daughter of Qinzhou Beijia, just because she was jealous of the beauty of several women, ordered several constables to scratch their faces, causing them to be disfigured, and committed the crime of intentional injury. She also relied on her father's power to force dozens of men to have sex with her. According to the laws of Daxia, she was sentenced to 30 years in prison for multiple crimes.
Although Beijia was only an assistant to the governor, the Beijia of Qinzhou was a member of the Wang family of Jinyang. In Qinzhou, even the governor had to give him some respect.
Even he was investigated and dealt with according to the law. The people finally believed that this young censor was serious. While he was still in Qinzhou, they began to go to the government office to file complaints, accusing Qinzhou officials of various illegal acts.
In just a few days, seven county magistrates in the thirteen counties of Qinzhou were investigated.
Countless low-level officials were arrested.
Some local thugs who had long been protected by local officials and oppressed the people and preyed on the locals finally met their doom. After their protective umbrellas were taken away, they also lost their shelter. Within a few days, countless people lost their heads...
After cracking down on these evil forces, the Censor also went to the provincial school and gave several classes to the students of Qinzhou.
As the top student in six subjects, every one of his classes was packed.
In addition, the local gentry and wealthy families in Qinzhou were also summoned by the Censor.
A large number of those who lost their heads this time came from these powerful families. Of course, their so-called power was nothing compared to that of this Lord Censor.
After gathering them together, the censor did not make things difficult for them. He just warned them to be strict with themselves and treat the people well. He hoped that he would not have to chop off their heads the next time he came to Qinzhou...
Qinzhou government office.
In the past half month, Li Nuo took over the administrative power from the Qinzhou governor.
Before coming, he had never thought that it would take him half a month just to go to Qinzhou.
Or what he didn't expect was that Qinzhou, so close to the capital, would be so chaotic.
It is common for officials to abuse their power. Laws are just decorations. They can arrest anyone they want. It is difficult for merchants to escape exploitation by local officials, and losing money to avoid disaster has almost become a tacit understanding.
The yamen runners and constables, who were paid by the court and were supposed to protect the people, were the most ruthless group to exploit the people. The officials became the umbrellas for evil forces. The people were full of fear and distrust of the government. Among the thirteen counties in Qinzhou, four county magistrates had committed crimes that could not be enforced without execution...
And this is just one state.
Qinzhou is close to the capital, so they are relatively restrained in their actions. It is still unknown what the situation will be like in those remote counties far away from Chang'an.
Although some of the things he saw and heard here always made people extremely angry, the life span he gained in Qinzhou in just half a month almost caught up with the accumulation of the past two years.
After he changed the law and extended the length of sentences, the gains from judging cases were several times greater than before.
In addition to investigating the case, he also did not forget to make a statement.
Although students in provincial schools have little hope of passing the imperial examinations, they often come from well-off families and their families have a certain influence in the local area. Even if they fail, they can still play a certain role in local grassroots governance.
Li Nuo did not use all the tricks of the diplomats and calligraphers to deal with the local gentry and wealthy businessmen.
Although the effects of the art of diplomacy and calligraphy are immediate, it is precisely because the effects are so good that if they do things on a large scale that are inconsistent with their previous style, it is inevitable that some people will associate them with him.
Besides, his power alone is limited, and he can't change the minds of so many people.
Before his calligraphy skills reached a high level, the only way to ensure that those policies were implemented long-term and thoroughly was through legislation.
However, he still selected some people and forcibly intervened in their future.
He threw a stack of papers into the stove, watched them burn up in the flames, walked out of the room, and said to the fortune teller, "Let's go, it's time to leave Qinzhou..."
Chang'an.
Secretariat.
The Left Prime Minister looked at the memorial in his hand. In just half a month, the officialdom of Qinzhou had been turned upside down, and a large number of positions had been vacant. Fortunately, just in case, a lot of extra students were admitted in the imperial examination last year, and many positions had not been appointed yet.
However, in Qinzhou alone, so many officials were dismissed and demoted. The court's reserve of Jinshi will probably be used up soon. This year's imperial examination will probably have to include a lot more candidates.
If Li Nuo could really travel to all the states of Daxia, I'm afraid that imperial examinations would have to be held every year in the next few years.
After closing the letter, a smile appeared on his face.
In any case, he finally saw some hope.
In the past few months, more than twenty students from the four major academies have developed great righteousness.
Without exception, they had all been instructed by Li Nuo.
Every time there is an official with a noble character in the court, there will be one less corrupt official. One day, the clean officials will no longer be a minority...
The Secretariat.
An official walked into the government office, handed a document to the right prime minister with both hands, and said, "Teacher, the left prime minister ordered the Ministry of Personnel to double the number of Jinshi admitted this year..."
After handing the document to the Right Prime Minister, he continued, "Mr. Su and his many disciples are contacting officials in the court and writing to suggest that Your Majesty appoint a crown prince. Should we..."
Before he could finish, the Right Prime Minister waved his hand and said, "No need to participate."
The official nodded and said, "Yes."
At this time, a figure walked in from outside the door. The official bowed slightly to him and left the yamen.
The right prime minister looked at the document in his hand and said, "In Qinzhou alone, dozens of officials have been punished. The number of Jinshi candidates this year has only doubled, which may not be enough..."
The left prime minister said: "Then let's recruit another hundred people. Local officials are already seriously redundant, and not all vacancies need to be filled. This is a good opportunity to reduce the number of officials. If it is still not enough, we can hold imperial examinations every year. There will always be a time to fill the gap..."
The Right Prime Minister looked at him in slight surprise and said, "It seems that you have finally made up your mind this time."
The left prime minister breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Without destruction, there is no construction. Daxia has been ill for a long time and needs a thorough blood transfusion. Otherwise, any reform will be in vain..."
Over the years, one of them was in charge of the Secretariat and the other was in charge of the Chancellery. Although they were good friends, they had different political views.
The right prime minister's political views are more radical than his.
He felt that reforms could not be accomplished overnight, but needed to be carried out step by step, with some policies appropriately relaxed, and that some people's behavior of taking advantage of loopholes in the court could be selectively turned a blind eye, and when their lives got better, it would naturally lead to more people living a good life...
The right prime minister wanted to carry out comprehensive and thorough reforms, strictly investigate corrupt officials, severely punish unjust gentry, and rebuild a new Daxia.
Facts have proved that he was wrong. After those people live a good life, they will not think about helping the world, but will prevent more people from living a good life.
What Li Nuo is doing now is actually what You Shang wanted to do back then.
He looked at the right prime minister and said, "You are right."
The two had argued for so many years, and now that the left prime minister had recognized him, the right prime minister showed no obvious emotional fluctuations, but just shook his head and smiled, and asked: "Do you really think this is a complete blood transfusion?"
He stood with his hands behind his back, looking out the window, and said slowly: "Li Xuanjing killed only one in ten of the Wang family officials in the court, but what's the use? Among the three hundred Jinshi recruited in the imperial examinations in the past two years, officials from the six major families accounted for more than 70%, and the Wang family accounted for 20%. In at most twenty years, they will return to their previous positions, and nothing will be changed..."
It is an indisputable fact that the Left Prime Minister fell silent.
Those aristocratic families possessed the most top-notch bloodlines and controlled a vast territory of Daxia. As long as the method of the imperial examination remained unchanged, few people could compete with them.
Even if the most thorough reform of the imperial examination was carried out, they could still directly or indirectly erode the court through various means.
In today's Daxia, everything seems to be moving in a good direction.
But looking back at history, we know that this is just a cycle.
Eventually, everything will return to where it was.
By then, the laws may be revised, and various reforms will be gradually abolished, unless the six major families are destroyed...
The six major families and Da Xia are in a relationship of co-existence and destruction. The demise of the six major families means that Da Xia is not far from being destroyed.
The right prime minister took the initiative to break the silence and said, "Su Meng is working with his disciples and a group of court officials to persuade His Majesty to appoint a crown prince and abdicate. You have a closer relationship with him, so go and persuade him. You are the only one who can persuade him..."
The left prime minister breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I'm afraid he won't listen to my advice..."
Both of them are at the fifth level of Confucianism. They have been in the court for decades and have seen many things very clearly.
No one can force His Majesty to do anything he is unwilling to do.
If you completely anger His Majesty, you will die.
Su Meng has a strong character, otherwise he would not have given up on becoming an official. It is difficult for me to persuade him...
Su Mansion.
"Mr. Su, there are already dozens of professors in the major academies in Chang'an who are willing to write a letter."
"The number of students who responded to Chang'an has exceeded a thousand."
"We are still trying to win the support of the court officials, but apart from a few censors from the Imperial Censorate, few people agree..."
The old man surnamed Su frowned, waved his sleeves, and said, "A bunch of cowards, spineless people, who have read the sages' books for so many years in vain. With a tyrant emperor and treacherous ministers in power, they just dared to watch..."
At this time, a middle-aged man came in and said a few words in the old man's ear.
The old man surnamed Su raised his eyebrows, straightened his clothes, walked into a side hall, looked at a figure, and asked directly: "Cui Jian, are you here to persuade His Majesty with me?"
The left prime minister shook his head and said, "I am here to advise you not to try to anger His Majesty. You will die, and many people will die because of you..."
The old man surnamed Su showed disappointment and shook his head, saying, "Pei Hao has changed, and you have changed too. I am just an ordinary citizen, not as valuable as the prime minister. I will die if I die. If my death can make the world recognize this tyrant, what does it matter if I die?"
Zuo Xiang sighed. Before he came, he knew the outcome of this trip.
He moved his lips and was about to speak, but the old man surnamed Su waved his sleeves and said in a deep voice: "If you don't share the same ideals, you can't make plans together. Send him away!"
The left prime minister took one last look at him, sighed and left.
Su Daru didn't look at him again. He looked up at the portrait of the Confucian saint on the wall with a firm look in his eyes...
…
Ningxin Garden.
Li Zhi walked barefoot across the grass, approached An Ning who was sitting by the lake in a daze, stretched out his arms, and said in a baby voice: "Mom, hug me..."
An Ning gently touched her chubby little face and said softly, "Go find your Auntie Fenghuang to hold you. Mom wants to be alone for a while..."
Although Li Zhi didn't understand what her mother said, she knew that her mother didn't want to hug her now, so she turned around and walked unsteadily towards another figure.
Besides her mother, her favorite thing at home is Aunt Phoenix’s arms.
Only Aunt Phoenix’s embrace feels the same as my mother’s.
Fenghuang picked up Li Zhi and looked at An Ning, who was sitting by the lake in a daze, with some concern. Just as she was about to walk over, the beauty reached out to stop her and said, "Leave her alone..."
Today, everyone in the Li Mansion is trying their best to take care of An Ning's feelings.
Even Yiren, who had always been at odds with An Ning, did not argue with her.
Su Daru, together with teachers from several major academies and more than a thousand students in Chang'an, sat in protest at the palace gate, completely blocking the palace gate. Officials from the three provinces could only go to the yamen through other palace gates.
They had only one purpose for their sit-in, to force His Majesty to appoint a crown prince.
To put it nicely, it means asking Your Majesty to appoint a crown prince.
To put it bluntly, it is forcing Your Majesty to abdicate.
They said that Your Majesty had ignored state affairs for more than ten years, and in order to seek immortality, he had murdered the royal family, appointed treacherous officials, and disrupted the government. He should abdicate as soon as possible and hand over the throne to a wise monarch...
Your Majesty is An Ning's father, so it is normal for An Ning to feel uncomfortable.
Not only An Ning, they also felt a little uncomfortable.
After all, all of them had to call the treacherous villain who brought chaos to the court father...
Chang'an.
This is the second large-scale protest march in two years.
The last time, it was the "cleansing the court" operation led by King You of Han, with the aim of eliminating Li Xuanjing, the Minister of the Dali Temple.
That action ended in a disastrous defeat for King You of Han.
Not only did they fail, but the Great Xia royal family was also slaughtered by Li Xuanjing in the name of treason.
This time is different.
The initiator of this protest was a great Confucian scholar of the fifth realm. The main purpose of the protest was not to purge the emperor’s side, but to force him to abdicate.
Your Majesty has ignored state affairs for more than ten years. Officials in the court and knowledgeable people in the society have long criticized Your Majesty, but Your Majesty never changed. This time, led by Su Daru, teachers and students from major academies responded one after another, completely occupied the palace gate, and pointed their spearheads directly at Your Majesty.
Regardless of whether this protest is successful or not, it will definitely leave a mark in history books.
His Majesty's reputation is completely ruined. In the past, only the people talked about him, but this time, the great scholars took the lead and made him the first emperor in the history of Daxia to be forced to abdicate. If he gave in, he would be the most aggrieved emperor...
Su Daru said that if the emperor did not give in, he would die to show his determination.
No emperor could bear the infamy of forcing a great scholar to death, unless he was prepared to be infamous for eternity.
The Imperial Palace.
Inside a deep palace.
Emperor Xia clenched his fists, his eyes full of murderous intent. As his chest rose and fell, his black hair turned white in an instant and wrinkles quickly appeared on his face. After a few breaths, he changed from a young man to a dying old man.
Trembling, he took out a blood-red pill from his sleeve and put it into his mouth. The next moment, his white hair gradually turned black and the skin on his face gradually became tighter.
Emperor Xia took a deep breath and gritted his teeth, "How dare this old dog insult me like this!"
A figure walked in from outside the palace. Emperor Xia looked at him and said in a deep voice, "I want him to die, but not at the palace gate."
The figure paused, nodded slightly, then turned and left.
Watching the tall and slender figure leave, the furious look on Emperor Xia's face gradually disappeared. He stared at the direction where he disappeared for a long time, his eyes deep and calm.
(End of this chapter)
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