It is important to note that the number of officials and students involved in this case is bound to be very large and complex. If the authorities fail to issue a death order to carry out thorough punishment, then such a matter will likely be a big deal but little action, and will only encourage the spread of this bad atmosphere.
After all, among so many officials, there are families of officials who are married into other families. Without the deterrent of imperial power, these people will completely use various means to cover up the truth through "human relations and worldly wisdom" and escape legal sanctions.
Of course, if an emperor does not have complete control over the court or his country, he may not be able to completely solve such a problem. After all, when the power of court ministers is greater than the imperial power, these court ministers will not take the imperial power seriously at all.
This was the situation during the reign of Chongzhen during the Ming Dynasty on Blue Star. Chongzhen used various methods, whether it was getting rid of Wei Zhongxian to please the Donglin Party, or wanting to weaken the power of ministers through reforms, but ultimately failed to achieve the desired effect.
Because at that time the imperial power had long been hollowed out by the cabinet and the Donglin Party, Chongzhen could not know the truth at the first time, whether it was military intelligence at the border or taxes in various places. The information Chongzhen could get was all screened and tampered with by the Donglin Party and the cabinet. No matter how hard Chongzhen tried, he could not change the final fate of the Ming Dynasty.
Of course, there is no great significance in saying this. After all, the situation in Wei was very different from that in the Ming Dynasty. The royal family of Wei not only had complete control over the court of Wei, but was also a martial arts family. The members of the royal family of Wei also had a strong military force. If there really was a powerful official in Wei who wanted to challenge the imperial power, then the elders of the royal family could directly suppress it.
Chu Fan came to his senses and continued to ask, "So, how do you plan to handle this matter? Do you make them drink three cups of wine as punishment and pretend it never happened, or do you investigate thoroughly and punish all those involved according to Wei's laws?"
In fact, even Chu Anran, Cao Mengde and others were a little hesitant, because there were too many officials involved this time. If all of them were dismissed from their posts, there would likely be too many vacancies in the court, resulting in many government affairs being unable to be handled.
Cao Mengde fell into deep thought. At this point, he couldn't quite guess what Chu Fan's attitude was towards this matter. After all, this matter would have been insignificant in the past, as the Wei Kingdom often relied on "talents" recommended by court officials to serve as officials. Often, these officials would recommend their own trusted associates or relatives. Once these individuals became officials, the court would assess them and the emperor would promote or dismiss them. Therefore, even if the "talent" they recommended wasn't up to the job, they wouldn't be punished; they would simply be dismissed.
And if this "talent" gradually becomes competent for the corresponding official position through learning, then there will be another powerful person in his family, which is definitely a good thing for those aristocratic families.
However, the current Emperor of Wei has always been ruthless towards officials who violated the laws of Wei. This time, His Majesty may make a different choice and punish these officials thoroughly in accordance with the laws of Wei.
As a member of the Royal Government Affairs Office and a member of the Wei royal family, Chu Anran's interests all align with Chu Fan's, so Chu Anran directly asked, "Your Majesty, please give us your instructions. We at the Royal Government Affairs Office will fully implement whatever decision Your Majesty makes."
Cao Mengde and Mu Yundian also echoed, "We will also act according to your majesty's will and will definitely see this matter through."
Chu Fan said, "I have already made a decision on this matter. All officials involved in this official transfer who abuse their power and use their power for personal gain, no matter how high their official position or how powerful the forces behind them, will be punished according to the laws of the State of Wei without the slightest leniency.
The Royal Government Affairs Office and the Ministry of Personnel jointly conducted an investigation. If they had conclusive evidence, the officials involved in the collusion and favoritism would be dismissed from their posts and imprisoned to await the final trial.
Although this power-for-power transaction did not cause much actual damage to the court, the ringleaders and officials who committed corruption and bribery will all be sentenced to death if the circumstances are serious.”
Upon hearing Chu Fan's decision, Cao Mengde and Mu Yundian were both shocked. They hadn't expected Chu Fan to make such a decisive decision. There were so many officials involved, including some high-ranking officials. If Chu Fan's words were followed, a large number of positions in the court would be vacant.
However, they also knew that any emperor with his own ideas would make such a decision, because this situation was not as simple as officials trading power to allow their family members to enter the court. There was a huge hidden danger behind it, that is, all court officials were loyal to the emperor and served the people of the country. When court officials united for their own interests, the imperial power would be greatly threatened and the stability of the country would be undermined.
Chu Anran asked, "Then what should be done with those students, Your Majesty?"
Chu Fan thought for a moment and said, "As for those students who entered the imperial court as officials through improper means, their official positions will be stripped and they will never be employed again. They will also be imprisoned for fifteen days as a punishment. The Royal Government Affairs Office will work with the various city lords and the Ministry of Personnel to investigate the five universities to ensure fairness and justice in the admission of students."
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