Volume 1 Chapter 393 Sitting on Pins and Needles
Therefore, the main income of these officials comes from using the power in their hands to allow their family members to do business and make money. Due to the convenience of their positions, they can make things much easier.
However, the world is in chaos and it is impossible to do business with the inland areas. How much money can the people in the coastal areas make by doing business?
The jar of "heroic wine" that Li Nezha gave to each of them today is comparable to the annual income of many officials. Even for those officials whose families are very wealthy, this amount of silver is not a small sum for them. After all, it's just money, and who would complain about having too much money?
Besides, everyone knows that the Dayun Empire has been stabilized and the inland trade routes will be opened soon. By then, the more money you have in your hands, the more benefits you can gain from it.
Therefore, this jar of "heroic wine" can be said to have touched the hearts of many officials. They suddenly felt that Li Nezha looked so pleasing to the eye and even quite handsome.
Li Nezha took in everyone's expressions and laughed in his heart: "Although a relationship maintained with money is not very reliable, it is definitely the fastest. This is exactly what he needs most now. As for the rest, there is still a long way to go, so there is no rush."
Li Nezha picked up the wine glass and said, "Heroes' wine is for heroes. This fine wine is mellow. You can take it home and taste it slowly. If you want to drink too much, just come to me and ask for more. I dare not say anything else, but I will give you as much good wine as you want!"
After saying this, Li Nezha drank the wine in the cup in one gulp. Most of the officials immediately put on a smile, raised their glasses, gestured to Li Nezha, and drank it all in one gulp.
Many people also praised him, saying, "If we talk about heroism, the Admiral is second to none. I'm afraid no one dares to claim to be first!"
"That's right, the Admiral is a true hero."
With the constant compliments, Li Nezha quickly said: "This is really embarrassing for this admiral. If we talk about the number one hero in the world, it must be His Majesty the Emperor Yun. I don't know where this admiral ranks..."
Then he hugged Gan Ce and said, "General Gan is even better than this admiral in this respect!"
"Hmph, you are so dirty. This general disdains to associate with the likes of you. Goodbye!" At this time, a general who looked younger snorted coldly, stood up and prepared to leave, obviously very unhappy with the behavior of the crowd.
The whole audience fell silent, and everyone looked at him. Li Nezha quickly said, "Wait a minute, young general!"
This man's name was Yue Dian, a young general under Gan Ce who commanded 10,000 soldiers. He was upright and incorruptible, and hated evil. He originally served under Gan Ce, but was never valued because he did not like to curry favor with his superiors, was not good at flattery, and acted uprightly. If he did not have some abilities, Gan Ce might not have used him.
Yue Dian turned around and sneered, "Why, I just told you the truth, but you still want to kill me, Sir Admiral?"
Gan Ce hurriedly said, "Yue Dian, don't be so presumptuous!"
Li Nezha said with a smile: "Don't say that this admiral is embarrassing you. You can leave if you want, but you have to make it clear. Now that we are all happy, how can there be any talk of dirtiness?"
"If you can't explain clearly, don't blame me for beating you with a military stick!"
Yue Dian said uprightly: "Humph, you still have the nerve to ask! All of you present here are prominent officials of Tianjin Province. What are you doing now? You openly accept such bribes. Instead of feeling ashamed, you are all complacent. At such a banquet, I am really sitting on pins and needles!"
Then he looked at Gan Ce, his face changed, and he continued, "I don't know why General Gan would associate with a guy like you, but I can't stand it anymore. You all should think clearly. If we let this kind of corrupt person take bribes as the admiral to take charge of Tianjin Province, what will the lives of the people be like in the future? Where will the money come from? It will come from the hands of the people. Are we officials going to suck the blood of the people?"
Many officials looked uneasy, and it was obvious that they were a little ashamed. It was certain that once something like taking bribes happened for the first time, there would definitely be a second time.
But they understand the logic, but when the huge sum of money is placed in front of them, it is difficult to refuse. They are just ordinary people, not saints.
Then Yue Dian looked directly at Li Nezha and said with gritted teeth: "This much silver, I don't believe it is the salary of the admiral. As for the source... humph, it's not too much to say that it's dirty!"
Yue Dian spoke powerfully. There were countless people present who were higher in rank than him, but he no longer had any fear in his heart. Even if it cost him his life, he would still say what he wanted to say!
He was so confident, not because he had someone to rely on or back him, on the contrary, he was alone. He was so excited at this moment only because of the despair and grief in his heart, and he was extremely sad.
In the troubled times, he originally thought that Gan Ce was a wise leader. At least he was strict in governing his officials and knew the sufferings of the people. But now Gan Ce, whom he respected, has become corrupt. He really doesn't know what to do and might as well just die.
Yue Dian originally thought that after saying this, Li Nezha would be furious and would grab him and behead him, but Li Nezha did not do that, and there was a strong smile on his face.
"Of course it's excessive and outrageous." Li Nezha asked with a smile, "Who told you that this money was earned by me, the admiral, by taking advantage of the people and committing corruption? What evidence do you have to say that?"
Yue Dian snorted coldly upon hearing this, and just as he was about to retort, he heard Li Nezha continue, "My fellow officers, to be honest, this heroic wine was personally gifted by the current emperor, who specially asked me to bring it to reward my fellow officers in Tianjin Province. This is the grace of His Majesty, but how come it has changed its taste in the mouth of the young general?"
"This..." Upon hearing this, many officials immediately bowed towards the capital and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!"
Yue Dian was speechless after hearing what Li Nezha said. If it was bestowed by the emperor himself, it could not be called a salary. It was a great reward from heaven.
Yue Dian felt embarrassed and had no place to vent his anger. He was unwilling to lose face as a man, so he said angrily: "Hmph, no merit, no reward. Even if it is a reward from Your Majesty, I dare not accept it."
"That's a good point. I like it!" Li Nezha laughed and said, "I just said that what your majesty gave is hero wine. Drink hero wine and do heroic deeds. You are all the parents of the people and the honest officials. Your majesty means that those who are willing to drink this hero wine should be loyal to their duties, treat the people well, govern the entire Canghai area with good weather and lead the people to a life of luxury."
"I wonder if you guys would like to drink this heroic wine?"
The words sounded so nice that no one dared to refuse. They quickly said, "This is our responsibility, so we should work hard until our death. Sir, just report to His Majesty. We will definitely govern the place well and not cause any trouble to the court."
Li Nezha smiled and continued to raise his glass to signal. Yue Dian felt ashamed and turned around to leave. At the same time, he was extremely conflicted. How could the situation become like this? It was clearly a large-scale bribery scene, how did it become so legitimate?
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