June 26, the third year of Daxia.
It was early summer and Chang'an City had just felt a little bit of heat, but the whole of Daxia was already boiling because of this issue of Daxia Weekly.
The Daxia Weekly published in detail the corruption cases in Yueshan and other provinces that shocked the world, and also reported in large pages on the serious administrative problems in the northwest and east and west provinces of Beijing.
Fu Xiaoguan did not cover up these scandals, but chose to make them public.
Many people in Daxia have long been accustomed to subscribing to the Daxia Weekly. After reading this issue, they were deeply moved. They realized that there are still so many poor and backward areas in Daxia, and that there are still so many corrupt officials in the government.
These are dog officials!
In the minds of the vast majority of ordinary people, the local administration where they live is clean and honest. They feel the integrity and efficiency of the Daxia government, and the mentality of officials from top to bottom in the government to serve the people wholeheartedly.
Those corrupt officials are nothing but rotten apples. They want to spoil everything in Daxia!
Fortunately, Your Majesty is wise, fortunately Your Majesty is very observant, fortunately, Prime Minister Yan and others went to the front line to collect evidence and investigate. They pulled these rats out, and I think it will cause a sensation in the officialdom. This is Your Majesty's warning to all officials, drawing a red line for all officials of Daxia.
This is certainly a good thing.
With this precedent as a lesson, even if future officials want to intervene again, they will probably have some concerns.
"The governor of Yueshan North Road! The one called Yan Xibai, and the prefect of Chongzhou, Zong Shiji. I heard that the gold and silver confiscated from their homes are countless..."
"I just don't understand, what are they doing with all that money they embezzled?"
"It's said that these two lived very frugally while in power, though their wives were somewhat extravagant. You say they embezzled so much money and couldn't leave it to their descendants, yet now that the case has been overturned, they've all been escorted to the Chang'an Ministry of Justice. What's the reason?"
"Of course you can't understand. They were just lucky! What if Prime Minister Yan didn't go to Yueshan and Liangdao this time? What if the Censorate didn't notice? That much silver would be enough for their descendants to enjoy for several lifetimes!"
"You're wrong. How could they possibly have hidden it from His Majesty? In my opinion... this is just greed. Now, one of them capsized, not only did they lose their lives, but their names will probably be recorded in the history books of Daxia as a warning to future generations!"
"I heard that the prisoner carriage carrying Zong Shiji will enter Chang'an City at noon?"
"Hey, hey, hey, you probably don't know that this Lord Zong is an old acquaintance of the Emperor from the time when he was in the Yu Dynasty! I heard that his eldest brother-in-law is a commander of our Great Xia Army!"
"Really? No wonder he dares to be greedy. It turns out he has such a background."
"What good is this background? The Emperor fired him anyway! In my opinion, this Zong Lord will be in an even worse situation because he has failed the Emperor's expectations."
"Come on, let's go to the city gate and see what this Master Zong looks like!"
“…”
The teahouses and taverns in Chang'an City were all discussing this matter, and many ordinary people even flocked to the north gate to take a look at the prison car and the people imprisoned in it.
After all, things like this are very new, at least they have not happened since the emperor ascended the throne.
The prison van escorted by the Marines has now arrived outside the city of Chang'an.
Bai Yulian rode her horse and stood beside Zong Shiji's prison cart. She turned around and looked at the disheveled Zong Shiji. "This is Chang'an. Don't you want to see it?"
"Take a closer look and keep it in your mind. I'm afraid this is the last you'll see."
Zong Shiji opened his eyes. The sunlight was a little strong, so he squinted and looked at the majestic city that had no walls but looked extremely majestic.
This is Chang'an.
This was once the city of Wofeng.
There is no trace of Wofeng City here anymore. It was so magnificent and so young.
It's as young as Daxia!
Every one of its buildings exudes vitality under the sunshine, as if telling the bright future of Daxia.
“It’s beautiful!”
"Of course it is beautiful. It was designed by His Majesty himself."
"...General Bai, when we get to the Ministry of Justice, if His Majesty wants to interrogate me, can you please let me take a shower and change my clothes?"
"You want to meet the emperor in a respectable manner?"
"No," Zong Shiji shook his head, "I'm afraid my appearance would offend His Majesty."
"...Okay. Zong Shiji, do you regret it now? The Emperor's hatred for you shows how much he once expected of you. Unfortunately... you are about the same age as the Emperor, and you should have had a very bright future."
"If you make achievements in your local government, sooner or later you will become a Daotai, or even step into Chang'an City and become a member of the central government."
"But you..." Bai Yulian shook her head. "The Emperor is a man who cherishes the past. You were once an old friend in his heart, but you stabbed the Emperor in the heart. You... really have forgotten your roots!"
Zong Shiji raised his head and squinted his eyes at the blue sky and the sun in the sky that he couldn't look directly at.
"I was wrong, but it's too late. I knew this day would come sooner or later, so I've been terrified and even had nightmares. General Bai, you probably don't know that I feel more at ease sitting in this prison car than I did sitting in the prefect's chair."
"I know my life is about to end. I dare not ask the emperor for forgiveness, because what I have done is worthy of death a thousand times. I feel sorry for the emperor, sorry for his kindness, and even more sorry for his earnest expectations."
"During this journey, I often wondered what would have become of my clan's timekeeping if it hadn't been for that chance encounter on the Jinniu Ancient Road?"
"Perhaps I will live in Baocheng, marry Xianghan, and then go to Jinling to take the imperial examination. If I fail, I'm afraid Xianghan and I will live in Baocheng for the rest of our lives... Maybe it will be dull, but it will be very happy."
"So, this is fate."
"As you said, if I had been selfless and dedicated to serving the people under my rule, perhaps I could be living in this beautiful capital city right now."
"After court, I would occasionally go out for a drink with Yun Xiyan and the others, listen to music in a brothel, or play chess and drink tea."
"Of course this path is the best, but unfortunately I ruined it myself. I can't blame anyone, not even my life, but myself."
Bai Yulian listened quietly. He didn't say another word because any words he said now would have no meaning.
The convoy entered the north city gate. The densely packed people on both sides were watching curiously, chattering about something and pointing at the prison van.
Zong Shiji suddenly grinned.
He felt like a monkey.
I should have entered this city like a human being, well-dressed, upright, confident and heroic.
But in that moment, he became a disgusting monkey in the eyes of others!
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