On August 15th, the Mid-Autumn Festival, the first year of the Great Xia Dynasty, there were only five days left before the meeting of officials from the three prefectures and twelve states that Ning Yuchun had scheduled for August 20th.
The list selected by Chen Baiqiu, the Minister of Personnel of the Liao Dynasty, is already in Ning Yuchun's hands, but apart from Chen Baiqiu and Ning Yuchun, no one knows the names of the people on this list -
If your name is not on the list, it means you have been eliminated and will never have a chance to join the officialdom of Daxia again. You may even face liquidation.
Ning Yuchun has not yet changed the official structure of the Liao Dynasty. He is waiting for August 20th.
That day will be a brand new beginning for Yuanbei Road. Some officials will usher in a new life, but more officials will also go into darkness, which naturally includes the senior officials in the palace of Dading Prefecture.
Minister of War Song Kaiming has been feeling uneasy these days, because although he still holds the title of Minister of War, in fact his power had been taken away on the day Dading Prefecture was captured.
The defenders of Dading City were under the control of the Taotai Ning Yuchun, and 10,000 Great Xia Army soldiers were stationed outside Dading City, also under the control of Ning Yuchun.
This is certainly an extremely bad signal. As an old man who was once on the side of the crown prince, now the crown prince is in prison, but the second prince Yelu Shu is not punished at all because of his meritorious service in surrendering!
Although Yelu Shu did not have any power, he still lived in the palace and was still free. It seemed that he was waiting for the arrival of the Emperor of Daxia to make arrangements for him.
The Emperor of Daxia was coming towards Dading Prefecture. Although he was walking very slowly, he was getting closer and closer to Dading Prefecture.
At the Song Mansion, Song Kaiming stood in the yard looking at the bright moon, but his heart was uneasy - he was like a turtle in a jar, unable to leave, and wanted to get out, but there were high walls all around him.
He knew clearly what he had done. The embezzled military pay was hidden in the cellar, which was full.
That was originally prepared for the crown prince to usurp the throne, but now the crown prince has become a prisoner, so much gold and silver has become a hot potato - the city gates are heavily guarded, and it is impossible to transport it out secretly.
If someone leaks the news or accuses me for the sake of my future... then I will probably become the prince's neighbor in no time!
What should I do?
The lively Mid-Autumn Festival in previous years was stopped by his scolding today. Those wives and concubines are so careless. They still don’t know the cold or the warmth when the world changes. Alas...!
"Go and call the butler to me!"
He walked into the pavilion and made a pot of tea. Now he had to find a way to survive. If he couldn't give birth... then he had to find a way to survive for his children and grandchildren.
Cao He is his chief steward and his most trusted chief of staff. He wants to ask Cao He for advice on how to break this fatal situation.
The chief steward Cao He came over in a hurry. As the old steward of the Song Mansion, he certainly understood that the weather had changed and the rain might fall on the master's head.
"master."
"sit!"
"Thank you, sir!"
"Cao He, given the current situation, I think it's possible to have all the soldiers and ministers, and to have all the chariots, horses, and cannons intact...?"
Cao He frowned and pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "The opponent's chariots, horses, and cannons have all crossed the river, giving them the best chess position. They appear to have captured no soldiers or pawns, but in reality, they can capture the king at any time."
Song Kaiming frowned slightly and poured a cup of tea for Cao He. "Can you throw away your chariots, horses and cannons and ask for peace?"
"The other side clearly has the overall situation under control, yet they're holding back... I think they're probably waiting for you to initiate a peace proposal."
"So...it's feasible?"
"Now there is no other way but to try."
"What if the other party doesn't ask for peace?"
Cao He stood up and bowed. "This chessboard cannot be overturned. If the other party does not sue for peace... Master, please pray for the safety of the young master and the young master."
"How did the Minister of Personnel, Dong Ziguan, play this game of chess?"
"Master, Dong Ziguan left this evening and went to the Imperial City. He has not returned yet."
Song Kaiming frowned, "This old man...what should I do now?"
Cao He was silent for a few breaths. "This old servant believes that Master can use the contents of the basement, along with... the evidence of corruption and abuse of power by over 1,800 officials of the old Liao who were once secretly loyal to the Crown Prince, to secure a way out for his children and grandchildren."
Song Kaiming's pupils shrank and his heart tightened. There were more than four million taels of gold and silver in the basement! And that plus the 1,800 lives needed to buy a way out for his descendants?
“Isn’t this a big stake?”
"Master, all of this can be pinned on the Crown Prince. I'm afraid this shouldn't be said... Master, I'm afraid someone has already made numerous reports to Governor Ning. If the stakes aren't higher, how can we expect Governor Ning to show us some extra mercy?"
Song Kaiming took a deep breath, stood up slowly, and walked back and forth under the moon with his hands behind his back for dozens of times.
The money that we have worked hard for decades and earned by all means is just used to make wedding clothes for others!
He raised his head, looked at the bright moon and sighed deeply, "If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have done it in the first place."
"Prepare the horses and fetch the list. I must go to the palace to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with the Daotai!"
…
…
The capital of Wansheng Prefecture.
Fu Xiaoguan and his party had arrived here two days ago. Naturally, the prefect Qian was dismissed from office and thrown into prison by Fu Xiaoguan.
This was a huge event that shocked Wansheng City!
When the notice was posted, the people of Wansheng City ran around telling each other and actually cried with joy!
"The great Lord of Heaven is here!"
"The heavens have finally opened their eyes! That damn Qian Baiwan finally got his comeuppance!"
"I heard that he was an imperial envoy sent by the Emperor of Daxia, specifically to deal with these corrupt officials!"
"Really? That's enough for him to deal with. If he can clean up all those corrupt officials... I'm afraid few officials in Far North Road will be able to get ashore safely."
"In any case, this is a good thing. Kill more corrupt officials and exterminate their entire clans! Make the officials in power fearful, terrified to the core, so that the successors won't dare to commit evil!"
"Haha, don't expect too much. A new emperor appoints new ministers. This new official has started with three fires, but how long can they last? We'll have to wait and see!"
“…”
The people naturally had mixed reactions to this. While they applauded the fact that these officials, worth millions of yuan, were sent to jail, they also felt hesitant and confused about the future.
After all, this is not something they can control, and it will ultimately fall on the shoulders of the Emperor of Daxia.
"If the Emperor of Daxia is wise... I'm afraid that ordinary people like us will have a good life."
Fu Xiaoguan raised his glass to the moon and listened to the report from the Tianji Pavilion spy. He smiled broadly, "This is a good thing. At least they dare to question. It's a pity that they don't dare to supervise."
"So every official represents the image of Daxia. A single bad apple can really spoil the whole bunch."
"The Tianji Pavilion and the Imperial Litai must strengthen their supervision of officials, but this is not the best policy."
Qin Bingzhong looked up and asked, "What's the best strategy?"
"The best solution is to remove the cage in people's minds and let the people supervise and control it!"
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