Chapter 292 How the case is decided depends on the performance of the gentlemen
The imperial envoy and his entourage were arranged to stay in an inn within the city.
In the afternoon, all the local officials came to the temple and held a banquet to welcome the imperial envoy.
At the banquet, Gao Lian and others wanted to bring up the case several times, but were interrupted by Zhao Duan. His attitude was ambiguous and he did not express any opinion on the case.
After the banquet, the imperial envoy went back to his room to rest, saying that he was tired from the journey, and only said that the case would be discussed tomorrow.
This attracted great attention from the gentry and nobles in the city, who sent people to investigate the situation, and the officials from various government offices were greatly confused.
I don't understand what this imperial envoy's intentions are.
…
After the banquet, outside the inn.
Censor Chen Hong personally escorted a group of local officials out, but the atmosphere was far from harmonious.
"Censor Chen, what exactly is the Imperial Envoy's attitude? Could you please enlighten us? We would be extremely grateful."
He had an elegant demeanor, as if he was the top official in Linfeng Road, and the governor deliberately walked behind.
When he arrived near the gate of the posthouse, he waited for the other officials to leave and stayed behind to ask bitterly.
The autumn wind blows.
The old osmanthus tree that has been planted for many years at the entrance of the post station casts a swaying shadow.
The green-robed censor and the red-robed governor stood side by side, with no one around them.
"Your Excellency, you are joking. I cannot possibly offer any guidance. Although I am the Deputy Envoy, it was Imperial Envoy Zhao who made the decision to come to Taicang. The most I can do is to give some insight."
The middle-aged censor, who was missing two teeth and had drunk a lot of wine at the welcoming banquet, had a flushed face and waved his hands repeatedly.
Pan Tai is a respectful title for the governor, the censor is called Neitai, and the prefect is called Futai.
These "three masters" are the three giants of the civil service in Taicang City.
But at this moment, Gao Lian, a dignified second-rank official, still did not dare to be arrogant in front of this young censor.
Although Gao Lian had also drunk a lot, his eyes moved at this moment and he said:
"We have lived in the countryside for a long time and don't know the temperament of this Imperial Envoy Zhao. Censor Chen, please try to figure it out so that we can cooperate and complete the tasks assigned by the Saint as soon as possible."
The middle-aged censor glanced at him and sighed:
"No wonder the Imperial Envoy is displeased. How do you gentlemen do things?
The imperial court sent an order a few days ago, ordering you to take action, but what happened? Both the criminal and the witness have disappeared. If His Majesty knew about this, I'm afraid he would want to rip off your official hats."
Gao Lian's face was filled with sorrow, and he said bitterly:
"It was indeed our oversight, but by the time we took action, the person had already disappeared.
Regarding this matter, I implore Censor Chen to report it truthfully to Your Majesty. It's not that we haven't done our best, but we are simply a step too late."
The middle-aged censor neither agreed nor refused, but just rolled up his sleeves and sighed:
"It's too early to discuss this now. The most urgent task is to bring the suspect to justice. Besides, what you have said to me is not binding. How His Majesty views you will depend on how Imperial Envoy Zhao reports back."
Gao Lian said sternly, "We just can't figure out what the imperial envoy means..."
Censor Chen, who served as the deputy imperial envoy, pondered for a moment, without looking at the governor, but only glanced at a sweet-scented osmanthus flower falling above his head.
The rich fragrance of osmanthus trees lingers in the air in autumn.
When the wind blew, petals fell one after another, evenly sprinkling on the shoulders of the two men's official robes.
The censor put his hands in his sleeves and said softly:
"In my opinion, the imperial envoy has two main intentions.
First, the letter of accusation had already been delivered to the Censorate, alarming the Saint.
Now that we have come here with such a big fuss, no matter whether the Taicang County Magistrate can be found or whether he has committed the crime of stealing the country and corruption... the imperial envoy's trip cannot be in vain.
We must find out something and catch the officials who committed the crime before we can report to His Majesty. Does Your Excellency understand?"
Do you understand?
But I understand so well...
How could Gao Lian, who came from a Jiangnan gentry family and rose all the way to become the governor of Linfeng Road, be a stupid person?
As soon as I heard it, I understood what Chen Hong meant:
You officials who are in charge of the affairs of state should not think that you can play the “no evidence after death” trick just because the criminals are missing.
Lord Zhao has come here with great difficulty. If nothing is found out, how will he explain to the Emperor when he returns to the capital?
"The Imperial Envoy can rest assured about this. Since the Taicang County Magistrate has already fled for fear of punishment, there is no need to investigate any further evidence. The Imperial Envoy only needs to report to the Holy Lord, issue a warrant of arrest, and apprehend the criminal.
As for us, as the chief officials of the Linfeng area, we have committed the crime of negligence and should be punished. Liu Ancha, Sun Zhifu, I and you will personally apologize to Your Majesty and will not implicate the imperial envoy." Gao Lian gave this assurance in a deep voice.
This was agreed upon earlier.
The imperial envoy has arrived, and it would be too wishful to think that we won't take any responsibility at all.
Gao Lian and others were blamed for negligence.
Although it is painful, it is not fatal and is an acceptable outcome.
In this way, the imperial envoy does not need to make any effort. He can easily complete the emperor's order by just taking a tour and returning to Beijing to receive his orders.
Gao Lian and other local officials took the responsibility together, and all parties were given an explanation.
Gao Lian said this in the hope of reaching a tacit understanding with Zhao Duan and adopting this version that would please everyone.
At the cost of the local officials in charge bearing certain punishments, this case was classified as the personal behavior of the Taicang County Magistrate.
"Master Fantai, I must remind you that the imperial envoy hasn't even started investigating yet. What do you mean by deciding the case in advance?"
Censor Chen glanced at him.
Gao Lian's eyelids twitched, and he said calmly:
"The censor has misunderstood. I simply feel that since the Taicang County Magistrate has escaped, he has already admitted his guilt and accepted punishment."
Censor Chen said quietly:
"It's fine for the Taicang County Magistrate to plead guilty, but as for the embezzlement of the silver mine, is he the only one involved, or does he have accomplices? Who are these accomplices and who aren't? That all depends on how you, the Excellencies, respond."
See how we perform?
Gao Lian hesitated for a moment, then thought of a possibility, with a strange expression:
"There are only two of us here. Censor, please make your words clearer. The Imperial Envoy wants to..."
Chen Hong looked at me as if to say, "Do you think I'm really drunk?"
He raised his hand to brush off the osmanthus flowers on his shoulders and answered the question irrelevantly:
"The Imperial Envoy is very dissatisfied with you. He's not satisfied with your accommodation, he's not satisfied with your food, and he's even more dissatisfied with your ineffective work... Think about this carefully."
After saying this, the green-robed censor inlaid with silver teeth turned around and returned to the inn.
After taking two steps, he added as if remembering something:
"Of course, what I just said is just my personal speculation about the Imperial Envoy's thoughts. It is definitely not a message for the Imperial Envoy. Your Excellency, please do not misunderstand."
"..." Gao Lian was silent for a moment, then bowed slightly:
"Take care, Imperial Secretary."
…
Taicang government office, in the three-person meeting hall.
"What? Did Chen Hong really say that?"
The dark and thin Magistrate Sun widened his eyes.
Staring at the top leader Lin Feng, who was as calm and steady as Mount Tai.
Gao Lian said nothing, but just picked up the teacup to moisten his throat.
Liu Ancha, who was already sixty years old and in his prime, looked unhappy:
"Court Envoy Zhao, could it be that he's dissatisfied with our reception?"
This is still putting it mildly.
The three people present could clearly hear that the intention of Zhao Duan to ask Chen Yushi to convey the message was clearly "extortion of bribes"!
The conversation under the osmanthus tree has one meaning when translated:
You local officials want to shift all the blame onto a county magistrate who fled for fear of punishment, and only take the punishment of negligence?
Yes, but what are the benefits of being the imperial envoy?
If you want this imperial envoy to help you “make a big thing small”, it’s not enough to just talk, you have to pay more!
Openly asking for bribes... this was a little beyond everyone's expectations.
Although, in order not to give Zhao Duan the opportunity to find fault and establish his authority, today's reception strictly abided by the court laws and did not exceed the standards... it was indeed a bit shabby.
But asking for money so blatantly is really...
"Haha, they're treating us like fat sheep."
(End of this chapter)
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