Chapter 414: Visit to express gratitude
When Shen's father returned home, Xuanyuan Ling's decree to demote Shen Zhizhuo to Jinzhou also arrived at the Shen family. Shen Zhizhuo, Xu and Shen's mother all knew the truth and were not afraid of this decree.
It’s just: “A son who cannot be in the presence of his parents is an unfilial son.”
Father Shen comforted Mother Shen for a few words and then took Shen Zhizhuo to the study: "This matter is indeed unfilial on your part, and you are not doing justice to Qingniang. Have you ever thought about what she would do if something happened to you?"
Shen Zhizhuo had thought about it when he was in prison. He did not regret doing this, but he also felt guilty. He did not feel guilty towards the people, but towards his parents and wife.
Sometimes I do things with great enthusiasm, and after I’m done I can’t help but feel sad when I think back on them. I feel sorry for my family members who are worried about me.
Every failure makes one wiser. Shen Zhizhuo was demoted and had to drag Xu along with him to Jinzhou. It was not a comfortable journey and he felt guilty. If he encountered such a thing, he would probably not be able to let go of his obsession. But in the end, he couldn't be reckless.
They were going to set off in three days, and Shen Qing also sent someone to see them off, saying only that if anything happened to Shen's father and mother, she would take care of them and told Shen Zhizhuo not to worry. Shen Zhizhuo felt more and more guilty.
Naturally everyone knew about Shen Zhizhuo's demotion, and anyone with a discerning eye could see the trick at a glance.
Xuanyuan Ling said that he wanted to warn King Huai, but before that, he still had to deal with the corrupt officials in Jinzhou.
In recent years, Xuanyuan Ling did not actually use torture in punishing corrupt officials. After killing the chicken to scare the monkey, he increased the annual salary of officials, and used open suppression and a conciliatory policy. During this period, there was an incident in which Xuanyuan Ling secretly investigated. Xuanyuan Ling arrested another group of people, and did not hide it. He issued a clear decree that he would not investigate in the future. After that, out of fear, the officialdom was relatively tolerable for a year or two.
But over the years, the fear had subsided, but it eventually surfaced again. Xuanyuan Ling had been fighting a battle of wits and courage with these corrupt officials. When appeasement failed, he had to be ruthless and settle accounts one by one. He would settle accounts with the newly appointed officials, and any money that was missing when the predecessor was in office would be counted on his head. In this way, his subordinates would not dare to fail to do their best.
All the stolen money recovered was deposited into the state treasury. If there was a missing amount, the state would investigate and all property would be confiscated. In addition, the descendants of corrupt officials would not be allowed to take the imperial examinations for two generations.
This treatment can be said to have cut off the person's retreat. The corrupt official brought disaster to his entire family, which may make the emperor extremely cruel. But you will die, and I will keep your family for you without taking their lives, but their future life will not be good. You should think carefully before doing anything.
It seems like he is showing mercy, but in fact he is hindering those officials who are willing to do so. The future of your family depends on you. Don't think that you will be saved once you die. After you die, you won't leave a penny for your family. Your whole family will have to beg for food.
It is hard to describe how cruel he is, but he is also truly feared by others.
That's how the matter was handled.
Xuanyuan Ling did not wait for the storm to pass, and summoned King Huai again on this day. He saw that his eldest son had been feeling uncomfortable for the past two days and asked, "What do you think of my demoting Chen Zhizhuo to Jinzhou?"
King Huai felt something was wrong when Xuanyuan Ling punished Shen Zhizhuo. Now Xuanyuan Ling asked him this question again. Even if he was stupid, he realized it and knelt down: "I am wrong."
Xuanyuan Ling felt better after seeing that King Huai admitted his mistake and the worry that had been weighing on his mind for the past few days.
"What's wrong?"
"I failed to accept your advice in time and made a mistake in my judgment. I know I was wrong."
Xuanyuan Ling just looked at King Huai and asked, "Is that all?"
He has become more majestic in recent years. At this moment, King Huai's heart was beating fast and his back was soaked with cold sweat. He was really uneasy when Xuanyuan Ling looked at him like this and dared not think of anything else. Originally, when he received Xuanyuan Ling's praise, he thought that his father was sincerely praising him, but now he really knows what it means to be unpredictable.
When King Huai arrived in Jinzhou, he was the one who mobilized the troops. Apart from getting carried away with the matter of Shen Zhizhuo, he did not make many mistakes in other areas. In his heart, he must have been a little complacent because it was his first time to have such power and he was being flattered. Now he really doesn't dare to do that.
He was very scared for a moment, lowered his head and stammered: "I am not well-trained enough, please punish me, father."
Xuanyuan Ling saw how scared he was, and hoped that he really knew: "Go down and make up for the lessons you missed outside these days before going to court.
Although King Huai entered the court, he still had to learn things and his studies did not stop.
King Huai's heart skipped a beat. Of course, he would not respond. After coming out of Xuanyuan Ling's place, the wind blew outside, and King Huai realized that he was really scared and sweaty on his forehead. Now he was not necessarily sober, but he felt that his father's majesty was getting stronger day by day. But he really felt that Xuanyuan Ling's move was a warning to other ministers, right? He had just been praised, and he was being warned like this.
King Huai felt both afraid and humiliated.
Concubine Shun learned that Prince Huai was called away by Xuanyuan Ling again. With the praise she received last time, she was only happy and never thought that Xuanyuan Ling would punish her after praising her.
In fact, it was not only Concubine Shun who did not expect this. Many people could not have imagined that Xuanyuan Ling went there to warn King Huai about the matter of Chen Zhizhuo. After all, the concubines in the harem did not see the memorial and did not know much about the matter. They only saw that King Huai was praised when he returned to the court. Although Chen Zhizhuo was demoted, the demotion was not serious. The main reason was that Shen Qing was still there. Most people thought at the first time that the emperor was partial to Concubine Xian, so Shen Zhizhuo was not severely punished.
On the other side, Chu Linglong also received good news. The elder brother of the Chu family was also rewarded when he returned this time.
Chu Fuxin just thought that he was going to be punished. After all, although it was Shen Zhizhuo who falsely conveyed King Huai's order, he was fooled and caused the subsequent incident. As a result, King Huai put the blame on Chen Zhizhuo, and he, on the contrary, was not punished. Later, the officials who followed him to provide disaster relief were all rewarded.
Regardless of other people, we have to thank King Huai for Chu Fuxin's matter.
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