Chapter 340 He will next year
The evidence is conclusive and the person who did it is Zong Zhao.
With almost no dispute, Fan Ding was taken to the Dali Temple. He had been in officialdom for decades and still had the proper demeanor. He wore luxurious clothes and sat in a prison car.
The onlookers had no idea what was going on. From the situation they could only guess that some big shot had been caught. Although they didn't know who it was, they still felt very happy.
The resignation of corrupt officials is a blessing for the people.
The carriage following behind was from the general's mansion.
Zong Jincheng was pestering Zong Zhao and asked, "Dad, how did you find out that Fan Ding was the man behind this? According to normal logic, shouldn't you first suspect the previous prime ministers? In other words, the ones who directly benefited from it."
Zong Zhao did not answer but asked: "Are you sure this is the only way?"
The little devil blinked.
Zong Wenxiu added: "People who have been offended can also be considered as a direction for investigation. Fan Ding was obviously punished by my grandfather, so there is a direct grudge."
The little devil denied it without hesitation: "But your grandfather has offended too many people. Looking in this direction is like looking for a needle in a haystack."
Zong Wenxiu: “…” That’s right.
Yan Xiang used harsh laws to govern officials, and he offended almost all the officials, both big and small, in the court and the country.
Xu Wan took over the little devil's words and said to Zong Zhao, "So you left early and came back late for two months just to investigate this direction?"
Zong Zhao looked at her and said, "Not entirely. Besides that, I also found out about other officials' violations, so I wanted the booklet in Fan Ding's hand."
As he spoke, he held up the booklet and asked the two children, "Do you want to read it?"
Zong Jincheng and Zong Wenxiu nodded in unison: "We want to see it!"
Zong Zhao put down the booklet and wanted to hand it to them.
But he was suddenly stopped by Xu Wan.
She pressed Zong Zhao's hand, trying to stop him from moving, and asked, "Can they see it?" Will it be dangerous?
Zong Zhao glanced at her hand and was a little nervous and wanted to pull it away, but in the end he didn't move. He just looked up at her eyes and said firmly: "Yes, I will give it to the emperor."
If the booklet had not been read by the emperor and was only in their hands, it would indeed be somewhat dangerous; but if the emperor had read it, those officials would be powerless to do anything, regardless of whether they would be punished or not.
Xu Wan still didn't let go, but held his hand even tighter. She asked worriedly, "Will the emperor punish these officials?"
Zong Zhao said in a low voice: "No."
Xu Wan: “…”
You know the emperor a little too well.
The two brothers were furious when they heard this. Zong Wenxiu said anxiously, "But those officials are all bad. Your Majesty, why doesn't the Emperor punish them?"
The little devil knows.
It is because a single move affects the entire body, and the emperor is afraid of affecting the rule of imperial power. This is also the reason.
Zong Jincheng asked, "Dad, won't the emperor punish them secretly? Not promote them or something like that?"
Zong Zhao still shook his head and said, "No. Even if the probability of being discovered is very low, he is not willing to take the risk."
"Ah...how could this happen?" Zong Jincheng was confused. This was different from what the prince taught him.
Isn't it said that those in power can secretly eliminate corrupt officials through means such as open promotion and secret demotion, transfer, and assassination?
How can you do nothing at all?
Zong Zhao looked at the little devil with a confused look in his eyes, but there was a firm light flashing in his eyes. Those eyes carried two contradictory expressions, pulling, questioning, and dissatisfaction.
He finally changed his words: "Maybe, next year."
"Next year?" The little devil tilted his head to think, and asked in confusion, "Why next year? Will the emperor suddenly deal with them next year?"
"Well," Zong Zhao looked at him and said, "He will."
Xu Wan understood this look.
Her hands trembled, and she suddenly felt that she shouldn't know too much, shouldn't understand the meaning behind Zong Zhao's words, and shouldn't foresee what will happen in the future.
She let go of Zong Zhao's hand and ignored the booklet. She thought Zong Zhao would continue to pass the booklet over, but who would have thought that even without Xu Wan's obstruction, he would still take the booklet back.
Zong Jincheng and Zong Wenxiu were immediately disappointed. Zong Jincheng shouted in dissatisfaction: "Dad, I want to see..."
Zong Wenxiu also wanted to see it, but he didn't dare to say it.
Zong Zhao put the booklet away and said calmly, "It's not too late to read it next year."
The little devil groaned in frustration and began to act like a spoiled child: "Dad, don't be like this. Just now you wanted to show us, but Mom wouldn't let you. Don't watch it secretly by yourself. Take us to watch it together. We promise not to tell anyone else after we finish watching it."
Zong Zhao closed his eyes callously and dozed off.
The little devil quickly sat over and said in a sweet voice, "Dad, my best dad in the world, you love me the most, can you please take a look at me? It would be good if we could be more careful and on guard in advance. Otherwise, if someone from above sends a child to our house and mom accepts the child without knowing, wouldn't we be complicit in the corruption?"
Xu Wan suddenly got caught in the crossfire and kicked him: "What are you talking about? Am I the kind of person who would take in a child so easily?"
"Oh, no, no," the little devil quickly corrected himself, "At the banquet, if any lady came to get close to us, I would have to remind mother to keep a distance from them, otherwise what if they also framed our family for corruption?"
Xu Wan chuckled twice: "Given how wealthy our family is, how much money would the other party have to put on you in order to successfully slander you?"
Zong Jincheng: “…” That seems to be true.
The little devil went crazy and started to make trouble towards Zong Zhao again: "Dad, you are a grown man and your words are as good as gold. How can you take back something you have handed out? Show it to me quickly. Just take a look and my brother and I will forgive you this time."
Xu Wan covered her face with her hands while laughing. This boy failed to act coquettishly and started to do pua again.
Zong Wenxiu was so embarrassed that he couldn't raise his head. He didn't want to watch it anymore, so he just quietly pulled his brother to signal him to stop talking.
The little devil will continue to pester me.
Zong Zhao didn't even blink, and said calmly: "Practice martial arts. I see that you have plenty of energy. You can practice both civil and martial arts."
Little Devil: “!!!”
The hand holding dad suddenly loosened.
Zong Jincheng was shocked and asked, "Dad, are you serious? I'm going to take part in the Autumn Examination soon. If I'm distracted by martial arts now, won't I definitely fail the exam?"
Zong Zhao opened his eyes, looked at him and said, "Don't be distracted. You can read books while standing in horse stance, recite books while practicing martial arts, compose poems while sword dancing, and think about strategies while shooting arrows."
Zong Jincheng: “…………”
Dad, I am a human being, not a beast of burden.
Even an old ox plowing the fields is not as hard as the work you describe.
Zong Zhao asked him, "Are you sure you don't want to practice? You don't have to keep silent when you go out to fight in the future."
Zong Jincheng's little butt quietly moved back, and he said with a timid smile: "Dad, you are joking, I am a great scholar now, not a little playboy, so I won't fight, at most we will just fight with words. Besides, Bu Yan is here, he is really good at fighting, especially when he hits people with a bench, he breaks one with each hit, it's super exciting, I like to let him do it!"