A new generation of impeachment fighters
"This dress is nice and suits your complexion," Shujia looked Gegentana up and down. As the granddaughter-in-law, Gegentana had already entered mourning, and the color and style of her clothes had also changed. "Xi Que, bring me the hairpin I saw the other day.
July was already autumn, and to avoid the harsh summer heat, the family still lived in Changchun Garden, not planning to move back to the Forbidden City until August. With nothing else to do, Shujia chatted with her daughters-in-law and daughters. According to patriarchal law, the only people still in mourning, excluding the concubines, were Kangxi's sons, daughters-in-law, and one Hongdan.
From Hongxi on down, everyone changed their clothes, adding some color, though not bright red or green. The maids didn't have much to change; their clothes were always green in summer and brown in winter, and they only wore bright colors during festivals.
The Gergentana is among those being modified.
After a year of mourning and moving to Changchun Garden early, she hadn't brought much jewelry with her, so it was inevitable that some of her makeup was sloppy. Shujia celebrated her birthday in Changchun Garden and received quite a few gifts. She had some of them taken to the palace treasury, but she still had a lot left with her, perfect for dressing up her daughter and daughter-in-law.
Xi Queguo went to find a conch box and opened it. Inside was a pair of ivory hairpins, finely carved. Each hairpin was tied with yellow paper and had been put away. He quickly took it and said, "Thank you, mother, for the gift."
Shujia waved her hand and said, "It's not worth anything. You can take it and play with it." As soon as she said this, Zhao Guoshi wrote it down and would make a record later to prove who the hairpin was given to.
Seeing that several princesses were around, Shujia ordered people to dig out a lot of jewelry and dress them up one by one. Some got agate bracelets, some got Khotan jade bracelets, and some got mutton-fat jade hairpins...
The Fourth Princess chuckled and poked the Third Princess. The Third Princess turned around and saw the Fourth Princess nodding at Wu Yunzhu. The Fourth Princess wanted to laugh too and poked the Second Princess. The Second Princess, being the older one, glared at her two sisters.
Wu Yunzhu stared at them eagerly, unable to resist reaching out to touch her pigtails and pouting. Ahem, ethnic customs. Wu Yunzhu was a cute, half-bald little girl at the moment; she hadn't even started growing her hair yet. Girls have a natural love for beautiful ornaments, but no matter how much she loved them, she couldn't wear them, so she could only satisfy her gaze.
Shujia noticed the little tricks of the princesses and raised an eyebrow. She was always concerned about her own daughter, and seeing Wu Yunzhu's pitiful and cute appearance, she couldn't help but smile and waved her hand: "Come here, mother, let me see how to dress my Wu Yunzhu to look beautiful."
Finally, he picked out a jade pendant and hung it on Wu Yunzhu: "That's good."
Gegentana said, "Sister, you are naturally pretty. You will look good no matter what you wear." The other princesses all said, "Sister-in-law is right. We are all looking forward to seeing your sister dress up when she grows up."
Shujia suppressed her laughter and just hugged her daughter and rocked her. Wu Yunzhu looked at this and that, and finally couldn't help it: "You are making fun of me, I will ignore you."
Wow, now he's laughing again.
Just when he was laughing happily, someone came to report something.
The princesses stopped laughing, Gegentana sat down, and Wu Yunzhu played with the jade pendant in her hand. They all listened to the reports from below: "This place needs so much ice, so much rice, so much meat..." Shujia heard that the distribution in Changchun Garden was correct, and she felt relieved. She instructed: "The masters are not living in the palace now. The palace maids and eunuchs who stay here are already working hard. Don't deduct their share."
Apart from not being able to see the master and not being able to show up, staying here is actually more comfortable than living outside. There is no need to serve others, and everyone turns a blind eye to even a few fish.
"Send word to the palace and tell them to clean up carefully."
“Yeah.”
Wu Yunzhu looked up and asked, "Mother, are we going back to the palace?"
"Yes, I'll be back in a month."
"Oh." She couldn't say whether she liked or disliked living in one place. Anyway, this little girl wouldn't suffer any loss wherever she lived.
After the routine affairs were ordered, it was time to distribute the shares. Next came the discussion and decision-making, such as "Prince Ping's wife handed in a sign requesting an audience."
The eldest princess heard her mother chuckle and said, "I knew she was coming." She immediately dropped her eyes to her knees. The eldest princess also knew why Prince Ping's wife was coming.
The wife of Prince Ping was truly blessed. She secured a marriage that so many noble ladies from the Eight Banners had longed for. Prince Ping, also known as Prince Keqin, was a descendant of Prince Li Daishan. Daishan was the son of Taizu Nurhaci's first wife, a Tonggiya. After Chu Ying was demoted for a crime, Daishan became the de facto eldest son. Within the extended family, she held a preeminent position. When the royal family stood in line, Prince Ping always stood first, with Prince Jian following behind. The wife shared the same husband.
However, whether due to some oversight by the emperor's grandfather or some other factor, only Cao Jia was chosen during the arranged marriage; all members of her family were still bondservants. While she had no sisters (referring to members of the imperial clan) in this small selection, she still had cousins. Furthermore, everyone on earth knew that the Cao and Li families were close, and the Li family also had girls eligible for selection. Rumors had previously circulated that the Fifteenth Consort had petitioned the Empress on behalf of Consort Mi, but now that the small selection process had begun, and the first wave of girls from both the Li and Cao families had been chosen, Prince Ping's Consort was bound to enter the palace.
Shujia was invited by the wife of Prince Yunping, and this was a legitimate request.
The next day, the Empress Dowager's residence, Jifengzhili, was filled with all kinds of wives. Including the wives of princes, wives of iron-hat princes, wives of princes, wives of county princes, wives of the emperor's younger brothers who had not yet been granted a title, and the concubines of the previous emperor, all gathered together to talk with the Empress Dowager.
Everything seemed the same, just like the time when the previous emperor was still alive. The people were still the same, and things were still done the same way. However, people's hearts had changed, and the situation had changed. In the past, he had deliberately tried to please the Empress Dowager, because she was unreliable, but her plea to Kangxi was very reliable.
Now... the old lady held a piece of sweet cake in her hand, discussing gossip with everyone, taking a bite from time to time. A young palace maid beside her held a cup of tea, watching her chew and chew, and when she was almost done, she offered the tea to her to drink - afraid she would choke.
Prince Yu's wife was saying, "The children of both families are neither too old nor too young. It doesn't matter if they marry early or late. We just need to negotiate with the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Observatory." She was talking about getting married for her daughter-in-law.
Princess Jian's wife said, "You are marrying your niece's daughter, how happy you are!"
The Empress Dowager said seriously: "It's not enough to just enjoy yourself, you have to find a way to get the young couple to live together." After saying that, she lowered her head with some sadness and took another bite of the sweet cake.
The little palace maid watched eagerly, waiting to count how many times the Empress Dowager's cheeks moved so that she could serve her tea.
Waiting and waiting, but nothing happened! The Empress Dowager's cheeks didn't move, but her head nodded, and the sweet cake in her hand slid onto the carpet. She fell asleep!
From the Empress down, everyone was stunned by the Grand Empress Dowager's low tone. What the hell was going on?! The old lady really ruined the show. It took a while for them to remember that Shunzhi's two empresses were both younger generations of Xiaozhuang's family, and both had rather miserable lives.
After being stunned for a while, the Empress Dowager fell asleep.
There's nothing else to say. Help the old lady back to bed, and let's go! Seeing the old lady's condition, there's really not much we can do. It's better for everyone to keep their eyes open.
Just as she was about to leave, Shujia suddenly remembered something: "The old ancestor was eating just now, right? Check to see if there is anything in her mouth!"
The two young palace maids worked together, one holding the old lady while the other carefully pinched her chin. Slowly applying force, they opened it, and sure enough, there was a small piece of sweet cake inside. If this guy fell asleep with it in his mouth, the old lady would suffocate to death!
He hurriedly and carefully used a small spoon to remove the food from her mouth, then gently patted her awake: "Grandma, rinse your mouth. It's more comfortable to lie sideways on the bed."
The old lady was awakened by the slap, and she perked up again. She started gossiping with everyone, "Whose child is getting married?"
Everyone: ...
After finally escaping from the old lady, everyone was still nervous, as the Empress Dowager fell asleep right under their noses. If anything had happened, everyone would have been sleepless for six months. After that, Shujia strictly ordered the maids and eunuchs around the Empress Dowager: "Keep an eye on the old ancestor, and don't let this happen again."
The concubines returned to their quarters, and the wives of the concubines gathered around the queen and continued to talk. If they had any requests, it would be more reliable to ask the queen. However, since there were so many people today, it would be better to wait until there were fewer people to talk. Everyone said, "Thank goodness the master is alert, otherwise today would have been a bad day."
Whether she would choke to death or vomit it out while falling asleep with a snack in her mouth remained to be seen, but it was always right to praise the queen. Shujia also accepted their compliments with a smile. You act, I watch, whether I point it out depends on your mood and whether it needs to be pointed out.
After a long conversation, the ladies finally dispersed. Before leaving, the Third Lady looked around – even though she knew the Fourth Lady was currently in class, she still hoped to see her.
The next day, Princess Ping's wife again submitted a sign requesting an audience. Shujia knew something was up, so she didn't stop her and approved her request as well.
Cao Jia was truly fretting this time—Cao Yin and Li Xu had been implicated by the Censorate! The palace was always full of drama, and those who offered timely assistance usually suffered a tragic end. The cost was too high, so few people did it. If a girl from the Cao or Li family entered the palace without someone to look after her... one could imagine the consequences.
Because of her status, Cao Jiashi's words carried weight, unlike Concubine Mi, who had to be more cautious. It was just that she felt a little embarrassed when she spoke now—because of her background—"I didn't dare to disturb the mistress, but the two grandmothers of the Cao and Li families are very old, and I don't know when they will return..."
Translation: The late emperor's two wet nurses are old and in poor health, and no one knows when they will pass away. Please give them a favor and let them see their children and grandchildren in front of them.
Shuhui listened from the side and thought to herself: That’s a lot of requests.
Shujia smiled and said, "I know what's going on. Don't worry, they will definitely be able to go home."
Upon hearing this, Cao Jia smiled wryly, yet she also felt the need to express her gratitude. A grand selection signified that while you weren't qualified enough to enter the palace, your qualities were still quite good. A minor selection signified that your qualifications weren't good enough. Exempting yourself from the minor selection signified that your family was quite prominent.
Shujia again earnestly warned, "Don't worry. I originally promised this girl," pointing to Shuhui, "that they wouldn't have to serve in the palace. But right now, the palace is short of staff. If I exempt both of your families from the selection process, there might be jealous people who would gossip." She sighed, "If the late emperor were still alive, this wouldn't be a big deal. But I've heard about their recent deficits. If I cause trouble for them again, and someone complains, wouldn't that be troublesome?"
Shuhui smiled inwardly. She didn't like either of these two families very much. No one liked a distant relative who would cause trouble for them. She thought to herself, "Sister, this is really a cruel move." Little did she know that the person who came up with this cruel move was her brother-in-law, the emperor.
Cao Jia finally put on a wry smile: "Someone has already reported them."
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The original purpose of establishing the Censorate was to impeach officials and, incidentally, to impeach the powerful, which was a good intention. Unfortunately, not all censors were always just; more often than not, they served as thugs in factional struggles.
This situation was evident in the Ming Dynasty, and by the Qing Dynasty, the censors' jobs were even more difficult. You have to understand that one of the biggest differences between the Qing and Ming dynasties is that they were both minority-led regimes, and many things were off-limits. Especially now, with minority rights awareness growing, you should be careful what you say. It's best to avoid mentioning the emperor's family affairs, as it's pointless to bring them up, and no emperor would ever pay attention. Even if Shunzhi wanted to depose the empress, and you objected, he still did it.
If you're a Han official and report a Bannerman, even if you're right, rest assured he won't receive a harsh sentence. Also, be sure not to provoke negative associations in the court, which is known for its associations. Avoid mentioning the words "barbarian," "barbarian," and especially "Hu." Saying "Qingfeng is illiterate" is a recipe for disaster! Don't even mention Banner power! And so on.
Zhao Shenqiao was in great pain. He was an upright man with a clean record, but such role models often suffer from a flaw: they are strict with themselves and others. How could they not speak out against such ugly phenomena?
Zhao Shenqiao was touched by the "kindness" of the new emperor and felt that those who tried to steal the emperor's favor were really worthless! For example, some corrupt officials who went around looking for connections after entering the capital!
Cao Yin and Li Xu arrived in Beijing before the anniversary of the late emperor's death. At the time, the capital was preoccupied with this important event, and few paid much attention to them. Yinreng and Prince Yong were both kind enough to arrange for them to occupy relatively early positions. After the anniversary, they summoned them separately, with the central message being, "You should spend your remaining years in peace in the capital."
Cao Yin, aging and feeling rather uncomfortable about being singled out for the deficit, was particularly heartbroken by Kangxi's passing. He was already ill, and with his son and two daughters finding comfortable homes, his ambition had faded. He repeatedly agreed. He declared, "I am ashamed. I have lived for decades in vain, and yet my master still wants me to find a way to repay the deficit. I am truly ashamed to see him," he said, tears streaming down his face.
This show of weakness made Yinreng feel more comfortable, and he offered a few extra words of comfort.
Li Xu's situation was different. He was a powerful figure in Suzhou, and his entire family depended on him for support. Unlike Cao Yin, whose daughter married with honor and who wisely sent his son to Beijing to take up a post, Li Xu had no worries. Once Li Xu was dismissed and recalled, his son was left in the dust, and the Imperial Household Department refused to accept him.
If you don't fight hard, your whole family will be left with nothing.
Li Xu also cried, but after crying he added: "I still want to serve my master."
Yinreng was unhappy. "You old man are living comfortably in Jiangnan, and you still want to continue taking money from my pocket to feed you?" He did not respond.
After the meeting, although Li Xu received notices from various channels asking him to be less active, he was forced to find a way to make money. He kept using his connections to try to find a job to supplement his family income.
Great! You were recalled to the capital because of the deficit, and now Li Chenchang in the south is still cleaning up your mess, and now you are dishonest again! The emperor didn't say anything because he is benevolent and lenient. He didn't touch you for the sake of the late emperor. Do you think it's not enough to harm the country?
Li Xu spent a lot of money on gifts, and all the gifts he gave were valuable items. Zhao Shenqiao controlled the city inspector and was well-informed, so he became even angrier when he heard what he had heard - they were all expensive things, and you, Li Xu, could never afford them with your salary plus the income from the tacit unspoken rules!
Borer! Zhao Shenqiao was furious.
Mr. Zhao was always meticulous and conscientious in his work. He never failed to bring down anyone he reported. For example, if you were accused of corruption, he would reveal exactly how much silver you had embezzled, down to the last ounce. The old man also had a good literary background and was a good math student. He wrote a remarkable essay and presented it directly to the emperor.
Yinreng was worried. The bandits in Quanzhou, Fujian, had been pacified, but a new group had emerged in the Yongchun and Dehua areas. These bandits were quite numerous, with reports of over 2,000 members. Fujian Land Commander Lan Li had concealed some of the details when reporting them, which infuriated Yinreng.
Seeing Zhao Shenqiao's report on Li Xu, Yinreng's pent-up anger, fueled by his inability to make rash decisions on state affairs, boiled over. He'd warned Li Xu to behave himself, but he wouldn't listen! Pulling a piece of paper over, Yinreng wrote a note: "Li Chenchang is only responsible for Cao Yin's losses. Li Xu has ordered the Imperial Household Department to liquidate those losses and make full compensation."
Yunqi was a kind-hearted man, and he was dumbfounded when he received the note: "What are you talking about? You're supposed to investigate both of them, why only one? No, aren't you going to drop both of them? What's going on?"
Then, he received another note: "I know about Cao Yin's affairs myself." Don't ask about it.
Yunluo said, "Let's do what the emperor says. I don't think Li Xu's fuss is a good thing." He had also accepted Li Xu's gift and was about to bring it up with Yinreng. Li Xu was, after all, an experienced man. Now, it seemed that Li Xu had only his own bad luck to blame.
Because Cao Jiashi requested it, and the two girls had already been selected, Shujia put down their signs. Unsure of the seriousness of Cao Jiashi's "ginseng," she inquired under the pretext of reporting.
Yinreng snorted twice: "No one targeted by Zhao Shenqiao is innocent."
"Huh? Are you really going to do it? Well - after all, they are the late emperor's old ministers. Will this be detrimental to you?" Shujia was more concerned about whether after this incident, some people would say that Yinreng was ungrateful and mean, which was not a good reputation.
Yinreng sneered and said, "I have kept Sun Wenqi and Cao Yin!" Then he said something else that left Shujia stunned.
The country was far from peaceful. For over forty years since the reign of Emperor Kangxi, bandits had been rampant. The top brass were aware of this. It wasn't necessarily due to an overabundance of "traitors," but rather to problems with the administration and the system. The previous emperor's reign had passed, and the new ruler couldn't wait three years before changing the rules to prevent the situation from escalating. Before changing the rules, obstacles must be removed. These obstacles can be tangible, such as those who occupy positions without working, or intangible, such as people's psychology.
Yinreng divided the three weaving factories into three categories to serve as a reminder to the late emperor's old ministers: those who are capable will remain in their posts, and do their jobs honestly, without worrying about my nepotism; those who are incompetent but honest and loyal, I will give them a way out; those who act recklessly will be killed without mercy!
Don't be so arrogant as to shine with a little sunshine or overflow with a little flood. Don't act so arrogantly in front of me just because you are a senior. I give you face, so you have face. Don't be so shameless. Let's find out who is the mastermind first!
After hearing what Yinreng said, Shujia thought to herself, "You're really too cunning." She selectively forgot that she also followed this principle of both persuasion and persuasion when handling certain matters in the harem.
"If Li Xu is really to be punished, what crime will it be?" I was just curious, and I also wanted to know some inside information so that I could talk to Concubine Mi. My sister is still being held in his hands as a daughter-in-law.
"We can only reach a conclusion after the investigation is completed."
"No matter how much he lost, the deed has already been done. Don't be angry about it anymore. I sent someone back to the palace the other day to tell them to clean up and tidy up. Are you still living in the East Side Hall of the Qianqing Palace?"
Speaking of family matters, Yinreng's brows relaxed: "This is natural."
"In April I saw a hanging screen with the image of peace and prosperity. It looked very good. Do you remember it?"
"The one with rice beads?"
"That's right. I thought after the anniversary, you could do some decoration there. No need to do anything big, how about hanging something like this?" As he said that, he pulled Yinreng to look at the screen.
Yinreng smiled and said, "This is good."
Shujia also laughed, and the two talked for a while. Yinreng remembered something else: "It's been more than a year, and I've always been busy. I forgot something serious."
Shujia asked why, and it turned out that the new emperor and empress hadn't had their portraits painted for public viewing. "I just forgot." But Shujia wasn't really interested in traditional portraits. Anyone who had searched Baidu for traditional portraits of Qing Dynasty emperors and empresses would understand why.
"It's a good opportunity to do this after we get back." Yinreng made the final decision.
Shujia had no choice but to agree with resentment. Even if she wanted to paint oil paintings again, she had to make a portrait in such a weird style first.
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The news of Li Xu's liquidation sent shockwaves through the air. Li Xu, now a minor figure in the imperial court, was no longer a prominent figure, but the significance he represented was immense, and many veteran officials were a bit alarmed. To put it bluntly, honest officials are rare these days. If you really look closely, you'll find no one who doesn't accept gifts from their subordinates. Who in charge of finances doesn't scoop up some of the public purse strings? The probability of an official falling foul is definitely over 50%. If the emperor wanted to liquidate veteran officials to make room for newcomers, he'd be practically guaranteed to catch them all. How could this not be alarming?
When Zhao Shenqiao first started to report him, Li Xu didn't care. He was a bannerman, even if it was a banner of the Baoyi Banner, and he was closer to the emperor than Zhao Shenqiao, a Han official. In such cases, bannermen who were reported were generally not subject to serious investigation.
There are exceptions, and Yinreng actually asked someone to investigate.
Even a blind man could see the meaning behind this. Li Xu's deficits could not be concealed even by falsifying the accounts. Li Xu panicked. It was no use asking Concubine Mi for help. He was quick-witted and went straight to the Cao family to find Cao Yin.
When they met, she didn't care about her face anymore and came up to me crying, "You have to save me!"
Cao Yin couldn't help but feel grief for his fellow man, and even during his illness, he was easily moved. He agreed to plead for him: "First, you can offset the deficit. Every bit you can pay back will reduce your sins."
Li Xu said with a sad face: "Even if you sell me, I still can't pay it back!"
Cao Yin was silent.
Cao Yin's wife was Li Xu's sister, so he certainly wouldn't sit idly by and watch his brother-in-law suffer. He felt uneasy about his own losses being wiped out while Li Xu was being held accountable. He had already made up his mind: at worst, his family would keep some living expenses and then help Li Xu with 100,000 yuan.
Having made up his mind, Cao Yin began to submit a request for an audience. Yinreng initially ignored him because their old friend Zhao Shenqiao, although he had been appointed as the chief examiner of the Shuntian Prefecture provincial examination before the emperor returned to the palace and then put in solitary confinement to prevent the leak of the exam questions and the use of connections (many people welcomed his imprisonment), still had problems left over from his tenure as the governor of Pianyuan.
Facts once again prove that Mr. Zhao never misses the mark. He reported that Dong Zhaozuo, the former Hunan Provincial Governor, had withheld salaries and wages from Hunan's various subordinates. A review confirmed that Dong Zhaozuo had indeed withheld the money. The amount Mr. Zhao reported was also very close to the actual figures.
This is the matter that Yinreng has to deal with.
Yinreng was not surprised that Cao Yin asked for an audience. It would have been a miracle if he hadn't come to plead for mercy. Yinreng didn't dislike Cao Yin that much, so he accepted him despite Cao Yin's three reports.
Regarding Cao Yin's request for a few years to allow Li Xu to gradually repay the debt, Yinreng said, "He can't even pay it off while working as a salt official."
Without waiting for Cao Yin to speak, he continued, "You don't have to feel sad for Li Xu. Why are both your daughters married into the imperial family, but Li Xu is not? I believe in Khan's vision." People with bad character can be used, but they will not be married.
Cao Yin was speechless.
"If you really want to do this for his own good, tell him to behave himself! I don't want to waste any more time on someone like him, and I don't want to see him making trouble," he held up a finger. "Not next time."
Cao Yin shuddered and bowed his head before leaving. "Go back and warn Li Xu, or he'll be dead if he makes trouble again!"
Yinreng's words, apparently after thinking of something, came from behind: "Take care of Li Xu's mother. After all, she is an old woman who served the late emperor. Don't scare her."
This plea failed, as Li Xu's problems were quickly clarified. First, during Emperor Kangxi's reign, he had asked the two weaving factories to report their deficits, and Li Xu had confessed to the problem. Second, Jiang Ting, the successor, would never take the blame for his predecessor's misdeeds. With his wife's help, he had already reported him. Third, the debt collection team wasn't provided for nothing.
The results were somewhat amusing. The deficit had originally been over two million, but through diligent work on the salt administration, the amount had been reduced to around one million. However, the Li family's current assets were only around two hundred thousand.
Looking at this family fortune, if you don't think it looks like a loss of one or two million, then you're stupid. Consumption, consumption, who can sew up the mouths of everyone in the family?
Everything is matched.
If you buy a three million dollar diamond ring, you need a safe to keep it in, otherwise thieves will take it away. If you buy a car, it needs to have fuel, otherwise it will just sit in the garage and gather dust. Oh, and you have to buy a garage first, or at least a parking space.
The old lady wants to drink ginseng soup, the young lady wants to eat bird's nest, and the young master wants to drink flower wine... How much does it cost?
Li Xu's desire to resign also had this reason: having lived a good life in Jiangnan, would he become more restrained after returning? It was unlikely. Going from eating ginseng to eating white radish wasn't something everyone was willing to accept.
Li Xu continued to be investigated, and at the emperor's suggestion, the debt collection team left his family a house and a farm for living expenses, also to save face for his mother, Lady Wen. Cao Yin also quietly helped.
As the saying goes, hitting the donkey scares the horse. Many people in the court began to reflect on themselves, and many of Yinreng's orders were executed much more smoothly than before.
Li Guangdi was the most uneasy of the previous emperor's troubled figures. He had a history of not giving Yinreng face, and his dark past was rife, all of which Kangxi had helped to smooth over. If they were to investigate now, even Chen Menglei, the victim, would be readily available.
Li Guangdi was very distressed, but Yinreng said nothing, which made Li Guangdi work even harder. Yinreng saw it and was very happy.
He hadn't considered dealing with Li Guangdi. Judging from the series of events before and after his ascension to the throne, Li Guangdi was a smart man. At a time when there were so many problems and someone was urgently needed to deal with them, he would rather use a smart man with questionable character than a fool.
Yinreng appointed Li Guangdi and other old ministers to join the team, implying that you just need to work honestly.
Some people in the court saw this situation and thought that the matter had come to an end. The emperor did not want to take action against everyone, but was just annoyed with Li Xu.
If you really think of Yinreng this way, you've been sold out by him, and you're still counting money for him. He's waiting, waiting for the results of this imperial examination, and next year's palace examination, to cultivate a group of new people truly cultivated by him. Once these people enter the officialdom, have a taste of its darkness, and their sense of justice has not yet completely disappeared... take action against the deficit!
The deficit was discovered, and he was dismissed, and there was a replacement. Whether from the perspective of justice or personal development, everyone was most motivated at this time. The fourth brother had already discovered many problems, but Yinreng had suppressed them and not allowed them to move, just to wait for this opportunity.
The discriminatory treatment of the three weaving masters served as a warning to the court officials, and new Jinshi candidates were being prepared to replace Li Xu and others. Everything was ready, only the east wind was lacking.
I should clarify that the deficit in the Ministry of Revenue here wasn't caused by ministers borrowing money from the treasury, but rather various borrowing schemes. For example, if they were short on cash for one project, they would divert funds from another. Wanting to borrow money from the treasury in your own name...do you think you're the emperor?
Deficits like Li Xu's usually occurred when he had urgent needs and, after allocating funds for the weaving of the emperor's dragon robes, spent the money on the material and paid the workers, he still had some money left over. Instead of turning it in, he withheld it and used it. The only thing left on the books was "unpaid balance," not "borrowed money."
It is this "balance" that needs to be recovered. As for what you did with the balance, that is your business. If you included your nanny's salary in the expenses for welcoming the emperor, no one else will care.
Of course, the specific methods and reasons for doing so vary, but it's never the chief officer's personal name. But when it comes time to recover the money, who says you're the one in charge? The responsibility falls on you.
In addition to the Ministry of Revenue, similar situations also occurred in the provincial treasuries, making it very difficult to investigate.
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The harem was also uneasy due to the movements of the imperial court. The most uneasy was Concubine Mi. Everyone kept the news a secret from her, but it didn't stay hidden for long. She received the news after the main force returned to the palace from Changchun Garden in August. She had been happy that the Li family girls would no longer have to serve in the palace, but now she had another worry.
The harem is not allowed to interfere in government affairs! Concubine Mi had no choice but to inquire about the situation when her son came to pay his respects, saying: "See if there is anyone who can help, give him a hand. Li Xu has worked hard for most of his life, don't let him end up in vain."
Yunyu was speechless. From Yunyu's perspective, if you were told to return to the capital, why would you just stay put? Why are you making such a fuss? He had been in charge of government for some time, so of course he knew the deficit issue had to be resolved. Not pursuing the matter was already a great favor, but Li Xu had to make a scene!
Concubine Mi remembered Li Xu's kindness, but Yunyu was a generation apart and had never met him. It was almost impossible for him to have any deep affection for Li Xu. After vaguely agreeing, Yunyu winked at the chief eunuch beside Concubine Mi.
"Fifteenth Master."
"From now on, don't do anything else except this: don't let any news about the Li family reach my mother's ears. If she does, you will be held accountable."
"Yes." The chief eunuch thought about it and realized that the Li family had lost their jobs and had been punished. He also knew the channels for delivering information. This job was not difficult to do, so he accepted the order happily.
Yunyu wiped his sweat. His father had arranged a marriage for Cao Jia, and the Cao family was now protected. He had already taken charge of the government by arranging a marriage for him. Li Xu had nothing to do with this; he was too far away. His second brother, the emperor, probably wouldn't worry about Li Xu anymore. What he had to do now was to prevent his mother from getting too attached to Li Xu's family.
What Yunyu didn't expect was that he would receive a new assignment the next day. His second brother asked him to supervise Li Xu's debt repayment. His original words were: "If he makes a mistake, don't let others mistreat him too much."
Yunyu took over the task and was worried. Of course, this was not within Yinreng's consideration. The provincial examination was over, the results were out, and everyone's old friend Mr. Zhao Shenqiao had also come out.
Uh, wrong, wrong. What we should care about now is the results of the provincial examination, not Zhao Shenqiao.
Following Yinreng's arrangement, Dai Zi's family obtained Beijing hukou, and his son Dai Heng naturally took the imperial examination in Shuntian Prefecture. Coincidentally, the chief examiner for the Shuntian Prefecture provincial examination was none other than Zhao Shenqiao (here we go again). Zhao Shenqiao was a man of integrity and upright character, a perfect match for the Dais. Furthermore, Dai Heng had considerable talent, so it was difficult for him to fail the exam.
Yinreng looked at the admission list of Shuntian Prefecture's provincial examination and nodded repeatedly: "Not bad, not bad. Just by looking at Dai Heng, we can know that Zhao Shenqiao selects people based on their talent and knowledge, and does not cheat and accept some good-for-nothings." This is the first imperial examination of the Xin Dynasty, so of course it has to be done this way to be decent.
What he didn't know was that Mr. Zhao, who did not cheat for personal gain, was not only not partial to his own interests, but also shouldered the heavy responsibility of exposing the dark side of the examination and admissions process - he was the Left Censor-in-Chief, and after returning from confinement at the examination venue, he was ready to catch people who were cheating elsewhere.
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