Chapter 515: Extra Life (1)
The first year of Yongxi.
When the new emperor ascended the throne, the first imperial decree he issued was to appoint the former Crown Princess Lu as Empress and Consort Rou as Empress Dowager.
Afterwards, he issued a second imperial decree, granting amnesty to the entire country and reducing taxes by another 10%. The people rushed to tell each other and praised the emperor's benevolence.
After ascending the throne, Xiao Yanci was so busy that he became like a top and lost a lot of weight.
Only when you really sit in this position will you know that being the king of a country is not easy.
It took him more than five months to sort out the basic situation of the Great Qi Dynasty. He could finally breathe a sigh of relief and finally had time to stay in the harem.
This was the first time they had sex after Lu Zhiran gave birth.
Emperor Defeng was in mourning, Lu Zhiran was recovering from childbirth, and Xiao Yanci was busy with government affairs, so neither of them had the mind to do so.
Now everything is finally back on track, and Xiao Yanci can finally have a good meal.
It had been so long since they last did it, so both of them were very sensitive and had unprecedented experiences with each other.
That night, I called for water three times.
The next day, Xiao Yanci threw himself into government affairs with full energy again. All the ministers noticed that the young emperor seemed to be in a good mood today.
While reviewing the memorials, he saw an interesting one and looked at the name of the official again: Shen Zhengqing, the then prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture.
Xiao Yanci finally remembered this person.
At the beginning, the disappearance of Lu Yanxiu and Lu Xingchen implicated the case of missing children. An aide recommended Shen Zhengqing, the then magistrate of Guihua County, Yongcheng, saying that there had not been a single case of missing persons under his jurisdiction and that he was a talented person. However, he was suppressed by the Li family and was not promoted.
After reading the files, Xiao Yanci promoted him and sent him back to Beijing.
But after the previous emperor passed away, he was busy with other affairs and did not ask about this person.
Now we know that he has been successfully transferred back to Beijing and appointed as the prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture. In this short period of time, he has achieved remarkable results and arrested several groups of human traffickers who dared to commit crimes in defiance of the law.
Those impressive figures are the most powerful political achievements.
"This Lord Shen is a talented person, but it's a pity that he has to serve as the prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture."
Xiao Yanci became interested in him and ordered him to come to the emperor for an audience.
Shen Zhengqing entered the palace with great fear and trepidation, kowtowed tremblingly, and did not dare to look directly at the emperor's face.
Xiao Yanci's tone was inherently majestic.
"Lord Shen, I have seen your memorial. You have outstanding political achievements and extraordinary abilities. It is truly a waste of your talent that you have been in a remote place for more than a decade."
Shen Zhengqing said in panic, "Your Majesty, your praise is too great."
Xiao Yanci asked with a smile, "Tell me, how did you do it?"
Shen Zhengqing calmed himself down before explaining his own method of governance.
After years of working at the grassroots level, he summed up the four-pronged approach of prevention, investigation, rescue and punishment.
Prevention means joint defense by the entire nation, strict household registration checks, and collective punishment of neighbors.
Each household must register the characteristics of its children and check them regularly. Outsiders must provide guarantees. If a child in a household goes missing, the five surrounding households must assist in the search. Those who conceal the disappearance and fail to report it will be guilty of the same crime.
To investigate, peddlers, beggars, and tea stall owners were trained as spies, and suspicious persons were reported immediately.
Checkpoints are set up at docks and city gates to strictly check the travel permits of those carrying children.
Rescue was achieved by sending fast horses and ringing gongs. Each village was equipped with three fast horses. When they saw a kidnapping case, they would immediately split up. One horse would ring the gong to seal the city gate, one horse would inform the neighboring counties, and one horse would report directly to the government office.
Punishment means to use severe punishment to deter and eradicate the problem completely.
Although he seemed timid and fearful in front of the emperor, he was a completely different person when it came to actually handling the case.
He once beheaded a human trafficker in public with his own hands and hung his head at the city gate for public display as a deterrent.
If you are an official in a local area and don’t have a strong spirit, you will not be able to control the situation at all.
After being transferred back to Beijing, he continued to use this most stupid method. Sure enough, some people who didn't know how to live or die ran into him, and the yamen runners of Jingzhao Prefecture saw how powerful this new boss was.
After hearing what Shen Zhengqing said, Xiao Yanci seemed to be thinking about something, and then he smiled.
"Shen Aiqing's methods are unique and he is truly a pillar of the nation. I hereby promote you to the position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, to assist in the management of criminal cases throughout the country and to oversee the arrest of serious criminals."
When Shen Zhengqing heard this, an indescribable joy suddenly flashed in his eyes, and he was stunned for a long time before coming back to his senses.
"I thank you for your grace. I will do my best to serve you, Your Majesty, and will never let you down!"
Xiao Yanci smiled and said, "My dear, please stand up."
Shen Zhengqing stood up, his face full of excitement.
Only then did Xiao Yanci see his face clearly. At first glance, he felt that he looked somewhat familiar, but he didn't think much about it.
The matter was soon forgotten and he began to busy himself with government affairs again.
Xiao Yanci also talked about this person with Lu Zhiran, praising him quite a bit in his words.
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhiran couldn't help but feel more respect for Lord Shen.
In October, the palace held a chrysanthemum viewing banquet. Lu Zhiran specially sent an invitation to the Shen family, inviting Lord Shen’s daughter to attend the banquet.
The Shen family had been transferred back to Beijing not long ago and had no roots in the capital. This Miss Shen was only thirteen years old and had never appeared in public.
This was originally a combined attack by the emperor and empress to win over the hearts of the people, but unexpectedly, it brought unexpected benefits.
When Miss Shen appeared in front of everyone, Lu Zhiran was stunned, and Xiao Baozhu beside her widened her eyes instantly.
It’s nothing, this Miss Shen looks too familiar.
Lu Zhiran looked at Xiao Baozhu, "Baozhu, do you think they look alike?"
Xiao Baozhu nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice.
"They look so alike! They're practically cut from the same mold!"
Lu Zhiran said slowly, "I heard that Lord Shen lost a child in his early years, so during his tenure, he used ruthless tactics to clean up his jurisdiction, and there are no human traffickers left."
When Xiao Baozhu heard this, her eyes widened even more and her breathing became stagnant.
“Could it be…”
She stood up and was about to ask Miss Shen for clarification, but was stopped by Lu Zhiran.
"Don't be impulsive. Find out the truth first, so that everyone won't be disappointed."
Only then did Xiao Baozhu suppress the excitement in her heart and did not act rashly.
But her eyes kept falling on Miss Shen.
Shen Ruian sat at the table stiffly, his little face full of nervousness.
She was sensitive by nature and could keenly notice the subtle changes in the outside world. She found that someone was staring at her.
And the direction that person came from was from the upper position.
Could it be that the Queen Mother felt that there was something wrong with her?
Before she could figure out what was going on, the Ninth Princess walked up to her and praised the exquisite hair accessories on her head with a smile.
Shen Ruian: ...
She suspected that the princess was speaking in a sarcastic manner. Her family was financially tight, and this was an old item from several years ago. It could not compare with the bright styles of the noble ladies in the capital.
But the Ninth Princess' tone was sincere and her eyes were shining, as if she really liked her hair accessories.
Shen Ruian realized belatedly that this burning gaze was so familiar. It turned out that the person who was staring at him just now was the Ninth Princess.
Shen Ruian found that the Ninth Princess was very enthusiastic and kind to her, as if she had met a long-lost sister.
Xiao Baozhu's enthusiasm aroused the noble ladies' strong interest in Shen Ruian, and they all began to gather around her.
Shen Ruian: ...shivering.
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