ebookland Chapter 208: The Severe Punishment No One Expected
Chapter 208: The Severe Punishment No One Expected
Chapter 208: The Severe Punishment No One Expected
Tingwei Mansion.
Before Xun You, Xun You, Zhong Yao, Han Bin and others had time to discuss, they received an imperial edict from the palace.
The four of them stood up and continued to discuss as they entered the palace.
Zhong Yao said solemnly, "Lord Sima acted decisively and without any hesitation. Zhong Ji has been sent to the Heavenly Prison."
"The Henan governor and his subordinates all say the same thing, I'm afraid there are not many clean people left." Xun You said with a worried look on his face. His original idea was to handle it slowly and orderly, without causing too much chaos.
After Sima Jun's actions, the court could no longer be gentle.
Han Bin said, "These are nothing. The autumn grain was originally estimated to be 220,000 tons, but now it is only 100,000 tons. Add to that the issue of planting and collecting, and His Majesty may be suspicious of us."
Xun You's heart sank. As a subject, what he feared most was the king's suspicion.
Xun Yu's mature face was calm, and he said, "Don't you trust the Prime Minister's affairs?"
Zhong Yao shook his head and said, "I sent someone to check. It was taken by a servant. It's nothing serious."
Xun Yu glanced at him and said nothing.
Zhong Yao was startled when he saw this, and thought about it. Suddenly, his face showed shock, and he said, "Wen Ruo, you are not saying that His Majesty intends to dismiss you, right?"
Before he finished speaking, Han Bin and Xun You looked over at the same time, both of them with the same look of surprise and doubt.
Yang Biao's "inaction" had long displeased the palace, and coupled with his frequent tit-for-tat with Wang Yun, the palace had tried to reconcile them as many as three times!
If the palace no longer tolerates Yang Biao, it is entirely possible that they will take the opportunity to dismiss him!
Xun Yu looked normal and said, "Not before the New Year."
The three of them looked at him, their hearts unable to calm down, and they thought quickly about the political situation after he was dismissed from his position as prime minister.
Yang Biao was a man of three generations of officials, and his prestige was too great, and no one in the world could compare to him. Once he was dismissed, it would inevitably have an unpredictable impact on the gentry in the world, and the court would be "isolated" to a certain extent.
And then, did Wang Yun come to power?
Although Wang Yun worked diligently, he was not competent enough in terms of ability and prestige, and was unable to control the situation!
Officials from both the ruling and opposition parties will not be convinced, and rebels everywhere will laugh at it!
"Lord Sima." When everyone was nervous and uneasy, Xun Yu suddenly raised his hand and said to Sima Jun who was walking not far away.
Sima Jun has white hair and a vigorous face. Even though he has never been a high-ranking official, he now gives people the illusion of a superior who is intimidating without even getting angry.
Sima Jun looked at these people and nodded.
"Please come in, Your Majesty." Zhong Yao waved his hand to signal Sima Jun to get on the carriage first.
As they were both from the Yingchuan family, this Sima Gong had lived so long that they had no choice but to show courtesy to him.
Sima Jun smiled slightly and said, "Let's go together, colleagues."
Seeing that Sima Jun was not putting on airs, several people raised their hands, exchanged pleasantries, and got on the carriage one after another.
The six Caos and others got on the carriages. Cai Yong, the head of the Nine Ministers, got out of the carriage. He looked at the scorching sun, wiped his sweat, and urged the driver impatiently, "Hurry up, hurry up!"
The driver responded and walked a few steps, but Cai Yong was still urging him on in the carriage.
The driver turned around in confusion and asked, "Master, this is none of your business, why are you so anxious?"
In the carriage, Cai Yong wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "You don't understand. That kind of thing is just a prelude. Something is bound to happen today. Don't leave the palace. You are not allowed to play the game no matter how late it is."
The driver was startled and whispered, "Master, do you want to take a message to the queen in the palace?"
Cai Yong frowned and said hesitantly, "Not for now."
The coachman said nothing more and drove the carriage steadily and quickly towards the palace.
At this time, the palace was also not peaceful.
He frequently moved between the Secretariat and the Censorate.
As soon as Wang Yun came out, Yang Biao went in. Not long after, Fu Wan came to find Wang Yun again, and then Liu Xie and Yang Biao went to the Secretariat together.
The four of them sat in the small conference room, discussing continuously.
Yang Biao's fat face trembled as he said, "Although the Zhongji matter is a bit troublesome, as long as the court cuts the Gordian knot quickly, it will be resolved in ten days or half a month."
Wang Yun disagreed and said indifferently: "There is no telling how many people from top to bottom in Henan are involved in the case. If we investigate it strictly, it may take ten days or half a month to close the case."
Fu Wan thought for a moment and said, "Before that, we have to resettle the tens of thousands of disaster victims first. We can't let them cause any trouble. The court must be prepared."
It was Liu Xie's turn. Just as he was about to speak, a clerk came over and raised his hand and said, "Prime Minister, Grand Marshal, Lord Lu has come out of Deyang Palace."
Yang Biao waved his hand and said to the three people present: "We will discuss this matter after Liu Cao and his men arrive. We must handle this matter properly."
Wang Yun had an indifferent expression on his face, and a gleam of determination flashed in his eyes as he glanced at Fu Wan.
Liu Xie was finally able to speak, and he stood straight and said, "Gentlemen, have you tried to find out what His Majesty meant?"
Yang Biao's face was tense, and he pretended to be thoughtful and said: "Before, I had a few words with Da Changqiu, and Da Changqiu didn't say much."
"It's almost time, let's go into the palace first." Wang Yun said lightly.
Yang Biao instantly became alert and said, "Let's wait for the six ministers to come and discuss things together before entering the palace."
Wang Yun said nothing.
Yang Biao looked at him deeply and said, "Master Zi, we still need to be consistent in our attitude, lest the situation escalate and become unmanageable."
"Of course." Wang Yun said calmly.
Yang Biao frowned, anger rising.
Fu Wan saw this and quickly interrupted him, saying, "Prime Minister, Prince, there are only 100,000 dan of autumn grain. His Majesty will be furious. You have to have an excuse."
Yang Biao suppressed his anger, his face as hard as iron, and said: "The rhetoric is secondary. The key is that the treasury is empty. Now we are sending troops everywhere. Without money and food, how can the court control those governors, provincial governors, and generals?"
Liu Xie's expression became serious when he heard this, and he asked, "Is it really only 100,000?"
Yang Biao looked at him, opened his mouth to speak, but had to swallow it back.
Although the Han Dynasty suffered severe disasters and wars, it was generally not a problem to collect 200 million in tax revenue each year. However, in previous years, the annual tax revenue was only between 500 million and 800 million, which was more than half less.
Most of these were caused by corruption at various levels of exploitation.
Although it is a well-known fact, we can only know it in our hearts and cannot expose it, otherwise it will only be embarrassing and of no use.
"Prime Minister, the six ministers have arrived." At this time, the clerk outside the door turned around and said.
Yang Biao sat up straighter and said, "Let them in."
Xun You led the way, and Xun Yu, Zhong Yao, Sima Jun, Cai Yong and others came in a line. The small conference hall was completely full of people. Before they could enter to pay their respects, Xu Yan's voice rang out from outside, saying, "His Majesty has ordered that you all enter the palace immediately."
Yang Biao and others looked at each other. They originally wanted to discuss the matter, but now they had to go into the palace.
A crowd of people crowded out again. Yang Biao deliberately slowed down a little and said to Xun You and Xun Yu with a smile: "My two ministers, what are your thoughts on this matter?"
The factions in the court were now very clear. Even though Yang Biao was the prime minister, he was quite polite to the two Xuns and did not put on airs.
As soon as Yang Biao finished speaking, more than 20 people behind him all looked over and pricked up their ears unconsciously.
Everyone in the court and the country knew that the two Xuns and other members of the Yingchuan family were the ones valued by the palace.
Xun You clearly felt the countless eyes behind his head, smiled slightly, and said: "Prime Minister, Sima Gong has already dealt with that Ji, and at the same time, the Criminal Department has sent people to Henan Yin to arrest and interrogate him. It is expected that all cases will be closed within a month."
Yang Biao smiled, put his hands behind his back, and said with his big belly sticking out, "Minister Xun, you are not honest. You can handle this matter with just a wave of your hand. I am talking about the autumn grain issue."
Xun You looked at Yang Biao and asked, "What does the Prime Minister mean?"
Seeing that Xun You was still unwilling to say more at this time, Yang Biao glanced at the people behind him, paused, and said, "The autumn grain has dropped by more than half, and there is also the matter of Henan Yin. I am afraid that His Majesty will be suspicious of me and other court officials."
The estimated amount was 220,000 shi, but only 100,000 shi were deposited into the warehouse, which was obviously embezzled.
But how could it be possible that there were only local officials of varying sizes, while the imperial court was clean as water?
Xun You immediately thought of the inkstone Zhong Ji mentioned, and said with a smile, "Prime Minister, don't worry too much. The Criminal Department has already verified that it was just a servant in the Prime Minister's Mansion pretending to be a noble young master. It has nothing to do with you or the Prime Minister."
Yang Biao instantly felt the countless eyes staring at him from behind, and his smiling fat face became a little stiff.
He didn't mean to ask this, but Xun You misunderstood and mentioned this, so that he had to hold back what he originally wanted to ask.
Wang Yun sneered in his heart, looked at Xun Yu, and said, "Is it really only 100,000 stones?"
He has always been very wary of the "Yingchuan Party". Wang Yun has been trying to find out about the situation in Taicang. Now, he suspects that the Yingchuan Party has embezzled the autumn grain!
Xun Yu looked calm and said, "Indeed, there are only 100,000."
Wang Yun looked at him and his expression became more indifferent.
Sima Jun walked behind, leaning on a crutch, listening to the conversation of the people in front, then looking at their backs. His eyes moved slightly, and he vaguely understood some of the court situation.
As they spoke, the group arrived at the Jiade Hall.
It was no different from any other event, but everyone unconsciously shut up, focused their minds, lined up, entered the Jiade Hall one by one, and then sat down in their respective seats.
When we got here, the previous relaxation was gone, only people nearby were talking and whispering to each other.
"Your Majesty is here!"
Pan Yin rushed out from the side door and shouted sharply.
Then, Liu Bian, dressed in casual clothes, strode in.
The court officials quickly straightened their manners, raised their hands, waited to be seated, and bowed in unison, saying, "Your Majesty, we pay our respects to you!"
Liu Bian sat down and looked down at the group of court officials. There were many new faces and the atmosphere had changed slightly.
He smiled slightly and said, "No need to be polite, everyone."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." The court officials put down their hands and sat back, all looking at Liu Bian's face in unison.
Liu Bian took the stack of memorials from Pan Yin, opened the first one and glanced at it, then raised his head and asked, "Is the Luoyang magistrate here?"
"I'm here." Chen Gong at the end raised his hand and said.
All the court officials were startled and looked back, only to see Chen Gong sitting in the corner with his hands raised and his head lowered.
They didn't even notice it before!
Liu Bian took a look and said, "The autumn grain storage in Luoyang County is 5,300 dan, accounting for one twentieth of the autumn tax and one fifth of the Sili. It's a good job."
Chen Gong originally thought that he was going to be questioned, but after listening to Liu Bian's words, he didn't know how to respond, as if he was standing there motionless.
The expressions of Yang Biao, Wang Yun, Xun You and others were secretly moved. In this way, the autumn tax in Luoyang County seemed to be really good.
Liu Bian took in everyone's expressions, put down the memorial, and said calmly: "Change Henan Yin to Luoyang Prefecture, the chief official will be called Luoyang Yin, the rank will be like the six ministers' assistants, the seat of government will be in Luoyang, other places cannot be called Yin. Promote Chen Gong to Luoyang Yin, and the six military commanders will be under Luoyang Prefecture."
When the court officials heard what Liu Bian said at the beginning, they did not relax their responsibility but became even more nervous.
What changes were made to Henan Yin, or Henan Yin's promotion of Pin Yi, were not important matters, but what resulted from this!
"We obey your orders." Yang Biao took the lead, raised his hand and responded in a deep voice.
Liu Bian's smile disappeared, and he picked up the next memorial, took a look at it, and said, "This editor is very capable and uses fancy means. Half of Henan Yin's autumn grain went into his pocket."