Chapter 448 "Sexual Bribery" That Shocked the Government and Opposition (5k)
Is the palace competition over?
Yuan Li was stunned for a moment, looked up at the high sun, and was not surprised: "What's the result?"
"The royal ministers have won." The censor seemed quite excited and eager to share the information he had found out with others.
Win? Actually won? Yuan Li was also stunned for a moment. He was particularly surprised because Xue Shence had made a firm decision that he would lose: "Oh? Please tell me carefully."
The censor immediately danced and embellished the story of how Zhao Duan defeated Xiao Ran with a peach tree branch, which attracted many officials in the Metropolitan Procuratorate to watch and marvel.
"As expected of Zhao Shaobao."
"Hmph, even a mere gangster dares to act wild in the capital. He deserves to lose his face and go back."
The officials were talking a lot. Although this matter seemed to have nothing to do with the court, it did involve face. The palace won a great victory, and all the officials were honored.
Is it him again... Yuan Li was slightly distracted. The hand hidden in his sleeve clenched the letter hard, as if he had an idea.
"Let's go to the palace, just in time to congratulate His Majesty." Yuan Li said calmly.
Censor Chen Hong gave a wry smile, thinking that if we go there, it will undoubtedly put a damper on His Majesty's good mood.
……
In the Imperial Garden.
The large group of palace maidens scattered behind, and in front of the field of vision of the eunuchs and palace maids were the empress and Zhao Shaobao walking almost side by side.
In spring, the imperial garden is already green, with trees sprouting and flowers vying for the lead.
Zhao Duan was a little behind and glanced at Xu Zhenguan's delicate and sacred profile with his peripheral vision.
"Peach Blossom Sword, you learned well." The empress in white didn't look at him, she just walked gracefully, her regular clothes that were almost like a skirt almost trailing on the ground.
The hem of the robe reaches to the ground, sweeping the green grass as she walks.
In order to attend today's competition, she changed into slightly more formal clothes.
"I was lucky enough to win, thanks to your majesty's teaching of swordsmanship." Zhao Duan said sincerely.
Xu Zhenguan said "ha", turned his head slightly, and looked at him with a half-smile:
"When I learned the Peach Blossom Sword, I was far inferior to you."
Ah, this... I can't tell you how you want me to pick it up, because this set of swordsmanship has similar connotations to the "Open Heaven" swordsmanship taught by your ancestors. It seems to be the same set, so I can learn it with half the effort, right?
Zhao Duan smiled dryly and said:
"Just as Tang Zong was willing to fight to the death for the honor and disgrace of the royal family, I also try my best to protect the face of our royal family."
Who told you "we are the royal family"? Xu Zhenguan pretended to be angry and was too lazy to correct him for taking advantage of him in private words from time to time.
"I have instructed the Ministry of Rites to make preparations for going south to be enshrined in Zen." She said suddenly.
The topic changed abruptly, Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, and then said sadly:
"When?"
Xu Zhenguan said as he walked:
"Female Zen is a big event. During the New Year, I will order Si Tianjian to observe the astrology and determine a good time, probably this summer."
Summer... isn't it the time when I traveled through time last year... Zhao Duan thought for a while and said:
"Since your Majesty is determined, I will do my best to help you."
Xu Zhenguan bit her plump lips and looked at him with strange eyes:
"I thought you would dissuade me."
Zhao Duan shook his head seriously and said:
"The eight kings are watching eagerly, and the East and West Buddhism are not stopping, and they have caught up with Wu Xiankui to fight... It is the blessing of the world that your majesty can cross the threshold of true heaven and humanity as soon as possible. The selfishness of the minister is insignificant in comparison."< br>
Xu Zhenguan stared at him quietly with her beautiful eyes, and Zhao Duan looked at her calmly.
The fairy-like consciousness of a human emperor enveloped the entire garden, and she could even hear the rhythm of the heartbeat of the person in front of her.
"What you said is actually true." Xu Zhenguan looked complicated.
Zhao Duan smiled cheerfully and said:
"Does Your Majesty think that I really only care about dual cultivation and ignore the country and the country?"
At this moment, Zhao Duan, who was known as a "treacherous minister" in the outside world and always had a glib tone and impure thoughts in front of the empress, had calm and pure eyes.
Xu Zhenguan bit her lip gently, a touch of tenderness and apology appeared in her eyes.
Well, although it was strange, she actually felt a little guilty at the moment, as if it was her own fault for not cultivating with the person in front of her...
Like a bad woman, she always tied a carrot in front of the innocent man, forcing him to work hard, but when she saw that she was about to eat, she took the carrot away again.
"Your Majesty, you are going to Luoshan to confer Zen? I remember that this mountain is building the realm of the underworld." Zhao Duan frowned and mentioned the key issue:
"Can't you change one?"
Jiancheng Road is the farthest place from the capital in the southeastern territory except Lingnan.
It was also within Prince Jing's sphere of influence. The Empress wanted to go there to hold a ceremony to enshrine her. It was conceivable that it would not go smoothly.
Xu Zhenguan smiled helplessly, with a hint of endearment in his eyes, as if Zhao Duan had asked an innocent question:
"Do you think you can just find a famous mountain to enshrine the title of Zen? The reason why I grant the title of Zen is to use this etiquette to use the dragon spirit of national destiny in the Nine-Five Master to break through the barrier between heaven and man. Luoshan is the best choice.
I know what you are thinking. It doesn't matter. I have been on the throne for three years. Even after I leave the capital, my cultivation will not change much. My uncle...hehe, even if he doesn't want it in his heart, there is nothing he can do about me.
It's nothing more than using some extra-ordinary means to try to hinder the ceremony, but it's no big deal. I will send people south in advance to build the road to make preparations. Then, after settling the affairs in Beijing, I will personally go south and arrive at Luoshan. . ”
Well, is this the self-confidence of heavenly beings? Zhao Duan listened to her clear arrangements and knew that the empress' decision could no longer be changed.
"I dare to ask, what are your Majesty's chances of winning Feng Chan's promotion?" He hesitated and asked this question that was beyond the rules.
Xu Zhenguan said calmly: "Between six and seven."
Fortunately... the probability sounds quite high... Zhao Duan breathed a sigh of relief, but he also thought, would the Eight Kings and even all the cultivation forces in the Yu Kingdom really keep their peace and not destroy it?
But then I thought about it, from Zhenbao's perspective, there really weren't many choices.
People cannot completely choose their own lives. The higher they stand, the more they cannot help themselves.
In the garden, the two stood quietly, silent to each other for a moment.
"Okay, let's not talk about this," Xu Zhenguan smiled sweetly:
"Without you today, the royal family would really lose face. I ordered the imperial kitchen to prepare delicacies and stay in the palace for lunch at noon."
No, what I want to eat is not rice... Zhao Duan thought weakly, and was about to nod in agreement. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed at the end of the stone road in the distance, a little eunuch hurriedly took small steps, holding a fly whisk. Come.
Seeing His Majesty with him, he hurriedly stopped and shouted from a distance:
"Your Majesty, Mr. Yuan has something to ask for!"
Yuan Li is here? Asking for a meeting at this time? Zhao Duan was surprised.
Could it be that he came to congratulate him after learning that the royal family had won? Well... if it is a lower-level official, it is still possible, but with the position of "Qingliu Party Leader", he will not be so flattering...
What Yuan Li calls "important matters" must be quite big... With many thoughts fluctuating, Zhao Duan held up his hands and said:
"Mr. Yuan must have something serious to do. Your Majesty, please go and receive him. I will go and take a look around on my own."
Xu Zhenguan said lightly: "Come with me to see Mr. Yuan."
……
Royal study room.
When Zhao Duan returned with the empress, not long after he sat down, footsteps were heard in the corridor outside. Yuan Li, wearing a blue double-breasted censor's official uniform that was different from Fei Pao, stood at the door and said respectfully:
"I take the liberty of disturbing Your Majesty."
Behind him, Chen Hong, an old acquaintance and censor, said nothing and bent at ninety degrees.
"Come in and have a seat."
The empress sat behind a table covered with bright yellow silk cloth, smiling warmly. Someone from the palace immediately offered her a seat, while Zhao Duan stood beside her.
"Thank you for the grace."
Yuan Li sat down and Chen Hong stood respectfully behind. Da Qingyi looked up and saw Zhao Duan smiling at him, and couldn't help but nodded and said:
"Before I entered the palace, I was pleased to learn that Zhao Shaobao defeated the reckless Qingshan man."
"You're welcome, Mr. Yuan." Zhao Duan smiled, "It's a small victory, but I bother you to congratulate Mr. Yuan."
Xu Zhenguan went straight to the point with a smile:
"It must not be for congratulations that Duke Yuan suddenly entered the palace."
Yuan Li looked a little more serious and said: "I do have something to report. Please take a look at it!"
He took the document from his sleeve and presented it with both hands. Zhao Duan glanced at it, his DNA moved, and he walked over to take it with great familiarity and forwarded it to Zhen Bao.
Well, when I was a cow and horse in my previous life, similar behavior became almost instinctive.
You're quite considerate... Xu Zhen glanced at him and opened the document with her slender fingers. After only two glances, her sunny face suddenly sank, anger welled up, her eyebrows raised like iron hooks, and then He raised his eyes and stared at Yuan Li:
"Is this happening?!"
Yuan Li was not surprised by the empress's anger and said loudly: "It is true!" "Pa!"
Xu Zhenguan threw the document on the table, and the good mood brought by winning the competition was gone!
Seeing Zhao Duan confused, she suppressed the urge to get angry and said to him:
"You should also take a look."
What's going on, such a big reaction, Kuishui will be angry after a while... Zhao Duan muttered inwardly, picked up the document and started reading, and soon his face darkened.
It is more like an impeachment memorial than a document, and the person being impeached is a noble man from the capital, the Marquis of Liu'an.
Yes, a prince!
Zhao Duan was not familiar with this marquis, but he had met him twice. He was originally a descendant of a noble family. Due to his marriage to the royal family, he was relatively close to the royal family in the noble circle. He had not participated in the Xuanmen coup. , later the empress ascended the throne, and the Marquis of Liu'an was considered peaceful.
When the New Deal was promulgated last year, Lu'an Hou began to operate frequently, trying to find a job in a new yamen in the capital that presided over the New Deal, namely: the "New Deal Department".
After the investigation, the empress believed that although the Marquis of Lu'an was not outstanding in ability and was rather mediocre, he was still reliable.
In addition, the New Administration Secretary also needed to give the nobles some soup, so he was allowed to work there, and indeed nothing went wrong.
At the beginning of the year, due to the rectification of officialdom in the Yu State, a large number of redundant officials were abolished, and new local officials needed to be appointed to promote the New Deal. Therefore, the Marquis of Liu'an, who had been responsible for this part of the work in recent months, did not want to be impeached suddenly. .
Charge: Taking bribes and selling out one’s official position!
Translator's words mean that the Marquis of Liu'an took advantage of his position to receive local benefits and turned the appointment and dismissal of new officials into a business.
Zhao Duan was not surprised when he saw this. Only when he saw the area involved in selling his official position did he understand the truth of the empress' anger:
Build the road!
"I want to hear the details." Xu Zhenguan stared at Yuan Li with lightning-like eyes.
Censor Chen Hong, who was standing behind Yuan Li, stepped out and saluted respectfully:
"Your Majesty, this impeachment is a secret report of a censor patrolling the Huai River. After it was delivered to the hands of the minister, because he felt that the matter was serious, he verified it first. When there were doubts, he submitted it to Yuan Gong."
< br>
Chen Hong first explained the origin and then told the detailed process:
"After the year, due to the delay in appointing and dismissing local officials in Jiancheng Road, His Majesty sent the Marquis of Lu'an south to inspect the area in Jiancheng Road. When the Marquis of Liu'an passed through the Huai River Road, he was received by a local fifth-grade official and invited Qin Huai Accompanying the famous prostitute Xichun
The Marquis of Liu'an fell in love with the prostitute at first sight, and it is said that he lingered there for a few days before continuing south to perform official duties. ”
"Almost at the same time, the girl Xichun was suddenly redeemed by a local wealthy businessman named Yang and married back home... But more than a month later, the girl Xichun changed her name and appeared in the private residence of the Marquis of Liu'an. ...and the candidate for the new prefect of Jiancheng Dao has also been finalized as the fifth-rank official..."
Good guy, good guy... Zhao Duan was amazed when he heard this.
Why don't you understand that this is a typical "sexual bribery"?
The laws of the State of Yu stipulate that officials are not allowed to redeem or sell prostitutes or actors, but there are no restrictions on others giving them away. Therefore, the practice of "emptying pockets" has emerged among the people.
That is: when an official falls in love with a girl, a merchant will often redeem her body and then give it to the official privately.
This is a typical operation right now.
Zhao Duan was even sure that it was definitely not enough for an oiran to be able to function at the level of a prefect, and he must have given a large sum of money to the Marquis of Liu'an.
And the high probability is an astronomical sum.
But how can a fifth-grade local official afford so much money? Zhao Duan thought for a moment and came up with the answer:
Huaishui nobles!
"...Your Majesty," Yuan Li spoke slowly, with a solemn expression:
"If this matter is true, as a fifth-rank official, I will definitely not be able to sell it to the Marquis of Liu'an. I suspect that there is secret support from some clans in the Huai River Road.
As we all know, the wealthy families in the south of the Yangtze River are extremely resistant to the New Deal. If they can use money to pave the way, buy and sell official positions, and support some officials to hold important positions... this is extremely possible. And if you want to solve this kind of thing, you only need a sharp knife. ”
Xu Zhenguan's face was as cold as frost and he said calmly: "Here comes someone."
A female officer walked in immediately outside the door.
The empress said without emotion:
"Order the imperial edict, Gong Ma Yan, to immediately arrest the Marquis of Lu'an and the relevant officials for interrogation. The Metropolitan Procuratorate will supervise you. I will give you one day. I want to know the result at this time tomorrow."
Yuan Li stood up and responded at the same time as the female official: "I obey the order!"
Then, the three of them walked out of the imperial study room with great force, and one can imagine that there would be another bloody storm later.
When it comes to important matters such as New Deal officials, the empress will definitely catch the typical examples and investigate them thoroughly to scare the monkeys... How courageous are you? She is so bold and bold, she really dares to accept any bribe... Zhao Duan shook his head and said to this kind of thing There is no sympathy for stupid people.
"Did you see it? They have already started to take action." Xu Zhenguan said suddenly.
Zhao Duan said with relief: "This matter has not been clarified yet. Just relying on a patrol censor may not..."
Xu Zhenguan sighed, she suddenly turned her head, shook her head bitterly:
"You don't need to comfort me. In fact, it's not the key to how much the Marquis of Liu'an collected, whether it was collected or not, is it?"
Zhao Duan was silent, he revealed the truth extremely calmly:
"Those local nobles may not really expect that this method will work. At least, they may not expect it to work. However, as long as one case occurs, Your Majesty will lose trust in those local officials."
Xu Zhenguan sighed softly and said angrily:
"Why don't I believe it? But the discovery of one case often means that there are still many cases hidden under the water. What's more, even the officials who take office are clean.
But after they take office, sitting in that position, facing those local wealthy families sending gold, silver, women, fields... soft and hard methods, how many of them can remain unchanged? Can it withstand corrosion? ”
Zhao Duan was silent.
Any reform is bound to be accompanied by such stubborn problems, especially since the Huai River and Jiancheng Road are adjacent to each other, and many wealthy families are in the same spirit.
And with the support of Prince Jing behind the establishment of the road, the wealthy families in those places would only be unscrupulous.
"Your Majesty, treating the symptoms rather than the root cause will never work." Zhao Duan suddenly said.
Xu Zhen looked at him: "What do you want to say?"
Zhao Duan sighed softly and said:
"Yuan Gong has just made it clear. He also knows that in the place where local clans are entrenched, the newly appointed local officials are alone. The Marquis of Liu'an is one, but he is by no means the only one.
He could only hand over a sharp knife that was sharp enough to knock out the clansmen. There was not much difference between humans and dogs, they were both wild beasts. The dog will have a long memory if you hit it hard. ”
Xu Zhenguan was silent.
Zhao Duan volunteered: "Your Majesty, I would like to go and make this sharp knife."
Xu Zhenguan did not nod, but stared at him with a pair of beautiful eyes:
"That's Jiancheng Road, which is Prince Jing's territory. He assassinated you once last time. Aren't you afraid?"
Zhao Duan smiled slyly: "Your Majesty, has he forgotten that there is an informant of the minister beside Prince Jing?"
Princess Jing? Lu Yaner? That descendant of Pei Niannu?
Xu Zhenguan suddenly remembered this incident and her eyes lit up. Zhao Duan told her last time about how he conquered Lu Yan'er and developed the princess into a spy.
Zhao Duan talks eloquently:
"Prince Jing's heritage lies in his territory and his control of all the forces in Jiancheng Dao. He may also have private armies and masters... But when it comes to strong practitioners, there may not be many. Lu Yan'er is by his side, so I can always rely on him. Princess Lu obtained the information. Of course, I would not joke with my own life, nor did I think that a high-level divine seal would be enough to break into Longtan."
Xu Zhenguan seemed to have guessed something: "You mean..."
Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"Didn't Your Majesty just tell me that you will arrive at Luoshan in the summer to enshrine? Do you need someone to build the road in advance and prepare it near Luoshan? I thought, just do the two things together. I can use the white horse to prepare for His Majesty's enshrinement. As an emissary, he followed the canal and built a road southward
While preparing for the enshrinement of Zen, I also beat the troubled wealthy family. As long as I bring enough experts and His Majesty is still behind me, I can arrive later... Unless Prince Jing rebels immediately, what else can he do besides spitting on me? ? ”
Xu Zhenguan stared at him seriously:
"Have you really decided? You...have done too many things for me, there is no need..."
Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"Might your Majesty have forgotten that you once told me that once a martial artist hides in the safety of the capital, he will never be promoted. Only through hard work can a martial artist advance bravely and diligently. I also want to enter the worldly realm as soon as possible. If... ”
He paused and said with an unusually serious expression:
"If your Majesty succeeds in conferring Zen status and is promoted to heavenly being, the country of Yu will definitely be stable. This is the best."
After a pause, he said: "If... Your Majesty fails to achieve your wish, if I can advance to the worldly realm, I can also use my dragon soul to help Your Majesty climb to heaven again."
The implication:
You use Feng Chan to charge first. If you can't charge forward, we will practice together again and fight once.
Add a double insurance to the matter of promotion.
The empress' fair cheeks suddenly turned red and she spat:
"You are talking nonsense, get out, I will summon the important ministers to discuss the matter."
No... I'm talking to you about something serious, why are you blushing... Besides, you agreed to let me stay for dinner? Zhao Duan opened his mouth and wanted to speak, but a jade hand pressed lightly on his chest.
Zhao Duan stepped back lightly, and flew out of the imperial study as lightly as fallen leaves. Standing in the garden, he helplessly saw the double carved doors of the study closing.
Oh no...
Zhao Duan sighed softly, turned his head and glared at the many palace ladies in the surrounding corridor who were secretly staring at him with strange eyes:
"What are you looking at? I've never seen flirting!"
All the maids lowered their heads, their shoulders shook, and it was very hard to suppress their laughter.
Zhao Duan let out a long sigh, walked out of the palace, and went straight to the martial arts hall. Since he was going south to become a monk, he had to take Lao Hai with him.
Martial Arts Hall.
Song Jinxi stood at the door. When he saw him coming, his eyes lit up: "Zhao Shaobao, the Qingshan group is leaving."
……
Typos help to catch bugs
(End of chapter)