"Sigong joined the army, Chu Wentong, accepted bribes to fabricate official achievements, sold official school quotas, and secretly withheld letters from local officials to Henan Yin. Do you know the crime?"
"The lower official knows that he is guilty, but he went astray because of a moment of confusion. He must change his ways."
"Xu Ding, the sihu who joined the army, made up a list of corvee servants, hid the adult population, and allowed people to negotiate prices. Those with higher prices were exempted from the corvée service, and those who had no money were assigned the corvée service. He took advantage of his position to amass wealth, causing those who did not have the corvee service. You have been taxed for many years and your illegal income has reached more than 20,000 yuan. Do you know your guilt?”
"The lower official knows his crime and is willing to spend all his illegal gains over the years to 'pay for his sins' and go bankrupt, no matter what."
"After investigation, the warden Li Zhao accepted bribes, tortured more than ten inmates, created the illusion of escape and helped several people escape from prison. During his tenure, he took advantage of his position to accept tens of thousands of bribes, killed and maimed dozens of people, and desecrated the law. I'm crazy, can you plead guilty?"
"Don't you just want me to pay for 'forfeiture'? Let me put it into perspective. Although Luoyang Ricci is not a big boss in the world, it has a long history and does not care about these stinky money."
"Presumptuous! Do you think the law is just kidding you? If you know the law and break it, you will be punished with a higher penalty, and you will be punished by the Empress!"
"I am a child of a noble family, and I am qualified for 'punishment and redemption'. Why do you want to kill me?"
"Just because I am the Minister of Dali Temple!"
……
The most convenient road from Chang'an to Luoyang is to take the Yellow River waterway. However, due to the Sanmen Gorge, the road is short but time-consuming. Therefore, officials who set out from Chang'an to Luoyang to issue edicts chose the ancient road.
The road from Chang'an to Yanchi in Hedong is smooth, and you only need to cross the Pujin Ferry of the Yellow River. From Hedong to Luoyang, it is even smoother. Therefore, the imperial edicts sent to Hedong and Luoyang set off almost at the same time. Instead, they set off after receiving the edicts. "Sanfa Si" arrived in Luoyang first, and the imperial edict sent to Luoyang had not yet arrived.
Fang Jun accompanied him to the official residence of the King of Wei, and secretly discussed with Liu, Dai, Zhang and Xu Jingzong, and decided to temporarily conceal the edict and interrogate the officials of Henan Prefecture first, hoping to catch them off guard and make them completely unprepared. A group of people confessed their crimes and waited until the edict arrived before observing the situation.
As a result, the "Three Law Division" who had just arrived in Luoyang began to examine and interrogate the Henan officials without stopping.
Officials throughout the Henan Prefecture were intensively examined by the "Three Law Divisions". The vast majority of them simply could not withstand such scrutiny. A brief investigation revealed their flaws. In just half a day, more than ten officials were convicted.
However, these Henan Prefecture officials don't care at all. Except for the seriousness of the Henan Prefecture warden who suffered several lives, the rest are just some corruption, dereliction of duty, etc., which can all be "redeemed" with money, and are not a big deal...
Henan Yinpei Huaijie is sitting firmly on Diaoyutai.
The interrogation was going on intensely in the court hall, but in the back hall, Pei Huaijie showed his courtesy as a landlord and hosted a banquet for King Wei, Fang Jun, and Xu Jingzong. During the banquet, Pei Huaijie had a calm demeanor and showed no fear of a guilty minister. Pianpian's words are humorous, and the guests and hosts enjoy themselves.
After three rounds of drinking, the banquet was moved away and a few people sat around drinking tea to sober up.
Li Tai was in the middle. Seeing that Pei Huaijie was in high spirits and relaxed, he couldn't help but said: "Henan Prefecture is located in the 'Land of Three Rivers', which is among the world's most populous and fertile. It is unparalleled except for the capital, so everything should be stable." Because of this, it would be inappropriate to indulge in the administration and despise the king’s order.”
His Royal Highness the King of Wei was really angry that the officials of Henan Prefecture were "breaking the jars and smashing them" under the instigation of local aristocratic families.
The land of a government is actually being held hostage by aristocratic families, openly resisting the central government's orders in such a negative way, do you still think this is the troubled times of the late Sui Dynasty?
Is there still a center in my eyes, and is there still His Majesty?
Pei Huaijie looked indifferent: "It was the failure of subordinate officials to dissuade them while in office, which led to the corruption and deepening of corruption in Henan Province. Now the 'Three Laws Division' review has convicted and sentenced all guilty persons." , it is a blessing to have all the filth in Henan Mansion removed and clean up.”
He was filled with resentment towards His Royal Highness the King of Wei who had fallen into his trap when he first arrived, and he could not deny his words.
Fang Jun took a sip of tea at the side and reminded: "Fu Yin is the meritorious service of Emperor Taizong's latent residence. He has made outstanding political achievements for many years. He should know that the current central government is different from the past. It is useless to try to resist the central government with one government. It’s different from trying to act like a chariot with one’s arm. It’s better to think twice before taking action.”
Pei Huaijie solemnly said: "The clans in Henan have been domineering for a long time. During their tenure as subordinates, they suffered from it repeatedly and were helpless. It was only through constant compromise and concession that the good situation in Henan was stabilized. Now these people are dissatisfied with the central government's orders, so they have gathered to boycott, fearing that they will listen to What can you do if you don’t go in and persuade?”
Facing Fang Jun, he, the "second best" official in the border area, looked much more respectful.
After all, Fang Jun was the right servant of Shangshu, transferred to the Zhu Kingdom, and was given the title of Duke of Yue. He had outstanding achievements and was a holy family member. Regardless of his reputation, status, and power, he was enough to crush him as the "Henan Yin". In the weak crown In front of the young Fang Jun, he is not qualified to rely on his old age...
But the words are also full of ridicule. You central bosses make decrees as soon as your heads are hot and your butts are slapped. You ignore the closure of frontiers by state governments all over the world. You only think about your own achievements and don't care about how difficult it is for us in the middle. So you You have to suffer the consequences.
If you don’t want to compromise or give in, then don’t interfere with Henan Mansion.
Fang Jun frowned, very dissatisfied with Pei Huaijie's metaphorical threat: "Are you really planning to take over the whole country and fight against the center to the end?"
Pei Huaijie shook his head and said: "I don't have such an idea. Those officials were examined and convicted by the 'Three Laws Division' because they made mistakes. The subordinates dare not bend the law for personal gain. However, if someone is framed and slandered, the subordinates will not sit idly by." No matter.”
It is your business to arrest the officials, and you will have to bear the consequences of the collapse of the entire Henan government bureaucracy.
"Ha!"
Fang Jun sneered at Pei Huaijie's eccentric attitude, and then said to Xu Jingzong on the side: "Did you hear that? Pei Fuyin fully supports you, and you must do your best to eliminate the chronic diseases in Henan's officialdom and eliminate officials who are corrupt and pervert the law. , this is our belief, don’t let Pei Fuyin down.”
Xu Jingzong solemnly nodded: "Don't worry, Duke of Yue. Regardless of whether you are a member of an aristocratic family or someone who has made outstanding achievements, as long as you violate the law, your subordinates will treat you equally and will never tolerate it!"
Is Xu Jingzong afraid of trouble?
He is only afraid that there will be no benefits when doing things. As long as the benefits are enough, he will dare to poke a hole in it!
What's more, with Fang Jun's endorsement, let's have a good fight in Henan Mansion and completely destroy Xu Jingzong's fame and prestige!
Pei Huaijie looked gloomy and remained silent.
He did not believe that Fang Jun and Xu Jingzong had no scruples. If the entire official system of Henan Prefecture collapsed completely, the consequences would be extremely serious, and these two people could not afford it.
But at the same time, he was also afraid that these two people would be reckless and ruthless. Fang Jun and Xu Jingzong would not be able to bear the serious consequences, and neither could he, Pei Huaijie...
But he knew that it was a struggle now. It was not a struggle between him and Fang Jun and Xu Jingzong, but a struggle between the central government and the local government, or a struggle between the imperial power and the clans. Both sides were tightening their strings and working hard. Who could Whoever gives in first will lose the initiative.
Although I was afraid of the bad consequences, I could only grit my teeth and hold on, refusing to give in.
There were rapid footsteps outside the hall, and immediately an official stepped in quickly: "Your Majesty, there are angels from Chang'an who have issued your Majesty's edict."
……
When the angel finished issuing the edict and retired, there was silence in the hall.
Pei Huaijie woke up from the shock. His head was sweating, he was on pins and needles, and he didn't know what to do.
What is "throwing fire under the cauldron"?
That's it.
What is a "bolt from the blue"?
This is...
I originally thought that the purpose of coercing the central government would be to use all the Henan officials to "please admit their guilt and accept punishment", and then use the "penalty and redemption" of money in exchange for these officials to be exempted from prison sentences or even reinstated to their posts. However, in the blink of an eye, this road was blocked.
Abolish "penalty and redemption"? !
How dare the center!
The system of "penalty and redemption" has always been considered one of the most important privileges of aristocratic families and a "talisman" for the children of aristocratic families. It has been around for nearly a thousand years since the Shang and Zhou dynasties, but now it has been replaced by that "kind and generous" Majesty. Deposed? !
Xu Jingzong couldn't hide his excitement and said with a smile: "Now Pei Fuyin has two ways, either to ask the officials of Henan Prefecture not to plead guilty, after all, once they plead guilty, they cannot restore their status through the 'punishment and redemption' system, or to contact the Henan Aristocratic Family to make it public To resist the edict of "deposing, punishing, and redeeming," you can submit a joint letter, or you can raise a banner and raise troops to rebel."
He didn't know that Fang Jun and others had already received the edict first, and now that he heard about it, he was inexplicably surprised.
Pei Huaijie was shocked, angry and at a loss.
There are two roads, and I'm afraid neither of them works.
Since the "Three Law Division" finds you guilty after interrogation, it is not a matter of whether you admit it or not. Pleading guilty can reduce the penalty, but not admitting guilt does not mean innocence. If you want not to plead guilty, you can only "compromise" as he said before, and give up some kind of benefits in exchange for "not convicting" the "three-law division".
What kind of benefits are needed in exchange for compromise?
Naturally, I support and support the measurement of acres...
As for raising the flag of rebellion and raising troops to rebel... Not to mention whether you dare to do it, even if you dare, where can the Henan family have soldiers to recruit?
Previously, in order to support the rebellion of the King of Jin, the Henan aristocratic families secretly raised countless grain supplies and private soldiers. However, they were all defeated in Guanzhong, resulting in heavy losses for each family. Now there is no chance to recover. How can they have the ability to start another war with the Jin Dynasty? The battle at the hub?
Xu Jingzong was a poisonous snake, and he was able to find flaws and kill with one blow. He reminded: "No matter what, Pei Fuyin should make a decision as soon as possible." He pointed to the direction of the main hall: "Every moment of delay, there will be someone After being convicted, a young man from a promising family has cut off his official career. How many such outstanding children are there in the Henan noble family? Don’t make a mistake.”