Chapter 16 Corruption
Li Chengze and Fan Xian calmly occupied Guo Shangshu’s original position, while Guo Shangshu stepped aside wisely, lowering his head the whole time, and from time to time used his eyes to signal the painter to evacuate quietly, so as not to offend His Highness. .
"Hey, why did you let the painter leave? Aren't you going to record your achievements?" Fan Xian pretended to be surprised.
"Your Highness, we should strive to be simple in our actions, and any matters reported will be properly handled."
Sweat beaded on Guo Shangshu's forehead, and he was secretly anxious.
"Okay, then I'll ask you two questions. If you answer them to my satisfaction, you'll give up. Otherwise..."
Li Chengze's words contained unquestionable majesty.
Guo Shangshu nodded hurriedly, indicating that he must tell everything he knows and say everything.
Li Chengze threw the list of names of the helper candidates on the ground and asked, "What do you want from this list?"
Guo Shangshu smiled apologetically and said: "Most of these students are just lucky and try to win the favor of the ministers by doing help, but in fact they can't escape the suspicion of opportunism.
The ministers were afraid that it would corrupt the official atmosphere, so they did this. "
Li Chengze sneered and said sarcastically: "You can tell right from wrong, but you don't know how many children from poor families have to give up their studies to work here in order to find a place to survive. It would be too biased for you to generalize them."
Fan Xian nodded in agreement, knowing in his heart that although there are Hou Jichang and others, there are more students like Shi Chanli and Yang Wanli who are forced to make a living.
"Do you know how many of them are poor people who came from thousands of miles away with dreams? It's so unfair to wipe out their efforts and hopes based on just a roster!"
Guo Shangshu repeatedly said yes, hurriedly picked up the roster, handed it back to Li Chengze, and promised not to interfere with the candidates' work, and that the rewards would be paid without any mistakes.
Li Chengze nodded slightly, then asked the last question: "Why did you replace the high-quality materials with cheap ones in the examination room? Could it be that you want to take this opportunity to commit corruption? Is there someone else behind the scenes?" "
As soon as these words came out, Guo Shangshu's face turned pale and he was frightened: "Your Highness clearly knows that I have no such intention! I am dedicated to serving the country, how dare I take bribes and bend the law!"
He never expected that His Highness would come to the examination room in person and quickly discern the fishiness involved. If this was revealed, the consequences would be disastrous.
Fan Xian looked on with cold eyes, secretly sarcastic in his heart. If Li Chengze hadn't been present, how could Guo Shangshu be so groveling?
At this time, the strange movement outside the pergola attracted the attention of Guo Shangshu's guards. They mistakenly thought that an assassin was coming and were about to draw their swords.
However, the second prince's attendants appeared like ghosts and surrounded the guards.
Xie Bi'an and four other personal guards stayed by Li Chengze's side, forming a tense confrontation with the uninformed guards.
The commotion in the examination room also alarmed the students who were helping. They mistakenly thought that Master Shangshu had encountered something unexpected, especially the candidates represented by Hou Jichang, who impulsively picked up tools and prepared for rescue.
However, in the eyes of Li Chengze and Fan Xian, all this is just the epitome of another official scandal.
Student Hou Jichang suddenly shouted loudly:
"Student Hou Jichang, come to protect Lord Shangshu!" As soon as he said this, the students around him looked stunned and thought to themselves:
This Hou Jichang is so thick-skinned?
He is holding a tiny pebble and shouting outside, but he doesn't even have the courage to get close. How can he be called an escort?
Subsequently, some students followed suit and shouted out all kinds of words of defense, and the scene suddenly became funny and absurd.
A group of students who were confused about the future unknowingly targeted Li Chengze, who was supposed to be their savior, and regarded Guo Shangshu, who intended to push them into the abyss, as a target of protection.
When Fan Xian saw this, he felt pity and decided to remind everyone: "Students, don't you recognize the second prince after he has changed into regular clothes?" As soon as he said this, the guards suddenly realized and were shocked, when did His Highness the second prince have already changed into normal clothes? So far?
Seeing how humiliated Guo Shangshu was in front of the second prince, the guards didn't dare to be tough. They all discarded their weapons, knelt on the ground, and shouted in unison:
"See Your Highness the Second Prince!" The voice of apology resounded through the sky.
Hou Jichang and others just woke up from a dream. The "weapons" in their hands had already been taken away by Shi Chanli. His face was pale and his legs were trembling:
"Misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding! My pebbles can't even hurt a bird..."
Yang Wanli stood behind the crowd and watched with cold eyes, but he already understood everything in his heart.
He called out to Shi Chanli and Hou Jichang loudly. When the three of them climbed up and looked into the distance together, when they saw the figure surrounded by masters, they were all dumbfounded:
"Brother Li...he is actually the second prince?!"
At this moment, there was a buzz of people inside and outside the examination room. Li Chengze looked around, feeling secretly proud in his heart.
He wanted to take this opportunity to show the majesty of the prince and teach Guo Shangshu and everyone present a profound lesson.
Seeing that the situation was out of control, Guo Shangshu was so anxious that his clothes were soaked with sweat: "Your Highness, can we move to another place to discuss this in detail? I will definitely comply with Your Highness's wishes."
Fan Xian interrupted at the right moment, looking directly at Guo Shangshu with a stern gaze: "His Highness asked you something? Who asked you to interrupt?" This scene made Guo Shangshu feel unprecedented pressure.
Faced with the numerous discussions among students, Guo Shangshu, as the Minister of Rites, was particularly nervous about the quality of materials for the Chunwei examination room renovation.
"Your Highness, these accusations are really a misunderstanding!" He hurriedly defended, "Although the materials selected by Wei Chen are not top-notch luxury, they are all high-quality products that ensure the stability and durability of the examination room. They cannot be shoddy. meaning.”
When Li Chengze heard this, his eyes became even colder: "Oh?
Then why are these replaced golden nanmu and gold bricks worth a lot of money, and their whereabouts are a mystery? Could it be that the Ministry of Household Affairs has sufficient allocations, but you, Mr. Guo, have other plans? "
Sweat beaded on Guo Shangshu's forehead and he quickly denied: "Your Highness clearly knows that all the dismantled materials are properly stored in the warehouse of the Ministry of Rites. The accounts are clear and there is no suspicion of corruption.
The minister knows very well that His Highness attaches great importance to integrity, so how can he dare to put himself to the test? "
The students stood aside and listened in confusion, making it difficult to tell the truth from the false.
Shi Chanli and Hou Jichang exchanged doubtful looks, while Yang Wanli clenched his fists, with a glimmer of hope igniting in his heart - maybe the second prince could really seek justice for them, children from a poor family.
Li Chengze had an insight and hit the nail on the head: "Could it be that Guo Shangshu wanted to take this opportunity to show off his new political achievements?
Want to renovate an already perfect examination room just to add a glossy touch to your resume? Such acts of eagerness for quick success are not what a gentleman should do. "
As soon as these words came out, Guo Shang's writing became earthy. He did have the idea of taking this opportunity to show off his abilities, hoping to improve his political performance by rebuilding the examination room, but he never expected that His Highness would reveal it.
At such a sensitive moment, he did not dare to be greedy, but the fact that he used the name of the project to promote himself was something he never expected to be exposed so directly.
After hearing this, the students started talking one after another and had more doubts about Guo Shangshu's true intentions.
Li Chengze's move undoubtedly established an image of fairness and strictness in their hearts, allowing them to see the dawn of hope.
(End of chapter)