GBP Chapter 162 1 As soon as you arrived in Zhejiang Prefecture, you made big news for me. Great!
Chapter 162 1 As soon as you arrived in Zhejiang Prefecture, you made big news for me. Great!
The county ruled by this county magistrate Hou also had an official salt field.
The salt fields in Hou Zhixian's county also suffered the largest deficit.
So Huang Xiao simply brought people from the Western Factory and the Six Gates and captured the magistrate Hou!
"Master Huang! I am innocent!"
Huang Xiao simply threw the account book and the testimony of the local salt dealer in his face.
"Unjust? Lord Hou, is it possible that the silver did not go into your pocket?"
Magistrate Hou looked as pale as death.
Huang Xiao said, "I was sent by His Majesty to investigate the deficit of Zhejiang Prefecture's salt business."
"Zhejiang Prefecture's salt business has suffered a deficit of 4 taels of silver in four years!"
"I'll give you two choices!"
County Magistrate Hou looked up quickly.
Huang Xiao said: "First, you have to make up for the 40 taels deficit."
Hou Zhixian immediately knelt down and cried, "How can the deficit of Zhejiang be blamed on me alone? Even if you kill me, I can't get the money back!"
Huang Xiao immediately smiled and said, "I know you can't take it out, but don't you have a second choice?"
"The second option is for you to betray your accomplices and let them make up for the loss with you."
County Magistrate Hou took a deep breath.
Huang Xiao wants to kill everyone!
County Magistrate Hou immediately said, "I confess! I know that County Magistrate Zhao next door is also selling salt tickets!"
Huang Xiao immediately nodded with satisfaction.
That night, Huang Xiao quickly arrested two prefects and twelve county magistrates in Zhejiang.
Huang Xiao asked them to report on each other, and soon they collected a large amount of evidence.
Ordering the Six Gates and the Western Factory to control this group of officials, Huang Xiao came to the governor's office with evidence.
Wu Rui had already received the message, and he looked at Huang Xiao coldly.
"Master Huang, what do you want to do?"
Huang Xiao smiled and said, "Sir Wu, I am here on orders from the imperial court to thoroughly investigate the salt business in Zhejiang Prefecture!"
Wu Rui sneered, "You actually arrested an official appointed by the imperial court while investigating the salt administration?"
Huang Xiao said: "I have His Majesty's order!"
Wu Rui's hands and feet suddenly felt cold.
Huang Xiao is actually His Majesty’s imperial envoy!
Wu Rui looked at Huang Xiao coldly and said, "I am the governor of a province, a high-ranking official. You are not worthy of arresting me!"
After hearing this, Huang Xiao was also stunned.
For fifth-rank officials like Huang Xiao, their promotions and appointments are all managed by the Ministry of Personnel.
Officials like him are called officials appointed by the Ministry.
To reach the rank of provincial governor is to be a fourth-rank frontier official.
All were dispatched by the cabinet.
Such officials are called cabinet officials.
"Chu" means to appoint.
The Ministry of Personnel and the Cabinet each had a booklet called the Official List.
Records the evaluation and resume of officials.
If one can be listed on the cabinet list, he or she is an official appointed by the cabinet, which means he or she is a high-ranking official in a region.
Although Huang Xiao was an imperial envoy, he was not qualified to deal with officials who had been dismissed from office.
Wu Rui waved his sleeves and left, and the two parties parted unhappily.
Immediately afterwards, Wu Rui reported to the court, saying that Huang Xiao framed his colleagues and tortured court officials.
It is the method used by ruffians and hooligans, and it is the method used by cruel officials!
Huang Xiao also reported to the court, saying that the salt administration scandal in Zhejiang started with Wu Rui!
Wu Rui was the mastermind behind the salt administration scandal, and it was he who embezzled 40 taels of salt permits.
Each side held a different view, and the memorial was soon delivered to Kyoto.
Wu Rui was a Jinshi graduate and had worked in the Censorate.
His colleagues were spread across various government offices in Kyoto.
Wu Rui was also good at socializing and often took care of his colleagues, and he had a good reputation in the court.
Huang Xiao was just an official who donated money to buy his position. He was always despised by the scholars and was at the bottom of the entire official food chain.
Wu Rui's impeachment memorial was written with extraordinary literary talent.
Huang Xiao could not read or write, so all his memorials were written by his legal advisor.
The lawsuit between the two was transferred from the Ministry of Justice to the Ministry of Rites, and then to the Ministry of Revenue.
Most people in the court supported Wu Rui.
There were even many officials who contributed articles to the new gazette, speaking frankly of the drawbacks of donating money to become officials in the previous dynasty!
This is clearly an attack on Huang Xiao's background!
But this matter is related to the salt administration case in Zhejiang, and Huang Xiao was appointed by His Majesty himself.
If not for this, Huang Xiao would have been dismissed from the Ministry of Personnel long ago.
The Ministry of Personnel did not dare to judge and could only send it to the Cabinet.
Tang Xiaoren and Jia Renyi were also very embarrassed when they saw the memorials from these two people.
Tang Xiaoren said: "I have also served as an official in a local government, and I know how difficult it is for local officials."
"These salt permits and fire consumption silver are all embezzled by officials from all over the country."
"This kind of thing has been banned repeatedly since the previous dynasty, and it has become a common practice now."
"I just didn't expect that Zhejiang would suffer such a huge loss."
Jia Renyi also said: "Although it is a common practice in official circles, what Zhejiang did is too extreme!"
Tang Xiaoren said: "Wu Rui is a legitimate candidate for the imperial examination, but now he is being ridden by a bribe-paying official. If we deal with him hastily, I'm afraid there will be an uproar in the court and the public."
Jia Renyi also fell silent.
The imperial examination system was the foundation of the imperial court.
Tang Xiaoren was the top scholar, and Jia Renyi was also among the top three in the imperial examination.
Ninety-nine percent of the civil and military officials in the court were from the imperial examination system.
The problem between Wu Rui and Huang Xiao this time is mainly about the conflict between officials who follow the official path of imperial examinations and those who follow unorthodox ways.
Although Tang Xiaoren understood that Huang Xiao might be right.
However, dealing with Wu Rui now would definitely cause turmoil in the court.
Tang Xiaoren, who has always been decisive, also hesitated.
Jia Renyi said: "This Huang Xiao was appointed by His Majesty. This matter concerns the foundation of the country, so please let His Majesty make the decision."
Tang Xiaoren also sighed and said, "Your Majesty has entrusted us with state affairs, but we have repeatedly failed to make decisions. We have really failed the trust of the emperor!"
Jia Renyi said: "But Your Majesty will definitely be able to solve it!"
Tang Xiaoren nodded and handed the memorials from both parties to Li Tian's desk.
At the same time, all the interests involved in the case were written into a memorial and sent to Li Tian.
Everyone in the government and the country was paying close attention to the Zhejiang Salt Administration case.
A storm was raging in the court.
The case, which originated from the deficit of Zhejiang Prefecture's salt administration, instantly became the focus of the court's attention.
The situation in Zhejiang Province was also tense, with the Governor Wu Rui almost having a fight with the Salt Ambassador Huang Xiao.
Seeing the war of words between the two sides, Li Tian immediately clapped his hands excitedly.
This Huang Xiao is indeed the one I like!
As soon as you arrive in Zhejiang Prefecture, make big news for me!
Pretty!
Most officials in the court believed that Huang Xiao was forced to confess under torture. How could it be possible that all the salt business in Zhejiang Prefecture was completely ruined?
Huang Xiao must have wanted to win credit from His Majesty, so he forced those prefects and county magistrates to plead guilty!
This guy is a villain!
There was even an imperial censor who reported to the emperor, again bringing up the matter of Huang Xiao donating money to buy an official position and the investigation and evaluation in Beijing.
He felt that the court should not continue to employ a villain like Huang Xiao and should remove Huang Xiao from his official position.
Almost everyone in the government and the public is attacking Huang Xiao, which shows how bad Huang Xiao's popularity is.
But I like this kind of person!
This is the traitor I want!
Li Tian immediately issued an edict:
"Huang Xiao is a minister appointed by me personally."
"This trip to Zhejiang Prefecture is also in accordance with my order."
"Wu Rui obstructed Huang Xiao's investigation and suspended Wu Rui from his post as the governor of Zhejiang Province."