Rule over Ming Dynasty

Chapter 341: Repaying kindness, such an honest official?
In the torture hall of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, He Qiaoxin stood tall and firm, as if he was a saint who was immune to all kinds of evil.

Obviously his acceptance of ginseng was related to Huang Yu's obtaining a financial license, but he was actually prepared for this matter.

Not only did he shift the responsibility to Du Jian, a doctor in the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Punishment, but he also pointed out the shortcomings of such accountability, and even more cleverly removed himself from the blame.

This……

The left deputy censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, Shi Bianyong, and other officials looked at each other and realized that this was not a Qingliu leader. He was clearly a hypocrite with a smooth officialdom.

Anyone with a discerning eye knows that Huang Yu's obtaining a financial license was related to He Qiaoxin, but this man received a heavy gift, and it was not him who handled it personally.

At this moment, they also realized that it was not that the minister-level officials had no problems, but that they had already skillfully nipped the risk in the bud.

"What a clever mouth, and he has to cut himself off so cleanly!" Wang Yue had to admire the flawless Minister of the Ministry of Justice in front of him, but he had already seen through everything and said: "The doctor in the Ministry of Justice, Du Jian, was originally from Jiangxi Was it you who promoted him to the county magistrate when you were serving as the left minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs?"

Huh?
Wang Yu was suddenly shocked, but he did not expect that He Qiaoxin had held such an important position. He really underestimated this humble-looking Minister of the Ministry of Justice.

Many officials in the Metropolitan Procuratorate did not know the details of He Qiaoxin. Now that they heard that He Qiaoxin had held this important position, they immediately realized that He Qiaoxin's ability was far beyond that of the ordinary Minister of Justice.

"No matter what position I hold, I will fulfill my duties for the imperial court. I wonder what Wang Zongxian meant by what he said?" He Qiaoxin did not expect that Wang Yue had even found out this relationship, but he asked back with a righteous look.

Officials such as the left deputy censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, Shi Bianyong, could not help but sneer. Other officials might be good officials who fulfilled their duties faithfully, but the Minister of Justice in front of him had nothing to do with the word "loyalty".

But he knew that the minister in front of him was indeed a troublesome person, far more difficult than the slick officials he had encountered before, so he couldn't help but turn to look at Wang Yue worriedly.

For a moment, the entire execution hall fell silent, and the interrogation seemed to have come to a standstill.

Wang Yue found that the Shangshu-level opponent in front of him was indeed extraordinary, but he showed a list and said: "In that case, let's put the ginseng matter aside for now, I have another list here!"

"What list!" He Qiaoxin felt a strong uneasiness in his heart, and he immediately asked vigilantly.

Wang Yu and others all turned to look at Wang Yue, but they hoped that Wang Yue would be prepared for a follow-up move, otherwise they would really have no choice but to release this treacherous yet loyal Minister of the Ministry of Justice.

Wang Yue looked at the contents of the list, his eyes flashed with bitterness, and he selected a few items and started reading them.

"While serving as the Shandong Inspector, I received half a catty of West Lake Longjing from Zhao Li, the official of Jinan Prefecture!"

“While serving as Sichuan Supervisor, I accepted the 80 daughter of Xindu County Magistrate Zhao Jiji’s daughter, the Red Shitan!”

"Served as the Right Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, Supervised Liangquan Salt Tax, and received a thousand-year-old Ganoderma lucidum from Lin Futian, the transfer envoy from Huaidu!"

"Serving as the left minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, he received [-] kilograms of cordyceps sinensis and [-] kilograms of top-quality bird's nest from Chen Mingyuan, the governor of water transportation!"

"While serving as the Minister of Criminal Affairs in Nanjing, I received [-] grams of ambergris from Song Min, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, through an intermediary!"

……

As the contents of this list were read out, the situation suddenly changed, and the scale of victory suddenly tilted towards the side of justice.

This list of items not only specified the number of gifts, but also the date and person who paid the bribe. He Qiaoxin's underwear was suddenly pulled off.

ah?How can it be!

He Qiaoxin's forgetfulness seemed to be awakened again, and he looked at Wang Yue in the hall in disbelief.

West Lake Longjing, aged wine, thousand-year-old Ganoderma lucidum, Cordyceps sinensis, bird's nest, ambergris...

The minds of officials such as the left deputy censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, Shi Bianyong, and so on, had many rare things floating around in their minds. The Minister of Punishment may not have taken a single penny, but he really did not let go of anything that was the essence of the world.

The wild ginseng just served was just an appetizer, the thousand-year-old Ganoderma lucidum and Cordyceps sinensis are so precious, and the ambergris is even more willing to use it. It is really an extremely luxurious life.

boom!
Like a precision-guided missile, it hit the target of He Qiaoxin.

"How do you know this? You...you didn't just investigate me today!" He Qiaoxin felt a chill in his heart and seemed to be shocked.

Before coming to the Metropolitan Procuratorate, he always thought that the emperor suddenly put pressure on the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate hurriedly investigated him, and then randomly accused him of accepting bribes.

It's just that Wang Yue exposed his background in such detail. Although he doesn't know where Wang Yue got the list, Wang Yue must not have started the investigation today, but has already started targeting himself.

As soon as he thought about it, he realized that things were far beyond his control, and he might even end up here.

When Wang Yue saw that He Qiaoxin had reacted, he looked very calm and said: "This is not important! What is important is that the generous gifts you have received over the years have been clearly recorded above, and the initial estimate of these gifts is... 10 two!"

10 million taels?
Officials such as Shi Bianyong, the left deputy of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, couldn't help but take a breath when they heard this estimate.

Everyone has always known that Shi Xin will not accept gold and silver. I bet this is not about Shi Xin cleaning himself up, but creating the character of an upright official.

Even if they try hard to create the character of an upright official, Shi Xin actually doesn't take anything, but takes more than ordinary officials. How many corrupt officials can take more than 10 taels?

"Not to mention that the valuation is 10 taels and you are just talking nonsense. Is there any physical evidence for the records above?" He Qiaoxin rolled his eyes and immediately argued.

Wang Yue met He Qiaoxin's cunning eyes and asked seriously: "So, are you not going to admit it?"

"How can I admit to something that I have not done, or perhaps something that you are exaggerating here?" He Qiaoxin knew that his master probably betrayed him, but he still decisively refused to admit it.

Although it is true that he never collects money, he is a materialistic person and likes to enjoy such high-end things. This is actually not a big secret in the officialdom.

It's just that these expensive things are not easy to value at all, and they are all things that people willingly gave to themselves, so they are not considered bribes at all.

As for those who give themselves gifts, as long as they remain silent and do not admit or belittle the quality of the gift, I believe the gift-giver will not be looking for trouble to confess.The left deputy censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, Shi Bianyong, and other officials looked at each other and found that the Minister of Punishment in front of them was more difficult to deal with than any previous prison officer.

Wang Yue never underestimated any opponent, but he suddenly took out several confessions: "This is the confession of Zhao Li, the former Jinan Prefecture official, this is the confession of Zhao Jiji, the magistrate of Xindu County... This is the confession of the former Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi Song Min, the quality and origin of the things are clearly recorded above. He Shangshu, aren't you going to admit it?"

The eyes of officials such as the left deputy censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, Shi Bianyong, etc., all lit up. Seeing that Wang Yue had even prepared this, they couldn't help but look at He Qiaoxin, the Minister of Punishment, with pity.

He Qiaoxin is indeed a difficult opponent. If he encounters him, there is nothing he can do, but his immediate boss is a monster.

Not only did He Qiaoxin's background become clear, but he also obtained the confessions of those officials who bribed him. It can be said that the personal and material evidence is complete, and there is no way for He Qiaoxin to deny it.

"You...when did you start investigating these?" He Qiaoxin, the Minister of Punishment, asked angrily, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured on him.

Wang Yue did not avoid this question and thought seriously for a moment: "If we really want to talk about it, it should be the first time you participated in the Supreme Council. At that time, I felt that you were born to be rebellious, so I already started against you!"

"Is it because of this?" He Qiaoxin's eyes widened and he looked very shocked.

According to the other party's subtext, just because they don't like themselves and suspect that they are not loyal enough, then they treat themselves badly. This is simply an unreasonable behavior.

Wang Yue had his own set of rules of conduct and seemed to say matter-of-factly: "What else? Your Majesty promoted me from a banished person to an imperial envoy to manage salt, and you have unconditional trust in me. Now you let me come back to Beijing to inspect the officials. Govern the country. If you are running an army, I will naturally keep an eye on important ministers like you, so as to expose the bad apples!"

Although Wang Yue was proud of his talent, he was also a man who knew how to repay his kindness.

When the emperor first came to the throne, he appointed himself as the imperial envoy to manage salt. He even gave himself the sword Shang Fang, giving him a stage to display his talents.

The subsequent beheadings and killings were also supported unconditionally. In order to allow himself to assume the important position of Jiuqing, his military merit was temporarily withheld.

Although Wang Yue knew how to run an army, he was still a layman on running a country.

On the other hand, the empire under the rule of Emperor Hongzhi prospered. Not only did he reduce taxes on the people and rectify the finances to save the bankrupt people, he also benefited some people through the development of the textile industry, and even recovered Jianzhou and resettled millions of refugees.

If he is a born handsome man, then Hongzhi is a wise man who only comes across once in a century.

He knew that it was not his turn to dictate the affairs of the country, so he continued to use his strengths, just like in the army, he could find the bad apples.

He had just entered the palace to meet the emperor. This was the first time he felt that the emperor was so angry and hated a minister so much.

In fact, he had already seen that although He Qiaoxin was discussing how to revitalize China with everyone on the surface, he was actually making small moves secretly.

The imperial government's promotion of national debt this time was obviously a well-directed battle. However, because of the villain He Qiaoxin's betrayal, not only did the entire battle plan fail, but the emperor also lost his number one general.

In fact, he could understand the emperor's mood. He once made the best combat deployment, but one of his generals failed to obey military orders, causing his love to die under the knife of the Mongols.

But I don't know whether it was luck or misfortune. My early investigation gave the emperor a reason to vent his anger, but one step later in the night, the chief minister of the cabinet was plotted by this villain.

"I did accept tea and wine from some officials, but if this is considered a bribe, then who among the civil and military officials is still clean?" He Qiaoxin asked angrily when he saw the evidence.

Although he did show his flaws, what he was greedy for was not gold and silver, but the real thing.

Since ancient times, the law has not punished everyone. If Hongzhi dared to regard accepting ginseng as corruption, what would officials such as Second Assistant Liu Ji, Li Bu Shangshu Li Yu, and Hu Bu Shangshu Li Si think?Will he still work as hard as he does now?

Just like this, He Qiaoxin knew that he had to hold on to the real thing, and he also wanted to drag everyone into the water.

This……

Officials such as the left deputy censor Shi Bianyong of the Metropolitan Procuratorate knew that this was indeed the truth. If it were not gold and silver, these would not really be considered bribery crimes.

Wang Yue knew that He Qiaoxin was secretly changing the concept, and he looked serious and said: "There are indeed many officials in the capital who receive gifts, but you are the only one with a total physical value of 10 taels! I'm afraid you don't know something. Huang Yu donated ginseng to It was given to Li Si, the Minister of Household Affairs, but Li Si rejected it on the grounds that it was too valuable!"

It is true that China cannot avoid such exchanges of favors, but gifts also have weights. He Qiaoxin did resist the temptation of gold and silver, but he is actually a person who pursues a luxurious life.

Even as a minister, he never thought of enjoying ambergris, but He Qiaoxin did not refuse.

On the other hand, Li Si, the Minister of Household Affairs, was faced with a ginseng worth thousands of gold. He knew that this kind of ginseng was too valuable and refused it. As a result, this upright official who didn't get a penny actually accepted it.

"If you want to incriminate me, why bother? You and the procuratorate are clearly targeting me deliberately. I don't believe that Li Si and his gang didn't accept valuable gifts!" He Qiaoxin knew that he could only get ashore by pulling others into the water.

Wang Yue saw through He Qiaoxin's little trick at a glance and made a decision: "Today's matter only concerns you. Whether you are going to be punished for accepting bribes or not, this matter needs to be reported to Your Majesty first!" After a pause, the target of the attack was pointed directly. Wang Yue said: "In view of this, I will wrong you to spend the Spring Festival in the Metropolitan Procuratorate prison tonight!"

"How dare you!" He Qiaoxin shouted angrily when he saw Wang Yue actually wanted to put him in a cell.

Wang Yu immediately stepped forward and threatened with a bad look: "This is the Metropolitan Procuratorate. You'd better cooperate and avoid physical pain, please!"

"He Shangshu, don't toast or drink the fine wine!"

Officials such as the left deputy censor Shi Bianyong of the Metropolitan Procuratorate naturally sided with Wang Yue. Now that the evidence was clear, and He Qiaoxin had offended the emperor, why did they not imprison him?

He Qiaoxin was so angry that he gritted his teeth, but knew that he could not disobey at all. He glared at Wang Yue hatefully, knowing that he would probably become the first Minister of the Ministry of Punishment to spend the Spring Festival in prison since the Ming Dynasty.

Just as the He family and Qiu Jun, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, were waiting for He Qiaoxin to finish his work and go back, they were told that he had been imprisoned, which immediately made everyone dumbfounded.

When the matter here was reported to the emperor, Zhu Youtang was not in a hurry to convict He Qiaoxin, but immediately summoned Zhang Sheng and Xie Qian from Baijiayuan.

Killing people, after all, has to kill the heart.

(End of this chapter)