Snowlyme

Home/ There’s A Beauty / Chapter 78 (Part 2)

The new emperor ordered people to open the remaining boxes, took out the account books and circulated them, saying leisurely, “The common people are the foundation of the country, and the foundation of the country must be patriotic people. Only when an official cares about the country and the people, and does not forget his original intention, can he succeed. Alright, that’s well said! Our Dayong finally has a good official who has worked tirelessly and dedicated himself to the country.”

This is the conclusion of Magistrate Zhao’s work report. The emperor recited it repeatedly, showing his great appreciation. Looking at his political achievements, it makes most officials feel ashamed. Everyone lowered their heads, looking embarrassed.

The new emperor looked down at the hall and continued, “The kingdom is rich, the people are rich, and the hegemonic country is dominated by rich; the only remaining country is rich with powerful officials; the country that is in ruins only have rich warehouses; it is said that the top is overflowing and the bottom is leaking. Throughout history, when you reflect on yourself, can you tell me if Dayong, is a hegemonic country, the only remaining country, or a country in ruins?”

{Explanation of above phrase taken from Shuo Yuan ‘Garden of talks’ = A country that dominates the world makes both its leaders and its people rich; A country that barely exists only makes its leaders rich; An unethical country only has wealth in its warehouses. This is called being rich at the top and poor at the bottom}

Who dares to answer this question? However, if you think about the people who died of hunger, drowning, drought, or injustice, and then look at the officials and literati who are so healthy that they are overflowing with oils, the answer is self-evident.

The new emperor knocked on the table and was about to speak when he heard a clear voice coming from outside the hall, “Your Majesty, if we don’t vigorously rectify the government, Dayong is doomed to become a ruined country!”

Hiss, who dares to say such a thing? Who is this ignorant and foolish? All the officials looked back and saw a young man wearing a seventh-grade official robe striding in, no, it looks like a half-grown man? 

He has a face like a crown of jade, a complexion like spring flowers, along with those red lips and sparkling cat-like eyes. He doesn’t look like a court official at all, but rather like a delicate young master from a certain family who stole the clothes of an adult and ran out. Fortunately, he has a capable and dignified demeanour, and can still handle the scene.

Everyone frowned first, then nodded secretly, already guessing the identity of the newcomer. So County Magistrate Zhao grew up like this? No wonder he can write such eloquent and rich articles, no wonder he dares to answer that fatal question, no wonder he refused to pay the bribe to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and stuck to his reputation. Young people are not afraid of anything and have a spirit of “dare to be the first”.

When everyone thought that Magistrate Zhao had an upright and dull temper, they saw him looking up at the new emperor on the throne. His expression, neither humble nor arrogant, instantly turned into surprise, confusion, and then ecstasy. He even forgot to look at the ground under his feet and tripped over the heavy carpet, falling on all fours.

What kind of capable, dignified and steady demeanour is this, it turns out to be an illusion! All the officials covered their faces with their hands and couldn’t bear to look directly.

You Shu waited in the capital for more than half a month but still didn’t see the emperor rectifying the government. He thought that the other party was afraid of those dog officials. This kind of mentality and means obviously cannot be his master’s, so he slowly gave up.  

However, now, the person he had been looking forward to and thinking about was actually sitting in the hall, which made him surprised, happy, and a bit at a loss.

He fluttered wildly a few times, but due to his eagerness, he tripped over his right foot and fell again. Fortunately, Wei Chen, who was following closely behind, quickly came up to help and saved Magistrate Xiao Zhao from embarrassment.

As You Shu hurriedly tidied up his official hat and clothes, he looked up and saw the person he had once been extremely familiar with, scrutinising himself with an extremely unfamiliar gaze. He is still as handsome as ever, but his temperament is cold and serious, with several deep furrows engraved between his eyebrows, caused by years of frowning.

This is his master, but not the master. Almost in an instant, You Shu came to the conclusion. His master will never examine himself with cold eyes, nor will he remain indifferent when he falls, unless the other party has forgotten everything that happened before.

Thinking about this, You Shu felt as if he had been struck by lightning, his eyes blinking and his mouth shrinking, leaving behind two rows of tears the size of golden beans. 

However, on second thought, he felt relieved again. After all, the master is not like himself, with a special background who can possess other people’s bodies without reincarnation. Every life of his master is new and independent. After drinking Meng Po soup made from wangchuan river water, he naturally has no memories of previous lives.

It’s okay though, he can start over, create countless new beautiful memories, and get him back! You Shu kept cheering himself up and finally stopped crying, but his eyes and nose were still red, looking very pitiful.

There are officials who cry loudly in court, and there are those who shout loudly, but they are all in situations of being wronged or accused, or arguing with others in court. However, there are very few people like County Magistrate Zhao who cry inexplicably?

Oh no, now, he is actually smiling again, is there something wrong with his brain? All the officials looked at each other in unison.

The new emperor was also quite puzzled and asked in a deep voice, “Is this Zhao Youshu, the magistrate of Suichang County? Why are you crying and laughing when you see me?” As the words fell, the furrow between his eyebrows became even profound.

You Shu quickly wiped his face with his sleeves, then quickly shook his official hat, smoothed the hem of his clothes, and half-knelt to salute, “To inform Your Majesty, this official is indeed the magistrate of Suichang County, Zhao Youshu. I have admired His Majesty for a long time, and once I saw the real dragon, I was naturally excited and overjoyed. I asked the emperor to forgive me for my rudeness.” 

He continued, “It is said that seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times. Your Majesty is indeed wise, powerful, talented, and wise with a majestic aura that can shake the earth and heaven. The emperor will make the country and the world stable, and return peace to the people’s hearts. It is actually the blessing of our country and the people to have a benevolent ruler like His Majesty! This humble official takes back his previous lies. With the emperor sitting in the centre of heaven, how can we, the country of Dayong, be a country in ruins? Within three to five years, the country will inevitably be rich and prosperous, the people will be strong, the seas and rivers will be clear, and the world will again be at peace.”

He opened his mouth with a flood of praises, which not only made the new emperor’s ears feel hot with praise, but also all the civil and military officials were speechless and amazed. I thought this was a simple and upright official with a dull and upright personality, but unexpectedly, in an instant, he became so obsequious that in just a few sentences, he made up for his previous bold words.

Top level, it’s really top level! Even the most crafty sycophants in the court had to give Magistrate Zhao a thumbs up.

The new emperor frowned, feeling very puzzled in his heart. He knew that Magistrate Xiao Zhao was not the kind of person who flatters his superiors and bullies his subordinates, but his behaviour today was so abnormal that he almost seemed like a different person. Worried that some demons and monsters had invaded County Magistrate Xiao Zhao’s body, the new emperor frowned and took a closer look, but he was even more confused. Yes, this person was indeed the one he knew, and he was definitely the same.

Although Magistrate Zhao was full of flattery, his expression was extremely sincere, and his eyes also shone with joy, as if he admired the new emperor very much. But what the hell, he had been staying in obscurity in the fiefdom for so many years. Except for a few confidants, no one knows his identity, right? Could You Shu see through his deception and recognize him as the King of Hell? 

The new emperor was very puzzled, but it was difficult to ask, so he had to wave his hand and say, “It’s cold on the ground, get up first.”

After a brief pause, he took out a bright yellow silk handkerchief from his sleeve and handed it to Wei Chen, “Let Magistrate Zhao wipe his tears.”

Attention, it is “let”, which means that you cannot touch a finger of Magistrate Xiao Zhao. Wei Chen was very clear about it in his heart, so he took the handkerchief and walked down the hall. He handed it over carefully, “Master Zhao, please wipe it quickly.”

You Shu wiped it randomly twice, then naturally put the silk handkerchief into his pocket, not intending to return it at all.

Wei Chen hesitated to speak, his expression looking tangled, and all the ministers also thought in unison: Don’t you know that emperor’s things are considered “rewards”, how dare you secretly take them away and put it in your pocket? This is really bold! Did you really write that work report? What we saw in the report was clearly a loyal, virtuous, and upright official. How come you turned into a traitorous, cunning, and corrupt official as soon as you arrived into the palace? Could there be some mistake?

The new emperor pressed his fist to his lips to cover up his dumbfounded expression. As soon as You Shu arrived, he couldn’t hold on to his cold mask. The other party is indeed his nemesis.

You Shu didn’t realise what he had done wrong at all, and was secretly trying to figure out his master’s thoughts. After all, he had been with his master for two lifetimes, and he knew the other party’s methods quite well. 

It’s fine as long as his master doesn’t attack, but as soon as he got angry, it would definitely be thunderous. The reason why the officials were left alone before must be because the time wasn’t right, but now that he was summoned, the other party must be ready to take action.

Thinking of this, You Shu immediately took out the written note and said in a loud voice, “Your Majesty, I want to impeach Lord Liu, the Minister of Civil Affairs, on 7749 counts. The first count is corruption and perversion of the law; the second is buying and selling official positions…” After saying this, he presented many exhibits.

Wei Chen immediately sent the memorial and evidence to the emperor, all of which were obtained through personal inspections by County Magistrate Xiao Zhao these days. He set a trap for the officials in the Ministry of Civil Affairs and pretended to be helpless, saying that he was trying to raise money. 

However, he also said that he had a bad memory and asked all the officials to list all the bribe that needs to be paid. The officials of the Ministry of Civil Affairs claimed to be the heavenly officials, acting arrogantly and recklessly. Without hesitation, they wrote various sums of money on paper and gave them to him, with extremely detailed explanations.

When this kind of thing reaches the imperial court, it is completely irrefutable. The face of the officials from the Ministry of Civil Affairs turned pale and blue, wishing that they could faint on the spot. All civil and military officials also showed fear on their faces and started sweating like a waterfall.

The new emperor seemed furious, but he couldn’t help but think in his heart: By the way, this is the County Magistrate Xiao Zhao he knows. He is honest, fearless of the powerful, and dares to speak and act.

You Shu was even willing to go through fire and water for the sake of his master, so how could he be afraid of a few powerful figures? He impeached eight out of ten officials in the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and then knelt down to cry out for the injustice he suffered.

The new emperor almost walked down to personally help him up. After restraining himself for a while, he pressed his legs and feet and said in a deep voice, “Magistrate Zhao, please get up quickly. I will thoroughly investigate the corruption in the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Someone, take off Lord Liu’s black gauze hat and take him to the prison to await trial!”

The ministers had more or less involvement with the Minister of Civil Affairs and wanted to plead for him, but they couldn’t find any suitable right words to say, so they had to remain silent. 

The key to controlling the country lies in official governance. Corrupt official administration will destroy a nation’s foundation and will lead to the downfall of the country, which is not a trivial matter. If Lord Liu is found guilty of buying and selling official positions, taking bribes and perverting the law, execution with lingchi(death by a thousand cuts) would be considered light, and even worse, his nine clans will also be implicated.

Who dares to meddle in something that involves the annihilation of one’s nine clans? The further you hide, the better.

Next

Previous

---