Ink Burns

Chapter 76 The famous mad dog

Although Xue Xiao is extremely annoying, people have to admit that he is strong.

"He got all twelve questions right, and three questions on the major subjects correct, all of which were rated as excellent. When Lin Chang was marking the papers at the beginning, he noticed that Xue Xiao's blank questions were wrong, and secretly put his paper on the list of failed candidates - there were 76 candidates that year, and he happened to be ranked 77th. Who would have thought that this would be the first spring examination after the sage ascended the throne. The sage suddenly decided to review the papers, took the papers of the top 100 and brought them to the inner palace for detailed reading, and personally put Xue Xiao's paper on the list of successful candidates, and one of his articles on restricting the power of officials was approved by the sage in red."

Lord Liu narrowed his eyes, puffed his cigarette carelessly, and sneered at Xue Xiao: "He turned against the examiner in the Golden Palace. If it happened in the previous emperor's reign, no matter how great his reason was, he would have to be punished with twenty sticks before he could talk about it. Now the saint..."

Lord Liu laughed twice, shaking his head as he laughed: "Now the Saint followed his words and temporarily postponed the Spring Examination. He followed the clues and found out that Lin Chang accepted bribes. Five officials from the Ministry of Rites were confiscated and demoted. The four doctors of the Imperial College were also involved. Unexpectedly, Xue Xiao himself was not selected as the top scholar, but was hastily given the thirteenth place in the second place of the two lists by the Saint."

At the top of the enamel clock in the southeast corner of the main room, a brightly colored kingfisher suddenly appeared with the sound of "thump thump thump".

Little Jasmine bowed and brought a bowl of hot medicine soup, and said in Suzhou Mansion's tone: "Master, it's time to taste the medicine."

The hot mist from the medicinal soup curls up, giving off a slightly bitter smell.

Master Liu held the pipe in one hand and took the medicine cup in the other and drank it all in one gulp. He casually placed the soup bowl in Little Jasmine's hand and complained casually, "It doesn't work. It's getting more and more bitter."

Shanyue lowered his head to listen, but out of the corner of his eye he saw that Lord Liu's fingernails were jagged and layered.

When Shui Guang was a child, she was like this. The barefoot doctor said that it was because she was deficient in qi and blood and her strength did not reach her fingertips.

Shanyue raised her eyes slightly, her gaze falling on Lord Liu's swollen eye bags and pale mouth.

Alcohol and sex empty the body, and false thoughts lead to decay.

No matter how good the medicine is, it cannot support this rotten and weathered body.

Shan Yue lowered his head.

Lord Liu brought the topic back to Xue Xiao: "After being granted the title, he was demoted to Baoshan County, Taicang Prefecture, Zhejiang Province, and served as a county magistrate as a second assistant official. Two years later, he was appointed as the Supervisory Censor of Zhejiang Province. A year later, he was officially granted the title. In less than a year, he solved a major case."

Shan Yue spoke at the right time: "What big case?"

A sarcastic sneer came from the side: "What big case? The blade is pointed inwards, and relatives are killed for the sake of justice!"

Lord Liu frowned, disgusted by his eldest son's interruption, but also impatient to be scolded in front of outsiders. After looking at his eldest son, he continued to ask Shan Yue: "Do you know the duties of the thirteen inspection censors?"

Shan Yue shook his head.

Lord Liu took another puff of his cigarette and looked at Lady Liu with a half-smile: "Only ten days, Lady Liu has a lot of homework to do."

Liu Shanggong nodded slightly and took note of it.

Shan Yue lowered her head and listened quietly.

"Thirteen Provincial Inspectors are only of the seventh rank, but they have the important responsibility of rectifying the corruption of officials in all departments inside and outside the court and redressing the injustices of the people. In the previous emperor's reign, this position was just an idle one, and most of them were filled by elderly county magistrates, who lived to old age without any achievements or mistakes."

Lord Liu has been unemployed for two years. Although he still has one eye in the officialdom, he no longer has real power.

How can you enjoy it if you just watch and don’t talk?
When Lord Liu talked about the ways of the officialdom, his tone revealed a bit of nostalgia: "It was only after Xue Xiao took over this position and brought down his uncle that the position of Inspector General gradually became popular."

At this point, it didn’t matter whether Shanyue spoke or not.

Lord Liu was immersed in the ups and downs of the real power years. His long beard curled slightly. Although his face was calm, his eyes could not hide his excitement: "Three years ago, a dozen little girls were crammed into a cramped carriage. On the way from the south, they all suffocated to death." "Coincidentally, one of the little girls was the daughter of a county clerk. She was knocked unconscious and abducted. After the clerk secretly investigated, he reported it to the prefecture, but was suppressed by the chief official of the prefecture and was never redressed. In fact, the clerk died suddenly at home for no apparent reason."

"Xue Xiao went undercover in the pawnshop to investigate the matter and found out that the prefect's chief official's mentor was his uncle, Xue Huaijin, who was the right assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue at the time. He investigated all the way to the capital and found out that Xue Huaijin had hidden 100,000 silver coins and countless rare treasures in another courtyard. The emperor was furious and immediately put Xue Huaijin in prison. Xue Xiao was demoted to the position of Left Assistant Censor-in-Chief to investigate the case. But within a month, Xue Huaijin died suddenly in prison, just like the chief clerk."

Shan Yue remembered the mechanism of "Qing Feng", raised his eyes and asked: "Is it 'Qing Feng'?"

Lord Liu raised his beard, pointed his pipe at Shanyue, and looked at Lady Liu: "That's a good Die'er."

Shan Yue pursed her lips.

"The human teeth are transporting the goods, and they are indeed working for Qing Feng. If he continues to investigate, Qing Feng will be exposed on the water. The longer the night, the more trouble he will have. He can only use a white silk to preserve the situation."

Lord Liu said, "Just like the last time when the Cheng family sent the wrong medicine, my Liu family must also speak up to settle the matter."

Liu Huan lowered her head to hide her resentful look.

Lord Liu returned to the subject and continued to comment on Xue Xiao: "I thought that the man was dead and the money he embezzled was confiscated, so the clues were cut off. Who knew that Xue Xiao was very stubborn and continued to investigate secretly. He found out that it was Yuan Wenying, the emperor's tutor and the second assistant of the cabinet. He was severely reprimanded by the saint and demoted."

"Everyone thought that he had finally stopped, but one year later, he was reinstated with evidence that the Shaanxi Provincial Administration Commissioner had concealed taxes. This time, he was demoted to the third rank of Zhishu Yushi and has been in office ever since."

Lord Liu took a puff of his pipe, puffed it out, and glanced at the mountain moon: "Do you know how the officialdom evaluates Xue Xiao?"

Shan Yue shook his head.

"A mad dog."

Lord Liu's eyes were cold: "Once he bites you, you will fight to the death."

In five years, Xue Xiao rose from a seventh-rank county magistrate to a third-rank imperial censor. Looking back, he was only 22 years old when he returned.

The price of ascension is loneliness and few followers.

He was a naked man, living alone without any desires or ambitions, cut off from his family, without any friends or factions, and even offended all his colleagues.

When he handled a case, he did not care about life or death: neither his own life or death nor the life or death of others. It was rumored that once an official entered the Censorate, he would be skinned and flesh would be peeled off, and almost no one would survive, with only a breath left to wait for the verdict.

His situation wasn't great either, he was demoted twice and promoted twice, at his lowest point he was nearly hacked to death by someone who ambushed him, not to mention the sneering comments and sarcasm he received.

It is said that his superiors are prejudiced against him and have said: "If you want to earn merit, go ahead and don't spill blood on me. I want to retire peacefully and bless my descendants!"

You see, even an official from the Censorate looked down on Xue Xiao's behavior.

He was just the man sitting on the dragon throne with a dirty knife in his hand.

As long as the superiors are still willing to use you, you are still a human being.

Once the bottom line is touched, just like when Xue Xiao found out about the imperial teacher, what would the emperor raised by the kitchen lady do?

Should Xue Xiao be dismissed and investigated immediately?
He was raised by the Kitchen God, and now he has to avoid the sharp edge of the Jiangnan officialdom. When he sat on the throne, he didn't even wipe the shit off his butt. How could he have the energy to protect a mad dog like you?
(End of this chapter)