Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 182 The Choice of the Qingliu Donglin
Inside the office of the Minister of Justice, all was quiet.

Hou Xun held the imperial edict issued by His Majesty to the Ministry of Justice, reading it carefully word by word.

His brows furrowed and relaxed at times, his expression one of utmost focus.

On the other side, Qiao Yunsheng, the Minister of Justice, sat behind his desk, holding a cup of hot tea in his hand, the rising steam blurring his face.

His gaze was somewhat dazed as it fell on a point in the void, his teacup held in mid-air, yet he hadn't taken a sip for a long time.

Time flowed slowly in silence.

After an unknown amount of time, Hou Xun finally let out a long breath and gently placed the order document in his hand on the table.

Qiao Yunsheng finally withdrew his gaze from the void.

He turned to look at his fellow townsman and asked in a slightly hoarse voice, "Brother Taizhen, how is it?"

Upon hearing this, Hou Xun first slowly shook his head, then nodded.

This contradictory action puzzled Qiao Yunsheng.

"This order..." Hou Xun pondered the words, seemingly unable to find the right words to describe the shock in his heart.

He simply abandoned generalization and chose the most direct approach.

He picked up the order again, his expression turned solemn, and he began to repeat it in a deep voice.

Key points and main objectives of this task:

"In the Huangshan case, it is certain that the businessman surnamed Wu encroached on the mountain forest. It is justifiable for the country to investigate this case in the future."

"However, the methods used in this case, which involved multiple parties and were extremely cruel, went against the purpose of criminal investigation."

Hou Xun paused slightly at this point, glanced at Qiao Yunsheng, and then continued:
"This case appears to be a one-time confiscation of tens of thousands of taels of silver, but it has not addressed the issue of the embezzlement of national tax revenue in the slightest."

"As for the other wealthy merchants, what they saw was that the Wu family was not being prosecuted for embezzling national taxes, but rather because they were implicated in factional strife and corrupt governance."

“From now on, wealthy merchants will only become more eager to curry favor with officials and nobles, spending more money on bribes.”

"The more they bribe officials to seek protection, the more they will try to extract compensation from national taxes."

"From then on, wealthy merchants would no longer be eager to donate. The more they donated, the more conspicuous they would become, and the more likely they would be to encounter misfortune."

"Thus, although this case may seem to have yielded tens of thousands of taels of silver, the loss of public support and tax revenue for the nation is far more than a million taels."

"If one case is like this, and every case is like this, how can the world not fall apart?"

Hou Xun finished reading in one breath, his chest rising and falling slightly. He calmed himself down and was about to continue reading.

Qiao Yunsheng put down his teacup.

He picked up where Hou Xun left off and recited the last paragraph of the order in an extremely slow and clear tone.

Han Feizi said: "Killing is called punishment, and reward is called virtue. Ministers fear punishment and benefit from rewards. Therefore, when a ruler uses punishment and virtue, his ministers fear his power and follow his lead."

"I believe this statement is incorrect."

“Punishment is a great evil, but it can also be a great good. This is not a method of power struggle, but a tool to punish evil and promote good.”

"When the Ministry of Justice handles cases, it should consider the impact on people's moral character, rather than acting solely based on legal provisions."

"This is the meaning of being clear about the five punishments, to assist the five teachings, and to achieve good governance."

"What do you think of this?" Qiao Yunsheng asked softly.

Hou Xun remained silent for a long time before finally letting out a heartfelt sigh: "I originally thought that this new ruler... wanted to revive Legalism and follow the path of Shen Buhai and Han Fei..."

He shook his head, a bitter smile on his face.

"Having seen this order today, perhaps my previous assumptions were indeed biased."

Hou Xun picked up the edict and said, “This single sentence, ‘clarifying punishments and assisting in education,’ shows that Your Majesty still prioritizes benevolence and virtue.”

Upon hearing this, Qiao Yunsheng did not immediately respond.

He picked up his teacup again, but only ran his fingers along the cool rim of the cup, his brow furrowed, lost in deeper thought. "What is Lord Hegao thinking about?" Hou Xun keenly noticed his unusual demeanor.

Qiao Yunsheng raised his head, his gaze fixed intently on Hou Xun, and slowly said, "Taizhen, His Majesty's words are probably not just about the Huangshan case..."

Hou Xun was startled. He was incredibly clever and instantly understood Qiao Yunsheng's unspoken meaning.

His expression changed slightly: "You mean... the Donglin cases?"

Qiao Yunsheng nodded heavily and sighed, "It seems that His Majesty is determined not to overturn the cases this year. He is using the Huangshan case to warn everyone, including us."

"He fears that the dynasty will once again fall into the quagmire of factional strife."

The topic was too heavy, and both of them fell silent.

After a long silence, Qiao Yunsheng waved his hand and changed the subject: "Alright, let's not talk about this. Tell me about your matter, what have you thought about it?"

When asked about his future, Hou Xun gave a bitter smile: "What else can I do? His Majesty has said this, and the path of the upright officials is now closed."

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the gray sky.

“I was just a censor in the past, and I relied on my integrity and public opinion.”

"It seems that either I should continue working in the Censorate, or I should go to Beizhili to find a prefecture or state and do some things in a down-to-earth manner."

He turned around and looked at Qiao Yunsheng: "What do you think is the best path, Master Hegao?"

Qiao Yunsheng pondered for a moment, then raised his eyes, his gaze more serious than ever before.

"Don't go to the Road of Moral Education anymore."

“I have a feeling,” Qiao Yunsheng said in a low voice, “that the path of upholding justice is about to be drastically altered. His Majesty’s statement that the path of the upright officials has been cut off is certainly not an empty boast.”

"Prime ministers must rise from local government positions, and generals must rise from the ranks. In the future, local experience will likely be the ironclad rule for promotion. I think it would be safer for you to go to Beizhili."

Hou Xun nodded silently: "I think so too."

He sat down again, his expression now calm, but a trace of worry still lingered between his brows:
"However, it may not be easy to pass the selection examination in Beizhili this time."

"If what was said before is true, fifty people with local experience will be selected from among the officials in the capital, then it seems that I am not included in this category."

"If I want to join the Secretariat, I should apply for the Secretariat's reserve positions. On the one hand, I'm worried about not having enough time, and on the other hand, I feel that I might not even get a chance to join the Secretariat."

Qiao Yunsheng shook his head and said, "Tai Zhen's talent is wasted in the Secretariat. She should try to take the route through Beizhili."

He paused and said, "After all, if what His Majesty said is true, the Secretariat will eventually be transferred to a local area. So it's better to go sooner rather than later."

Hou Xun nodded and said, "I plan to first travel around the capital and find out which prefecture or county in Beizhili has the deepest problems, and then go there in person to investigate and see if I can be selected through the path of official documents."

At this point, he couldn't help but sigh, his tone tinged with regret: "It's a pity that this selection process is limited to Beizhili. If it were Henan, I would be very familiar with it, and I could point out several deeply entrenched problems with my eyes closed and write an article that hits the nail on the head."

Qiao Yunsheng stroked his beard and nodded, about to say something more.

"Boom! Boom!"

A sudden, urgent knocking interrupted their conversation.

The two fell silent at the same time, exchanged a glance, and both saw a hint of surprise in each other's eyes.

Just then, a clerk's voice came from outside the door:

"Minister Qiao! Someone from the ministry just returned from the Thousand-Step Corridor and said... said that three imperial edicts were posted outside Chengtian Gate at the same time!"

Three imperial edicts?

Hou Xun couldn't help but look at Qiao Yunsheng, only to see that his eyes were also full of doubt.

After a moment's hesitation, Qiao Yunsheng stood up and said with a smile, "Our chat is over. Why don't you come with me, Taizhen?"

Hou Xun clapped his hands and laughed, "That is indeed my wish, I dare not ask you!"

(End of this chapter)