Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

He investigated many major corruption cases, and thus witnessed what true luxury and indulgence were.

Even after being recalled to the capital and granted part of Cai Jing's former residence, with his salary sufficient to cover the expenses of his servants, and additional rewards for meritorious service in handling cases, Shi Ruchang still felt unsatisfied.

Why should others be able to live a life of luxury while I have to be "frugal and poor"?

We followed His Majesty in raising an army, risking our lives to rebel and save the people from suffering.

Now that you have restored order and made great contributions to the country, shouldn't you enjoy yourself to the fullest?

He loves reading and collecting books.

Someone sent him a precious ancient book, asking him to make an exception for a minor case.

Chapter 3304 A Cup of Poison

Shi Ruchang hesitated for a long time, but finally accepted it. After all, it was just a small case and would not cause any major harm to the country or the people.

One wrong step, and you'll fall into the abyss.

He gradually came to enjoy this kind of life, which was no longer just about money and books. Being flattered, fawned over, and respected was what Shi Ruchang wanted most!

He was only in his twenties, yet he rose rapidly through the ranks, full of vigor and ambition.

He defied his family's objections and insisted on following Zhao Yuan. That pure young man is long gone; now only a seasoned official remains.

Occasionally, Shi Ruchang would wake up in the middle of the night in a panic.

Although most officials knew that the laws of the new dynasty were very strict, as long as they were not punished, they still held the same mentality as officials in the former Song dynasty—that it was not considered greed, but just taking some money on the side, and it was not a big deal.

Shi Ruchang, however, understood perfectly how ridiculous this idea was, having personally sent more than thirty corrupt officials away!

Ying Shan, who planned to drag everyone down with him, was also well aware of the dangers involved, as he was also an official of the Inspectorate.

When the emperor ordered the three judicial departments to conduct a joint trial, Shi Ruchang knew he was doomed.

He couldn't sleep at night and had to pretend nothing was wrong during the day.

After a month of such anxiety, Shi Ruchang finally made up his mind.

Every day when he went to work at the Inspectorate, he would go through old cases and carefully write down in a small notebook all the cases that he had covered up, making special notes on which officials had acted illegally.

A few days ago, Shi Ruchang had already written his confession, but he still held onto a glimmer of hope.

Until today, with Xu Fuyan, the Minister of Justice, claiming illness, Shi Ruchang has finally become utterly despondent.

He summoned his wife, Deng, and said, "Take Dalang, Erlang, and Youniang, and carry this box to Donghua Gate. Kneel and beg to see the Emperor and His Majesty."

"If the guards don't let you in, you will remain kneeling outside the Donghua Gate."

"Husband, what has happened?" Deng asked in alarm.

Shi Ruchang held his wife's hands and said with tears in his eyes, "I have wronged you too much. I hope we can meet again in the next life."

"Looking back on these past few years, it feels like a long dream, and I don't know how I became obsessed."

"They're getting deeper and deeper into it, unable to extricate themselves, and even becoming addicted... Don't ask any more questions about the case of the massacre of an entire family."

“You are just a female relative of a convicted official, and your three children are minors. Perhaps the officials can take pity on you and spare your lives.”

Ms. Deng was already sobbing uncontrollably.

Shi Ruchang said, "Even if they survive, their homes will definitely be confiscated."

"If you encounter difficulties in the future, you can borrow money from Master Chen."

"He won't stand idly by when others avoid him."

"Go now, don't delay any longer!"

With her life at stake, Deng, though grief-stricken and terrified, still quietly sobbed as she complied.

After his wife and children left home, Shi Ruchang took out a packet of poison and carefully shook it into the wine pot.

He slowly shook the wine pot, poured the wine into the cup with a wry smile, and recited: "Investigate things, extend knowledge, make your will sincere, rectify your mind, cultivate yourself, regulate your family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world."

"It was because of these eight eyes that we followed His Majesty all the way north."

"Looking back now, I realize that I didn't even remember one of them."

"Why bother? Why bother?"

Picking up the wine pot and the wine cup, Shi Ruchang walked to the window, waiting for the last full moon of his life to rise.

He stood by the window, gazing at the moon, and drank the poisoned wine.

...

"Official!"

Suddenly, the eunuch shouted from outside.

For a eunuch to dare to disturb us in this situation, something serious must have happened.

Zhao Yuan said in a deep voice, "Come in."

The eunuch approached Zhao Yuan and whispered a few words to him.

Zhao Yuan said, "Bring the person in."

A quarter of an hour later, Shi Ruchang's wife and children, carrying a small wooden box, were brought before Zhao Yuan.

Zhao Yuan opened the box; besides the organized criminal files, there was also a letter addressed to the emperor.

The letter was simple: he sincerely admitted his mistakes and hoped that the court would spare the orphans and widows of the Shi family out of consideration for their past relationship.

Although women and children generally wouldn't delve into the matter, this was the biggest case since the founding of the nation, and Shi Ruchang was afraid of incurring a thunderous wrath.

After reading the suicide note written to himself, Zhao Yuan went to review the criminal records left by Shi Ruchang.

After casually glancing through more than ten pages, Zhao Yuan's expression grew increasingly grim. He handed the list to Chen Dong and said, "Investigate the entire list thoroughly!"

Chen Dong opened it and examined it closely, and soon his hands began to tremble.

About 20% of the censors in the Censorate have been corrupted.

Two-tenths of the censors were corrupted, and that was only because they were involved with Shi Ruchang; the real number is certainly far higher.

Chen Dong removed his official hat, knelt down, and said, "Your Majesty, I am incompetent in managing my subordinates and request to resign from my position as Left Censor-in-Chief. I cannot accept any further assignments until these cases are thoroughly investigated."

Zhao Yuan told Chen Dong to stand up and instructed him, "You should rest at home for a month and think carefully about how to reorganize the Inspectorate."

"From now on, the system of the Censorate must be further improved to prevent censors from colluding to commit crimes again."

Chapter 3305 Major Case

Chen Dong said, "The censors of the new dynasty have far too much power compared to those of the former Song dynasty; their power should be further reduced."

Zhao Yuan shook his head: "Even with such great power, the censors still manage to cause corruption in local areas."

"If the power of the censors is weakened, won't those local officials rebel?"

Chen Dong remained silent.

Zhao Yuan said, "The former Song Dynasty was too lenient towards civil officials. This mindset and atmosphere have been formed for a long time and are difficult to change in a short period of time. On the contrary, they feel that the laws of the new dynasty are too harsh."

Zhao Yuan continued, "Let's take the example of cheating in the imperial examinations."

“The sons of aristocratic families and officials in the former Song Dynasty could go and seek refuge with their elders who were officials in other places, and then they could take a separate examination at the transport commissioner’s office.”

"And the transport commissioner in charge of the examination was familiar with the elders of these officials' sons, so it was like child's play for them to pass the imperial examination."

"In the former Song Dynasty, the Ministry of Rites examination did not even lock the examination hall during the preparation and invigilation periods. Examiners could leave freely under any pretext and easily leak the examination questions."

"This cheating in the Henan provincial examination is a very serious matter in our eyes, and it is a capital offense under the Ming Dynasty Code."

"But in the eyes of those officials who collude in fraud, it's really no big deal, because they may have done it before and won't face any severe punishment!"

"Ah!"

Zhao Yuan slammed his hand on the armrest of his chair, stood up abruptly, and said, "So we need to kill a bunch of them to let them know that the Great Ming Code is not just a piece of waste paper!"

"Bangdang..."

Xu Fuyan, who was already on the verge of collapse, fainted from fright, knocking over the chair she was sitting on.

Wu Mao nervously reminded him, "Your Highness, if the Great Ming Code is strictly enforced, by the time all these cases are tried, I'm afraid two or three hundred officials will be beheaded."

"Even more officials, clerks, servants, gentry, and merchants who were beheaded were executed."

"And there are relatives who were implicated, beheaded, had their property confiscated, or were exiled; it is very likely... very likely that there are tens of thousands of them!"

Zhao Yuan questioned, "You dare not get involved? Then I'll have another official from the Court of Judicial Review handle this!"

Wu Mao quickly replied, "That is not my intention. I am requesting leniency. Those who have embezzled smaller amounts may be given a lighter sentence."

Zhao Yuan said, "The date of promulgation of the Great Ming Code shall prevail."

“Case cases committed before the promulgation of the Great Ming Code will not be prosecuted except for those punishable by death.”

"For any new cases committed after the promulgation of the Great Ming Code, they shall be punished according to the proper methods, and no one shall be let off lightly!"

This is already very lenient; now it's based on family members being held jointly liable, and only applies to serious crimes.

Moreover, those implicated by association, especially women and children, were spared leniency, while the rest were mainly subjected to confiscation of their property and exile; there were very few cases of people losing their heads for no reason.

As for the extermination of three generations, this punishment only applies to those who plot rebellion or treason; privately minting currency is equivalent to treason.

Taking 10,000 people as an example, if 500 or 600 are beheaded, as long as they are not sentenced to "extermination of three generations of their family", then the remaining 9,000 or so people will basically be exiled as a result of collective punishment.

It also came with a series of punishments, such as confiscating family property and barring three generations of descendants from holding official positions.

Of course, it's possible that more than a few hundred people were beheaded.

As new cases continue to emerge, the number of people sentenced to death may reach thousands, while those implicated and exiled may number between 20,000 and 30,000, or even 40,000 to 50,000, or even 70,000 to 80,000!

Wu Mao really wants to go home and ask his son if he has done anything wrong.

He's not afraid of ordinary cases; he only punishes the parties involved. What he fears are serious crimes involving collective punishment, where the entire household registration is penalized!

……

Before launching a large-scale investigation and arrests, Zhao Yuan rearranged the imperial guards.

It's not directed at anyone in particular, but just in case.

When a large number of troops stationed in Chenqiao Town, Guoqiao Town, Banqiao Town, and Chicang Town were transferred to Beijing for rotation, and when this rotation was mixed with that of the Imperial Guards, the city of Tokyo was already in a state of high alert.

Even the former Song dynasty imperial family members were temporarily confined to their homes.

The Inspectorate.

Chen Dong called Wei Liangchen over: "Tell me about your situation."

Wei Liangchen straightened his back: "I have never taken any money, nor have I ever helped anyone settle a dispute. Not even once!"

"Let me think about it again," Chen Dong said.

Wei Liangchen frowned and pondered for a long time before asking, "My brother?"

Chen Dong nodded and said, "Before committing suicide, Shi Ruchang left a letter confessing to many censors."

“Three of the censors were involved in embezzlement with your brother.”

“My third brother is just a registrar,” Wei Liangchen said.

Chen Dong sighed, "Even if he's a commoner, he's still your brother."

Was Wei Liangchen truly impartial and incorruptible?

Of course not. He helped his brother get an official position, and the whole process was legal and compliant.

Wei Liangchen's hometown was in Gaochun County (now Gaochun District of Nanjing City), which at that time belonged to the territory of the Southeastern Small Court.

He first wrote a letter to his family to cross the river and seek refuge with the Ming Dynasty, and then arranged for his brother to bring the whole family to settle in Huainan, where they could legally settle down and be allocated land as "landless people".

Furthermore, he used his family's wealth to purchase properties auctioned off by the government at low prices, thus successfully establishing a foothold in Huainan.

The entire process was not against the rules. At that time, there was a lot of abandoned land in the Ming Dynasty, and the government was very lenient towards people who fled from enemy territory. As long as they came to the Ming Dynasty, they could settle down and be allocated land.

Chapter 3306 Officials Protecting Each Other

Moreover, they are currently dealing with some former officials who have committed crimes, confiscating and selling their property. Well-informed people with connections and money can easily buy these properties at low prices.