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

Page 491

Gaoliang nodded and said,

“I have already ordered my soldiers to search the area,”

"Prefect Cheng's residence indeed doesn't have much surplus wealth,"

“His daily expenses were not extravagant; they were all his official salary.”

"Now that Prefect Cheng has been imprisoned by you, how will the people of Dongping Prefecture react?"

Zhao Yuan inquired,

"Since he had a good reputation as an official and was quite kind to the people,"

"Now that he's suddenly imprisoned, have the people noticed anything unusual?"

"When Prefect Cheng admitted to soliciting bribes in front of the crowd, the people of Dongping Prefecture were indeed greatly disappointed,"

Sorghum replied,

"However, after so much time has passed, it seems that Prefect Cheng has indeed treated the people well in the past,"

"When I was on patrol just now, many civilians pleaded for him."

"Now that the people have spoken up to plead for leniency, this matter is much easier to handle,"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuan

I immediately breathed a sigh of relief...

Chapter 645 Wan'er Pleads for Mercy

"Does the chieftain mean he wants to protect Prefect Cheng?"

Gao Liang asked somewhat nervously.

Although she and Cheng Wanli were not well acquainted

However, she and Cheng Wan'er were close friends.

This time it's sorghum itself again.

He personally escorted Cheng Wanli to prison.

If something were to happen to Prefect Cheng,

After Gaoliang realized his own worth,

Then I really wouldn't have the face to see Cheng Wan'er.

"Um,"

Zhao Yuan did not hide anything.

He simply nodded.

"If this Prefect Cheng is corrupt and extorting bribes for his own enjoyment,"

"Then I certainly won't let him off the hook."

"But if this matter was requested by that treacherous eunuch Tong Guan, then the punishment can be lenient..."

The reason Zhao Yuan did this was because...

It's not because he has double standards,

Instead, as their understanding of the Song court deepened,

Zhao Yuan gradually realized that

The corruption of many officials

It was indeed out of necessity.

This is not to excuse them.

Rather, that's just how the overall environment is.

The entire Song court, from top to bottom,

Corruption is rampant everywhere.

If you are not greedy

On the contrary, it seems eccentric.

They are likely to become a thorn in the side of others.

Therefore, many officials,

Rather than saying it's about indulging in pleasure,

Rather,

It's just going with the flow!

After all, only truly upright officials dare to go against the tide.

Looking back at China's thousands of years of history,

There are only a few of them!

.....

With Zhao Yuan's guarantee,

Sorghum breathed a sigh of relief.

He quickly led him away.

They returned to the prefect's office.

The group had just entered the door,

Gao Liang originally intended to take Zhao Yuan to the official prison.

See that Prefect Cheng.

Unexpectedly, Cheng Wan'er received the news.

But they had already come out from the back room.

"This humble servant greets Chief Zhao!"

Cheng Wan'er gave a slight curtsy.

When she contracted the plague,

I stayed in Liangshan for more than two months.

During this time,

Besides being acquainted with Gao Liang, who was seeking medical treatment for his father,

He also met Li Shishi, the mistress of Liangshan.

In the latter case,

Cheng Wan'er naturally met Zhao Yuan quite often.

Back and forth,

Regarding this chief of Liangshan,

As a sense of respect welled up in her heart again,

And gradually, the fear has lessened.

Miss Cheng,

Zhao Yuan nodded.

"You've come out to see me, are you pleading for your father?"

"The chieftain is right,"

Cheng Wan'er bit her red lips.

Suddenly, he knelt down on the ground.

"Chief Zhao, it is indeed true that my father solicited bribes from wealthy merchants in the city."

"But my father really had no choice but to do it this way."

"My Cheng family was originally of humble origin. Although my father studied hard and finally passed the imperial examination, he was not without difficulty."

"But because he had no connections in the court, he was unable to be promoted for many years."

“My father, when he was studying, had lofty ambitions to govern the people and serve the country,”

"Seeing that his lifelong ambitions could not be realized, he was introduced by someone and sought refuge with Tong Guan, becoming his retainer."

"It was only after that that my father's career progressed smoothly, and he gradually rose to become the ruler of a state."

"This was largely due to Tong Guan's efforts, so my father was very grateful to him."

"But Tong Guan sent his retainers out of Tokyo to serve as officials in various places, but his real purpose was to amass wealth."

“After my father took office in Dongping Prefecture, Tong Guan sent people to urge him to go to Tokyo to escort money.

"My father was forced into this situation, and unwilling to increase the burden on the people of Dongping Prefecture, he had no choice but to solicit bribes from those wealthy and powerful families..."

"so what?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuan

He couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.

"Miss Cheng, after all you've said, do you perhaps think your father is innocent? Or that Liangshan has arrested the wrong person?"

"Chief, I am not someone who cannot distinguish right from wrong,"

Cheng Wan'er held her head high.

Her originally gentle face

But at this moment, he was full of stubbornness.

“It is a fact that my father solicited bribes,”

"Liangshan imprisoned my father, which can be considered as well as his punishment."

"I say all this only to ask the chieftain to spare my father's life, considering that he has cared for the people of Dongping Prefecture over the past year or two!"

At this point, Cheng Wan'er

Then his eyes reddened.

He bowed twice more to Zhao Yuan.

While she was treating the plague on Liangshan Mountain,

Naturally, they also clearly understood that

From top to bottom of Liangshan,

For corrupt officials who harm the people

How much I hate it!

If we follow the usual practices of Liangshan,

People like Cheng Wanli who solicited bribes amounting to tens of thousands of strings of cash...

They were basically beheaded and their heads displayed to the public.

There is absolutely no way out!