My father Zhao Kuangyin

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Zhao Dezhao officially entered the court to attend to state affairs.

The meeting was still held in the Chuigong Hall, but unlike in the past, this time it was much more formal.

The Prime Minister, the two Vice Prime Ministers, and Prefect Zhao were all among those in the ranks.

Strictly speaking, Zhao Dezhao was not a deputy prime minister, but a ministerial envoy. Unless specially summoned by the emperor, he was not allowed to participate in important military and political affairs. At most, he could go to the Secretariat and the Chancellery to show off his power as prime minister.

Leaving aside Zhao Pu and his third uncle, the two vice ministers they met for the first time were unfamiliar faces: one was Xue Juzheng, and the other was Liu Xigu.

The former's current main job is compiling the history of the Five Dynasties.

The latter was skilled in both civil and military affairs, a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), and rose through the ranks based on his military achievements. When Emperor Taizu took office in Songzhou, he appointed him as the Jiedu Panguan (Jiedu Judge), which was the second-in-command. From then on, he rose rapidly along with the Zhao family.

The two vice ministers were characterized by their magnanimity and lack of greed for power, which complemented Zhao Pu's autocracy.

Liu Xigu, in particular, served as an official for eighteen years and held court for more than thirty years, never committing any misdeeds, and even when he reached the highest position in the court, he never changed his humble lifestyle.

Of course, Xue Juzheng was no less capable. At that time, those who could serve as prime ministers were all kind, simple, and had a good reputation, and were highly praised by the scholars and officials. In contrast, the prime minister...

However, the main focus today is not these two people, but another "minor matter".

This story begins with the emperor receiving a petition from the imperial court.

Furthermore, since Emperor Taizu of Song took the throne, he has taken drastic measures to combat corruption and improve the governance of officials.

Although there were some results, they were not significant; they were like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, with a batch being dealt with only to be replaced by another batch the following year.

From Zhao Dezhao's perspective as an "outsider," this was essentially an attempt to protect the old guard and avoid getting to the bottom of things, thus escalating a minor issue into a major one.

Even so, Zhao Kuangyin was never lenient. Even if the amount of money involved in the bribery was less than the reward for the banquet, he would still punish the offender severely.

In this respect, he is quite similar to the Hongwu Emperor.

Not long ago, the newly appointed Supply and Supply Commissioner Chen Congxin submitted a memorial to the Kaifeng Prefecture, accusing the former Supply Commissioner Li Shouxin of embezzling a huge sum of government money.

Where does the money come from?

This was due to the fact that last year the imperial court sent Li Shouxin to Guanzhong, Longxi, and Qinxi to purchase timber for the repair of the palace.

It should be understood that the tricks of taking kickbacks and selling inferior goods have been countless throughout history and across the world; they have been used in countless creative ways.

Newly appointed officials have discovered discrepancies in the accounts of their predecessors. If they do not expose these discrepancies now, they will be held responsible for the wrongdoings when the truth comes out, and they will be unable to clear their names even if they jump into the Wuzhang River (Guangji).

As for the new treasurer, he was seen by many as just an honest official with some integrity, but Zhao Pu saw him quite differently.

It is said that he started as a secretary in Kaifeng Prefecture and was promoted to the position of Supply Depot Commissioner, which was under the jurisdiction of the Three Departments Commissioner.

Don't underestimate this official position; the power it wields is considerable.

Of course, this does not prove that Chen Congxin and Zhao Guangyi had any unspeakable secrets. Kaifeng Prefecture was the capital city bureau, with countless officials, and it's impossible to label them all.

"It's one thing for a mere seventh-rank official in charge of the supply depot to embezzle an untold amount, but to be exposed only after he was transferred to the capital just after the New Year. If he hadn't moved his post, when would I have ever learned of this?"

Zhao Kuangyin, his expression filled with anger, refused to allow his attendants any excuses or explanations, and continued, "I remember that last year, the imperial treasury allocated nearly 100,000 strings of cash, or eight million coins, for the repair of the old palaces inherited from the Han and Zhou dynasties. Could he have stolen five million coins by himself? What about the rest? Where are his accomplices?"

Admittedly, most of the timber was just for backup, and it might be useful for a while, but in the long run, it would inevitably lead to collapse. He didn't want his children and grandchildren to be staying there one day when the sky suddenly "collapsed".

Although the words were somewhat exaggerated, the emperor's anger was real, to the point that even Shen Yilun, disregarding the matter of impeachment, frowned and pondered deeply.

Corruption was originally an indicator for regional military governors, but after their military power was diluted, the trend began to spread to scholars.

Ultimately, both civil and military officials are the same, except that military people are more wicked and more likely to cause large-scale turmoil, while civil officials have a gentler strength, like peeling away layers and slowly eroding things from beneath the surface.

Boiling a frog in lukewarm water doesn't necessarily mean boiling a frog.

An even more sophisticated method involves wearing a white glove; once it gets stained, it can be removed.

If one day he decides to retire from his life of crime, he will bestow some favors and save the people from suffering.

As for where the water and fire come from, you shouldn't ask.

The problem with Li Shouxin's case is that some of the giant timbers purchased from Guanzhong were soaked by heavy rain and could not be used, while others were missing. What remained was a mixture of good and bad timbers, and Li Shouxin covered the bad ones with the good ones to deceive people.

Li Shouxin himself had not been out of Kaifeng for long when knights were already rushing to capture him day and night.

His home was also searched and confiscated by officials and soldiers, who calculated the value of his valuables, jewelry, and mansions, ultimately finding only a little over 1.8 million coins...

A rough estimate of the price of the timber was made, and there were still over three million coins whose whereabouts were unknown.

If you say that Li Shouxin was the only one who embezzled, and that no one else was involved, who would believe that?

A mere seventh-rank official, who could shoot an arrow into the crowd in Kaifeng and hit countless targets, how could he possibly be so greedy?

The reason why this matter required the involvement of Chief Minister Zhao was because someone anonymously reported to the Kaifeng Prefecture that bribery was rampant within the Secretariat and that there was much cover-up.

The identity of this person remains unknown, but it has implicated Zhao Pu, the elder brother, and Prefect Zhao.

The current Transport Commissioner of Xichuan, Su Xiao, also oversees the city's taxes. He was once a notorious cruel official, but he is now known for his integrity and is separate from the central government system. He has been ordered to investigate and punish those who have ulterior motives.

This isn't about letting heroes investigate good men, but rather letting good men investigate a whole host of heroes.

As for why Xue Juzheng was summoned, it was because the position of Minister of Personnel was no longer established, but only Vice Minister of Personnel. Li Shouxin's transfer to another post was a promotion to Judge of Qin Prefecture, which was a dereliction of duty and oversight.

After a long silence in the hall, Zhao Kuangyin spoke again.

"This is not only my money, the government's money, but also the people's hard-earned money, which should have been used for national purposes, but has been swallowed up by these vermin! Tell me, gentlemen, what should I do?!"

Xue Ju was the first to volunteer, bowing and saying, "Your Majesty, I am guilty."

"I ordered you to compile the history of the Five Dynasties, but you just buried yourself in books. Where is the Ministry of Personnel's assessment? I don't believe that a mere treasury official with no family connections could have such funds."

"Your Majesty, I have something to report."

Seeing that Zhao Guangyi had changed the subject, Zhao Kuangyin calmed down and sat upright on the imperial couch.

"What brilliant idea does my younger brother have?"

Zhao Guangyi gave a wry smile and said, "It's not a brilliant idea, but I know that Li Shouxin is related to Ma Shi, the Right Remonstrator of the Secretariat, and that he married his daughter to him."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Pu's expression immediately turned displeased.

Putting aside the fact that Shen Yilun impeached him on trumped-up charges for interfering in the affairs of the Privy Council and for privately discussing the appointment of the commander with the emperor, Ma Shi, even if he was not considered one of Shen Yilun's close subordinates during his tenure in the Secretariat, could not necessarily clear his name by wearing a turban.

The Left and Right Remonstrance Officials, of the eighth rank, were not high-ranking officials, but they held the power of offerings and recommendations, which carried great weight. Even if one were to exchange a seventh-rank official for them, some might still be unwilling.

It's important to understand that embezzlement and bribery are two different things, and there's a distinction between active and passive involvement.

The latter is undoubtedly much more covert and easier to extricate oneself from.

Although it is common for the vice ministers and envoys to impeach him for his abuse of power, the severity of dismissing his subordinates is on a completely different level.

Talking is nothing, but when it really comes down to it, how can we just sit idly by?

"It has only been half a day since the incident, and Su Xiao has not yet found out the truth, but the Prime Minister has quite a few insights."

As Zhao Pu said this, he glanced, intentionally or unintentionally, at Zhao Dezhao, who was sitting next to Zhao Guangyi.

Indeed, the uncle and nephew, both members of the imperial clan and serving as ministers, naturally sat together.

Zhao Dezhao, however, remained silent throughout, listening attentively.

Zhao Pu was clearly speaking to the uncle and nephew.

Zhao Kuangyin's anger subsided, but his brows furrowed even more deeply.

Although this conflict had existed for some time, he didn't want to talk about it now, only seeking practical results.

"As my brother said, we should not only investigate Li Shouxin's colleagues and cronies, but also his relatives. Anyone involved should be brought to the Dali Temple for trial."

After saying this, Zhao Kuangyin still felt it wasn't enough, and added, "Let Minister Su take over the investigation."

"Here you are."

After the Imperial Secretary responded, he was ordered to draft the imperial edict.

At this moment, Zhao Dezhao was unsettled. After thinking for a while, he remained silent and waited.