Chapter 670: Not Fit to Expand

With the return of the special investigation envoy Sun Fang, that storm from Yangzhou officially made landfall in the Eastern Capital. Returning north with him were nearly twenty criminals from the two offices of the Huai-East Transport and Inspection Commissions, along with a large volume of indictments, confessions, and witnesses. As for Vice Minister of Justice Shen Gou, he was left behind in Yangzhou to temporarily oversee the Transport Commission's affairs.

After the Yangzhou criminals arrived in the capital, Liu Chengyou immediately ordered Chancellor Fan Zhi to serve as chief examiner, convening the Three Judicial Offices to interrogate each one thoroughly. Under the Son of Heaven's stern urging and Fan Zhi's utmost diligence, the trials were swiftly concluded.

Fan Zhi had always prided himself on integrity and uprightness, and naturally harbored deep disgust for corruption. Moreover, he had always upheld strict laws and strong discipline without the slightest leniency—on the matter of combating graft, he stood in full agreement with the Emperor.

And Sun Fang's preparation of evidence was indeed thorough, leaving the accused officials no room whatsoever to shift blame or escape conviction. In no more than three days, everything was tried and settled, and one after another, the criminals confessed and affixed their signatures.

However, this was only the beginning. From the ringleader Zhao Feng, a number of court officials were dragged out in turn—from Vice Bureau Directors of the Six Ministries to temple overseers and grand masters, more than ten capital officials of various ranks in all. With the Emperor having set the tone of "dig deep and punish severely" from the start, Fan Zhi dared not be negligent and immediately set about verifying the accusations.

But Fan Zhi was not a man so easily fooled. To guard against Zhao Feng making reckless false accusations, Fan Zhi conducted rigorous and detailed investigation and evidence-gathering on his testimony. The facts proved that Zhao Feng had indeed harbored malicious intent, trying to drag others down with him to the grave.

Some people had merely had dealings with him—these Zhao Feng spoke of vaguely, and their cases could not withstand scrutiny, being easily screened out by Fan Zhi. But others had genuinely engaged in corrupt exchanges of interest with him.

"Wensu, the case is concluded?" In the Hall of State Affairs, Chancellor Li Tao looked up at Fan Zhi as he walked in slowly, setting down his signing brush to ask.

Fan Zhi's appearance bore obvious signs of exhaustion—the wrinkles on his face had deepened, and the bags under his eyes were heavy. These past days, he had worked day and night, neglecting sleep and meals to handle the case.

At the question, Fan Zhi nodded, then let out a heavy sigh and said: "If this memorial is presented to His Majesty, the court at the Eastern Capital will not escape a great upheaval!"

"Your Excellencies!" An attendant in the hall presented two cups of prepared tea.

Lightly waving his hand to dismiss the man, Li Tao noticed the memorial in Fan Zhi's hand and frowned, saying: "It seems quite a number of people have indeed been implicated!"

Fan Zhi took a sip of tea and sighed: "What I worry about now is this matter continuing to expand! Over in Huai-East, they have already begun investigating up and down over the grain transport case—I fear upheaval is unavoidable.

I too deeply hate corrupt officials. Wang Wenbo's original intention and ideas for reforming officialdom are good, but acting this way truly does not benefit the peace of those above and below, nor the functioning of government affairs—and how will the common people view the authorities?

Wang Wenbo's temperament is what it is—his thunderous, swift, and determined reformism is hardly unexpected, and I can understand it. But Zheng Rixin—he has always been steady and cautious—how did he come to follow Wang Wenbo's lead as well?

Looking at His Majesty's intent, he also wishes to use the Yangzhou grain transport case to conduct inspections on the other circuits, prefectures, and counties across the realm. Once it spreads, this matter's impact will no longer be confined to Huai-East and the Eastern Capital—what will be shaken then may well be the entire nation, and with the slightest misstep, the very foundations of the state could be endangered.

The reform of officialdom is not something accomplished overnight—establishing laws and enforcing them, that is the true foundation..."

Seeing Fan Zhi's solemn expression, Li Tao's own countenance grew somewhat serious as well. He too was a man who disliked great upheaval, preferring to advance gradually and seek progress through stability.

In fact, in this case, the total profit amassed by Zhao Feng and his band of corrupt officials, including the theft and sale of official grain, amounted to just over one hundred thousand strings of cash. Though a considerable sum, it was hardly so outrageous—after all, with so many people splitting the spoils and greasing palms up and down the chain, it was quickly diluted.

In years past, Ye Renlu, Prefect of Laizhou, had single-handedly extorted a thousand strings of cash and fifteen thousand bolts of silk during his tenure. In light of such precedents, the Emperor's making such a grave matter of this case struck many officials as making a mountain out of a molehill.

Chancellors like Li Tao and Fan Zhi, though their vision was not so shallow, likewise did not approve of endlessly expanding the scope of punishment. Governing a great state was like cooking a small fish—as weighty ministers guiding the realm, they preferred to seek stability.

"I understand your concerns as well!" After a moment's thought, Li Tao said: "However, you know His Majesty's temperament as well as I do—once he has set his mind on something, I fear it is not something we can dissuade!"

"Even if we cannot dissuade him, we must still try!" Fan Zhi said with a solemn expression, then after a pause: "His Majesty is not a sovereign who refuses to listen to counsel. For the stability of the state and the altars of the realm, I trust he will give it due consideration. Moreover, it is already late spring now, and His Majesty wishes to use troops against Jinghu—the realm should not be plunged into great internal upheaval.

This time, meting out severe punishment to Zhao Feng and his ilk is sufficient to warn the world and make officials both inside and outside the court vigilant, daring not to act recklessly!"

"When do you plan to go to Chongzheng Hall?" Li Tao asked with a slight nod.

"I'll go right now—His Majesty is likely waiting for my results!" Fan Zhi took a deep breath.

"I'll go with you—I happen to have several memorials that need to be delivered!" Li Tao said after a moment's thought.

With that said, the two departed together.

Inside Chongzheng Hall, Liu Chengyou calmly perused the case report Fan Zhi had submitted—though of course, it was only a summary; the detailed case files formed a thick stack.

Fan Zhi, standing below, reported composedly: "In this case, a total of 27 officials were implicated—13 from the Huai-East Transport Commission, 5 from the Inspection Commission, and 9 officials within the capital! The illicit goods involved are valued at approximately 107,000 strings of cash!"

"Which capital officials were implicated?" Liu Chengyou flipped through the pages, asking casually.

"Vice Bureau Director of the Ministry of Justice, Li Zhisun!" Fan Zhi said.

"Li Zhisun..." Liu Chengyou's eyes swept over the name and then to the description of his crimes, and he let out a derisive snort: "The name is rather fine, quite meaningful—but as I see it, he neither knows loss, nor knows death!"

"There is also Chief Censor Nie Wenjin!" Fan Zhi continued.

Nie Wenjin was a former official under Gaozu Liu Zhiyuan. In the early days of the founding, he served as Chief Recipient of Petitions in the Bureau of Military Affairs, but later, for his arrogance, abuse of power, and unbridled misconduct, he was exiled by Liu Chengyou to govern a prefecture in Guanzhong. That time was Liu Chengyou's first move against the old meritorious retainers of the previous reign—including Guo Yunming, who in the official histories had taken the life of "Emperor Yin of Han."

Later, on account of modest achievements in governance, and being a founding minister and old associate of Gaozu, he was permitted to return to the capital after evaluation, and was assigned to the newly established Censorate as Vice Chief Censor.

This time, hearing that name again from Fan Zhi's mouth, and finding it among the list of criminals, Liu Chengyou immediately grew angry and sneered: "This Nie Wenjin—I still remember that when I exiled him to Guanzhong, I specifically warned him! How long has he been back at court? Truly incorrigible!"

He looked over the other implicated officials, his sword-like brows deeply furrowed, then raised his eyes and asked: "Have all the implicated capital officials confessed?"

Fan Zhi reported: "To answer Your Majesty! Zhao Feng implicated more than ten people, but upon my verification, only these few had solid evidence against them. With no room for denial, all have confessed and affixed their signatures!"

"Furthermore..." Rarely, Fan Zhi showed a hint of hesitation.

"Speak!" This display immediately piqued Liu Chengyou's curiosity.

"Zhao Feng also mentioned Duke of Yu, Li Hongxin!" Fan Zhi said: "Upon my investigation, Duke of Yu and Zhao Feng did indeed have dealings, but whether there was any transfer of illicit benefits has yet to be substantiated, and therefore..."

"Since there is no solid evidence, then there is no need to say more!" Liu Chengyou interrupted Fan Zhi somewhat firmly. Setting down the memorial, he pondered for a moment, then raised his eyes to the two chancellors, Li and Fan, and asked: "This case, ending here, can be considered concluded. What do my two ministers think should be done to settle the aftermath?"

Their gazes instinctively met, exchanging a silent communication, before Fan Zhi responded: "All officials who committed offenses shall be dealt with according to law. All sentences have been written in full in my memorial—I request Your Majesty to review and approve them."

At this, Liu Chengyou picked up Fan Zhi's memorial again, gave it a brief scan, and with his vermilion brush, swiftly marked his approvals—a casual gesture that sealed the fates of dozens of officials both inside and outside the court. He said as he did so: "Minister Fan's sentences are naturally just and fair—all criminals, not a single word changed, shall be handled exactly as written!"

"Yes!" Fan Zhi acknowledged.

Li Tao also stepped forward and reported: "Your Majesty, after this case, vacancies have suddenly appeared in offices both inside and outside the court—especially in the Huai-East Transport Commission, where the handling of official business and the delivery of tax revenues have nearly been disrupted. Capable officials should be swiftly selected and dispatched to fill the posts. Additionally, those who rendered meritorious service in handling this case should also be rewarded to compensate their efforts!"

"What suggestions does Minister Li have?"

Li Tao said: "For the Huai-East Transport Commission, I believe Shen Gou can succeed to the post; Censor Sun Fang, who handled matters with competence and skill, fulfilling his mission, can succeed Nie Wenjin as Vice Chief Censor; as for the chief whistleblower, the transport clerk Zheng Rong, who suffered harm for the sake of state affairs and the court's discipline, his family should be generously compensated; as for Chancellor Fan..."

"Your Majesty, all that I did was my duty. That such corrupt officials emerged in the court without my having detected them earlier is itself a failure of my responsibility—I truly dare not claim merit!" Hearing Li Tao mention him, Fan Zhi said decisively.