Chapter 227

Qing, Kangxi period, Qianqing Palace.

Emperor Kangxi, Xuan Ye, looked at the sky screen with a solemn expression: "Official governance is the foundation of the country. If the wind of corruption does not stop, the country will have no peace."

"Mingju, Suo'ertu, you two are the heads of all officials; you should set an example and strictly restrain your subordinates."

Mingju and Suo'ertu, who were below, hurriedly stepped out, calling themselves "servants obey the decree," but their hearts were beating drums.

Qianlong period, Yangxin Hall.

Emperor Qianlong, Hongli, shook his fan and said indifferently: "Corrupt officials are naturally hateful. However, if the water is too clear, there will be no fish. Heshen, don't you think so?"

Heshen, who was young and handsome and standing by, felt a jolt in his heart, but a smile piled up on his face: "The Emperor is wise."

"The way of governing subordinates is to combine kindness and power, and to be moderate."

"Corruption naturally needs to be opposed, but one cannot stop eating because of choking, which would chill the hearts of those who do things."

Qianlong gave an "um" without committing himself.

Gu Shanhe could perceive the general reactions of the emperors of the myriad worlds through the soaring emotional point income in the system backend.

Especially the near-explosive anger value coming from Zhu Yuanzhang's side, which made him secretly click his tongue.

Old Zhu's hatred for corrupt officials was truly carved into his bones.

At this time, the magnificent and emotionless voice of the sky screen resounded through the myriad worlds:

【The Top Ten Corrupt Officials in History, now announced!】

【Starting from the tenth place, revealed in order!】

【Tenth place: Li Yifu】

【Dynasty: Tang Dynasty】

【Birth and Death: 614 AD – 666 AD】

【Native Place: Yingzhou Raoyang (now Raoyang, Hebei), later moved to Yongtai (now Yanting, Sichuan)】

【Nickname: Li the Cat, Knife in the Smile】

【Official Position: Secretariat Chancellor, Right Prime Minister, Minister of Personnel, enfeoffed as Duke of Hejian County】

On the left side of the list, light and shadow condensed into the image of a middle-aged civil official with a fair face, a short beard, and a gentle smile that always seemed to carry three parts of warmth.

He was wearing the purple official robe of the Tang Dynasty and holding a hu tablet, looking elegant and approachable.

But if one looked closely at his eyes, one could find that the smile did not reach his eyes, but instead revealed a coldness and calculation.

Seal script appeared beside the picture: "Soft face and poisonous heart, a knife hidden in the smile. Selling offices and titles, the courtyard is like a marketplace."

【Life of the character: The sky screen picture flows, accompanied by a cold voice-over.

"Li Yifu, from a humble background. Famous for his literary talent in his youth, he passed the imperial examination in the eighth year of Zhenguan and entered the official career."

The picture shows the young Li Yifu writing an essay in the examination hall, indeed talented.

"After Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi, ascended the throne, Li Yifu was promoted to Secretariat Drafter. Because of his literary talent, he also compiled the national history."

In the picture, Li Yifu walks in the palace, greeting everyone with a smile.

"Gaozong wanted to depose Empress Wang and establish Consort Wu (Wu Zetian), which was fiercely opposed by veteran ministers such as Zhangsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang."

"Li Yifu spied on the Emperor's intentions and was the first to submit a petition in support, deeply winning Wu Zetian's favor."

"From then on, his official career was smooth, rising all the way to Secretariat Attendant, Chancellor of the Secretariat and Chancellery, becoming a prime minister, and later serving as Minister of Personnel, holding the power of official selection and appointment, and was enfeoffed as Duke of Hejian County."

The picture shows Li Yifu speaking eloquently in the court to support Empress Wu, and after court, secretly talking with Empress Wu's confidants, from then on flying high.

"However, this person was gentle and respectful on the surface, always smiling when talking to others, but actually sinister and jealous inside. Anyone who went against his wishes would be slandered by him in a hundred ways. People at the time called him 'a knife in the smile'."

"Because he was soft and harmful to things, like a cat catching a mouse, he was called 'Human Cat' or 'Li the Cat'."

In the picture, Li Yifu greets his colleagues with a smile, and turns around to fabricate charges in a secret memorial to frame them.

In the background, there are miserable scenes of officials being exiled and imprisoned.

"After mastering the power of the Ministry of Personnel, Li Yifu and his mother, wife, and sons openly sold offices and titles, and the gate was like boiling water."

The picture becomes ironic and ugly:

In front of Li Yifu's mansion, there is a constant stream of traffic, and all kinds of people are holding gold, silver, and jewelry to seek an audience.

Inside the mansion, Li Yifu's mother, wife, son, and even son-in-law are all marking prices, collecting money, writing notes, and promising official positions.

Li Yifu himself sits in the hall, smiling and saying to his confidants: "Those without bribes will not be selected; only bribes are profitable."

People coming to run for office are endless, and the mansion gate is as lively as a boiling pot.

"His corrupt behavior was eventually exposed."

"In the third year of Longshuo (663 AD), Li Yifu was removed from his name for crimes such as colluding with sorcerers and was exiled to Xizhou (now Xichang, Sichuan)."

"His sons and sons-in-law were also mostly exiled."

"In the first year of Qianfeng (666 AD), Li Yifu died in the place of exile at the age of fifty-three."

At the end of the picture, Li Yifu is in rags, escorted by guards, walking on the desolate and rugged road of exile, his back lonely and fearful, eventually dying of illness in the wild land.】

【Assessment of total corruption: Historical records do not contain the exact amount of silver, but as a prime minister, he openly sold offices, his mother, wife, son, and son-in-law all participated in the distribution of spoils, and the courtyard was like a marketplace. The money obtained was huge, equivalent to hundreds of thousands of taels of silver.】

【Although the total amount may not be the top among the mega-corrupt officials of all dynasties, his high position as prime minister, the openness and arrogance of his corruption, and the bad influence are unique in the early Tang Dynasty, so he is ranked tenth.】

【Reason for being on the list: Occupying the position of prime minister and holding the power of selection (official appointment), he regarded public instruments of the country as private property, openly sold offices, and corrupted the source of official governance.】

【The sinister nature of his "knife in the smile" adds to his evil.】

【The silver embezzled was all the blood and sweat of the people, and his actions are punishable!】

The sky screen inventory was finished, and the myriad worlds were in an uproar.

Especially the people of the Tang Dynasty, seeing that the prime minister of their era was such a thing, and even got nicknames like "Li the Cat" and "Knife in the Smile," they all cursed.

"Bah! So it was such a thing! Looking smiling, but the heart is so black!"

"Selling offices! No wonder that straw bag in our county could also be an official; he must have spent money!"

"Deserved! Exile and death are good! It's a pity he died late!"

Tang Dynasty plane, Longshuo period (before Li Yifu fell).

In the palace court, there was dead silence.

All the ministers' eyes were cast on Li Yifu, who was standing in the front row of the civil official queue, still wearing a gentle smile.

The smile on Li Yifu's face completely stiffened, becoming uglier than crying.

He felt cold all over, as if falling into an ice cellar.

The sky screen… the sky screen actually made his future affairs so detailed and public!

Selling offices and titles, dying in exile… it's over, it's all over!

On the throne, the face of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi, was so gloomy that water could drip out.

He indeed needed Li Yifu to support Empress Wu and strike at the veteran faction, but he didn't expect this person to be so bold and unscrupulous!

Selling offices until the "gate was like boiling water," and even his mother, wife, and son participated in the distribution of spoils?

Where does this put him as an emperor? What does it treat the official governance of the Great Tang as?

Wu Zetian (already Empress at this time) stood behind the curtain, her face also as heavy as water.

Li Yifu was a person she promoted, and such an ugly thing happened, she also had no face.

And the sky screen's exposure is equivalent to cutting off Li Yifu's official career, and even his life.

"Your… Your Majesty!"

Li Yifu plopped to his knees, tears and snot flowing.

"The minister is wronged! The sky screen… what the sky screen said is all slander! Someone wants to harm the minister!"

"The minister is loyal to Your Majesty and the Empress, Your Majesty!"

"Wronged?"

Li Zhi laughed in anger, pointing to the picture of Li Yifu's mansion gate being like a marketplace that had not yet dissipated on the sky screen.

"Is this also wronged? Your mother, wife, and son collecting money to sell offices is also wronged?"

"Li Yifu, you are really my 'good prime minister'!"