As the saying goes, "a straight body is not afraid of crooked shadows", and an upright person from the inside out will be treated equally even if he encounters injustice. Because justice must be on the side of justice.
After the death of Emperor Qianlong, Jiaqing gained real power. When the power is in hand, Jiaqing will be embarrassed. His first decree was to let Xiao Shenyang commit suicide, and then he sent Premier Liu Yong to the government to block the gate and property. Jiang and Wen Shangshu are responsible for hearing the case of hoarding gold.
In the hall of punishments, Jiang sat on the trial bench, stroking his beard in one hand and holding a folding fan in the other, looking unnatural. This Chiang Kai-shek's name is Jiang Mingqing, with clear pronunciation and mellow voice. When he was a child, he accompanied Emperor Jiaqing to study, and his career flourished when he grew up. After Xiao Shenyang died, he naturally became naive. Wen Shangshu sat there, shaking his folding fan, looking like he had nothing to do with himself. This article was also presented by Emperor Jiaqing. At first, he was promoted by Xiao Shenyang, and later he was promoted to Minister of Finance and Nine Magistrates for exposing Xiao Shenyang's achievements.
After a while, the two found that it was not an easy task to interrogate their families. Little Shenyang's wives are all kinds of tricks, some are taciturn, some are good at dealing with the world, and each has its own doorway. After a while, both presiding officers fainted.
This is not Jiang's way. He suddenly drank: "quit!" " Wencai didn't understand its meaning, and asked, "Ten wives only tried three, and …" Jiang interrupted him impatiently and scolded, "It's all your fault. This is hearsay, so you hope the emperor. This is great, it is difficult to ride a tiger. " Wen Xiang smiled twice meaningfully and said, "Hey, hey! Lord nave, this is easy to do, and the good play is yet to come. " Jiang touched his beard, thought about it, suddenly smiled knowingly, and repeatedly said, "Good!
All right! All right! Kill two birds with one stone. It's wonderful. It depends on Liu's play. "
On this day, Liu Yong came home from the court and saw two words posted on the door, one was "slaughter" and the other was "prison", which was very puzzled.
He went to the housekeeper and asked, "Liu An, who put those two words on the door?" Liu An recalled, "My Lord, I don't know. Oh, I remember. I just passed an old nun. It is very likely that she sent these two words. "
Liu Yong heard the service road: "I don't see any malice in these two words, but they are secretly aimed at me. You should pay attention to it in the future, and the old nun will come again. " The lady greeted her from the back room: "The master is back!" Liu Yong just read a few words, didn't answer, and went straight to the study.
Lu Yong hurried into the study, stood at the desk and studied these two words, soliloquize ground to say:
"The pen is beautiful, fresh and elegant, revealing the indifference of monks and feeling deja vu."
When Mrs. Liu came in, she saw two words on the table, picked them up and asked, "It seems that these two words were written by women."
"Yes, madam."
Liu Yong studied them carefully, and then said slowly, "Look at these two words carefully. * * * The same thing is that there is a treasure cover on it. This treasure cover should refer to the official hat I wear on my head. There are the words' heart' and' cow' under the cover of the treasure. This shows that I am a hardworking cow, right? "
Liu An said, "Yes." Then he shook his head and said, "No,no."
Liu Yong ignored it, and then said with emotion, "I am a cow, a hardworking cow wearing an official hat." I have been driven by people all my life, pulling carts for people. Although there are only two words, it also summarizes my life! Right? "
Liu An nodded, but Mrs Liu shook her head and said, "I always think something will happen. The word' prison' is definitely unlucky; The word' slaughter' is of course the word' slaughter' of the Prime Minister, but it is also the word' slaughter' of slaughter and slaughter! " I can't help crying at the thought of this.
"Well, madam, don't make people nervous because of these two words. Let's eat. "
Besides, Jiang and Wen Shangshu held their breath that day and came up with a bad idea. They jointly played the emperor and pushed the case to Liu Yong, saying that the original case was Liu Yong's trial, and this little tail should be completed by him. Emperor Jiaqing called Liu Yong to hall of mental cultivation and said to Liu Yong, "Liu, the case of hiding gold for concubines has been tried seven or eight times, but there is no result. You must try this case. "
"Your Majesty, please forgive me." Liu Yong analyzed: "First, it takes dozens of people to hoard six kilograms of gold and dig the cellar alone. It is impossible for such a big move to have no wind at all; Secondly, little Shenyang is not generous. Although he has many wives, women don't play a very important role in his heart. Third, there is no conclusive evidence to prove that the property of Xiao Shenyang was confiscated. From these three points of view, this hoarding is likely to be out of thin air. "
"Ai-Liu Qing, this is the fact that Wen Shangshu denounced. Although he is trusted by Xiao Shenyang, he also provided me with a lot of information in secret, and I still know him very well. " Hearing this, Lu Yong didn't speak again.
The next day, Liu Yong came to He Fu Qingshui Village with a dozen accountants, ordered the doorman to open the accounting office and began to audit the accounts. A dozen abacus kept counting for three days and nights, and finally figured out the government's running account. Total government revenue1220 million 436 million. Among them, expenditure 1 012182,000 taels and inventory were 324.36 million taels, and expenditure and inventory exceeded income1100 million taels. In addition, the gold income is two million and two thousand. The gold stock was 2.52 million, an increase of 502 million.
After reading the accounts, liuyong thought: If the gold in stock is less than the actual income, some gold must be hoarded. Now the inventory is greater than the total income, indicating that there is no problem of hoarding gold.
There is more gold in the inventory than in the account. Where did this come from? Liuyong asked Mr. Accountant, and Mr. Accountant analyzed: "This situation generally has two aspects: _ income is not recorded; Second, there are still books that have not been found. "
So, Liu Yong took Liu An into the bedroom of Little Shenyang, looking here and touching there. Finally, the faucet beside the bed was gently pulled, and the bed slowly moved away, and the floor cracked a hole. Liuyong walked down the steps to the door of the basement. He gently pulled the knocker with his hand and the door opened automatically. Liu An lit the torch and followed. Another door, this time Liu Yong experienced. As soon as he turned the knocker, he dodged aside to hide, but he was still half a step slow. Three sharp arrows shot from behind the door grazed Liu Yong's ear. The door opened and it turned out to be a secret room. There is a table in the middle of the secret room with a very delicate nanmu box on it. Liuyong went over and opened the box. There is an account book in the box. Liu Yong picked it up and opened it, even more surprised. It turns out that this is an important account book with the name of the briber and the number of gifts recorded by Xiao Shenyang himself.
Lu Yong said, and suddenly heard something outside. He subconsciously looked out, and someone quickly shrank his head back.
Liu Yong really didn't listen to the noise just now. Someone has been following him. This man is Jiang's servant, sent by Jiang and Wen Shangshu to watch him. After being discovered by Liu Yong, he didn't dare to stay long, so he quickly went home to deliver letters to nave. As soon as he entered the door, he said, "My Lord, Liu Yong and others have found nothing but a useless old account book." At this time, Wen Shangshu was a little surprised and stood up uneasily from his chair and said, "Account book? This may be the account book recorded by Xiao Shenyang himself, and the bribery situation above is clearly remembered. " After a pause, he looked at Jiang and said, "Maybe you and I are on it?"
This sentence of Jiang completely panicked: "What can I do? This is in danger of being dismissed! "
"I went to Liu Yong and advised him to burn the book. Tell him that if he gives the ledger to the emperor, it will be the enemy of the Qing Dynasty. If he really wants to offend so many people, he can't sit still. " The river said as he prepared to go back to the hall. Wen Xiang immediately stood up and said, "I think we'd better start." He hurried out of the door.
Mrs. Jiang came out from behind the screen and said to Jiang, "Send someone quickly."
"Where are you sending people?"
"You didn't listen to adult said, it is best to start first. Send someone to get the book back. "
At this point, Liu Yong and the servant just came out of the cellar. It's getting a little dark at this time. Suddenly, three big men jumped out of the darkness and blocked their way. After some struggle, the three big men grabbed the ledger, climbed over the wall and disappeared into the night.
Liu Yong came home and heard Mrs. Liu crying as soon as she entered the room. When Mrs. Liu saw that Master and Liu An were back, she stopped crying and said, "Master, you are back." Liu Yong's wife is in one hand. Look, the house is a mess. Lu Yong suddenly understand the ins and outs, estimation is also to rob the books.
The next day, Emperor Jiaqing went to court. Liu Yong stepped forward: "Long live, I have a book."
Laughed and said, "Liu, play."
"Your Majesty," Liu Yong said, "I ordered the old minister to check the property of Xiao Shenyang, register all the property, seal up all the gold, silver and jewels, and seal up all the real estate shops. * * * The total amount is 800 million taels of silver, which was verified by the minister. "
Jiaqing interrupted Liu Yong: "I already know these things. I want to ask you, did Xiao Shenyang find out the case of hoarding gold by concubines? "
"Your Majesty, the general ledger of small Shenyang gold receipts and payments has been checked by the minister and Mr. Zhong Zhangfang."
Jiaqing was beaming after hearing this, and eagerly asked, "Where are the 100,000 taels of gold hidden?"
Liu Yong said, "Going back to the emperor is not at all." Wen Xiang interjected: "Liu's adult, you are the prime minister of the dynasty, so you should have a basis for your speech." Liu Yong retorted, "Master Wen, where are the vouchers you mentioned?"
"That's what the family in Little Shenyang said."
Liuyong retorted, "As far as I know, Xiao Shenyang's family didn't admit anything during the trial."
Then came the ridicule and cynicism of Lord Jiang Hewen. Liu Yong turned to the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, I have found out that the income of Xiao Shenyang in the gold account is 2.52 million, and his inventory is 2.52 million, which is consistent with the account. He can't have another 102 thousand for his little wife. It's ok to send a few thousand two hundred. Your majesty, this is a detailed account. Please read. " The eunuch took the list and handed it to the emperor.
Wen Xiang stepped forward and said, "Report to your Majesty that in many cases, Little Shenyang doesn't record gifts. You can't just look at the books. "
Liu Yong went on to say, "Of course, we can't just rely on the records in the accounts, but also make field trips. Ten cellars need to be dug in ten different places, hundreds of people need to dig, and six kilograms of gold also need to be transported. For such a big project, didn't he use an outsider and all ten little wives did it by themselves? Of course not. Since outsiders are needed, there is no windtight wall. The reward has been offered for several months now, and no one has reported it except Lord Wen. How long do we have to delay? "
Jiaqing waved and said, "Don't argue. Regardless of whether this matter exists or not, the case ends here. "
Liu Yong went on to say, "Your Majesty, I think it is more important than gold and silver. The 800 million gold confiscated by your emperor from Little Shenyang can definitely fill the national treasury temporarily. However, if there is another small Shenyang, or if the small Shenyang is not dug up, the state property will still be lost, and another 28 16 billion will not fill this bottomless pit! "
"What do you think?"
"In my opinion, punishing Shenyang is just the tip of the iceberg. It is necessary to learn from small Shenyang, rectify the platform, strengthen supervision, and form a real protection for the state treasury. I hope the Emperor will issue a decree to punish all officials, big and small, who embezzle and accept bribes, hell to pay. It is also necessary to show the people, supervise and report the misdeeds of officials, so that corrupt officials are afraid of everyone, and there is no place for them. In this way, the world will be well governed, the country will be rich and strong, the society will be as safe as Mount Tai, and the emperor can sit back and relax. "
"Liu is right, but I don't know where to start?"
The veteran thinks it is important to punish the briber. If the briber is not punished, it is difficult to ban bribery. Please think about it, your majesty. If no one pays bribes, how can small Shenyang take bribes? Now small Shenyang has cured its crime, and those who paid bribes to small Shenyang are still at large. In order to achieve their personal goals, they have to do everything possible to send money and things to officials, so that corrupt officials can breed children and grandchildren, and the people will complain and the country will not be at peace. Therefore, bribers and bribers should be punished equally. However, for the stability of the ruling and opposition parties, all bribers in the past can be pardoned, and they will pay the price in hell in the future. "
"Liu is far-sighted. I order you to draft a decree and give it to the world to avoid future troubles." At this point, Wen Xiang stood up and said:
"I was ordered to solve the case, and found that the small Shenyang personally recorded the books, which recorded the silver that the small Shenyang gave to Liu Yong, totaling * * * two million. Unexpectedly, Liu Yong and Xiao Shenyang are in cahoots ... "The minister of civil and military affairs stared at Wen Xiang's book in horror. Wen Xiang proudly presented these books to every minister.
Jiaqing also let Wen Xiang say it again.
Wen Xiang said, "My emperor is wise. On the surface, Liu Yong is at odds with Little Shenyang, but behind his back, he leads Little Shenyang's silver. He pretends to be honest, but he is actually a corrupt person. "
Ginger fanned the flames and said, "So that's it. No wonder Shenyang is so bold, just because Liu's adult was bought by him. Today, the truth is revealed, and Liu Yong is to blame! "
Jiaqing still doesn't believe it. After reading the account book carefully, he flew into a rage and said, "Liu Yong, you have cheated your father for decades and stolen the name of being clean in the world." I didn't expect you to lie so much! "
"Revelers, this is their framed veteran. A false account is not enough, and the sage should not be confused by this poor insect carving skill and wronged the old minister. "
"irrefutable evidence is like a mountain, and you are still arguing and pushing it out to behead." Jiaqing gnashed her teeth. Two guards sergeant, set up Lu Yong and go. All the ministers were stunned.
At this time, ministers knelt down and said in unison, "I want to protect Liu Yong, I want to protect Liu Yong ..."
Jiang hesitated for a moment, then said, "Liu Yong is guilty on a par, but I think he is an old emperor and an old minister, and he has no merit. I will spare him and let him go home, and he is not allowed to ask about state affairs again."
Jiaqing changed his mind a little, but it was hard to change his mind, so he gave liuyong a step and asked, "liuyong, do you know the crime?"
Liu Yong is a stubborn man, so he must be serious. He said, "Your Majesty, although Liu did not dare to make meritorious deeds, he was loyal to the Qing Dynasty all his life. I wonder what is wrong?"
Jiaqing threw the ledger in front of Liu Yong and said, "Look for yourself. Is this not enough proof? "
Liuyong picked up the ledger and looked at it. The more he looked at it, the more ridiculous he felt. He said to the emperor, "Please observe clearly. The handwriting on this account book was written by Xiao Shenyang. You see, the first note says that 52,000 pieces of silver were given to Liu Yong on March 13th in the thirty-fifth year of Qianlong. The last note said that in the third year of Jiaqing, he sent 5.2 thousand gold to Liu Yong this year. The difference between these two accounts is 28 years, and the accounts that have been saved for 28 years are so new. Smell it, everyone, and there is an ink fragrance. The ink is new and the tone is exactly the same. I'm sure that if it's Xiao Shenyang's handwriting, it's also that he made false accounts in prison; If it's a ghostwriter, it must be a fake account made up by Xiao Shenyang Yu Dang. Little Shenyang, little Shenyang, you won't leave me until you die. Anyone who believes this is true is stupid. "
Jiaqing was furious: "Bold Liu Yong, do you want to die?"
Liu Yong said, "If you want me to die, I have to die. But I have a small request, I hope the emperor will allow it.
Please ask the emperor to let me wear the crown. Even if Liu Yong is chopped to pieces, he will die without regret. "
Jiaqing was furious: "bold Liu Yong, you are guilty of rebellion and usurpation!" "
"I dare not seek rebellion and usurpation. I just ask the emperor for a crime that should be killed, so that everyone in the world can take it orally and not give the emperor a bad name for killing loyalty."
Jiaqing one leng way: "What did you say? Shouldn't you be killed for colluding with arsenic to take bribes? "
"I think that Liu He has been intrigued for decades, and all the officials in the Qing Dynasty saw it with their own eyes, and everyone knows it. Catch a thief, catch a thief, catch a double, and convict me of accepting bribes with a false account. Where is the evidence? Where is the money that Xiao Shenyang gave me? No witnesses, no physical evidence. I, Liu Yong, live and die, and I really can't bear to ruin the reputation of the emperor. "
Hearing Liu Yong's words, Jiaqing turned his anger into joy and said, "It's rare for an old minister to be loyal, so I will help you." Said, and walked down the dragon to Liu Yong, took off his crown and personally put it on Liu Yong.
Liu Yong hurriedly took off his crown and returned it to Jiaqing, saying, "Minister Liu Yong, capital crime, capital crime." When he turned and walked away, he walked steadily and posed.
Jiaqing suddenly shouted, "Come back." Liu Yong stopped and looked back at Jiaqing.
"I forgive you for not dying."
Jiaqing asked the courtiers in the class: "I want to kill Liu Yong. Liu Yong not only doesn't hate me, but also worries about giving me a bad reputation. Where can I find such a loyal minister? " Do you think I can kill him? "
All the ministers, except Jiang, said, "No."
Liu Yong knelt down and kowtowed and said, "Thank you for your kindness. I will never forget the great kindness of the emperor. I have a small request. " Liu Yong took out the paper and presented it. Originally Liu Yong wanted to retire, and all kinds of officialdom have made him feel very tired.
Moreover, although the small Shenyang is gone, the civil servants of the Manchu Dynasty are all affiliated with the small Shenyang's party, and their situation will only become more and more dangerous. So they played: "The old minister is suspected of usurping the throne. Although the holy family does not kill the old minister, it is difficult for him to be above the court. I am willing to resign for the people, and I hope that God will allow me. "
Jiaqing said hesitantly, "this ... depends on you for the time being. Go home and support the elderly first!"
Liu Yong knelt down and said, "Long live my emperor, long live, long live."
The moment he took off his official hat, Liu Yong felt extremely relaxed. He handed his hat to his entourage and turned and walked out of the golden palace. Looking back, he was filled with emotion.
There will always be fierce wars in the official career, in which only the parties can understand the bitterness and bitterness, and the ups and downs of life are also presented here. Only people like Liu Yong, who stand like a needle and act like a line, know how to advance and retreat, can get away with it.