Chapter 194 Power Supremacy

Li Jianzhi actually briefly described Xu Ming's incident once in an official document to Zhao Jun, but the specific process is actually unclear.

At this moment, Zhao Jun stood in the cabin, looked at Xu Ming, and asked him: "Are you Xu Ming?"

Xu Ming had broken an arm before, and then wanted to hang himself. His body was already extremely weak. When he heard someone calling him, he opened his eyes and looked at Zhao Jun blankly.

Li Jianzhi introduced: "Xu Ming, this is the Constitutional Yuan. I heard about your case and came to Hangzhou from Shouzhou."

Zhiyuan?

Xu Ming had a look of confusion in his eyes.

He was harmed by Sun Miao the year before last and was imprisoned for more than a year and nearly two years. Little did he know that the court had already changed drastically.

"The Constitutional Yuan governs hundreds of officials, and the Zhiyuan is the head of the Constitutional Yuan, and is a prime minister compared to ancient times."

Seeing that he didn't respond, Li Jianzhi continued: "Prime Minister Zhao is above all other ministers and is now the head of the officials. If you have any grievances, just explain it to him."

"Prime Minister Zhao."

Xu Ming suddenly became excited and struggled to get up from the bed, but because of his broken arm, he couldn't hold on.

It was Jiang Dalang next to him who helped him straighten up.

His whole face became painful, and then he cried loudly: "Please make the decision for the villain. The villain was originally a businessman. Because he had pearls and ancient paintings at home, he was coveted by Sun Mian, and he suffered this disaster. The little man’s family is ruined and his people are dead, woo woo woo woo.”

As he spoke, he burst into tears, choked with sobs and briefly recounted what had happened. He kept wiping his tears as he spoke. A middle-aged man in his forties cried so heartbroken that everyone present was moved.

The thing is actually very clear, that is, Sun Mian's brother-in-law heard that his family had hundreds of East China Sea Pearls, so he used his brain and wanted to forcefully buy them at a low price.

After Xu Ming was approached by Bian Xun, he had already swallowed his anger and felt that the people would not fight against the officials, so he finally asked Bian Xun to buy the hundred pearls for 33,000 yuan, which was less than 50 guan. Sold to the other party at a cabbage price.

Unexpectedly, the other party was not satisfied, because not long after, Sun Miao heard that the Xu family also had a copy of Guo Qianhui's "Eagle Picture".

Guo Qianhui was a great painter in the Southern Tang Dynasty during the Five Dynasties. Although he was not as famous as Wu Daozi, Yan Liben and others, he was still a very famous figure at the time. His collection value was extremely high in the Song Dynasty and he was coveted by Sun Mian.

This time Xu Ming decided not to do it anyway, and the two sides quarreled for a while. In the end, Sun Ming simply found a reason to jail Xu Ming and took away his family property.

After Li Jianzhi arrived, Xu Ming complained to him, but the official documents from the treasury were stolen and there was insufficient evidence, so there was nothing he could do.

After hearing everything that happened, Zhao Jun already believed it.

Because Li Jianzhi told him that although a large number of official documents from the two counties and the prefectural government were stolen, they were mostly scattered, except for all the case files of Sun Miandan.

In other words, the cases judged by Sun Mian are basically irrecoverable.

Is it such a coincidence?

As soon as the superior checked Sun Mian's plate, the case file disappeared?

Isn't this just like when the superior planned to check the grain storage situation in the granary, and the granary suddenly caught fire?

So Zhao Jun naturally knew that there was something fishy in it.

After listening to Xu Ming's words, he calmly comforted: "Please don't worry, I will take care of this matter. After arriving in Hangzhou, I will try the case personally."

"Thank you, Mr. Xian. Thank you, Mr. Xian."

Xu Ming held his left arm with residual blood in his right hand and struggled to get up from the bed and kowtow on the ground.

But in the end, Zhao Jun held him down and said: "You should rest first and ask more about the medicine. After you get better, I may ask you to testify in court."

"Thank you, Xianggong, thank Xianggong"

Xu Ming couldn't stop crying, all he could say was muttering to himself, and his eyes looking at Zhao Jun were full of prayer.

He once felt that there was no light and no end in sight in the cell.

Later, Li Jianzhi gave him hope, but soon gave him despair.

now.

He put his last hope on Zhao Jun.

If even Zhao Jun can't wash away his grievances and settle the unjust case.

I'm afraid Xu Ming has no choice but to die.

After coming out of the cabin, Zhao Jun's mood became very heavy and his face looked very ugly.

Living in the later generations, I have seen light for too long. Even though it has been a year since I came to the Song Dynasty, I still feel shocked and unbearable to see such darkness.

Many people say that the Hereafter will be the same, but in fact they are very different.

If such a case occurs in the future, with the media publicizing it everywhere, I am afraid that within a few days, the higher authorities will immediately set up a task force to investigate and quickly get to the bottom of the case.

Coupled with the independence of the public security organs and the judiciary, the chief officials have no judicial power. It is almost difficult for a local chief like Sun Miao to cover the sky with one hand.

And in ancient times.

The county magistrate of the family was destroyed, and the governor of the family was destroyed.

It can be said that it is very easy for a local magistrate or governor to take someone's life lightly.

Along the way, Zhao Jun has seen too much.

He probably dealt with more than a dozen county magistrates alone, but he didn't even cover one-tenth of the land of the Song Dynasty.

I don’t know how many prefecture and county magistrates like Sun Mian, Guo Chengyou, and Shi Zhiqi will be there in the future who will care about human life. I don’t know how many innocent people died at the hands of these people.

The darkness and decadence of ancient society really amazes modern people like Zhao Jun.

With such a heavy heart, in just over ten miles, the fleet sailed into Hangzhou before dark and entered this bustling city.

Night has not yet fallen, but the city of Hangzhou is not desolate at all, but is more noisy than during the day.

Lanterns were hung high between the streets of every household, embellishing the night sky like colorful lights, turning the whole Hangzhou into a city that never sleeps.

Merchants, citizens, peddlers, and vendors walked in the middle of the river. On the Qiantang River, countless pleasure boats and tower ships were either docked on the shore or gently rocking in the river, showing the prosperity of this city, which was second only to Bianliang and Kaifeng in the Song Dynasty.

Zhao Jun's boat docked at the dock. When he got off the boat, all the officials from Liangzhe Road, plus local officials of Hangzhou, dozens of people were waiting on the shore.

After getting off the boat, he went to Taihe Tower surrounded by people.

The so-called "The spring scenery of the imperial capital is full of Qiantang, and Su Xiaodang's wine is twice as fragrant. The table is divided into three thousand guests with pearl shoes, and twelve rows of gold hairpins are arranged at the back." describes the interior scene of Taihe Tower.

This is a big restaurant that was no less than Fanlou in the Northern Song Dynasty. It flourished until the Southern Song Dynasty, and was destroyed by the war of Mongolian invasion until the end of the Southern Song Dynasty.

Zhao Jun put his hands behind his back and entered the building with a stern face, accompanied by Zhang Xia, the transport commissioner of Liangzhe Road, Wang Yong, the inspector, Li Jianzhi, the inspector of criminal justice, and Xu Yuan, the transport commissioner.

The building was brightly lit, and there was no guest. Many singing girls on the stage in the center started dancing almost at the same time when Zhao Jun entered.

The sound of music filled the entire Taihe Building.

Zhao Jun looked around and went upstairs under the guidance of Zhang Xia.

It was obvious that Taihe Building was booked by the government today. The restaurant that could accommodate hundreds of people was empty. Even with many officials coming in, it was still a little bleak.

But it finally became popular.

The owner of the restaurant came over with a flattering smile to greet him. After Zhao Jun sat in the seat of honor, he immediately started to serve the dishes.

Soon everyone was seated, and fine wine and food were constantly served.

Zhang Xia, who was sitting on the right side of Zhao Jun, personally poured wine for Zhao Jun, then raised his glass and smiled at Zhao Jun: "I am honored that the prefect has come to Hangzhou. I would like to offer you a glass."

"Drink this wine slowly!"

Zhao Jun glanced at the officials sitting at his table, then said sternly: "Who is Sun Mian?"

Sun Mian was not actually at his table.

Because the prefect was a fifth-rank official, and who were the high-ranking officials in Liangzhe Road?

The chief officers, adjutants, and assistant officers of the four departments were all between the fourth and fifth ranks, and only they were qualified to accompany Zhao Jun.

The rest of the prefectures and officials below the fifth rank could basically only sit at the table next to them.

But it was not too far away, the table on the right was it.

When Sun Mian heard what Zhao Jun said at this moment, he was immediately shocked.

Because he had guessed that Zhao Jun came to Hangzhou, most likely to cause trouble for him.

He also asked for favors.

But the problem is that Zhao Jun has no relatives or friends.

The only people who are close to him are probably the prime ministers and the emperor of the Political System Institute.

If he could ask for favors from others and get them from the Constitutional Council and the emperor, what would Sun Mian do as a prefect now?

He would have been the prime minister long ago.

As for going directly to Zhao Jun himself.

Sun Mian didn't have the courage.

After all, asking for favors from others would probably not cause any trouble due to face.

But going directly to the person himself would be like delivering evidence.

Once Zhao Jun refused to budge, he would obviously be charged with bribery.

So Sun Mian was terrified when he learned that Zhao Jun actually came to Hangzhou.

He originally thought that even if the other party came to Hangzhou, he would probably find evidence and then cause trouble for him.

Unexpectedly, he was called by his name at the welcoming banquet.

This gave Sun Mian a bad feeling.

But Zhao Jun called him, and he couldn't ignore it, so he stood up from the table next to him and bowed to Zhao Jun, saying, "I am Sun Mian, the governor of Hangzhou. I meet the governor."

"Are you Sun Mian?"

Zhao Jun looked serious, looked him up and down, and snorted, "Hangzhou businessman Xu Ming, do you know him?"

"To the governor, this man intends to rebel, and it is the case that I judged."

Sun Mian felt a chill on his back.

He thought that he really didn't cut the grass and root it out at the beginning. He actually forgot to get rid of Xu Ming immediately, which led to Li Jianzhi's intervention, and then Zhao Jun's intervention.

He originally wanted to kill Xu Ming, but he was taken away by Li Jianzhi, and he didn't have the ability to go to the Criminal Court to kill people, so this key witness fell into Zhao Jun's hands, which was a big trouble.

However, he quickly calmed down, thinking that he had destroyed all the evidence, and it would be difficult for Zhao Jun to overturn the case, so he remained calm on the surface and said: "This thief intends to be king and emperor, and the evidence is solid. Please investigate it clearly and don't listen to his sophistry."

"I will naturally investigate this matter, but I am looking for you today, not just about Xu Ming."

Zhao Jun said coldly: "Sun Mian, you were the governor of Shouzhou at the beginning. When you were the governor of Shouzhou, a major corruption case occurred. Shouzhou has two counties, Huoqiu and Anfeng, which embezzled more than 200,000 hu of disaster relief grain from the court, worth hundreds of thousands of strings of cash. As the governor at the time, you were unaware of this, which means that you did not go to the local area to inspect the disaster relief situation at all. This is your dereliction of duty. Therefore, this court will suspend your dispatch for the crime of dereliction of duty and first take you to the Hangzhou prefectural government. This court will personally enter the government office to investigate your crimes. What else do you have to say?"

When these words came out, the officials in the room were shocked.

Sun Mian opened his eyes wide and opened his mouth, unable to speak.

He thought Zhao Jun would come and use Xu Ming's case as an entry point to investigate his wrongdoings in Hangzhou, and then follow the clues to find out the truth of the corruption case from him.

He never expected that he would not play this game with you at all, and directly suspended you from your position for dereliction of duty.

Although the crime of dereliction of duty does exist and has indeed been implemented.

For example, during the Zhenzong period of the Song Dynasty, a woman in Kaifeng Prefecture was beaten and seriously injured by a drunken man. The woman took her injuries to the government to complain, but the government did not accept the case after hearing the woman's grievances. Finally, the case reached the imperial court, and all judicial officials involved in the case were dismissed.

It can be seen from this that if there was true malfeasance and dereliction of duty at that time, people would often be dismissed from their official positions.

It’s just that that was during the reign of Zhenzong. By the time of Renzong, the treatment of malfeasance and dereliction of duty had long been relaxed. Especially nowadays, the official Song Renzong Zhao Zhen treated the scholar-bureaucrats leniently. Not to mention dereliction of duty and dereliction of duty, even if the evidence of corruption was conclusive, he would always settle the matter. It's rare to actually kill someone.

Therefore, it is estimated that these officials in the Song Dynasty had not heard of any officials being dismissed for dereliction of duty and dereliction of duty for more than ten or twenty years.

"I'm a lower official."

Sun Mian opened his mouth, then gritted his teeth and said, "Xiaguan was always worried about the disaster at that time. He was in the prefectural government office dealing with the distribution of grain, and the disaster relief was handed over to the local county magistrate. This matter has nothing to do with Xiaguan."

"boom!"

Zhao Jun stood up, pointing at him and glaring: "It has nothing to do with you? More than 10,000 people died of starvation in Huoqiu County, and you actually say it has nothing to do with you? How many miles is Huoqiu County away from your Xiacai County? Hungry? The dead victims are all piled up outside Xiancai City. Are you blind or deaf? Can't you see it? "

"me."

Sun Miao looked at him for a while, and Zhao Jun's move obviously caught him off guard.

"What are you? Are you worthy of being an official?"

Zhao Jun didn't give him a chance to speak and shouted: "Come here, take off this guy's hat and lock him up in the prefectural government office. I will interrogate this guy tonight!"

"yes."

The imperial guards brought by Zhao Jun were everywhere in the hall.

He used to be a big ship and asked the Imperial Guards to follow him on land. He only had two to three hundred Imperial City Division Imperial Guards with him.

But this time, because the distance was long and direct, the cavalry were asked to go overland, while he himself came by boat with nearly a thousand forbidden troops.

Now the entire Taihe Building is his soldiers. Not to mention that Sun Miao has no military power, even if he has military power, he has no room for resistance.

Jiang Dalang and Huang Sanlang rushed over like wolves and tigers, grabbed Sun Miao's official hat, detained him, and then dragged him back. Sun Miao quickly shouted: "President, the matter has not been investigated yet, how can you do this?" So unreasonable.”

"snort!"

Zhao Jun saw him being dragged away and sat down again.

It was only then that everyone woke up from a dream. Zhang Xia hesitated for a moment and whispered: "Zhiyuan, this seems a bit inappropriate."

"how?"

Zhao Jun raised his eyelids and glanced at him, "So many people died outside Xiacai City, but he couldn't see it at a glance. Isn't it illegal for this court to arrest him for dereliction of duty?"

"Forehead"

Zhang Xia was stunned speechless.

Zhao Jun said coldly: "I went out to patrol the world under the orders of the officials to find out how much dirt the Song Dynasty had hidden. The Song Dynasty had been raising scholars for hundreds of years, so it treated the scholar-bureaucrats quite well. The salary was higher than that of the Tang Dynasty before. I don’t know how many times, there have been so many bugs that don’t work for the court, so what’s the harm in cleaning them up? Are you guys like Sun Mian, who only prepare their positions to make up for their losses?”

"Of course not, of course not"

Many officials quickly denied it, and the words they originally wanted to intercede with Sun Miao immediately swallowed them back.

Get promoted and get rich. Get promoted and get rich.

You have to be promoted first to get rich.

But Zhao Jun now has the power to appoint and remove all officials, which means that he controls the way to promotion.

If you offend him, let alone promotion, it is not certain whether you can continue to serve as an official.

Therefore, naturally no one will speak for Sun Miao anymore.

this.

That is the supremacy of power!

Some friends said that the main focus of watching the Song Dynasty is reform, but the protagonist is on the road of reform. He doesn’t understand anything, doesn’t look at anything, and goes deep. How do you know the shortcomings in officialdom, how do you know the suffering of the people, and how do you talk about reform? ? If you start it directly, it is a loft in the sky, which is pure nonsense, so now the protagonist is realistic. After traveling all over the country and returning to Bianliang, won't reform begin?

In addition, the value of the disaster relief funds in the previous chapters was wrongly calculated. In fact, it should be worth more than one million guan, and this has been changed.