allendalepharm Chapter 769: Candidates Going to Jiangnan
Chapter 769: Candidates Going to Jiangnan
"But this trip to Jiangnan will probably be difficult and dangerous. Does anyone among you nobles have any recommendations, and who can volunteer to take the risk?" The emperor sat in a wheelchair, looking down from above and taking in everyone's expressions.
Some people looked calm, while others actually took a step back. For a moment, you could hear a pin drop in the store, but no one answered.
The emperor turned his gaze to Jiang Youzhen, only to see that Jiang Youzhen looked thoughtful.
The three princes lowered their eyes in deep thought and fell silent for a while.
"What? No one dares to go to such a huge court?" The emperor snorted coldly, extremely dissatisfied.
"Your Majesty! The Censors of the Metropolitan Censorate are responsible for inspecting all officials, and the imperial envoys sent in the past were also the Censors of the Metropolitan Censorate. In this case, the officials of the Metropolitan Censorate have an unshirkable responsibility."
The Minister of War in the Sui Yuan Dynasty was best at passing the buck. As the Minister of War, it was not his turn to be the imperial envoy.
However, the Censorate relies on its power to impeach officials every day, so this time the Censorate should not think of backing down.
"I second the motion! Your Majesty, the Censorate must send officials to handle this case. There is no time to delay!"
"We second the motion!" everyone echoed in unison.
"Your Majesty, I second the motion!" said the third prince.
The emperor looked at Chen Zhixin, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, and asked, "My dear Chen, what do you think?"
Chen Zhixin immediately stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, the Censorate will not refuse this case. It is part of their job. However, I am still considering the candidate."
Jiang Youzhen stood at the back, wondering why the emperor had called her here. She was only a censor of the Censorate, and she was a rankless official, so she had no right to attend court.
If she were asked to come up with some advice, she had just read two memorials and found that the descriptions in the memorials were very detailed. If she wanted to find out the truth, she would have to go to Lin'an Prefecture in person.
Did the emperor call her here to investigate the case in Lin'an Prefecture? Jiang Youzhen quickly analyzed the pros and cons of investigating the case in his mind, and in an instant he had a plan.
The second prince finally glanced at Jiang Youzhen and began to think about it. Why did his father call Jiang Youzhen here? He couldn't help but feel a little worried.
The Fourth Prince was indeed frowning. He had originally chosen the imperial envoy to be sent to Jiangnan. But with such a big event happening suddenly in Jiangnan, his father might have changed his mind about the imperial envoy.
"Oh? There are so many officials in the Censorate, but they have made Lord Chen so embarrassed. Are they all mediocre and incompetent?" Sui Yuanchao said sarcastically.
When they impeached officials on weekdays, they were all eloquent, but when something really happened, they all became gourds with sawed mouths.
Everyone looked at the officials of the Censorate. It would be very dangerous to go there this time. These people are afraid of death, so how could they dare to agree easily?
Right Censor Zhao Wujing raised his eyebrows and suddenly thought of Jiang Youzhen who was standing at the end. What if Jiang Youzhen went forward? That would solve the current problem.
But the Fourth Prince admired Jiang Youzhen very much. If Jiang Youzhen was sent to Lin'an Prefecture and something went wrong, the Fourth Prince would inevitably blame him. So he swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth and decided to wait a little longer!
There were many factions in the Censorate, and no one was willing to submit to anyone else, but at this moment everyone was surprisingly silent.
"My dear Minister Chen, have you thought of any candidate?" The emperor had already suppressed his anger. Even with such a big case, everyone kept silent. These people were just used to a life of luxury and were unwilling to take any risks.
"Your Majesty, this case involves a lot of serious matters. If it is not handled properly, it will not only cause loss of troops and generals, but also hurt morale and damage the reputation of the court. I am unable to make up my mind for the moment. Please give me two days to carefully consider the candidate."
Chen Zhixin was also helpless. There were only a few officials in the Censorate who could take on this important task. Most importantly, if he died in Jiangnan, it would be fine! But I was afraid that he would be infamous for eternity!
The emperor must be determined to suppress the Jiangnan Salt Gang this time. Once the government and the bandits go to war, and the court loses, then they will be the sinners. They will die in vain, and their families will be despised by thousands of people. It is simply a hundred harms and no benefit.
Don't talk about winning. There is indeed hope of winning, but can the salt gangs be wiped out if they are connected to various places? Just a spark is enough to start a prairie fire, and a centipede will not die even if it is cut into pieces. I am afraid that the salt gangs will make a comeback soon.
"Those bandits have bullied me so much that they even dared to rob government ships. You can't even come up with some rules. What use do I have for you?" The emperor was furious and roared, scaring all the officials to kneel on the ground immediately.
When the emperor is angry, corpses are everywhere!
The Jiangnan Salt Road and the Canal are controlled by thieves, and the power of the Salt Gang has threatened the court. This time, the emperor must take down the Salt Gang, otherwise it will cause great trouble in the future.
Salt is essential for survival. Once it is controlled by an individual, it means the lifeblood of the imperial court is in their hands. If the people are won over, then in the future they will rise up and be supported by the people. Wouldn't the country change hands?
How can I allow others to sleep soundly next to my bed?
"Your Majesty, please calm down. It is our fault that we are incompetent!" Everyone knew that the emperor was really angry this time.
"Incompetent! You are indeed incompetent! You take my salary but don't know how to share my worries. What use do I have for you people?"
The emperor calmed down, a gloomy look flashed in his eyes, "If you are incompetent, then abdicate and let someone more capable do it!"
All the officials were horrified and kept silent.
This was the first time Jiang Youzhen saw the emperor so angry.
"Your Majesty, why don't we send a few imperial envoys to go together? I don't believe that we cannot defeat the Salt Gang." The Minister of Personnel Zuo Mingyang offered a suggestion. It would be better to let my friend die than to let me die. It would be a good time to reorganize the power of the Censorate!
"I second the motion!" said Wei Donglai, the Minister of Justice.
"I second the proposal!"
The three princes went with the flow, and if they interrupted and recommended candidates this time, it might change the structure of the Censorate, but they were also afraid that the people they sent might have achievements that would be disadvantageous to them.
All officials were eager to get rid of the hot potato, but ended up putting the officials of the Censorate in dire straits.
However, at this critical moment, the officials of the Censorate did not dare to protest. The emperor was furious, and if they tried to evade the question, the consequences would be disastrous.
The emperor sneered, "That's fine! Then I will come and make the choice!"
The officials of the Metropolitan Censorate were sweating profusely. If they were called upon, they would have to go. They were all officials of the fourth rank or above, and their careers were already going smoothly. How could they be willing to die in that damn Jiangnan?
How many of the Jiangnan Salt Supervisors could come back alive? Only a handful!
What's more, this time it was an open assassination. In the past, they only used chronic poison or pretended to die by accident, and they didn't dare to do it openly. But now those people are crazy. Xu Zhanrong has lifted their fig leaf, and they are angry and ashamed.
"Whoever I point to will be the one. If he can accomplish his task, I will guarantee that he will be promoted two levels." The emperor also knew that this trip would be a life-threatening one, and it would be a gamble with his life, so naturally he had to give some benefits.
Just as the emperor extended his finger and everyone was trembling with fear, a man suddenly stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to serve you like a dog or a horse!"