In the entire capital, the first person to know that the Imperial Censorate had collectively impeached Fan Xian, a popular figure of the court, was none other than Fan Xian himself. When His Majesty had not seen those memorials, Fan Xian knew that he was already standing at the heart of the storm.
Mu Tie sat in the chair opposite Fan Xian and said, "Last night, the Imperial Censor of the Left, Lai Mingcheng, led the way. Because of the confirmation process, it was only sent here today."
The First Bureau of the Overwatch Council was responsible for secretly monitoring the movements of the officials. If the officials of the First Bureau could not immediately find out about such a large movement, Fan Xian was afraid that he would be so angry that he would start a second rectification. He nodded and flicked the paper in his hand. "Are these the charges?" he asked curiously.
Mu Tie realized that the commissioner did not seem to care. He could not help but frown. "Sir, you cannot underestimate them. After all …"
He stopped talking. Fan Xian raised his head and looked at him. There was a hint of mockery in his eyes. "Do you think that I am worthy of these charges?"
The memorials of the Imperial Censor and the Imperial Censor clearly stated that in the short month that Fan Xian had been in charge of the First Bureau, he had accepted a large amount of silver from many people. At the same time, he had released a large number of suspects. He had also allowed his subordinates to commit violent acts on the streets. The last matter was related to the reputation of the court, while the first two were actual charges. The banknotes that Lady Liu had handed over to Fan Xian were all well-documented, and the officials who had been arrested by the First Bureau and then released could not be hidden from the world.
These charges were enough to make any official step down.
Fan Xian rubbed the spot between his eyebrows. He had been busy all day, and now he had encountered such a major event in the middle of the night. He was rather annoyed. "The Imperial Censorate of the Qing court, the Imperial Censorate, has the skin of a duck, and the heart of a sheep. When did they become so unafraid of the rich and powerful? Or is it that I do not have enough power? That my status is not high enough? "
Hearing this, Mu Tie could not help but want to laugh. The Overwatch Council had always looked down on the Imperial Censorate, but he forcibly suppressed his laughter. He thought that the Commissioner's last two rhetorical questions were asking a question he already knew the answer to. In Jingdou, Fan Xian junior's power was high and noble, and everyone knew that.
This was something that Fan Xian did not understand. Why did the Imperial Censorate's censors have the courage to offend him for no reason? These days, his methods had been gentle, and it seemed that he had not offended these people. Furthermore, these days, he had gradually gained the Emperor's favor. Were these people not afraid of making the Emperor unhappy?
Mu Tie looked at his face and knew what he was thinking. He explained, "Sir, this is the usual practice of the Imperial Censorate. They have always acted against the Overwatch Council. The law of Qing gives them this authority, and His Majesty has always suppressed the Overwatch Council's secret methods. So every few days, those poor scholars will always find fault with the Overwatch Council, but..." He frowned. "I didn't think they would have the guts to directly target you, sir, and with such heavy crimes."
Fan Xian reached his hand into the teacup and dipped it into a few drops of cold tea. He carefully rubbed it between his brows. The glimmer of brightness calmed him slightly.
The Imperial Censorate was a very special organization. In the previous dynasty, the Imperial Censorate was the highest monitoring, impeachment, and suggestion organization in the royal court. The senior officers were the Left and Right Imperial Censors, and below them were the Deputy Imperial Censors and the Deputy Imperial Censors. According to local jurisdiction, there were also Imperial Censors, who patrolled the prefectures and counties. They were responsible for investigating and impeaching officials.
In Zhuang Mohan's "Official Commentary", it was written about the Imperial Censorate of the Wei Dynasty: "The Imperial Censorate is responsible for impeaching the hundred officials, distinguishing between injustice and injustice, supervising the various departments, and acting as the Emperor's eyes and ears. Officials who are treacherous, petty, and tyrannical are impeached. Officials who are wretched, corrupt, and corrupt are impeached. Scholars who are not correct in their studies, who write to change the constitution and hope to be employed, impeach. In the event of a pilgrimage or an inspection, the Ministry of Appointments is impeached. The prisoners of the Great Prison are impeached outside the court, along with the Ministry of Justice and Dali. They follow orders from the interior, and follow orders from the outside, each acting according to their orders. The thirteen Imperial Censors are in charge of investigating and correcting corrupt officials in the internal and external departments. They are impeached in person, or sealed … and the Imperial Censorate is responsible for the constitution. "
The Imperial Censorate of the Qing Kingdom was far from the glory of the previous dynasty. It had removed the Imperial Censors from patrolling the various counties, and the power to investigate cases was transferred to the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court. Most of the power, such as monitoring the various counties and secretly monitoring officials, had been transferred to the Overwatch Council that Chen Pingping had single-handedly established. Now, it was only the Emperor's eyes and ears. It had an empty mouth, but no real power.
What kind of people were officials? They were men. What did men like most? Other than beautiful women, there was power. So the Imperial Censorate felt a glimmer of envy and hatred towards the Overwatch Council, which had taken away most of their power. Perhaps these scholars still missed the glory of the Imperial Censorate in the distant past, so they relied on their right to speak up to impeach the officials of the Overwatch Council from time to time.
But with Chen Pingping's poisonous eyes watching, these Imperial Censors had been quiet for a long time. Why did these Imperial Censors suddenly rise in revolt? Fan Xian pondered this carefully.
The Overwatch Council was the most powerful of the Overwatch Council, but that did not mean the Imperial Censorate had lost its influence on the court. Even the Eldest Princess had been forced out of the palace by Fan Xian's thousands of "verbal papers". One could imagine that words were enough to kill an official. Most of the Imperial Censorate's Imperial Censorate came from humble backgrounds, and were greatly supported by the scholars. In the past, when an Imperial Censor submitted a petition, it would always be echoed by the scholars. After a round of verbal attacks, the court would always investigate. Even if there were no results in the end, the official covered in filth would never be able to stand upright in court again.
Fan Xian laughed coldly. His mind turned, and he knew where the problem was. It seemed that the Overwatch Council's secret investigation of Xinyang and the second prince had already been leaked. He remembered clearly that the former Imperial Censor of the Left, who had been ordered by the Eldest Princess to break his legs in the Ministry of Justice, was a pretty boy raised by the Eldest Princess. And the great scholar He Zongwei, whom he had been secretly investigating, was also in the Imperial Censorate.
Not long after, the secret memorial sent to the palace received a reply. Fan Xian looked at the box wrapped in a golden silk handkerchief and shook his head. Opening it, there was only a piece of white paper inside. On the white paper, there were two words.
"An Zhi."
...
...
Fan Xian's surname was Fan, and his given name was An Zhi.
Now, he could naturally guess that this name was probably given to him by the Emperor himself. He couldn't help but frown, unsure of what the Emperor meant. When he submitted the secret petition, he knew that the Emperor would temporarily suppress the matter of the palace treasury deficit. But the sudden accusation from the Imperial Censorate made him misunderstand. He thought that the Emperor wanted him to swallow his anger.
"I can't An Zhi." Fan Xian shook his head and said to Mu Tie, "Investigate those Imperial Censors who consider themselves to be honest. Since they have petitioned me to take bribes and bend the law, then I have to reciprocate … it's impolite."
Mu Tie was a little surprised. "Director Chen once said that when it comes to the Imperial Censorate's petitions, it's like listening to a dog barking. Ignore it … because the palace does not want the Overwatch Council to investigate the Imperial Censorate, it would not look good. And in order to open up more avenues of speech, the Emperor has never given the Overwatch Council the power to arrest the Imperial Censors."
Fan Xian spat. "This time, they're not just barking. They're already opening their mouths to bite me. Who cares about the face of the court? I told you to investigate, and when the problem is found, I won't do it myself. Of course, I'll throw it to the Supreme Court and the Ministry of Justice. Even if the Emperor doesn't accept it … what's the use of that wall outside the First Bureau? "
Mu Tie was very happy. The people of the Overwatch Council had been waiting for this day. They accepted the order and left the manor in high spirits. They went to arrange for spies to investigate the Imperial Censors for any illegal activities.
— — — —
The next day, Fan Xian played mahjong at home and enjoyed a good day of rain. He didn't take the impeachment of the Imperial Censors seriously. Wan'er and Ruoruo, who heard the news from him, were a little worried. Everyone knew the importance of an official's reputation.
It wasn't until the news of the Imperial Censors' impeachment had spread throughout the capital, and the Hall of Governmental Affairs had already copied the memorials and sent them to Fan Manor that Fan Xian pretended to know about the matter. His face was full of shock and anger, but he still slept soundly that night.
Early in the morning on the third day, Fan Xian left the manor. According to the rules, an official who was impeached by the Imperial Censors had to put down what they were doing and submit a memorial to defend themselves. But he didn't follow the rules. Instead, he went to Xinfeng Restaurant and led a family to attack the delicious Jietang buns.
This matter had already caused a huge uproar in Jingdou. No one knew what kind of method he, the current popular figure of the court, would choose to retaliate. This was because this time, the Imperial Censors had clearly come prepared in their collective petition. They firmly held onto the accusation of impeachment. Even the officials who had been in and out of Jingdou this month were clearly investigated.
But no one expected that Commissioner Fan didn't attack the Imperial Censors. Instead, he attacked the meat buns.
On the fourth day, the continuous rain finally stopped. Fan Xian led a family to the outskirts to admire the chrysanthemums. Before the rest of the world, he used his fingers to get close to the little daisies that had just bloomed.
…
…
Logically speaking, at this time, the Hall of Governmental Affairs should have brought out the Emperor's edict. To investigate or not to investigate? To ask or not to ask? Regardless of whether it was to wake up Sir Fan junior, who had risen too quickly this year, or to harshly rebuke the Imperial Censors who were too meddlesome, the Emperor had to have an attitude. During the court discussion, the Minister of Appointments, Yan Hangshu, finally couldn't resist the curiosity in his heart and carefully asked. He didn't know that the Emperor only grunted through his nose and didn't respond at all.
The scene was stuck in an awkward stalemate. The Imperial Censors' faces of justice and solemnity gradually turned into awkwardness. They planned to jointly submit a memorial again. They were also prepared to draw in their peers among the civil officials in court. At the same time, they were going to mobilize the students of the Imperial College.
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