The reason why Yu Chaoen ended up like this was inseparable from his carelessness and greed. He was like a frog in warm water, greedy for a warm and comfortable environment. When the temperature of the water gradually rose, he did not feel it at all. When he felt the danger of the high temperature, his body was already unable to move, and he was slowly boiled to death.
This kind of boiling frog in warm water was a very terrible phenomenon, and it was widespread in many fields. The origin of this allusion was an experiment done by a scientist in later generations. At that time, the scientist put a frog in hot water. The frog could not stand the sudden stimulation of the high temperature and immediately jumped out of the water, thus escaping.
Then, the scientist put the frog in a container of cold water at room temperature, and then slowly heated it. As a result, the frog did not have any excessive reaction. Instead, it was leisurely in the water because the temperature of the water was comfortable at the beginning. When the frog found that it could no longer stand the high temperature, it was already powerless. Unknowingly, it was boiled to death in the hot water.
This story told people that even in a superior environment, they had to be vigilant at all times. Otherwise, extreme joy may turn to sorrow. When dealing with opponents or achieving something purposefully, if they did not master the method and acted recklessly, it would not be easy to succeed. They could first use similar methods such as boiling the frog in warm water to paralyze the opponent. This way, the success rate would be higher.
For example, a student studying in school might be able to study seriously at the beginning, but after a long time, he slowly relaxed the pace of study. His enthusiasm for studying was not high, and he was always perfunctory. If he could make do, he would make do. He felt that it was the same whether he studied well or not. He even felt that studying was useless. No matter how hard he studied, he would only do a very ordinary job in the future. He used this as an excuse for himself to not study hard.
These actions might seem trivial, but in the long run, they would slowly erode our willpower, weaken our combat power, and hinder the development of our studies and future life. Once the originally calm stream was faced with the torrent of reform, it would be no different from a frog drowning in warm water if it tried to compete with others.
Yu Chaoen's situation was the same. In the beginning, he felt that many people were willing to give him gifts because of his reputation and ability. It would be a waste if he didn't accept them. He even accepted money to do business for some businessmen. Everything made him feel so comfortable.
However, a few years later, he suddenly realized that he had accumulated a lot of wealth. However, this wealth that was piled up like a mountain was about to crush him. He did not expect this.
Yu Chaoen, the poor and pathetic frog, could already feel the high temperature, but he had no ability to escape because his ability had been corroded by the high temperature. He could only resign himself to his fate and wait for himself to be boiled alive. He didn't even have the strength to struggle.
Yu Chaoen's Railway Bureau was the most lucrative job in the Tang Empire. No other job could be more lucrative than the Railway Bureau.
Since ancient times, there had been a saying that a tall tree attracted the wind. Since the Railway Bureau was a lucrative job, it would inevitably attract a lot of people's attention. Even every move of the Railway Bureau was watched by people.
Now, the revenue and expenditure of the Railway Bureau had taken a sharp turn. The speed of the change was so fast that people with discerning eyes could find the problem. Therefore, how could these people not seize the opportunity to seek huge benefits for themselves?
Soon, a ninth-grade minor official from Luoyang ran to Yang Guozhong's mansion. He wanted to impeach many leaders of the Luoyang Railway Branch.
After Yang Guozhong's trusted servant learned the purpose of the other party's visit, he immediately arranged for the other party to enter the mansion and reported the situation to Yang Guozhong.
"A ninth-grade minor official, or a ninth-grade minor official, came to my mansion. What is his specific position? Why does he want to stay?"
Yang Guozhong still didn't know the situation, so he was a little unhappy.
"Alang, this person claims to be the deputy stationmaster of Luoyang Railway Station. His name is Li Xiaoer. He has a very important situation to tell Alang."
The trusted servant said.
"The deputy stationmaster of Luoyang Railway Station, this is a lucrative job! What important thing can he have? "
Yang Guozhong muttered to himself doubtfully.
"Can't Alang guess?"
The trusted servant shrewdly asked.
"Unequal distribution of the spoils."
Yang Guozhong smiled softly and blurted out.
He naturally knew more about the Railway Bureau. As a senior official of the Tang dynasty, if he couldn't even figure out such a small thing, then he would be an official in vain.
However, the Railway Bureau's performance had always been quite good. The Emperor also praised the Railway Bureau on various occasions and asked all the departments of the imperial court to learn from the comrades of the Railway Bureau and strive to achieve better results.
Therefore, even if Yang Guozhong knew about the Railway Bureau's tricks, he wouldn't mention it in front of the Emperor to avoid making the Emperor unhappy.
But now the situation was different. The revenue and expenditure of the Railway Bureau had declined greatly. Anyone could predict that after the Emperor knew about this, he would definitely be very unhappy. This provided a good opportunity for them to impeach.
However, one couldn't rely on predictions to do things. If the Emperor still favored Yu Chaoen, then the impeacher would face the risk of being hated by the Emperor. Anyway, Yang Guozhong was certainly not willing to do such a risky thing easily. Otherwise, if he couldn't bring down Yu Chaoen in one fell swoop, it would be tantamount to having one more enemy for no reason.
In addition, although Yang Guozhong had a rough idea about the Railway Bureau's affairs, he didn't have much substantial evidence. He couldn't convict Yu Chaoen and other leaders of the Railway Bureau just based on the revenue and expenditure of the Railway Bureau.
But at this moment, the deputy stationmaster of the Luoyang Railway Station ran over. This person was an employee of the Railway Bureau. Moreover, he was a small leader. Since he could come to the capital to find Yang Guozhong, he must have evidence of the corruption of the Luoyang Railway Branch. Keeping this person in his house was equivalent to holding Yu Chaoen's life. As long as the time was right, he could put the other party to death.
However, there was a reason for everything. There was no irreconcilable conflict between Yang Guozhong and Yu Chaoen. Their relationship was still pretty good. Everyone worked for the Emperor. As long as there was no conflict, it could be considered a good relationship. However, if there was a conflict of interest, then it could be considered a conflict of interest at any time.
After Ang Lee provided a few monopolized industries, Yang Guozhong earned a lot of money. He was a big official who didn't lack money, so he didn't have much interest in the lucrative job of the Railway Bureau. At the very least, what he urgently needed was not wealth, but a higher status. Compared to wealth, he preferred a high status.
A few days ago, because of the evil servant, Yang Guozhong's life was very unpleasant. His heart was terrible. At this moment, he felt that the matter in front of him was an opportunity. If he could make a great contribution to the Railway Bureau, then he could offset the negative impact of the previous matter.
Yang Guozhong still didn't know how to take advantage of this incident. He had to meet Chen Xiaoer first to understand the specific situation. He had to figure out how much information Chen Xiaoer had, what caused him to betray his superior, and whether Chen Xiaoer was willing to listen to him and work for him. Only by figuring out all these things can he make the next decision.
"What do you think of this person?"
Yang Guozhong asked.
"At first glance, I can tell that he's not easy to deal with. He looks shifty and doesn't look like a good person."
The confidant servant said. After a pause, he said, "We have to meet him first, but we can't be too anxious. We have to leave him hanging for at least a few hours."
Yang Guozhong felt that it was very reasonable. He nodded and asked someone to send tea and snacks. He wanted to leave this guy hanging to show that he was not someone who could be met casually.
Although he knew that the other party was not a good person, in Yang Guozhong's eyes, there was no distinction between good and bad people. As long as the person was useful to him, he was a good person. As for the person who was useless to him, he was an ordinary person. As for the person who was against him, he was a bad person. He was so realistic.
At this moment, he urgently needed to get rid of the influence of the evil servant incident. He needed to make a great contribution to re-establish a good image for himself. He felt that the arrival of Chen Xiaoer was a good opportunity. He had to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity well. Chen Xiaoer's arrival was a good opportunity.
Chen Xiaoer went to Yang Guozhong's mansion with the intention of giving it a try. He knew that the Yang Guozhong family had always been favored, so it was always right to find Yang Guozhong. Previously, he wanted to find Ang Lee, but he heard that Ang Lee was always inventing things and basically did not like to get involved in the affairs of the imperial court. Yang Guozhong had many titles of imperial censor. In the Tang Empire, imperial censors had the right to supervise and impeach officials. Therefore, he changed his mind and changed his route to Yang Guozhong's mansion.
Chen Xiaoer had only heard of Yang Guozhong's name, but he had never seen him with his own eyes. When he first entered the mansion, he saw the steward of Yang Guozhong's mansion and mistook him for Yang Guozhong. After he knelt down and bowed, he realized that he had made a mistake. He was immediately embarrassed.
When he heard that Yang Guozhong happened to be in the mansion, he thought that he would be summoned soon. However, he waited for a long time, and even the flowers had withered, but he still did not see Yang Guozhong's shadow. Occasionally, the servants would bring snacks and tea. However, he was preoccupied with his business and did not have the leisure to eat and drink. He just wanted to see Yang Guozhong.
"Stop! When will the imperial censor see me?"
Chen Xiaoer angrily shouted at a maid who was delivering a fruit plate.
The maid also saw that the other party had no background. She simply ignored him and walked away.
"Hey, even a little maid dares to be so arrogant. No wonder she dared to hit the Emperor's daughter. She is really rebellious."
Chen Xiaoer shouted angrily.
Anyway, there was no one around him at the moment. He was alone, so he was not afraid that someone would hear him.
However, unfortunately, Yang Guozhong had already walked over. He was not far away and heard Chen Xiaoer's complaints.
"As expected, he is not a good person. Hmph."
When Yang Guozhong heard Chen Xiaoer's complaints, he stopped abruptly and said to the servant beside him.
"Alang, I did not expect this guy to be so hateful. He actually dared to say such things. How should I teach him a lesson? Alang, please tell me."
When the servant heard this, he also felt very angry and said.
Yang Guozhong's face was cold. After thinking for a long time, he said, "You can stay outside. I will go in and meet this guy."
After saying that, he strode in.
"When will the imperial censor see me?"
Hearing the footsteps, Chen Xiaoer anxiously shouted. When he turned around, he saw a man who was more imposing than the butler just now. He immediately felt that he had made a mistake. He felt that this person was most likely Yang Guozhong.
"May I know who you are?"
Chen Xiaoer asked cautiously.
"You are in my house, yet you ask who I am."
Yang Guozhong said coldly.
Chen Xiaoer was shocked. His legs turned to jelly. He quickly knelt on the ground and apologized in a trembling voice, "I have eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai. Please forgive me, Imperial Censor."
"You are just a minor official of the ninth rank, but your aura is even more imposing than the current emperor. You are very impressive! What crime have you committed? "
Yang Guozhong's tone was strange and sarcastic.
"Please forgive me, Imperial Censor. I was too anxious, so I offended you. It is all my fault. Please be magnanimous, Imperial Censor. Please do not lower yourself to my level."
Chen Xiaoer hurriedly apologized. He was just short of swearing an oath.
Yang Guozhong had already taught him a lesson. When he saw the other party kneeling obediently, the anger in his heart subsided. His complexion also improved.
"Chen Xiaoer, deputy station master of Luoyang Railway Station. You came all the way to the capital. What important matter do you have to tell me?"
Yang Guozhong asked.
When Chen Xiaoer saw this, he immediately knelt on the ground and said, "Imperial Censor Yang, I want to make a report. I want to make a report. I want to report the Luoyang Railway Branch's Physician Wang Gui, Minister Counsellor Wang Hu, Cui Bao, as well as the Railway Station's Stationmaster Zheng Quan, as well as seven or eight petty officials in charge of finance. They are corrupt and have taken all the money that should belong to the imperial court into their own pockets.
They should be sentenced to death. "After a series of hurried complaints, Chen Xiaoer panted loudly. It could be seen that he was rather agitated.
Yang Guozhong quietly looked at Chen Xiaoer. After thinking for a while, he asked, "Chen Xiaoer, these people are all your officers. If you do not have any evidence, slandering an official of the imperial court is not a minor crime."
After saying this, he coldly looked at him.
Chen Xiaoer frowned and said agitatedly, "Imperial Censor Yang, I have evidence. I really have evidence. I can prove that they have deceived their superiors and their subordinates and embezzled the imperial court's money. I can prove this."
"You can prove it? How can you prove it? Just by relying on your mouth? "
Yang Guozhong naturally would not believe whatever he said. Otherwise, his years of being an official would have been for nothing.
Chen Xiaoer sneered and said, "I don't dare hide it from Imperial Censor Yang. This lowly official has been busy for a year. I have recorded all the freight transport accounts clearly, especially the Luoyang Railway Station. How many trains are sent each day, how much is received from each train, and how much is concealed. This lowly official has recorded everything clearly without leaving anything out. A few days ago, this lowly official even stole the finance account book."
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