Chapter 459

The news that Hua Qingfeng read from the Imperial Gazette was considered a tidbit of news, but it was only considered tidbit of news in a serious official newspaper like the Imperial Gazette in this era. In reality, it was still a matter of officialdom, just that it was reported in a more joking and relaxed tone.

The news was actually from five months ago and could be considered old news. It was about the Prefect of Shaanxi's Fengxiang Prefecture, Chu Tianxing, who was demoted to a dismissed official because he drank wine. This fellow did not drink wine, nor did he do anything that would damage his prestige as an official when he was drunk. He simply liked to drink wine and often had a few small gatherings with his friends.

The problem was that this Brother Chu drank wine that was public. Public wine was brewed for official purposes, used for official purposes, and stored in the official warehouse. There was public wine in the warehouses of yamen at all levels, specially used to gift visiting officials and officials who were in or out of office. If the local officials were particular about neighborliness, it was fine to gift it to officials from neighboring prefectures or prefectures.

However, there was one thing special about public wine: it could only be used for official purposes. Gifting it to officials from neighboring prefectures or prefectures was also considered official business. However, the gifting, receiving, and returning of public wine were not private property and had to be returned to the official warehouse. If one kept it for enjoyment, it would be a violation of the law. This was similar to the reason why officials of later generations received gifts from other countries during state visits. They could not be treated as private property.

In fact, compared to the time when the nation was founded, the laws and discipline of the nation had become much more lax. Many of the rules only existed in name, but these rules had not been abolished. If someone really brought it up to the table to reason, these dusty old rules would still come into effect.

This Prefect of Shaanxi's Fengxiang Prefecture, Master Chu, received fifty bottles of public wine from an official from a neighboring prefecture, but did not send them to the official warehouse. Instead, he drank them himself. The Prefect of Shaanxi Province, Li Boxian, had just taken up his post and was just about to find a few people to report to the higher authorities to show his achievements when he immediately wrote a letter of impeachment.

In fact, this Prefect only wanted to increase his political achievements and did not think that this matter would actually be dealt with by the imperial court. This was similar to how some agencies in later generations would organize some useless "learning" and "training" for no reason. It was all to have something to say at the end of the year and to show that they were working.

Unexpectedly, this impeachment was approved. As a result, this Tong Zhi Daren, who had real power, was removed from his post and became a disbanded official with no official position. It was interesting because the censor was only trying to gather some material for his' year-end summary 'and did not really intend to bring down Lord Chu. As a result, when the news came out, the censor was put in an awkward position. Although the Prefect's job was to supervise the officials, if he were to be impeached over such a small matter, he would not be able to do so. How could he not be alienated by the officials? The pitiful Imperial Censor Li could not be saved. He could only drink to relieve his worries, often getting drunk. Of course, what he drank was definitely illicit liquor.

Drinking public wine was a small matter? That was not the case in the first place. If I don't do small good, how can I achieve great righteousness? Throughout the ages, the private morality of the officials was highly valued. At the beginning of the country's founding, this was a serious crime that could be severely punished.

In the Song Dynasty, there was a high official who asked his subordinates to sell some waste paper in exchange for wine to entertain his guests. Because the waste paper he sold was public, the wine should be public wine. Using public wine for private use was considered "stealing". Therefore, he was removed from his post and the officials he invited were also demoted and chased out of the capital. This showed the severity of the punishment.

However, there was a common rule in the development of any dynasty. At the beginning of a dynasty, the majority of the people were honest and the laws were strict. When a country develops to its peak, corruption will inevitably breed, and discipline will also become lax. At the end of the dynasty, chaos would occur and all kinds of unimaginable phenomena would become the norm. People would become numb to it.

When the chaos was out of control, the country would be invaded by external enemies or replaced by internal strife. The dynasty would change and order would be restored. Then, the cycle of rise and fall would repeat. Whether it was the natural world or human society, there was no exception to this rule. This could be considered a form of self-correction by the heavens.

However, the laws and regulations of the current dynasty were far less strict than when the country was founded. Drinking public wine really wasn't that big of a deal. Even if someone brought it up to the table to talk about it, at most they would be reprimanded or fined a few months of salary. How could one be removed from office just like this? There was definitely a reason for this abnormality. Magistrate Hua thought carefully for a while and unexpectedly found the reasoning behind it.

This Tongzhi Laoye's great misfortune was definitely related to the current situation in the court. In the Emperor's edict to remove him from office, there was a sentence of "capable but not virtuous". Presumably, it was this reason that touched the Son of Heaven's sensitive nerves. It had to be known that Zhang Juzheng, that colossus, had just been overthrown for less than a year, and the settling of accounts against him was still ongoing. In the Emperor's heart, Zhang Juzheng was a classic example of "capable but not virtuous".

Grand Secretary Zhang used his authority to make his son the zhuangyuan without any moral integrity. He took enormous bribes, even daring to accept the confiscated land of a criminal vassal king. The current Son of Heaven found two musicians to dance and liven things up, but he scolded them until they wept bitter tears. In the end, he issued an "edict of his own crimes" to the entire world, and only then was he forgiven. Meanwhile, Grand Secretary Zhang himself had groups of wives and concubines, and he endlessly accepted beauties from others …

All of these scandals had been exposed one after another during the settling of accounts against him. It caused the Son of Heaven, who had always regarded him as a model of morality and a saint of Zhou, to feel deep hatred. The sentence of "capable but not virtuous" was precisely the Son of Heaven's anger and hatred. The reason why this Tongzhi of Fengxiang drank a few bottles of public wine was self-evident.

"Capable but not virtuous, huh …"

The more Hua Qingfeng thought about it, the brighter his eyes became. Zhang Juzheng's contributions could not be erased. That was a solid political achievement. The Emperor wanted to settle accounts with Zhang Juzheng. It seemed that the keynote was "capable but not virtuous", starting from personal morality. In this kind of political environment, he would definitely severely punish similar incidents. Only in this way could he continuously emphasize the reasonableness and correctness of dealing with Zhang Juzheng.

Even a Tongzhi master could not avoid becoming a sacrifice in this kind of situation. What did a little district magistrate like Ye Xiaotian count for? Hua Qingfeng jumped up in excitement. He had finally found a way to punish Ye Xiaotian. However, he immediately thought that Ye Xiaotian was not an easy person to get along with. If he wanted to find fault with Ye Xiaotian, would his own butt be clean?

Hua Qingfeng felt a wave of guilt. After some thought, he ordered someone to find Su Xuntian. When Su Xuntian heard that Hua Qingfeng was looking for him, he felt somewhat puzzled. Ever since Hua Qingfeng favored Miss Ziyu alone and gave the cold shoulder to Lady Su, the relationship between brother-in-law Hua and brother-in-law Su had always been rather tense. Did the sun rise from the west today?

Su Xuntian raised his head to look at the sky. The sun was still hanging perfectly in the east. Su Xuntian shook his head and rushed to Hua Qingfeng's study. When Hua Qingfeng saw Su Xuntian, he blurted out, "Xuntian, that casino … has it been closed?"

Su Xuntian was stunned. He never thought that Hua Qingfeng would actually want to see him to ask about this. After the last incident, Ye Xiaotian had advised him to not have anything to do with the casino. However, that was one of the few sources of income Hua Qingfeng had. How could he easily cut it off? With the development of the courier route, the casino in Hulu County also became increasingly prosperous. Su Xuntian himself also earned a lot of money from it, so he was even more reluctant to close it off.

Su Xuntian unhappily asked, "Brother-in-law, every month you take more than two hundred taels of silver from me. Now you're asking me if the casino has long been closed. Do you know where I got the money from? "

Hua Qingfeng's old face turned red. He awkwardly replied, "Uh … at that time, I protected the casino in order to contend against Xu Wang and his people. So I sacrificed small things to make the greater good! Now that Xu Wang and Xu Wang are no longer here, we don't need this ill-gotten wealth. Xuntian, quickly close the casino. You must not have anything to do with it anymore! "

Now that Su Xuntian had also earned a lot from the casino, how could he be willing to part with it? He advised, "Brother-in-law, what's done has already been done. Can mending the pen after the sheep be lost wash away the stain? Moreover, now that Xu Wang and his people are no longer holding you back, Ye and Bai Daren are also very respectful to you. You don't need money to bribe your trusted aides, but having more money is not a bad thing. Even if you and I don't touch it, it's hard to guarantee that others won't. Moreover, my nephew is about to be born. I have to save some money for him. "

Hua Qingfeng's face darkened. He righteously said, "Nonsense! Although what I did in the past was illegal, it was only an expedient measure. It was to wrest back power from the hands of the treacherous officials to serve the court. It was definitely not for my own personal gain. Today, even if I have a son, I should let him study the books of the sages and take the imperial examinations. Don't tell me that I want to use ill-gotten wealth to become a rich man? There's no need to say more. Quickly close the casino. No matter what, we can't have anything to do with it anymore. "

Su Xuntian had no choice but to agree. Hua Qingfeng thought for a moment. He then asked, "The matter of beating someone to death in the past, did it leave behind any future troubles?"

Su Xuntian thought that his usual cowardice was acting up again. He replied in a bad mood, "With Ye daren's help, it's long been handled cleanly. What future troubles can there be? This matter has long been settled. No one from that family has come out to seek justice. As the saying goes, if the people don't protest, the officials won't investigate. What trouble can there be? "

Hua Qingfeng was relieved. He waved his hand and said, "That's good. Brother-in-law is thinking for you. You can leave now. Remember, you must close the casino as soon as possible. Don't let our family have anything to do with it anymore. When it's over, remember to let me know."

Su Xuntian grunted in agreement. He angrily retreated. Hua Qingfeng stroked his beard. He thought to himself, "That day, I did nothing and let Ye Xiaotian handle everything. Even if he's impeached by me, he can't make a fuss about this matter. I didn't do anything. I can just say that I didn't know. But he can't escape responsibility. I'm sure he won't even dare to mention it. "

Thinking of this, Hua Qingfeng suddenly felt that he had great foresight. He could not help but feel proud of himself. He pushed open the door and heard the sound of firecrackers in the distance. The atmosphere of the New Year has gradually spread. Listening to the sound of firecrackers, Hua Qingfeng was greatly relieved.

"This is the sixth year I've been in Hulu County. Now that I have a son and my enemy is gone, as long as I get rid of Ye Xiaotian, all the achievements of Hulu County will fall into my hands. When my term expires and there's a new election, how can I not have a good place to go?"

Six years ago, when he first arrived in Hulu County, he was also full of ambition. He wanted to fight against Qi Mu and County Magistrate Meng. In the end, County Magistrate Meng held him back. Outside, Qi Mu used force to thwart his plans. Not only did Hua Qingfeng defeat his plans one by one, but he also seized control of Hua Qingfeng's wife and forced him to submit. In the end, Hua Qingfeng suffered a double loss.

After five years of sharpening his sword, Hua Qingfeng finally rose again. But he did not know whether his sword was good or bad. However, Magistrate Hua was full of confidence. "People have three bad days and six good days. I've been unlucky for so long. It's time for the best …"