Qin Official

Tingwei Mengyi glanced at Xi, who was in jail and kneeling on the straw. There was admiration and regret in his eyes, and he turned around and said to the visitor.

"Doctor Yushi, I can only give you a moment."

Mao Jiaozuo bowed and said, "One moment is enough. Thank you very much, Lieutenant Ting."

Meng Yi returned the favor: "I don't dare. He is just a small imperial censor, but he did something that none of our nine ministers would dare to do. Although Meng Yi cannot imitate him, he still admires him."

After saying that, Meng Yi asked all the officials to leave, leaving only Mao Jiao and Xi, looking at each other across the wooden bars of the prison. The straw on the floor was full of urine. There were no windows, no beds, only torches outside. Can reflect the happy figure.

"Confused!"

Mao Jiao finally couldn't bear it anymore and angrily scolded this subordinate who was favored by him.

"I asked you to monitor the administration and punish illegal officials, but how dare you point the finger directly at His Majesty and actually say that Your Majesty is the source of corruption in the administration!?"

"I feel ashamed to have so much love for the imperial censor."

Xi has taken off his official uniform, taken off his Xie Zhi crown, and is wearing the ocher clothes of a prisoner. He paid homage to Mao Jiao. Six months ago, it was Mao Jiao who appointed Xi to enter the court as censor.

"But Xi, he has never been ashamed of his responsibilities and true intentions!"

Mao Jiao's anger disappeared and he sighed: "Why are you doing this?"

In this dark prison, Xi told Mao Jiao the reason why he did this.

"When I was young, I had the good fortune to come to Xianyang to serve as a sergeant and lived there for a year. At that time, the people in Guanzhong were still simple, their music was not dirty, their clothes were not frivolous, they were respectful and respectful to officials, and they worked hard. But in Xianyang In the official government of the Qin Dynasty, every Qin official is respectful and frugal, and they are all respectful and loyal. The ministers and officials also come from their own families, enter the public family, leave the public family, and return to their families. They do not compare with Zhou Dynasty or clique. Listen again. People say that His Majesty has just taken charge of the government and is determined to make progress. He reviews memorials every day and listens to the final decisions in person. He is diligent and frugal, accepts advice humbly, and relies on the law in everything. His rewards and punishments are fair."

"From then on, I understood that the Qin Dynasty would definitely dominate the world, and I also knew how to be a Qin official!"

Mao Jiao couldn't help but close his eyes as he talked happily. It was more than 20 years ago, at the beginning of the Qin Dynasty's pro-government, and the whole country was like the rising sun.

Today, the empire seems to be in full swing, but many things have changed.

Xi's voice became deeper: "This time, I have been in the capital for more than five months, and I have seen countless strange things that I have never seen before."

"From Wuguan to Lantian, there are nurturing lands along the way. It is the busy season for spring plowing, but the people working in the fields are old, weak, women and children. After asking, they said that all the children in the family have gone to serve. We went to all kinds of places, including the Great Wall in the north of the Great Wall, the western regions of Zhangye, the land east of the sea, and the south of the Yangtze River and Lingnan, but most of them were in Lishan and Afang."

Xi recalled his shock when he saw these two wonders: No wonder the fields were deserted, it turned out that hundreds of thousands of laborers were concentrated here. When he came to serve twenty years ago, he also built Lishan Mountain, but it was not large in scale and could be completed by a few thousand people. But now the foundation has been expanded a hundred times!

How big is it? After including all above-ground and underground buildings, the area is equivalent to half of Anlu County!

The scale of Afang is no less than that of Lishan. In other words, the emperor has turned the entire Guanzhong into a large palace, with buildings everywhere and pavilions at every step.

Xianyang has no outer city wall because Hangu, Wuguan, Xiaoguan, and Longguan are the four gates of the capital of Qin!

What a grand ambition, what a magnificent spectacle, but Xi was not excited at all, but instead had a chill down his spine.

"How many people are needed to build this..." Old Qin official couldn't imagine.

Full of questions, Xi started working in Xianyang, but he found that this was no longer the officialdom and court he was familiar with.

Like Qianzhong County, among the officials, there are some who make excuses to accept gifts, some who directly take bribes and pervert the law, and there are also those who work for prisoners from various places and extort money.

Among the officials, they are no longer selfless, but dare not do anything. Most of them are just fooling around. What's more, even the prime minister and the nine ministers have begun to advocate luxury and form cliques for selfish interests. Li Si rides and rides arrogantly, but there are internal officials Reporting is the most typical example.

When Qin Shihuang ordered the Yushi Mansion to rectify the administration of officials, Xi Ye was eager to lead the team in person and went to various government offices to arrest Cao Jiu and other corrupt and bribe-takers, causing Xianyang to be restless.

Even if others secretly scolded him as "Anlu Jingman", Xi remained unmoved. He only hoped to inject a trace of clean water into the filthy water and restore the court to what it was twenty years ago.

But as he walked further in, he realized that the water was bottomless.

A corrupt official's words made Xi suddenly realize. "Anlu Jingman, even if you arrest and sentence all the corrupt officials in Xianyang and even the whole world, will the life in the capital of Guizhou be easy? How many bricks of Epang Palace can be burned with the little money we have?"

Looking back suddenly, Xi saw clearly where the disobedience he had been vaguely aware of since he entered Xianyang came from.

"The Way of Being an Official" taught Qin officials: they need to know the people's abilities and use them well. But the fact is that the imperial court never cared about people's livelihood, and one-tenth of the world's labor force was always traveling on the roads and frontiers.

Officials were convicted for embezzling a penny, but countless people's wealth and support were used to build palaces, corridors, and covered bridges, and hundreds of officials took the opportunity to profit from it.

The imperial court required officials and Guizhou leaders to abide by the laws, but the imperial court itself often took the lead in breaking the laws: the one-year service period was extended to three years, and the annual oral tribute was added more than ten times at most. Those who should have been killed were let go by the emperor with just one word. Those who did not need to die were killed together because of the anger of the superiors.

Legalists never talk about ghosts and gods, and they don't even believe in heaven. They firmly believe that everything depends on humans. However, Qin Shihuang blindly sought immortality and immortality, and spent huge sums of money to send envoys to the Western Regions. He built a long road of more than a thousand miles directly to Yumen Pass and built a house in the hope that the immortal Queen Mother could move in.

Xi raised his head and looked at Mao Jiao, his eyes full of confusion: "Master Yushi, I am a humble countryman. Ever since I entered Wuguan, I have seen countless palaces. There are already so many houses. Even if His Majesty's harem is filled with beauties, Is it enough to live in? "

He couldn't understand why he was wasting the really important things for these useless things.

Don't let small achievements interfere with big things, don't harm others with selfish desires, husbands should do their best in farming, and women can do their best in weaving. This is the ideal of Legalism, but now, why is it all the other way around?

All of the above are the biggest violations of the empire's core!

"I secretly believe that if you want officials to govern in a clear and transparent manner, you must not only have strict laws and regulations, but also need the monarch to take the lead in abiding by the law, abide by the way of being a monarch, and set an example for us. Otherwise, the hearts of one person will be the hearts of thousands of people in the world. Seeing that His Majesty likes many extravagant things, he also imitates them one after another and regards the law as nothing. Therefore, the failure of the official administration stems from the improper behavior of the emperor. If Your Majesty does not change his ways for one day, even if all the corrupt officials in the world are arrested, the official administration will still be difficult to clean up. !”

Corruption is a difficult problem that every political power must face. Of course, things are not that simple, but Xi is a stubborn person. A stubborn person will find a reason and do what he thinks is right!

"You're right."

Mao Jiao sighed: "But as a censor, you are not a doctor or a doctor, so why should you be so strong and forthright? This is beyond your authority..."

"Because no one is talking."

Xi smiled bitterly: "The admonishment of the officials is muted. Confucian scholars and doctors preach that the world is peaceful and peaceful every day. Those who dare to speak, such as Chun Yuyue, have long been driven away."

As for Prime Minister Jiuqing or even the Yushi doctor? They have been catering to the emperor, guarding their positions with trepidation, not daring to say a word more, accompanying the emperor like a tiger, they are afraid.

"Master Yushi, what I fear most is not the corruption of officialdom, but that everyone is accustomed to it and turns a blind eye to it. They clearly see it but pretend not to see it!"

Xi stood up and held the wooden bars of the prison: "A embankment that is a foot long will burst with the holes of ants; a room that is a hundred feet tall will be burned with the fire of gaps. Someone must tell the truth."

Mao Jiao listened quietly, with pitiful eyes. From Xi, he seemed to see his past self. When he thought that Emperor Qin Shi Huang had done something wrong, he stood in front of the boiling cauldron, scolded him without changing his expression, and then happily Just cook.

But His Majesty suddenly came to his senses and persuaded him to come over. He said to him: "Sir, I have made a big mistake."

At that time, His Majesty was able to be courteous to the virtuous, accept advice humbly, and practice frugality. He was an ideal king.

But, people will change, from a few people, to me.

After unifying the world, the emperor not only stopped being thrifty, but began to be content with what he wanted. What's more serious is that he worked hard to be virtuous, arrogant and indulgent, and the officials were afraid of flattery.

In the twenty-sixth year of Qin Shihuang, the year when the world was just unified, it could still be said that "everything in the world depends on the law." By the thirty-fifth year of Qin Shihuang, it became "everything in the world, big or small, depends on the law." .”

All of this was unfortunately said by Wei Liaozi.

"The King of Qin is less kind but has a wolf-like heart. He is easy to be subordinate to others, and he cannibalize others lightly when he succeeds. I am a commoner, but when you see me, you always come down from me. Sincerely let the King of Qin succeed in the world, and everyone in the world will be a prisoner..."

Mao Jiao felt extremely sour in his heart as he recalled these words. He was sure that if he continued to speak out and give advice as he did in the past, he might really get cooked.

This is the situation Xi will face.

"The last person who spoke frankly to His Majesty was called Youzhan."

Mao Jiao slowed down his tone: "He is an advocate, talks funny and naughty, and has always liked His Majesty. That time he pretended to be drunk and said in public that there is no such thing as the Queen Mother of the West in this world, let alone immortality. He wanted to give advice. But he Unexpectedly, His Majesty was also drunk, and in a rage, he cut out his tongue."

Since a few years ago, Qin Shihuang has been most taboo about two things. One is saying that immortality is fake, and the other is proposing to establish a prince. Both of these things will make the emperor think of one thing:

die!

"Hi, the words of your memorial are ten times more violent than those of Yu Zhan. I'm afraid I will be beheaded!"

This is also the reason why Mao Jiao came to Tingwei's prison to see him happy. He wanted to win over this reckless man who touched Ni Lin.

"Immediately confess my mistake to His Majesty, Chen Shu, and I may be able to avoid death!"

Xi was silent for a while, then said: "Master Yushi, in the past when there was no engraving printing or paper, I liked to copy the laws and regulations onto bamboo slips, and I would copy them for ten years."

"In those legal questions and answers, there are only two situations, right and wrong. I tell the governors who come to ask about the law over and over again. Remember to do what is considered right according to the law and not do what is wrong."

He raised his head and said: "In the eyes of the prison warden, things in this world are only right and wrong. Xi Xi believes that he is not wrong and that His Majesty is wrong, so even if he dies, he will not regret it!"

"You! Why are you so stubborn?"

Mao Jiao was so angry that he wanted to kick the prison open, pull Xi out and slap him several times to wake him up.

Once upon a time, the young master Fusu was extremely stubborn and believed that he was the only one in the world who dared to tell the truth. He contradicted the emperor again and again and was left out in the cold.

But that was when he had no experience in the world. He was sent to Haidong to live in the snow for two years. After learning something from Heifu, Fusu also became smooth. After returning to Xianyang for half a year, even though he saw many unpleasant things, he never Make a statement.

Fortunately, he was transferred from the grassroots level. He has been an official for twenty years, but he doesn't understand that the world is not black and white. If you don't make adjustments, you can't do things?

"Because I promised you something."

He smiled and said: "In Anlu County, I have a junior whom I am very optimistic about. More than ten years ago, I once said something to him. More than ten years later, before I entered Xianyang as an official, he gave me something in return. I, please don’t forget, if I violate it now, wouldn’t it mean that future generations would laugh at me and call me hypocritical?”

"What are the words?"

His expression of joy became serious: "The Dharma is the order of the world and the appearance of all things!"

"Officials, the people's lives are at stake!"

He retreated to the wall and bowed to Mao Jiao: "As a minister, I would not dare to deceive the emperor if I am happy; as a legal official, I would not dare to say anything when I see a mistake!"

Mao Jiao was speechless. What could he say? He could tell Xi that he knew that the emperor was going astray, but it was useless to persuade him, so he simply kept silent.

Anyone who is astute can see that the emperor's health is getting worse, and there is no hope of immortality. I am afraid that it will not be a few years. For Mao Jiao, maintaining the status quo until the mountains collapse and until the young master Fusu succeeds to the throne is what he wants. The goal!

By then, all problems will be solved! Afang, border guards, and battles can all be stopped! Then we can truly achieve the goal of having no corvee among common people, with men enjoying their duties and women cultivating their own professions!

He had given up on his old master and looked forward to new possibilities.

Mao Jiao believed that Fusu and even the Marquis of Changnan in the south thought the same way!

So taking advantage of the Qin Shi Huang's change of phases, with Li Si on the left and Feng Quji on the right, and the turmoil in the court situation, Mao Jiao also took the opportunity to rectify the government to suppress those who might oppose Fusu's succession, and placed people close to Fusu. By.

But this great situation was ruined by Xi Yiyi's memorial!

"Doctor Yushi!"

At this moment, Tingwei Mengyi came behind him again.

"Is the moment here?"

Mao Jiao was a little stunned. Even if a reader read their conversation from beginning to end without missing a word, it would only take half a moment, right?

Meng Yi's face was serious. After retreating, he whispered a few words in Mao Jiao's ear...

Mao Jiao's expression suddenly changed, he pointed at Xi and cursed:

"You, Anlu Jingman, are such a blessing! For half a year, the eldest son has not said a word, but this time, for you, a mere 600-stone imperial censor has resolutely entered the palace and urged your majesty to save your life. . If you offend His Majesty by implicating him and lose the Emperor's heart again, no matter what your original intention is, whether it is right or wrong, you will be the sinner of Great Qin!"

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