Qin Official

"I remember it was two years ago, when Prime Minister Li celebrated his seventieth birthday, His Majesty made him the Marquis of Che. All civil and military officials came to congratulate him, and there were thousands of chariots and cavalry in the palace. My beloved didn't want to go, but Zhang Shaorong had to take him with him. He went to congratulate him. He was just a minor official, but Zhang Shaorong was a county captain who was as powerful as two thousand stones, but he had to line up outside the door to get in. At that time, Prime Minister Li was really inferior to one person and superior to ten thousand people. He was extremely honorable. …”

Mrs. Cao is the wife of Xianyang Prime Minister Ma Xin. In the social circle of Xianyang women, she has always been famous for her good deeds, enthusiasm, and talkativeness. Today she came to visit the "Changnan Marquis Mansion" and chatted with the hostess Ye Yejin about household matters. As he said that, he got involved in political affairs.

She lowered her voice so that the other party could listen more attentively: "But today I passed by Li's house and opened the curtain to take a look. Madam, guess what?"

Ye Zijin opened the ice mirror that Heifu asked the craftsmen to make when he was in Jiaodong a few years ago, added a cup of cold and thorough syrup to Cao, and said with a smile: "How is it? Could it be that you are a little neglected?"

"Yes, it's really a world of difference. The front of that huge door is deserted, with not a single visitor. I also heard that Prime Minister Li only travels between the court and his home these days, and when he returns home, he greets guests with a closed door."

After saying that, she secretly glanced at Ye Zijin's expression. As far as she knew, Changnan Hou became successful in his early years, thanks to Li You's support, but later the relationship between the two families broke down. Whether it was the book-burning proposal or the Southern Expedition, both sides They have different positions and are almost political enemies.

Mrs. Cao was happily talking about Li Si's misfortune here, in order to please Ye Zijin, and decisively take sides, so that her husband Sima Xin could distance herself from the disgraced Li Si and his son, and hug the prosperous Changnan Hou...

After all, Zhang Han, the leader of the "Three Heroes of Xia Yang", was also discovered by Li Si and gradually promoted. As a friend of Zhang Han, Sima Xin also had frequent contacts with the Li family.

"Yeah, if I had known this, why did I do it in the first place?"

Ye Zijin shook her head and sighed. In her letter to Heifu, she downplayed it, but in Xianyang, this incident caused an uproar!

The hostess's response encouraged Ms. Cao, and she continued: "Madam, what do you think of Prime Minister Li? There were so many people traveling with him that he overstepped his bounds, and His Majesty was displeased when he saw it. That's fine. He actually had a culprit. Officials and ministers informed Prime Minister Li to reduce the number of accompanying cars..."

Ye Zijin heard that Emperor Qin Shi Huang's temperament had become more and more surly since he was assassinated in Junan. He ordered 270 palaces and temples within 200 miles around Xianyang to be connected to each other with overpasses and corridors. In the spring, these road bridges were built. Well, the emperor will become like a dragon who sees the beginning but never the end. No one knows where he lives or where he goes every day except the officials around him. Anyone who dares to leak it will die.

But that day, someone secretly told Li Si about the emperor's attitude, which caused great trouble. Qin Shihuang was furious and ordered the Tingwei to arrest and interrogate dozens of internal officials present. No one confessed, so they were all arrested. killed.

On Li Si's side, Qin Shihuang did not let him go. He actually dismissed his right prime minister and appointed him as left prime minister, while Feng Quji, the original left prime minister, became right prime minister...

This change represented the emperor's dissatisfaction with Li Si.

Qin respected the right, and the right was bigger than the left, and the right prime minister was also higher than the left prime minister. Li Si, who was once the most popular, was so smart that he was confused for a while and fell into a big mess!

Thunder, rain, and dew are all gifts from God. What can Li Tonggu do? He had no choice but to plead guilty to Qin Shihuang, and he was busy with the documents. From then on, he went out with only a four-horse carriage and an old servant.

However, Li Si's horse stumbled, which was only the beginning of the turmoil in the Xianyang court. Taking this incident as an opportunity, Qin Shihuang ordered the imperial censor Mao Jiao to rectify the official administration and strictly investigate corruption, fraud and extravagance. The black-clothed censors of the censor's office went in and out of major government offices all day long, and encouraged officials to report illegal activities to each other. For a time, Xianyang officials were in dire straits.

And when Cao came here today, she laid so much groundwork to win Ye Zijin's favor, it was actually because of this...

Mrs. Cao ended the gossip mode and began to wipe away her tears: "Madam, I don't know, my brother Cao Jiu is the warden of Xianyang prison. He has always been diligent and thrifty. The day before yesterday, he was interviewed by the Yushi Mansion, saying that someone reported him for corruption and bribery. , this is really a sudden disaster!”

"Is that so?"

Ye Zijin smiled and said nothing, Cao Jiu, of course she knew, had served as a warden in Yueyang, and then went to Donghai County to serve as a warden. He had an irreconcilable relationship with the Xiang family and received a lot of money from the Xiang Liang brothers.

She even heard her husband mention that when Xiang Tao resisted officials and killed people, causing the entire Xiang family to be arrested, Cao Jiu accepted Xiang Liang's bribe and wrote to Sima Xin, who was Yueyang Cheng at the time, hoping to release Xiang Liang's uncle. There is no need to implicate the nephew, but Sima Xin was ordered by Hei Fu to handle the case strictly. He believed that Xiang Tang was not a simple murder, but a "rebellion". All three clans were implicated, so he couldn't help but send Xiang Liang's uncle and nephew to the north. County.

If not, how could he be promoted by Ye Teng and promoted to the position of Prime Minister of Xianyang?

This Cao Jiu is not as smart as Sima Xin. He is greedy not for power, but for wealth. His dirty hands and feet are not clean for a day or two. In the past, no one held him accountable. Anyway, he was extravagant and took bribes. After the unification, the officials of the Qin Dynasty tacitly understood it. thing.

But who made him unlucky? At such an extraordinary moment, he was double-checked by the Yushifu. Who can be blamed?

Mrs. Cao cried with snot and tears: "The person who is investigating my brother is Shi Xi, the imperial censor who was recently transferred from the south. I heard that he is from Anlu and a member of the Houxiang Party in Changnan. But my brother, Just like my beloved, Wei Changnanhou Shizhan, this is really a flood that has washed away the Hebo Temple, and one family does not know the other."

Ye Zijin handed over the silk cloth and said helplessly: "Mrs. Cao doesn't know something. Although the Xi Yushi is a good man from the Xiang Party, he has always been selfless and only acted in accordance with the law. Don't say it's me, even if my good family comes forward. , it’s not easy, I’m afraid he will turn around and pursue our cover-up, and when the time comes, I’m afraid he will implicate Sima County Cheng..."

"Is there such a person in this world?"

Mrs. Cao was frightened. She also begged her husband to no avail, so she came to Changnan Marquis Mansion to try. Seeing that her plea was hopeless, she had no choice but to retreat and do the next best thing. She avoided the table and knelt down and said:

"Madam, my dear friend said that my brother has been guilty of corruption and dishonesty. He may be guilty of treason and will have to serve in the Lingnan Army. The south is hot and plagued with plagues. He may not be able to survive as a northerner..."

Ye Zijin understood and promised: "If this is true, I will definitely write a letter and ask Changnan Hou Haosheng to take care of Cao Yuyu, and he will not be harmed!"

After some hard work, Ye Zijin persuaded Mrs. Cao to leave. When she was walking her to the yard, her niece Xiaoyue came from outside with her two children.

After Ms. Cao got over her knot, her good-tempered and enthusiastic temper came back again. When she heard that this upright-looking girl was the niece of the Marquis of Changnan, she grabbed her, looked her up and down, and praised her:

"What a handsome lady, she deserves to be the daughter of a noble family!"

Then, the compliments like "hands are like catkins, skin is like gelatin, collar is like a cricket grub, teeth are like gourd rhinoceros, and the head is like a moth's brow", he uttered one after another, and finally asked: "Have you ever been married?"

Xiaoyue said shyly: "Never..."

Mr. Cao had the natural familiarity of a Xianyang person and said with a smile, "Is it possible that you already have someone you like?"

"No!"

Xiaoyue flatly denied it, her pretty face turned red. She was embarrassed by this overly enthusiastic aunt. After bowing, she took Polu and Fubo in.

This girl who had just arrived in the capital from Anlu countryside did not know that her thoughts were all written on her face. In the eyes of Ye Zijin and Cao, there were no secrets at all.

"Looks like I have a fancy for a taxi."

Mrs. Cao smiled and said, "But there are not many Xianyangs as big as the niece of Changnan Hou."

There is some envy in the words, for example, their family is simply beyond their reach.

"I'm afraid it will take the prince and grandson to do it!"

Ye Zijin shook his head: "Who among the princes and grandsons of Xianyang would fall in love with a little country girl like her?"

She looked into the eyes of her niece's back, feeling a little worried.

This innocent girl, since she first came to Xianyang and saw the young master Fusu's chariot at the Weishui Bridge, she has been obsessed with it. She is often in a daze. This makes Ye Zijin feel that bringing her to Xianyang is not a big deal. Good thing…

Mrs. Cao also invited Ye Zijin to sit at home, but Ye Zijin pointed out that she was dressed in plain clothes and declined because her father had to observe filial piety for one year before going out. After she came to Xianyang, she hardly left home and refused any possible trouble.

The political situation was turbulent and the emperor was impatient and impatient in governing. At this time, running out and dancing with long sleeves was not a good choice.

What's more, although she doesn't go out, she is very well informed!

After sending Mr. Cao away, Yuan, the housekeeper of the family, came.

Many years ago, Kite was bought by others and was rescued by Heifu. In order to repay their kindness, the father and daughter voluntarily became the bailiffs of Heifu's family. It has been ten years now. When Mr. and Mrs. Hei went to Jiaodong, Yuan stayed in Xianyang to guard the mansion.

Yuan is no longer the skinny person she used to be. Time and good times have turned this girl into an aunt. She has a thicker belly than her mute husband. She has sharp teeth and a sharp mouth. She is very capable and is a good helper for Ye Zijin.

On the order of her mistress, she went back and forth between the Changnan Marquis Mansion and the candy shop to report all the news she learned.

"Ma'am, something serious has happened."

On this hot day, the trees want to be peaceful but the wind is not stopping. Ye Zijin is helpless: "What happened again?"

Yuan said: "When I was passing by Weinan Street just now, I saw Xijun's family, whom the king respected very much, was surrounded by people from the government. He was also taken away in shackles by the officials. I heard that he was from the Tingwei Department... …”

This was something Ye didn't expect. She frowned and said, "Xi Ben is the imperial censor who picks up the officials. How could he be taken away?"

"Could it be that you are too unkind and have offended someone?"

Yuan also heard about it and liked to enforce the law very strictly. No matter how big an official you are, once you make a mistake, you will become ruthless and ruthless, causing chaos in Xianyang officialdom and being hated by many people.

"With the protection of Dr. Mao Jun, the imperial censor, who dares to target Xi at this juncture?"

But Ye Zijin understood that this trend of picketing the officials was the intention of Qin Shihuang. As long as Jiu Qing was not involved, no one would make things difficult for him.

This matter was so strange that there was no point in guessing it. Later, through various inquiries, Ye Zijin finally knew the whole story:

"Xi Xi sent a memorandum to His Majesty yesterday, bluntly stating that the failure of the official administration of the Qin Dynasty and the laxity of laws and regulations were all due to the bad conduct of the monarch. Please stop Afang and stop looking for the Queen Mother of the West to seek immortality! I offended the emperor and was arrested by the Tingwei! "

"How brave!"

Even Ye Zijin had a look of horror on his face, even more shocked than when he heard that Li Si's boat had capsized: "He, a little censor with only six hundred stones, dares to picket the emperor's head!?"