Thief Emperor

Chapter 1002 Imitation
There are rows of pleasure boats on the Qinhuai River.

The Emperor changed into a black robe and walked with Yao Zhong, who was wearing a scholar's robe, along the river. Seeing the pleasure boats on the river like a forest and the sound of singing and laughter everywhere, the Emperor turned his head to look at Yao Zhong and asked, "What do you think of this place, sir?"

Yao Zhong took a look and said, "I think this is already a prosperous scene."

"Thanks to your majesty's great grace, Jiangnan has never seen such a scene before."

What Mr. Yao said was not flattery.

During the late Zhou Dynasty, the whole country was in chaos, especially in the Central Plains and Guanzhong regions. It can be said that the people were living in misery and wild bones could be seen everywhere on the roadside.

However, due to Li Yun's rise in Jiangdong, the three regions of Jiangnan, especially the area centered on Jinling, can be said to have seamlessly transferred order and were hardly affected by the chaotic times. In fact, because Li Yun built a new city in Jinling and upgraded it to a secondary capital, Jinling became much more prosperous than in the old Zhou Dynasty.

This is indeed the change that Emperor Li brought to this era.

Li Yun looked at the pleasure boats on the river and the sounds of stringed instruments and singing, and shook his head slightly, saying, "I'm afraid there is an unknown amount of blood and tears hidden in these happy songs and laughter, and in the low voices."

Yao Zhong's expression slightly changed when he heard this. He lowered his voice and said, "Your Majesty, I will ask Jinling Prefecture..."

Li Yun waved his hand at him and said, "When you walk out, don't call me Your Majesty all the time. I'll call you Sir and you call me Erlang."

Yao Zhong hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said yes. He turned his head to look at the river bank and said, "If Erlang has someone he likes..."

Emperor Li smiled and said, "If I find a woman from this pleasure boat, even if there is nothing wrong in the harem, I am afraid that the people in the Censorate will go crazy and make a fuss. If no one else says anything, Xu Ang will be the first one to not forgive me."

"I brought you here tonight to see some fun."

His Majesty the Emperor looked at the Qinhuai River and whispered, "Tonight, the Qinhuai River is selecting a beauty queen."

Yao Zhong then turned his head to look at the Qinhuai River, and saw that several pleasure boats had begun to connect to each other on the river bank. After a while, dozens of pleasure boats were connected together, and a stage that looked like a stage had been built.

His Majesty the Emperor asked Yang Xi to rent a pleasure boat. Sitting in the boat, he watched the women on the stage, who were performing and singing non-stop.

A woman covered in white gauze and dancing gracefully was dancing on the stage. After the dance, a man somehow got on the stage, hugged the woman's waist, and then glanced at the madam beside him, smiling and said, "Mother Chang, I want this girl. You can come to my house to get the money later!"

After saying that, he didn't say anything else and hugged the woman down from the stage. The woman was afraid but didn't dare to say anything and went down the stage tremblingly.

There was booing from all sides, but no one stepped forward, so the selection of the most beautiful girl continued.

In Li Yun's painted boat, not only was Yao Xianggong standing there, but also Zhong Min, the chief of the Ninth Department of Jinling, was standing there. Zhong Min lowered his head and whispered something in Li Yun's ear. Emperor Li raised his eyebrows, looked up at Yao Zhong, and laughed, "Sir, guess who that man was just now?"

Yao Zhong shook his head: "I don't know."

"They are from the Duke's Mansion."

His Majesty the Emperor laughed at himself and said, "The son of the chief steward of the Duke's Mansion."

"The Duke's Mansion..."

Yao Zhong was stunned for a moment, then he understood.

In the whole of Jinling, there is only one Duke's Mansion, and that is Duke Dingguo Zhou Liang.

Zhou Liang is not only a duke, but also a general stationed in Jinling. He has a lot of say in the Jinling area.

Yao Zhong looked at the emperor thoughtfully without saying anything.

Then, one woman after another came on stage, singing or dancing. Finally, a few women were chosen, and each of them stepped forward to compete for the beauty.

Zhong Min also bowed his head one by one and explained to Li Yun the identities of these people.

Among the ten, six or seven are related to officials of the imperial court, and many are related to old members of the anti-theft team.

There are also some who are related to the Zhuo family, but Zhuo Hong of the Zhuo family has been arrested, so the people of the Zhuo family have lost their voice.

On the way back to the Imperial City, Yao Zhong hesitated for a moment, then bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, although those people tonight have some indirect relationship with the court and Your Majesty, the people involved may not know it."

"For example, Duke Zhou may not know about this."

The emperor put his hands behind his back, looked up at the moon in the sky, then turned his head to look at Yao Zhong and smiled: "I know."

“It’s just a feeling in my heart.”

Emperor Li shook his head slightly and sighed: "You and I fought hard that day, and they all rose to prominence."

Yao Zhong said silently: "This is the way the world is."

Emperor Li nodded and said, "Yes, in many cases, the world is indeed like this, but I am a person like this."

Emperor Li walked forward with his hands behind his back: "He has a strange temper."

"Whether it's chickens or dogs, each family should control their chickens and dogs. If they really do something bad,

"Then we'll see you in the law of the land."

After saying this, His Majesty the Emperor strode towards the Imperial Palace in Jinling under the moonlight.

Yao Xianggong stood there, silently watching the emperor leave. He was silent for a long time before he sighed: "It has been like this for thousands of years."

"Your Majesty is just not used to it yet."

………………

In Luoyang City, many of Luoyang's official affairs were passed on to Emperor Li, and some things in Jiangdong would naturally be passed back to Luoyang.

Especially His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, he naturally has to pay attention to the movements of his old father.

Although His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has just begun to participate in political affairs, he has gathered his own team around him since he started elementary school at the age of five or six. Now, although he cannot be said to be omnipotent, he can be said to be sharp-eyed and sharp-eared.

The news of Emperor Li arresting corrupt officials in Jinling Prefecture soon reached the ears of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince summoned several teachers around him, and after some discussion, he went to the Secretariat and found Prime Minister Du.

After seeing Du Qian, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was very polite and bowed: "Prime Minister Du."

Du Qian quickly returned the greeting, bowed his head deeply and said, "Your Highness is too polite."

"Your Highness is visiting. What's the matter?"

"Has Prime Minister Du heard about the incident in the secondary capital?"

Du Qian asked His Royal Highness to sit down, then thought for a moment and said, "I've heard something."

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince clenched his fists and said indignantly: "It has only been a short time since our family left Jiangdong, and those corrupt officials have already begun to seize the property of the people of Jiangdong. This is really hateful!"

He clenched his fist and said, "Prime Minister Du, your father has arrested corrupt officials in Jiangdong, which is very satisfying to the people. I think we in Luoyang cannot do nothing either."

"Otherwise, when my father comes back, he will think that Prime Minister Du and I, his son, have done nothing!"

The eighteen-year-old Crown Prince is full of ambition.

He looked at Du Qian with a burning gaze: "What do you think, Prime Minister Du?"

Du Qian looked at him, thought for a while, and asked, "What is your highness going to do?"

"Since there are corrupt officials in Jiangdong, there must be corrupt officials in Jingzhao Prefecture, Henan Province, and Guanzhong Province. We in Luoyang can echo our father from afar."

"Give them a good beating!"

Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Du showed an approving look. He looked at the prince and asked, "What do you plan to do, Your Highness? Do you have any ideas?"

"Aren't you here to discuss this with Prime Minister Du?"

His Royal Highness took a deep breath and said, "I think we should invite Mr. Xu to come here for this matter, and let the officials of the three judicial departments come together to discuss the matter. Let the three judicial departments conduct a thorough investigation of the corruption in Jingzhao Prefecture and Henan Province. Once confirmed, they should be arrested and severely punished."

"So, when the emperor returns to Luoyang, Prime Minister Du and I will also have our achievements to report to him."

Du Xianggong nodded and said, "Your Highness's idea is good, and there is no problem with this matter, but how to investigate and how to investigate still need to be finalized slowly."

"Chafa?"

The Crown Prince was somewhat confused: "Prime Minister Du, isn't it true that all cases of corruption should be investigated and dealt with?"

"wrong."

Du Qian looked at the prince, thought for a while, and said patiently: "Your Highness, what is the purpose of investigating corruption?"

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince thought for a moment and replied, "Of course it is to punish those corrupt officials."

"wrong."

Prime Minister Du shook his head and said, "The purpose of investigating corruption is to make those who might be corrupt feel fearful, so as to ensure that the court's policies are implemented smoothly and the people live and work in peace and contentment."

"Since we want the people to live and work in peace and contentment."

Du Xianggong reminded: "Then, the bureaucratic system that Your Majesty has spent ten years to build cannot be messed up."

"While investigating corruption, we must maintain stability at all levels of government. Your Highness, do you understand?"

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was stunned and didn't speak for a long time.

Du Xianggong looked at him and said with a smile: "Your Highness is still young now, and you will slowly understand in the future. I think what your Highness said can be done."

“But you have to do it in an orderly manner.”

"Tomorrow, I will ask Mr. Xu to come over. When the time comes, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will come again, and we will talk to His Royal Highness about this matter together."

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince stood up and couldn't help frowning.

"Why is it so troublesome?"

At his age, he is the most playful. He had the idea of ​​investigating corrupt officials, but his original intention was just to show off in front of his father. When he heard what Du Qian said, he naturally felt a little impatient.

Mr. Du was not angry, but his expression was serious.

"Your Highness will have to learn these sooner or later."

“Now is a great opportunity.”

Li Yuan sighed, bowed to Du Qian and said, "Okay then."

"I will come to see Du Xiang again tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)