Do you know: I am the crown prince

Chapter 431 Thunder’s Fury

"Who among you dares to guarantee to me that there are no members of the wizard cult under his rule?"

The hall was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

The officials in Beijing were fine, but the local governors were all complaining in their hearts.

It is impossible for the world to be peaceful and tranquil.

But this is the New Year's grand court meeting, so naturally we have to say something nice, otherwise wouldn't it be annoying to the emperor?
This has been the rule for many years, and even when Taizu was alive, it never broke out at a grand court meeting.

Who would have thought that he would meet an emperor like Zhao Xing who did not play by the rules.

"I know the local situation very well. I even know the situation in your jurisdiction better than many of you do."

Zhao Xing said, "Where is the governor of Dangzhou?"

"Chen is here!"

When the governor of Runzhou heard this, he was startled and hurriedly stepped out to salute.

"I heard that Lord Hai checked the land in Runzhou and found a lot of land that had been swallowed up, and returned it to the people. But after Lord Hai left, the landlords and gentry in Runzhou forced the people to return the land. The people went to the government to complain, but the government ignored them, is that right?" Zhao Xing said indifferently.

The governor of Runzhou was sweating profusely, his face turned pale and he said, "Your Majesty, I am not directly responsible for local affairs!"

"boom!"

Zhao Xing slapped the imperial desk, his face livid as he said, "It's true that the prefect is not directly responsible for local government affairs, but he has the power of supervision. Why didn't you report this incident in Runzhou?"

The full name of the prefect is "Quanzhi Military Affairs of a Certain Prefecture". Prefecture refers to the people, and army refers to the local garrison.

As the name suggests, the prefect has the right to know about the military and political affairs of a state.

Contrary to what many people believe, the governor is in charge of a state.

The prefect was more responsible for supervision, and the chief official of the prefecture was the Tongpan.

However, the prefect had the power to supervise the military and political affairs of a state. The purpose of his existence was to report anything wrong to the emperor.

But the governor of Runzhou said that he did not directly manage the government affairs of Runzhou, which was ridiculous.

"Your Majesty, I am guilty!"

The governor of Runzhou also knew that his defense was very weak, and seeing that Zhao Xing was angry, he did not dare to continue to refute.

"Of course you are guilty, but whether it is dereliction of duty or collusion with others requires a thorough investigation!"

Zhao Xing sneered and said, "Come here, take away his official hat and hand him over to the Imperial City Department for a thorough investigation!"

"Your Majesty, although the governor of Runzhou is guilty, the investigation should be handled by the Dali Temple. How can it be handed over to the Imperial City Department for investigation?"

As soon as Zhao Xing finished speaking, some officials jumped out to oppose him.

The previous arrest of the Wizard Cult involved many officials. Zhao Xing asked the Imperial City Bureau to be responsible for it, which caused dissatisfaction among many officials.

However, Zhao Xing said that this matter was related to the Wizard Cult, and he was not sure whether there were other officials in the court who were involved with the Wizard Cult. Just to be on the safe side, he let the Imperial City Bureau be in charge.

This matter was a hot potato in the first place, and the Dali Temple Minister also agreed that the Imperial City Bureau should be responsible for it.

Otherwise, if someone dies in prison, the Dali Temple will not be able to escape blame.

It is precisely because of this that all officials acquiesced to this moment.

But now Zhao Xing has handed the offending official over to the Imperial City Division for investigation. If this is not stopped, won’t all officials who commit crimes in the future be investigated by the Imperial City Division?
The Imperial City Division was Zhao Xing's man, so they couldn't intervene, let alone get any information. Once they got in, the charges would be decided by Zhao Xing.

Who can guarantee that there won’t be that day?
For a time, most of the civil and military officials in the court stood up to oppose.

"The reason why the Wizard Cult has not been discovered is because there are many local landlords and powerful people who are believers of the Wizard Cult and secretly support it. As soon as Mr. Hai left, the landlords and powerful people in Runzhou forced the people to return their land. They are very likely followers of the Wizard Cult. The governor of Runzhou knew about it but did not report it. Maybe he had dealings with the Wizard Cult. That's why I handed it over to the Imperial City Bureau for investigation!" Zhao Xing said lightly.

"Your Majesty, this is just speculation. There is no evidence to prove that the governor of Runzhou has any connection with the Wizard Cult. It is inappropriate to directly hand it over to the Imperial City Department."

"Well, let the Dali Temple and the Imperial City Bureau jointly try the case, and the Censorate will send someone to supervise." Zhao Xing said.

Only when they saw Zhao Xing take a half step back did the ministers quiet down.

If it were the temperament of these officials in the past, Zhao Xing would definitely agree to hand the person over to the Dali Temple for investigation, and would never agree to any joint trial.

But after Zhao Xing ascended the throne, he was used to being strong. Now that he had taken a step back, it was already a victory in the eyes of officials, so they naturally would not hold on to it.

Again, these officials have been spoiled.

Although Zhao Xing took a half step back, it did not mean that the matter was over.

Next, Zhao Xing appointed a few more prefects. These people were the same as the previous prefect of Runzhou. After an inventory of land in the areas where they were in office, the landlords and powerful people forced the people to return the land, but the local government not only did not intervene, but also did not report it.

Zhao Xing pointed out several people in succession, and everyone in the hall felt insecure.

Han Zhang was anxious, as the grand court meeting was not the time to settle accounts.

Next, he had to meet foreign envoys. Zhao Xing's making a big fuss at this time not only made people panic, but also made outsiders laugh at him.

Just as Han Zhang was about to step forward to stop him, Zhao Xing did not continue to call out names.

"It is said that the imperial power does not extend to the countryside, but in the eyes of many people, I am afraid that the emperor can only manage the area near Bianjing. If you go a little further away, you will become local tyrants."

"Although I am in Bianjing, I am not blind. I know a lot of things in the world. Those people just now were in a serious situation. Some of you also have problems. I will not pursue them today. I hope you can take care of yourselves.

Many people like to judge whether an emperor is wise or foolish based on whether he is easy to kill.

But have you ever thought about this? I am the emperor. If everyone obeys the law and fulfills their duties, why should I kill people?
You all read the books of sages, so don't always demand rules and virtues from me without being diligent and encouraging yourself!

If an official does not serve the people, I will make him lose his head. If the crime is minor, I will send him to a remote and cold place to farm!
The people rely on that little bit of land to feed their families, so it would be fine if they could sell the land themselves.

But it is obvious that the people are being robbed by the landlords and powerful people, and you don't do anything. Aren't you forcing the people to rebel?
The people are rebelling and they are all cursing me, but how can I be innocent?
I have said enough. You should think carefully about this. When you are imprisoned, don’t say that I didn’t warn you! "

Zhao Xing's voice echoed in the hall, and all officials lowered their heads.

A few days ago, Yin Hanzhang reported that similar incidents had occurred in many states and counties.

When Zhao Xing found out, he was so angry that he wanted to kill someone.

No sooner had the inventory been completed than those landlords and tyrants forced the people to return the land. How arrogant are they?
For the common people, the land is their life, so naturally they are unwilling to give it away.

It is conceivable that countless people were forced to lose their families.

This was equivalent to Zhao Xing harming them. After all, their land was occupied, but at least they could still survive.

However, Zhao Xing ordered people to check the land and return the occupied land to the people, which brought disaster to them.

That’s why there was thunder and anger at the grand court meeting.

(End of this chapter)