The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 733: In the second year, the emperor traveled to Yong and issued a series of edicts
"It's bad, it's bad!"

Zhuge Xu was now running around anxiously in his mansion.

The news that the emperor was about to come had caused a sensation in the county.

This also made Zhuge Xu particularly flustered. It wasn't that he had done anything wrong, but he couldn't help but feel a little worried.

After learning the news that the emperor was coming, all kinds of distracting thoughts arose in his mind.

The first thing he did was to quickly send people to investigate the thieves and bandits inside and outside the counties.

The letters were all written to Ma Long, asking him to send someone to help.

For a time, the entire Yongzhou was focused on maintaining public security.

In addition, he sent people to various places in advance to inquire about the situation, explore the people's sentiments in advance, and inquire about the reputation and political achievements of officials in various places.

The emperor's coming to Yongzhou was both a good thing and a bad thing for Zhuge Xu.

In recent years, Yongzhou has made a lot of achievements. If the emperor thinks it is very good and is in a good mood, it is possible that he, the governor, will be able to go to Santai in the next few years and enter the core of the temple.

But if so.
Thinking of the current situation in the state, Zhuge Xu became extremely anxious.

If even one person stood before the emperor and cried about a situation, then he, the governor, would have to deal with something serious.

This was the first time the emperor traveled to other places to check the situation.

He will definitely take this matter very seriously. The last time he came here was for the war and he never went to the counties.

But this time it was different.

He will definitely summon all officials, high and low, and question them one by one.

Speaking of which, Zhuge Xu also understood that the state was not as clean as stated in the memorial, and many problems still existed.

For a moment, all the officials in Yongzhou became busy and tried their best.

Zhuge Xu also met with those problematic officials individually and advised them kindly, hoping that they would put the state first and not speak carelessly if summoned by the emperor.

Among these people, Zhuge Xu was actually most worried about Guo Ze.

Guo Ze stood out among the many officials.

Moreover, the emperor would definitely meet him and ask him about the situation.

This guy is stubborn
At this point, Zhuge Xu could only leave it to fate and hope that his future would not stop at the position of governor.

Of course, he did not forget to write a letter to his uncle who worked in the temple, hoping that he could help him a little.

At this time, Cao Mao finally arrived in Yongzhou.

Luoyang is not very far from here.

Just as Zhuge Xu had thought, Cao Mao stopped at Tongguan as soon as he arrived there, and sent someone to summon the captain guarding the pass to inquire about the situation there.

He also sent people to erect a tree to inform the soldiers inside the pass, passing merchants, and the surrounding people that if they encountered unfair things, they could tell the soldiers under the tree, and the soldiers would escort them all the way to the emperor, who would personally interrogate them.

Upon learning about this, the captain guarding the pass almost wet his pants.

No sooner had the decree been issued than merchants found soldiers under the standing tree the next day and were brought before Cao Mao without any hindrance.

The merchant stood in front of Cao Mao, very frightened. He didn't even dare to raise his head, but just kept bowing and greeting.

"Commoner Wang Ji pays homage to His Majesty!!"

Cao Mao lowered his head and said, "Don't be afraid. If you have any grievances, just tell me."

"Your Majesty, I have brought four carts of various fruits from Wuwei and wish to sell them in Luoyang!"

"The customs officer said my credentials were fraudulent and wanted to send someone to Wuwei to investigate. I couldn't pass through the customs, and they wouldn't let me go. Later, a soldier told me that it was because I didn't bribe them. If I hadn't bribed them, they would have waited until my fruit rotted before letting me pass."

As the man spoke, he began to cry. "Two of my four carts of fruit were damaged at the border, and the rest can only be sold at a low price! I wanted to report the guard, but he sent people to beat me up and said that if I reported him, he would kill my family."

Cao Mao was furious.

"Someone, come here! Go and summon that captain!"

When the captain arrived, facing the emperor's questions, he naturally did not dare to lie at all and told Cao Mao all kinds of news from inside the pass.

On that day, more than 20 officials and more than 170 soldiers were arrested.

After that, more and more people came to report to the authorities.

Cao Mao simply didn't leave and stayed here to summon them one by one.

He also asked the eunuchs to summon these people and resolve the problem quickly.

Cao Mao stayed in Tongguan for a total of six days, and there were almost no officials left here.

On that day, Cao Mao issued an imperial edict.

"I have heard that during the reigns of Yao and Shun, there were no cruel officials in the world. When rites and laws flourished, nothing that undermined morality occurred in the world!"

"The imperial court has established checkpoints throughout the country to stop thieves and protect the state. Yet, there are traitors who exploit their positions to openly bully and humiliate the people passing through the checkpoints in order to profit for themselves. I believe this is because I am not sage enough, leading to the emergence of so many cruel officials. It is because I have not promoted rites and laws, allowing such a lack of morality to occur!" "Today, I will severely punish the officials at Tongguan and inform all officials throughout the country that they must know their duties and not engage in unscrupulous acts that undermine the emperor's character. This is deceiving the emperor and will never be forgiven!"

"I will send ministers to investigate at various checkpoints. If similar incidents occur again, they will be dealt with severely to reassure the people!"

When the news spread, the officials in Yongzhou were all terrified, and Zhuge Xu even felt dizzy.

However, after learning of this situation, the gatekeepers and clerks at checkpoints across the country immediately became much more restrained.

Cao Mao then continued his journey and arrived at the county town.

When he arrived at the city, Cao Mao acted the same way as he did at Tongguan. He first took away the county officials and then sent someone to inform them.

Zhuge Xu also rushed to Cao Mao's side at this moment.

Cao Mao had a stern face and Zhuge Xu looked very pale.

"Your Majesty! Please punish me for my crime!!"

Zhuge Xu hurriedly bowed deeply.

Cao Mao's expression was calm. He was actually very clear about local affairs. It was unrealistic to completely solve the problem of corruption.

The situation back then was more than ten times worse than it is now. At least they are detaining you for money on the pretext of something. If it was when Cao Mao just ascended the throne, you might have robbed him of his people and his carriage!
The situation in various places is already good now, but since Cao Mao is away, he naturally has to do something more meaningful.

Strike at Youzhou and shock officials all over the world.

Let them know that if they do evil now, they may lose their heads when they go out to investigate in the future.

Cao Mao asked, "I haven't even entered the city yet. I've already captured so many people just inside the checkpoint. What do you think the situation is like inside the city today?"

"It's my fault for failing to supervise properly!!"

"Get up now."

Cao Mao waved his hand and Zhuge Xu hurriedly stood up.

Cao Mao narrowed his eyes. "It's the same everywhere in the world. Judging from the memorials, it seems like a prosperous era has returned, far surpassing the Han Dynasty. But if we actually go out and see it, it will be exposed. And if it's far surpassing the Han Dynasty, aren't you afraid of being laughed at?"

"In your memorial to me, you said that the officials here are honest and upright, love the people like their own children, are united, and the people are prosperous, right?"

Zhuge Xu was speechless.

He was about to speak when a eunuch hurried in and reported, "Your Majesty, over a hundred people have gathered at Limu, all wanting to file a complaint."

Zhuge Xu swallowed.

Cao Mao looked at him and said, "Just stand here and watch me summon them."

Zhuge Xu stood aside obediently.

The situation in the county town is even worse. There are people seizing farmland, taking away people's ancestral homes, and even murder and arson!

Every time Cao Mao met someone, his face became gloomier.

Zhuge Xu's face was full of despair.

On the same day, Cao Mao issued another decree.

"I issued an order: When I inspected Yongzhou, the people who came to complain and grievances nearly blocked the roads. I sent provincial governors to various locations with the intention of having them monitor the areas, stop unlawful officials, and serve the people. However, these provincial governors now consider themselves local officials. They collude with local officials, embellishing their own achievements and covering up local crimes!"

"A provincial governor is not a local official. The prosperity and wealth of a region have nothing to do with the provincial governor. That is the performance of the county governors. The provincial governor's performance should come from supervision. Today, I will deal with the Yongzhou Governor Zhuge Xu. I will remove him from all official positions and titles and send him back to Luoyang to reflect on his mistakes."

"All provincial governors throughout the country will be fined one year's salary as a lesson!"

"The provincial governors of all regions must understand their responsibilities and achievements. Don't think of yourself as the local chief. If such a thing happens again, you will be executed!"

This was the second edict issued by Cao Mao.

These two edicts shocked officials from all over the country. Of course, the people of Yongzhou were very happy. During these few days, the emperor's sacred status in their eyes had almost reached an unparalleled level.

Just when Cao Mao was about to go to other places, Guo Ze also came to Cao Mao's side.

"Zi Shou!!"

Cao Mao was very enthusiastic towards Guo Ze. When the two met, Cao Mao held his hand and did not let go for a long time.

The two men walked into the inner room and asked everyone else to leave. Cao Mao then asked directly about the matters on the memorials.

Guo Ze looked almost unchanged. He gritted his teeth and angrily declared, "Your Majesty, these officials are truly outrageous. When Your Majesty asked them to distribute farmland to the surrendered Qiang people, they deliberately selected the poorest land for them, exchanging it for fertile land. They also demanded bribes. Later, the Qiang people tried to report this to Your Majesty in Luoyang, but fearing their actions would be exposed, they planned to execute them for treason."

"I learned about it in time and sent people to protect these people."

"Then, they used the name of merchants to forcibly buy their livestock and farmland. If they refused, they would beat me up. I was so angry that I sent people to arrest them!"

Cao Mao took a deep breath, and the light in his eyes became a little dim.

"Can I really create this prosperous era?"

(End of this chapter)