The prince is more stable

Chapter 368 Collusion

When he first met Li Qingchen, Zhao Xiaoqian only felt that the historical books had a good evaluation of him. He could not be considered a pillar of the government, but at least he was a good official.

But now Zhao Xiaoqian is a little hesitant to trust him.

He didn't expect that the situation in such a small border town would be so complicated. Before all the facts became clear, he didn't dare to trust any official or general in this city.

Including Li Qingchen.

The two walked in silence all the way to the government office in the center of the city. Outside the government office, more than 20 officers in black robes were neatly lined up in two rows to greet them.

Seeing Zhao Xiaoqian and others coming, the officers bowed and greeted them.

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded with a smile, then looked up at the plaque hanging high above the lintel of the government office and the drum for appealing for justice on the right side of the door.

Judging from the exterior, the government office actually looks a bit run-down, but it does give the impression of being clean.

Zhao Xiaoqian's attention was attracted by the drum of complaint next to him. He walked slowly to the drum, looked carefully at the drum head covered with a layer of dust and the old drumstick, and knocked it curiously. The drum of complaint made a dull sound.

Putting down the drumstick, Zhao Xiaoqian smiled curiously and asked, "Has anyone played this drum before?"

Upon hearing this, Li Qingchen broke out in a cold sweat on his back.

For some reason, my sweat glands are particularly developed today, maybe because I'm getting old.

"Replying to Lord Zhao, this drum has not been struck for many years. At least, I haven't seen anyone strike it in the two years that I have been in office." Li Qingchen answered honestly.

Now he doesn't dare to lie, especially the kind of lie that can be exposed easily by investigation.

Zhao Xiaoqian then asked, "What about the criminal cases, public security cases, and civil disputes in Zhending in the past two years?"

Li Qingchen's expression tensed, and he spoke without hesitation, "Zhending Prefecture governs nine counties, and each has its own cases. Not to mention the past, in the two years I've been in office, there have been a total of thirteen murder cases in the nine counties. Other crimes, such as theft, robbery, and theft, have totaled over a hundred. As for civil disputes, they are countless, and most have been mediated by the local county government."

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at him and said calmly, "There are only thirteen murder cases. The people are quite honest and simple."

Li Qingchen's forehead was covered with cold sweat again. For a moment, he couldn't tell whether Zhao Xiaoqian's words were sincere praise or implicit sarcasm. At this moment, he felt more and more cautious, and deeply felt that this young man was indeed not someone to be trifled with.

After looking at the front door of the government office, Zhao Xiaoqian and Li Qingchen entered the government office.

A thin layer of snow had fallen in the government office. Passing the front yard, there was the legendary lobby.

There are several plaques on the side of the lobby, and a plaque with the words "A Bright Mirror Hangs High" hangs high in front of the hall.

It is unknown when these four words on the plaque became popular in the Song Dynasty. Legend has it that when Bao Zheng was sitting in the Kaifeng Prefecture, he was carrying three treasures, namely "Ancient and Modern Basin", "Yin Yang Mirror" and "Traveling Immortal Pillow".

The "Yin Yang Mirror" can help Bao Zheng distinguish between loyalty and treachery, and between good and evil. All evil spirits and monsters can be seen under the Yin Yang Mirror.

From then on, in all the government offices and county yamen in the Song Dynasty, a plaque with the words "A Clear Mirror Hanging High" was hung high in the halls to show that local officials were as keen-eyed and discerning as Bao Qingtian, and would not let anyone off the hook or be lenient.

At this moment, Zhao Xiaoqian stared at the plaque hanging high in the hall, but he only felt it was ironic.

If there really was a mirror in Zhending Prefecture, it would probably have been covered in dust for many years.

After glancing at the plaque, Zhao Xiaoqian and Li Qingchen walked through the main hall and continued walking towards the inner hall of the government office.

The layout of ancient government offices was actually similar to that of wealthy families' houses, with a front yard, main hall, backyard, side rooms, and the more luxurious ones even had gardens with rockery and ponds.

Li Qingchen led Zhao Xiaoqian to the wing room on the east side of the backyard. Zhao Xiaoqian dismissed his attendants, leaving only him and Li Qingchen in the room.

Zhao Xiaoqian sat down and said calmly, "Okay, Li Zhifu, tell me everything you know in detail."

Li Qingchen was silent for a moment, then suddenly bowed deeply to him.

"I have failed to govern effectively, and the situation has become chaotic. There has been no improvement in the past two years. I apologize to the Lord of Zhao."

Zhao Xiaoqian stared at his face and said slowly, "I just want to ask you one question: have you been involved in these shady affairs in Zhending Prefecture?"

Li Qingchen was startled and said hurriedly, "I swear in the name of the Li family's ancestors that I have never participated in any vile deeds. Otherwise, my ancestors will not bless me, and the gods and ghosts will punish me."

Zhao Xiaoqian remained silent. He wouldn't believe any oath, no matter how cruel it was, especially one from a man.

Zhao Xiaoqian himself is a negative example. When he was touching and rubbing against Jiang Miaoxian, he made countless oaths. Only he knew that the oaths he made were no more than farts. Only Jiang Miaoxian was naive and believed his lies.

Now Li Qingchen made a solemn oath, even mentioning his own ancestors. But in Zhao Xiaoqian's view, it was just like the nonsense of "I was just hanging out outside".

"Alright, alright, the gods and ghosts in heaven have received your oath. Thunder God and Lightning Goddess are probably watching you from the clouds right now. If you tell even a single lie, you might get struck by a bolt of divine thunder from the Nine Heavens... Oh, stay away from me. I have a weak constitution and easily conduct electricity..."

Li Qingchen felt his scalp tingling when he heard this. He knew that Zhao Xiaoqian was joking, but the ancients were still quite awed by ghosts and gods. At this moment, Li Qingchen was under great psychological pressure.

"I just saw the city of Zhending with my own eyes. It's not an exaggeration to say it's a dead city. Merchants and civilians are barely hanging on. Tell me the reason. Who has brought this city to this state? Or are all the officials in the government office and the military commanders outside the city involved?"

Li Qingchen smiled bitterly and said, "Although the county lord's guess is wrong, it's not far off. I've been in office for two years and have clearly come to understand that these officials in the government office, including the Supervisory Office, the Transportation Office, and the commanders of the Imperial Guards, will do anything to make a profit."

"They have colluded with each other, forming an impenetrable network, their respective interests entwined with one another. Some have seized farmland, some have monopolized shops in the city, bullying and dominating the market, and some have even trafficked young men and women. In short, as long as they can make a profit, they will not let go of anything."

Zhao Xiaoqian's face gradually darkened: "As the prefect, you didn't do anything about this lawless behavior?"

Li Qingchen said indignantly, "How could I not care? Over the past two years, I have submitted twenty-three petitions to the court in Bianjing, but all have fallen on deaf ears. There has been no response."

Zhao Xiaoqian gradually understood: "Do they have other people in the court?"

Li Qingchen nodded. "Yes, this is a huge force. Although Zhending Prefecture is a border town, the interests involved are enormous, especially the trade with the Liao Kingdom. The benefits are even more staggering."

"With such huge profits, local officials would not allow ordinary merchants to interfere. They have it all in their hands."

"They either extort or oppress local merchants. Merchants all over the city are suppressed by them and cannot even hold their heads up."

"Forget making a profit from business. Even eating has become a problem. The people are treated cruelly and brutally. Because the border town is remote, no one can enforce justice."

"They have absolute control over everything, beating and killing civilians at will. County and township officials dare not speak out, let alone impeach them, because their complaints cannot leave Zhending Prefecture. Even if they reach the court in Bianjing, they will be quickly suppressed."

Li Qingchen became more and more excited as he spoke, his eyes were red and filled with tears.

Zhao Xiaoqian's expression was calm. He did not believe in oaths, nor did he believe in tears.

"What about you? Besides submitting memorials to the court in Bian Jing, what else have you done?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked calmly.

Li Qingchen shook his head. "When I first took office, I tried to confront this force. In the first few months, I submitted memorials to Bian Jing almost every month. Later, there was no result. Gradually, I came to understand their background."

"But I still refused to give in. I spent six months visiting the counties and towns under my jurisdiction, secretly investigating the people's sentiments. Later, I received an anonymous letter warning me that if I didn't get along with others, I might die of a sudden illness while in office."

"Later, for some unknown reason, I became increasingly isolated in Zhending City. In the end, I couldn't even dispatch ordinary officials. There was no way to appeal to the higher authorities, and sending officials down was useless. My two years as prefect were truly frustrating."

Zhao Xiaoqian sneered, "I'm really curious now. How powerful are these people's backers? They actually think of themselves as feudal lords. Doesn't the central government have any control over them?"

Li Qingchen sighed: "My Lord, this is a border town..."

"What do you mean?"

"The border town is in chaos, bandits are rampant, and the enemy is approaching. Many people and problems that cannot be solved are pushed onto the bandits and the Liao army, resulting in no evidence. With the people dead and the problems over, who would confront the bandits and the Liao army to verify the facts? In the end, it was all over."

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded.

Now, he roughly understood Li Qingchen's situation in the past two years.

As an ordinary civil servant without any backing, I am really powerless in such a harsh environment.

Officials and generals alike were all fuming, so what could he do? He was already quite successful in keeping himself alive for the past two years.

However, Zhao Xiaoqian is here now.

He is not Li Qingchen. No matter how strong his background is, can it be stronger than Prime Minister Zhang Dun?

I dare to go against Zhang Dun, so I want to see if there is anyone else in the court of Bian Jing that I can't afford to offend.

(End of this chapter)