The prince is more stable

Chapter 955 Unexpected
Heavy snow fell, and the roads became muddy.

The carriage struggled along the road, and inside the swaying carriage, the only charcoal fire flickered, unable to provide any warmth whatsoever.

Liu Zening shivered from the cold inside the carriage, while Zhao Xin, being a warrior, was much stronger than him.

"This damn road, how long will it take to get there?" Liu Zening muttered curses.

Zhao Xin laughed and said, "There's a county town not far ahead. We'll stay there tonight and buy you a quilt later. You can wrap yourself in it tomorrow, and you shouldn't freeze to death."

Liu Zening sighed, "I hope I can finish this job before New Year's Eve. I don't want to spend the New Year alone in another city. My parents, wife and children are waiting for me to come home."

Zhao Xin said calmly, "You might be too optimistic. I reckon you won't be able to return to Bianjing before spring..."

Liu Zening was startled, then realized something and said with a serious expression, "Are the situations in those prefectures of Jingji East Circuit... really that serious?"

On this inspection tour outside Beijing, Liu Zening and Zhao Xin's destination was Nanjing Yingtianfu.

This "Yingtianfu" is not Nanjing Jinling of the Ming Dynasty, but Shangqiu in Henan Province in later generations, which was the Nanjing of the Song Dynasty.

Liu Zening and Zhao Xin had a difficult job. They were dispatched by the Censorate and the Imperial City Guard to inspect the prefectures and counties in the eastern part of the capital region and supervise the implementation of the Fangtian Equal Tax Law.

In other words, this time they directly attacked the hearts of local officials, powerful landlords, and tycoons.

It is conceivable that local officials and powerful landlords would be unwilling to implement the Fangtian Equal Tax Law after its formal promulgation.

After all, the local interests are too intertwined and complicated. Officials collude with local clans, gentry, powerful landlords, and wealthy merchants. The waters inside are unpredictable and murky.

Liu Zening and Zhao Xin's trip to Nanjing was to supervise the local authorities and ensure the effective implementation of the Fangtian Equal Tax Law.

Before they even arrived at their destination, the two realized just how arduous their mission would be.

"Given this awful weather, it will take another three days to reach Nanjing. Tomorrow afternoon, we will part ways. Inspector Liu, take care on your journey. The Imperial City Guard will be watching you closely," Zhao Xin said solemnly.

Liu Zening nodded: "Zhao Gouya, take care too."

The Censorate and the Imperial City Guard were actually in a relationship of oversight and being overseen. However, when oversight officials were sent to local areas, the two agencies would cooperate with each other.

As is customary, the supervisory officials are in the open, while the Imperial City Guard operates in the shadows.

Inspectorate officials were responsible for patrolling and visiting local areas, while the Imperial City Guard secretly collected public opinions and investigated and corrected illegal activities.

With both overt and covert measures in place, it was difficult for local officials and powerful landlords to escape scrutiny on both fronts if they committed illegal acts.

The next day, Zhao Xin alighted from the carriage and left Liu Zening's group with more than a dozen of his subordinates from the Imperial City Guard. The two parted ways.

On the fourth day, Liu Zening and his group arrived in Nanjing.

At this moment, outside the city of Yingtianfu in Nanjing, Zhang Xiran, the Tongpan of the Nanjing Garrison, stood outside the city gate, followed by more than a dozen Nanjing officials, including local officials from the Judicial Commissioner, the Supervisory Commissioner, and the Transport Commissioner.

This was the second day that Zhang Xiran had been waiting for Liu Zening. Due to the heavy snow blocking the roads, he couldn't find out Liu Zening's itinerary at all, so Zhang Xiran had no choice but to use a stupid method and wait foolishly outside the city gate.

Several days ago, after receiving the imperial document, the State Council officially promulgated the Fangtian Equal Tax Law and informed the officials of Yingtian Prefecture that officials from the Censorate would soon be inspecting the prefectures and counties under Nanjing's jurisdiction.

Upon receiving the official letter from the State Council, the officials of Yingtian Prefecture were on high alert, especially regarding the upcoming arrival of Liu Zening, the Inspector of the Eastern Circuit of the Capital Region. The Nanjing officials were extremely vigilant in their preparations.

Nanjing was not far from Kaifeng, so when the government established the Censorate, Nanjing officials had a detailed understanding of its powers.

After learning the truth, the officials felt heavy-hearted. They realized that the good old days when they ruled over their regions like local tyrants were gone forever.

The imperial court strengthened its oversight of local officials, as if a sharp sword were hanging over their heads. From then on, local officials could no longer act arbitrarily, and no government within the Song Dynasty dared to harbor the thought that "the emperor is far away and the heavens are high."

No matter how far away the local government is, the emperor can still punish them no matter how far away they are.

That's right, because the imperial court has newly established the Censorate.

At this moment, Zhang Xiran, the prefectural magistrate of Yingtian Prefecture, was sitting with more than a dozen officials in a makeshift shed outside the city. Snow was falling heavily outside, and although there were a few charcoal fires burning inside the shed, they could not keep out the biting cold wind, and everyone was still shivering from the cold.

“Judging by the time itinerary, the Inspector of the Eastern Circuit of the Capital Region should be arriving today…” Zhang Xiran murmured, looking up at the freezing weather.

“Prefect Zhang, please be patient. The weather has been terrible these past few days, with heavy snow blocking the roads. This inspector has probably been delayed on his journey. I reckon he probably won’t arrive today.”

"How about... we go back to the city first, leave a few constables here to wait for news, and if the inspector really comes, we can go out of the city to greet him then," an official cautiously suggested. This damned weather was too cold, and he really couldn't stand it anymore.

Zhang Xiran hesitated for a moment, but still rejected the idea. "The newly established Censorate of the Imperial Court holds great power. Our futures are in their hands. If we mistreat them, it may be detrimental to our futures. Let's wait and see. We can't let them think we've been disrespectful."

The officials in the shed sighed, but they didn't say anything more.

Zhang Xiran's expression remained somewhat uneasy; clearly, he had something on his mind.

Not only him, but all the officials in the shed had unusual expressions; they all had something on their minds.

Which official doesn't have a mess to clean up? This inspection tour by imperial officials is definitely not good news for officials in Yingtian Prefecture.

Over the years, every official has done a few shady things. If they are exposed by supervisory officials, not only will their future be ruined, but in more serious cases, they may lose their positions, be dismissed, go to jail, or be exiled.

This is why the officials in the shed were on high alert. Liu Zening's arrival was like a death knell for them; whoever he called would die.

The silence lasted for a long time. None of the officials were in the mood to speak. They were all secretly recalling the dirty things they had done over the years. Some were as if they had lost their parents, some were trembling with fear, and some were still hoping to get away with it.

Of course, there were also those who remained calm and fearless. These people had never done anything wrong during their tenure as officials, so they were not afraid of the court's supervision.

After waiting blankly for more than an hour, a rider finally came with difficulty through the swirling snow. The horse was moving very slowly and was having a hard time.

The knight finally dismounted outside the shed, and Zhang Xiran and the others did not recognize him.

The knight bowed and clasped his hands, saying, "This humble general belongs to the Bianjing Palace Guard Battalion Command. I have come to report to you all in Yingtian Prefecture on the orders of Liu Zening, the Inspector of the Eastern Circuit of the Capital Region. The Inspector changed his route yesterday and went to Yucheng County under the jurisdiction of Yingtian Prefecture. I have informed you all that there is no need to welcome him."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiran and the others were stunned for a moment before being greatly shocked. They looked at each other, their expressions revealing a sense of fear and anxiety.

Having experienced the ups and downs of officialdom, Zhang Xiran, despite feeling uneasy, maintained a good composure and nodded politely upon hearing this: "Thank you for your kind words, General. We will wait in Yingtian Prefecture for the Inspector to investigate the area before we come back."

After the palace guard officer took his leave, Zhang Xiran's expression finally showed a hint of panic.

According to official etiquette, this inspector would first go to Yingtian Prefecture, socialize with the officials, and then leisurely go down to the local area to investigate, going through the motions.

Of course, the local officials and powerful families had to pay their dues, and in the end, Yingtian Prefecture was peaceful and prosperous. The inspector returned home with a full load of goods. Everyone was happy, whether it was the imperial court or the government.

But to everyone's surprise, this inspector took an unconventional route and unexpectedly changed course halfway, going directly to the local area to conduct an investigation.

This is clearly for real!

This can't be investigated! It absolutely mustn't be investigated!
Things will be fine if you don't investigate them, but once you do, who knows how much rotten, unsavory stuff will be exposed.

"Has the Fangtian Equal Tax Law promulgated by the State Council been implemented in the counties under the jurisdiction of Yingtian Prefecture?" Zhang Xiran asked the officials nervously.

The officials hesitated and shook their heads.

Such policies, which harm the interests of local officials and powerful clans, will certainly not be readily implemented by local officials after being issued by the imperial court; they will delay as long as possible.

Unless a knife is held to their throat, they usually choose to ignore it until they can't delay any longer, at which point they will lazily give a perfunctory response.

Even today, many local officials remain naive, completely unaware of how the establishment of the Censorate by the imperial court will affect their career prospects, and continue to live their lives as they please in their localities.

However, Nanjing was the secondary capital of the Song Dynasty, and the officials there were clearly progressive and well aware that the Censorate was no pushover.

It is not the former Censorate, nor does it follow any of the interpersonal relationships and unspoken rules of officialdom. It can be said that impeaching local officials has become a KPI for the Supervisory Office, and it cannot be failed to achieve it.

Seeing the officials remain silent, Zhang Xiran grew anxious, stamped his foot angrily, and shouted, "Hurry up and send people to the counties under our jurisdiction to tell the prefects, magistrates, and local gentry that they are all in deep trouble! If anyone is dragged out by the inspector, they should not make false accusations against others!"

In the freezing cold and snowy weather, Zhang Xiran inexplicably broke out in a cold sweat on her forehead. Without bothering to wipe it away, she turned around and headed into the city.

"I'm going to report to the garrison commander and make thorough preparations, because this is going to be a tough hurdle!" Zhang Xiran said, almost in a fit of rage, as he hurried towards the city.

Inside the makeshift shed outside the city, a group of officials looked pale, whether from being frightened by the inspector's unconventional actions or from the freezing weather, it was hard to tell.

Seeing Zhang Xiran run into the city, the officials followed suit.

Their official ranks were not low, and of course, they had intricate connections with county and township officials and powerful figures under the jurisdiction of Yingtian Prefecture. To put it simply, they all had a lot of dirty laundry to clean up.

The situation is that the people checking if their butts are clean have arrived.

(End of this chapter)