PFC Chapter 352: The Way of Governing a Country
Chapter 352: The Way of Governing a Country
The last court meeting in the 22nd year of Jianwu.
The empty seal case, which took three months to solve since Gu Jingzhi's thorough investigation, was finally solved, and the prince returned to the capital before the last court meeting.
Anyone with some connections knows that this major case seems to be happening in the local area, but in fact the confrontation... is all happening in the court.
Originally, there was nothing much to do at the end-of-year court meeting. After all, what needed to be done had already been done, and the performance reports of various departments had been completed. The end-of-year court meeting was usually just a formality.
But things are completely different these days.
The prince held a memorial in his hand and talked freely.
"Your Majesty, I, your son, have been ordered to investigate the case of the empty seal, assisted by the Three Departments. After over a month of investigation, the case has finally been solved! I report to Your Majesty today that this case was discovered early by the Minister of Revenue Wei Zhen and the Vice Minister of Revenue, Marquis of Xiling Gu Jingzhi. After investigation by the Dali Temple, we have..."
The prince stood in the middle of the hall and told Emperor Xia and the court officials the origin, process, investigation and final closing statement of the case.
The number of people involved in this case is unprecedented.
Beheading, property confiscation, exile, imprisonment, dismissal... More than 30,000 officials and their families were implicated in the case, of whom more than 10,000 were beheaded.
Although the civil and military officials in the court were standing in this majestic hall, they could still sense a bloody storm as the prince spoke every word.
All the court officials were frightened.
They could never have imagined that a small document in the past would trigger such a heinous case.
As the Crown Prince concluded his speech, Emperor Xia sighed deeply, "Our Great Xia has been nurturing scholars for twenty years. Almost all of those officials entered office during the Jianwu era. They are supposed to share the emperor's burdens, yet I never imagined that a small action would trigger such a monstrous crime!"
"How should this be written in history books? How will it be written?"
"Tens of thousands of people have been killed, and tens of thousands have been implicated and convicted. This case has so many implications in history... I can't say it's unprecedented, but it's definitely one of the top three!"
"I have thought it through. This is what will definitely be written in history books..."
Emperor Xia looked at his ministers. His voice was neither loud nor soft, neither light nor heavy, and it was impossible to discern the emotion behind it. But when he reached the last sentence, he fell silent for a moment, then roared, "I am a tyrant!"
"tyrant!"
Emperor Xia looked quite hysterical!
"You are all my subjects! Those corrupt officials have committed so many evil things, yet I am recorded in history books as a tyrant!"
"Is this your loyal act of sharing my worries?"
Faced with Emperor Xia's questioning, everyone in the court was silent, and no one dared to bring bad luck to Emperor Xia at this time.
However, Emperor Xia did not want to let his ministers go, so he looked at Song Pu.
"Mr. Song, you are the Prime Minister, please tell me..."
"His Majesty……"
Song Pu cursed in his heart, but pretended to be ashamed on the surface and said: "This serious incident is due to my dereliction of duty. It has affected Your Majesty's reputation. I am guilty!"
"guilty?"
"hehe!"
Just a simple "guilty" is enough? Is that enough?
He turned his head and looked at Gu Jingzhi: "Gu Qing, this case was reported by your Ministry of Revenue. What do you want to say?"
Gu Jingzhi, who was a little drowsy, shuddered when he saw Emperor Xia's gaze fixed on him.
"His Majesty!"
Gu Jingzhi smacked his lips and slowly walked out while organizing his words.
"Your Majesty, this case is ultimately a matter of official administration!"
"The court has national policies and laws!"
"But there's no national policy that says officials can engage in corruption, nor is there any law that says officials are innocent of corruption! Although history books will record that there were problems with governance during the Jianwu reign of Great Xia, yet... Your Majesty, bearing the pain of cutting off the rotten flesh, isn't that a testament to your courage?"
"No one is perfect, no one is without fault. Furthermore, governing a large country is like cooking a small fish. Any small measure can have different effects across the country!"
"Governance is a question that needs to be explored for centuries, millennia, or even ten thousand years! When problems arose in Great Xia, at least Your Majesty would not cover them up for the sake of his reputation. Instead, he openly dealt with them according to national law. I do not believe this action would damage Your Majesty's prestige."
"Corruption harms the nation's destiny and the people's livelihood. Although the case of the empty seal resulted in murder, it shocked the imperial court and protected the interests of the people of Daxia!"
"Your Majesty is conducting a thorough investigation into the case of the empty seal to warn those corrupt officials and future generations that crime comes at a price! If one can do whatever they want by relying on power and influence... that is forbidden by national law!"
"Therefore, I believe... Your Majesty's killing was a good one, a brilliant one. He has created a peaceful and harmonious Daxia, and has won the hearts of the people for justice!"
"Although history books will record the heinous crimes that occurred during the Jianwu reign, in the hearts of the people, they think very simply. They will believe that their emperor is worthy of the name of a king and father, an emperor who can make decisions for them, and an emperor who is wise and fair!"
"Though the history books contain only a few words, our Great Xia has won the hearts of the people throughout the world! I believe that even if it is recorded in the history books, people in the future will definitely think that Your Majesty was a good emperor!"
The ministers: "..."
Hearing Gu Jingzhi's murderous words, all the officials felt goosebumps all over their bodies!
We both read books of sages, so why is this guy so murderous?
Also, we all read the books of sages, so why is your flattery so fresh and refined?
Emperor Xia sat high on the dragon throne, and his heart warmed slightly as he listened to Gu Jingzhi's words.
Historically, such things would always be recorded in history books as a tyrant. After all, in the eyes of the world, the emperor is omnipotent, and if there are problems with the administration of officials, it is the king's problem in governing the country.
When problems arise in a king's governance, he does not think of being lenient and educating the people, but instead raises his butcher knife. This is a tyrant!
But Gu Jingzhi said that this is to win the hearts of the people in the world!
In fact, Gu Jingzhi was not flattering. No matter what era, corrupt officials are disgusting existences, and no matter which dynasty, corrupt officials must be punished.
The difference lies in the different eras in which punishments are applied.
The punishments in the feudal era naturally did not pay as much attention to human rights as they do today, but the fault was not entirely the emperor's!
Upon hearing this, Emperor Xia sighed softly, "If the people of the world can accept me, even if I bear a little criticism... it will only be a minor setback!"
"However, combating corruption isn't something that can be stopped by shedding blood. The great case of the empty seal during the Jianwu reign... I imagine it will gradually be forgotten as time passes!"
"So, Mr. Gu, I ask you...what good plan do you have?"
"Your Majesty, a good general commands troops like a good doctor treats illness... The best doctor treats illness before it occurs, the middle doctor treats the impending illness, and the worst doctor treats illness after it occurs!"
"I believe that the treatment of greed should be more effective than treating the disease before it occurs!"
"The reason the Empty Seal Case developed into the massive crime it is today is essentially due to a lack of oversight..."
"Supervision?"
All the officials frowned when they heard this.
Is it possible that another institution similar to the Imperial Guard will emerge?
For a moment, all the officials looked at Gu Jingzhi with complicated expressions. If the affairs of the court had to rely on the supervision of institutions such as hawks and dogs, it would be a way to invite disaster!