The evening stars are out, and light snow is gradually falling from the sky.

The eunuchs delivering food have arrived at almost all the palaces of officials in Beijing.

The officials who presented them with a wide variety of delicious dishes could not conceal their joy, which showed that the emperor recognized their contribution to Daxia in the past year.

However, the number of officials who can be gifted with many kinds of delicacies is only a small number after all, and only Liu Zhe, the official secretary, Dugu Yihe, the official minister, Lin Ruhai, the official minister, and others.

The remaining six departments and nine ministers are relatively few.

The officials who received the simple dishes couldn't help but sigh. This does not mean that the emperor does not recognize their contributions in the past year, but it is because of their low official status.

After all, most of those who have really contributed have already received the rewards they deserve in daily life. Those who deserve promotions, those who deserve fortunes, and gifts are mostly based on the size of the official position as the criterion. Based on this criterion,

Then increase or decrease based on how much you contribute to what you do on a daily basis.

Most of the officials, no matter how much the food was, showed gratitude. Not only did they personally greet the eunuchs who presented the rewards, but they also gave some gifts to the eunuchs before they left, saying they were happy money for their troubled father-in-laws.

But there are still some officials who, when faced with these gifts of food, feel as if they are mourning for their heirs, and their faces turn pale.

These officials were almost all miserly courtiers. Faced with the wording of rewards for the eunuchs and the majestic gazes of the soldiers beside them, they were so heartbroken that they fell to their knees and shouted that the old officials were wronged.

According to the oral instructions conveyed by the eunuchs, they committed adultery, embezzled money and violated the law. The evidence of their crimes was conclusive, and they were sent to the prison of the Ministry of Punishment today.

Although they know the facts, they still have to evade it because they know very well that this is their last chance. If they don't cry out and defend themselves at this time, they will not be able to get out of the prison of the Ministry of Punishment.

Being able to deliver such a verbal message on New Year's Eve when giving food is basically a direct death penalty, with the exception of the explicit process of being thrown into the prison of the Ministry of Punishment.

But they had no other choice but to quibble. Almost all their relatives and friends were in Kyoto, so how could they abscond?

What's more, there are soldiers watching eagerly, and they can't escape at all. On the contrary, if they resist, it will only bring disaster to their families.

They never expected that this oral decree, which was like an imperial edict, would actually be delivered during the food delivery on New Year's Eve, giving them no chance to prepare at all.

Amid the clash of soldiers and armor and the surprise or pleading of relatives and friends, they were pressed into the punishment department one by one. If they were lucky, they could still see the sunshine of the new year. If they were unlucky, they would die in less than an hour.

Ministry of Punishment.

The wind was a bit strong on New Year's Eve, and the news quickly spread among the officials' mansions in the capital. When the officials who had received the favor heard about it, they were all shocked beyond measure.

Many officials among them were horrified, and they were glad that they had been rewarded with kindness and not death.

Listening to the reports from their subordinates about the names of the officials who were taken away, their hearts were filled with turmoil. Most of these officials who were sentenced to death were colleagues who had slandered and bitten Zhao Wujiang during the day.

There are thirteen people in total, involving various sects and ministries in Kyoto.

However, the officials who were favored by him knew clearly that offending Zhao Wujiang was only a small part of the reason why these colleagues who were sentenced to death received such "treatment".

The bigger reason is that these colleagues have done all kinds of bad things in daily life, have nothing to do, take bribes and bend the law, and are punished as a result.

After all, there are many people who offended Zhao Wujiang. For example, Lin Ruhai, the Minister of Civil Affairs, and Yan Anshen, the Minister of the Ministry of Industry, are not living well? They have also received a lot of favors.

And now both Lin Ruhai and Yan Anshen are on good terms with Zhao Wujiang, which all shows that Zhao Wujiang has a broad mind and does not hold grudges, but hates evil!

The incident of gifting vegetables fermented in Kyoto, and officials discussed it intensively. When drinking with their families on New Year's Eve, they also used this matter as a topic of conversation.

Good and evil will be rewarded in the end, it's not that they won't be repaid because the time has not come yet.
Chapter completed!