Chapter 396: The Imperial Examination Fraud Case (3)
The Qianqing Palace was still brightly lit at night, and Su He was discussing the Yellow River project with Prime Minister Wang Zhongce and Cabinet Minister Qian Mingyi.
Qian Mingyi was in Kaifeng, repairing the Yellow River embankment and collecting relevant data.
The Yellow River embankment, riddled with holes, has been repaired for several years and the obvious holes have been plugged.
The crisis of the above-ground hanging river in the southern section of the Yellow River has still not been resolved.
Continuously repairing the Yellow River embankment is only a temporary solution.
As the Great China Dynasty gradually stabilized, there was also a surplus in the treasury.
The Yellow River project previously planned by Suhe to rebuild a new Yellow River course is ready to be officially launched.
It cooperates with the afforestation movement in the Shaanxi-Gansu region, which can completely solve the problem of too much sediment in the Yellow River.
The accumulation of sediment causes the river bed to continue to rise, forming a suspended river above the ground.
After a long period of investigation, Qian Mingyi has come up with a relatively stable plan.
The Ministry of Industry is preparing to completely build a new river channel from the source of the Yellow River to its mouth.
Effectively utilize the original river channels of the Yellow River. Some river channels can continue to be used after reservoirs store water and clear sand.
Only the above-ground hanging river in the Henan section needs to be re-planned.
This change has reduced the cost of the Yellow River Project by several orders of magnitude.
To build the Yellow River, we are not prepared to use a large amount of expensive cement.
Only the reservoir will be constructed using cement.
The embankments of the Yellow River are still earth embankments.
Earth embankments have the lowest cost, materials are easily available, and construction is fastest.
The overall cost of the Yellow River Project, spread over several decades, can be afforded by the Great China Dynasty, and it is no longer a castle in the air.
Su He saw the plan reported by Qian Mingyi.
He planned to adopt this plan and completely solve the Yellow River floods in 20 to 30 years.
Let the Yellow River truly become a docile mother river, nourishing tens of millions of people along its banks.
This is the most important project since the founding of the Great China Dynasty.
It has not been officially launched yet, and there are differences in the direction of the Yellow River.
There are two plans for the Yellow River channel. One is to change the river course and let the Yellow River follow the ancient river course and enter the sea in eastern Shandong.
One is to continue along the current river course, connect with the Huaihe River, and enter the sea from northern Jiangsu.
The cabinet had not yet reached a consensus, so the governors of Shandong and Jiangsu began to write memorials continuously to strive for the direction of the Yellow River reconstruction.
Some thoughtful people also encouraged the local people to prepare a book for all peoples.
When Su He saw this situation, he did not act arbitrarily and sent his confidant, Prime Minister Wang Zhongce, to inspect the two places.
Wang Zhongce has just returned from inspections in two places.
Su He didn't even let Wang Zhongce rest at home, and immediately called Wang Zhongce and Qian Mingyi to Qianqing Palace.
Wang Zhongce opened the report with his hand and reported: "Your Majesty, I have been inspecting for more than two months.
I found that a large amount of sediment carried by the Yellow River has settled in the lower reaches of the Huaihe River.
If this situation continues to happen, the lower reaches of the Huaihe River will be directly blocked by sediment.
Once this happens, the Huaihe River Basin will suffer continuous flood disasters.
I suggest that the Yellow River be diverted and the original course of the ancient Yellow River be restored.
In this way, the Yellow River water can irrigate the Shandong Basin, and the Huaihe River water can continue to irrigate the Jiangsu Basin.
This choice is the most beneficial to the overall plan."
Wang Zhongce first explained his choice and continued to report to Su He what he saw and heard in the two provinces.
Su He thought for a while, considering the pros and cons of all parties.
He ordered: "Qian Aiqing, I am in favor of changing the course of the Yellow River. You must guide the Ministry of Industry to come up with a detailed plan as soon as possible."
When Qian Mingyi heard Su He give a clear order, his slightly frowned brows relaxed a little.
He was most afraid of Emperor Su He, who suspended the Yellow River project due to various interests considerations.
If the Yellow River Project, a ground-breaking large-scale project, could not have been finalized in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, it would have been impossible.
The dynasty gradually became stable, and various interest groups became the climate.
If we want to build such a large project that affects the interests of several northern provinces, the cost will make any official prohibitive.
There will be many officials who will block the start of the Yellow River Project.
Qian Mingyi believes that the most vicious person is the one who equates the Yellow River Project with the Grand Canal, implying that once the Great China Dynasty starts the Yellow River Project, it will be destroyed.
This is simply nonsense. Your Majesty is not like Emperor Sui Yang. He is not anxious at all.
Qian Mingyi had already prepared several plans before arriving at Qianqing Palace.
Just as he was about to report the plan, he heard a knock on the door of Qianqing Palace.
Qian Mingyi immediately shut his mouth. If he knocked on the door of Qianqing Palace at this time, something important must have happened.
Su He glanced at the door and said, "Come in."
The commander of the Suzaku Guard, the great eunuch Zhou Fangzhi, walked in.
"Your Majesty, Mr. Li Yuanzheng, the left governor of the Inspectorate, has something to ask for."
Su He heard that it was Li Yuanzheng who wanted to see him.
At this point in time, the Metropolitan Procuratorate must have discovered something major.
"Let Li Aiqing come in."
He then looked at Wang Zhongce and Qian Mingyi and ordered: "The overall framework of the Yellow River Project has been decided.
Other details will be discussed later.
Major cases in the Metropolitan Procuratorate all involve imperial officials.
You two should also listen so that we can deal with it in time."
Just when Wang Zhongce and Qian Mingyi wanted to get up and escape, they heard Emperor Su He's order to stay in Qianqing Palace.
Li Yuanzheng, the censor of Zuodu, received the message from Eunuch Zhou and immediately came to Qianqing Palace.
After Li Yuanzheng bowed to Su He, he nodded to Wang Zhongce and Qian Mingyi as a greeting.
He presented the dossier written by Zhang Qinian to Emperor Su He through Eunuch Zhou.
"The reason why I am disturbing Your Majesty at this time is because the Metropolitan Procuratorate has investigated the imperial examination fraud.
According to His Majesty’s previous instructions, His Majesty must be notified of such important matters as soon as possible.”
When Su He heard that it was imperial examination fraud, his face showed anger.
If the Dahua Dynasty wanted long-term peace and stability, it must ensure the relative fairness of the imperial examinations.
Only by continuously attracting talents from the private sector can all levels of society flow normally.
Only in this way can the Great China Dynasty be full of vitality, and no one will think of rebellion.
Continuous fraud in imperial examinations is the beginning of the corruption of a dynasty.
Su He clearly remembered the important civil servants under him at the beginning of the uprising.
Most of them are scholars and young students who passed the imperial examination.
There are many talents hidden among these people. It is easy for them to obtain the title of Juren.
Failure to pass the examination means that the imperial examination system of the pre-Ming Dynasty has collapsed.
It has been monopolized by various interest groups such as the Donglin Party. It is difficult for children from poor families to get ahead.
The Dahua Dynasty has only been established for a few years, but there are already people who are bucking the trend.
If this trend is not eliminated, the Dahua Dynasty will be a short-lived dynasty.
Su He opened the file written by Zhang Qinian, which introduced the detailed history of the case in concise words.
Su He directly threw the file on the table in front of him.
He said angrily: "Li Aiqing, this case will be investigated thoroughly, and no one involved will be merciful.
Led by the Metropolitan Procuratorate, the three judicial departments will jointly review this case.
A detailed investigation will be conducted on this year's imperial examination candidates.
If someone has been subtracted from the test paper, then a simpler imposter might have already appeared."
Su He immediately thought of a simpler method of fraud.
In this era of poor information, all you need to do is take care of the people around you.
One person can easily impersonate another person. It will be even easier if that person is a Jinshi in a remote area and the person committing fraud has the cooperation of the government.
Su He immediately began to write the imperial edict, and he handed one of the imperial edicts to Li Yuanzheng.
At the same time, the officials of the General Affairs Department were asked to urgently deliver the imperial edict to various government offices.
Li Yuanzheng resigned with the imperial edict, and will have to work overnight tonight.
When Wang Zhongce heard about the fraud in the imperial examination, he just felt lucky.
Fortunately, Emperor Su He sent him to Shandong and Jiangsu for inspection and did not have time to serve as the examiner.
If he serves as the examiner and fraud occurs in the imperial examination, he, the examiner, will be jointly and severally liable.
Wang Zhongce saw the anger on Emperor Su He's face, which still did not fade away.
He opened his mouth and said: "Your Majesty, you must not be lenient when it comes to imperial examination fraud.
We must make officials who plan imperial examination fraud pay a huge price, so that other officials can be deterred."
Qian Mingyi also followed up and said: "Your Majesty, the most important thing now is to plug the loopholes.
Someone can plan to cheat the imperial examination, which means that there are loopholes in the imperial examination now, and it is not too late to remedy the situation."
Su He listened to Wang Zhongce and Qian Mingyi's statements.
Imperial examination fraud will not involve the noble group including the two of them.
Otherwise Su He will have a headache.
If the children of a noble family cannot pass the imperial examination, they can still take another path.
The nobles of the Great China Dynasty adopt the method of casting a wide net.
They took many wives and concubines and gave birth to many children.
These people, with their family's financial resources, can enable many people to study outside their jobs.
There are dozens of people, but if one person becomes a talented person, the family can stand firm.
Su He waved his hand and asked Wang Zhongce and Qian Mingyi to exit Qianqing Palace.
He sat on his desk and chair and pondered whether he had treated the scholars too favorably and made them forget his iron-blooded methods.
…………………………
Li Yuanzheng took a carriage and quickly returned to the Metropolitan Procuratorate.
He showed the imperial edict he had requested to everyone in the Metropolitan Procuratorate.
Li Yuanzheng asked Zhang Qinian: "I'm going to ask your Majesty for instructions. Liu Zongyi will be handed over to you for interrogation. Has he given a clear explanation?"
Zhang Qinian said confidently: "Master Li, you underestimate us too much.
When Iron Man comes to the Metropolitan Procuratorate, we can get him to confess his crimes, let alone a scholar who doesn't distinguish between grain and grain.
Liu Zongyi has already confessed his crime, and now the people involved in the imperial examination fraud can be identified as Xia Wenshu, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, and Jiang Gongfang, the foreign minister of the Ministry of Rites..."
Zhang Qinian spoke very fast and named more than ten people in a row.
Li Yuanzheng said with a serious expression: "Your Majesty has issued an imperial edict, and tonight will be a sleepless night.
This is imperial examination fraud, and all officials involved in this case must be arrested and brought to the Metropolitan Procuratorate."
Li Yuanzheng immediately made corresponding arrangements. Each official was led by a censor and responsible for arresting an official.
Li Yuanzheng sat in charge of the Metropolitan Procuratorate and waited for officials from the Ministry of Punishment and Dali Temple to arrive.
Zhang Qinian led his men to arrest Xia Wenshu, the chief examiner of this year's imperial examination, the left minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
…………………………
Zhang Qinian held a torch and a pistol.
He led people directly to the residence of Xia Wenwen, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites.
What Zhang Qinian was most worried about was that Xia Wenwen got the news and ran away, and he led his men to escape.
In order to prevent Xia Wenwen from escaping, he sent people to surround the mansion and not let anyone escape.
He was rude and sent his subordinates to break down the door.
The housekeeper inside the door opened the door with a curse.
"This is the residence of Mr. Xia, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites. What kind of blind guy dares to come and provoke me?"
Zhang Qinian shouted loudly: "The Metropolitan Procuratorate is in charge, everyone squats down with their heads in their hands."
The revolver is so dazzling at night with the light reflected by the torch.
When everyone saw the revolver and Zhang Qinian wearing the official uniform of the Procuratorate, they did not dare to stop them.
Zhang Qinian went directly to the master bedroom. He saw Xia Shuwen put on clothes in a hurry and was walking out of the room.
"Master Xia, something happened to you, please come with me."
When Xia Wenwen saw this situation, he immediately collapsed to the ground.
He kept muttering: "What a disaster..."
Zhang Qinian acted very quickly and Xia Wenwen did not escape, not just this person.
His study and bedroom were also searched by the Metropolitan Procuratorate officials, and not a single scrap of paper was spared. They were all taken back to the Metropolitan Procuratorate.
Zhang Qinian took Xia's documents and important evidence and returned to the Metropolitan Procuratorate by carriage.
He saw Zhang Shengbei also returning to the Metropolitan Procuratorate with an official.
His colleagues also returned one after another with officials.
Some of them behaved very badly.
They kept sobbing, with snot and tears streaming down their faces.
These mentally broken people will be their first targets for surprise interrogations.
Li Yuanzheng saw Zhang Qinian, Zhang Shengbei and others returning to the Metropolitan Procuratorate.
He looked at the clock next to him and saw that it was already one o'clock in the evening.
"You have worked hard, but we cannot relax yet, we have to conduct interrogations overnight.
It would be best to find out the detailed process of their execution before tomorrow.
After I report to Your Majesty, I will publish this case in the newspaper.
Otherwise, if we arrest so many officials and there is no definite response tomorrow, it will cause a huge disturbance."
"The Metropolitan Procuratorate wants to interrogate overnight, do you have enough manpower?
Our Criminal Department is better at interrogating, I will bring someone to help Mr. Li."
The voice of Su Yan, the Minister of Punishment, came from inside the house.
After receiving the imperial edict, Su Yan, the Minister of Punishment, and Wu Donglin, the Minister of Dali Temple, immediately rushed to the Metropolitan Procuratorate with their capable forces.
This is a case of fraud in the imperial examination. Emperor Su He and the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty are all paying attention to this case and cannot allow them to slack off.
The content of the imperial edict was very broad. Su Yan came to the Inspectorate and learned the details of the imperial examination fraud.
He felt a little disappointed, the Metropolitan Procuratorate reacted too quickly, and the Criminal Department could only play a supporting role in this major case.
When Li Yuanzheng heard the words of Su Yan, the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, he smiled and said: "Your Majesty requested a joint trial by the three judicial departments. How could the Ministry of Punishment and Dali Temple not participate?
Our three parties will interrogate the prisoner overnight and collect relevant evidence.
My intuition is very accurate, and I feel that there will be more to it than just one imperial examination fraud."
Wu Donglin, the minister of Dali Temple, added: "During your interrogation process, you are not allowed to give in to torture.
We, the Dali Temple officials, participated in the entire trial. This case must be completed without any flaws."
The three judicial divisions, led by the Metropolitan Procuratorate, united to interrogate the prisoners.
When Li Yuanzheng was chatting with Emperor Su He, he learned about a technique for interrogating criminals, the prisoner's dilemma.
Torture cannot be used in this case, and this interrogation technique will be fully utilized. This chapter has been completed!