Liu Mingzhi closed the book in his hand and threw it on the table. He looked up at the officials of the Protectorate who had all stood up.
"My dear friends, after reading the contents on the papyrus, what do you think?"
When Yun Yingjie, Yuan Renyi and others heard Young Master Liu's question, their hearts trembled, and they instinctively wanted to salute again.
Young Master Liu saw that they were about to salute him again, and waved his hands directly, stopping everyone from saluting in advance.
"Okay, whether you are derelict in your duty or not, there is no need to use this rhetoric to fool this young master.
I don't want to hear it, and I'm too lazy to listen.
Before you get tired of these same old clichés, I'm already tired of hearing them.
Therefore, I don’t want to hear whether you have neglected your duty or not. I just want to hear how you feel about this matter."
Yun Yingjie, Dong Tianxiao and others looked at each other awkwardly.
In the end, Dong Tianxiao, Chai Qingyun and more than a dozen of them all set their sights on Yun Yingjie.
Yun Yingjie noticed the way his colleagues looked at him, and the corners of his eyes twitched a few times.
However, he had no choice.
After all, among the people in my group, who has the highest official position?
It is completely reasonable for a group of subordinate officials to regard themselves as the leader.
Yun Yingjie secretly smiled bitterly and looked at Young Master Liu bravely.
"Cousin, I don't have any thoughts about these things.
Such bad behavior happened in the countries of the Western Regions, but my brother, the deputy governor of the Anxi Protectorate, knew nothing about it. He was not only guilty of dereliction of duty, but also of negligence.
Therefore, I have nothing to say now, and I have no reason to defend myself."
After Yun Yingjie said this, he took a deep breath and bowed respectfully to Young Master Liu.
"I sincerely ask your Majesty to punish me. No matter how your Majesty deals with me, I will be willing to accept the punishment without any complaints."
As soon as Yun Yingjie said this, a group of officials from the Anxi Protectorate Mansion agreed.
"I second my opinion and ask your Majesty to punish me."
Seeing a group of people looking like this, Young Master Liu scoffed a few times with his brows slightly furrowed.
"Hehehe, hehehe, are you willing to be punished?"
"Your Majesty, that's right."
Liu Mingzhi stood up from his chair, walked slowly to Yun Yingjie's side and stopped.
"Cousin, when we were in Dalong Capital, we had dealt with each other for so many years. You know what kind of character I am.
Therefore, I will not be verbose about some words.
I just want to ask you one thing, do you really know nothing about the bullying and bullying that happened among the caravans?"
Yun Yingjie looked at his serious expression and nodded without hesitation.
"Cousin, as a brother, I really don't know anything.
Not only don’t I know, I haven’t even heard any rumors about it.”
Liu Mingzhi narrowed his eyes slightly, gently shook off the Wanli Jiangshan engraved jade fan in his hand, and walked directly towards the kings of the Western Regions.
"In all these years, has not one caravan ever gone to your Protectorate to file a complaint?"
Yun Yingjie turned around and followed Mr. Liu's footsteps, and sighed with a wry smile.
"Cousin, if someone goes to the Governor's Mansion to complain, how could I not know that something like this happened among the caravans?
Cousin, I can guarantee with my own head that over the years, no small caravan who has been bullied by the big caravan has ever complained to the Anxi Protectorate.
Over the years, I have gone to the Governor's Office to complain about everything.
Whether it is a major case or a small case, every case and every case has a record recorded by the Protectorate.
And all the case files are kept sealed in the file room of the Duhu Mansion.
Cousin, you can send someone to the Duhufu at any time to retrieve all the case files over the years and review them again.
As long as there is a file related to the caravan incident, I am willing to die to apologize."
"Hehehe, I will die to apologize. My cousin is serious."
"Oh, I am guilty of dereliction of duty as a brother."
"Cousin, you have been the deputy governor of the Anxi Protectorate for several years.
During the years you have been in office, haven't you gone to the people for a walk, walked around, and personally observed the lives of the people?"
When Yun Yingjie heard Young Master Liu's question, he quickly raised his hand.
"Cousin, I am here to express my merits to you.
Since I took on the position of Deputy Protector for my brother, every month I will lead a group of colleagues on two incognito patrols in the countries of the Western Regions to personally see the living conditions of the people.
But...but...I..."
Looking at Yun Yingjie who was hesitant to speak, Liu Mingzhi paused slightly.
"But you have never seen with your own eyes or heard about what happened between the caravans."
Seeing Liu Mingzhi say what he wanted to say for him, Yun Yingjie nodded hurriedly.
"Cousin Yingming, that's exactly what it is."
Liu Mingzhi squinted his eyes and pondered for a moment, looked around at the kings around him with a half-smile, and finally laid his eyes on Yun Yingjie.
"Cousin, do you know why this happened?"
"Well, I'm stupid, so I'd like to ask my cousin for advice."
"Because, cousin, you trust your own people too much.
If it goes as expected, every time you lead a group of colleagues on private patrols in the Western Regions, you spend most of your time focusing on the people, businessmen, and people in the Western Regions. It’s on those businessmen from other countries.
You are Dalong officials, officials of Dalong Anxi Protectorate.
Therefore, you will subconsciously think that anyone who comes from our dragon is a good person.
You still think that as long as the kings of the countries in the Western Regions, the people, the merchants, and the merchants in the far west obey the management of the Protectorate honestly.
Then, the Western Regions will be in peace.
Cousin, are you right?"
After Yun Yingjie listened to Mr. Liu's lengthy words, his lips trembled slightly and he murmured a few times, then lowered his head with a remorseful expression.
"I'm confused for my brother, I'm confused for my brother."
When Guo Wei, Chai Qingyun and others saw this, they immediately echoed in a low voice.
"I am confused."
Young Master Liu casually closed the Wanli Jiangshan engraved jade fan in his hand, and glanced at the surrounding officials with a slight frown.
"It's true that you are confused, but you are somewhat self-aware.
What happened in the countries of the Western Regions is closely related to the prejudices in your hearts.
In our Dalong, there is a saying.
Serving as an official for one term brings benefit to one party.
I ordered you to come to the Anxi Protectorate to shoulder heavy responsibilities. I am here to bring benefit to our country, not to treat the people of the Western Regions with prejudice."
Yun Yingjie, Guo Wei and others felt nervous when they saw the unkind expression on Mr. Liu's face.
Now, hearing Young Master Liu's unpleasant tone again, everyone's hearts trembled, and they all knelt down in unison.
"I know that I was wrong. Please forgive me for my sin."
Liu Mingzhi lowered his head and glanced at the officials kneeling on the ground, narrowed his eyes slightly, and frowned in deep thought.
After a while.
Liu Mingzhi suddenly opened his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief.
"I have thought that you have not committed any serious offenses, and you have performed your duties faithfully since you took office. There is no merit but hard work.
I will not punish you severely.
Each person will be demoted one level and fined three years' salary.
You guys can accept the punishment."
When Yun Yingjie, Yuan Renyi and more than a dozen people heard this, they bowed respectfully and nodded without hesitation.
"Return to Your Majesty, I will accept my punishment."
"Just accept the punishment and get up."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. Long live my emperor."
Liu Mingzhi looked at the officials who stood up one after another, casually put his hands on his back, and sighed sadly.
"well."
"Please remember, no matter whether they are the people of the Great Dragon Celestial Dynasty or the people of the countries in the Western Regions, they are all people under my rule, and they are all my subjects of the Great Dragon.
All of us, the common people of Dalong, should be treated equally.
This time, seeing that you have not made any big mistakes, I will not argue with you carefully.
In the future, if you make such a mistake again.
Then, you can see that you should not blame me for not caring about the feelings of the king and his subjects, and punishing you severely according to the laws of the dragon."
"I obey my orders, and I will never do them again in the future."
"cousin."
"I'm here."
"Do you know why I don't punish you severely?"
"I am stupid, but I have the courage to ask Your Majesty to clear up my doubts."
Liu Mingzhi shook off the jade fan in his hand and looked at the kings of the Western Regions with a faint smile.
"Because I know very well that there is a reason why you are biased against the people of the Western Regions."
Yun Yingjie was stunned, and looked at Young Master Liu in surprise.
"His Majesty?"
"In addition to your own prejudice against the people of the Western Regions, what King Wusun, King Dayuan, and King Dayuezhi have done over the years is what you have always done to the people and merchants of the Western Regions.
, the root cause of the bias, right?”
Hearing his cousin's seemingly pointed words, Yun Yingjie glanced at the kings of the Western Regions with a complicated expression, and nodded with a wry smile.
"Your Majesty, do you know everything?"
Young Master Liu gently shook the folding fan in his hand and glanced at Yun Yingjie silently.
"If that were not the case, do you think I would let you go so easily?
Just rely on the dereliction of duty and oversight you committed.
Although it is not punishable by death, dismissal from office is inevitable."
"Your Majesty is wise, Your Majesty is wise."
Liu Mingzhi pursed his lips gently, then touched the surface of the jade fan with his fingertips and slowly moved around.
Suddenly.
Young Master Liu suddenly raised his head and glanced at the kings of the Western Regions with sharp eyes.
"King Wusun."
"King of Dayuan."
"King of Dayue clan."
"King Kangju."
"King Xiuxun."
"King of Jingjue."
When the six kings of the Western Regions heard Mr. Liu's greeting, their expressions became tense, and they stood up quickly and saluted.
"I'm waiting here."
Liu Mingzhi glanced at the six kings who were paying tribute to him, and took out a few folded pieces of papyrus from his sleeves.
Immediately, he gently shook a few pieces of papyrus in his hand and threw them directly towards the six kings.
"Guys, let's pass it around to each other!"
King Wusun and King Dayuezhi looked at the seven or eight pieces of papyrus falling in front of them and others, and quickly bent down to pick them up.
Immediately afterwards, the six people gathered together and passed the rice paper in their hands to each other.
After the six people read what was written in Dalong script and Western Region script on the papyrus, their expressions changed drastically.
Liu Mingzhi gently shook the jade fan in his hand and returned to his seat and sat down. After taking some tea to moisten his throat, he stared at the six people with sharp eyes.
"Wait, have you finished reading it?"
King Kangju and King Dayuan were trembling, and their bodies were shaking like chaff. They all looked towards Young Master Liu.
"Emperor...His Majesty the Emperor."
"Your Majesty, Xiao Wang, Xiao Wang is guilty."
"Your Majesty, the ministers are confused, the ministers are confused."
"Your Majesty the Emperor..."
Liu Mingzhi swallowed the tea leaves in his mouth and sighed sadly.
"In three years, there have been a total of one hundred and twenty-eight wars, large and small, between your six countries.
There were more than 170,000 dead and wounded soldiers, and about 1.6 million people were affected by the war and forced to leave their homes.
Since you are so dissatisfied with the territory of your respective kingdoms, you all want to continue to expand your territory and dominate the thirty-six countries in the Western Region.
Then, I don’t mind helping you re-divide your territory.”
As soon as Mr. Liu finished speaking, the six Wusun kings were all shaken.
Immediately, several popping sounds were heard in succession.
King Wusun, King Xiuxun, and King Dayuezhi all knelt down to Young Master Liu with fearful expressions.
"I know I was wrong, but I was confused. Please forgive me, Your Majesty the Emperor."
"The little king knows his crime and asks His Majesty the Emperor to forgive me."
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I don't dare to do it anymore."
"Your Majesty the Emperor, Xiao Wang..."
Young Master Liu glared at the six kings kneeling on the ground with a gloomy look. His expression suddenly changed, and he looked at the other twenty kings of the Western Regions with a smile.
"King Loulan, King Xiye, King Qiuci, King Qiemo, King Shule..."
When the twenty kings heard this, they stood up quickly and bowed.
"I'm waiting here."
"I ask you, live a down-to-earth life, are you satisfied with your current life in your respective kingdoms?"
"His Majesty the Emperor, I am very satisfied."
"How about living your own life in a down-to-earth manner, letting the people live and work in peace and contentment, and have enough food and clothing?"
"It would be great to return to His Majesty the Emperor."
"It could not be better?"
"Exactly."
"Rong Rong."
"Hey, I'm here."
"What do you think of the situation in Gumo Country now?"
"Go back to my husband, everything is fine.
The world is at peace and the people live and work in peace and contentment. This is the day I have dreamed of."
Liu Mingzhi smiled lightly and nodded, then turned his attention to King Wusun and King Dayuezhi again.
“The kings of thirty of the thirty-six countries in the Western Region are all satisfied with their own lives and the lives of the subjects under their rule.
Hey guys, why do we have to go in the opposite direction?
How many years has it been since the last time I led my army to the west that the war in the countries in the Western Regions subsided?
Ah? Tell me, how long did it take for the war in the Western Regions to subside?
After more than ten years of good times, have you forgotten the harm the war has caused to your countries?" ()