Of course, they are also showing it to other local officials. If the Sichuan officials are uprooted, and you, the umbrellas of protection in Beijing, don't say a word, then why should we give you money? Are we so rich that we can't afford it?
So they must submit a memorial, and the bigger the noise, the better. As for what the final result will be, these people will not care. Anyway, we have already given you an explanation for the money you gave us. As for whether the emperor will punish His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, you can guess it with your butt.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince went to Nanzhao this time on the order of the Emperor to form a marriage alliance. This concerned the relationship between the two countries. In addition, there was news from the palace that the Emperor might have other ideas about Nanzhao. But no matter what the idea was, it had to rely on His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to realize it. At this time, even if there were many memorials, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would not be in trouble.
Moreover, if there were too many people implicated, it would become a mass incident. Even if His Royal Highness wanted to retaliate, he couldn't retaliate against all the civil and military officials in the court. There were too many people taking bribes these days, and it was impossible to just chop them all off. If they were all chopped off, how could the court still function? The emperor also understood this.
But at this moment Li Shimin was very angry. As the king of a country, he himself did not get any benefits from the land of Sichuan, but these ministers got a lot of benefits. Just look at the memorials in front of him. If there were no benefits, would these people come to report Li Xiang?
"Look at these people. They usually act so righteous, preaching to me these great principles, but in the end, they just go and get their money, disregarding the interests of the people and my own. They keep on talking so righteously, saying that Li Xiang's behavior is almost ruining the country. I really don't know why they are so shameless."
Li Shimin was so angry that he could no longer bear it and threw the memorials to the ground. Fang Xuanling and Zhangsun Wuji looked at each other. Of course they knew why the emperor was angry. They had always regarded Sichuan as a bitter and cold place. As long as the local officials did not pay any money, as long as they did not ask for money from Chang'an City, they would think that the local officials had made contributions and would not forget to share some of the benefits with them.
Unexpectedly, Li Xiang's visit directly shattered this idea. Not only did the local officials not work hard, but they were all greedy and made a lot of money. Even a small local official could have thousands of strings of money found in his home. For some officials in Chang'an City, this was simply unimaginable.
According to Li Shimin's idea, local officials should have no other way to make money except their salaries. I usually thought about giving them more rewards and letting them look after the southern land for the Tang Dynasty. But now, look what happened. Their lives are more comfortable than yours.
"Especially this Wang Yuannian, he even dared to embezzle my money. He is so audacious! Kill all nine generations of his clan!"
Li Xiang thought of the supervising official. The money for the construction of the Shu Palace was allocated by Li Shimin himself. He clearly remembered that the treasury was short of money, so Li Shimin used the money from his own pocket. You can put this money in your pocket openly. If he doesn't kill your entire family, how can the emperor vent his anger? Where is the authority of the court?
Fang Xuanling nodded at the side. This man was indeed the most daring among all the corrupt officials. He dared to take any kind of money into his home. If he did not execute all nine generations of his clan, it would be impossible to intimidate officials all over the world.
Since Li Shimin ascended the throne, he felt that he did not gain the throne in a legitimate way. Therefore, even if some officials made mistakes, Li Shimin rarely killed the Qian family. At most, he would kill three generations of the family. This kind of killing of nine generations of the family has rarely happened in recent years. Unexpectedly, it happened in Wang Yuannian's lifetime.
"Your Majesty, calm down. The ice is three feet thick, and it didn't freeze overnight. We also have our responsibilities. We didn't expect the local area to become like this. In recent years, not a single imperial envoy has been sent to Sichuan..."
Changsun Wuji quickly knelt down. They were definitely responsible for this matter. Instead of waiting for Li Shimin to react himself, it would be better for them to confess their guilt first.
Fang Xuanling was a beat slow to react in this matter. The two of them were Li Shimin's right-hand men. Li Shimin may not have thought of these things, but if you didn't think of them either, then you are guilty.
"I also plead guilty. Please punish me, Your Majesty."
There is nothing much to say about this kind of thing. If you admit it in court, the punishment may be a little lighter. If you deny it, then you can just wait to be beaten with a stick. Looking at Li Shimin's angry expression, the beating will not be light.
"Of course you two are responsible, as are those people from the Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of Works, and the Dali Temple..."
Li Shimin mentioned several government offices at once. This time, not only the officials in Sichuan would be shocked, but also those in the major government offices in the capital. As long as they were involved, Li Shimin would not let them off easily, especially those who wrote memorials to impeach Li Xiang. You also took money, so don't think about staying out of it now.
"Your Majesty is right. However, the world is just beginning to settle down. There may still be war between our country and the Nanzhao Kingdom. The Western Regions also need the support of the court. If so many officials are removed at this moment, the government will be unstable."
Fang Xuanling was speaking from the perspective of the old city. If this were really done, the foundation of the imperial court would certainly be shaken, and several ministers from various departments might be affected. This political earthquake would be huge.
"It's the same thing again. Every time I need to clean things up, you two use this trick to fool me. But if I don't do anything, these officials will become rotten sooner or later."
Li Shimin was about to say that in troubled times, severe punishments should be used, but saying it out loud would cause trouble. He had ruled the country for so long, could he have ruled a chaotic world? What emperor would not want others to say that the world he ruled was a prosperous one?
"Your humble servant and the Prime Minister are willing to accept the punishment and serve as a warning to all officials."
Changsun Wuji took the initiative again. He and Fang Xuanling were the heads of all officials. If the two of them were punished, no official would be able to sleep well. But at the same time, it would not shake the foundation of the country. These people would then be more cautious and would not dare to extend their hands so far.
