Chapter 87 Attacking Li Linfu

"What evidence do you have from the officials of the Ministry of Personnel and the envoys from the Jiangnan provinces?"

Li Shizhi wanted to confirm whether he could deal a heavy blow to the Ministry of Personnel.

The Ministry of Personnel was the head of the Six Ministries, and Li Linfu served as the Minister of Personnel, allowing him to have more power.

Unlike the last Xiao Jiong incident, Li Linfu could not escape blame when problems arose among his subordinates.

"The treasures obtained by the envoys from the Jiangnan provinces would be placed in the manor outside Chang'an. At the end of each year, the officials of the Ministry of Personnel would divide the spoils in the manor."

Yang Yan replied to Li Shizhi.

It seems that he was not left out when the spoils were divided.

"So the spoils have been divided up this year?"

Li Shizhi frowned.

It is impossible to catch the criminals red-handed, and anything can happen in a year.

"Yes……"

Yang Yan replied.

"Do you know which officials were involved in dividing the spoils?"

Li Xuan asked Yang Yan.

"I know part of it! Among them are officials from the Dali Temple."

Yang Yan nodded in reply.

Through interviews, local officials were monitored.

The assessment and promotion of local management are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel.

By using interviews to establish connections, the Ministry of Personnel conducted "lenient" assessments of local officials, making it easier to promote them.

Yang Yan and other Dali Temple officials were implicated because the envoys could also inspect the prisons, and if there were any unjust, false or wrong cases, the Dali Temple needed to settle them.

The death penalty in the Tang Dynasty had to be reviewed and approved by the Dali Temple and sent down to local areas before it could be carried out.

However, local tyrants and officials often do not follow the rules when they frame people for wrongful convictions.

However, the power of the Ministry of Justice was greatly reduced during the heyday of the Tang Dynasty. Without special privileges, even officials above the seventh rank could not be tried.

The reason why Wei Jian, the Minister of Justice, has the potential to become the prime minister is because he holds multiple diplomatic posts, which increases his power!
"Father, immediately contact Minister Wei of the Ministry of Justice and report to the emperor in the palace. When the emperor agrees to file a case, first surround the villa outside Chang'an and arrest all the servants inside."

Li Xuan persuaded Li Shizhi to act decisively.

Luo Qianji.com can create something out of nothing.

Now that the matter has been solved, we have set up a big net and picked up the big tongs. Are you still afraid that they will not confess?
"Yang Yan, write down the names of the people who accepted bribes in the Ministry of Personnel and the Dali Temple, and arrest them one by one later."

In order to reassure Yang Yan, Li Shizhi made a special promise: "As a witness, you will make up for your crime and make meritorious contributions. I, Li Shizhi, will ensure that your official position remains intact. Saints also like people who have strayed and returned to the right path!"

Li Shizhi knew that Yang Yan must have accepted bribes as well, so he made a promise to Yang Yan.

"Thank you, sir!"

Yang Yan expressed his gratitude and said, "I will return the bribes I received intact to the state treasury."

With Li Shizhi's guarantee, he felt relieved. As long as he could save his life, he would be willing to be demoted to a lower level.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, Li Shizhi sent someone to invite the Minister of Justice Wei Jian to the Left Prime Minister's Residence.

After Wei Jian personally organized the Guangyuntan event, he was promoted to the Minister of Justice and became a favorite of the current saint.

The Tang Dynasty had a system of multiple prime ministers, and Li Linfu did not want Wei Jian to be a prime minister. However, Li Shizhi hoped that Wei Jian would be appointed as the third prime minister, and work with him to check and balance Li Linfu.

When Wei Jian saw this opportunity, he immediately went to Xingqing Palace to report the important matter.

Li Longji was very unhappy that his vacation time was interrupted.

"Tell me! What's the matter?"

Li Longji summoned Wei Jian to the Qinzheng Building.

"Your Majesty, Yang Yan, the Junior Minister of the Dali Temple, reported that officials of the Ministry of Personnel were collectively corrupt and abused their power for personal gain. Together with the envoys of Jiangnan, Shannan, and Huainan, they exploited the people and plundered their wealth... They have failed the Emperor's grace and caused the people of Jiangnan to complain. I feel that this is a serious matter and I have no choice but to disturb Your Majesty's leisure time when the New Year is approaching. I request that a case be filed for investigation!"

Wei Jian reported to Li Longji and told him that Yang Yan had stopped at the brink of danger and confessed his crime.

"Is there such a thing?"

Li Longji was furious.

The Ministry of Personnel selects officials and is the head of the six ministries. How can this be tolerated?
"The Junior Secretary of the Dali Temple has informed me that the envoys from the Jiangnan regions will place the gold, silver and jewels they have seized in a manor west of Chang'an, and wait for the officials to divide the spoils at the end of the year."

Wei Jian said with certainty.

"Allow the case to be filed. The Censorate, the Supreme Court, the Ministry of Justice, and the Three Departments will all try the case together. Recall the envoys from all the provinces in Jiangnan back to the capital. If there is any suspicion, no leniency will be shown."

Li Longji issued an imperial edict.

The Censorate was responsible for supervision, the Ministry of Justice was responsible for trial, and the Dali Temple was responsible for execution.

Li Longji could reward his subjects with ten thousand gold coins, but his subjects could not accept even a tael of gold as a bribe.

As an emperor with a strong desire for control, he would not allow anyone to fool him in this regard.

The envoys are sent by the emperor. If they act recklessly, won’t they make the people resent the court?
This is a taboo in Li Longji's mind!

"The minister obeys the order!"

When Wei Jian was about to leave, Li Longji suddenly said, "The Right Prime Minister is also the Minister of Personnel. He should avoid suspicion!"

What this means is that Li Linfu cannot interfere in this major case.

Wei Jian understood!

He is a relative of Li Linfu.

But his sister is the Crown Princess.

The prince and Li Linfu are mortal enemies, how could he have any contact with Li Linfu again?
The emperor will grow old and the prince will eventually succeed to the throne.

Now that he has been blessed by the saint, he will certainly strive for the opportunity to become a prime minister.

Even though Chang'an was under curfew, Wei Jian still led the Jinwu Guards to the manor designated by Yang Yun outside Chang'an under Li Longji's order and arrested all the managers, slaves, and maids inside.

After interrogation on the spot, it was found that a large amount of treasures were indeed flowing in and out of the place, and many dignitaries were gathering here. However, few servants knew the identities of the officials.

Wei Jian immediately had an idea in his mind and arrested people according to Yang Yan's list.

Li Linfu has controlled the government for so many years and has many followers.

Especially the Ministry of Justice. When Xiao Jiong left, the trusted people he had planted were still working for him.

Such an obvious action naturally could not be hidden from Li Linfu's eyes.

"Wei Jian, this ungrateful bastard, why did he arrest so many officials from the Ministry of Personnel at once without informing me at the Secretariat?"

When Li Linfu got the news, he became furious in the courtyard.

"Sir, please calm down!" Li Xiu advised Li Linfu to calm down.

"What is a father? He used to be the Minister of the Central Secretariat, and now he is the Right Prime Minister. He is in charge of the affairs of the Central Secretariat! If the Ministry of Justice had not secretly informed me of such a big thing, I would have been kept in the dark."

Li Linfu patted the flowers and trees in the courtyard. Since he became the prime minister, he had never felt so passive.

He was so smart that he could keep the chief prime minister in the dark. It was Li Longji who gave the order.

Wei Jian doesn't have the ability to target him openly.

Common man Li Shizhi!

And there is Li Xuan. Ever since I saw Li Xuan come back, I felt something was wrong. It turned out that he was going to cause trouble.

It has nothing to do with Li Xuan, he doesn't believe it.

"My husband, Ji Wen is here."

The servant informed Ji Wen to wait outside the house.

"Hurry up and call Ji Qi in!"

Li Linfu hurriedly summoned him.

After Xiao Jiong was demoted, he recommended Ji Wen to him.

After the test, Li Linfu found that Ji Wen was a talented person, so he recommended Ji Wen as the Deputy Director of the Ministry of Justice.

"Meet my husband!"

After Ji Wen was brought into the living room, he bowed to Li Linfu.

"No need to be so polite. Just tell me what's going on?" Li Linfu asked straight to the point.

"It is said that Yang Yan, the Junior Secretary of the Dali Temple, went to the Zuo Xiangfu to plead guilty and handed over all the gold and silver treasures he had embezzled. He also accused Wang Shilang and Cui Shilang of the Ministry of Personnel, as well as 58 people including the Langzhong, Yuanwailang, many chief officials, and Shulingshi, as well as 10 officials of the Dali Temple. The emperor was furious and has ordered the recall of the Jiangnan East Circuit Inspector, Jiangnan West Circuit Inspector, Huainan Circuit Inspector, Shannan East Circuit Inspector, and Shannan West Circuit Inspector."

Ji Wen told Li Linfu all the news he had received in one breath.

Since the 21st year of Kaiyuan in the Tang Dynasty, the world was divided into 16 regions.

That is, Gyeonggi Province, Dugi Province, Guannei Province, Henan Province, Hedong Province, Hebei Province, Shannan East Province, Shannan West Province, Huainan Province, Jiangnan East Province, Jiangnan West Province, Longyou Province, Hexi Province, Jiannan Province, Qianzhong Province, and Lingnan Province.

Each province had a envoy, who was an official sent to inspect the criminal justice system and monitor local administration, similar to the governor of the Han Dynasty.

Some of the envoys to the frontier would be concurrently served by the Jiedushi, and sometimes the Jiedushi would also serve as the Duzhishi, making the Jiedushi combine military, political and financial powers into one.

"Yang Yan, doesn't he want to live anymore?"

Li Linfu was stunned. Yang Yan was a subordinate he trusted very much and was also an important helper in getting rid of Li Shizhi.

Through the banquet, Li Linfu estimated that Li Shizhi's alcohol tolerance was not as good as Yang Yan's, and it would be easy to get that man drunk.

He promised that after completing this plan, Yang Yan would be promoted to the third rank. Why would he suddenly betray him?
"These five interview envoys were all recommended by you, my Lord."

Li Xiu thought of a crucial point.

"Father knows!"

Li Linfu said in a deep voice.

Jiangnan is a land of rich resources, so he has always wanted to expand his influence there.

For example, after Han Chaozong, who was the envoy of Shannan East Road, was transferred back not long ago, he immediately sent his own followers to fill the vacancy of the envoy of Shannan East Road.

When the envoys visited local areas, local officials would use beauty and jewels to seduce them in order to please them. In the misty, prosperous and splendid Jiangnan, how many people could avoid being corrupted?

The current political situation is no longer the same as it was in the early and middle Kaiyuan period.

The national strength of the Tang Dynasty was increasing, but the people were becoming increasingly poor, and arable land was gradually decreasing.

Because all the money falls into the hands of the powerful, their desires are expanding infinitely.

Those who wanted to blindfold Li Longji and cover his ears were not just Li Linfu alone, but a wide range of interest groups.

No one could curb this phenomenon, and the emperor could only arrest a group of typical cases from time to time to serve as a warning to others.

"Ji Qi, inform those officials from the Ministry of Personnel who have been arrested and tell them to refuse to confess. Doctors will not be punished. If they dare to torture them to extract a confession, I will report it to the emperor and make them pay for it."

Li Linfu gave instructions to Ji Wen.

No one dared to torture a large group of high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Personnel.

If you refuse to admit it, perhaps you can make a big thing small or a small thing nothing.

Based on his understanding of Li Longji, he would not deal with so many officials at once.

"Yes, sir!"

Ji Wen is also in a difficult position. He originally thought that he would take off with the help of Li Linfu, but after watching for some time, he found that Li Linfu is not as omnipotent as the legend said.

But now he could only get close to Li Linfu and bet that Li Linfu could overcome the difficulties and help him in the future.

"Look at the streets around Xingqing Palace. Which mansion doesn't have gold, silver and jewelry? Does Li Shizhi dare to say that he is clean? Take Qi Xian, the current envoy to the Jiangnan West Road. He is not only close to me, but also has connections with Gao Lishi. And Yang Qi, the envoy to the Jiangnan East Road, are the treasures he gives to the kings every year exchanged for rice salaries?"

Li Linfu cursed and raged with hatred.

"My Lord, what should I do?"

Li Xiu couldn't help but worry about his father.

"All the treasures in the palace, unless they are rewards from the saint, should be transported to a house outside the city and hidden tomorrow." Li Linfu instructed Li Xiu.

He also collected a lot of treasures.

The Right Prime Minister's Mansion alone had thousands of servants, guards, and maids, and the family's wealth was counted in billions.

"Yes, my lord."

Li Xiu responded.

……

The next day.

"Sir, those officials in the Ministry of Personnel all denied that they had accepted bribes. They also denied that they had any connection with the envoys."

Wei Jian arrived at the Zuo Xiangfu early in the morning with panda eyes.

The Censorate would come to monitor from time to time, but they were unable to punish these officials, even the lowest-ranking clerks of the eighth or ninth grade.

The current Chief Censor is Wang Zhongsi, who is away from home, so the Chief Censor Yang Shenjin is in charge of judging cases.

Although Yang Shenjin did not follow Li Linfu, his official position was promoted by Li Linfu. Therefore, Yang Shenjin remained neutral and took an observing attitude.

In other words, the Censorate neither helped Li Shizhi and Wei Jian, nor dealt with Li Linfu.

"Let the servants in the manor identify the officials who have been there."

Li Shizhi said to Wei Jian.

"They are all slaves, their voices are insignificant, and their responses are uncertain. If the officials of the Ministry of Personnel do not sign and seal, the saint will not approve it."

Wei Jian replied to Li Shizhi.

Even the treasures in the family were said to be handed down from their ancestors. It was as if they were speaking the same language.

As the Minister of Justice, Wei Jian naturally knew that the Ministry of Justice was full of Li Linfu's spies.

"Shichiro!"

Li Shizhi called Li Xuan who was practicing calligraphy over.

"Meet Minister Wei."

Li Xuan saluted Wei Jian.

"General Li is handsome, is there any solution?"

Wei Jian knew that Li Xuan was a talented person who was not only brave but also intelligent.

"There are too many dishonest people in the Ministry of Justice. Does Minister Wei have any confidants he can trust?"

Li Xuan asked Wei Jian.

"Have!"

Wei Jian had been the Minister of Justice for half a year and had won over a group of confidants.

Li Xuan whispered a few words to Wei Jian, and finally said: "According to what I said, the officials of the Ministry of Personnel must sign and seal honestly."

He told Wei Jian about Ji Wen's sinister methods recorded in history books.

Wei Jian's eyes lit up and he immediately said goodbye and went to the Ministry of Justice.

……

More than 60 officials from the Ministry of Personnel and the Dali Temple, including two assistant ministers of the Ministry of Personnel, were all transferred by Wei Jian to a new courtyard and locked up.

In the yard, apart from the guards from the Ministry of Justice, the only people left were Wei Jian's cronies.

Li Daosui, the Minister of the Dali Temple, was a member of the Qingliu faction and disliked Li Linfu's dictatorship. Even though he had assistants, they did not interfere with Wei Jian.

Wei Jian and Li Shizhi promised not to implicate him.

When the Chief Censor Yang Shenjin inquired about the matter, Wei Jian solemnly guaranteed that he would never use criminal law.

"Everyone, I advise you to sign and seal honestly to avoid physical pain."

Wei Jian gathered these officials from the Ministry of Personnel together and threatened them.

"Minister Wei, why are you accusing us of something we haven't done?"

Cui Yue, the Minister of Personnel, said with a stiff neck.

"The saint asked me to be the chief judge. I have some evidence, but you still refuse to sign. I have no choice but to resort to the worst possible means."

At Wei Jian's command, four guards dragged two officials from the Ministry of Personnel into a torture chamber.

The other officials from the Ministry of Personnel stayed in the yard.

"Don't worry, we are all officials appointed by the imperial court. He won't dare to torture us!"

Although Cui Yue said this, he felt very guilty.

The next moment, he was slapped in the face.

"what……"

"what……"

One after another, shrill screams rang out.

"Whoa!"

There was also the sound of whips cracking.

The officials who broke the law were used to a life of luxury and comfort, and suddenly they turned pale with fear and shuddered with fear.

"If you don't confess, I'll beat you to death."

While Wei Jian was shouting, he also said to the criminals: "The whip is just an appetizer. We will use all the eighteen instruments of torture. Let's see how long you can keep your mouth shut!"

"Stop fighting, I'll give in..."

"I admit it..."

The officials inside shouted loudly, as if they couldn't bear it anymore.

When Wei Jian looked at them again, all the officials in the Ministry of Personnel showed fear in their eyes.

"Don't torture us, we confess."

Officials such as Cui Yue spoke to Wei Jian in fear, fearing that they would be the next to be beaten.

"Bring me a pen and paper, write down how you accepted bribes, and sign your name."

Wei Jian nodded with satisfaction.

(End of this chapter)