I have Immortality In The Cultivation World-Chapter 553 - 309: Warden of the Heavenly Jail_2

Chapter 553: Chapter 309: Warden of the Heavenly Jail_2

“Understood.”

Xiao Rongzi bowed to take the order. The Hu family had privately offered 5,000 taels of silver, which should be enough to mention in front of the Governor.

At the same time, he began to ponder which tea merchants had given less silver and should be put on the list for house raids.

Ever since Zhou Yi slaughtered the Yuntai Academy, yet remained unscathed and even conveniently took down Minister Cui and others, there were few people in the entire Daqing who could not be provoked.

Even the mansions of princes and dukes would tense up at the mention of the name of the Governor of the Eastern Depot.

Therefore, the Inspectorate did not need to consider backing when raiding houses!

...

…

The Governor of the Eastern Depot made a scene at the Town Protector’s Office, where Commander Ji kneed and begged for mercy.

The news spread and immediately became the second hot search topic in the National Dynasty.

The first was naturally the emperor’s decree to re-measure the land, a matter that affected hundreds of millions of people. It wasn’t just a slap in the face for Ji Yue, but even killing him wouldn’t overshadow it.

Not only officials talked about this matter, but after meals, common folk also spoke about it extensively.

There had been no consensus on whether the Eastern Depot or the Western Depot was more formidable, but now most people believed the eunuchs held the upper hand.

After all, they were the emperor’s servants, and in terms of relationships, they were much closer than people with a solid background!

Having heard the news, Ji Yue was furious, ordering a top-to-bottom investigation of the Inspectorate by the Town Protector’s Office.

Bribery, acceptance of bribes, miscarriages of justice—all were documented in secret memorials reported to His Majesty!

The Town Protector’s Office, with a heritage spanning over 300 years and informants throughout the country, could be anyone—a coachman on the street, a waiter in a restaurant, or even the old man next door.

Informants who penetrated everywhere, naturally, the Inspectorate couldn’t defend against them.

One after another, secret memorials were sent to Yangxin Hall; all were investigated and verified. Zhou Yi knelt outside the hall for three days and three nights before he finally received the Orthodox Emperor’s forgiveness.

Back at the Inspectorate.

Zhou Yi, following the memorial, detained all implicated internal attendants and border guards in the dungeon for interrogation.

Among them, six godsons who had received large sums of silver were dealt with severely without any partiality, showing no sentiment of fatherly affection.

“Do not blame me for being ruthless.”

Zhou Yi said to his newly accepted godson, “No one in this world is not greedy; I am not immune to greed, yet one must carry out their tasks cleanly and not give others a handle to hold against them!”

The newly completed army of eighteen godsons all bowed deeply, taking the lesson to heart.

“Godfather is right!”

In just three short months, the Governor of the Eastern Depot lost six godsons.

Behind the scenes, Ji Yue, with a satisfied look, ordered the news to be spread wide, retrieving his lost face thoroughly!

As expected.

The folks debated over the matter, again saying that the Western Depot’s foundation was deep and profound, not something the Eastern Depot could compare with.

Seeing this, the court officials were not as shortsighted as the commoners, waiting for the Governor of the Eastern Depot to make another move.

Most officials believed that Ji Yue, who attained his position by luck, could not compete with Eunuch Zhou who had fought his way up from the bottom.

In the third year of the Orthodox reign, mid-June.

The sun blazed down mercilessly.

The Yangxin Hall was filled with ice blocks, as palace maids fanned the air, circulating the cool breeze within the hall, which felt as refreshing as an autumn day.

The Orthodox Emperor was perusing memorial reports, and several in a row were about the land survey.

The investigation of farmland was still ongoing; local officials and nobles, in order to conceal their land holdings, colluded with officers, and reported falsehoods and omissions concerning the actual size of their lands.

To fill in the gaps, they even counted people’s homes as farmland, and in some cases, ancestral graves were also included in the tally.

Such practices of surveying the land naturally led to great public grievances, and there were frequent collective protests by the people, with severe incidents leading to the killing of clerks and storming of the County Government Office.

This was exactly what the officials wanted, and they submitted memorials one after another, claiming that the public opposed the land survey and asking His Majesty to consider the hardships of the common folk and withdraw the decree.

“They are all parasites of the National Dynasty!”

The Orthodox Emperor had once been exiled to the Northern Border and had seen the suffering of the people firsthand; he had resolved to reform the tax system at that time.

After his ascent to the throne, he did not rush to implement reforms, but instead mobilized millions in military provisions for a western campaign, followed by using the majesty of conquest to investigate the farmland.

“I am conducting this land survey for the sake of the poor people, and yet they dare to rise in rebellion!”

Eunuch Yuan bowed in service, flattering, “The common people are dim-witted and fail to understand Your Majesty’s painstaking efforts. Once the tax reforms are in place, they will surely praise you as a sage monarch!”

“I do not seek to be called a sage monarch; my only desire is to ensure the long-lasting prosperity of the empire.”

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The corners of the Orthodox Emperor’s mouth curled slightly, as he continued to examine the memorials, coming across reports of the Inspectorate arresting corrupt local officials and urging the advancement of the land survey.

“Three prefects arrested, sixteen magistrates, and more than seventy officials of various levels… good, the Inspectorate is doing a very good job!”

Eunuch Yuan, hearing the praise, spoke in a sarcastic tone.

“Eunuch Zhou has always been ostentatious; as a senior official of the National Dynasty, he innovated the precedent of house raids and extermination without going through the three ministries!”

The Orthodox Emperor glanced at Eunuch Yuan, “Little Zhou acts selflessly for the National Dynasty, I see it all. What are you plotting, you dog slave?”

“This servant knows his error.”

Eunuch Yuan, terrified, turned pale and knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly.

“Rise. In the future, do not speak out of turn.”

The Orthodox Emperor did not continue to scold, as Eunuch Zhou now held overwhelming power. It was necessary to have a servant who could be a match for him, lest he become uncontrollable in the future.

“I thank Your Majesty, this servant will remember,” said Eunuch Yuan, visibly relieved as he touched the thick silver note hidden in his sleeve.

The previous night, Eunuch Zhou had someone deliver a hundred thousand taels, asking Eunuch Yuan to help arrange the order of the memorials and to make a small report on the side.

Easy work for smooth talking—this business was worthwhile!

A moment later.

An attendant on duty came in to report that Eunuch Zhou requested an audience with His Majesty.

The Orthodox Emperor, considering the good Zhou Yi had done and the fact that he had offended the literati and warriors for the sake of reform, instructed, “From now on, when Little Zhou comes, there’s no need to report; just lead him in directly.”

Zhou Yi soon entered, and after thrice shouting long live, he said.

“Your Majesty, while supervising the land survey, I discovered people colluding with locals to hide large amounts of land. The matter is of great importance and I beseech Your Majesty to decide.”