roccoschili Chapter 37 Memorials from Huguang
Chapter 37 Memorials from Huguang
Yin'e knelt on the ground, his mind still reeling from the shock of that fleeting glance.
Before he came, he actually had a preconceived notion in his mind.
This idea comes from a TV series I watched in my previous life, in which Jiao Huang played Emperor Kangxi. He was wise, calm, and magnanimous, and every move he made exuded the aura of Emperor Kangxi.
It was as if he had the world's affairs in his grasp, and no movement could escape his all-seeing eyes.
But the real Kangxi before him was completely different from the image he had imagined.
First of all, it's a person.
Kangxi sat behind that large rosewood desk, looking exceptionally thin, as if swallowed up by the huge chair.
Yin'e estimated that this emperor, who was so powerful throughout the world, was probably less than 1.6 meters tall.
He was wearing a worn-out dark blue casual robe, which hung loosely on his body, as if it were two sizes too big, making him look even thinner and more frail.
A "money rat tail" braid hangs down from the back of her head.
From the front, it's almost impossible to see any hair; his entire head is bald, and with his wrinkled face, he looks somewhat like one of those ascetic monks in a temple.
What surprised Yin'e the most was the freckles on Kangxi's face.
They were patches of red spots, not large, but very dense, spreading from the forehead to the cheeks, and then from the cheeks to the chin, like marks from being burned by something.
Some of the marks are darker in color, appearing as a dark red.
Some are lighter in color, appearing pink.
Yin'e's heart skipped a beat.
This should be a sequela of the smallpox that Emperor Kangxi contracted when he was young.
He recalled the unofficial historical notes he had read in his previous life, which mentioned that one of the most important reasons why Kangxi was chosen as the heir to the throne was that he had survived smallpox and had immunity, so he would not die young from smallpox like Emperor Shunzhi.
The four words "smallpox sequelae" that were casually mentioned in those notes looked like this on the faces of living people.
It seems that calling him "Kang the Pockmarked" by later generations is actually quite fitting.
However, Yin'e was only stunned for less than a moment before quickly regaining his composure.
He dared not look at Kangxi's face again, lowered his gaze to the gold bricks, touched his forehead to the ground, and said in a loud voice: "Your subject Yin'e kowtows to wish Your Majesty good health."
A soft "hmm" came from behind the desk, followed by Kangxi's voice: "Get up. Wait a moment while I finish reviewing these memorials."
"Yes, sir." Yin'e stood up, stood to the side with his hands at his sides, his eyes fixed on the tips of his shoes, not daring to look around or show any extra expression on his face.
The warm room fell silent.
The air was filled with the scent of ambergris, mixed with the smell of ink and old paper, and a faint medicinal aroma.
Emperor Kangxi picked up his pen.
The brush tip dipped into the inkstone, then landed on an open memorial, making a soft "rustling" sound.
Yin'e stood to the side, but his heart was pounding like a dozen rabbits, he couldn't calm down no matter what.
He is waiting.
He waited for Kangxi to finish approving those memorials, waited for Kangxi to look up at him, and waited for Kangxi to ask him about the incident he had caused at the mourning hall of the Wei family today.
However, it seems that Kangxi wrote it down.
After finishing one memorial, he picked up another.
After approving that one, he picked up another.
The sound of the pen tip gliding across the paper never stopped.
The sky outside the window had already darkened.
He dared not urge them, nor did he dare to utter a sound.
He just stood there, and at first he didn't feel anything, but after a while, the muscles in his legs started to ache, spreading from the soles of his feet all the way down to his calves, and then from his calves to his thighs.
He secretly shifted his weight, moving it from his left foot to his right foot, and then back to his left foot, repeating this process.
He didn't know how much time had passed.
Finally, a soft stretching sound came from behind the desk.
Yin'e raised his head and saw that Kangxi had put down his pen, stretched his arm up, and moved his stiff shoulders and wrists.
Then, Kangxi picked up a memorial from the table and handed it to Yin'e.
"Take a look at this."
Yin'e quickly stepped forward, took the memorial with both hands, stepped back, and then lowered his head to read it.
The cover of the memorial reads "Your subject, Yinti, kneels to present this memorial."
He opened the cover, which contained the results of the investigation into the cheating case in the Huguang provincial examination.
The memorial contained very detailed information:
"Upon investigation, it was found that the cheating was led by the chief examiner, Liu Dianheng, the governor of Huguang, who colluded with other examiners and local officials to accept bribes from candidates, secretly manipulate the system, and switch the exam papers, causing the truly talented and virtuous to fail while the ignorant and incompetent were admitted."
"During his three years as Governor of Huguang, Liu Dianheng accepted bribes totaling 86,000 taels of silver under the guise of the imperial examinations."
Further searches of his residence in Huguang and his mansion in Beijing yielded stolen goods worth approximately 30,000 taels of silver. In total, the amount was over 116,000 taels of silver.
"The other eight examiners involved in the case received bribes ranging from three thousand to twelve thousand taels of silver, totaling forty-eight thousand taels of silver."
"All the above-mentioned criminals have confessed without reservation, signed and sealed their confessions, and this is hereby recorded."
"A total of thirty-nine candidates were involved in the case. Among them, twenty-one were found guilty of serious offenses, including bribery and influence peddling, and were stripped of their academic qualifications and permanently barred from employment."
The remaining 18 people, knowing the truth but failing to report it, participated in the cheating; they are disqualified from this provincial examination, suspended for three subjects, and handed over to local officials for strict supervision.
At the end of the memorial, there was also a postscript:
"During the interrogation, Liu Dianheng initially denied everything, but when he saw that the evidence was conclusive and he had nowhere to hide, he burst into tears and wrote a confession, willing to atone for his sins with his death."
"Considering that he still shows remorse, I have refrained from severe torture and have already imprisoned him to await the Emperor's judgment."
As Yin'e looked at the memorial, his mind raced.
He noticed a few details.
First, Liu Dianheng was the principal offender. He knew this man; he was the governor of Huguang, a powerful regional official, and a member of the Eighth Prince's faction. Half of the Eighth Prince's power base in Huguang was supported by Liu Dianheng.
But now, the fourteenth prince's memorial states that Liu Dianheng is the main culprit in the corruption case, having accepted bribes of 86,000 taels of silver, plus 30,000 taels of silver in stolen goods, totaling 116,000 taels.
This number is enough to kill Liu Dianheng several times over.
Second, Lao Sisi handled the case very thoroughly.
From the chief examiner to the co-examiners, from the co-examiners to the education officials, from the education officials to the clerks, the layers were peeled back one by one, and all were caught in one fell swoop.
This shows that the Fourteenth Prince was indeed a capable person, and he didn't just rely on his background in the Eighth Prince's faction to make a living.
Third, and this is what makes Yin'e most uneasy.
The fourteenth prince was a core member of the Eighth Prince's Party, and Liu Dianheng was also a member of the Eighth Prince's Party.
What is it called when the fourteenth prince investigates Liu Dianheng? Is it called putting righteousness before family? Or is it called cutting off an arm to save one's own life?
Various thoughts churned in his mind, but he didn't show them on his face.
He closed the memorial, held it with both hands, and respectfully handed it back to Kangxi.
Kangxi didn't take it, but merely glanced at him and asked, "What do you think?"