Chapter 207: Feel free to be corrupt; I’ll confiscate as much as I want!
When there was no one in the imperial study, the figure of Bai Guanyin appeared and asked curiously, “Since the other party is talented and has come to join Great Wu, why kill him?”
“He came to join Great Wu and serve Us. I was indeed happy!”
The empress spoke with a heavy tone, “But he absolutely should not have slandered one of Our loyal ministers!”
“The method of manufacturing air balloons and airships was indeed leaked by Sir Lin! However, I absolutely do not believe that someone as insignificant as him, a mere sixth-rank official, would know such a secret!”
“I asked him for evidence, but he couldn’t provide any. Clearly, he intentionally slandered and maliciously spread false accusations!”
Bai Guanyin nodded in agreement, “That makes sense!”
“Although this person is talented, his loyalty is questionable since he easily changes sides. Moreover, he immediately accused others without hesitation after switching sides, showing questionable character!”
“A person like this will undoubtedly become a corrupt official and treacherous minister once they grow!” The empress’s gaze was like a torch.
Bai Guanyin nodded once again.
The empress shook her head, “In fact, we in Great Wu are not lacking in talent. What we lack are loyal and patriotic talents, like Sir Lin! Even if misunderstood by the world, he always holds firm to his beliefs. That is what We need the most, that is the pillar of talent We need!”
“So, why keep someone like Liu Hai, who is scheming and framing loyal ministers? He is useless to the country and the people, only causing trouble. It’s better to kill him quickly!”
Bai Guanyin nodded, and then disappeared.
Meanwhile, Liu Hai had returned excitedly, completely unaware that he had entered the 07 Yellow Springs Road, where his head would be taken as soon as he left Great Wu’s territory.
Three days quickly passed.
The delegations from Great Yan returned with hearts full of scars.
Lin Beifan also took up his post and reported to the prefecture office in De Tianfu.
At this moment, the prefecture office in De Tianfu was bustling.
Officials such as the Zhi Zhong, Tong Pan, Tui Guan, and Xun Dao, as well as many constables and government officials, were all gathered in the office, standing neatly as if in a military parade.
An old official stood at the front and lectured, “Later, all of you keep your eyes wide open. The new prefect is coming! This prefect is not an ordinary official. He was the sacrificial wine official of the Imperial Academy, and at the same time, he is a third-rank official in the imperial court. He can be considered a prestigious figure! He has free access to the court and is highly regarded by the Empress…”
“He has only been an official in the court for less than a year but has already been promoted several ranks, showing outstanding talent and ability! Even other high-ranking officials in the court cannot do anything against him! So you all…”
“Alright, alright, Mister Zhi Zhong, we all know very well who the new prefect is. Please don’t say any more! Our ears have already grown calluses from your repetitive talk!” A person dressed as a constable said.
“Yes, yes, please stop talking! Sir Lin, who in the capital city doesn’t know? We all know!”
“Mister Zhi Zhong, you’ve been talking for the past three days, and I’m so sick of it!”
“Can you please be quiet for a moment?”
…
The old man became angry when he heard this, “Are you still complaining about me being talkative? If it weren’t for the fear of offending the new prefect, I wouldn’t have wasted so much breath, would I? Since that’s the case, then I won’t say anything anymore, alright?”
The old man shut his mouth, and everyone finally felt relieved, but inside, they gradually became nervous.
Because they were very familiar with the new prefect who had arrived.
But precisely because they were familiar, they were afraid.
What people found most enticing about him was not his talent and abilities, but his greed!
Since entering the court as an official, no one knew how much silver he had embezzled.
He was most fond of confiscating wealth, and among all the civil and military officials in the court, he had confiscated the homes of over a third of them, including the senior secretaries.
These people had very few clean dealings, and they didn’t know how the new prefect would treat them!
They really had no idea!
At this moment, a luxurious carriage stopped at the entrance of the prefecture office.
Everyone’s eyes lit up, the new prefect had arrived.
This carriage was the only one of its kind in the entire capital, without any duplicates!
“The prefect has arrived!”
The Zhi Zhong, Tong Pan, and others immediately stepped forward, speaking in unison, “We pay our respects to the prefect!”
Stepping down from the carriage was indeed Lin Beifan, who had just taken up the position of prefect in Dedian Mansion and had come here to report for duty.
Looking at the subordinates surrounding him, Lin Beifan bowed and smiled, “Greetings, colleagues! From today onwards, we will be working together. I hope we can get along well in the future!”
“Definitely, definitely!” Everyone nodded and smiled obsequiously.
After familiarizing himself with the officials present, Lin Beifan straightened his sleeves and displayed his authority, “As a newcomer, I am not familiar with the environment. Please guide me around.”
“Of course, prefect, please follow me!”
“Please follow me, prefect!”
…
Everyone rushed to be the first.
Lin Beifan chose only one person from among the officials, saying, “You alone will do. The rest of you can carry out your respective duties and don’t need to come along!”
“Yes, prefect!” Everyone responded.
Then, under the guidance of the Zhi Zhong, Lin Beifan became familiar with the surroundings of Dedian Mansion.
It could be said that it was larger and had more personnel than he had imagined.
There were the Zhi Shu (Supreme Court), Cha Yuan (Inspection Court), Fu Guan, Gong Guan, Yin Yang Xue, Medical Department, Sang Dao Si (Department of Monks and Daoists), He Bo Suo (River and Pond Office), Shui Ke Ju (Tax Office), Xun Jian Si, and Yi Zhan (Postal Station). It could be said to be small but complete.
It was almost on par with one of the six ministries in the imperial court.
There were even constables, reaching a number of over 5,000, all of whom followed his orders. This was a considerable amount of power.
Therefore, Lin Beifan’s power has expanded several times, and even the civil and military officials are extremely wary.
After a full round, it was already noon.
“I never expected the official to be this professional and have such a tremendous sense of responsibility! I had always assumed that their responsibilities would solely involve reviewing cases, collecting taxes, and maintaining law and order in the city. This truly surpasses my expectations!” Guo Shaoshuai sighed.
“Of course, the official is responsible for many things! Especially here, as the capital, with nearly five million people, all sorts of things will happen. That’s why there are so many departments and positions! Managing this place well is not an easy task! Young master, you’ll have a tough time in the future!” Mo Rushuang said with some concern.
“It’s actually not that bad!” Lin Beifan smiled and said, “As long as each department does its job and follows the rules, the government can run smoothly. It’s a systematic project, none of the parts can be missing!”
“So you martial artists shouldn’t randomly target government officials! It might be fun for you, but in the end, the troubles are left to the officials, and if the government affairs aren’t handled, it’s the common people who suffer!”
Guo Shaoshuai and Mo Rushuang felt somewhat embarrassed.
Indeed, they have done that before.
At the time, it was enjoyable, but they hadn’t thought about how they were passing the troubles onto the common people.
In other words, they let the common people suffer the consequences of their actions.
“Since you’re accompanying me to the Dedian Mansion, it’s not very convenient to have the status of a commoner! How about I give you the position of constable? It’ll be more convenient for you to do things in the future!” Lin Beifan smiled.
“We martial artists can actually become constables and receive imperial stipends! Haha, that’s really interesting!” Guo Shaoshuai happily exclaimed.
Even the usually composed Mo Rushuang had a smile on her face.
Two days later, Lin Beifan finally became more familiar with the work in Dedian Mansion.
There were a lot of things to manage, both big and small. Basically, any work one could think of was involved. It was like a downsized version of the imperial court.
But if he could manage all these things well, establish order in his jurisdiction, and ensure the people’s livelihood and prosperity, then it would undoubtedly prove his talent and promotion and appointment were just a matter of time.
Especially in the capital, there were even more and more complex issues.
If he could manage this place well, he would definitely be valued by the imperial court, and even have the opportunity to become a noble or prime minister.
That’s why the Empress had brought him here, to give him an opportunity to train.
When his abilities were sufficient and he had achieved enough merits, he would naturally be promoted.
On this day, Lin Beifan summoned all the officials in the prefecture.
Everyone looked nervously at Lin Beifan.
As the saying goes, a new official will set fire to three things, and now it was time to start the fire!
They didn’t know how Lin Beifan planned to start this fire and if it would burn them.
“Colleagues, in these past two days, I have been familiarizing myself with the work of the Dedian Mansion. I now have a better understanding. You have all done a good job, and I am very pleased!” Lin Beifan smiled and nodded.
Everyone felt relieved.
“But, I have also noticed many problems!”
Once again, everyone tensed up.
Lin Beifan’s expression became serious, “I have noticed that there is a lot of corruption and bribery, abuse of power for personal gain within our prefecture. I am deeply distressed! You, as the officials who serve the people, should be thinking of serving the court and pleading for the common people!”
As he spoke, Lin Beifan slammed the table and shouted, “What crimes should you be guilty of?”
Everyone panicked.
“Prefect, this is a misunderstanding!”
“We absolutely haven’t done anything like that!”
…
“Whether you have done it or not, I will make the judgment!” Lin Beifan pointed to the plaque above his head. “Do you see the words on the plaque? It says ‘upright and honest’. We should start with ourselves, and no one is exempt!”
The assistant cautiously asked, “So, does the Prefect mean…?”
Lin Beifan spoke with righteousness, “I am now representing the court and the people, and I will search your homes! If nothing is found, it proves your innocence! If something is found, you deal with it!”
“Ah!” The officials lamented.
They knew that the other side wouldn’t let them off!
They had really invited a disaster into their own home!
In the end, the officials of Dedian Mansion had no choice but to reluctantly accept it.
The Ministry of War and the Ministry of Works were thoroughly searched by him. What use were these small players?
Now, the other side was their immediate superior, it would be too easy for him to make things difficult for them or even throw them in prison.
In the end, Lin Beifan seized five million taels from these people, fattening his own pockets.
And he issued a final ultimatum: “You can continue to be corrupt in the future, and I will confiscate as much as you are corrupt. If the situation is severe, I will not only seize your salaries and other legitimate incomes but also leave no penny for you!”
“No!” The officials of the prefecture were filled with despair.
