Chapter 374: Forcing the Emperor!
Qin State.
The usually deserted entrance of the government office has seen long queues in recent days.
The Imperial Censor from Chang'an arrived in Qin State, and on the first day, suspended the Assistant Governor and the Law Officer of Qin State for abuse of power.
At the same time, notices were posted at the government office entrance, informing the people of Qin State that if they had grievances or accusations, they could sound the Injustice Drum, and the Lord Imperial Censor would seek justice for them.
Initially, the people only observed cautiously.
After taking over the government office, the Imperial Censor's first action was to investigate unjust imprisonment cases.
He brought out the prisoners one by one for re-examination, and as a result, more people were detained in the government office's prison.
Many of the prisoners previously detained were acquitted in court, but officials of the Qin State government office were taken in one after another; the Assistant Governor was suspended, the Chief Historian was detained, three of the Six Cao were investigated, and a crowd of constables and the Prison Chief transitioned from arresting criminals to becoming criminals themselves.
Among these, the Law Officer bore the heaviest charges.
As the Law Officer responsible for the legal affairs of a state, he lost his ideals and original intention for being an official, abused his power for personal gain, indulged in misconduct, and was immediately dismissed and investigated.
The Assistant Governor of Qin State, as a court official, disregarded court prohibitions, established a brothel, and covered up various illegal activities of his daughter using his position, and is temporarily suspended, awaiting court's final decision.
The daughter of the Assistant Governor of Qin State, out of jealousy towards other women's beauty, ordered several constables to disfigure them, constituting intentional injury. Leveraging her father's power, she coerced dozens of men into relations with her, earning multiple charges and was sentenced to thirty years of imprisonment under Daxia Law.
Although the Assistant Governor was merely an Assistant Officer to the Governor, being from the Jinyang's Ms. Wang family, even the Governor had to concede to him in Qin State.
Even he was lawfully prosecuted, making the people believe that this young Lord Imperial Censor was serious, and while he was still in Qin State, they flocked to the government office to report the various illegal activities of the Qin State officials.
In just a few days, another seven County Magistrates out of thirteen counties in Qin State were investigated.
The number of lower-ranked officials caught up in this was countless.
Some local ruffians and bullies, long shielded by local officials, oppressing the people, finally met their end. With their protectors toppled, they lost their shelter, and in just a few days, many heads rolled...
After dealing with these criminal forces, the Lord Imperial Censor visited the State School to give several lectures to the students of Qin State.
As the exemplary top scholar of the Six Cao, each of his lectures was packed.
In addition, the local landlords and powerful families of Qin State were also summoned by the Lord Imperial Censor.
Many of those who faced capital punishment came from these influential families. Of course, their so-called influence paled in comparison with that of the Lord Imperial Censor.
After gathering them, the Lord Imperial Censor did not trouble them but merely admonished them to be strict with themselves and kind to the people, hoping that during his next visit to Qin State, he wouldn't have to decapitate them...
Qin State government office.
In these half a month, Li Nuo had taken over the administrative power from the Governor of Qin State.
Before his arrival, he had not anticipated that even a single Qin State would cost him half a month.
Alternatively, he hadn't expected that Qin State, being so close to the Capital, could be so chaotic.
Officials abusing their power was the norm, laws were mere decorations, arresting people at will, merchants passing by found it hard to escape local government extortion, and 'loss for disaster prevention' almost became implicit consent.
Government officials, funded by court salary to protect the people, were instead the most aggressive in exploiting them, with parent officials becoming umbrellas for criminal forces, filling the people with fear and distrust of the government. In Qin State's thirteen counties, four County Magistrates committed crimes unworthy of pardon...
This was just one state.
Qin State, being adjacent to the Capital, showed some restraint; those far-off states and counties distanced from Chang'an, one couldn't fathom their situation.
Some sights and incidents here often incited uncontainable anger, but in this short half month in Qin State, his life extension almost matched two years' accumulation.
After he modified the laws and extended sentences, the yield from adjudication was several times more than before.
Besides investigating cases, he did not forget to propose laws.
The students of the State School held a small chance of succeeding in the Imperial Examination, but they often came from decent families with some local influence, allowing them a role in local governance even if they failed the exams.
For local landlords and wealthy merchants, Li Nuo didn't entirely employ the techniques of the School of Cross and Vertical and School of Calligraphy.
The methods of Cross and Vertical Skill and the School of Calligraphy, although effective immediately, bore the risk of inviting suspicion back to him if applied vastly and uncharacteristically.
Furthermore, his individual capability was limited and could not alter the thoughts of many.
Before his cultivation reached the High Realm of the School of Calligraphy, he could only ensure the long-lasting and thorough implementation of policies through legislative means.
However, he did select a few people and forcibly intervened in their futures.
He threw a stack of papers into the furnace, watching them burning to ashes in the flames, then left the room and said to the fortune-telling old man: "Let's go, it's time to leave Qin State..."
Chang'an.
Secretariat.
The Left Prime Minister looked at the document in his hand; in just half a month, the officialdom in Qin State had been turned upside down, leaving many vacancies. Fortunately, to anticipate these events, more scholars were recruited during last year's Imperial Examination, and many have yet to be appointed.