Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

At the time, Wang's scheming and maneuvering displeased Yu Shanwei, who even warned Meng Zhao not to get too close to Qin Hui.

But what happened next?

Among the noblewomen around Yu Shanwei, there were countless women similar to Wang.

Wang Shi had to put on an act to scheme and plot, while many noblewomen didn't even bother to pretend, which made Wang Shi seem perfectly normal.

Zhao Yuan said, "Your gathering was quite good, but it needs to be improved."

Yu Shanwei, suddenly inspired, quickly said, "Please give your instructions, Your Majesty!"

Chapter 3918 A Lot Caught

Zhao Yuan said, "First, do not do it in the capital; second, there must be no monetary transactions."

"Third, invite more researchers in the natural sciences."

"Among the concubines, only Hui Niang was interested in those studies, but it was inconvenient for her to show her face often."

Yu Shanwei carefully considered these words, and finally said, "This concubine will obey Your Majesty's command."

“Go,” Zhao Yuan waved his hand. “Before you leave Luoyang, you may go to the palace to pay your respects to the empresses and concubines.”

"Please take your leave." Yu Shanwei bowed and withdrew.

Men were called ministers, and women were called concubines; ministers and concubines generally refer to the ruled.

It can also be used as a verb; "臣妾天下" means to rule the world.

In the past, when Yu Shanwei met with the emperor, she always referred to herself as "I" normally, but this time she was so frightened that she referred to herself as "concubine".

She went to the palace to see Li Shishi and the others, and then left Luoyang with her husband, not even having time to sell the imperial residence.

Only one loyal servant was left behind so that the brokers could bring people to view the house.

Instead of seeking refuge with Zhu Guoxiang in Wangchuan Valley, they tried to decipher the emperor's intentions and find a suitable place.

The couple spent six months before finally deciding to settle in Gongxian (Gongyi).

They bought a mountain ridge in Dayugou and used all their money for construction, even investing the money from the sale of their former residence.

This mountain range was renamed Baisha Mountain.

The newly built academy on the mountain is named Weixiu Academy.

Located between Kaifeng and Luoyang, this place was convenient for inviting scholars from both capitals to gather.

The name of Weixiu Academy also carries a beautiful meaning, representing that students who study here can leap over the Dragon Gate and become dragons in the spring.

(“There is a cave at the foot of Baisha Mountain that leads to the river. There are yellow croakers in the cave. In spring, they go to the Dragon Gate, hence the name ‘Weixiu’. — Erya Yi.)

Enrollment was temporarily difficult, so the couple taught children in nearby villages for free before the academy was built.

Once the academy is nearly complete, they will leverage their existing connections to invite scholars from various disciplines to become teachers.

With renowned teachers, there is no shortage of students.

……

The case is still under investigation, and Min Zishun is in some danger.

Before he went to the Dali Temple for tea, he had already sent his loyal servant back to his hometown to raise money to return the stolen goods as much as possible.

His residence in Luoyang has been seized by the imperial court, and he can't sell it even if he wants to.

Even the valuables in the house were seized.

When Fatty Zheng's mother passed away and he returned after three months of mourning, he was shocked to find that the capital was in a state of panic.

As soon as he disembarked, he saw a group of criminals in shackles walking towards him not far away.

“I recognize that man, it’s Wang Chang, Qin Hui’s brother-in-law!” a scholar in the crowd shouted.

Some people clicked their tongues in amazement: "First it was Wang, now it's Wang Chang. Besides those who are already dead, are they going to arrest all of Qin Hui's brothers-in-law?"

"They're all in cahoots! I heard Qin Hui embezzled a lot of money!"

"These corrupt officials should have been arrested long ago."

“I have a neighbor who works as a prison guard in the Ministry of Justice. I heard that Min Zishun is in trouble this time too. Eight of his cronies have been arrested in the past few days.”

"..."

Zheng Hong was stunned on the spot. Min Zishun had also been arrested?

He had never had a good impression of Min Zishun, thinking that the man was far too pretentious.

After all, Fatty Zheng was a poor student at Yangzhou Academy, while Min Zishun was the best student at Yangzhou Academy.

Despite the bad impression, they were, after all, from the same hometown and classmates.

The couple's wives were very close and often went to Yu Shanwei's events together.

Chapter 3919 As long as there's enough money to spend...

Fatty Zheng asked his wife, Li, in a low voice, "You and Min Zishun's wife have no financial dealings, have you?"

Ms. Li was a little unsure: "Does exchanging gifts during holidays count as a monetary transaction?"

"As long as it's not expensive, it's fine," said Fatty Zheng.

Li said, "She once gave me a fur coat worth several hundred strings of cash, which was the most valuable gift I had ever received."

"However, I reciprocated by giving her a gold jewel from the South Seas, which is more valuable than the fur coat; I couldn't let my husband lose face."

Fatty Zheng laughed and said, "Then it's alright."

The Zheng family is now the richest family in Hanzhong. His own brothers are all incompetent, but his cousins ​​and nephews are good at business.

The main business was grain, tea, and tung oil, and after his brother-in-law's house was raided,

The Zheng family also bought a portion of their father-in-law's money exchange and jewelry business.

His cousins ​​and nephews inevitably bullied others when doing business, but Fatty Zheng himself was absolutely incorruptible as an official.

I dare not be greedy.

In a major case a few years ago, Zheng Hong's brother-in-law's home was raided, which terrified him!

Just as the couple were whispering to each other, another official boat docked, and Fan Tong and his family were escorted off the boat.

Fan Tong was Qin Hui's top lieutenant, and his political achievements over the years were outstanding.

While he was in charge of water conservancy in Ningxia, he was arrested along with his wife and children.

Several of Fan Tong's subordinates were also arrested at the same time.

Fatty Zheng muttered, "Qin Hui's faction is probably going to be uprooted."

But Fan Tong was wearing shackles, and the skin on his wrists and neck was chafed raw.

He was urged to enter the city in a daze, staring blankly at the city gates, looking lost and dejected like a walking corpse.

With his competence, he could be promoted based solely on his achievements, though not very quickly.

He first tried to get help from Wei Liangchen, but Wei Liangchen refused.

He then followed Qin Hui's lead, and the two hit it off immediately.

Not only did they get promoted quickly, but they also made a fortune.

Fan Tong even believed that he would definitely be promoted to Minister of Works within ten years.

Because he completed more than 20 water conservancy projects with high quality and quantity!

With such hard work and outstanding achievements, what's wrong with taking a little extra money?

They deserve it all.

……

Qin Hui is still squeezing out information at the Dali Temple, confessing his cronies bit by bit. He can at least drag this out for another two or three months.

"Whom did you confess to today?" Li Gang, who had just been transferred to the Ministry of Justice, was very eager.

Qin Hui casually uttered a name: "He Ruo".

Li Gang said, "Someone has already given his name; you should find another one."

Qin Hui smiled and said, "Su Zhou."

"Who did you just say?" Li Gang asked, taken aback.

Qin Hui repeated in detail: "Su Zhou, Deputy Provincial Surveillance Commissioner and Provincial Education Commissioner of Guangdong."

This official position isn't considered high-ranking in this year's cases.

However, Su Zhou's identity is quite special; he is Su Zhe's grandson!

The descendants of the three Su brothers are all doing well, because Wen Xiaomei's grandfather had a very good relationship with the three Su brothers.

Li Gang questioned, "Even if Su Zhou had something to ask of you, he would have gone to Prime Minister Wen. How could he have become your henchman?"

Qin Hui said with a smile:

"He's been persecuted by the Party since childhood. What wouldn't he do to get an official position?"

“Back in the Song Dynasty, he shamelessly followed the path of the Six Traitors and obtained a nominal position as a sub-prefect.”

“A nominal position is ultimately just a nominal position; he wants a real one.”

He went to Prime Minister Wen to ask for an official position. Prime Minister Wen thought he was very learned, so he kept him in the Hanlin Academy to study classics and history.

Chapter 3920 Even the Imperial Examinations Were Greedy

"Su Zhou wanted to be transferred to a post outside the capital, but after a short time, he went to seek out the Prime Minister Wen."

After examining Su Zhou's abilities, the Prime Minister felt that he lacked the capacity for civil administration, so he sent Su Zhou out to serve as an educational official.

"He did a good job as an educational official, but he also wanted to govern a region."

"Taking advantage of the opportunity to return to the capital to report on his duties, he went to request an audience with Prime Minister Wen."

"At that time, Prime Minister Wen had not yet stepped down. Out of consideration for the Su family, he allowed Su Zhou to try serving as a county magistrate."

"Haha, this fellow still thinks it's the previous dynasty, spending all his time traveling and enjoying nature, leaving all the official business to the registrar."

"The registrar took the opportunity to embezzle and break the law, making a mess of the county. He was arrested just in time for the nationwide crackdown on officialdom."

"Su Zhou was also implicated for his lax management of his subordinates and was demoted to a remote county as an instructor."

"At this time, Prime Minister Wen had already stepped down and no longer concerned himself with court affairs, so he used his connections to request an audience with His Majesty."

"His Majesty reviewed his resume and, presumably out of respect for Prime Minister Wen, promoted Su Zhou to the position of professor at the county school."

"This county school professor is not as good as the Hanlin Academy official back then."

“After serving for three years, Su Zhou finally found me and begged me to help him get promoted to professor at the state school.”

"Later, I helped him several times, and helped him all the way up to the position of Provincial Education Commissioner."

"Actually, it didn't take much effort; he still had achievements as an educational official."

Li Gang asked, "Did he embezzle and break the law?"

Qin Hui said, "Some of the students were sent to the Imperial Academy by him in violation of regulations."

"The imperial examination process was rigorous, and he dared not and could not cheat."

"But there are loopholes in the entrance exams for state schools."

“I have several subordinates’ children and grandchildren who were first transferred to the place where Su Zhou was serving, and then he arranged for them to study at the state school.”

"Then, during the graduation exam, the questions will be leaked, and you can smoothly get into the Imperial Academy."

"This is incredibly audacious!" Li Gang was furious; this thing involved the education system.

Qin Hui laughed and said, "The official schools have loopholes in their examinations, and there are probably quite a few doing the same thing across the country. Can you arrest them all?"

Li Gang said, "Don't be arrogant. Although it involves too many people, it's okay to make an example of a few. We can plug the loopholes later!"

Qin Hui yawned: "I'm feeling unwell and need to sleep some more."