Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

Ding Baozhen cut the Gordian knot and dealt with Lu Mingsong cleanly and efficiently, then returned to Jinan. Immediately afterwards, a massive anti-corruption storm officially began!

In half a year, with the full assistance of Gao E, Guo Songtao and Ding Baozhen investigated and dealt with nearly a hundred officials in Shandong in one go, including one Taotai, three prefects, and twelve county magistrates, all of whom fell under their guns. In addition to these people, people such as Tongpan, Zhubu, and even the subordinates of the three offices were cleared out, especially the Tixinganchasi. Ding Baozhen removed a deputy envoy, three assistant officials, and some small shrimps in one go. The entire Tixinganchasi has fallen completely into Ding Baozhen's control. This guy's methods are really amazing!

However, Shandong Province's big move has aroused dissatisfaction from all parties.

In particular, the Ministry of Personnel was responsible for auditing the performance, promotion, and demotion of officials across the country. The affairs were extremely complicated. The entire Ministry of Personnel was once again extremely busy because of Shandong's major actions. Liu Ye, Guo Songtao, Li Junfeng, and Ding Baozhen jointly submitted three batches of memorials to the Ministry of Personnel, requesting the dismissal, removal, promotion, and transfer of more than 100 officials.

Minister of Personnel Zhu Fengbiao was almost driven crazy. There were more than a hundred vacancies. Where could the Ministry of Personnel find more than a hundred suitable officials at once? One man for one position, and the ranks had to be equal. Now was not the time for unified audit. It was really worrying!

In the side room of the Grand Council, Zhu Fengbiao was frowning. At this time, the current Minister of Justice Quan Qing also walked in with a worried look on his face, sighing constantly.

"Good morning, Master Quan."

Zhu Fengbiao saw Quan Qing and said with a wry smile.

Quan Qing raised his eyelids and said unhappily, "Hello, Master Zhu, I'm not as lucky as you. The position of Minister of Justice is a life-threatening position. I'm almost worried to death. How much better can it be?"

Zhu Fengbiao smiled bitterly and said, "Master Quan is also worried? But are you as worried as I am? These few people in Shandong are a bunch of crazy people. That Liu Ye is a lunatic, and the others are even crazier. This has thrown more than a hundred vacancies in the Ministry of Personnel, but how am I supposed to fill them? The Ministry of Personnel already has a lot of things to do, and now it's almost too busy!"

Quan Qing said unhappily, "Come on, how about we two brothers switch places? At least you, old sir, hold the initiative. Who gets promoted and who doesn't? It's all up to the Ministry of Personnel. Anyone who wants to get promoted has to put on a good face for the Ministry of Personnel. After all, there are plenty of casual officials waiting to be promoted. What's there to be afraid of? Most of the vacancies in Shandong are real, lucrative positions. Are you worried that no one will take them? You just need to find the right people. Maybe the people below will even have to pay you a tribute..."

As he said this, Quan Qing narrowed his eyes and looked at Zhu Fengbiao with some envy.

Zhu Fengbiao said angrily, "Do you think such a good thing will happen? In normal times, in other provinces, those who don't have real vacancies will fight for these positions, but is it the same now? Even a fool can see that Shandong is now a den of trouble. Guo Songtao and Ding Baozhen have released more than a hundred people in one breath. They are simply two mad dogs, biting everyone they see. Who is so idle that he is willing to run to Shandong to stir up trouble? If he is not careful, he will not even be able to save his life. What's more, there is no such thing as Liu Ye, the devil. Even Hebitcha was killed by him. Some people nowadays feel nervous when they hear Liu Ye's name..."

Quan Qing slapped his head and said angrily, "Damn it, you're here for this too, am I not? Look at the petitions they submitted. Almost every official's guilt is written out clearly, and they've all been cleared up. You need to fill the holes of more than a hundred people, and I have to deal with the disposal of these one or two hundred people. You know, which official doesn't have relatives and friends behind him? Which one doesn't have some backing? The families of these people have all gone to the capital to look for connections. Almost all the powerful people in the capital have been alarmed! I don't even dare to go home now. All of them have to go through the back door to intercede. What do you think I should do?"

Zhu Fengbiao said jokingly, "Weren't you just talking about me? If these people want to escape punishment, who wouldn't want to show their respect to you? This is a good opportunity..."

Quan Qingyi was speechless and replied, "What a bullshit! If they dare to pay tribute, I have to accept it too. There are over a hundred people involved. It's such a serious case that even the two palaces and the regent have been alarmed. The people above are keeping a close eye on us, and Liu Ye and Ding Baozhen are also keeping a close eye on us. How dare I play tricks? I still want to live a few more years!"

Quan Qing is now completely trapped. If he wants to make some small moves, the people above and below are watching him closely. If he is not careful, he will be trapped. Now is definitely not a good time to accept filial piety. The risk is too great. Liu Ye is not an easy person to deal with. So should we sentence them one by one?

That won't work. There are so many people asking to see me at my doorstep. As for those princes and dignitaries, they have sent notes one after another and presented gifts to my doorstep. If I reject them all and make a fair judgment, I'm afraid I will never be able to gain a foothold in the court again. I have offended too many people. I have offended so many dignitaries. Once there is a fork in the road, that will be the time for them to kick me when I'm down. I will definitely die without a complete body!

The two ministers looked at each other, they were really stumped and couldn't stop sighing!

At this time, Wenxiang walked in from outside. Seeing the two people, he frowned slightly and said, "My Lords, why are you still outside? Have you finished your official business? And, Lord Quan, what is the result of the matter I asked you to inquire about the other day?"

Quan Qing nearly burst into tears. He wiped his tears. He'd just finished complaining when Lord Wen started asking about his most difficult case, the one involving Lu Mingsong. The Shandong Governor's office had him pinned down, nearly demolishing Liu Ye's coal mine. How could Liu Ye let this go? When had that guy ever suffered a loss?

Quan Qing said in a bitter voice, "Master Wen, this matter, this matter is really a bit tricky for this humble official. You also know who Lu Mingsong offended. If you come forward in this matter, that Liu Ye will definitely not dare to say a word. He will definitely give you this face and let Lu Mingsong go lightly. However, if I go in, how can I have such a big face? If Liu Ye bites me, how can I get away with it?"

Wen Xiang's expression froze. It seemed that Liu Ye's thunderous tactics had really intimidated many people. Damn it, Liu Ye, can't you just take the initiative to relax? After all, we brothers are still good friends, right?