Great Zhou Empire: Kill Zhao Kuangyin at the beginning

Chapter 558: When the water is too clear, there will be no fish (Special thanks to my book friend LX for his 2 monthly tickets!)

Ding Wei slammed the table and said angrily:

"This Kou Laoxier is not as talented as me, not as wise as me, and even worse at dealing with people than me!

Seeing that he could be pulled down from the position of Prime Minister this time, unexpectedly, Kou Laoxi has a father-in-law family, the extremely wealthy Song family, as a backer!

This is really unreasonable! "

Ding Wei's eldest son Ding Wei, who was standing beside him, said:

"Father, don't be impatient.

My father has always been highly regarded by Your Majesty, and Your Majesty especially appreciates his knowledge of finance and accounting. As the saying goes, there is a long way to go.

Now that Princess Song has intervened in this matter, it is no longer a good opportunity to bring down Kou Zhun.

Father, you just need to be careful and do the things that His Majesty has entrusted you to do well. In three years, the position of Prime Minister will definitely belong to you!"

Ding Wei had four sons, namely the eldest son Ding Wei, the second son Ding Wei, the third son Ding Gong, and the fourth son Ding Qi.

Except for the third and fourth sons who were still young, the eldest son Ding Wei and the second son Ding Yan had both passed the imperial examination and became Jinshi.

Ding Wei pondered for a long time, thinking of the close relationship between Mrs. Kou Zhun and Princess Song, and that Prince Song was extremely favored by Emperor Chai Zongxun. If he wanted to make things difficult for Kou Zhun, Princess Song only needed to mention it to Emperor Chai Zongxun. Then, not only would he fail to frame Kou Zhun, but all the faults would be on himself.

Ding Wei finally made a decision, and the next day he sent people to send 10,000 master craftsmen who were building the "Temple of Time" to Kou Zhun's residence to await orders.

When Kou Zhun saw that the people had been sent there, and since Ding Wei had said on the same day that he would send people to find these master craftsmen, he naturally could not do anything.

He had no choice but to arrange for these craftsmen to start designing and building the statues on the imperial tomb, and sent people to the Ding Mansion to express his gratitude.

The Wude Division, which was responsible for monitoring Bian Jing and the Prince of Song's Palace, quickly reported the details to Emperor Chai Zongxun.

On the afternoon of March 22, the 50th year of Kaixi, Chai Zongxun read the secret report of the Ministry of War presented by the chief eunuch Tang Qi in Yanfu Hall and pondered for a while.

Chai Zongxun said:

"It seems that Ding Wei still remembers the humiliation of being flattered by Kou Zhun at the "Qionglin Banquet" in the past.

Although he did put obstacles in Kou Zhun's way this time, he did not go too far. At least he did not dare to write a memorial to criticize Kou Zhun."

Tang Qi did not dare to discuss it much, just kept saying yes and no.

Chai Zongxun smiled and said:
"My daughter-in-law, Princess Song, is indeed wise and can distinguish right from wrong. She solved the matter with just one sentence."

Tang Qi said hurriedly:

"Your Majesty, Princess Song has always been wise and has managed the Song Palace in a harmonious and orderly manner. She treats the servants in the palace with dignity and kindness. There has never been a single case of overstepping the boundaries in the entire palace. His Royal Highness the Song Prince lives a happy life every day."

Chai Zongxun nodded slightly and said with a smile:
"Zhou'er, have you followed my instructions and practiced the health-preserving techniques in the mansion every day?"

Tang Qi smiled and said:

"Your Majesty, every morning after getting up, the first thing His Royal Highness Prince Song does after breakfast is to practice the health-preserving exercises Your Majesty has passed on to him. His body is full of energy and he has hardly ever been sick in these years."

Chai Zongxun nodded with satisfaction.

After a while, Chai Zongxun said:
"General Manager Tang, do you think it is common in the officialdom of our Great Zhou to see people being embarrassed over trivial matters like Ding Wei?"

Tang Qi thought for a moment and said:

"Your Majesty, this kind of thing cannot be brought to the surface for debate. It all depends on how the person handling the matter behaves and how popular he is with others."

Chai Zongxun said:

"It seems that in our Great Zhou, using power for personal gain is still a very common phenomenon.

I am afraid that the business sectors where money flows are concentrated will be the hardest hit.

The commercial law of the "Great Zhou Criminal Code" that I have established can ensure that major matters can be carried out without hindrance. For example, there are clear regulations on the opening of workshops and businesses, and tax rates, so officials dare not violate the law.

But these many small things hidden under the surface may become tools for officials to use their power to make things difficult for businessmen and ordinary people and make money!
A society where people make things difficult for each other and use every possible means to make things difficult for others when they have the slightest bit of power will only be a society without innovation and gradually declining! "Tang Qi hurriedly said:

"Your Majesty is wise! You are truly far-sighted and perceptive!"

Thinking about how officials often gave him many big gifts on weekdays under various pretexts, such as festivals, birthdays, and thanksgiving, Tang Qi couldn't help feeling a little frightened and his face turned pale.

Chai Zongxun noticed it immediately and said with a smile:

““When the water is too clear, there will be no fish.”

I also often receive gifts from officials and the people. After all, people are sentimental. It is inevitable for normal interpersonal exchanges.

However, I do not want the abuse of power for personal gain to become institutionalized in the society of the Great Zhou. This trend must not be allowed to continue.”

Tang Qi said hurriedly:

"Your Majesty is truly a saint!"

After considering for some days, on the afternoon of April 16, Chai Zongxun summoned Ding Wei to the Yangxin Palace.

After seeing the ceremony, Chai Zongxun said:

"Lord Ding, I have ordered you to organize the revision of the commercial law of the Great Zhou Criminal Code. How is the progress now?"

Ding Wei was relieved to see that the emperor had not summoned him regarding the matter of the master craftsman these days.

Ding Wei said:
“Reporting to Your Majesty, I have been organizing people to revise the Great Zhou Criminal Code for five years. In the first few years, more than 10 million local officials were mobilized to visit the people and solicit suggestions.

Now that the compilation has entered its final stage, the Commercial Law is divided into 120 items and more than 112,000 laws, which can be said to have legislated all currently known commercial activities. "

Chai Zongxun nodded slightly and said:

"Mr. Ding is indeed a man of outstanding ability and thoughtfulness, and he has done a great job in legislating commercial laws.

But I have recently heard that officials often use trivial matters to embarrass others. These trivial matters are not worthy of being regulated by law, but they are very detrimental to the efficiency of the operation of our Great Zhou society. "

Ding Wei was startled, not sure whether Emperor Chai Zongxun knew that he had embarrassed Kou Zhun, so he hurriedly said:

"Your Majesty is the eternal sage king of China, who is very perceptive and far-sighted!
I am stupid, please enlighten me, Your Majesty."

Chai Zongxun said:

"I have no objection to normal human interaction.

But we must never allow these hidden rules for personal gain to become institutionalized!
Lord Ding, this time when we revise the Great Zhou Criminal Code, we will list the specific deadlines for various matters that the government is responsible for, especially commercial matters. "

Ding Wei hurriedly said:

"Your Majesty is wise! I will organize people to handle this matter tomorrow.

With clear time limits for approval of matters, the administrative efficiency of our Great Zhou will surely increase greatly."

After the king and his minister chatted for a while, Chai Zongxun looked at Ding Wei meaningfully and said:

“He is a man of talent and virtue, a man of the highest quality.

The reason why I promoted Lord Kou and Lord Ding, both of whom are only in their forties, to the positions of First and Second Assistant Ministers is because I value your talents as well as your noble character.

For example, Kou Aiqing, although he was a bit tough and offended others unknowingly, he never resorted to conspiracy or intrigue, and always put the overall interests of the country first.

I really appreciate this.”

Ding Wei was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat and said respectfully:

"I am deeply grateful to your Majesty for his favor and for entrusting me with important tasks. I will do my best to complete every task that your Majesty has entrusted me with.

"Minister Kou is a man of high moral character and integrity, and is truly a role model for us to learn from!"

(End of this chapter)