Ji Xiaolan: Kill Qianlong at the beginning

Chapter 251 The Difference Between Wang Danwang and Chen Huizu

He Shen sat down next to Mo Li and continued, "I want to tell you, Lord Mo, today there's a Wang Zhanzhu, and tomorrow there might be a Li Zhanzhu, and the day after that a Zhao Zhanzhu. If this continues, how can the governors of the provinces still hold their seats?"

He swallowed and continued, "Don't you think about it? Which official doesn't have leverage in the hands of his subordinates? If everyone is like Wang Zhanzhu, wouldn't the world be in chaos? I have to find a way to keep them in their positions."

Mo Li took a puff of his cigarette and said, "If you have any ideas, just think of them. Why are you telling me?"

He Shen said, "I just want to tell you, whether you like it or not. Lord Mo, listen to my advice. It's better to be less involved than more. Walk more steadily and don't offend people everywhere. Because of you, others have lost their jobs and their heads, while you have been promoted and become famous. How can you bear it?"

Mo Li just took a puff of cigarette and said nothing.

He Shen continued, "Have you ever thought about who would speak up for you if one day you fell flat on your face?"

Mo Li smiled, stood up, took two steps, turned around, and said, "Thank you for your reminder, Master."

He Shen said, "Don't thank me, just keep it in mind."

Just as he was about to say something, he turned around and saw that Mo Li had already walked away.

……

The guard stared ahead.

Inside the Emperor's residence, Heshen said, "Your Majesty, after my interrogation of Chen Huizu, he has admitted to embezzlement. This is true."

Emperor Gai Zhang said: "It's meaningless. The main culprit is Chen Huizu."

After saying that, he looked at Mo Li and said, "Mo Li, how should we deal with him?"

Mo Li said, "I believe that Chen Huizu stole property that had already been deposited into the national treasury. The circumstances are egregious. What's worse, he even dared to commit the crime openly in front of the emperor. This is truly an unforgivable crime and he deserves death."

Emperor Gai Zhang remained silent, looked at He Shen, and said, "He Shen, what do you think?"

He Shen said, "In my humble opinion, Chen Huizu certainly deserved death, but it seems that his death should be different from Wang Danwang's."

Emperor Gai Zhang asked, "How do you say that?"

He Shen said, "That's right. Wang Danwang is the one who amasses the people's wealth and exploits the people. This will naturally provoke a popular uprising, which will cause great trouble for the court. As for Chen Huizu, he is simply greedy for treasure and steals the court's assets. This has nothing to do with the people."

After a pause, he continued, "As the ancients said, it is better to have a thief than a minister who accumulates wealth. Wang Danwang is indeed a minister who accumulates wealth, while Chen Huizu is merely a thief. Therefore, I believe that Chen Huizu should be punished one level lower."

Emperor Gaizhang stood up, picked up the tea bowl on the table, knocked it with the lid, drank the tea, and walked forward.

Mo Li whispered to He Shen, "Master He, you sound like you're just trying to defend yourself."

He Shen asked, "What do you mean?"

Mo Li said: "You are the biggest thief."

He Shen was so angry that he said, "Don't slander me like this."

Mo Li said in a normal tone, "Your Excellency's words sound reasonable, but they are actually just excuses. Did the silver in the national treasury just fall from the sky? Isn't it earned through the hard work of the people? Isn't this considered exploitation of the people?"

Heshen said impatiently, "Mo Li, don't ask questions you already know. With your intelligence, how can you not see the difference between the two? The people pay taxes and grain, which is the official tax of the country. Once it is included in the official tax, it belongs to the court. But Wang Danwang is taking money in addition to the official tax, not putting it into the national treasury, and enriching himself. Of course, this will provoke a popular uprising. Chen Huizu is just a rat in the warehouse, stealing from the public. There is definitely a difference between the two."

Mo Li burst into laughter when he heard this.