Rong grew increasingly aggrieved as he spoke. He knelt on the ground, yet unconsciously straightened his spine and said, "It is precisely because of this that over these years, while I served as the...Chapter 505: The Report That Rippled Across Half the Empire

The report listed a total of seventy-three officials, ranging from county magistrates to provincial governors, from major provinces like Qin and Shaanxi, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Zhejiang and Fujian, and Liangjiang.

The reported charges were mainly abuse of power, bribery, embezzlement of disaster relief funds, misappropriation of imperial grants, and favoritism.

"The lowly official selected a few of the more easily verifiable individuals from the list and investigated them. The findings confirmed each one."

Although obtaining the complete evidence chain will take some time, evidence is only used at the time of conviction. The information currently available is sufficient to determine that the content of the complaint letter is entirely true and there is no fabrication.

While listening to Zhou Ping'an's introduction, Li Chen carefully read the complaint letter in his hand.

The content is brief, with no headings or footers. It only lists names, their positions, and the crimes they committed. Although concise, the information is detailed and clear at a glance.

At a glance, it's clear this is the work of a professional.

Without decades of experience in legal enforcement, it's impossible to write such a report.

What's most terrifying is that the officials implicated in this report are numerous, spanning almost half of the Qin Empire.

After reading the last word, Li Chen slowly put down the letter of accusation. He looked up at Zhou Ping'an and said, “If this letter were made public, it would be the biggest case of corruption and embezzlement since the founding of the Qin Empire.”

Zhou Ping'an's expression remained calm. He said peacefully, "Based on past experience, large-scale corruption is inevitably a conspiracy. For example, a magistrate, an official only of the fourth rank, yet he controls an entire prefecture's affairs, upholding moral order, settling legal disputes, collecting taxes, and educating the populace."

“The prefecture also had officials such as Tongzhi and Tongpan to assist the prefect in administration. When a prefect engaged in corruption, he often implicated his colleagues and subordinates, leading to the downfall of the entire prefecture. Everyone involved would be affected, with all officials engaging in bribery from top to bottom, forming a massive conspiracy to protect themselves from imperial scrutiny.”

If this is true, then all the states, counties, and prefectures mentioned in this complaint letter are probably lost.

"Such a weighty matter, I'm afraid even the current emperor would hesitate to touch this letter of complaint."

Li Chen listened silently, then suddenly asked a seemingly unrelated question, "Do you know why major disasters often come with widespread chaos"

Zhou Ping'an bowed respectfully and replied: “When there is great disaster, there will be great thieves. The great thieves use force to disrupt the law, break down rituals, and form private armies. In times of great disaster, there are also great corrupt officials. These corrupt officials form cliques and gangs to prey on the people, deceiving superiors while enriching themselves at public expense.”

"The thieves and the corrupt officials have brought misery to the people, so chaos has erupted."

Nodding, Li Chen pointed at the letter of complaint and said: "The real big corrupt official isn't in the imperial court, but these parasites who directly control the livelihoods of the people and act as parents to one side."

These people are the true gluttons of a chaotic world. A court official, no matter how greedy, can only take so much. They don't even care about the few grains of rice in the common people's granaries. What they covet is the imperial funds, tens or even hundreds of thousands of taels of silver and benefits - that's what truly captures their hearts.

But these things won't directly harm the interests of the common people. Looking back at history, no dynasty has collapsed because of corrupt officials. It's these parasites who exploit the common people that make their lives unbearable and drive them to rebel.

But...

Li Chen slapped the complaint letter heavily, gritting his teeth and saying: "Now, we can't touch them yet."

“Seal all the files of the officials involved together with this complaint letter, and then ask the Dongchang to investigate. See if they can find out who wrote this letter. This person's heart is truly vicious.”, and said nonchalantly: "You guys, go kneel at the door, kneeling in a row, supervising each other. If anyone can't stand it and gets up, or takes a break, the person who reports it can go back, and...