Flowers in full bloom

Chapter 747 Punishment

The real boss behind the brick kiln and timber workshop was Li Zhizhou himself. However, many of his colleagues were unaware of this relationship.

In recent years, whenever Changhezhou needed bricks, tiles and wood, it was basically supplied by his own brick kiln and wood workshop. If the quality was guaranteed and the price was fair, there was nothing wrong with that.

It's a pity. In the beginning, they did ensure quality and quantity, but gradually, brick kilns and timber workshops began to cut corners and pass off inferior materials as good ones.

This time, when the blue bricks for building the academy were ordered, the brick kiln provided samples of high-quality blue bricks, and the state government paid three cents for each brick.

However, when the supply really started, the brick kilns delivered a large number of broken bricks that had been piled up, and the price of the broken bricks was three pieces for one penny.

Broken bricks can be used to pave the ground and passages, but they are definitely not suitable for building walls. However, Li Zhizhou, relying on his position as the governor of Changhe Prefecture, sent the broken bricks to the construction site of the academy regardless of the consequences.

Among the current officials in the workshop of Changhe Prefecture, Du was unaware that the owner of the brick kiln was Li Zhizhou, so after discovering the broken bricks, he immediately reported the situation to Li Zhizhou.

Li Zhizhou immediately pretended to say that he would deal with the matter seriously and ordered his brother-in-law to correct his behavior. However, a few days later, he assigned Du Jishi to another place to repair the house.

He himself began to take charge of the construction of the academy. As a result, the broken bricks continued to be used, although the bricklayers knew that this was inappropriate.

I reported the problem to the higher authorities, but the reply I received was that the academy did not have enough budget, so they bought broken bricks to save money.

They were temporarily hired by the provincial government and were supposed to work from day to day, so they agreed with this statement and continued to build the wall according to Li Zhizhou's requirements.

After hearing the whole story, Hualei's face darkened. If these broken bricks were put in the back to pave the floor, they would not affect the quality of the wall.

Hua Lei might have treated her with care, but now, Li Zhizhou was deceiving his superiors and subordinates, passing off inferior goods as good ones, and embezzling money. Hua Lei could no longer tolerate this.

He immediately ordered the yamen officials behind him to arrest Li Zhizhou and several officials behind him who knew about the incident but did not report it.

As Li Zhizhou's direct superior, Hua Lei did not have the right to demote or dismiss Li Zhizhou. However, if his subordinates were handling local affairs.

When serious violations of discipline and law occur, Hua Lei has the right to temporarily suspend Li Zhizhou's power, detain him in a cell, and write a letter to the Ministry of Personnel in the capital to impeach him.

After verification by officials of the Ministry of Personnel and relevant personnel, the final decision on the punishment of the suspended official will be made. If the personnel of the Ministry of Personnel find something more serious during the verification process.

There is also the possibility that the case will be reported to Emperor Shengwu's imperial study, where he will be directly demoted, dismissed, or relegated to a commoner, or even exiled or beheaded.

Seeing Hua Lei's angry face, Li Zhizhou kowtowed and begged for mercy, saying that he would never do it again. However, Hua Lei did not want to give him a chance, but directly confiscated his official seal.

If I don't discover it this time and the academy collapses later, not only will I be impeached, but all the wealthy businessmen who donated money will also be implicated. This is still an understatement.

If the academy collapsed and injured or killed students, resulting in casualties, it would be a big deal. Emperor Shengwu always attached great importance to students and literary examinations.

Moreover, Hua Lei felt that if Emperor Shengwu knew about this, Li Zhizhou would most likely be required to confiscate his illegal income over the past few years and then be directly dismissed, which would be the lightest punishment.

As for those people who knew the truth but did not report it and were accomplices to the crime, Hua Lei was not polite either. She wrote them all into the memorial and sent it back to the Ministry of Personnel in the capital at full speed.

Several more yamen officials were sent directly to the brick kilns and timber workshops to shut them down. At the same time, Li Zhizhou's brother-in-law and several related managers were also sent to the jail in the yamen.

After dealing with Li Zhizhou and others, Hua Lei asked someone to find Du Jishi, who was repairing a house elsewhere, and explained the situation to him.

He was temporarily appointed as the governor of Changhe Prefecture to handle the affairs of Changhe Prefecture, especially the construction of the academy.

All the walls made of broken bricks were demolished, and new quality blue bricks were purchased and rebuilt.

Hua Lei did not hide anything from the bricklayers and other workers who had been watching from afar, and told them everything about how Magistrate Li deceived his superiors and subordinates.

Regarding their previous wages, Hualei also made it clear that they would be paid as usual as long as they maintained the quality and quantity in the subsequent construction.

If you find anything inappropriate during the construction of the academy, you can report it directly to the relevant department and there will be a reward for the report.

She stayed in Changhezhou for another five or six days until the newly purchased blue bricks were delivered to the construction site. Hua Lei checked them carefully and left Changhezhou only after finding that there was no problem.

However, secretly, she still left two guards here to act as spies and watch over the subsequent construction of the academy. After all, she didn't want to do something bad with good intentions and lay a landmine for herself.

After leaving Changhe Prefecture, Hualei turned west and went to check the construction of the academies in Changxing Prefecture and Changhuai Prefecture. Fortunately, the academies in the two prefectures were well built. Hualei was very satisfied.

So Hua Lei went to Changwu Prefecture again, checked the academy, and then turned to the place where Bailiyun was farming to check the situation of the corn seedlings.

The corn seedlings that were burned earlier have regained vitality after the soldiers' repeated rescue efforts. Many places where there were missing seedlings have also been replenished sporadically.

The corn fields are now green and pleasing to the eye, but the yield is probably not as good as the corn in the official fields.

Having visited several cities in a row, and having been away from her child for more than a month, Hualei thought about it and decided to leave the remaining cities for the time being. She and Rong Jin went back to the government office first.

Originally, she thought that Jinshi would be waiting for her at the gate of the yard with tears and snot. Unexpectedly, when Hualei hurriedly walked into the back house, she heard the joyful shouts of Jinnian and Jinshi coming from the house.

After hearing the voice of the person in the room clearly, Hualei was surprised and delighted. It turned out that the vigorous old Marquis Pei came to Xichang Prefecture in person again, ready to take Jinnian back.

At this time, Jin Shi, who was fooling the ignorant, also went back. After washing their hands, Hua Lei and Rong Jin walked into the house together.

"Grandfather, when did you arrive? Why did you come here in person again? Are you too tired? Is grandma in good health?" Hua Lei asked happily.