"The old man firmly believed that as long as he abided by the rules of his ancestors and acted in accordance with the law, he would be able to have peace in the world and all the people would be happy...... But after many years of being an official, the old man realized that sometimes, rules are harmful things! ”

Bao Zheng smiled bitterly: "It's a shame to say that in order to treat the scholars, Emperor Taizu rewarded acres of land and allowed them to carry goods, the original intention was to let the scholars have enough food and clothing, and they didn't have to worry about firewood, rice, oil and salt, and they were loyal to the court and devoted themselves to their duties." At the beginning of the founding of the country, it is true that countless officials did their best to restore the economy and appease the people's livelihood. However, a few decades later, Emperor Taizu's act of taking care of the scholars became a privilege in their hands, and they set up clever names, annexed fields, and trafficked goods on a large scale, carrying more than a dozen ships of goods from south to north. The imperial court can only watch, but it can't receive a single copper! ”

Bao Zheng has been in charge of the three divisions, and he has a deep understanding, he said bitterly: "Because the scholars do not pay taxes, they trade goods on a large scale, and these things are cheaper than ordinary merchants, and as a result, they are sold on the market, and the ordinary merchants are crushed, they do not pay taxes, not to mention, but also destroy the original taxpayers, land and property mergers, the same, these people are unscrupulous, making the imperial treasury empty, and the country is weak." ”

"The old man has rectified it several times, but it is also a drop in the bucket, to no avail. Why? It's because they are in the name of the ancestral system, messing around with you, and the old man can't deal with them directly, at most he will be sent to the Criminal Department to discuss the crime, a case, drag on in the Criminal Department for a few months, or even a few years, it is normal, and it is often raised high, gently put down, and can be lowered by three levels, which is already the limit, or it won't be long before these people can return to their original positions and continue to make money wantonly, even more rampantly, without scruples! ”

Bao Zheng sighed meaningfully, "The old man has been an official for so many years, and finally understands that everything must be done according to the rules, otherwise the world will be in chaos, but everything is in accordance with the rules and follow the process, the energy of the yamen at all levels is limited, and there are so many things that officials can deal with every day, no matter how vigorous the energy is, it is impossible to sleep endlessly." For example, if a hundred people make mistakes every year, you can only dispose of 10 of them, and the rest will get away with it. ”

"The old man used to think that Qin's law was strict and unkind, but later in Kaifeng Mansion, the old man knew that in terms of various cases, murder and robbery, out of ten, only one or two can be cracked, and they can be regarded as officials. There are countless cases that have accumulated over the years. Therefore, every time after solving the case, it is necessary to severely punish the law, deal with it severely, kill the head, behead it, and even exterminate the nine clans. ”

Bao Zheng said his experience, Wang Ningan listened carefully and nodded frequently.

What the old minister said is too reasonable, many people think that ancient punishments are cruel, yes, it is indeed very cruel, but it must also be clear that in the era of no blood type, no fingerprints, no DNA, and no surveillance, how talented people can find the real culprit?

The average crime solving rate is less than 10 percent!

In such a situation, how is it possible not to extract a confession by torture? How can it not be harsh?

Admittedly, killing the head may not be able to deter everyone, but at least it is better than neglecting and conniving?

Bao Zheng and Wang Ningan talked a lot.

The old minister told Wang Ningan that he knew that the rules were important, but he also knew that when necessary, he must not follow the rules!

And if you want to be unruly, you must have enough strength, and whoever dares to come nonsense will flip the table!

To uphold the right path and uphold justice, we must not only look at whether it is in accordance with the rules or not, but also look at the results!

Bao Zheng's words gave Wang Ningan a great inspiration, didn't the old minister say that it was the dispute between procedural justice and outcome justice?

The people of later generations may really be ashamed that their vision is not as transparent as that of Master Bao.

"Erlang, when you were in Cangzhou, you were good at accumulating strength, running an archery club, recruiting troops, and cultivating utility soldiers...... The old man once doubted you...... But for so many years, you haven't abused the power in your hands, and then again, if you didn't have these strengths, how would you recover Youzhou, how would you promote the change of the law, and how would you revive the Great Song Dynasty? ”

Speaking of this, Bao Zheng is full of encouragement and hope.

"Erlang, you are the most powerful courtier in the Great Song Dynasty, and the prince is obedient and respectful. In the future, you must not forget your original intention and make good use of the strength in your hands. If you don't like it, change it, and deal with those who are wrong, and you don't need to be polite...... However, as an official, you must put your conscience right, and from the old man's point of view, the Great Song Dynasty is far from being incurable, so ...... Erlang, it's enough to be a famous minister in Zhongxing, and it will shine through the ages, don't you say? ”

Bao Zheng's words can be regarded as digging out his heart and lungs.

Wang Ningan grabbed the old man's hand and nodded vigorously, his eyes were moist. Long live understanding, Bao Zheng's interpretation just hit Wang Ningan's heart.

Over the years, he has worked hard to cultivate power and win over allies, and many people think that he has evil intentions and wants to replace him. As everyone knows, what Wang Ningan has to do is just change some inappropriate things!

If he didn't have these forces, who would listen to him? What can be done?

Bao Lao Xianggong is really his confidant!

"Rest assured, I will never violate my conscience!"

Wang Ningan chuckled and said: "Old minister, after talking so much about the government, do you have any family affairs to explain?" ”

Bao Zheng hesitated for a moment and shook his head, "The old man has no sons, only a few nephews, whether they are cultivating and reading heirlooms, or becoming officials, in a word, they are not allowed to be greedy, they are not allowed to encroach, they are not allowed to harm the people, and they are not allowed to mislead the country...... As long as a family rule is violated, the Bao family will be expelled immediately, and there will be no mercy! ”

What an iron-faced and selfless bag!

It's really admirable.

Wang Ningan accompanied the old minister for a while, and then withdrew from the ward.

After saying so many words, that night, Bao Zheng fell into a coma again, and the place where he fell was difficult to heal, the blood was swollen and bruised, and his leg became similar to a bucket.

Qian Yi had the intention to go under the knife, but Bao Zheng's health was too poor to deal with it, and it wouldn't last long.

Mrs. Bao didn't know how to make a decision, and the next day, Zhao Zhen couldn't sit still, he came to Bao Zheng's mansion in person, and the two of them only said two words, and Bao Zheng passed out.

Zhao Zhen had no choice but to give Qian Yi an order to let him do his best to heal, on the same day, Qian Yi operated on Bao Zheng, and at night, Bao Zheng recovered a trace of spirit, but his face was pale and very scary.

The old friends in Beijing couldn't sit still, Ouyang Xiu, Zhang Fangping, and Tang Jie, who had been very ill, came to see Bao Zheng one after another.

Only Ouyang Xiu chatted with Bao Zheng for a quarter of an hour, and when he came out, he was in tears and heartbroken.

Two days later, Bao Zheng died of illness at home.

He left a suicide note.

The old man was an official all his life, and he had nothing to do, only the house where he lived, worth 2,000 yuan, after selling it for a price, one thousand yuan was used to repay the arrears of several old friends, and one thousand yuan was left to his wife for the elderly, in addition, Bao Zheng also collected 5,000 books, more than half of which he personally copied, Bao Zheng gave it to the school in his hometown, and left it for students to borrow.

In this way, the old man left cleanly, without taking a cloud with him.

After learning of Bao Zheng's death, all the neighbors and neighbors consciously came to kowtow to see him off. The crowd was ten miles away, especially many young scholars, who were extremely sad and surprised to see the prime minister's residence.

I really can't imagine that in the most prosperous era, the prime minister who was in charge of the government affairs hall would live in such a humble place.

The first Qing official of the Great Song Dynasty is well deserved!

Be an official like Bao Xiren!

Also sad is Zhao Zhen, another old guy is gone, how long can he last?

For a whole day, Zhao Zhen's water and rice did not touch his lips, and Zhao Shu was distressed and scared, and there was no way.

Until the next day, Zhao Zhen issued an order to posthumously present Bao Zheng with the title of lieutenant, and he was named the Duke of Luguo, nicknamed "Wensu". and sent 2,000 forbidden soldiers to escort Bao Zheng's body back to his hometown for burial.

No matter how brilliant a person was in life, it was all fake.

People may value your power and your wealth...... All in all, it's you who are valuable and they will pounce.

Only after death, when there is no value, is it out of sincerity and from the bottom of the heart.

Bao Zheng was in Xijing, and tens of thousands of people spontaneously sent each other off, stretching for ten miles, crying endlessly.

When they arrived in Kaifeng, there were hundreds of thousands of people who greeted the old man!

They all cried bitterly, Bao Zhengquan knew about the affairs of Kaifeng, and the time was not long, but in a short term of office, the old minister cleared the troubles of the worry-free hole, canceled countless tax cards, and cleaned up the unjust cases, promoted the development of the logistics industry, and solved the employment ...... Many years have passed, and the prosperity of Kaifeng is inseparable from the contribution of the old minister.

Men, women and children, help the old and the young, consciously go out of the city to greet, the white flags are full of eyes, the sound of mourning and music, and the common people say goodbye to the respected old minister in their own way.

A month later, Bao Zheng's body returned to his hometown in Luzhou and was buried in the ancestral grave. The descendants of the Bao family all take the old minister as an example, whether they are farmers or officials, they never dare to be greedy for ink, conscientious, and strict in style, which is admirable.

……

Bao Zheng's death brought the noisy ceremony to an end in advance, except for the envoys who planned to live in Luoyang, the rest got up one after another and returned to China.

And Bao Zhengkong's position as prime minister immediately became the focus of attention from all parties, and many people were eager to try, especially Jia Changchao, who came to Wang Ningan's mansion twice, although he didn't say it explicitly, but his intention was very clear.

After Bao Zheng's death, Zhao Zhen's health deteriorated, and many state affairs fell into the hands of the prince, and the prince obeyed his master's words, as long as Wang Ningan said a word, the position of prime minister fell into the hands of Jia Changchao.

It's just that Wang Ningan not only didn't help, but also took the initiative to visit Ouyang Xiu and talked with the drunkard for an hour.

It wasn't until the twilight was thick that he came out of Ouyang Xiu's mansion, Wang Ning'an was thoughtful, and the carriage went quickly. Just when passing through a street intersection, there was a sudden sound of weapons fighting, and then a big black man covered in blood, with a crossbow arrow stuck in his buttocks, roared, ran out, and just hit Wang Ning'an's carriage.