Yes, Madam Prime Minister

Page 376

Next, he would be tortured into confessing, revealing a bunch of his accomplices in the rebellion, and these accomplices would be the ones truly tortured into confessing.

Wang Sizheng sighed, "Well, as long as the start is successful, that's fine." Master Luo's tricks are still to come.

Chapter 871 Prison Food, Dialogue, Official Conclusion Doesn't Need to Be Believe

The Reflection Hall is essentially a place for confinement. Of course, because the students are different, the places where people are held inside the Reflection Hall are not all the same. There are large single rooms without any special features, and there are extremely narrow multi-person rooms with restrictions and punishment devices.

There's no other way; superhumans are a group that easily disregards order and laws, and their misbehavior can have serious consequences. When educating them, we must use strong measures.

Ronan is currently in a large single room with thick stone walls, sturdy iron gates, and devices that interfere with the flow of magic, but none of these mean anything to him.

The world's highest-level prisons can only hold those below the third rank, because there is currently no device that can restrict superhumans above the third rank. The Repentance Center can only hold those at the first rank at most.

Ronan was inside, while Inspector Wang Si was outside; both of them were eating lunch, as it was lunchtime.

Both of them had the same few dishes on a small square table: deep-fried taro and shrimp balls, with a crispy taro paste on the outside and tender shrimp meat inside; crab meat stir-fried with shark fin; stir-fried vermicelli, except the shark fin was used instead of vermicelli; conch slice chicken soup, with large conch slices cooked in a thick, simply seasoned chicken broth; fish and rice porridge, with fish paste sifted into small pieces and added to the cooked porridge, sprinkled with some old recipe crumbs, and finally served with a small pot of warm plum wine.

This was Ronan's first prison meal.

“I plan to change a few names on the list,” Wang Sizheng said.

"Whatever," Ronan said nonchalantly, and then began to eat the "fried noodles" with gusto. To him, shark fin was no different from noodles or shreds.

The so-called list is a list of traitors who intend to plot against the imperial court by forming cliques.

The list mainly consisted of officials from various factions, including Governor Ren Jingjiang, Provincial Treasurer Lü Delin, and Provincial Surveillance Commissioner Xu Tianci, among others.

As for officials involved, Wang Sizheng couldn't handle them and had to hand them over to Xu Tianci, the provincial judicial commissioner in charge of the province's justice system.

Would Xu Tianci directly say that Ronan was talking nonsense? The answer is no.

There are two reasons. First, Xu Tianci and Ren Jingjiang have a conflict, which is not a personal grudge, but a power struggle.

In Seres, and in many other places, the judiciary is really not important; it's best to have no lawsuits at all. But it's different in Guangdong, or rather, in the commercial city cluster centered around Guangzhou and Foshan. The more business and industry you're involved in, the more you need to talk about the law. You can't ignore it; without it, you can't establish contracts, and without contracts, business and industry can't operate smoothly.

As for the underlying power struggles and tactics, that's another matter entirely.

If business doesn't go smoothly, it doesn't just harm the interests of businessmen—businessmen are nothing compared to the interests of the superhuman group, as well as the interests of the bureaucratic group that is inextricably linked to the superhuman group.

Ren Jingjiang's penchant for meddling in the judicial process greatly displeased Xu Tianci.

Did he think he was an inspector from one of those provinces where farming was the main occupation?

Secondly, if Xu Tianci completely denies Ronan's confession, wouldn't that mean Wang Sizheng tortured Ronan into confessing and deliberately framed his colleague for treason? This wouldn't be a slap in the face to Wang Sizheng at all; rather, if Xu Tianci were to deny this, he would have to arrest and interrogate Wang Sizheng, which would mean one of them would have to die.

Therefore, as long as this Lord Xu is a normal person, he has to accept Ronan's confession and then carry it out.

And who is being targeted? Need I say more?

"Even though it's already started, I still think it's really crazy," Wang Sizheng said, picking up his chopsticks as he spoke.

Ronan ate a mouthful of porridge and a shrimp ball, saying between bites, "When it comes to a matter, you just need to consider whether it's worth it or not, don't you agree, Lord Wang?"

Wang Sizheng fell silent.

Is it worth it? Of course it is!

He, Wang Sizheng, rose from humble beginnings, only started a family at the age of thirty-one, and is now sixty-two. With his current cultivation level of the fifth rank, the seventh rank might be difficult for him, but at his age, the sixth rank is within reach.

He was a provincial education inspector with countless students, yet none of his eleven children showed any talent. If they were all a bunch of fools, it would be one thing, but his third, seventh, and eleventh sons were all exceptionally intelligent. As a father, he felt helpless, and his wife and concubines couldn't help but shed tears when they thought of this.

This is so unfair! Wang Sizheng's child is no good, but the child of the old farmer in the countryside is good. Is there any justice in this world?

"A toast to Mr. Luo." Wang Sizheng raised his glass.

“Ha, I should be the one respecting Your Majesty, after all, you’ve done me a great favor,” Ronan said.

At this moment, an instructor walked in. Wang Sizheng told him to speak frankly, and so Ronan also learned that the provincial governor Xu Delin was outside.

"What is Lord Xu's stance?" Ronan asked.

Wang Sizheng was taken aback. "You didn't know?"

"Why should I know?" Ronan retorted.

"You don't know, how could you choose him?" Wang Sizheng asked in surprise.

Ronan laughed, "Because he's the provincial governor. Who else would I choose if not him? Among the top three, the top one is the target, and if I need to use the third one, I can only choose the second one. As for the others, they're too insignificant. Below the provincial level, do they even deserve my attention?"

To be honest, Wang Sizheng's political acumen is somewhat lacking, but it's understandable. He's not part of the government; he works in education and judicial work targeting specific groups.

“Lü Boren has no stance,” Wang Sizheng replied. Boren was Lü Delin’s courtesy name. “He never gets involved in anything. If there’s a problem, he just passes it on to his subordinates.”

“That’s rare among officials of this rank,” Ronan said. “However, he’s quite politically astute.” This wasn’t a guess, but a judgment. This Lord Lü not only sensed something was wrong, but also didn’t want to do anything about it, which was a pity he couldn’t.

Wang Sizheng said, "When I said I wanted to change the list, I meant I wanted to remove a few of his subordinates."

“We can’t all go. To take down the boss, we need the second and third to contribute. How can we do it if the second one doesn’t get involved?” Ronan said.

“This isn’t enough,” Wang Sizheng said.

Ronan calmly ate the delicious snail slices. "Didn't I tell you? I have connections. All we need to do is frame him for plotting against his colleagues and attempting to rebel, then we can get a joint report. Perfect, the higher-ups need a scapegoat. Besides, by making good use of the relationships between local officials, we can incite them to fight each other. It's a sure thing. I'm giving your court some advice."

Wang Sizheng was eating a slice of conch with his chopsticks, "It's all because of a small conflict that things have escalated to this point, sigh."

Ronan set down his chopsticks. "You're wrong. This is all just a side note. Let me tell you, the leader of the rebels looks exactly like me. Many people have seen his true face. In a while, the authorities will announce that we are twin brothers. I, on the other hand, have put righteousness before family, saving Seris from danger and contributing to the country. That's what I'm really doing. The governor's real crime is that he plans to use the fact that I look like the leader of the rebels as blackmail, forcing me to falsely accuse you loyal subjects of being traitors, so he can seize power for himself."

Wang Sizheng laughed, "That's pure nonsense. How stupid would you have to be to believe that?"

"Does the official conclusion need to be believed?" Ronan asked again.

Chapter 872 You were just dealt with incidentally, as a warning to others; you're actually not up to par.

Ronan's plan, in general, is both complex and simple.

First, they staged an accident in public, or rather, assaulted the provincial governor, then were taken away by the superintendent of education, and subsequently provided with a list.

In this case, covering it up won't work.

The provincial inspector took over and made arrests.

Through a series of maneuvers, Ronan went from defendant to plaintiff, accusing the governor of threatening him and using him to frame his political enemies.

As for the others who were arrested, they were naturally required to cooperate in reporting the crimes. Those who did not report were considered henchmen of the governor, and aside from anything else, their own families would be killed at the behest of the "governor."

Then, the provincial judge, the provincial treasurer, and the superintendent of education first placed the governor under house arrest. Then, a group of officials jointly submitted a memorial accusing the governor of a large number of crimes, the most serious of which was that he conspired to frame his colleagues for treason, when in fact he himself wanted to treason.

Finally, the imperial court will draw a conclusion on this matter and issue a proclamation regarding Ronan, proving his innocence and achievements.

This not only proves Ronan's innocence and achievements, but also confirms that the governor's charges are true.

Ronan's goal was not only to clear his name but also to get rid of the governor at the same time.

Another purpose was to let the people of Guangzhou know him, so that the people of Foshan would not go against him in the future, and would not think that just because he was a foreigner, he could not do anything to them. He could still deal with anyone in Seris by using the rules of Seris. The governor was an example.

Of course, all of this is just the first phase of the plan; the better days for the Cantonese officials are yet to come.

The plan began, and everything went smoothly thereafter.

The fact that things went so smoothly was actually due to the prevailing trend: the court's prestige was declining, and at this critical juncture of choosing a new emperor, there was a strong need to make an example of someone.

In a blink of an eye, ten days passed.

Ten days later, Ronan arrived at a small courtyard, where Ren Jingjiang was now under house arrest.

At this moment, Governor Ren Jingjiang had completely lost the spirit he had previously displayed while fishing alone in the snowy river.

But Ronan didn't realize this, because it was his first time meeting the governor.

“I didn’t expect you to come,” Ren Jingjiang said. Although it was also his first time meeting Ronan, he knew it couldn’t be anyone else.

Ronan pulled up a chair and sat down. "I was thinking that if we've gone this far, it would be a bit awkward if we hadn't even met in person."

“Actually, I was a step too slow. I originally had three moves ahead of me,” Ren Jingjiang said.

"Oh, I'd like to hear more." Ronan feigned curiosity.

Ren Jingjiang then recounted his previous plans in detail.

Ronan couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"What are you laughing at? Can you explain it?" Ren Jingjiang asked.

“No,” Ronan replied. “But why should I release him? If you have him arrested, wouldn’t that be a good opportunity to plead my case? Arresting me will only save me a lot of trouble.”

Instantly, Ren Jingjiang's face turned extremely ugly. He gritted his teeth, gripped the armrests tightly, and remained silent for a long time before asking, "When did you start colluding with Wang Sizheng?"

“There has never been any collusion,” Ronan said.

"We've come this far, why are you still giving me that bureaucratic talk? Is it really necessary?" Ren Jingjiang was so angry that she crushed the handrail.

Ren Jingjiang closed his eyes, not wanting to talk to Luo Nan anymore.

Ronan chuckled. "Ha, I'm not joking anymore. It's not really collusion. We just met last year. However, the matter concerning you, Governor, was decided after the major event. You think you were two or three days late? No, you were many days late."

"Just like you find me an eyesore, I find you an eyesore too. You want to make an example of someone, and so do I. It's not just you and me; in this court and in various places, there are too many people who want to make an example of someone. Whoever's methods aren't clever enough will be the chicken that gets killed."

At this moment, Ren Jingjiang opened his eyes and laughed, "Ridiculous, I didn't intend to make an example of you, I just wanted you to cooperate."

"The idea is wonderful, but haven't you thought about it? I've come all this way to Seris, just to cooperate with you?" Ronan retorted, almost speechless.

Ren Jingjiang closed his eyes and mouth completely, no longer wanting to say anything more to Ronan.

Ronan also got up and left.

He wasn't really there to provoke the other party or to laugh at them. After all, this kind of thing only brings a sense of accomplishment when done against a real opponent.

And was this governor his opponent? Not really, just someone who deliberately provoked trouble and was dealt with incidentally.

Ronan wasn't walking fast, and just as he was about to step out of the courtyard, Ren Jingjiang called out to him, "Wait."

Upon hearing this, Ronan stopped and turned around.

"You didn't come here to see me make a fool of myself. I can still turn things around, right?" Ren Jingjiang asked expectantly.

“You’re finally starting to look like a governor. You’re right, actually, a governor like you isn’t quite qualified to be a ‘chicken,’ you know what I mean?” Ronan said.

The court's prestige has declined; who are they truly trying to intimidate? Those who hold military power. Why did Lu Jianling dare to refuse the court's orders using procedural reasons? Because, damn it, other military leaders in other places were doing the same thing. Lu Jianling was in Guangdong, but her troops were in Guangxi, and her trusted officers commanded nearly ten thousand men.

In Guangzhou, there was a military officer whose power far exceeded hers: Admiral Pei Jinghai, who commanded a quarter of the entire Wei Kingdom's naval forces, and of that quarter, nearly a third was controlled by his trusted officers.

Normally, Pei Jinghai wouldn't have the ability to confront the imperial court with just this group of people, but now that people are in a state of panic, he does.

"Do you want me to bite Pei Jinghai?" Ren Jingjiang asked.

“It wasn’t me, it was the imperial court,” Ronan said. It really wasn’t him, it was the imperial court.

Ren Jingjiang frowned and fell into deep thought.

After a long pause, he slapped the broken armrest of the chair and said, "No, the imperial court can't possibly arrest Pei Jinghai. If they do, wouldn't the military governors in various regions be forced to rebel even if they didn't want to?"

“You’re right,” Ronan confirmed his guess.

"If that's the case, what good would it do me if I bit him?" Ren Jingjiang asked with a forced smile.

"The imperial court just wants to give this Admiral Pei a warning. If handled well, it can even be used as a pretext for legislation," Ronan said. A truly excellent ruler must learn to use cases to legislate and understand that every major case closely related to politics is an opportunity to further align the system with the current political and economic environment, rather than simply eliminating a specific person.

Political struggles should target abstract figures, not specific individuals. Targeting specific individuals is useless because positions within the system can alienate a person, just as capital can alienate a person.

Of course, it seems that the management of Seris is rather incompetent at present.

"What's in it for me?" Ren Jingjiang asked again.

"Don't you know? There are many charges in a joint report. Which one is valid and which one is not depends on the court's decision. Although it's unlikely that you can punish yourself with three cups, if you perform well, it's not impossible to be demoted but retained."

Ren Jingjiang looked up and sighed, "I never imagined that one day I would need foreigners to teach me how to be an official."

"Take your time to think about it. Goodbye."

Chapter 873 You actually believe what officials say? He disappeared while we were eating hotpot, and now he's on the blacklist.

After leaving the place where Ren Jingjiang was being held captive, Ronan returned to prison and served five days. Only after Ren Jingjiang "honestly confessed" was he cleared of all charges, and the prison guards came to inform him that he could be released.

"Gentlemen, I must take my leave now," Ronan said, bidding farewell to his fellow inmates.

Many officials were also imprisoned in the jail.

In fact, this case also involved dozens of officials, but these officials, those of the fifth rank or above, also enjoyed house arrest, even better than Ren Jingjiang, who was house arrested in his own home and could still order takeout, and not just food takeout.

Those below the fifth rank would not go directly to prison, but would be sent to a special detention center, where the environment and conditions were no worse than those of a regular restaurant.

Those who would go to prison were only clerks who were not strictly officials, and commoners like Ronan.

Although Ronan was enrolled in the academy and became a bachelor, foreigners do not enjoy the same treatment as citizens of the Celestial Empire and will not automatically receive academic honors.

"I can't be an adult."

"That's right, that's right."