"I have always believed that as long as I abide by the rules of my ancestors and do everything according to the laws, I can have peace in the world and the people will be happy... But after being an official for many years, I realized that sometimes, rules are harmful things!"

Bao Zheng smiled bitterly and said, "It's shameful to say that Emperor Taizu gave land and acres of land to treat scholars in order to treat scholars. His original intention was to allow scholars to have enough food and clothing, without worrying about firewood, rice, oil and salt, and to be loyal to the court and do his duty. At the beginning of the founding of the country, it was true that countless officials did their best to restore the economy and appease the people's livelihood, and then they had a wealth of people and lived and worked in peace. However, decades later, Emperor Taizu's actions of taking care of scholars became the privilege of their hands. He made a clever name, annexed land, and trafficked goods in large quantities, from south to north, carrying more than a dozen ships of cargo, everywhere. The court could only watch but could not receive a copper coin!"

Bao Zheng had been in charge of the three departments and had a deep understanding. He said painfully: "Scholars did not pay taxes, and they trampled goods. These things were cheaper than ordinary merchants. As a result, they were sold on the market and squeezed out ordinary merchants. Not only did they not pay taxes, they also destroyed the original taxpayers and merged land. The same is true for this group of people, which made the court treasury empty and the country weak."

"I have been dealing with it several times, but it is useless. What is the reason? It is because they are chaotic with you under the name of the ancestral system. I cannot deal with them directly. At most, I will send them to the Ministry of Justice for a crime. It is normal for a case to be delayed for several months or even years in the Ministry of Justice. And it is often raised high and put down gently. It can be reduced to three levels. It is already the limit. It won't take long before these people can resume their original positions and continue to make money. It will be even more rampant and scrupleless!"

Bao Zheng sighed meaningfully, "I have been an official for so many years and finally understood that everything must be followed by the rules, otherwise the world will be in chaos. But everything is followed by the rules and procedures. The energy of the yamen at all levels is limited, and there are only so many things that officials can deal with every day. No matter how vigorous the energy is, they cannot sleep without sleep. For example, if a hundred people make mistakes every year, you can only deal with 10 of them, and the rest will be free from justice."

"I used to think that Qin's law was harsh and unkind, but later on the Kaifeng Prefecture, I realized that in various cases, one or two of them could be solved in ten cases, even if they were officials. There were countless cases that had been accumulated over the years, as many as a cow. Therefore, after each case was solved, it was necessary to punish severely, deal with severely, beheaded, beheaded, and even destroy the nine clans. If this was not the case, it would not shock people and reduce the violations!"

Bao Zheng said his experience, Wang Ning'an listened carefully and nodded frequently.

What the old husband said is too reasonable. Many people think that the punishments in ancient times were cruel. Yes, it was indeed cruel, but it must be clear that in an era without blood type, fingerprints, DNA, and surveillance, can many geniuses find the real murderer?

The average case-solving rate is less than 10%!

In this case, how can we not torture confessions? How can we not punish severely?

It is true that beheading the head in half may not shock everyone, but at least it is better than indulging in ignorance?

Bao Zheng and Wang Ning'an talked a lot.

The old husband told Wang Ning'an that he knew that the rules were important, but he also knew that when necessary, he had to not abide by the rules!

If you want to not abide by the rules, you must have enough strength. Whoever dares to do anything will overturn the table!

We must uphold the right path and maintain justice. We must not just look at the compliance with the rules or not, but also the results!

Bao Zheng’s words gave Wang Ning'an a great inspiration. Isn’t the old husband talking about the dispute between procedural justice and outcome justice?

People in later generations may really be ashamed of their abilities, but their vision is not as clear as that of Lord Bao.

"Erlang, when you were in Cangzhou, you were good at accumulating strength, setting up bow and archery clubs, recruiting corpses, and raising utility soldiers... I once suspected you... But for so many years, you have not abused the power in your hands. Then again, if you had not had these strengths, how could you recover Youzhou, how to promote reforms, and how to revive the Song Dynasty?"

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

"Erlang, you are the most powerful minister in the Song Dynasty. The prince obeys the rules and respects them. In the future, you must not forget your original intention and use your strength. If you don't like the rules, change them, and deal with those who are wrong. Don't be polite... However, as an official, you must put your conscience in the right way. From the perspective of me, the Song Dynasty is far from helpless. Therefore... Erlang, being a famous minister in the revival will be enough to shine through the ages, don't you think so?"

Bao Zheng's words were heart-wrenching.

Wang Ning'an grabbed the old husband's hand and nodded vigorously. His eyes were wet. Long live understanding. Bao Zheng's interpretation just hit Wang Ning'an's heart.

He has been working hard to cultivate his power and win over allies over the years. Many people think that he has ulterior motives and wants to replace him. However, what Wang Ning'an has to do is just change something inappropriate!

If he had no such power, who would have listened to him? What could he do?

Mr. Bao is really his confidant!

"Please rest assured, I will never go against my conscience!"

Wang Ning'an chuckled and said, "Old husband, after talking about so much government affairs, do you always have any family matters to explain?"

Bao Zheng hesitated for a moment and shook his head, "I have no sons, only a few nephews. Whether they are farming, studying and passing on their families or becoming officials, in a word, they are not allowed to be greedy, invade, harm the people, or harm the country... As long as they violate a family rule, they will be expelled from the Bao family immediately, and they will never be merciless!"

What a selfless Lord Bao!

It's really admirable.

Wang Ning'an accompanied his old husband for a while and then left the ward.

After saying so much, Bao Zheng fell into a coma again that night, and the place where he fell was injured was procrastinated and he was swelling. His legs became similar to the bucket.

Qian Yi was determined to take the knife, but Bao Zheng was in poor health and could not handle it and it would not last long.

Mrs. Bao didn't know how to make a decision. The next day, Zhao Zhen couldn't sit still. He came to Bao Zheng's mansion in person. After only a few words from the king and his ministers, Bao Zheng fell into a coma.

Zhao Zhen had no choice but to give Qian Yi the order to treat him with all his strength. On the same day, Qian Yi performed an operation on Bao Zheng. At night, Bao Zheng recovered a little bit of energy, but his face was pale and very scary.

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

Only Ouyang Xiu and Bao Zheng chatted for a quarter of an hour. When they came out, tears flowed and heartbroken.

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

He left a suicide note.

The old husband was an official in his life and had no other property. He had only lived in a house worth 2,000 guan. After selling it for a price, one thousand guan was used to repay the debts of several old friends. One thousand guan was left for his wife to support him. In addition, Bao Zheng also collected 5,000 books, most of which were handwritten by him. Bao Zheng gave it to the school in his hometown and left it to students to borrow.

In this way, the old husband left cleanly without taking away a cloud.

After learning about Bao Zheng's death, all the neighbors came to kowtow and see him off consciously. The crowd lined up ten miles away, especially many young students and scholars, who were extremely sad and surprised when they saw the Prime Minister's residence.

I really didn't expect that in the richest era, the Prime Minister who was in charge of the Political Affairs Hall actually lived in such a simple place.

The most honest official in the Song Dynasty, deserved it!

Being an official should be like Bao Xiren!

Zhao Zhen is also sad. Another old friend has left. How long can he last?

After a whole day, Zhao Zhen did not touch his lips. Even if Zhao Shu felt sad and scared, he had no choice.

Until the next day, Zhao Zhen issued an order to posthumously award Bao Zheng the title of Shizhong, and was granted the title of Duke of Lu, with the posthumous title of "Wensu". He also sent two thousand imperial guards to escort Bao Zheng's body back to his hometown for burial.

How brilliant and brilliant a person was in his life was all fake.

People may value your power and your wealth... In short, they will pounce on you because you are valuable.

Only after death without value is it from the heart and from the heart.

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

When we arrived in Kaifeng, there were hundreds of thousands of people who welcomed our old husband!

They all cried bitterly. Bao Zhengquan was not aware of Kaifeng Prefecture for a long time, but during his short term, the old husband wiped out the troubles of Wuyou Cave, canceled countless tax cards, cleared unjust cases, promoted the development of the logistics industry, and solved employment... Years have passed, and Kaifeng's prosperity is inseparable from the old husband's efforts.

Men, women, young and old, helping the elderly and young, consciously going out of the city to welcome them. The white banners were filled with sorrow and music, and the people said their last farewell to their respected old husband in their own way.

A month later, Bao Zheng's body returned to his hometown in Luzhou and was buried in his ancestral tomb. The descendants of the Bao family all took the old husband as an example. Whether they were farming or officials, they would never dare to be greedy. They worked diligently and had a strict family style, which was admirable.

...

Bao Zheng's death put an end to the noisy grand ceremony in advance. In addition to the envoys who planned to live in Luoyang, the others stood up one after another and returned to the country.

Bao Zheng's position as prime minister immediately became the focus of attention of all parties, and many people were eager to try it out, especially Jia Changchao, who came to Wang Ning'an's mansion twice. Although he did not say it clearly, his intention was very clear.

After Bao Zheng's death, Zhao Zhen's health became worse. Many national policies fell into the hands of the prince, and the prince followed his master's advice. As long as Wang Ning'an said a word, the position of prime minister would fall into the hands of Jia Changchao.

However, Wang Ning'an not only did not help, but also took the initiative to visit Ouyang Xiu and had a full chat with Zuiweng.

It was not until the dusk was thick that he came out of Ouyang Xiu's mansion. Wang Ning'an thoughtfully and the carriage walked very quickly. Just as he passed a street intersection, there was a sudden sound of weapons fighting. Then a big black man was covered in blood, with crossbow arrows inserted on his butt, and ran out, just hitting Wang Ning'an's carriage.
Chapter completed!