Wu Hanjiang said, "Reporting what we hear is a censor's duty. Some inaccuracies are unavoidable. If censors aren't allowed to make any mistakes, you might as well stop our mouths altogether."
Fang Yun sneered. "Since the Censorate's reform, its written regulations have explicitly required censors to base their impeachments on facts. Reporting rumors referred only to the remonstrance officials of ancient times, who had no real authority. Over the past century, the Censorates of every kingdom have held immense power. They ceased being mere remonstrance officials long ago. Why pretend not to understand, Vice Minister Wu? The Censorate can now investigate officials and authorize their arrests. If it still does nothing but report rumors, why investigate at all? Why not simply arrest people outright? As the Censorate's Left Vice Minister, you don't even understand its basic regulations. How did you obtain your position? How do you carry out your duties each day? When trouble arose in distant Ding Prefecture, you demanded that I, the Left Prime Minister, bear responsibility. Yet as the Censorate's Left Vice Minister, you slandered and framed me with your bare mouth and teeth, then imagined you could simply walk away afterward? Who gave you that authority? Who allowed you to be so shameless? Since you dared submit this impeachment today, you must answer for your wrongdoing!"
After hearing Fang Yun's words, many censors who had originally supported Wu Hanjiang quietly changed their stance.
The censors of old had possessed no real authority, so naturally they could submit impeachments based on whatever they heard. Modern censors wielded enormous power. When they received information, they did not immediately submit an impeachment. Instead, they investigated and gathered sufficient evidence first. In urgent situations, they could even coordinate directly with the relevant government offices to make arrests.
If the Censorate