Chapter 508: One Pit After Another

People in front of the hall started speaking one after another, all looking at Cao Dejiang in astonishment, and Emperor An also looked at him in shock.

Cao Dejiang actually spoke for him?

Cao Dejiang expressed his suspicion to Emperor Shang'an and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty was not very prominent among the princes back then. Although I don't know why he was sent to the south by the late emperor to take charge of disaster relief, selling official positions and titles is beyond his ability."

"The Southland is not a remote and desolate place. It is rich and fertile, and any official position with even a little real power is extremely sought after."

"When there's a vacancy over there, those keeping watch will be the first to notice. It's fine for the provincial government to appoint people for some insignificant positions, but important posts related to people's livelihood, like county magistrates, will inevitably be appointed by the Ministry of Personnel. And important military posts like the Provincial Marshal and the Chief Clerk of the Military Governor's Office will certainly be known to the Ministry of War."

His face was full of seriousness. "When Your Majesty was still a prince, your mother's family was weak and not valued by the late emperor. Before the flood, you had never entered the court to handle government affairs."

"His abilities are inferior to those of Crown Prince Li, his background is inferior to that of Prince Cheng, and his support from court officials is inferior to that of Prince Huan, Prince Yu, and others. Even before he entered the court, the Grand Tutor mentioned that he was mediocre in the study. If it weren't for his meritorious service in the flood control, few in the court would have known of Your Majesty's abilities. How could he have been able to connect with the six vital departments at that time?"

Cao Dejiang seemed to be speaking up for Emperor An, but with every word he spoke, Emperor An's face turned a little paler.

Even the other people in the hall felt that Cao Dejiang's words sounded like a mockery, but his expression was solemn and serious, full of concern for Emperor An, and no one could find any fault with him. After he finished speaking, he made a righteous conclusion.

"If you say that it was Crown Prince Li and his men who colluded with the court officials, I believe it. But if it is Your Majesty, Your Majesty back then would never have been able to do it. I believe Your Majesty!"

Emperor An: “…”

Should he thank Cao Dejiang, this old bastard, for believing that he is inferior to others in everything?

Emperor An's face turned red, then ashen. He wanted to curse, but he held it back when he saw Cao Dejiang's trusting eyes.

Qian Baokun glanced at the usually serious Cao Dejiang in astonishment. Was this Lord Cao doing this on purpose? His ability to sarcastically mock others was almost as sharp as his nephew's...

Seeing that Emperor An's face was about to explode and the people in the hall also looked strange, Qian Baokun coughed softly.

"What Cao Gong said is true. If someone really was selling official positions and titles, and they were able to conceal it from the court, then someone in power in the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War would have known about it. Your Majesty certainly had no connection with the six ministries back then. But Minister Xi, I remember that you seemed to be in the Ministry of War twenty years ago..."

Swish——

Everyone in the hall looked in one direction.

There are rules for promotion in the court. You can't just get promoted whenever you want. Without a letter of appointment stamped with the official seals of the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War, you can't hold your position firmly.

The Minister of Revenue is fine, he just took office four years ago and has nothing to do with the incident of twenty years ago. Even if there is something hidden in the Ministry of Personnel, it is someone else's business.

However, the Minister of War Xi Weifang had been in office for sixteen years and had originally planned to retire this year.

Although it was four years since the disaster relief incident twenty years ago, the key point was that Xi Weifang was promoted from the extremely powerful position of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, and that was after the disaster relief. The transfer of military generals in the south was not a matter of one day or one night, and it was impossible for Xi Weifang, who held real power, not to know about it.

If he hadn't been involved, he would have been ostracized and harmed by the real person behind the scenes. This matter couldn't have been hidden in the capital for so many years, but his news was kept secret in the south. Xi Weifang was later promoted to the Minister of War, a position he held for sixteen years...

Even if he didn't participate, he must have known about it.

I'm afraid the position of Shangshu is just a way to buy him to shut up!

Being stared at by everyone, Xi Weifang's face turned pale in an instant and he almost fell down. The people who were standing next to him immediately stepped aside, leaving a large open space around him.

"He's obviously talking nonsense!"

Xi Weifang's palms were shaking, and a hint of panic appeared on his already aged face, but he tried his best to remain calm and said sternly to the crowd:

"The Ministry of War isn't the domain of one person. If there's a major movement, it can't be hidden from others. Back then, this old minister had never heard of the events in the South, much less any bandits posing as officials. Furthermore, at the time, this old minister was only a Vice Minister, and the transfer of local military commanders required the approval of Minister Wang..."

Shangshu Wang, Wang Chongyu, was the previous Minister of War.

Xi Weifang wanted to directly put all the blame on him, but unfortunately there were few people in the court who were clean and had no political enemies. Suddenly someone in the crowd spoke up.

"Everyone knows that Shangshu Wang was sidelined by Minister Xi back then. You married the daughter of Madam Liang's family, the Mo family, and with the Liang family's help, you, as Minister, surpassed the Shangshu and almost took charge of the entire Ministry of War. Actually, you and Grand Tutor Liang are brothers-in-law."

"Back then, you relied on the power of the Liang family to force Minister Wang to resign, rendering his position as Minister useless. He later retired and died of depression. Now you're pushing the blame on a dead person. How ridiculous!"

Xi Weifang's face turned pale.

Liang Guangyi was so angry that his eyebrows stood up.

“Who is talking nonsense!”

Liang Guangyi suddenly looked towards the crowd opposite, only to see that everyone was crowded together over there, but he couldn't see who the person who had just spoken was.

He was so angry that he was shaking, feeling that he was unlucky for eight lifetimes. He had never been involved in the events of the past, but he was repeatedly implicated in them. It was bad enough that he was cheated by Cui Lin before, but now he was even involved in the matter of favoritism by the Ministry of War.

The bloody taste in Liang Guangyi's throat grew stronger. He gritted his teeth and said coldly, "My Liang family is clean and honest. I haven't had any contact with Minister Xi for many years. Who is slandering the Liang family?"

The crowd was extremely quiet, no one made a sound.

"What? You dare to talk nonsense and frame others, but you don't dare to come out and admit it?!" Liang Guangyi said sternly.

The faces of the people opposite changed slightly when Liang Guangyi looked at them, but still no one spoke.

Just as Liang Guangyi was about to ask more questions, Cao Dejiang frowned and said, "Minister Liang, we are currently investigating an old case in the Southland. If you have a personal grudge, why not let it go for now?"

"Someone is slandering my Liang family!"

"It was just a casual remark about Minister Xi and the Ministry of War. Why should Grand Tutor Liang take it so seriously?"

“…”

Liang Guangyi almost laughed out loud at Cao Dejiang's shameless words. What do you mean he's stingy? What do you mean it's just a casual remark?

If he didn't refute it, would he just let people put the blame on the Liang family?

This old bastard Cao Dejiang is simply talking without any concern for his back.

In other words, he would say that the Cao family is harboring evil and committing filth and corruption, and see if he would tear the mouth of the person who said that!

Liang Guangyi was so angry at Cao Dejiang's words that he felt dizzy. Just as he was about to retort, he saw Cao Dejiang turn his head to look at the woman who had spoken earlier.

"You've seen it too. Selling official positions is punishable by death, and this involves important officials in the court. Do you dare to take responsibility for what you just said? If you dare to tell even a single lie, not only His Majesty, but even Minister Xi and Grand Tutor Liang will not forgive you..."

"Cao Dejiang!!"

Liang Guangyi glared at him. Wasn't this bastard constantly digging holes for him?