The moment this number was announced, the entire court was taken aback.

How could a small merchant family have so much silver these days?

No, what does Ye Cang need so much silver for?

Not only were his ministers shocked, but Yuwen Wuji was also stunned by the figure. Even as the ruler of a country, he was always careful with every penny he spent.

How could Ye Cang, a mere Minister of Personnel, dare to ask for so much silver?

A murderous glint appeared in Yuwen Wuji's eyes. He had thought Ye Cang was an honest man, but now it seemed he wasn't so. He had no idea what kind of creature he had raised!

When Ye Cang heard this number, he seemed to be nailed to the spot.

This number represents the amount of silver you have deposited in the bank!

At that moment, he knew that the censor must have found something! But he couldn't panic. He and the Zhao family's money shop hadn't signed a written agreement, so there was no proof. He could simply deny it.

But if I don't admit it, I'll lose this money!

But now, life is more important than anything!

Ye Cang knelt down in the main hall with a "thud," and everyone seemed to hear the soreness emanating from his kneecaps.

"Your Majesty, I did not! I have served as an official for so many years, and I have been diligent and frugal, as everyone has witnessed. How could I possibly not spend money!"

As Ye Cang spoke, he began to wipe away tears, explaining that his wife had suffered from a chronic leg ailment for years because they had no money. He said that if he truly had the money, he would naturally hire a renowned doctor to treat his wife.

After listening to his long string of nonsense, the censor interrupted, "In our court, officials of the third rank are required to have imperial physicians come to their residences for treatment. Why doesn't Lord Ye have an imperial physician for Madam Ye?"

Ye Cang wiped away his tears: "I can afford to hire someone, but I can't afford the medical expenses. Every medicine I take costs money."

The censor sneered, "Ha! Who knows if you can't afford the money, or if you don't want to spend it? Perhaps you're just using your wife as a pretext, doing this on purpose!"

Ye Cang glared angrily at the imperial censor.

"My wife and I have a deep and loving relationship; how could we possibly do such a thing!"

"Whether it is a deep affection between husband and wife or just pretense remains to be verified."

The entire court remained silent, for their emperor was a man of deep affection and loyalty, so the ministers mostly pretended to love their wives dearly and flattered their emperor.

"Lord Ye, why don't you first explain why the Zhao family says you are an unrighteous official who oppresses the people? They can give a specific figure for so much silver, which shows that it is true. Lord Ye, please explain to everyone your relationship with the Zhao family."

Ye Cang had already prepared his words, saying, "I had one hundred taels of silver deposited in the Zhao family's money shop. When I went to withdraw the money the day before yesterday, the Zhao family said that I had already withdrawn the silver, but I had never withdrawn the money. After all, they run a money shop, and if I directly sued the Zhao family, I was afraid it would damage their reputation. So, I privately asked the Prefect of the Capital to help me handle the matter and get the Zhao family to return the silver to me. As for why things have turned out this way, I have no idea!"

The Prefect of Jingzhao broke out in a cold sweat. Damn Ye Cang! He had asked Ye Cang for help before, which allowed him to secure his position as Prefect of Jingzhao. He owed Ye Cang a huge favor.

Now I understand, it's not so easy to repay favors.

He said tremblingly, "I did intend to handle this matter quietly, but I did not expect the head of the Zhao family to be so stubborn. During the negotiations, I found that the dyes in the Zhao family's cloth did contain harmful ingredients, which is why I sealed up their shop. I did not use my official power to intimidate them. There must be some misunderstanding here, but the Censor only believed one side of the story."

"Is that so?" The censor took out the evidence from his sleeve and said, "This is the seal left by Lord Ye when he went to collect the money and negotiated with the other party. It says that he took all the cash from Zhao Family Bank in the capital, and the remaining amount can be offset by the Shu brocade from Zhao Family Bank in Shu."

Li Wei presented the evidence in the hands of the censor to the emperor. After reading it, Yuwen Wuji's face turned terribly gloomy.

"Your Majesty, this is slander! I have never done such a thing!"

If the Zhao family's money shop were to take out so much silver, the Zhao family would likely go bankrupt due to the inability to circulate funds.

"It's all written in black and white, signed and sealed, crystal clear, what do you have to say for yourself!"

Ye Cang's body felt weak, and he felt utterly speechless.

"Your Majesty, I did not do it. Someone must be impersonating me to frame me!"

Seeing that he refused to admit it, the censor said again, "Your Majesty, I have witnesses who can prove that Lord Ye went to Zhao's money shop to withdraw money!"

Yuwen Wuji summoned the man, who was a vendor selling wontons at the entrance of the Zhao Family Money Shop.

"I did see this man leading a group of people to withdraw money from Zhao's Bank. I saw it clearly because he was carrying more than a dozen boxes out of Zhao's Bank!"

Ye Cang's mind was buzzing. He knew he had been framed, but he had no way to defend himself.

The other party has already prepared all the physical evidence for authentication.

"I did not do it! I do not admit it!"

Yuwen Wuji frowned. Ye Cang was such a coward that even if he had the money, given his style, he would have secretly withdrawn it in the middle of the night.

He made such a deliberate effort to show his face, as if he were preparing for this day.

"Someone come here to verify your fingerprints."

Ye Cang, as if grasping at a lifeline, immediately had someone verify it.

"Your Majesty, these are indeed Lord Ye's fingerprints without a doubt!"

The entire room was astonished. Ye Cang had secretly hoarded so much silver behind their backs! He must have been a hamster spirit in his past life!

"Your Majesty, Ye Cang, as a high-ranking official, has privately accepted bribes, oppressed the people, and sold official positions. His crimes are unforgivable. He is the biggest corrupt official!"

The thought of the Emperor recently ordering him to raid the residences of corrupt officials is utterly ridiculous.

Yuwen Wuji was furious. He had no idea that Ye Cang had done so many things behind his back.

In that instant, a breath caught in his chest, unable to escape or inhale.

Seeing that the emperor's expression was not right, Li Wei immediately said, "Imperial Physician! Summon the Imperial Physician!"

Everyone in the hall dared not utter a sound, and knelt down in unison, crying out, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

The court assembly ended abruptly, and King Xuan detained Ye Cang in the Dali Temple prison.

"Lord Ye, you really can't judge a book by its cover!"

Ye Cang was stunned, thinking about his hard-earned money. Now that his money was gone, his career was over too.

Who was it? Who killed him?

The Zhao family certainly wouldn't have the guts, but who instructed them?

He was dragged into the Dali Temple prison in a daze, and unexpectedly saw an old acquaintance inside.

The person looked disheveled; their hair was like straw, completely covering their face. They also smelled terrible, as if they hadn't showered for days.

"Oh, isn't this our Minister of Personnel, Lord Ye?"

Ye Cang had already been stripped of his official position and was in shackles. Hearing the other party's mockery, he couldn't help but retort, "You're not dead yet, are you?"