This surprised the entire court even more, because if what Zhu Su said was true, it seemed that Yu Xin would really have a hard time getting away with it.

If what King Zhou said is true, then it is indeed Yu Xin's dereliction of duty. If the emperor punishes Yu Xin for this, then naturally there will be no fault to be found, and everyone will understand.

Some even felt that if Yu Xin had truly embezzled the imperial clan's dividends and stipends, he would be guilty beyond redemption. This would indeed tarnish the emperor's reputation for mistreating the imperial clan, and it would be unreasonable for the emperor not to punish Yu Xin.

Looking at Yu Xin, Zhu Yunying's expression was cold. "Yu Xin, is what the Prince of Zhou said true?"

Yu Xin panicked. Although he wanted to extricate himself, he neither wanted to nor dared to do so on this charge. "Your Majesty," he said, "I have not embezzled any of the imperial clan's stipends or dividends. It seems that I merely delayed the distribution of their dividends, which caused their dissatisfaction!"

Embezzlement is tantamount to corruption, and being beheaded or executed is a very real possibility. Forget about escaping unscathed; the entire household would be implicated, and that wouldn't be surprising.

But delays are a different matter. Even if there's a penalty, it will be much lighter, which is fundamentally different from withholding money.

Whether Yu Xin was anxious or afraid at this time, Zhu Yunying naturally didn't know, and perhaps didn't need to care so much.

Upon hearing Yu Xin's words, a murmur of discussion arose in the Fengtian Hall, and the civil and military officials were no longer able to remain calm. Although Yu Xin denied embezzling funds, his words implied that he himself had made a mistake, and that it was not the King of Zhou deliberately causing trouble.

Given this, the matter has become sensitive and potentially complicated, making it difficult for many people to remain calm at this juncture.

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