Chapter 80 Chapter 80 The Jia family can't escape
It still gets dark early in early spring, and the lights in Wu Tianyue's small study are lit early.
He ordered someone to send the invitation to Daiyu to travel with him to Xiaoxiang Pavilion, then sat down at the desk and read a book for a while before picking up the information about the next camp and studying it carefully.
"Prince, Fei Yan is back." The servant outside the door reported in a low voice.
"Come in." Wu Tianyue put down the document, picked up the tea and took a sip.
"Greetings, Prince." Fei Yan entered, bowed respectfully, and pulled out a thick booklet from his bosom, placing it on the table. "The evidence of all the crimes committed by the Jia family is all here."
After saying that, he stepped back a few steps and stood aside.
Wu Tianyue saw snowflakes falling on his shoulders and asked, "Is it snowing?"
"It has been raining for half an hour."
"Go change your clothes first." Wu Tianyue nodded. "Be careful not to catch a cold if the snow melts."
After Fei Yan received the order and left, Wu Tianyue picked up the booklet on the table and started flipping through it, his brows furrowed tightly.
He originally wanted to cause some trouble for the Jia family, give them a lesson, and vent Daiyu's anger, but he didn't expect that the things committed by the Jia family were so heinous that it was difficult to describe them.
The lightest of these was actually buying and selling official positions. It was called light only because the official positions being bought and sold were not important positions. There had always been a custom of buying and selling such idle positions in the court. When Wu Tianyue cleaned up the Longjinwei some time ago, he found that there were many people who were just holding positions but not doing any work. So a lot of opportunities for training had been eliminated these days.
However, apart from this, a series of incidents involving the Jia family, such as taking on lawsuits, oppressing the people, accepting bribes, organizing gambling, and luring the children of wealthy families into gambling, were all recorded in the books. If you count them carefully, the crimes committed by the servants of his family who were traveling outside were enough to fill the case of the Censorate for two years.
Seeing this, Wu Tianyue instantly gave up the idea of just giving them a warning and decided to make the Ning and Rong mansions pay the price.
But Wang Ziteng is still alive and seriously ill. For the sake of his reputation as a benevolent ruler, the emperor will not do anything to the Jia family even if he sees the evidence.
Wu Tianyue once again felt disgusted with this world of clear hierarchy, and wanted to learn from the books given by the system to bring about a reform here.
[No!] Ever since Wu Tianyue and Daiyu had been together, the system had been playing around without worry. It was studying the game it had downloaded before the internet went offline when it suddenly received a warning and quickly reappeared. [Productivity in this era is still far from being reformed. If you rashly change the course of history, many more people will die!]
Its sudden appearance startled Wu Tianyue: [I know, I'm not stupid, I'm just thinking.]
"Didn't that farm previously find a lot of high-yield crops? I heard the Crown Princess is actively promoting it. With more people well-fed, more people will want to study." The system, still concerned, advised, "Open a few more schools, so those unsuited to studying can learn some skills. Once the people have a skill to survive, they'll naturally want to change."
Wu Tianyue heard this and nodded in approval: "I didn't expect you to be so useful."
The system was praised and became inflated: [I am very...]
Before he could finish his words, Wu Tianyue blocked his voice and angrily said, "I knew it! You're always crossing the river and then destroying the bridge!"
Wu Tianyue knew without thinking that it must be furious again, but he didn't care. He quietly included opening a school in his plan of taking Daiyu to settle in Jiangnan, and then continued to look through the evidence of the Jia family's crimes.
His hard work paid off, and he found a way: when the emperor raided the Zhen family in Jiangnan, the Zhen family refused to comply. Taking the opportunity of being transferred to Beijing for trial, they moved all their property and placed a lot of it in the Ning and Rong mansions. Because the two families were old relatives, the Jia family secretly accepted it.
Although it was said to be a secret, many people in the Jia Mansion saw the Zhen family moving things in. However, Wang Ziteng was at the peak of his career before, so even if some rumors got out, no one dared to bring bad luck upon himself.
Wu Tianyue didn't know what to say for a moment. The Jia family was so stupid and bold that they dared to do such things as forming a clique for personal gain and deceiving the emperor.
Continuing to read, I found the charges against the Zhen family at the time of the confiscation of property: embezzlement of Jiangnan's financial revenue, and evidence that the money confiscated at the time was not enough to make up for the deficit.
Fei Yan had changed his clothes and quietly entered. Standing by, he saw him lost in thought and said, "My Lord, although the Jia family is declining, they are still alive. In the palace there is Concubine Jia, and outside the palace there are the Wang, Shi, and Xue families. The current leader of the Xue family is very close to the Crown Princess. If you try to touch them, you will probably affect the entire family."
"If the Emperor wants to take action against the Jia family, Concubine Jia is nothing to fear. The Shi family has long since found a way to be exiled to avoid this mess. They wouldn't offend me for the Jia family," Wu Tianyue analyzed solemnly. "The eldest daughter of the Xue family married into the Jia family not only because of their status, but also because Baoyu is gentle and won't stop her from going out to do business. She's a smart person and knows what's best. As for the Wang family..." Wu Tianyue paused, remembering what the imperial physician had said a few days ago. He stood up and ordered, "Prepare the carriage. I haven't visited Lord Wang in a long time. I'm free today, so I'll go and pay him a visit."
Fei Yan heard that he had made up his mind, so he stopped trying to persuade him and bowed to accept the order: "I will arrange it right away."
Wang Ziteng was favored, and the Wang family was considered a founding noble family. His residence was not far from Prince Zhongshun's residence. Although it was snowing heavily, the carriage arrived in just two quarters of an hour.
Upon hearing that Prince Zhongshun was visiting late at night, Wang Ziteng's son and the housekeeper hurried out to greet him. "Please forgive me, Prince. My father is seriously ill and cannot see guests. What are your instructions?"
Wu Tianyue smiled and said, "Go and inform them that Wu Tianyue has something important to discuss."
After hearing this, the two were confused, but they did not dare to delay and hurried inside to report.
Wu Tianyue drank a cup of tea in the flower hall. Not long after, he saw the butler hurried back and bowed, saying, "Master, please come in for a chat."
There was a strong smell of medicine in the main courtyard of the Wang family. Even Wang Ziteng's son subconsciously held his breath when he came in, but when he turned around, he saw Wu Tianyue was calm and not affected at all.
I wonder if it’s because of his experience on the battlefield that he’s so calm and composed at such a young age, or if it’s because his fiancée is frail and sickly, something he’s seen a lot?
But no matter what, I heard that the prince is very fond of Lin Ruhai's daughter, and my sister has been getting closer to them these days by inviting the women from the Jia family to appreciate the snow. When the time comes, I will ask my wife to find an excuse to send some supplements over there to build a good relationship, which will make it easier to get things done in the future.
While he was busy making plans, Wu Tianyue had already entered the inner room.
Wang Ziteng leaned on the couch, his face pale. The once majestic Inspector of Nine Provinces was now just a skeleton.
Wu Tianyue suddenly felt a little reluctant. He had fought for many years and had indeed done a lot for the country, but under his protection, the Jia and Xue families had done many things that violated laws and regulations and disregarded human lives. The Wang family was only better when he had time to restrain them, and they were still domineering at other times.
Thinking of this, Wu Tianyue hardened his heart again.
Wang Ziteng didn't know what Wu Tianyue was thinking, but he knew that the four great families had no successors, and that his influence wouldn't last for many years. He also heard that he had someone investigate the Jia family shortly after returning to Beijing...
So when Wu Tianyue came in, Wang Ziteng struggled to stand up and salute, but Wu Tianyue gently held him down and said, "Lord Wang has worked hard for the country and is so seriously ill. If you ask me to be polite, it would be too much for me."
After saying this, he sat down on the chair in front of the couch with a respectful look.
Seeing his attitude, Wang Ziteng's cloudy eyes were filled with struggle and sighs. In the end, he decided to abandon the Jia family: "Although I am ill, I still have some ears and eyes. The prince came in person, I think it is about the Jia family's affairs?"
"Master Wang is indeed very perceptive." Wu Tianyue nodded slightly and handed the booklet that Fei Yan had handed to him today. "Please take a look, Master Wang."
Wang Ziteng trembled as he flipped open the booklet. He remained calm at first, but the more he read, the uglier his expression grew. "I had thought that under my watch, the Jia family would at most seize people's fertile land. But how dare they kill so many people? And interfere with the lawsuit? Help the Zhen family transfer their assets?"
But he still couldn't believe it in his heart, and said in a trembling voice: "This...is this the truth?"
"The evidence is irrefutable," Wu Tianyue said calmly. "The rest is fine, but the Ning and Rong mansions aided the Zhen family in transferring their assets, a crime treasonous to the emperor. His Majesty detests cliques and selfishness. If he knew of this, even I, Your Excellency, would be unable to protect his family. Even Consort Jia in the palace would likely be implicated."
Concubine Jia was the niece of the Wang family. If Wang Ziteng died, she would be the Wang family's last trump card. So after hearing this, Wang Ziteng closed his eyes and sighed: "You will suffer the consequences if you do evil!"
Wu Tianyue observed his expression and knew that he had thought it through. However, the Jia and Wang families were, after all, relatives by marriage, and he needed a push from others. So he said softly, "The Jia family's crime is irreparable, but if the Wang family can withdraw in time and submit a petition to apologize, they may be able to save themselves. Your Excellency is a wise man and should know how to make the decision."
Wang Ziteng's whole body trembled, pain flashed in his eyes, and he said with difficulty: "This old man... needs time to think about it."
"I hope Your Excellency will do it as soon as possible." Wu Tianyue smiled. "The timing is quite urgent. The day after tomorrow, after the court session, a victim will knock on the door of the censors. It won't be long before someone presents evidence to the emperor."
Wang Ziteng leaned on the pillow, staring at the incense burner in the room, as if he could see the light and shadow of his life's ups and downs in the officialdom in the smoke.
After a long moment, he slowly closed his eyes and uttered a few words with difficulty: "After tomorrow's court session... I will secretly write a letter of apology..."
Wu Tianyue smiled slightly, stood up and saluted: "Lord Wang, please rest well. Tianyue will take his leave."
"Your Highness," Wang Ziteng called out to him again, "Although what the Jia family did is unforgivable, I hope Your Highness will spare the lives of the two Dukes Ning and Rong for their loyalty to the country."
Wu Tianyue stopped, thought for a moment, and said, "This matter... I cannot interfere. Everything is decided by His Majesty."
After saying that, he walked out of the house quickly and declined the invitation from Wang Ziteng's son. After leaving the palace, the wind and snow seemed to be getting stronger.
Fei Yan saw Wu Tianyue coming out and hurried forward to put a cloak on him: "Prince..."
"After the court session the day after tomorrow, secretly lead those people to the various censors' residences. Do not leak the information." Wu Tianyue whispered, "Secretly open up every joint for the censors to investigate."
"Your Highness won't personally present the evidence to the Emperor?"
Wu Tianyue bent down and got on the carriage: "Some things will have different effects when delivered by different people."
On the fifth day of the first lunar month, the emperor looked at the letter of apology handed to him by Wang Ziteng, his face growing increasingly gloomy. He threw it to Wu Tianyue, who was on duty that day, and said, "Is this true? You've lived in Rongguo Mansion for so long, are you aware of this?"
Wu Tianyue opened the memorial and read it. Wang Ziteng was indeed experienced. All he said was to apologize for his crime. He also asked to be demoted by one level as punishment for not managing his family properly. However, his words were also a subtle reminder to the emperor that he and the Ning and Rong families had dedicated their entire lives to serving the country and the emperor. Now that they were about to die, they only hoped to die in peace.
Seeing that the emperor was angry but not furious, Wu Tianyue thought that the lives of the Jia family were saved. He hurried forward and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I really don't know anything about this, but to prove my innocence, I am willing to investigate personally."
The emperor looked at him carefully for a long time and chuckled: "You are quite alert. I will leave it to you."
After thinking for a while, he said, "But that is after all the maternal grandparents' home of your future wife. Find out and hand the things over to the Prince of Nan'an."
"Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty."
After hearing this, the emperor waved his hand and asked him to leave.
After Wu Tianyue returned, he naturally pretended to investigate secretly, but he also asked someone to reveal the matter to several imperial censors. After knowing this, the imperial censors came to visit him one after another.
After the few people met, they tested each other a little before presenting the evidence they had collected. Wu Tianyue took the opportunity to sort out the things for everyone and did not send the censors away until late at night.
During the Lantern Festival, perhaps thanks to the good weather, the weather was very good and the snow on the houses and streets had melted.
Wu Tianyue sorted out the evidence and personally delivered it to the Prince of Nan'an's Mansion. Since he was currently in the emperor's favor, he was naturally invited to drink and chat with him.
At noon, everyone packed up and went into the palace to accompany the retired emperor and the emperor to watch the lanterns.
After entering the palace, Wu Tianyue heard that the emperor would take action tomorrow, but pretended not to know and found an excuse to ask for leave from the emperor. The emperor knew that he had a deep relationship with Daiyu and now was the time to use him, so it would be fine to agree to such a small matter, so he agreed readily.
Wu Tianyue hurried out of the palace and rushed back to Prince Zhongshun's mansion. Daiyu was already waiting in Xianyun Tower. Seeing him coming, she deliberately put on a stern face and said, "Your Highness, you're here really early."
Wu Tianyue looked at Daiyu's lively expression and felt a little guilty. Although he knew that with Daiyu's personality, she might be happy to see such criminals being punished, but these people were her relatives after all, and his relationship with her was different now. He didn't know if she could accept it if he took action.
He said nothing, and Daiyu paid no attention. She continued, "Is it possible that the prince has been tied up in some official business again and forgotten about today's appointment?"
"I can forget anything, but I dare not forget the girl." Wu Tianyue was worried, but his face did not show it. He smiled and said, "I promised you this. Even if I am disabled, I will get up and finish it."
Before he could finish his words, Daiyu cursed, "A wonderful festival has been ruined by your unlucky words."
Wu Tianyue apologized repeatedly and said, "Since I'm late, I'm willing to accept the punishment."
Seeing his sincerity, Daiyu snorted softly, "In that case, we won't bring anyone to serve us tonight. I'll trouble you, Young Master, to carry the lanterns I bought for me."
"It's my honor." Wu Tianyue responded with a smile, and then said with a smile: "The sun was about to set when I left the palace. If I don't go out now, it will be too late."
Daiyu hurriedly changed into the clothes she had prepared long ago, and told Zijuan, Luchen and others to go and play by themselves. She went out alone with Wu Tianyue and got on the carriage. When they arrived at the outer city, they got off and walked over.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
