Minister Wen heard the cold anger in Princess Bai'an's voice.
He managed to suppress his ecstasy with great difficulty: God was helping him! It just happened that at this critical moment, the person in charge was here, and Cao's Tai Sui happened to be disturbed!
If the position of prefect of Yingtian Prefecture is not given to him, who else can it be given to?
Hehehehe.
Wen Fucheng then presented a thick stack of supporting materials and called four or five witnesses, such as Doctor Sun from Baiyaotang, the brothel's madam, and the servant who was sold in Madam Cao's yard...
People from all walks of life appeared one after another in front of the actual ruler of the court, Princess Bai'an, who was as beautiful and sharp as a lioness.
Minister Wen carefully observed the expression of Princess Bai'an.
Well, just no expression.
Whether it was the sold servants with tattered clothes and smelly hair, crying and accusing Lord Cao of being heartless and cruel;
It was still the plump, powder-smelling brothel owner who was talking about how Lord Cao was lingering back and forth;
Princess Bai'an, who sat at the top, remained calm and composed.
A middle-aged man dressed as a legal advisor brought account books, case papers, and deeds.
Wen Fucheng bowed and said, "I have checked his accounts and the land deeds under his name. He has nothing in his name. His concubines own more than a thousand acres of fertile land and several shops in Yingtian Prefecture. Just last year, the household registration was transferred from his concubines to the name of the concubine of Su Dequan, the Minister of Personnel of the Capital."
On the one hand, he was cowardly, and on the other hand, he struck out with heavy punches.
Princess Bai'an didn't look at Minister Wen, but turned around and gave an order in a clear and straightforward tone, "Please invite Minister Cao to come." After a pause, "Please invite him to the main hall of Yingtian Prefecture. Summon all the officials, including the governor, the deputy judge, and the governor, and also call Wu Wang and Zou Ruzhi from the negotiation team."
Wu Wang is a fifth-rank official sent by the cabinet to the negotiation delegation and a direct descendant of Lord Li.
Wen Fucheng shrank back, "Your Highness, I won't go, right?"
Princess Bai'an glanced at him and asked, "Where are you going?"
Wen Fucheng was so sharp that he dared not say a word. He followed Qiao Hui in fear and shock, and lowered his voice very low. "...Interrogating Lao Cao, what am I going to do? I didn't collude with him at all. I have already revealed all the evidence. I can neither be a witness nor a victim. Is there any point for me to go?!"
Wen Fucheng lowered his head timidly and said anxiously, "Lord Zhongwu, how about you help me talk to Princess Bai'an - I still want to be an official in Yingtian Prefecture. If I follow him, others will know that I stabbed Cao in the back. Then... then... who will be willing to confide in you in the future?"
Qiao Hui cast his eyes downwards, landing on the thin, soft and sparse hair of Wen Fucheng, and smiled, "Then why don't you stab your colleagues. You've already done it, are you still afraid of people knowing?"
Wen Fucheng was speechless and panicked, "Didn't you tell me to take the credit for my achievements? How could he ever take the credit for me?"
Qiao Hui put his hands behind his back, smiling ostentatiously, "Be careful with your words and actions, Lord Wen. You and I are not officials in the same department. How can I teach you these old-fashioned bad habits?"
Qiao Hui lowered his eyebrows, crossed his arms, and said jokingly, mixed with sarcasm, "You've taken all ninety-nine steps, and you're afraid of the last step. Are you really willing to give up this road to wealth and honor?"
As Qiao Hui was speaking, two tall and mighty warriors pressed forward from behind him, forcing Wen Fucheng to move forward.
Wen Fucheng was like an ant on the edge of a knife. He wanted to cry but was reluctant to give up the piece of meat under the knife. He could only move forward step by step, driven by greed and fear.
When everyone arrived at the Yingtian Prefecture government office, the people mentioned by Princess Bai'an were already waiting there. A fair-faced and handsome middle-aged man in a casual suit with a white pheasant patch took a step forward and put a distance between himself and the Chancellor Cao who had just stood close to him.
"Greetings, Your Highness." The middle-aged man bowed.
Princess Bai'an walked forward without looking around, nodded casually, and sat at the very top. The ruby-red and solid gold hairpin in her bun did not move at all, and she looked dignified and beautiful.
"Wu Wang, please sit down." Princess Bai'an gestured to the middle-aged man to sit down, and then looked around and said, "Except for the chancellor Cao, everyone please sit down."
Then he casually said, "Master Wen, please sit next to the Loyal and Martial Marquis."
Cao Fucheng had sweat on his forehead. He forced a smile, his back arched like a shrimp, "Greetings, Grand Princess. I am the governor and Fucheng of Yingtian Prefecture. I was born...born in Suzhou Prefecture...my family...my family..."
"You have one wife, four concubines, four sons and three daughters. Your father was the left vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel and passed away ten years ago. Your mother was from the Hong family of Qiantang and your wife was from a prominent family of Fengyang Prefecture. Your family has deep roots in the Nanzhili area. Although you have not produced any high-ranking officials above the second rank, your family has been noble and well-off for generations in the Jiangnan area and you have a lot of face."
Princess Bai'an placed her hands calmly on the back of the chair, looking at Cao Fucheng with a vague gaze, which could not be said to be disgust or rejection, nor closeness or scrutiny. You could not judge her likes and dislikes from her expression, movements and tone.
Just like you can't tell from a lioness's eyes, claw marks, and back whether she will leap for her prey or roll into the water the next moment.
Cao Fucheng took a few deep breaths and forced himself to calm down. "Thanks to the grace of the emperor, because the country is forever stable, scholars like me can show our skills and make our ancestors' graves smoke."
Princess Bai'an smiled, "Some people say that the chancellors of Yingtian Prefecture are as slippery as a snake and as cunning as a fox. You are indeed better at talking than Lord Wen. Lord Wen is also like a snake, only able to hiss and spit out his tongue, and then show his killer moves as soon as he enters the arena."
As she spoke, Princess Bai'an threw out a thick stack of documents, "Illegal preparation of secret memorials, private changes to household registration, accepting bribes, taking prostitutes as concubines... Lord Cao, your ancestral grave is emitting black smoke."
Prime Minister Cao looked up in fear and saw documents scattered all over the floor like snowflakes!
Combined with what Princess Bai'an said, how could I not understand!
The one with the surname Wen went to file a complaint!
Stab him from behind!
Taking a prostitute as a concubine, what's the big deal? ! Writing secret memorials is even more nonsense! Yingtian Prefecture is the superior of Xuancheng Prefecture, and he is Xiong Ling's superior! How can Xiong Ling bypass him and report directly to the negotiation group! ? He saw that the candidate proposed by Xiong Ling was not suitable, why couldn't he change it! ?
Everyone only has the right to recommend, and the final right of selection is still in the hands of the negotiation team!
What's really deadly is other things! For example, he colluded with officials in Beijing, and he gave gifts to get an official position...
Minister Cao had no idea what Wen Chengbin had said to Princess Bai'an, so he could only kneel on the ground and start to refute the first fuse, "... I am innocent of the secret memorials... It's just that the Magistrate Xiong of Xuancheng Prefecture was nepotistic and blindly protected and condoned certain merchants in the city--"
"The boss He that he had worked so hard to promote was not a good person. He was caught having an affair with the master's son in public. How could a person of this character represent the Wei Dynasty to negotiate with Japan?!"
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