This was the morning court session.
Mo Yunzhao's first priority was to promote Xiao Ping to Minister of Revenue, hoping to allocate funds as soon as possible and urge Jiang Qingwan to repair the Nine Dragons Formation.
As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Shihui came out.
"Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present."
"Upon being reported, it has been discovered that Lord Xiao Ping has abused his position to engage in bribery, and has even opened exclusive tax channels for several merchants in the capital, severely damaging the national treasury and threatening the very foundation of the nation. Your Majesty, please investigate this matter thoroughly!"
He knelt on the ground and presented the memorial with both hands.
These words immediately sparked a great deal of discussion in the imperial court.
"The Ministry of Revenue is in charge of the Great Zhou's finances, and it is absolutely unacceptable to entrust it to such a person."
"Lord Xiao is usually very frugal and exceptionally humble in his dealings with others. How could he have committed such a heinous crime?"
"People's hearts don't change overnight. He has the backing of the Lu family, but his background is ultimately not worthy of being equal. Over the years, although he has reached the position of Right Vice Minister, he still cannot escape the shadow of the old Grand Tutor Lu. He probably wants to make achievements as soon as possible and be promoted to Minister to finally hold his head high."
...
Mo Yunzhao's face turned ashen after reading the memorial, and he slammed it heavily to the ground.
"Xiao Ping, look what you've done!"
Xiao Ping knelt and crawled a few steps to pick up the memorial. After carefully reading it, he said loudly, "Your Majesty, I also have a memorial to present."
He pulled the memorial from his sleeve and held it high.
The chief eunuch trotted down to take it and respectfully handed it to Mo Yunzhao.
Mo Yunzhao suppressed his anger and opened the memorial.
After reading it, his expression darkened even more.
"Xiao Ping, is there any concrete evidence to support the claims in the memorial?"
"have!"
Xiao Ping bowed again.
"The witnesses are right outside the palace. We beg Your Majesty to grant them permission to come inside and confront each other."
"pass!"
Mo Yunzhao threw the memorial on the table and looked coldly at the palace gate.
With the eunuch's high-pitched voice.
Fu An'an and Jin Liuli walked in side by side and knelt on the ground with their heads bowed.
Seeing this, Xia Shihui was extremely anxious.
Quickly use your eyes to ask Jin Liuli what he's doing here.
But Jin Liuli didn't even glance at him.
Mo Yunzhao glanced at the two of them and asked in a cold voice.
Who is Fu An'an?
Fu An'an hurriedly knelt down on the ground.
"This humble woman, Fu An'an, kowtows to Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!"
Mo Yunzhao's gaze slowly swept over Xia Shihui, taking in the anxiety on his face.
“Fu An’an, tell me everything you know.”
As Fu An'an confessed, Xia Shihui's face turned ashen.
His hands were clenched tightly.
He couldn't understand how someone who was clearly under control could suddenly turn against him.
They were also taken to the Zhaoyang Palace.
Fu An'an's confession overturned all of Xia Shihui's accusations.
Jin Liuli's next words completely exposed the conspiracy behind Xia Shihui's accusations.
The entire audience erupted in uproar.
"It was actually the work of Prince Su? How dare he interfere in the appointment of court officials? He's incredibly audacious!"
"Weren't his grandson-in-law Qin Minglang's dealings with the Ministry of War also orchestrated by the Su family? It seems that although this old prince has distanced himself from the court, his ambition is only growing."
"The Ministry of War is in charge of the military supplies of the Great Zhou, and the Ministry of Revenue is in charge of the finances of the Great Zhou. What exactly does the Su family want to do?"
"His grandson and eldest son-in-law both hold important positions in the military. It's not just about supplies and money, but also about military and political matters!"
...
These words kept reaching Mo Yunzhao's ears.
Enraged, he grabbed the inkstone and threw it at Xia Shihui, but because of the distance, he missed and only splashed ink all over Xia Shihui's face.
"You scoundrel, tell me, was it Su Weichuan who gave you the order? Speak!"
Xia Shihui was already determined to die at this moment.
If Su Weichuan is mentioned, he will not live, and his son will die as well.
But Su Weichuan might not be in any danger.
But if Su Weichuan is saved, even if he dies, at least his son can live.
Thinking of this, he knelt down deeply.
"Your Majesty, this matter was done by me alone. Xiao Ping and I were classmates. He always outshone me. My career was not smooth, and I only became a censor. But he rose to prominence by relying on the Lu family. If he becomes the Minister of Revenue, I will never be able to do anything to him. Therefore, I came up with this plan to bring him down."
Mo Yunzhao was so angry he laughed.
"Are you deaf? Or do you think I and all the civil and military officials are deaf? The woman named Jin Liuli admitted herself that she was Su Weichuan's spy, and you were the one who actively sought her out. If it wasn't Su Weichuan's instruction, how would you have known her identity?"
Xia Shihui was no longer flustered.
“Your Majesty, I truly do not know the relationship between Jin Liuli and Prince Su. If I want to deal with Xiao Ping, I will naturally investigate the people around him. Jin Liuli is a distant cousin of Xiao Ping’s wife, and also Xiao Ping’s mistress, who was persecuted by the Lu family and hates Xiao Ping to the bone. She can naturally be used by me.”
Upon hearing this, the ministers were once again stunned.
Xiao Ping's current position is entirely due to the Lu family's promotion, yet he still dares to keep a mistress.
Mo Yunzhao hadn't expected this connection.
He frowned and looked at Xiao Ping.
Is that really true?
Xiao Ping did not refute.
"Yes, I was bewitched by Jin Liuli and had an affair with her. After Madam found out, I broke off contact with her. Madam did not mistreat her and gave her gold and silver to send her away from the capital to return home and live a good life. Until a few days ago, she found me and forced me to marry her as my wife. Only then did I realize that she had submitted to Lord Xia Shihui."
He spoke frankly, and no one suspected anything anymore.
Moreover, it was quite common for a man to have three wives and four concubines.
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