Chapter 402 Liquidation
Huo Lin looked at Wang Degui and calmly instructed, "Wang Degui, bring the items up and read them aloud to my ministers."
"As you command." Wang Degui bowed and replied, then took out a prepared scroll from his sleeve and stepped forward.
"Upon investigation, it was found that Liu Quan, the former head chef of the Imperial Kitchen, committed the following crimes during his tenure."
"Firstly, he embezzled the imperial ingredients for his own use. According to the audit, the amount of silver equivalent to the falsely reported and deducted high-quality ingredients last year alone was 37,000 taels."
"Secondly, they used inferior ingredients to deceive their superiors and subordinates, repeatedly replacing the imperial tribute with inferior ingredients purchased from the common people, and even sending old rice and moldy flour into the palace while secretly transporting out new rice and good flour to sell."
Thirdly...
Wang Degui read out the list of grievances one by one. With each grievance he read, the faces of the officials below who were pleading for Liu Quan's innocence turned paler, and cold sweat poured down their foreheads.
The file contained everything—time, place, and even testimonies from those involved—in such detail that it was outrageous.
Huo Lin looked down at the ministers below with a cold eye, especially those who had been jumping around the most earlier, who were now ashen-faced and trembling like leaves.
After Wang Degui finished reading, the hall was deathly silent; you could hear a pin drop.
Huo Lin then slowly spoke, glancing at the officials who had just stepped forward: "My dear ministers, do you still think that my punishment of Liu Quan was an overreaction, or that I was misled by the harem?"
The officials knelt down with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly: "We were foolish and negligent, please forgive us, Your Majesty."
"Neglect?" Huo Lin's lips curled into a cold smile. "I think you're not just negligent, you're overly observant, you've even observed my imperial kitchen!"
He slammed his hand on the desk, his voice suddenly turning stern: "Liu Quan is a habitual embezzler, abuses his power, deceives his superiors and subordinates, and his crimes are irrefutable. From this day forward, he shall be severely punished according to the law. All those involved shall be thoroughly investigated, and there shall be no leniency."
"As for you..." Huo Lin paused, his tone chilling, "You can't distinguish right from wrong, and you believe everything you hear. You're hereby dismissed from your posts and sent home to reflect on your actions."
"Your Majesty, have mercy! Your Majesty, have mercy!" The men collapsed to the ground, crying and begging for mercy, but were ruthlessly dragged away by the guards.
The hall was deathly silent; the officials all hung their heads, wishing they could shrink into the ground.
Huo Lin surveyed the entire room, his voice regaining its composure.
"The matter of the Imperial Kitchen ends here. From now on, I will make my own decisions regarding the food in the palace. If anyone tries to stir up trouble or interfere in my family affairs again, don't blame me for not showing any loyalty to my country!"
"Your Majesty, we obey!" the ministers replied in unison.
A fierce impeachment storm was thus suppressed by Huo Lin with swift and decisive measures.
After the court session, Huo Lin returned to the imperial study, his face still bearing the grim expression of his impending doom.
He had barely settled down behind his desk when a knock came from outside the hall, and Wang Degui’s voice rang out: “Your Majesty, Yingyi has an urgent military report to report.”
Huo Lin's expression hardened. He put down his teacup and said in a deep voice, "Come in."
A dark figure appeared silently in the hall like a ghost, kneeling on one knee; it was Shadow One.
"Your Majesty, we have received intelligence that the epidemic in the south has been largely brought under control. However, small groups of bandits have emerged in the border areas, taking advantage of the chaos to plunder. They are ruthless and extremely familiar with the terrain. Preliminary investigations suggest they may be related to remnants of the previous dynasty."
"Remnants of the previous dynasty?" Huo Lin's brows furrowed instantly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "Is the information accurate? What is the scale?"
"It is currently only a suspicion, and there is no conclusive evidence yet, but this band of outlaws is well-organized and is by no means a rabble," Yingyi reported.
Why would they dare to show their faces at this time? Is it because they think the epidemic in Jiangnan is keeping them too busy to take care of themselves, or... do they have other plans?
Huo Lin pondered for a moment, a murderous glint appearing in his eyes, and coldly ordered: "Send more elite troops to closely monitor the border movements and make sure to find out the background and ultimate purpose of this band of outlaws."
"Your subordinate obeys." Ying Yi accepted the order, and with a flicker, disappeared silently from the hall.
The Imperial Study fell silent, but Huo Lin's mood grew increasingly heavy.
However, the undercurrents in the capital did not subside despite the warnings from the border; on the contrary, they became even more turbulent.
That night, inside the Cining Palace.
At a time when all should be quiet, the Cining Palace faintly echoed with the crisp sound of porcelain shattering, mixed with suppressed sobs and indistinct murmurs.
"Don't come any closer... It wasn't me... It wasn't me who caused this..." The voice was broken and filled with despair.
The palace maids and eunuchs on night watch held their breath, not daring to approach the main hall, whispering among themselves in the distance, their faces filled with fear.
"Have you heard? The Empress Dowager hasn't been sleeping well these past few nights."
"Yes, he screamed last night, saying he had a nightmare and broke a lot of things."
"Keep your voices down, don't talk about the master. It's just tough on us night watchmen, we're always on edge..."
Rumors spread silently like the night wind in the deep corners of the palace, all saying that the Empress Dowager was suffering from nightmares every night due to worry, and her mental state was deteriorating day by day.
However, this nightmare also seems to have become the best cover for certain clandestine actions.
The next morning, the sky was just beginning to lighten.
An old eunuch in charge of purchasing at Cining Palace, as usual, held his token and prepared to leave the palace with a calm expression.
He was familiar with the palace guards, bowing and scraping, chatting and laughing, and everything seemed normal.
However, as he passed through a secluded side gate on one side of the palace gate, which was reserved for servants, he slowed his pace and quickly scanned his surroundings.
A vendor who had been waiting in the corner saw the old eunuch and approached him seemingly unintentionally.
In a flash, a wax pellet slipped from Zhang Dehai's sleeve and landed precisely in Li Si's hand, who was pretending to tidy up his load.
The entire process takes less than a breath, and it is extremely difficult to detect unless you are deliberately watching closely.
But what they thought was a flawless handover had already fallen into the eyes of the secret guards.
The news reached Huo Lin's ears almost immediately.
"Your Majesty, the eunuch in charge of purchasing for Cining Palace had a secret meeting with a grocer named Li Si outside the palace when he left the palace today. Afterwards, Li Si went to a residence outside the palace and has not gone out for the time being."
Huo Lin was reviewing reports when he heard this. He slowly put down his pen, his eyes deep and dark.
Pretending to be crazy is just a pretense; that's the real purpose, isn't it?
He sneered, his tone chilling: "Keep a close watch on that Li Si and the house he went into. Record everyone who enters or leaves that house and find out their background. I want to see what kind of monsters and demons are hiding outside the palace!"
"Understood, sir." Ying Yi accepted the order and his figure quietly disappeared into the shadows.
Silence returned to the Imperial Study. Huo Lin sat alone in a chair, his sharp gaze piercing through the palace walls and heading straight for the Cining Palace.
He tapped his fingertips lightly on the dragon table, the cold smile on his lips growing ever deeper.
Want to play? He'll play along to the end.
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