Chapter 402 Admonition
Xie Tingzhou didn't know how to defend himself, or rather, he didn't intend to.
He knelt on the ground, his voice calm: "Your Majesty, it is my fault for failing to properly manage my household, which has led to this grave mistake. I beg Your Majesty to punish me—"
Is this a case of blindly admitting all the mistakes and not even bothering to distance oneself from the situation?
Qi Jun stared at the top of his head for a long time, then sneered: "What a fine example of poor family management! I was originally planning to be lenient, but it seems that since you are so determined to be guilty, I will grant your wish."
Chu Heng knelt to the side, listening with a pounding heart.
This shouldn't be happening. There was clearly still room for maneuver, so why did Lord Xie confess so readily, and why was His Majesty so impartial in imposing punishment?
Xie Tingzhou was the third-ranked scholar in the imperial examination last year, with a promising future. How could he be ruined by these things? This is not only a loss for the court, but it will also cause the court and the public to criticize His Majesty for being too harsh, which will do more harm than good!
Chu Heng disregarded the possibility of incurring the wrath of others and spoke directly:
"Your Majesty, please reconsider! There might be some misunderstanding. Besides, Lord Xie has been kept in the dark and is completely unaware of the situation. Yesterday, he even went so far as to betray his own family and prepare to take the women of his household to the yamen—"
Xie Tingzhou interrupted him: "Lord Chu, thank you for pleading on my behalf, but there's no need to say more. I am guilty beyond redemption and beg Your Majesty to punish me."
Qi Jun gritted his teeth. As a man himself, how could he not see it?
Since Xie Tingzhou ascended the throne and announced the appointment of Yu Xuan as empress, he has been absent-minded and distracted. He looked haggard when he went to court several times. Furthermore, the Qilin Guard found him drinking heavily outside. Was he trying to make sure others could see how dissatisfied he was with the marriage of the emperor and empress?
Qi Jun wanted him to witness Qi Yuxuan's marriage with his own eyes, and for him to personally recite the blessing, praying to all the people of the world for a long and happy marriage between the emperor and empress!
Now that his stepmother and sister have committed foolish crimes, he wants to take this opportunity to escape officialdom and even leave the capital.
Chu Heng and Xie Tingzhou lowered their heads, not daring to breathe, when they heard the emperor's voice calm down: "Last year, Linhuai County owed 800,000 taels of tax. Effective immediately, I hereby strip you of your title of Compiler of the Hanlin Academy and demote you to Assistant Magistrate of Linhuai County... If the tax books have not improved at all by this time next year, I will punish you for multiple crimes. At that time, it will not only be your honor and disgrace, Xie Tingzhou, but the sin of the entire Xie family of Jiangdong."
"I know that Minister Xie is capable and intelligent. The Empress has recommended you to me more than once. If you fail to live up to the expectations of me and the Empress, Minister Xie will be guilty of a thousand deaths."
Xie Tingzhou's shoulders trembled slightly. He let out a short breath, as if a thousand words were pressing down on his throat, but in the end, they all came out as one sentence: "Your Majesty, I deserve to be executed... I humbly request Your Majesty to dismiss me from my post and strip me of my honors..."
Chu Heng looked up in astonishment. He could hardly believe that even His Majesty valued talent so much, so why was Lord Xie still ungrateful?
Although the position of Prefectural Assistant is a fifth-rank official, he holds real power over a prefecture, which is far more valuable than a compiler in the Hanlin Academy. Didn't you see that the newly appointed top scholar is still studying in the Hanlin Academy and can only be sent out to serve as a county magistrate at least two years later?
What kind of bewitching potion has Xie Tingzhou been given, making him so eager to be dismissed and return to being a commoner?!
However, only the emperor and Xie Tingzhou knew what crime he meant by "the crime deserving of death".
Coveting the Empress—that crime deserves a death sentence of ten thousand times over.
But there were other people in the hall at that time. Moreover, as an emperor, he could control people's words and actions, but he could not control their hearts.
Dismissing him from his post, investigating him, and banishing him from the capital would only provide temporary relief. Besides, Xie Tingzhou is only bold; he is an excellent official, experienced in handling affairs, and upright in character. If we lose him, there is no one else in the court who can replace him. Qi Jun has just ascended the throne and is in dire need of talent.
Just as Chu Heng was still puzzled, he suddenly heard the young emperor's cold voice from behind the long table: "Xie Xingzhi, I am not discussing this with you."
The hall was deathly silent.
Even in the dead of winter, Sun Miao, standing to the side, couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his forehead.
Chu Heng dared not plead for him at this point. It was clearly not that His Majesty was heartless, but that Xie Tingzhou had lost his mind! What could he possibly advise? Xie Tingzhou should just pack his bags and die, and not drag the Prince of Runing's Mansion into this mess!
The slender figure kneeling on the ground finally seemed to have released all its strength, and uttered a muffled sentence: "Your subject... accepts the punishment."
Xie Tingzhou swallowed the blood with his Adam's apple bobbing. When he looked up, his forehead was bruised from hitting it. He looked like a strong white bamboo, and his haggard appearance did not detract from his good looks. Instead, it made him look even more pitiful.
Qi Jun was annoyed by his appearance and waved his sleeve, saying, "Go to the Ministry of Personnel immediately. I want you to leave the capital tomorrow."
"By the way, your two female relatives, although spared the death penalty, cannot escape punishment. Let the Ministry of Justice deal with them according to the law, and do not let them off lightly."
The front hall of Changle Palace.
Bi Sui has already interrogated Yin Ling and confirmed that she did not do anything to harm the Empress. She was only instructed by the Empress Dowager to take the initiative to enter the room to serve the Emperor and Empress on their wedding night, and then went to Cining Palace early in the morning to briefly recount the process.
After she finished speaking, the Empress at the head of the table made a decision: "Since that's the case, then send her to Cining Palace. Tell her that I saw this morning that there were too few palace maids in Cining Palace, and I was afraid that they would not be able to serve the Empress Dowager properly. So I reluctantly gave up my beloved Chang Le Palace's head maid, Yin Ling, to the Empress Dowager for her use."
Bihui quickly agreed, "Yes, this servant will take care of it right away!"
"No rush," Qi Yuxuan called out to her. "Summon all the palace servants of Chang Le Palace. I have some instructions to give."
Bi Sui's eyes lit up. Was the Empress really going to make an example of someone?
Before long, more than thirty palace servants of all ranks from Chang Le Palace knelt together at the entrance of the main hall, each with a knowing look on their faces.
Yesterday, Chang Le Palace welcomed its mistress, who is also the mistress of the Qi Kingdom. Today, she will definitely give a speech. This is how all the palace servants have been before, so they are used to it.
Only after they obediently knelt down did people notice that there were only three head palace maids beside the Empress.
Shouldn't it be four?
Thinking this, and with everyone kneeling in place, Bihui spoke first:
"Her Majesty the Empress has just entered the palace, and everything is new. Today, by Her Majesty's decree, Bihui will explain to you the rules for serving by Her Majesty's side..."
After speaking for half an hour, repeating the most important points of the palace rules, and seeing that the people kneeling below were becoming increasingly obedient, Bi Sui changed the subject:
"...Her Majesty the Empress dislikes flattery and only loves to see those who work diligently. From today onwards, all those who are loyal and hardworking will be granted an extra half-day of leave to visit their families each month. However, if anyone—spreads rumors, neglects their duties, or deceives their superiors—is to be sent to the Department of Penal Caution to copy the palace rules three hundred times. They may return to their posts only after they have thoroughly understood them."
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