Chapter 206 The Major Disaster Relief Grain Scandal Ten Years Ago
The ministers, led by Minister Wen, remained silent in fear.
A strong sense of unease welled up in their hearts.
No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't imagine what could happen that they couldn't bear.
The most severe punishment would be to confiscate their property, dismiss them from their posts, or behead them.
They were certain that their king would never do such a thing.
The current young ruler is an ambitious and capable leader, not a foolish one.
Although he had dealt with Lao An and Situ Wei, he even imprisoned his own mother, Jiang Peihuan, which shows how cold-blooded and ruthless he was.
However, these three individuals were genuinely plotting to seize power, and their crimes were extremely heinous.
The emperor's handling of the matter was without fault.
In fact, it could be said that he actually showed some leniency in secret, and still considered blood ties to some extent; otherwise, given Jiang Peihuan's actions, she would have at least suffered the same fate as Lao An.
After careful consideration and comparison, the ministers became increasingly convinced that Xiao Qidi could not possibly execute Rong Ruigong.
As for the ministers who kept pleading for Rongrui and other members of the Xiao royal family, they certainly wouldn't be executed by the emperor.
Dismissing him from office and demoting him to a commoner is also impossible. The emperor himself knows that even such a solution would be making a mountain out of a molehill for the current situation and would lead to a series of serious consequences.
That leaves some punishments that seem serious but are actually insignificant.
For example, they could be fined a few years' salary, thrown into prison for a few days, or temporarily transferred away from the capital to serve as local officials in some remote areas for a period of time.
This is equivalent to the emperor finding a way to save face, a few ministers suffering some superficial hardship, and in the end, the matter is left unresolved, everyone can live in peace, and the court remains stable.
At the same time, it was a perfunctory gesture, giving the people an explanation that, while having no practical effect, could appease their hearts.
It can be described as having the best of both worlds.
Not only did several ministers, led by Minister Wen, think this way, but the rest of the officials also came up with these thoughts in a short period of time.
The atmosphere inside the hall actually became much more relaxed as a result.
Only a very few ministers vaguely sensed that things might not be so simple, and that a monstrous storm was brewing beneath the seemingly relaxed atmosphere.
Just like the brief calm before a storm, it's easy to let your guard down.
About half an incense stick's time had passed.
Seeing that the ministers, including Minister Wen, had not reacted after waiting for so long, Xiao Qidi said, "I suppose you have all thought this through carefully. It seems that you have finally decided to give up the opportunity I gave you."
He turned and slowly walked up the steps, then sat down again on the throne.
Close your eyes and take a deep breath.
There's a saying: you don't know the pain until you're stabbed yourself. It seems that when I asked you to imagine it, you couldn't truly empathize.
"Then, I'll just have to make you suffer a lot."
Xiao Qidi opened his eyes.
The complex emotions that had been swirling on his face vanished, leaving only a cold indifference.
The ministers were increasingly puzzled, none of them able to guess what the emperor was planning to do.
Only Li Yao, who knew Xiao Qidi's plan, looked solemn and muttered, "Alas, His Majesty has truly been extremely patient with them, doing everything he could. His Majesty didn't want things to come to this point either; they brought it on themselves."
"Li Yao, step forward." Xiao Qidi's authoritative voice rang out in the hall.
Li Yao immediately stepped forward.
Xiao Qidi ordered, "Tell me about the cases you've investigated concerning Lord Wen."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Li Yao turned around and faced the assembled officials.
The other ministers looked at each other in bewilderment.
Lord Wen, kneeling on the ground, was completely bewildered.
He was good at flattering royalty and nobles, and he was also good at using his position to help members of the royal family resolve some problems. But those things did not touch the laws of the Great Xuan Dynasty, so what cases could they involve?
After a moment's thought, Li Yao said loudly, "Lord Wen once flogged three commoners for the reason of gathering a crowd to cause trouble, which caused them to recover from their injuries for several months. After they recovered, Lord Wen ordered them to be arrested and imprisoned for half a year."
The ministers were all stunned, and then an uproar ensued.
"What kind of nonsense is this?"
"Isn't this just a routine matter of handling civil disputes?"
Even ministers who were usually at odds with Lord Wen couldn't help but gossip, "He was originally a security officer in the capital, and there are countless cases like this. Why bring it up?"
"Yes, Lord Wen has never made any mistakes in punishing troublemakers in the past, so it's nothing to mention!"
Amid the murmurs of the crowd.
Lord Wen's expression changed, his eyes seemed to show resentment, and his fingers unconsciously dug into the ground.
"Please be quiet, gentlemen, and allow me to continue." Li Yao walked to Lord Wen's side. "Lord Wen, do you still remember the case I mentioned?"
Lord Wen lowered his head, "I remember...of course I remember..."
Li Yao then asked, "According to my investigation, those three commoners did not incite any disturbance, nor did they even lay a hand on anyone. Why were they punished by Lord Wen?"
Lord Wen gritted his teeth, "They...said some nasty things."
"Oh? What nasty things did you say?" Li Yao pressed on. "Did you speak disrespectfully to Lord Wen? According to the laws of the Great Xuan Dynasty, those who insult officials are subject to a fine of 100 coins or five strokes of the cane, imprisonment for ten days to half a month, depending on the severity of the offense. Why were you so harsh on those three people, Lord Wen?"
"They...they..." Lord Wen stammered, as if he had something difficult to say.
Xiao Qidi spoke in a deep voice: "Lord Wen, answer Lord Li's question."
Lord Wen's temples bulged with veins, and he gritted his teeth as he said, "They didn't speak rudely to me, they... insulted my family."
"Your family members? Who exactly are they? How did they insult you?"
"I……"
Faced with Li Yao's relentless questioning, Lord Wen seemed to be under immense pressure.
This left the ministers present even more bewildered.
Firstly, this matter seems to have no value in being discussed.
Secondly, what is the connection between this matter and the current situation where the emperor wants to punish Rongrui Gong, but is strongly opposed by more than half of the ministers?
What exactly are Your Majesty and Li Yao up to...?
"Lord Wen!" Li Yao urged, "Who exactly did those three people insult?"
Lord Wen closed his eyes, his cheeks trembling slightly, "He insulted my...my son..."
Upon hearing this, the ministers displayed various expressions.
Even Wen Daren's shoulders began to tremble, as if he were in great pain.
"How did you curse?" Li Yao pressed for details.
"They insulted my son... he was..." Lord Wen squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth, "...a beast... he deserved to die without a burial place!"
Among the assembled officials, someone let out a soft sigh.
Some people snorted coldly.
Li Yao squatted down beside Lord Wen. "Ten years ago, a flood occurred in Da Xuan Luoxia County. The river embankment collapsed, and three counties were submerged. The imperial court sent officials to provide disaster relief. Your son was responsible for taking food and supplies from the warehouses of neighboring counties to help the victims. Several months later, the food and supplies that should have arrived in the disaster area were nowhere to be seen, which led to the starvation of nearly 100,000 victims."
"Stop talking... Lord Li... please stop talking..." Lord Wen pleaded in a trembling voice.
Li Yao didn't stop, and continued:
"After investigation, it was found that your son embezzled food and supplies, exchanged them for silver, and was robbed by bandits while in hiding. They stole the huge sum of silver he was carrying, cut him into pieces, and dumped him in the wilderness. By the time the constables found him, he had been eaten by wild dogs and wolves, leaving only bones."
“You only had one son. When you heard the news of his death, despite being seriously ill, you went to the place where his remains were found, wanting to bring his remains home for burial.”
"As a result, the angry crowd snatched away the remains and scattered them to the winds."
After Li Yao finished speaking, Lord Wen was already lying on the ground, tears streaming down his face.
“Lord Wen,” Li Yao gritted his teeth, “based on your son’s actions, did those three commoners wrongly curse him? Isn’t your son worse than a beast, deserving to die a horrible death? How dare you punish those three commoners?”
"That's not it...no!"
Lord Wen suddenly looked up, grabbed Li Yao by the collar, and roared with red eyes, "My son may be mediocre and incompetent, but he is upright and kind! He would never take advantage of the public funds, let alone embezzle food and supplies that should have been used to help disaster victims! He could not have done such a thing! He... he is innocent!"
Li Yao said without changing his expression, "However, the final result of the investigation is what it is, and the facts are right in front of the people of Da Xuan. Now you want to plead for his innocence? Are you going to appeal to the officials who handled the case back then? Those officials were all appointed by the late king from among the members of the Da Xuan royal family."
“I…I…” Lord Wen’s face turned pale as he wept bitterly, “I still…I still don’t believe my son would do that, I…I dare not doubt the people who handled the case back then.”
"So what do you think happened?" Li Yao asked, looking at his swollen eyes.
Lord Wen was on the verge of a mental breakdown, stammering incoherently. He weakly released his grip on Li Yao's collar, his lips trembling as he kept muttering, "My son wouldn't do that... he wouldn't... he definitely wouldn't..."
The other ministers couldn't help but sigh at Lord Wen's heartbroken and helpless state.
Some people also felt that there were some problems with his son's case back then.
Others simply felt that he was just having trouble accepting the facts.
Others believe that his son deserved his fate, and that even the fact that he, as the father, is now being comforted is a consequence of his poor parenting.
However, regardless of their individual thoughts, none of the ministers present uttered a word.
Li Yao helped Lord Wen up and said, word by word, "Lord Wen, I'm telling you now, your son is indeed innocent."
Lord Wen was stunned on the spot, "You... what did you say?!"
The other ministers, including Rongrui Gong, were all astonished.
“Your son has been wronged,” Li Yao said with a solemn and serious expression. “You’re right, he really didn’t do anything so heinous!”
Lord Wen froze, his eyes widening as he gripped Li Yao's arms tightly. "Lord Li! You mustn't be lying to me!"
Li Yao said, "How could I lie to you in front of the emperor?"
"Then...then what...what happened to my son?!" Lord Wen knelt down before Li Yao with a thud. "Please tell me the truth, Lord Li!"
Li Yao's face was tense, his eyes barely concealing his anger, and he slowly said:
"Back then, when your son arrived at the place, he found that the warehouse, which should have been full of reserve grain and supplies, was empty. He decided to report this to the court, but he was silenced. Later, it was fabricated that he had secretly sold the grain and supplies and fled with the money."
"That flood happened too suddenly. Those who actually embezzled the food and supplies had no time to make amends, and the consequences were too severe. No matter how high-ranking or powerful the culprit was, he couldn't bear the consequences and would be infamous for eternity. So, your son had to be used as a scapegoat."
These words struck like a bolt from the blue, leaving the officials in the hall utterly astonished.
Lord Wen was in tears, crying out, "Who did it...who is the murderer...who is it!"
Li Yao said meaningfully, "Do you want to know who killed your son, dismembered him, and dumped his body in the wilderness to fake a robbery? Or do you want to know who emptied the warehouse? Or... do you want to know who truly embezzled those grains and supplies and caused all the disasters and tragedies?"
Lord Wen replied without hesitation, "Of course, he's the culprit!"
Li Yao said loudly, "Alright, then I'll tell you, this person is right here in this main hall!"
"Who! Who is it! Step forward!" Lord Wen stood up abruptly, questioning the crowd with a burning rage.
The ministers were filled with doubt and looked around at the others.
Duke Rongrui frowned as he scanned all the ministers, but no matter how he observed, it seemed that none of the court officials present showed the slightest hint of guilt.
That's strange...
"Do you know who Rongrui Gong is?" Li Yao suddenly turned to ask him.
"Huh? You're asking me?" Rong Ruigong was surprised and waved his hands repeatedly, saying matter-of-factly, "How could I possibly know! When that flood broke out, I was sick in bed! I didn't get involved in anything related to disaster relief!"
"Who! Who is it?!" Lord Wen roared like a madman, "Lord Li has already found out the truth! What's there left to hide! The culprit, get out here right now!"
Even at this point, not a single official stepped forward.
Lord Wen wept bitterly, "Lord Li... just tell me directly! None of these ministers... admit it!"
“Of course none of them will admit it, because it wasn’t them,” Li Yao pointed at Rong Ruigong and said coldly, “The culprit is this person—the head of the Great Xuan royal family, Rong Ruigong!”
Wen Daren was struck dumb once again, completely stunned.
The officials were also extremely shocked and looked at Duke Rongrui in disbelief.
Duke Rongrui exclaimed in astonishment, "Lord Li, have you gone mad? How could you make such a baseless accusation! This is utterly outrageous!"
His reaction was not feigned; it was a genuine expression of shock and anger at being slandered.
Then, he angrily roared at Xiao Qidi:
"Your Majesty! I finally understand what this whole charade is all about! You've had Li Yao use a trivial matter to bring up the case of embezzling disaster relief grain from ten years ago, and then pin it on me, hoping to add more charges against me to incite public anger, so you can justifiably execute me! Isn't that right?! If I've truly done something wrong, I'll admit it! But Your Majesty's attempt to distort the truth and impose such a crime is truly outrageous! It's an injustice!"
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