Chapter 117
On the other side, the study of the Ministry of Revenue was brightly lit and busy...
Zheng Ling sat in the study with a serious expression, his eyes were bloodshot but his look was extremely firm. Throughout the night, he was doing his best to collect all the evidence and organize them one by one.
Time passed minute by minute, and finally, when the last stroke was made, Zheng Ling let out a long sigh and stood up exhausted. He quickly put on the official uniform that symbolized his status and responsibility, and carefully put on the solemn and majestic official hat. Then, he hurried out of the room and got on the official sedan chair that had been waiting for a long time.
The official sedan moved slowly in the silent night, as if afraid of disturbing the sleeping city. The moonlight sprinkled like water on the streets and alleys, covering the earth with a layer of silver gauze. The sedan chair shuttled along the winding road, passed through familiar yet unfamiliar alleys, and finally arrived in front of the magnificent palace gate.
At this moment, the palace gate is like an indestructible fortress, standing there quietly. Its tall and thick city walls exude a solemn atmosphere that makes people feel awe. It is more like a prone oriental dragon, mysterious yet dangerous.
The door is inlaid with exquisite copper nails and gorgeous patterns, revealing the royal majesty and dignity. At this moment before dawn, the palace gate seemed exceptionally quiet, with only the occasional clear bird calls breaking the silence.
Outside the palace gate, officials wearing official uniforms with different colors and patterns were already waiting. Three whip sounds broke the silence of the night and woke up the ministers who were dazed outside the palace gate.
The palace gate creaked open, and the ministers stood in order according to their rank. When the palace gates were opened, the ministers walked in one after another.
Magnificent, majestic, solemn, sacred, and strict rules, the entire imperial city is like a bloody mouth, dangerous yet mysterious. Just like what Zheng Ling did this time, it was dangerous and unpredictable.
Zheng Ling, wearing a green official uniform, stood at the end of the team and walked forward with a solemn expression.
"Long live the emperor..." Everyone knelt down and shouted, and Zheng Ling knelt down as well.
The Golden Throne Hall was solemn and dignified. After everyone stood up, a sharp voice was heard: "If you have a petition, please proceed. If you don't, please leave the court."
In that moment, before anyone could react, Zheng Ling gently waved his robe, which symbolized his official position, and then he knelt on his knees, holding the tablet firmly in his hand. He said in a loud and passionate voice, "I am Zheng Ling, the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. Today I have come to report an important matter to Your Majesty! I want to report that the officials headed by His Majesty Prince Lu colluded with each other and formed a clique for personal gain. Not only did they deceive Your Majesty and deceive His Majesty, they also unscrupulously enriched themselves and openly sold official positions and titles, committing more than a dozen serious crimes...
According to what I have learned, if nothing unexpected happens, those poor disaster victims outside the city will probably face the pain of running out of food in five days! However, at this moment the Ministry of Revenue had such a huge deficit that it could not even raise enough rice and flour to provide relief to the victims. I implore Your Majesty to pay attention to this matter..."
Everyone was stunned to see a small official suing the Crown Prince. Only Prince Lu reacted first. Before Zheng Ling could finish, Prince Lu shouted, "Come on! Drag this man out. How dare you, a small official, sue me? I am innocent and will not tolerate your slander."
Then he turned around and bowed: "Father, I am innocent. I hope you can investigate this matter. I have cultivated myself and have not interfered with the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue for many years. It may be that some ministers deceived their superiors and enriched themselves..."
Prince Lu knew that if Zheng Ling did not have sufficient evidence in his hands, it would be impossible for him to sue him openly in the hall like a target. His only option now was to cut off his tail wings in order to save himself.
The emperor, sitting on the throne, frowned more and more as he listened, and said in a deep voice: "Zheng Ling, do you know what will happen to you if you are falsely accused? Do you have any evidence?"
Zheng Ling was righteous and awe-inspiring, and did not back down at all. He said, "Your Majesty, I have it. Please take a look at it."
The emperor just gave him a sharp look, like a flash of lightning across the air, and Feng Sanxiang trembled all over as if he was electrocuted. Then he hurriedly walked to the emperor and carefully presented the crucial evidence respectfully.
After the emperor took the evidence, he stared at the object in his hand with a sharp gaze, and his expression gradually became solemn. As he read more, the emperor became more and more shocked, as if a huge rock was thrown into a calm lake, causing a thousand waves. Every line of words and every sentence is like a sharp sword, cutting into myself.
Finally, the emperor finished reading all the evidence. He suddenly raised his head, his eyes flashing with a mixture of anger and disappointment. Then, without hesitation, he threw the heavy object fiercely at Prince Lu who was standing beside him. At the same time, he stood up suddenly and shouted with uncontrollable anger: "Okay! Take a good look for yourself! Look at what the Ministry of Revenue has done..."
The emperor was furious and everyone knelt down. All the officials knelt on the ground, bowed their bodies, and put their heads to the ground.
The emperor said in a deep voice: "It is clearly shown here who among you has been corrupt and how much you have been corrupt. I will give you three days to make up for all the losses over the years.
Otherwise, it would be the Jinyiwei who went..."
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