Chapter 130 Major Reshuffle
"Witness testimonies, the account books found at the residence of Chen Tianli, the magistrate of Jing County, and the room full of stolen money discovered at Lord Gali's residence—it's more than 300 taels of gold..."
Yunxiang ordered his men to bring in box after box of confiscated stolen goods, tossing a gold artifact, its shape indistinct, up and down in his hand. "Jiangnan is indeed particular," he said, "the gold and silver gifts are all exceptionally beautiful. Lord Gali, isn't it a coincidence that, apart from the 300 taels of gold, the craftsmanship of that small box of gold artifacts is exactly the same as that of the master craftsman at the Cheng family's silver shop who bribed us..."
An exquisite gold crane ornament was tossed in front of Gali. Looking at the hall filled with evidence and the confident men, Gali staggered a few steps, knowing that all was lost.
But still unwilling to give up, he made a last-ditch effort, saying, "I am a first-rank official, a powerful regional governor. What right does Prince Yi have to search my residence?"
"His Majesty has granted me the power to execute first and report later. What's wrong with Prince Yi investigating and confiscating the goods on my behalf?" For the first time, Yinzhi, sitting at the head of the table, revealed a serious and indifferent expression to Gali.
Gali was speechless. He had been in the officialdom for so many years, relying on the late emperor's favor to act recklessly. He never expected that he would fall so easily and brutally at the hands of Prince Lian because of such carelessness.
At this moment, Gali finally understood that it was because the Emperor stood behind Prince Lian, and it was the Emperor who had the intention to kill him…
“You are the Emperor’s man.” Gali had never been clearer than he was now. Looking at Zhang Boxing, who was upright and righteous, and at the Jiangnan Governor who had been at odds with him since taking office, he sighed deeply.
"Loyalty to the emperor and love for one's country are the duties of a subject." Zhang Boxing respectfully cupped his hands towards the emperor, seemingly not admitting anything, but in reality, he said everything.
“I should have thought of that sooner…” Gali smiled bitterly, his back hunching over considerably in an instant.
He should have realized long ago that his escape from the corruption case in Jiangnan was just a fluke. With such an incorruptible new emperor in power, such luck would only happen once, not twice.
He should have realized that Zhang Boxing was promoted to Governor of Jiangnan after the corruption case. He was the emperor's man from the beginning and was not here to seize power from him. He was here to take his life from the start.
"Your Majesty, I confess my guilt. What are your orders?" Having figured everything out, Gali knelt on the ground, no longer trying to deny it. He knew that the Emperor's leniency in letting him go until now must have some ulterior motive. His life was doomed, and he hoped that the Emperor would spare his family members out of consideration for his sensible nature.
"Lord Gali is quite sensible." Yunsi looked at Gali kneeling on the ground and rarely showed a genuine smile. Then he waved his hand, and Zhang Boxing led the crowd in the hall to leave, leaving only Gali and the two princes present.
"As Your Highness commands."
"It's not a big deal. As a high-ranking official in charge of a region, being treated so rudely by two princes must have made him resentful. He will surely try his best to contact his allies and seek help, and preferably teach those arrogant princes a lesson, right?"
After Yun Si finished speaking with a smile, Ga Li instantly broke out in a cold sweat. This was... this was going to wipe them all out in one fell swoop.
"Chen...chen..."
"Lord Gali is a first-rank official, surely he doesn't even have this much courage?" Yunxiang sat down to drink tea, and with a smile, added insult to injury, using Gali's own words, not giving Gali a chance to refuse.
"Your subject... will do his utmost." Gali kowtowed deeply, then smiled self-deprecatingly. What was he to deserve the Emperor sending two princes to deal with him? The Emperor's intention was clearly to target Jiangnan, to continue the bloody massacre of Jiangnan that happened many years ago.
And in this bloody storm, Gali was inevitably the initial catalyst. It seemed that once he spread this news, the rest would be beyond his control, and even beyond the control of his colleagues.
Gali could foresee that the officialdom in Jiangnan would eventually be completely overturned, and he, Gali, would inevitably become the target of everyone's condemnation.
But he had no choice. For the sake of his family, since he couldn't shake off this label, he might as well accept it willingly. After all, he wasn't a conscience anyway. Now that he's fallen, why should his colleagues continue to act arrogantly? Let them all join him...
After Gali agreed, Yunsi and the others' plan proceeded smoothly.
Soon, a rumor spread throughout the Jiangnan region, saying that Prince Lian and Prince Yi, in order to eliminate dissidents, had falsely accused the Governor-General of Liangjiang of crimes and even searched his residence without imperial decree, claiming that they were deliberately causing trouble in Jiangnan and intending to seize the throne.
As a result, a flood of petitions from the Jiangnan region reached Yinzhen's desk, and many people in the court also stood up to criticize the two for having disloyal intentions, hoping that the emperor would escort them back to the capital as soon as possible.
Of course, some people stood up to speak for Yun Si and the others, saying that the two had acted carelessly and had no intention of rebelling.
The court was in complete chaos, with a great deal of noise and commotion, while Yinzhen appeared very hesitant.
Three years into his reign, it was rare to see the emperor hesitate. It was as if he had seized an opportunity to influence the emperor's will and expand his power, and more and more ministers joined the fray.
The situation took an unexpected turn. What began as a corruption case in Jiangnan turned into a prince's rebellion. The case grew larger and larger, involving more and more people. The Jiangnan faction, Manchu and Han officials, civil and military officials—different sides began to wager their own interests and expose each other's secrets.
Today you impeach me for embezzlement and bribery, tomorrow I'll impeach you for deceiving the emperor. For no apparent reason, the imperial court becomes a daily denunciation meeting, and everyone loses a couple of official hats.
The uproar lasted for half a month, until one second the censor impeached an official, and the next second the emperor didn't even give him a chance to plead his case before dragging him away and immediately appointing a replacement. Only then did most people realize that it seemed there had been a major reshuffle of officials.
Many people are dragged out every day, but they are also quickly replaced. Upon closer examination, those who are replaced are basically officials who are usually conscientious, don't cultivate relationships with colleagues, and are capable but don't like to compete for power.
After these officials were appointed, they mostly demonstrated their abilities and quickly became competent in their positions, showing great respect to the emperor.
The emperor replaced almost all the vice ministers of the six ministries, including the Censorate, the Hanlin Academy, and the Court of Judicial Review. He didn't spare a single department and replaced them all with his own people.
The survivors were still shaken. "Good, good, Your Majesty, you've been hesitating for the past half month. So you were hesitating about which one to kill first, right?"
Yinzhen stopped acting, and the impeachment could not continue. Seeing that the emperor did not pursue the matter, the ministers who were not in trouble breathed a sigh of relief. The emperor could replace people if he wanted, but at least he had some sense of proportion and did not replace them all.
It wasn't until news from Jiangnan arrived that everyone realized, to their astonishment, that it wasn't that the Emperor had shown mercy, but rather that the Jiangnan officialdom had been completely wiped out, with just enough manpower left, which was why they had escaped death.
The court officials were now filled with gratitude for their own complacency and diligent efforts over the previous three years, for they had truly saved their lives.
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