Helian Jue couldn't hear the Fourth Prince's inner thoughts; otherwise, he would have nodded with satisfaction.
Even my silly little brother has become smart!
Fourth Prince: ...It's not that I've really become smarter, but rather that I've been tricked by you two so many times that I've learned my lesson!
He couldn't stand the word "gambling".
Because Empress Xie's "gamble" was basically a trap.
She had already set up a foolproof plan, just waiting for a fool to fall into it.
Zheng, the foolish Grand Tutor, could not hear the Fourth Prince's thoughts, nor had he ever directly interacted with Empress Xie.
Therefore, he was truly moved by Xie Yuan's words.
"Your Majesty, is this truly the truth?"
Is Lady Xie really willing to retreat to the inner palace?
Grand Tutor Zheng looked intently at Xie Yuan.
He wasn't really that "naive," but rather he thought it was impossible for thunder to occur in winter.
Even if there were occasional thunderstorms in winter, Xie would never bring the thunder into her home!
This bet was practically a sure win for them.
Xie Yuan didn't say anything, but walked directly to Zheng Taifu and extended his right hand.
She just said that she wanted to "make a vow with a high five" with Grand Tutor Zheng, which shows that she is not playing around and will not go back on her word.
Seeing Xie Yuan's appearance, Grand Tutor Zheng stared at her for a moment, and for some reason, a bad feeling welled up in his heart.
However, the desire to drive the Xie family out of the court was too strong.
If he can truly achieve this, then he will be even more formidable than Wang Yu, Zheng Xian, and others.
Such achievements are enough to make him the true head of the civil officials!
Grand Tutor Zheng was both public-spirited and self-interested, so he suppressed the strange feeling in his heart and extended his right hand.
Snap!
Slap! Slap!
The two men clapped their hands three times in front of the entire court.
The bet is settled!
Grand Tutor Zheng has made a good start; at least, the emperor and empress's domineering power has been effectively curbed by them.
Wang Yu and Zheng Xian exchanged a glance.
The two old foxes nodded slightly.
Then, Wang Yu, holding his scepter, stepped out of the queue.
"Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present!"
"explain!"
"Your Majesty, Cui Erlang has colluded with a heretical cult and wreaked havoc in the capital. His crime deserves death!"
“Cui Hong failed in his duty to educate his son and should bear joint responsibility. However, he has worked hard for the Great Zhou for many years. Considering his hard work, we earnestly request Your Majesty to allow Cui Hong to redeem himself!”
Wang Yu did not reveal his trump card directly, but instead conducted some probing first.
In the Great Zhou Dynasty, unless it was an unforgivable crime, most illegal and criminal acts could be redeemed.
Furthermore, the price for each type of punishment and the amount of copper coins required to redeem it was clearly stated.
Absolutely fair and impartial, treating everyone equally, young and old!
Ultimately, Cui Hong was only suspected of "colluding with the enemy."
There is no conclusive evidence.
If the sage is willing to spare the Cui family, they can be redeemed.
At most, it will just mean paying back more money.
Money is really nothing to a top-tier aristocratic family like the Cui family.
Let alone copper coins, Cui Hong could afford to take gold!
I fear that the sage might disagree.
As expected, Helian Jue's expression was cold and stern as he said indifferently, "Is it simply a matter of failing to properly educate one's son?"
"Perhaps, Cui Erlang is just a filial son who obeys his father's orders."
Helian Jue's words were practically a direct accusation that Cui Hong was the mastermind behind it all.
Cui Erlang was merely a pawn and scapegoat thrown out by him.
Wang Yu was not surprised.
Because when they discussed it in private, they guessed that the sage would not let this opportunity pass.
The Cui family has deep roots in Pingcheng.
There was no suitable opportunity in the past, but now that the sage has finally found a handle against him, he will certainly not be merciful.
The death penalty may be spared, but punishment is inevitable!
Thinking of this, Wang Yu took a deep breath and slowly said, "Cui Hong knows he has failed the Emperor's grace and wishes to move his entire clan to Chang'an!"
"Cui Erlang's branch, including the master, servants, and retainers, totaling 123 people, requested to be exiled to Chang'an and voluntarily agreed to perform five years of hard labor!"
Wang Yu stated the bottom line that his family could bear.
Cui Erlang could die, and his family, relatives, and followers could be exiled or forced into menial labor.
The entire Cui clan was also willing to migrate to Chang'an to promote the new city for the emperor and empress.
But that's all!
Cui Hong cannot die, and the direct line of the Cui family cannot be completely eradicated.
Helian Jue raised an eyebrow: ...How generous!
Is this a pledge of allegiance to me?
The fact that Helian Jue and Xie Yuan were planning to move the capital to Chang'an was no secret to the bigwigs in the court.
After all, the emperor and empress had already "exiled" so many people to Chang'an, and there was such a large new city under construction day and night in Chang'an.
Anyone with eyes, ears, and a brain would know that moving the capital is inevitable!
But it's hard to leave one's homeland.
Moreover, Pingcheng had been the capital of the Northern Dynasties for one or two hundred years, and everyone had long recognized it as the capital.
After unifying the world, the Great Zhou Dynasty did not continue to build its glory in Pingcheng, but rashly moved the capital. Not to mention the nobles, even many ordinary people found it hard to accept.
The emperor and empress could indeed force the relocation of the capital through strict laws.
However, this process will inevitably cause a lot of trouble and setbacks.
If there is a top-tier family, they will "move" before the emperor and empress issue an order.
To some extent, they can serve as an excellent role model.
Furthermore, the Cui clan is indeed very large.
Besides the direct line, there are many collateral branches, as well as even more relatives by marriage.
If the Cui family goes to Chang'an, it will trigger a series of chain reactions.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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