Chapter 895 A Dream of Youth 427
Therefore, the imperial family did not have much power, but that did not mean they could not amass wealth. Half of their extravagant lifestyle was provided by the emperor, while the other half came from various shady transactions.
After all, although they have no power, they have a high enough status and connections.
The Minister of Revenue couldn't help pacing back and forth. He couldn't fathom the Emperor's thoughts. If the Emperor was trying to prevent the power of the imperial clan from becoming too great and threatening the imperial authority, then this move was far too drastic.
The previous emperors all proceeded slowly, making them work for them but not giving them too much power. They gave them money but not power, so that the imperial family could not threaten the imperial authority.
But now Yan Xi is directly putting people in prison, which is quite like cutting off his own arm.
In the eyes of the Minister of Revenue, this was simply foolish. Now that the imperial family was in decline, it was precisely the time when it needed the support of the imperial clan, since they were all one family.
Even if they feared that the power of the imperial clan would become too great and threaten the imperial authority, they could simply not grant them power.
In the palace, the Empress Dowager also advised Yan Xi in the same way. When she heard Zongzheng's tearful complaint, the Empress Dowager was almost blinded. She did not expect that Yan Xi would defeat so many people with one strike, which would destroy the foundation of the dynasty!
Yan Xi sat upright at the head of the table, her gaze falling indifferently. "Grandmother, nothing can be established without destruction. They will never learn to obey; we must beat them until they do."
She issued a decree prohibiting extravagance a long time ago and summoned the head of the imperial clan to warn the imperial family members against extravagance.
But nobody listened to her.
The fire of the tall candle, as bright as day, was fueled by the blood of the people.
From Emperor Jing to the present, every single incident has involved powerful families seizing land, causing ordinary people to lose their land and become refugees, and then to become the servants and hidden households of these powerful families. They plunder the people of the country, consume their profits, and enjoy extravagance.
"Grandmother, you are getting old and your health is not good. You should rest more. I will not let anyone disturb you."
After saying this, he gestured to the head palace maid to escort the Empress Dowager back to the palace.
The Empress Dowager took a deep breath, dodged the head palace maid's hand, and left with a flick of her sleeve.
After everyone left, Xie Ning had someone bring in the head of the imperial clan from the side hall.
Yan Xi had someone fetch her sword, saying, "According to seniority, I should also address you as Imperial Uncle Lu."
Lu is his name.
Zong Zheng straightened his back. He was not afraid of Yan Xi. He had served three dynasties and even Yan Xi's grandfather was quite respectful to him. It was ridiculous for him to be afraid of a little kid!
Before he could even speak, a long sword was pressed against his neck. A slight stinging pain shot through him, and Zong Zheng stiffened. Only then did he realize that Yan Xi was not joking.
"Lord Lu, I have no intention of playing games with you, nor do I intend to test you. You'd better take advantage of the fact that I haven't finished arresting everyone on the list and let them confess their true colors. I might then consider giving them a lighter sentence."
Yan Xi pressed the sword down, and Lu Zongzheng's back bent slightly.
Few members of the royal family are clean.
She didn't really intend to wipe them all out; she just planned to kill a few of the most troublemakers and then have the others pay to buy their freedom.
This was true not only for members of the imperial family but also for other court officials.
Those who deserved fines were fined, and those who deserved demotion were demoted. However, this was not enough to deter others. Therefore, the ringleaders were all executed by beheading, and their relatives were exiled to Lingnan and the Northwest.
During this period, the imperial court pleaded with Yan Xi to retract his order, with Prime Minister Xia leading the charge.
Xia Xiang did not oppose Yan Xi punishing corrupt officials, but he did not approve of Yan Xi killing Shi.
This time, however, Yu Xiang sang a different tune. He was the most averse to evil and corruption. Although he admired Confucianism, he also respected the law. He did not believe that people could overstep the law.
Therefore, even officials should not be given leniency for breaking the law. He suggested that Yan Xi should also punish those whose corruption was not so serious, instead of making a big fuss and then letting them off lightly.
Officials of the Jade Emperor faction:........
Should we remind Prime Minister Yu that many of those arrested were his students? He himself is not greedy for money and lives a very frugal life, but that doesn't mean his subordinates are clean.
When Yu Xiang mentioned laws and regulations, Yan Xi nodded along, but stopped halfway through.
It seems that during the Hongxiu case, she was on the side of illegality, which is somewhat contradictory.
Therefore, Yan Xi steered the conversation between the two sides until they had finished arguing before giving the order: those who should be beheaded would still be beheaded, while the others would be dealt with leniently, which perfectly achieved her goal.
Yan Xi glanced lightly at Xie Wangzhi, who remained silent below. If she remembered correctly, Xie Wangzhi had gone to Yu Xiang's house the day before yesterday.
That's Yu Xiang blocking the way; that guy's heart is truly black.
However, Xie Wangzhi's main criticism did not lie there. As the Minister of Personnel, his task was to use this incident to rejuvenate the court.
By the time the initial conclusion on the corruption case was reached, it was long past the usual time for the court to end. Zhao Huilan glanced at the tall clock not far away and subconsciously touched her stomach.
She got up early, ate only two pieces of cold rice cake, and was already starving.
As everyone dispersed and left, Zhao Huilan waited at the entrance of the main hall.
"Maternal grandfather".
Because his head was throbbing from the noise, Prime Minister Xia didn't reprimand Zhao Huilan for her rudeness. In officialdom, there are only superiors and subordinates, not kinship or seniority.
"I noticed you don't look well, and it's getting late. Here's some red date cake I brought from home. Have some to replenish your energy."
Xia Xiang glanced at Zhao Huilan and said, "Just say what you have to say. There's no need to beat around the bush."
Because he hadn't won the argument, Xia Xiang's tone wasn't very friendly at this moment.
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