Chapter 89 was truly accurate and ruthless!
The founding emperor conquered the country on horseback. Of course, it wasn't the work of one person; he gathered a group of talented generals and civil officials, and together they fought hard to build the empire.
After the founding emperor ascended the throne, he bestowed titles and rewards upon his meritorious officials. At that time, four kings of different surnames, six dukes, eight marquises, and more than a dozen earls were enfeoffed. However, later, in order to further consolidate the empire, the second and third emperors eliminated these kings and marquises.
Now, only one king of a different surname, two dukes, five marquises, and three earls remain. The Xie family is a clan that existed since the previous dynasty. When the founding emperor attacked Shangjing, the patriarch of the Xie family allied with the founding emperor, allowing him to take Shangjing without lifting a finger.
However, the founding emperor did not grant the Xie family a title. Firstly, the Xie family had not been with him from the beginning in establishing the empire. Secondly, as a powerful clan from the previous dynasty, the Xie family had a deep-rooted foundation and complex relationships. If they were granted a title, the Qin family's empire might be in danger.
The emperor pondered Xie Yun's words, "diligent and conscientious," and wondered if the Xie family must have harbored resentment for not being granted a title back then. However, wasn't it too late for the Xie family to act more than a century later? Or had they allied with someone?
King of Lingnan?
The emperor lowered his gaze to Xie Yun, who was kneeling before the table, and once again pondered the words "diligent and conscientious." Was Xie Yun threatening him? But Xie Yun certainly could. If he were to truly ally with the Prince of Lingnan, he didn't know how far they had progressed. Were there any accomplices of theirs left in the court?
Should we take action against the Xie family now?
The emperor was torn with conflicting thoughts, and finally looked at Xie Yun and asked, "What are your second son's names again?"
Xie Yun silently breathed a sigh of relief; the emperor indeed dared not touch them now. But what about the future? What should they do next?
Should we back down and try every means to gain the emperor's trust? Or should we continue with our previous plan?
Xie Yun thought for a moment, but he answered respectfully, "My second son is named Xie Zihui."
The emperor hummed in agreement. "How was he tricked into buying the salt smuggling ships?"
He had already thought about this problem, and then he said, "I have neglected to discipline Xie Nan, which has led to him getting involved with a brothel madam. The brothel madam told him that the eldest son of the Chen family in Jiangzhou owes them money for prostitution and wants to sell a few boats to pay for it, so she asked him if he would buy them."
Xie Zihui was ignorant of worldly matters and had no idea that buying a boat involved many intricacies. He heard from the madam that the eldest son of the Chen family was selling him the boat and all the people on board, and that he was just waiting to make money, so he bought the boat without hesitation. I noticed he'd been spending money too extravagantly lately, so I asked him about it.
That fool of his was happily bragging to me about the lucrative business he'd landed. But I knew immediately it was likely a setup. For one thing, what could that young master of the Chen family in Jiangzhou have done in a brothel to rack up such a huge debt? Couldn't he have run such a profitable business himself and paid off his debts?
Your Majesty, I suspected this might be a ruse, so I immediately investigated and discovered that the ship was carrying smuggled salt. I was terrified and have come to apologize to Your Majesty.
In the end, Xie Yun's trembling forehead pounded against the ground, his appearance utterly humble. He attributed the entire scheme against Jiang Chengye to Xie Zihui, thus leaving no loopholes. After all, the eldest son of the Chen family, the madam Lan Mudan, and the boatman were all in the hands of the Duke of Chu.
Perhaps the Duke of Chu has already taken their lives, and even if he hasn't, he wouldn't allow them to appear in public. That's why he dares to say such a thing.
Did the emperor believe him?
Naturally, he didn't believe it. If that were true, Xie Yun wouldn't be begging and pleading; he would be quickly cleaning up the mess and covering it up. So why would he do that?
Of course, there are reasons why it is necessary to do this. So, what are those reasons?
The emperor looked down at the evidence submitted by Prince An, among which was a letter with extremely ugly handwriting. It was this letter that led Prince An to the Marquis of Jiangling's residence, the Xie family, and other salt smugglers in the capital.
The emperor tapped the letter with his fingers, his eyes lowered in thought. Who wrote this letter? What does it have to do with this matter?
clatter
clatter
clatter.....
In the quiet imperial study, the emperor's rhythmic tapping on the table seemed to strike Xie Yun's heart with each beat. His heart began to race again, wondering if the emperor would once again unleash a reign of terror upon the Xie family.
The imperial study remained silent, save for the clicking of metal. Xie Yun had never felt time pass so agonizingly. He thought of the Duke of Chu. The Duke of Chu's counterattack this time was truly precise and ruthless!
After an unknown amount of time, the emperor's voice rang out, "Summon Prince An!"
These three words nearly made Xie Yun collapse to the ground. Was the Emperor really going to take action against the Xie family? The Emperor, noticing his slight loss of composure, narrowed his eyes.
Just as Prince An arrived at the palace gate, he was summoned back. Remembering his earlier encounter with Xie Yun, he had a guess. Sure enough, upon arriving at the imperial study, the emperor told him, "Take Xie Yun and Xie Zihui to prison and surround the Xie family."
This time, Xie Yun could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground.
"Yes." Prince An withdrew, and Xie Yun knelt down again, trembling. He said, "I beg Your Majesty to spare the lives of the Xie family members, young and old."
The Emperor remained silent. At that moment, two guards entered and dragged Xie Yun out, one on each side. Prince An stood outside the Imperial Study. Xie Yun's aged eyes met his, his expression complex and somewhat oppressive, while Prince An's gaze met his with indifference.
Watching Xie Yun being taken away, Prince An went back into his study. The Emperor looked at the memorial in his hand without looking up, but said, "Be mindful of your actions."
"Your subject understands." Prince An bowed and left, heading straight for the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Upon arrival, he immediately dispatched men to search the Jiangling Marquis's residence and surround the Xie family.
.........
Jiangling Marquis's Residence
Lady Jiangling, with a headscarf draped over her head, lay in bed looking seriously ill. In truth, she was furious, furious at the Chu State Duke's mansion.
"Yesterday, someone from my family came and asked if we were just going to let this go after suffering such a great loss?" Lady Jiangling looked at Marquis Jiangling standing in front of her bed and said, "My lord, you should think about this carefully. We can't just let this go like this, can we?"
Marquis Jiangling said with a gloomy face, "I told you long ago, don't always listen to your mother and sister-in-law's gossip. Whether we suffer losses or not, whether we retaliate or not, is our business and has nothing to do with them."
Lady Jiangling's headache worsened upon hearing his words. She tried to get up, but Zhang Xiangling, who was sitting beside her, quickly helped her.
"What are you saying? A few years ago, when we were starving..."
"Shut up!" Marquis Jiangling scolded his wife. "What do you mean by 'when we can't even afford to eat'?"
Lady Jiangling remained silent. As a marquis's household, it was something she couldn't say about not having enough to eat, even though it was true.
"And then there's that sixth son's wife," Lady Jiangling changed the subject, "she suddenly started arguing with me for no reason, and then the Marquis of Anyuan's mansion came to pick her up. It's true what they say, when you're down on your luck, even drinking cold water can cause you to choke."
Marquis Jiangling narrowed his eyes in deep thought, sensing that something was amiss. The Duke of Chu was acting uncharacteristically unreasonable, and the Marquis of Anyuan's household had taken her daughter back...
His heart skipped a beat. Could they be deliberately cutting ties with him?
Why?
Could it be that their salt smuggling operation has been discovered?
Thinking of this, he broke out in a cold sweat. Just then, a commotion broke out outside.
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