"Prime Minister Cai, do you think the tea in this palace is refreshing? How does it compare to the tea at home?"
Ying Yuan, who was sitting at the desk, looked at Cai Jing in front of him and smiled.
The latter was stunned when he heard the voice.
Your Majesty, what do you mean by this question?
Could it be that Your Majesty knows that I live a very decadent life and embezzle a lot of money?
In private, no matter what you eat or use, everything is in line with the supreme standards within the palace. Is that why Your Majesty deliberately said those words?
Is its purpose to make me feel uneasy or even make me confess my guilt?
It seems that today, it is difficult for me to leave the Xuanzheng Hall safely.
Your Majesty is too scheming.
Even an ordinary capable monarch cannot compare to Your Majesty!
"I... am terrified! The tea in this palace is naturally the finest in the world. The tea in my home cannot possibly compare to it."
Cai Jing suddenly stood up, quickly placed the tea on the table, and bowed deeply.
He was totally overthinking it.
When Ying Yuan said that, he really didn't mean anything else.
I just want to ask about your well-being, why are you making such a fuss?
I'm counting on you to do great things.
Without you, how could you lead all the treacherous ministers in the court to help me ruin the country and become incompetent?
To help Cai Jing relax, Ying Yuan said with a smile, "My dear minister, don't be nervous. I summoned you here today mainly to talk about our friendship as monarch and subject.
Since you think the tea in this palace is delicious, I will give you some.
"Zhang Rang, go prepare a portion of each of the palace's finest teas and send them to Prime Minister Cai's residence."
"promise."
Zhang Rang responded and left the hall.
Cai Jing frowned suddenly and thought to himself.
Your Majesty, will you bring me tea?
Do you mean to say that I can only enjoy what Your Majesty gives me?
If I enjoy what Your Majesty does not give me, will I be guilty?
That must be the case!
Your Majesty must know that I am treated the same as Your Majesty at home.
Their food, clothing, and other expenses were all on par with those of the royal family.
Your Majesty, you are deliberately trying to warn me!
Thinking of this, Cai Jing actually knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, how can I be so kind to you? In the face of national crisis, I have done nothing but sinned, and I feel ashamed of your kindness."
He was putting aside his status as a powerful official and confessing his guilt to Ying Yuan.
But this crime, as he said, is probably not a crime at all.
"Hmm? My dear minister, you have worked hard and made great contributions. What crime have you committed? In my eyes, not only are you innocent, but you have actually made great contributions."
Ying Yuan spoke earnestly.
It is indeed a great achievement.
If it weren't for Cai Jing's nepotism, would the court today be filled with treacherous ministers?
Just for this reason, Cai Jing has done a great service to himself.
"Your Majesty, this old minister...this old minister..."
For some reason, Cai Jing, who was said to be able to call the wind and rain in the Qin Dynasty, actually felt a little afraid of the emperor in front of him.
Because no matter how you listen to what Ying Yuan just said, there is a sense of threat.
"If my guess is correct, you have been the Prime Minister for thirteen years, right?
Over the past thirteen years, your followers have spread all over the world. Now, at least ninety-nine percent of the civil officials in the court are close friends of your beloved minister.
I have heard that every year the ministers send countless amounts of gold, silver, and jewelry to the Prime Minister's residence. Prime Minister Cai is truly a good minister of mine and a pillar of the country!
Ying Yuan really admires Cai Jing.
The look he gave to those outside now was filled with gratitude.
It was because of these people that the Qin Dynasty felt that there was hope for defeating the country.
However, those words frightened Cai Jing so much that he kept kowtowing and admitting his fault, "I am guilty, I am guilty, please punish me, Your Majesty."
If it were the Cai Jing of the past, he would have just said that those were just rumors and should not be taken seriously.
But things are different now.
The previous emperor was incompetent and greedy for pleasure. He did not care about state affairs and was obsessed with women.
Your Majesty, as we now know, governs the country wisely, with decisive measures, extraordinary intelligence, and is well versed in the imperial mindset. He is a capable monarch.
In the eyes of such a Majesty, any sophistry would be futile.
Ying Yuan felt a little helpless.
Didn't he understand what I meant?
I don't want to punish him.
If someone wanted to punish someone, they should have done so long ago. Why wait until now?
"My dear, I have said that you are not only innocent, but have actually made contributions. I mainly want to tell you today that I hope you can continue to work hard in the future."
Ying Yuan really hoped that Cai Jing would become the most treacherous minister in the history of the Qin Dynasty.
In this way, you are one step closer to your goal.
After hearing the sound, Cai Jing felt extremely frightened.
Your Majesty, you are speaking sarcastically!
I am afraid that if I continue to do that in the future, I will definitely be held accountable by His Majesty!
"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. I won't do it again. Please spare my life!"
Cai Jing's psychological defenses have been completely broken by Ying Yuan.
No matter how much he said to defend himself, it seemed pale and powerless.
As a powerful official, once you lose your power, you will be nothing.
Now all the military forces in Xianyang City are firmly in the hands of the emperor.
To put it bluntly, he, the prime minister, is nothing more than a piece of fish on a sticky board.
Ying Yuan suddenly felt depressed.
Don’t dare anymore?
Could it be that he didn't listen to what I said with all my heart?
What I mean is that you can continue to appoint people based on personal connections and engage in corruption and bribery.
What do you mean by saying you don’t dare now?
Could it be that you still want to be a loyal minister?
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
