Chapter 122: Apparent Praise, Indirect Criticism
The Jinwu Guards made quite a noise while carrying out their mission. All the street entrances were blocked, and the city gates were tightly shut. Any officials with a bit of sense of smell could sense that something was amiss. Furthermore, as the Jinwu Guards were dealing with the Xue family, the family let out a series of wails, which were particularly clear in the quiet, snowy night.
The neighbors around the Xue family were all as quiet as quails, afraid of disturbing the Jinwu Guards and having them break in. But they were also quietly watching the Jinwu Guards' movements.
"Have they withdrawn yet?"
"No, I don't think they left in the direction of returning to the office."
"They went east."
They looked at each other in bewilderment. Their Chang'an City was rich in the east and west, and solid in the north and empty in the south. Was this going to touch the nobles?
Qin family
The Qin family was also very lively. Mrs. Qin and her third sister-in-law Nie Yunniang finally learned about the deaths of Qin Yue and Qin Ming. The fact that Qin Yue died for his country had spread throughout the court, and it could not be concealed for much longer. Qin Ming's funeral also had to be arranged.
Upon hearing this news, Nie Yunniang immediately lost her uterus and went into labor. In fact, it was already her due date. She was carried into the delivery room, followed by two midwives. The maids in the courtyard began to bustle about, and the kitchen was constantly preparing hot water and hot food.
The entire Qin family was awake, so they naturally knew what was happening in the Xue family.
Lu Songli knew that this was not the end, but the beginning.
Xie family
When Xie Zhan received the news, he was still reading in his study, with Zhao Yutan smiling beside him as she poured him tea and water, washed his brush, and ground his ink. Under the dim candlelight, it was a picture of a talented scholar and a beautiful woman, each with their own charming charm.
The two got married yesterday and are very much in love. Zhao Yutan is very attached to Xie Zhan. Xie Zhan has been in a good mood recently and doesn't mind.
He was still wondering which house the Jinwu Guards would visit next when he heard footsteps approaching the door, followed by the panicked voice of his confidant, "Young Master, the Jinwu Guards are coming our way!"
Upon hearing this, Xie Zhan gently pushed Zhao Yutan away and walked out, "I'll go take a look!"
Zhao Yutan chased him out, but found that he had already left.
Xie Zhan led his confidant to the main courtyard and asked, "Are you sure you are coming to our Xie family?"
"Sure."
Xie Zhan's face was solemn.
The Fourth Prince, along with other ministers seeking to gain the credit of being his heirs, had murdered the Crown Prince, yet the Emperor had spared him. He doubted the Emperor was not resentful of certain ministers who had formed part of the Fourth Prince's group. Xue Huaimin's crimes were monstrous, and the others had aided and abetted him. He doubted that punishing Xue Huaimin alone would appease his anger; surely there were other ministers who would bear his wrath.
Logically speaking, the Xie family was one of the families that later joined the Fourth Prince's camp, so they should not be the second target of the Jinwu Guards.
However, the Xue family was in the West City, and their Xie family was in the East City. Now, the Jinwu Guards had left those ministers alone and were heading straight from the Xue family in the east to the Xie family in the west. This showed that their Xie family was deeply hated by the emperor. This made him wonder if something had gone wrong.
Unless he is exposed, impossible!
Xie Zhan immediately dismissed this speculation. When he had offered his advice to the Fourth Prince, he had acted very cautiously. He dared to say that as long as the Fourth Prince didn't expose him, no one would guess that he was the Fourth Prince's new advisor. It would undoubtedly be exposed later, but for now, he was confident that he could keep it a secret.
His original intention was to pin the scheme of borrowing a knife to kill someone on the Fourth Prince. He hid behind the scenes, allowing the Emperor to see the Fourth Prince's strategy. But now that the Emperor was like this, could it be that the Emperor didn't believe that the scheme of borrowing a knife to kill someone was the work of the Fourth Prince? And now he was suspecting these ministers who were trying to gain the credit of following the Emperor?
No matter what, the Xie family is in trouble.
The Jinwu Guards knocked on the door, and the Xie family's doorman opened it tremblingly.
We have to open the door, these are a group of killers.
Xie Zhan stepped forward with a smile, "Commander Lin, what is this?"
Lin Ran said seriously, "The emperor has issued an edict! Oh, and go get Xie Jingyuan and Xie Yunsong."
Xie Zhan's heart sank upon hearing this. Xie Jingyuan and Xie Yunsong were his great-uncle and uncle, respectively, but both were renowned and capable elders of the Xie clan. Their presence played a crucial role in rallying the clan's strength.
The people of the Xie family were quickly gathered in the main courtyard, and Xie Jingyuan and Xie Yunsong were also invited. The former was already in his sixties and had a solemn expression on his face.
"Is everyone here?"
"Everyone is here."
"Then let's get started!"
"The Emperor's decree, Xie Mingtang, Xie Jingyuan, and Xie Yunsong kneel to receive it!"
Led by Xie Mingtang, Xie Jingyuan, and Xie Yunsong, the rest of the Xie family members knelt down.
"The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, proclaims: Xie Mingtang, the Minister of Personnel, has served for twenty years, diligently fulfilling his duties, exercising self-discipline and upholding propriety, never discriminating against others, recommending the virtuous and capable, and always giving way to the virtuous..."
The whole article is full of praise.
Hearing this, most of the Xie family members felt relieved. It turned out that this was not an imperial decree of punishment. Just now, the Jinwu Guards came out of the Xue family and went straight to their Xie family, which really scared them to death.
But the more Xie Zhan listened, the more he felt something was wrong. None of these words praising his father matched his father's character and integrity.
Dedicated to his duties? Barely, even though his father exploited his position for personal gain.
Self-control and restoration of propriety? No, his father has never been a person who restrains his selfish desires.
"Not phosphorus, not black" means that it cannot be worn thin or stained black, which is a metaphor for a person's steadfast, noble and loyal quality in love, which will not change due to external influences.
After a moment's reflection, Xie Zhan understood that these compliments were, in fact, the opposite of what they were! On the surface, they were praising his father, but in reality, they were scolding him, accusing him of having no moral integrity, poor self-control, being unfaithful to his wife, and having two minds towards his emperor. The phrases "recommending the virtuous and promoting the capable" and "avoiding the path of the virtuous" were easier to understand. They were referring to the tyranny of their Xie family, which had held onto the position of Dali Temple Minister for so many years and refused to allow anyone to interfere.
As Xie Zhan figured this out, his heart grew heavier.
Looking at his father again, his face turned pale and blue.
Xie Mingtang just felt that these nice words sounded so harsh. Wasn't this really a satire on him?
Xie Zhan sighed inwardly. It seemed the Emperor had a very bad impression of their Xie family. Fortunately, the Emperor was about to die, and the new Emperor was about to take the throne.
In the edict, the long and lavish words of praise for Xie Mingtang, Xie Jingyuan, Xie Yunsong and others were finally read out.
When Lin Ran read the following words, he couldn't help but pause, then continued reading: "I am very pleased with you three. I have specially ordered the Imperial Guards to announce my decree and grant you the privilege of being buried with me. I now grant you three feet of white silk and a cup of poisoned wine. Choose one of you to end your life without delay! I hereby express my sincere gratitude!"
When the emperor's order to bury him was read out, the Xie family felt a rumbling sound in their ears.
Xie Mingtang: My soul is scattered!
Xie Jingyuan and Xie Yunsong were also horrified.
This is a burial decree! Xie Zhan didn't expect the emperor to do this, it was really unexpected!
Sheng Huaian listened to the sarcastic imperial edict word for word and was amazed by it. After reading out these words full of praise, it was actually a death sentence. Sounds quite ironic, doesn't it?
In a nutshell, the emperor thinks you have done a good job and are very useful, and he wants to continue using you even after you go to the underworld.
The Emperor loves your Xie family very much, so he has granted you several burial places. You must use them all, and you can refuse them and see how they go.
He admired him very much and thought that the person who wrote the edict to the emperor was also a talented person.
What he didn't know was that the first half of these decrees were mostly written by Lü Desheng, while the part about granting death was written by the emperor himself.
The emperor told Lu Desheng at that time that he would bestow titles upon some people, including some members of the Xie family and some people in the court who had conflicts with him.
Lu Desheng was completely unwilling to hear this. He hated the Xie family and his political enemies. It would be fine if the emperor wanted to confer titles on them, but he had to be the one to do it?
He had begged the Emperor not to do this job, but the Emperor refused, so he had an idea and came up with these words of praise that were in fact criticism.
What Lu Desheng didn't know was that after he completed his work, Emperor Kang Cheng often lay in a rocking chair and asked Wei Ziling to read these imperial edicts, laughing as he listened.
"When the emperor is about to set out, he needs civil and military officials to lead the way! Are you unwilling to do so?" Lin Ran asked coldly, seeing that the three members of the Xie family were motionless.
Xie Mingtang, Xie Jingyuan and Xie Yunsong looked at each other with bitterness in their eyes. They never expected that today would be their death day.
"Your Majesty obeys!"
The Jinwu Guards were watching them closely, and they had no chance to resist. Their clansmen were also watching them.
The lives of the entire family depended on their thoughts. Since they were destined to die, they might as well thank the emperor for his grace and die bravely. This would also make the emperor more favorable to the Xie family. It would also make the family remember their kindness more and offer more sacrifices during the New Year.
The most important thing is that after expressing gratitude, at least the body can be left intact.
All three of them chose poisoned wine.
Before drinking, Xie Jingyuan said to Xie Zhan, "The Xie family is in your hands now that my uncle is gone." Then he drank it all in one gulp.
Xie Yunsong also raised the poisoned wine and gestured towards him, then raised his head and drank it all in one gulp. Everything was said without words.
Xie Mingtang was terrified, but he also knew he had no choice. "Ah Zhan, take good care of your brothers."
Once the Jinwu Guards confirmed that the three men were dead, they set off without stopping. They still had one more house to go to.
Xie Zhan handled the funeral arrangements with a heavy heart. However, he still had people keep an eye on the movements of the Jinwu Guards. When he later learned which families the Jinwu Guards had visited, he felt relieved.
Xie Zhan hadn't expected Emperor Kang Cheng to be so furious. After dealing with Xue Huaimin and the others, he still wanted to kill so many people. Especially since the two or three families they had taken refuge with later were all the focus of Emperor Kang Cheng's attention.
From this, Xie Zhan guessed that Emperor Kang Cheng was looking for him, the one who had given the Fourth Prince the idea of using a knife to kill someone. Clearly, Emperor Kang Cheng wasn't sure who that person was. Therefore, the heads of the families he suspected, as well as those in charge, were all taken away.
Emperor Kang Cheng probably would not let someone go even if he killed someone by mistake.
His father and two uncles were burdened by his decision. But he had no regrets. After the new emperor ascended the throne, their Xie family would advance even further, perhaps even becoming the largest family in Dali!
Xie Zhan didn't know that Emperor Kang Cheng originally wanted to uproot the Xie family, but he considered that the number of people he had killed this time was too large and the impact was already significant. If he added other things, it would be pushing people too far and might cause unrest, so he gave up.
Emperor Kang Cheng did not expect that because of his change of mind, he let go of the big fish he had been looking for.
In fact, it is understandable. After all, he is already exhausted. How can his body withstand such high-intensity mental activities?
"Chief, where are we going next?"
"The third one is from Duke Cheng'en's Mansion!"
Sheng Huaian hissed. "Duke Cheng'en's Mansion? Isn't that the Empress Dowager's family home? The Imperial Uncle?" Without the imperial edict, he had no idea what this Imperial Uncle had done to anger the Emperor and take him away.
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