Chapter 178 Confession
Registered under the name of the Queen, he is the legitimate son of Duke Zhong. Xuanyuan Su looked flattered and immediately knelt on the ground.
"Your Majesty, I agree to your words... I agree a thousand times!"
Seeing this, the queen quickly stretched out her hand to signal him to stand up.
"Hurry up, child. I love you sincerely. Seeing you work so hard all these years, my heart aches. Registering you under my name will also benefit you in the future. However, you must promise me that you will not alienate your biological mother. But you must also remember that I am your mother."
Xuanyuan Su stood up, his eyes slightly red, and nodded heavily.
"I understand. I will always remember your kindness and will never forget your upbringing."
The queen nodded with satisfaction, a tender look in her eyes.
"Good, good boy. I will find a suitable time to discuss this matter with the Emperor. From now on, I will have a son again."
Yikun Palace.
Cuizhu bowed to Concubine Yao.
"Your Highness, the Fifth Prince has been to Fengyi Palace many times these days and is quite close to the Empress."
Concubine Yao frowned when she heard this.
"It seems that the Fifth Prince is looking for a backer for himself."
Then his tone became a little sarcastic.
"One lost his son, the other had a mother who was as good as no mother at all. These two people came together..."
"Forget it. The Crown Prince's incident has been a long time ago. It's time to bring up the matter of the Crown Prince."
Tai Chi Hall.
As Emperor Xuanyuan walked in, all the ministers saluted respectfully.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. Long live the Emperor."
Emperor Xuanyuan walked to the dragon throne, sat down, and slowly raised his hand.
"My dear ministers, please stand up."
After Duke Yao stood up, he exchanged glances with a minister.
Soon the ministers came out.
"Your Majesty, I have a memorial to submit."
Emperor Xuanyuan spoke slowly.
"I would like to hear the details."
The minister stepped forward and spoke respectfully.
"Your Majesty, the crown prince is the foundation of the country. It has been vacant for a long time. To stabilize the government, I implore Your Majesty to appoint a crown prince as soon as possible to reassure the people."
As soon as these words were spoken, the hall suddenly fell silent, and all the ministers' eyes were focused on Emperor Xuanyuan.
Duke Yao raised a barely perceptible smile and exchanged glances with another minister.
Soon another minister spoke up.
"Your Majesty, I second your motion. I also believe that appointing a crown prince as soon as possible is a matter of vital importance to the stability of the nation and cannot be delayed."
Many ministers also bowed.
"I second this motion."
Emperor Xuanyuan's gaze swept across the hall and finally stopped on Duke Yao's face.
"What does Duke Yao think?"
Duke Yao bowed.
"Your Majesty, I believe that what you ministers have said is absolutely correct. An early confirmation of the crown prince position will indeed be beneficial to the stability of the court and the peace of the country."
Xuanyuan looked at him and spoke slowly.
"Then who does Duke Yao think is more suitable to be the crown prince?"
Upon hearing this, Duke Yao's eyes flickered slightly, as if he was weighing his words. After a moment, he replied calmly.
"Your Majesty, I believe that the selection of a crown prince requires careful consideration. He must be both virtuous and talented, and must also conform to traditional principles of appointing the eldest son or the heir."
A minister stepped forward and bowed.
"Your Majesty, His Royal Highness Prince Rong is now your eldest son and has always performed exceptionally well. Whether in terms of knowledge or moral character, he is among the best among the other princes. I believe that His Royal Highness Prince Rong is the perfect choice for the crown prince."
"I second this motion."
Emperor Xuanyuan turned his gaze towards the fifth prince.
"What does the Fifth Prince think?"
The fifth prince Xuanyuan Su walked out of the queue with a smile on his face and a calm demeanor. He first saluted Emperor Xuanyuan before slowly speaking.
"Father, as you have said, Prince Rong is indeed a man of both virtue and talent. However, today I have another important matter to report to you, Father."
Emperor Xuanyuan spoke slowly after hearing this.
"Oh? You have something to say, too?"
"Let me hear you tell me."
Xuanyuan Su took out two account books from his sleeves and presented them with both hands.
"Your Majesty, I previously asked you to investigate the salt tax. I have now found relevant evidence. However, during this investigation, I have discovered that someone is abusing their power to buy and sell official positions, undermining the foundation of the Xuanyuan court. I await your judgment."
The eunuch hurried down the steps, took the thing from the fifth prince's hand and handed it to Emperor Xuanyuan.
Emperor Xuanyuan took the account book, flipped through the pages, and his expression became increasingly solemn.
The account book recorded in detail the names of people involved in salt tax corruption and the buying and selling of official positions, including many important officials in the court, and even... the name of Duke Yao was prominently listed.
The atmosphere in the hall instantly became extremely tense. The ministers looked at each other and speculated in their hearts.
When he saw the evidence of buying and selling official positions, Emperor Xuanyuan was furious and threw the evidence in front of Duke Yao.
"Duke Yao, you are so brave."
All the ministers knelt down hurriedly.
"Your Majesty, calm down."
Duke Yao hurriedly knelt down to pick up the account book and looked through it. His face suddenly changed, but he still tried to remain calm and tried to explain himself.
"Your Majesty, this account book must be a forgery. I am a loyal servant to the court. How could I do such a thing that violates the law?"
Emperor Xuanyuan had a gloomy face. In the court, no one had clean hands. If it was just ordinary corruption, he would just turn a blind eye.
However, they actually bought and sold official positions, and the officials who bought them were making huge fortunes for them in various places. If this were really allowed to continue, in a few years, the foundation of Xuanyuan would be destroyed in the hands of these corrupt officials.
"The evidence is irrefutable, yet you still dare to make excuses?"
"The account books are falsified, so are these letters also falsified?"
Emperor Xuanyuan threw the letter down, and it flew in the air and fell down.
Duke Yao hurriedly picked up one letter and read it, and some other ministers also picked up some and read them.
When he saw the contents of the letter, a look of despair appeared on Duke Yao's face, as if the sky had fallen.
It’s over, it’s over, it’s all over. How did these evidences get into the hands of the fifth prince?
I have been sending people to keep an eye on the Fifth Prince all these years. If he really had great abilities, he would have taken precautions long ago. He has been delaying the investigation of the salt tax for so long, how could he have found evidence of him buying and selling official positions?
Xuanyuan Jing took a letter from a minister and read it, then took the account book from Duke Yao and sighed.
"I never thought Xuanyuan's foundation had eroded to such an extent. Duke Yao, you are a veteran minister of three dynasties. Are you worthy of the emperor's trust? Will you be worthy of your father in the afterlife?"
Emperor Xuanyuan had not expected that the Yao family would be so bold and powerful. If it were not for the salt tax issue, which involved the buying and selling of official positions, he would only realize the extraordinary nature of the Yao family after the throne changed hands. Emperor Xuanyuan's face was as gloomy as ink.
"I have really been too indulgent towards your Yao family over the years!"
The atmosphere in the hall was suffocatingly oppressive. Every minister stared with bated breath, and some tried their best to control their trembling, fearing that any slight movement would attract the emperor's attention.
Duke Yao's hands trembled. The letters and account books seemed to weigh down his body, almost choking him. This time, he truly was doomed.
Prince Rong looked at the things above, hesitating whether to speak.
Su Yan had moved to kneel beside him at some point, tugged at his sleeve, and shook his head slightly. These evidences were enough to execute the entire Yao family. The most important thing at this time was to get Prince Rong out.
Xuanyuan Jing glanced at the furious emperor.
"Embracing and accepting bribes, illegally producing salt, buying and selling official positions, and amassing a large amount of wealth. How could you, Duke Yao, alone be able to give us such a big surprise? Why don't you reveal your accomplices?"
Duke Yao glanced at Prince Rong and thought, no, Prince Rong cannot be involved. As long as Prince Rong is around, the Yao family still has a chance to make a comeback.
"Your Majesty...I, your humble servant, plead guilty."
"I was also confused for a moment. I hope that Your Majesty will forgive my family for all the hard work I have put in over the years, even though I have no merits."
Upon seeing this, the Fifth Prince exchanged a glance with Lord Chen, who then stepped forward and bowed.
"Your Majesty, Duke Yao's actions have seriously violated Xuanyuan law. He has exploited the people and deserves death. Furthermore, many of his family members are implicated. If he is not severely punished, how can we restore order and reassure the people?"
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