Chapter 33 The Emperor was a master of this game of mutual restraint.
Inside the Yan Ying Hall, the Emperor sat on the dragon throne, his face ashen, looking down at the kneeling ministers below.
These are all his trusted advisors.
The two prime ministers and the minister were all influential figures in the court.
But now, they are all kneeling on the ground, heads bowed, not daring to breathe.
The emperor finally lost his temper, grabbed the memorials on the table, and threw them hard at the heads of the men.
"You...you have truly disappointed me! I trusted you and entrusted you with important responsibilities, and this is how you repay me?"
The men immediately prostrated themselves on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly, "We deserve to die a thousand deaths, please calm your anger, Your Majesty!"
Li Yuanzhao sat in his own rosewood armchair, relaxed and quietly watching the scene before him, without saying a word.
Among them, the least guilty was Prime Minister Su. At most, he was guilty of failing to educate his son properly, allowing him to associate with Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) and accepting bribes to help the sons of aristocratic families get better official positions. He was not involved in the salt tax corruption case.
The Emperor's gaze fell on Prime Minister Su, and his anger gradually subsided. "Prime Minister Su, get up. When you go back, discipline your son properly and make sure he doesn't cause any more trouble."
Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Su felt as if he had been granted a pardon and breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly kowtowed to express his gratitude, saying, "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty. I will certainly discipline my son strictly and never let him repeat this mistake."
Just as Prime Minister Su was about to get up, Li Yuanzhao spoke up, "Father, although this matter did not cause any serious consequences, the words and actions of the Second Young Master Su have already aroused the dissatisfaction of the students. If he is not punished, it will be difficult to quell the students' anger."
The Emperor looked at Li Yuanzhao and asked, "Then what do you suggest we do?"
Li Yuanzhao slowly said, "In my opinion, it would be better to prohibit the Second Young Master Su from participating in the imperial examinations for five years, as a warning to others."
Su Xianggang, who had just straightened up, suddenly stopped, his brows furrowing tightly.
He was barred from taking the imperial examinations for five years, and he only had one son. This was clearly a way to cut off the Su family's path to officialdom!
The eldest princess is determined to ruin the future of the Su family. How ruthless!
The Emperor nodded. "Then let's do it that way."
Su Xiang swallowed back the explanation that was on the tip of his tongue.
Having just been pardoned, how could he possibly have the right to object? He could only grit his teeth and reply, "Your subject... obeys the decree."
After Prime Minister Su took his leave, Prime Minister Cui then pleaded for mercy, "Your Majesty, I was just confused for a moment, blinded by greed, which is why I made such a mistake. I beg Your Majesty to forgive me this time, considering my many years of service to the court!"
"A moment of folly?" Li Yuanzhao sneered and continued, "If Prime Minister Cui can gain hundreds of thousands of strings of cash by being folly for a moment, then all the ministers in the court would probably be willing to be folly for a moment."
The Emperor, angered by his lack of integrity, said, "The salt tax is the foundation of the nation's revenue. As the prime minister, you openly lead the way in corruption, disregarding the law and the livelihood of the people. This truly chills my heart."
Minister Cui could tell that although His Majesty's tone contained anger, there was still room for negotiation.
He gritted his teeth, kowtowed heavily, and said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to use the strength of my entire clan to make up for the shortfall in salt tax this time. In addition, I have heard that the military pay in Youzhou is tight, and I am willing to donate another million strings of cash to help Your Majesty conquer Tubo, so as to atone for my sins!"
Upon hearing this, even Zheng Chong, who was standing to the side, looked up in shock.
The Cui family is currently the most prominent family, possessing countless fertile fields and abundant wealth.
However, having to spend most of one's wealth to appease the emperor's anger would inevitably cause serious damage and severely weaken one's vitality.
The Emperor's tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and his tone softened slightly, "I am very pleased that you have this intention, my dear minister."
Upon seeing this, Prime Minister Cui quickly added, "I am deeply aware of my grave sins and wish to resign as prime minister, return home to reflect on my mistakes, and atone for them."
At this moment, the emperor advised, "Prime Minister Cui is a pillar of the state, and the court cannot be without you. How about this, punish him with a year's salary as a warning to others."
Cui Xiang was overjoyed and immediately knelt down to express his gratitude, "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty. I will definitely repent and serve Your Majesty with all my heart until my dying breath!"
Zheng Chong's eyelids twitched. When he saw the emperor's gaze turn to him, he hurriedly said, "Although my family's wealth is far less than that of Prime Minister Cui, I am willing to donate half of my land to replenish the national treasury. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!"
After saying this, he felt a pang of regret, but there was nothing he could do.
With his head on the line, what use is money now? To use it to build his own grave?
Li Yuanzhao said slowly, "Lord Zheng, as the Minister of Personnel, you are in charge of the promotion of all officials, yet you accept bribes from the Pei family and sell official positions. Prime Minister Cui covets the national treasury, but Lord Zheng covets the very foundation of the court. You think you can offset this with a little bit of land?"
His Majesty's tone was several degrees colder than when he spoke to Prime Minister Cui: "Minister Zheng, you have served in the Ministry of Personnel for five years. I have trusted you so much, yet you repay me in this way... How can I forgive you for such a disruption of the order and discipline!"
Upon hearing this, Zheng Chong felt weak all over and hurriedly looked up at Prime Minister Cui with pleading eyes, but Prime Minister Cui gently shook his head.
Zheng Chong then gave up struggling and kowtowed to confess his guilt.
Li Yuanzhao watched all this coldly without saying another word.
She knew all along that a simple case of salt tax embezzlement would not be enough to bring down the deeply entrenched Cui family.
The Cui family has cultivated deep roots in the imperial court for many years and cannot be easily shaken.
Even if one Cui Shiliang is overthrown today, a second or third member of the Cui family will rise to take his place tomorrow, and the family's foundation will remain solid.
Moreover, she knew all too well what her father was planning.
He needed to use her to put pressure on the powerful families, but he also feared that her power would become too great and difficult to control. So he deliberately kept the Cui family's influence to counterbalance her, the eldest princess.
The Emperor was a master of this game of mutual restraint.
Therefore, for the Emperor, the best outcome would be for the Cui family to have to part with half of their wealth, suffering significant losses and crippling damage.
But how could she possibly charge forward without any benefit?
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