Chu Fan said to Qin Hui, "I have said so much, so what do you want to say now, Qin Hui?"
Qin Hui knelt on the ground and said, "I acknowledge my guilt. I will immediately disclose all the ministers and students involved in this power transaction and will not hide anything from anyone..."
As Qin Hui confessed, the entire court seemed to fall into silence. Qin Hui's confession mentioned the children of many ministers in the court. Although these ministers themselves did not participate in it, some of their sons participated in this power transaction, and they couldn't help but become nervous at this moment.
These ministers in the court are basically the most prominent group of people in the State of Wei, so they have many children. In addition to children born to their wives, there are also many illegitimate children and children from concubines. Although these children cannot get too much attention from them, they still receive a lot of resources. Therefore, although these students are the children of these ministers, they themselves do not know what they have done.
After Qin Hui finished speaking, all the ministers waited for His Majesty's ruling on the matter. They didn't know how His Majesty would deal with their families and children. After all, this matter involved too many court ministers. If it was not handled properly, it might cause unrest in the court and even shake the foundation of the Wei State.
However, their worries were unnecessary. As the emperor of Wei, Chu Fan had only one role, which was to make the court of Wei operate according to his own decrees, and he would not interfere too deliberately in the operation of the court. In the past, Chu Fan let the ministers in the court handle several major cases according to the laws of Wei, so this time Chu Fan would not make too many punishment decisions on his own.
Chu Fan said, "The Imperial Government Affairs Office and the Ministry of Personnel will verify the list Qin Hui provided. If it is true, it will be handed over to the Ministry of Justice according to Wei law. I do not want to see anyone bending the law for personal gain. Otherwise, they will be severely punished."
At this time, Chu Anping from the Royal Government Affairs Office said, "Your Majesty, what should be done with the Qin family?"
Although Chu Anping only raised the issue of how Qin Hui's family should be dealt with, all the ministers knew what this question meant. As long as His Majesty imposed a punishment on Qin Hui's family, the Royal Government Affairs Office and the Ministry of Personnel would follow His Majesty's standards in dealing with the other families involved. By then, they might even be killed by their own son who had betrayed their father.
Chu Fan looked at Qin Hui who was kneeling on the ground and said, "For this power-for-power transaction case, we only need to execute the mastermind. Their families can be sent to labor reform according to the laws of Wei. For the children of these families who have made contributions to the court, we can give them appropriate reductions in punishment.
I also know that many ministers in the court are afraid of being implicated because of their children, but the laws of the State of Wei are strict and it is impossible not to punish them. However, the offenses they have committed are not crimes of treason. Therefore, the princes of the Royal Affairs Office and the Ministry of Personnel will impose appropriate punishments based on the specific provisions of the laws of the State of Wei and the specific circumstances of the individuals involved, and will not implicate innocent people.
After hearing Chu Fan's words, all the ministers felt a little relieved. As long as everything was done according to the law, they would not be affected too much.
Qin Hui also breathed a sigh of relief. Although she was to blame as the mastermind, at least her family was able to survive, which was a good result.
After dealing with this matter, Chu Fan dismissed the court. After all, other matters could be handled by the Royal Government Affairs Office, and there was no need for Chu Fan to come forward in person to handle them.
When Chu Fan stayed in Kaifeng City for a few days and was about to go to the front line of Gan State, Chu Anping came to Chu Fan and reported the details of the attack on Gan State:
Several cities around the city of Kov were attacked one after another by the Wei army and the situation was quickly stabilized. The Wei army advanced towards the hinterland of Gan State. At the beginning, although the Gan State army fought hard, the Wei army had air combat units such as hot air balloons and weapons made of fine iron. The Gan State army was no match for the Wei army and was easily defeated by the Wei army.
The defenders of many cities in Gan State saw that the Wei army was unstoppable and did not massacre or plunder the occupied cities. They thought that even if they surrendered to the Wei army, not many people would die. Instead, these soldiers of their own could save their lives and even make some contributions to their cities.
The most important point is that after becoming prisoners of Wei, the soldiers under his command can actually have enough food to eat. This is a huge irony.
And the only thing he could receive such a gracious treatment was the death of a single general. What was so hard to accept? After all, in these troubled times, the soldiers just wanted to survive. Since the decline of the country, the soldiers' food and wages had long been unsustainable. Many soldiers may have died without having had a full meal.
Therefore, when the Wei army arrived at the foot of their city walls, the defenders of many cities took the initiative to tie up the city lords and officials in the city and surrender to the Wei army in exchange for the safety and food and clothing of the soldiers and the people in the city.
No matter which country they are in, generals who live and die with their soldiers often hope that their soldiers can survive rather than sacrifice themselves in vain in a battle that is doomed to fail.
The Wei State did not make things difficult for these generals who surrendered voluntarily, nor did it give them too many rewards.
However, if these generals did not commit serious crimes in their own cities, the Wei State would not execute them, but would let them undergo labor reform like ordinary soldiers. If they performed well in the future, their sentences could be reduced or they could even be released.
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