When Yinreng came out of the east hall, he saw Yinzhi kneeling upright on the open ground and sighed in his heart.
He walked up to Yinzhi and squatted down to look at Yinzhi's expression.
In addition to the dejected look on Yinzhi's face, he also had a flushed face caused by the pain in his knees.
Although Yinzhi's eyes were only focused on the corner of Yinreng's robe, he could still tell who was coming.
"You're very proud, aren't you?"
As soon as Yinreng squatted down, he heard Yinzhi's voice, which was cold but mixed with a hint of hatred.
Yinreng rolled his eyes and said, "It's not me who asked people to catch the pearl, why are you taking your anger out on me?"
He said angrily,
"So you think it was Mingzhu who had me impeached?"
Upon hearing this, Yinzhi pursed his lips and said nothing.
When he returned to the prince's residence, he saw the people sent by his mother. He only knew that the emperor had arrested his great uncle and put him in prison, but he had no idea of the cause and effect.
Yinreng was not surprised to see that he did not answer, so he continued to ask,
"Then do you know what crime Mingzhu committed?"
Yinreng still pursed his lips and said nothing stubbornly.
Seeing this, Yinreng still had something to understand. He knew that in such a short time, the brainless boss would definitely not understand the whole story. He stood up and said,
"If you want to know what crime Mingzhu has committed and how the Emperor will probably punish him, then come with me."
After saying this, he didn't wait for Yinzhi to react and just walked away.
Upon hearing this, Yinzhi staggered to his feet. Song Yunhe was kneeling more than a meter behind Yinzhi. Seeing this, he quickly got up and supported Yinzhi.
Yinreng didn't turn back when he heard the noise, and continued to walk slowly towards the Qianqing Gate.
Yinzhi soon caught up with Yinreng. He came to the Ganqing Palace in a hurry to plead for mercy, and did not protect his legs at all. Moreover, the temperature was a little higher at the end of March, and he was in his prime, so the pants he wore were very thin. It would be strange if he didn't feel pain kneeling on the bluestone slabs.
However, it took only about an incense stick of time from the time he knelt down to the time Yinreng came out. His knees were just a little sore, so he probably didn't suffer a serious injury. If he had knelt for two hours, he might not have been able to get out of bed for the next few days.
On the way back to Yuqing Palace, Yinzhi looked at Yinreng several times, wanting to say something but stopping himself, but Yinreng just pretended not to see it.
When they arrived at Yuqing Palace, Yinreng brought his men directly to the study and locked all the servants outside the door.
Yinreng pointed to the chair in front of the bookshelf.
"sit."
Yinzhi sat down obediently.
"Mingzhu has committed many crimes. I will tell you the most important ones."
Yinreng sat opposite Yinzhi and spoke straight to the point.
"The first one is selling official positions and titles."
"What he's selling isn't those fifth or sixth rank positions in the capital, nor is it positions like county lord outside the capital. Instead, he's selling positions as assistant ministers in the cabinet."
Yinzhi frowned, lowered his head and said nothing.
"You have also been on an expedition with the army once, so I don't believe you are ignorant of state affairs.
The decrees issued by the cabinet are extremely important. Mingzhu sold all the academic positions. Is he trying to turn the cabinet into a one-man show for himself?"
Yinreng's tone became stern.
"If the Emperor doesn't discover it after so long, then should the country be called Aixinjueluo or Nalan?"
Hearing this, Yinzhi finally stopped being indifferent. He frowned and stood up for Mingzhu.
"Granduncle wouldn't do that. He wouldn't do something as outrageous as rebellion!"
Yinreng sneered,
“In history, no powerful official has ever considered interfering in state affairs and holding the emperor hostage to be a rebellion.
Besides, a person's appetite is never grown in a day. How do you know he won't do something even more destructive to the government in the future?"
Yinzhi didn't say anything, but Yinreng could see that he was dissatisfied.
Yinreng held his breath and continued,
"The second is accepting bribes."
"In the past seven or eight years, Mingzhu has not only exploited his subordinates, but has also solicited bribes from local officials outside the capital. The cash he received alone is no less than one million taels of silver, and there are countless other gold, silver, jewelry, antiques, and jade. Have you ever thought about who will ultimately bear the burden of these things?
Aren't you just a commoner in the Qing Dynasty? Do you know how much money an ordinary family of five spends in a year?
Yinzhi clenched his fists, and his expression was not only unconvinced but also a little hesitant.
Yinreng snorted coldly, leaving no room for maneuver.
"You don't know, right? I'll tell you, it's fifteen taels. Fifteen taels can keep this family comfortable for a whole year. Mingzhu embezzled millions of taels. According to the laws of the Qing Dynasty, how many times can he be beheaded for that?"
Yinreng finished speaking in an emotional manner, feeling even more sorry for the people who supported these parasites.
Such an Eight Banners nobleman who was so corrupt was only dismissed from his official position and his property was confiscated in the end, with no other punishment.
It can even be revived after a few years.
Yinreng really felt that the blood of these rulers was dirty and did not deserve any sympathy.
The room was silent for a few breaths, and Yinzhi began to argue.
"But my great uncle has worked diligently over the years and made great contributions to the Qing Dynasty. Even if he did something wrong, he can be dealt with appropriately, right?"
“Ha…hahahahaha…”
The sadness in Yinreng's heart was difficult to calm down.
He laughed for a moment, then suddenly looked up at Yinzhi.
"So you think the merits and demerits can be offset, right?"
Yinzhi sat up straight unconsciously under his gaze, but still gave a definite answer.
"……yes."
Yinreng laughed twice again.
This is the sadness of this era.
Merits and demerits offset each other?
Merits and demerits offset each other!
If these two can offset each other, then can Mingzhu also pay with his life for the innocent people whose families were broken up and whose lives were lost indirectly due to Mingzhu's corruption?
These people in power never care about how the things they enjoy come from. They just enjoy them without any gratitude. They think that it is the bad luck of the common people that they were born as common people.
We are born to be oppressed and exploited by the rulers. If our death can make them happy for a while, it can be considered a worthy death.
Yinreng stood up tiredly and said one last word to Yinzhi:
"If you feel that the merits and demerits can be offset, then yes, things will go as you wish."
After saying that, Yinreng walked to the door, pushed it open and walked out.
Leaving Yinzhi in deep thought.
He did understand Yinreng's last words. Things would go as he wished, which meant that his great uncle would be safe in the end.
He should have been happy.
But for some reason, when he recalled Yinreng's questioning, he suddenly felt uncomfortable.
Yinzhi racked his brains for a long time, but he couldn't figure out where his bad feeling came from.
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