Prime Minister Xu had no idea what kind of storm he was about to face, and he was surrounded by people on his way to court.
"It's a pity that Prince Xun, Si Hengnian, took half a month off because of his wedding. Otherwise, it would have been quite a spectacle to see him helplessly watching the rescue."
"No rush. Because of Xu Huixin's presence, he will definitely intervene afterwards, but these incriminating facts cannot be saved by his intervention alone. Just wait and see. Either he and Xu Huixin will become estranged, or he will take a risk and be caught red-handed."
Today is the first day of court for Prime Minister Xu after he was ordered to reflect on his mistakes. It is also the first time that the First Prince and the Second Prince have been allowed by His Majesty to participate in court affairs. Looking at the two princes with outstanding temperament and composure, the officials seemed to realize for the first time that the two princes were not simple. How could they have made the decision that the two princes were mediocre? Their demeanor alone is extraordinary.
Many ministers are already considering which prince to support, all wanting to gamble on the merit of supporting the emperor.
The happiest person has to be His Majesty. With such an outstanding son, what else can these court officials say?
"Hui'er, Zhao'er, from today onwards, you should learn more from the ministers, especially Prime Minister Xu, who is the head of the civil officials. Learn how he handles official business on a daily basis."
"Yes, Father."
"Your Majesty, I believe that the Prime Minister is unfit to be a teacher." Just as Prime Minister Xu was feeling smug, the Imperial Censor stepped forward without hesitation to slap him in the face.
The emperor frowned slightly: "Why do you say that, my dear minister?"
Prime Minister Xu's face was also gloomy. He had just attended court, and this Imperial Censor was already showing him such disrespect. Was he going to bring up Hui Xin again? However, he had already prepared his words, and he was afraid that this man would be disappointed.
Unexpectedly, the Imperial Censor knelt down and presented evidence, saying, "Your Majesty, I wish to impeach the Prime Minister for failing to manage his household properly and accepting bribes. This is evidence I collected unintentionally. It shows that in recent years, there have been exchanges of fame and fortune between the Prime Minister's office and many officials. The Salt Transport Commissioner alone contributes tens of thousands of taels of gold to the Prime Minister's office every year, not to mention the tributes from other local officials. This is the account book. Please investigate thoroughly, Your Majesty."
Prime Minister Xu's pupils contracted. He had never expected these to be the crimes. He immediately knelt down and cried, "Your Majesty, please understand. Your humble servant has never done such a thing."
"The Prime Minister must have done too much to remember!" The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review sneered, then reported another matter: "A few days ago, an orphan girl bumped into my door, begging me to seek justice for her family. I wondered why this woman didn't go to the Prefect of the Imperial Workshop but came to me instead. Later I learned that the woman's grievance was fabricated by the Prime Minister's Office in collusion with the Prefect of the Imperial Workshop."
Upon hearing this, the Prefect of the Imperial Workshop in Beijing's expression changed drastically. Suddenly, he remembered something and began to tremble.
The emperor's face was ashen: "What is it you mean?"
"It turns out that this orphan girl had once received kindness from a brother and sister. The sister was a singing girl in a teahouse. She was taken in by the nephew of the Prime Minister's wife's family. When he tried to force her, she was humiliated to death. Later, the brother reported the case and died unexpectedly a few days later. From beginning to end, the Prime Minister's wife's nephew was never even interrogated. After the orphan girl recounted her grievances, I secretly investigated and found that a minor official of the Prefectural Administration of the Capital was willing to testify. It turned out that the Prime Minister's Mansion and the Prefectural Administration of the Capital had colluded to cover up this injustice, allowing the real culprit to remain at large to this day."
"How dare you!" The emperor roared in fury, pointing directly at Prime Minister Xu. "What do you have to say?"
Prime Minister Xu cried out, "Your Majesty, I am innocent! I knew nothing about these two matters! Perhaps someone is framing me."
The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review coldly said, "Does Prime Minister Xu mean that he has never seen or used the treasures presented by those officials from Jiangnan? Or does he have no understanding of his wife's character and behavior at all? We did not believe you at first that we had wronged you, Prime Minister, until we found conclusive evidence before we dared to report to His Majesty!"
"Your Majesty, I believe that the Prime Minister is so engrossed in state affairs that he may know very little about family matters. Women in the inner quarters have always been ignorant, so perhaps the Prime Minister's wife did all this without his knowledge? The Prime Minister has devoted himself to state affairs and should not be punished so easily."
This was to defend the court officials who were on good terms with Prime Minister Xu.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Besides, this is only what the two officials said. I believe the truth still needs to be verified. Perhaps someone is deliberately framing us?"
This is the second part of the reign of Prince Xun, Si Hengnian. Now that Prince Xun has married the daughter of Prime Minister Xu, they naturally speak in favor of Prime Minister Xu.
As the two men stepped forward, many more people stood up to speak for Prime Minister Xu. The more they talked about Prime Minister Xu's contributions to the court and the country, the more enthusiastic they became. They almost made the accusations of the Imperial Censor and the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review seem like false accusations. As a result, the emperor's face grew increasingly gloomy. Was this really his country, or the country of the Prince and Prime Minister Xu?
Prime Minister Xu's heart skipped a beat, thinking something was wrong, but before he could confess, a eunuch rushed into the hall.
"Your Majesty, the military commander of Lingzhou says he has important matters to report and requests an audience with Your Majesty. He has already arrived outside the palace gates."
"The military commander of Lingzhou? He's just a local military officer. He's not allowed to come to the capital unless there's a reason. How could he leave so easily without my decree?"
The eldest prince stepped forward: "Father, if it weren't for an urgent matter, the military commander of Lingzhou would certainly not dare to openly disobey the imperial decree. Why not let him have an audience first and see what he has to say?"
The emperor nodded: "Summon the military commander of Lingzhou. If it weren't for an urgent matter, I would definitely punish his entire family."
At this moment, cold sweat had already broken out on Prime Minister Xu's forehead. He hadn't been afraid when the Censor-in-Chief and the Minister of Justice impeached him, but now he was panicking because Lingzhou was his hometown and the place where the Xu clan lived.
Soon, the Lingzhou military commander was led into the main hall by the eunuch. The civil and military officials were all surprised and curious to see that he was in a disheveled state and covered in bloodstains. What had happened to make a military commander look so miserable?
"Your Majesty!" The military commander of Lingzhou kowtowed and cried, "Your humble servant has finally met you!"
"Why is my dear minister like this? What exactly happened in Lingzhou?"
"Your Majesty, I must report that Prime Minister Xu and his clan have committed treason!"
Upon hearing this, all the court officials were shocked. It was an accusation that the Prime Minister was guilty of treason. Such words could not be spoken lightly. If he had come all the way to the capital, it was likely that he had solid evidence and had been pursued all the way.
"Nonsense!" Before the Prime Minister could defend himself, the Emperor retorted first, "The Prime Minister is loyal to the people, as all the civil and military officials have testified. How can you slander him so easily?"
Thus, the officials who had just spoken up for the Prime Minister panicked, for if this military commander had no evidence, how dare he come to the capital like this? Of all the things the Prime Minister could do, why did he have to rebel? Even if he hadn't intended to rebel, he and his clansmen must have committed crimes related to rebellion!
Oh no, His Majesty's words must mean he's bothered by their standing up for the Prime Minister!
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