Chapter 608 Xiong Qi exposes Wu Yan's crimes!
Zhou Xinrou already regretted lending the bodyguard to Shen Lanxi last time.
She revealed her hand so quickly; her daughter is about to start looting what she has.
"I have no one left to rely on."
"The guards who returned from the southwest last time are no longer of any use. When they came back, they were missing arms, broken legs, or seriously injured. They're not even qualified to be bodyguards anymore, let alone go to the battlefield!"
Shen Lanxi was somewhat disappointed.
"Is that so? Then how about I send men from the Imperial Guard to protect Mother?"
Then there's no need for that.
Zhou Xinrou immediately refused.
"No need, those people can stay and protect you. You are the hope for both of us, mother and daughter, you can't be hurt!"
Shen Lanxi looked worried: "If Yuan Tang can contact Zhou Ruyuan's people, it means that there are still Zhou Ruyuan's people in the capital."
"I'm worried that if I push him too far, he might kidnap my mother and use her to blackmail me!"
Zhou Xinrou's first thought was of Shen Lanxi sending Consort Shu to be buried alive with her, as she had a blood feud with Zhou Ruyuan for killing her mother.
Thinking of this, Zhou Xinrou felt much more at ease.
"No, the capital is very safe. The imperial guards patrol the area around our home regularly. Even if something happens elsewhere, nothing will happen to the Shen family here."
Shen Lanxi nodded.
"Alright, since Mother says so, then I will believe Mother. After we return to the palace, I will deploy more Imperial Guards to patrol around the Shen family's residence."
Zhou Xinrou just wants to get Shen Lanxi away as soon as possible.
One after another, they all asked her for manpower, but she didn't have that many people.
Even if they existed, those people couldn't be used.
"You should go back and attend to state affairs. From now on, your mother will not allow anyone in the manor to disturb you."
Shen Lanxi: "Is Mother really alright?"
"It's alright, my son, don't worry!"
Shen Lanxi: "Alright then, I still need to go to the palace to discuss the matter of grain supplies with my ministers, so I'll return to the palace now."
Zhou Xinrou escorted her to the door and watched her leave.
After getting into the carriage, Shen Lanxi's expression instantly turned cold.
There are people who are given to others, but not to her daughter. The mother still refuses to admit that she is biased.
"Big sister..."
"Waaah..."
"Your Majesty, it's Shen Yuantang's voice. She has already been taken inside by the Shen family."
Shen Lanxi gave a soft "hmm".
Another great victory came from the Northwest, followed by an urgent report from Tianjin.
"Your Majesty, Zhou Ruyuan launched a surprise attack on our Dongchuan granary under cover of night. Fortunately, we were prepared and annihilated the enemy forces before they entered our territory!"
"I thought it was an urgent report, but it turned out to be another piece of good news!" Shen Lanxi was overjoyed.
"By imperial decree, this year's agricultural tax will be reduced by another 10%!"
The officials were dumbfounded; any further reduction would mean there would be none left.
Liu Yanhui laughed and joked, "Fortunately, the treasury of my Great Zhou no longer needs agricultural taxes to support it."
"The taxes paid by merchants are sufficient to cover the costs, and there is often a surplus."
"It is all thanks to His Majesty's great fortune that our Great Zhou has been able to enjoy favorable weather and peace!"
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
Within a few days, news came from the northwest that tribes such as the Oirat were willing to submit to the Great Zhou.
"Has Prime Minister Wu not arrived in the Northwest yet?"
"Your Majesty, judging by the time, the Prime Minister should only be halfway there."
"Your Majesty's fame has spread throughout the world. Even before the Prime Minister arrived, many foreign tribes came to submit. Your Majesty can truly be called a great emperor of all time."
Shen Lanxi's expression changed: "In other words, the Prime Minister's past efforts to persuade foreign tribes to submit were not very meaningful."
Liu Yan smiled knowingly.
The next morning at court, Xiong Qi loudly listed Wu Yanzhi's numerous crimes in the Golden Palace.
"During the reign of the late emperor, Wu Yanzhi committed numerous crimes, too many to count!"
“During the imperial examination in the year of Renxiao, he served as the deputy examiner, accepted bribes of tens of thousands of taels of silver from candidates, and condoned three people taking the exam for him.”
"After successfully taking the exam for someone else, he accepted 10,000 taels of silver and secured official positions for the three candidates."
"In the second year of Renxiao, a candidate exposed this matter. In order to destroy the evidence, he ordered the entire candidate's family to be wiped out."
"In the same year, he framed his colleagues, leading to the wrongful death of former Grand Tutor Lü Wenzong in prison. His family members were either exiled to the brothels, and to this day, they are all dead."
"The following year, he was transferred to Jingzhou. During his time in Jingzhou, he allowed local bullies to wreak havoc in the countryside, accepted countless beauties, gold and silver treasures, and even used the magistrate of Jingzhou as his own. After achieving his goal, he went so far as to order the murder of the magistrate of Jingzhou."
"In summary, this is enough to warrant the confiscation of Wu Yanzhi's property and the extermination of his clan. There are many more crimes to be committed, and if I were to speak of them now, it would take at least an hour to finish."
Shen Lanxi said sternly, "Then you can tell me slowly after the court session!"
"The Dali Temple will take the case file from Xiong Qi."
"The Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Personnel will jointly investigate the authenticity of the case files."
"The Prime Minister is a veteran of two reigns, a cornerstone of our Great Zhou, and a trusted minister of mine. This matter must be thoroughly investigated and there must be no mistakes!"
The Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Personnel: "Your Majesty, we obey!"
Many officials began to panic, especially those in Wu Yanzhi's faction.
The Prime Minister only went to the Northwest, how could he be reported for this?
Isn't Xiong Qi part of the Prime Minister's faction?
Why would they suddenly turn against me?
Those who react quickly widened their eyes upon learning the truth.
No wonder His Majesty promoted an unknown fourth-rank official to take charge of the prime minister's affairs; it turns out he had a plan all along.
Could it be that Your Majesty has long been dissatisfied with the Prime Minister?
How come I didn't notice it before?
The Prime Minister's daughter was related to the Shen family by marriage, and she even had the favor of supporting His Majesty's ascension to the throne. How could she be so easily killed?
His Majesty is a bit scary!
They are in grave danger!
After the court session, Xiong Qi was left behind alone, along with the Grand Tutor and Liu Mingxin.
The two were forced to listen to Wu Yanzhi's criminal history for an hour, and when they left, their minds were filled with thoughts of all the crimes Wu Yanzhi had committed.
"Grand Tutor, what does His Majesty mean by this?"
Mei Nanhua, hands tucked in his sleeves, said calmly, "His Majesty is a man who cannot tolerate any injustice. Wu Yanzhi, that treacherous minister, should have been dealt with long ago."
Liu Mingxin's brows were furrowed deeply.
"But the Wu family and the Shen family are related by marriage!"
Will His Majesty really be ruthless towards Wu Yan? Aren't you afraid of being accused of discarding someone after they've served their purpose?
The Grand Tutor sneered, "So what if they're related by marriage? The Shen family is His Majesty's own family, yet they're still killed for committing crimes, aren't they?"
This reminded Liu Mingxin of something. There had been rumors that Her Majesty would sacrifice her relatives to the flag every time she went to war, and that she had buried her biological father alive when she was in exile.
This is probably not just a rumor!
Wu Yanzhi was far away in the Northwest and unaware of the situation in the capital, while his family was in the capital.
After the morning court session, Wu Yanzhi's faction sent a message to the Wu family. They dared not get involved in the Wu family's affairs now, lest they anger the Emperor and be punished as a family member.
The broadswords at the entrance of the Golden Palace are not just for show; they've seen blood recently.
The Turkic envoy was about to be exterminated for making a few baseless remarks.
How could a few civil officials possibly withstand His Majesty's butcher's knife?
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