"Your Majesty! How could I impeach the Minister without evidence? After all, the Minister has deep roots and wields considerable influence in the court!"
Qi Jingxuan didn't want to play games anymore and signaled to the Grand Tutor that that was enough. "Hey, Grand Tutor, stop slandering me. Bring up any evidence you have!"
"Yes, Your Majesty! Guards! Bring him up!"
More than a dozen guards from the Imperial Penal Division carried in seven or eight large boxes, which were full of bamboo slips!
"Grand Tutor, you wouldn't happen to have a collection of books that's worth consulting, would you?"
The Grand Tutor glanced at the Minister and snorted. At this moment, the Minister of Rites stepped forward to say a few words, but the Grand Tutor gestured for him to stay back with a look. His intuition told the Minister of Rites that it was best not to get involved in this matter.
"Your Majesty, please look! These are all evidence of the Minister's buying and selling of officials, building palaces, and plundering the people's wealth. I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!"
Qi Jingxuan cooperated and had it presented! He only glanced at it briefly before tossing it onto the court! "Your Excellency, is this all the service you've provided for me? All my ministers, take a good look!"
Upon hearing this, everyone began to pick up the bamboo slips from the box and start reading. Several of the Minister's henchmen were so frightened that their legs went weak and they sat down on the ground on the spot!
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty is innocent!" Some people had already begun to beg for mercy. The Minister knew that his power was gone. The Emperor's scheming was far beyond his own. He calmly prepared to die. After all, his wife and daughters had long been moved to a safe place. He felt that his death was nothing to regret!
"So what if it is? Your Majesty, do as you please. Now that you know, I have nothing more to say! I just didn't expect you to have made such rapid progress in just two years. Back then, I was the one who taught you how to manage the court, how to amend the laws, and so on."
"You!" Qi Jingxuan slammed his hand on the table and stood up. He hadn't expected that the Minister would be so fearless and speak so frankly. Indeed, it was no use begging for mercy now. With so much evidence right here, the Emperor must have had someone investigate him for a long time!
"Since the Minister has no objection, then take him out and execute him. All officials involved shall be executed, and dealt with according to the severity of the offense, from nine generations to three generations of their families. He shall be severely punished by me!"
"Hahahaha!!! Hahahaha!!!" Upon hearing this, the Minister laughed loudly, "I have lived a life of great achievements, and now that I am old, my death is worthwhile!"
"Confiscate their property! Confiscate the Cai family's property and fill the national treasury! Also, exterminate the entire Cai family, including the Empress in the harem!"
The Minister of Justice led a group of people to the Cai residence, only to find it empty. It turned out that the Minister had his own way of scattering his family members. No wonder he was not afraid of death.
Having found nothing, they couldn't report back to the palace, so the hundred or so men from the Censorate rode fast horses toward Xuzhou.
They caught up with them in just two days, and with that, the Cai family, who had enjoyed three generations of prominence in the imperial court, came to an end!
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