Chapter 62 Winter Moon Gu, he clearly had a fondness for this.
A large group of red carp crowded around the edge of the pond, mouths agape, scrambling for food.
It was cold, and icicles hung from the tree branches. The people who tended the pond put a lot of effort into carp, even breaking off the thin ice that formed at night every day.
This was originally a lotus pond, but in autumn the lotus branches wither and fall, and after the dead branches are pruned, the pond becomes bare. So every winter, colorful trees and exotic flowers carved from jade are placed here to prevent the pond from becoming too monotonous.
Fu Sui poured all the fish food from the small wooden box into the pond, then took the handkerchief to wipe his hands: "Give it to the Ministry of Justice again? As expected of the number one family, even after things have gotten this bad, the emperor is still trying to save face for them."
No wonder Xue Guangting hid the Tian family so well; he never intended for them to testify. If the embezzlement of funds and the misappropriation of tribute were proven, it would be enough to cripple the Earl of Yuyang. Whether there was evidence of their land grabbing and collusion with the county government, or whether it was investigated thoroughly, was completely irrelevant.
After wiping his hands, Fu Sui handed the handkerchief to Kouyun and asked, "Have you set off from Hedong yet?"
Cheng Liwu had just received the message when the princess asked him, and he cautiously replied, "I'm already on my way back. If all goes well, I should be back in about three days."
"Is everything settled?"
"I have received your letter. Everything is in order. Please rest assured, Princess."
"That's good." Fu Sui chuckled.
Since the silver was unmarked, even if the money used to repair the dike really ended up in Wang Bochang's pocket, whether it was melted down or exchanged, it wouldn't be easy to find out.
As for the intercepted tribute, since it never reached the emperor, how can it be considered tribute? Even if there were receipts, a few cheap items could easily be used as substitutes. The local officials who allowed the tribute to be intercepted to the end were probably too afraid to come forward and identify it now.
The issues concerning the canal transport are not enough to shake the Wang family. Since that's the case, she'll add fuel to the fire and give the Wang family a good push.
The Ministry of Justice was holding back three cases involving the Earl of Yuyang, plus the case concerning the Grand Canal, making it the fourth. The first three cases lacked witnesses and physical evidence, so the Ministry of Justice refused to proceed. However, it could not continue to hold back the fourth case.
People have already been sent to inspect the river embankment in Liangzhou. Repairing a embankment is not a task that can be accomplished in a day. Unless the governor of Liangzhou has extraordinary abilities and can rebuild a new embankment in a few days, this matter cannot be kept secret.
However, it would take many days for the surveyors to come and go, which would be enough time to make some preparations.
Within two days, the Earl of Yuyang requested to attend court, and the emperor granted his request.
All the civil and military officials moved aside to make way for Xue Guangting and the Earl of Yuyang to stand in the middle.
The Earl of Yuyang had no official robes to wear, and he couldn't dress too casually for court audiences, so he had to take out his rank-marked official robes. The two men were quite different; one was tall and thin, the other short and stout; one was slender and green, the other dark red and black.
Some military officers lowered their heads and chuckled. These officials and nobles were fighting, and the courtiers, who didn't need to worry about being implicated, were happy to watch the spectacle.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty! I am innocent!" The Earl of Yuyang knelt down as soon as he saw the emperor, shouting loudly, but lacking in grief.
Even if you say he's wronged, he can't explain why, but he has other ways to deal with it.
"It has been ten days since Xue Guangting impeached my servants for forcing farmers to their deaths and abducting women. The Ministry of Justice has gone to Meiyuan County three or four times and searched the entire county, but has not found the Tian Gui family that Xue Guangting mentioned. As for the old woman of the Lü family, she has not been found either. Censor Xue keeps saying that my servants are guilty, but I don't know how my servants would bully people who don't exist!"
Before he finished speaking, some of the court officials began to act.
Zheng Gongchuo glanced at the Earl of Yuyang, who was arguing passionately, and frowned slightly. Xue Guangting had clearly impeached the Earl of Yuyang and Feng Xianyi, yet the Earl of Yuyang was shifting all the blame onto his servant. Those unaware of the situation might have thought the censors of the Censorate were so idle that they would even bring the mistakes of a nobleman's servant to court.
Xue Guangting remained completely unmoved. After returning to the capital for more than ten days, he not only failed to shake off the fatigue of his journey, but also had dark circles under his eyes and a pale complexion, except for his eyes, which shone with an astonishing brightness.
"Lord Yuyang, you are mistaken," Xue Guangting said firmly. "Although we haven't found Tian Gui's family in Meiyuan County, their household registration is clearly recorded in the county's records. The neighbors on either side of the Lü family's residence can also confirm that Lü's mother once lived here. How can you, Lord Yuyang, say that these two families are fabricated out of thin air?"
The Earl of Yuyang glared fiercely at Xue Guangting. Of course he knew that the Tian family had a household registration. If it weren't for that useless man from Meiyuan County who had scared him off by some unknown person and prevented him from secretly destroying the Tian family's household registration, the Tian family would have truly "disappeared" long ago.
"Moreover, although there are no witnesses, there is physical evidence." Xue Guangting continued, seemingly oblivious to the murderous glare from the Earl of Yuyang, "By comparing the area and location of the land occupied by the Earl of Yuyang's estate in Meiyuan County with the old land registers of Meiyuan County, we can determine whether this land was originally the ancestral property of the Feng family or farmland belonging to farmers. Further investigation into where the produce from this land is now being sent will reveal whether this land is related to the Earl of Yuyang."
The Marquis of Yuyang wished he could strangle Xue Guangting immediately. He had pulled strings and begged everyone he could to get the Ministry of Justice to temporarily suspend the case due to a lack of evidence, but he never expected Xue Guangting to uncover such clues in just a few words. Didn't the Ministry of Justice say that there was no evidence if the person couldn't be found? How come there were so many suspicious things like the records and property?
No matter how surprised or suspicious he was, he couldn't show it on his face. Thinking of what was in his arms, the Earl of Yuyang regained his confidence.
The emperor sits on the throne—his son-in-law. His daughter is the most favored concubine and is about to become empress; his grandson will inherit the throne. Given his relationship with the emperor, how could he possibly fall for a penniless, unsavory scholar with no family background?
“I do own some land in Meiyuan County, but that was all acquired through legitimate transactions. Those registered properties have nothing to do with me, so I have no idea what nonsense you're spouting!”
At this point, the Earl of Yuyang turned to the side, raised his head, and glared at Xue Guangting. He raised his voice and shouted, "As for Censor Xue, the Censorate is known for its investigation of officials and its efforts to clean up corruption. I've heard that Censor Xue also has a reputation for being 'upright and honest.' But Censor Xue claims to be upright and honest, so why doesn't he dare to let people see what kind of shady business he's been doing behind the scenes!"
Upon hearing this, the officials who had been standing with their heads bowed all looked up. Even the emperor, who had been sitting at the head of the table without saying a word, raised an eyebrow slightly and leaned forward with some curiosity.
The Earl of Yuyang took out two books from his bosom and held them high, and a short burst of laughter immediately came from the side.
The court was solemn and dignified, and the official only managed to utter a single laugh before quickly stopping himself. Even so, it still caused many people to purse their lips tightly, lest they be unable to control themselves from turning up in a smile.
If officials had anything to present to the emperor, they would hand it over to the eunuchs who served them with writing materials beforehand. Even if they carried it with them, they would present it with both hands and wait for the eunuchs to present it to the emperor. How could anyone be like the Earl of Yuyang, stuffing his bulging bag into his bosom and holding it high to show off to all the civil and military officials?
The Earl of Yuyang had never held an official position or attended court, so he naturally didn't understand these things. He was only immersed in the excitement of about to embarrass Xue Guangting.
He unfolded the book in his hands; the off-white cover was tinged with an ambiguous crimson hue. As the pages turned, an illustration of a man and woman entwined was revealed. Given this illustration, the content of the book was self-evident.
"Your Majesty, gentlemen, please take a look." The Earl of Yuyang held a book in one hand, raising it high to display the open book on both sides. The officials standing on either side of him turned their heads away to avoid it, muttering to themselves how the Earl of Yuyang could bring such an obscene thing to the court.
"I found this by chance in a bookstore. It is full of obscene and vulgar language. Anyone who recognizes Imperial Censor Xue's handwriting can identify whether this was written by Imperial Censor Xue."
As he spoke, the Earl of Yuyang shoved the open book in front of Xue Guangting's eyes: "Imperial Censor Xue, take a good look and see if the words on this are exactly the same as your handwriting!"
Not content with that, the Earl of Yuyang carried the book to each of his ministers, insisting that each of them read it carefully.
This could no longer be suppressed, and low laughter spread through the crowd.
Xue Guangting's face turned deathly pale the moment he saw the words on the book. Although the Earl of Yuyang had only shown him for a brief moment, how could he not recognize his own handwriting? He could even clearly see the hook strokes that Xue Guangting habitually made when he stopped writing.
The Earl of Yuyang's mocking voice rang out behind him: "While Imperial Censor Xue is reading the classics to gain fame and fortune, he's also copying these utterly vulgar stories of love and lust. Could it be that Imperial Censor Xue also wants to emulate the hypocrites in these books, wanting to be a prostitute while pretending to be virtuous? I think the reputation of the Censorate is going to be ruined by Imperial Censor Xue!"
When his past of poverty was revealed in the imperial court, Xue Guangting's ears turned bright red. He clenched his fists unconsciously, his whole body radiating an overwhelming sense of shame and embarrassment.
Although he had once made a living by copying romantic passages, he clearly remembered that he had never copied illustrated books, nor had he copied such explicit and vulgar phrases. However, the handwriting on the book made Xue Guangting dare not refute it; too much time had passed, and perhaps he simply couldn't remember.
He knelt down, lifting his robes, and readily admitted, "Your Majesty, my family is poor and unable to support my studies. In order to supplement my family income and pay my tuition, I have indeed copied books for the bookstore, and I have indeed copied many erotic novels."
His voice trembled slightly, but was firm: "I copied books only to earn money, and I am by no means addicted to this. Moreover, my reputation has nothing to do with the Censorate, let alone the case involving the Earl of Yuyang. I beg Your Majesty to investigate the case of the Earl of Yuyang and give the people justice."
Xue Guangting bowed and kowtowed, remaining kneeling on the ground for a long time.
The Earl of Yuyang was surprised that Xue Guangting would admit it on the spot. Holding the two books, he stood there dumbfounded, not knowing what to do.
Standing at the forefront of the officials, Prime Minister Qiao, who had remained silent for most of the morning court session as if in deep meditation, finally made a move. He slowly turned to the figure in blue lying on the ground, stared at him for a long time, and then lowered his eyelids to conceal the expression in his eyes.
Yu Yangbo rushed forward and knelt down beside Xue Guangting, looking up at the high-ranking man and shouting, "Your Majesty, do not believe his sophistry! What about his poverty and need to supplement his family's income? He clearly enjoys this kind of thing, which is why he specifically chose to copy these kinds of books. Otherwise, with so many bookstores on the market, why would he choose to copy the most filthy ones!"
Xue Guangting desperately wanted to deny that he had copied the kind of book that the Earl of Yuyang had described, but the handwriting on the book left him with no way to deny it. He even began to doubt himself, wondering if he had actually copied such a book but had deliberately forgotten it out of shame.
Sunlight streamed in through the palace gates, illuminating the polished bricks that the palace servants cleaned daily, creating a sharp line between light and shadow within the palace.
Xue Guangting knelt in the shadows where the sun never shone, while the sage sat in the deeper darkness.
"Bang!"
There was finally a response from that quiet yet terrifying darkness.
An inkstone slammed to the ground, its fragments scraping across the back of Xue Guangting's hand and leaving a trail of blood.
The remaining ink in the inkstone splashed out, equally splattering onto Xue Guangting and the Earl of Yuyang.
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