The news that the Jing'an Marquis's mansion had been confiscated by the Imperial Guards spread throughout the entire capital city that very night. Song Yaozhu picked up a vermilion pen and crossed out a name on a piece of paper.
Xie Liwei wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, their bodies pressed together, whispering sweet nothings. In such hot weather, even ice felt sticky.
Song Yaozhu's long hair was tied up at the back of her head with a hairpin. Since she was in her own room, she was dressed very lightly, with only a ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) under the light gauze, which made it easier for Xie Liwei to cause trouble.
"Don't do anything rash, I'm settling accounts."
Her little notebook was filled with the names of her enemies.
Xie Liwei said innocently, "Why is my sister turning the tables on me? What did I do wrong? I just wanted to hug my sister. I've been wronged all day."
Song Yaozhu thought to herself, "In your Hanlin Academy, everyone is just a minor official of the seventh or eighth rank. You're a prince, who would dare to mistreat you? You get whatever you want."
"Who dares to wrong our Prince? Tell me, and I'll get revenge for you!"
Xie Liwei met her teasing gaze, smiled, and lifted her up by the waist.
"Hey! Put me down!" Because of the weightlessness, she was quite scared and subconsciously hugged Xie Liwei tightly. "Stop messing around, tomorrow's court meeting might turn into a complete mess."
"What does that have to do with us? I'm just a minor official of the seventh rank, spending my days dealing with books."
Seeing him like this, Song Yaozhu couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Alright, alright, but shouldn't we check on the Ministry of War's situation next?"
The missing crossbows seem to have become an unsolved case. They sent someone to cultivate a good relationship with Cui Maosheng, but Cui Maosheng was very tight-lipped and didn't reveal anything.
His son, Cui Yan, is currently a cripple.
"I plan to send Cao Zhi to the Ministry of War," Xie Liwei thought.
Chengcheng will inevitably massacre the capital, which will free up many positions in the various departments of the court. Compared to the clerical work that can be done anytime, the official duties of the various departments are what need to be dealt with urgently. At that time, we can use some connections to get Cao Zhi into the Ministry of War.
"Alright, but you must make proper arrangements to ensure no one's life is in danger." Cao Zhi had already pleased Shen's father, who agreed to marry his daughter to him. He had already divorced his father and returned to his hometown to invite the elders there to present the betrothal gifts. Once they arrived, the formalities of the marriage ceremony could begin.
Perhaps, by this time next year, the two will be husband and wife.
Thinking of another perfect couple, Song Yaozhu couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips into a smile.
"What are you laughing at?" Xie Liwei leaned close to her lips and kissed her a few times, then silenced her before she could say anything.
After another round of nonsense, the next day, as soon as the palace gates opened, all the sons of noble families who were officials in the court entered the palace holding their official hats, hoping to use them as leverage to force the emperor to punish Chengcheng.
Yuwen Wuji coughed a few times and was helped into the main hall by Li Wei. As soon as he entered, he saw many officials with either gray or black hair, and he sneered a few times.
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
The crowd knelt in respect and waited for Li Wei to chant before rising.
But Li Wei remained silent for a long time, which made the kneeling officials wonder.
"My esteemed ministers have something to say today, and I have already seen your attitudes." Yuwen Wuji coughed a few times, his majestic voice echoing in the hall. "However, I also have something to say."
Before he could finish speaking, Li Wei said, "Bring—the disgraced subject Yuchi Yan into the palace!"
Yuchi Yan was the name of the Marquis of Jing'an. He was dragged into the main hall by two imperial guards, his expression blank, and he still had the marks of being interrogated overnight.
Seeing Yuchi Yan so badly injured, the civil officials in the court couldn't help but feel a chill. Most of them had only heard the news of the Jing'an Marquis's mansion being confiscated, but none of them had witnessed it with their own eyes like Wang Xuan.
Seeing Yuchi Yan now, who was almost unrecognizable, they suddenly realized that "when an emperor is angry, millions of corpses will fall" was not just a legend.
“Yesterday, some people wanted to enter the palace to plead for the Jing’an Marquis’s family, but I did not see you because you do not know what the Jing’an Marquis’s family has done wrong.”
Yuwen Wuji’s deep voice rang out in the hall, and then King Xuan stepped forward.
He declared: "During his tenure as an official, Yuchi Yan seized tens of thousands of acres of fertile land, oppressed the people, and plundered others' property..."
The kneeling officials felt their knees hurt more and more as they listened—they had been kneeling for too long.
They simply couldn't understand how the Marquis of Jing'an's household could commit such a crime! After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Prince Xuan finally finished listing the crimes he had committed.
Just when everyone thought they could get up, they heard King Xuan speak again: "Yuchi Yan concealed the Yaoling Mine and illegally mined gold, violating Article 10 of the Great Chen Law. His crime deserves the execution of his entire family!"
Upon hearing the last crime, the official who had arranged the marriage with the Yuchi family immediately sat up straight in fright and looked at Yuchi Yan in horror.
"Your Majesty! I am innocent! I know nothing!"
Yuwen Wuji waved his hand, indicating that he didn't want to listen to them. But if they didn't speak soon, his entire family would be raided!
Wang Xuan felt as if he had been hit hard on the head with a club.
Possessing gold mines illegally is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family. How dare Yuchi Yan do it? He trembled, remembering that he had tried to plead for him yesterday.
It wasn't really about pleading for him, but for the sake of the entire aristocratic family. If Chengcheng set this precedent, then the aristocratic families would definitely have to keep a low profile from now on.
He had considered all sorts of crimes that Yuchi Yan might have committed, but he never imagined that the Yuchi family would commit such a capital offense!
That's a gold mine! It's related to the fate of a country! What does he want to do with this gold mine?!
Wang Xuan's mind was blank, and he couldn't quite process what was happening. He was relieved that he hadn't gone to the palace last night; otherwise, if he had spoken up for Yuchi Yan without any restraint, he might now be suspected of being a member of Yuchi's faction!
On the other hand, his heart sank to the bottom. He realized that the future of the aristocratic families would be bleak. From all of Yuwen Wuji's actions since he ascended the throne, he had foreseen that the monarch they had supported would not give them what they wanted. But at the same time, he was also a shrewd emperor. He had originally thought that he could avoid risks by observing and understanding this emperor, but now it seemed that he had overestimated himself.
In the imperial court, families related to the Yuchi family by marriage were quickly dragged away, and the once noisy court became deathly silent.
After a long silence, Yuwen Wuji spoke up: "My lords, is there anything else you wish to report?"
Everyone remained silent, each staring down at their own tablet, thinking that their matter wasn't a big deal and they could just write it down in their memorials later.
After a moment of silence, Li Wei announced the end of the court session.
After the court session, Yuwen Wuji felt a rare sense of relief.
"Hmph, did you see Wang Xuan's expression today? I haven't seen him with such a varied expression in a long time!"
Li Wei laughed and said, "Your Excellency is usually very reserved and doesn't show your emotions. This is the first time I've ever seen you with such a rich range of expressions!"
The master and servant chatted and laughed as they headed towards the Qiankun Palace. Yuwen Wuji ordered Liu Jiaci to settle the embezzled funds, as this was a great opportunity to enrich the national treasury!
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