It seems that Li Tianyou is a shrewd man. He knew that the Emperor would definitely investigate the Six Ministries, so he passed this hot potato to him.
However, compared to living, he had no choice but to accept this hot potato.
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your great favor! However, I hope Lord Li can assist me in examining the accounts of the Six Ministries." After expressing his gratitude, Tang Xiuyong looked at Li Tianyou and said.
"Since Minister Li is a member of the Ministry of Revenue, he will naturally assist in the investigation. Minister Li has no objection to this, does he?" Zhu Jingchen asked Li Tianyou, his gaze leaving no room for refusal.
"It is my honor to share the Emperor's burdens!" Li Tianyou thought to himself. Checking the accounts was not a difficult task for him. As long as he could gain more favor with the Emperor and outshine Xu Heming, what was there for him not to do?
"As for the Liu family!" Zhu Jingchen thought of the Liu family's actions, and his eyes showed not only anger but also disgust.
The thought of Liu Ruyan causing her to lose two princes and deceiving her for so long made her feel even colder.
Inside the Imperial Study, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
No one dared to make a sound and disturb Zhu Jingchen, who was sitting at the head of the table.
Zhu Jingchen pondered in his heart how to handle the situation in a way that would uphold royal authority.
"Former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Liu Zongcheng, was found guilty of embezzlement and corruption, with a total of approximately 280,000 taels of silver confiscated. He is hereby sentenced to death by slow slicing as a warning to others! All his family property is to be confiscated and disposed of by the public. All male members of Liu's nine clans are to be exiled to the Wild Goose Pagoda, and all female members are to be demoted to prostitutes. No one is allowed to redeem them privately!"
As soon as Zhu Jingchen finished speaking, Tang Xiuyong, who was standing to the side, became even more panicked. This punishment by the emperor could be described as the most severe in recent years.
All the men in the nine clans were exiled, and from then on, the Liu family had no hope of ever rising again. Some of the women were even demoted to military prostitutes.
Who would dare to have anything to do with the Liu family?
Xu Heming was not satisfied when he heard this. After all, Liu Zongcheng had been dealt with, but what about Liu Ruyan?
"Your Majesty, there is one more thing. I forgot to mention it earlier. To prevent me from reporting this matter to you, Liu Zongcheng sent people to your residence to try and kidnap Qingshi," Xu Heming said, bowing.
"What?" Zhu Jingchen slammed his fist on the table in anger upon hearing this.
This Liu Zongcheng is absolutely audacious.
"Your Majesty, Liu Zongcheng and Consort Liu have interfered in the affairs of my household time and time again. Shouldn't you give me an explanation for this?" Xu Heming asked Zhu Jingchen.
"Consort Liu Ruyan, even though you two embezzled the court's disaster relief funds, plotted against the imperial heir, and harmed the families of court officials, from this moment on, you are demoted to commoners and, along with the Liu family girl, demoted to military prostitutes!"
After Zhu Jingchen finished speaking, he looked at Xu Heming.
It seemed he wanted to ask Xu Heming whether he was satisfied with the outcome.
Xu Heming didn't say anything, but he knew that demoting Liu Ruyan to a commoner and a military prostitute meant that the emperor intended to leave her to his own devices.
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your great favor!" Xu Heming knew when to stop.
After all, for Liu Ruyan, death would be a relief, while he had plenty of ways to make her wish she were dead.
Wei Jia
"Sister Li, what brings you here? I was just about to go see you." Lin Ziyi was delighted to see Li Zhiwei. He had originally planned to visit her, but unexpectedly, she came to the manor first.
"I heard that the young master was frightened, so I specially brought Qingshi here to see him. Is the young master alright now?" Li Zhi asked Lin Ziyi with a smile.
Lin Ziyi's lips twitched. Thinking of her troublesome son, she didn't know whether to praise him or not.
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