The two immediately began arguing in the court, and civil and military officials stepped forward to join the fray. Instantly, the majestic Hall of Light was thrown into chaos, resembling a duck bathhouse.
The emperor rubbed his temples, feeling a terrible headache.
He waved his hand, and Ruan De, who was standing to the side, immediately stepped forward and flicked his whisk.
"quiet!"
"Do you really think my Bright Hall is a pork stall? What results can you possibly get from this argument? How is the Dali Temple investigating the Wei family's crimes? Report back immediately!" the Emperor said irritably.
The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review immediately stepped forward and began his report: "Your Majesty, the Wei family, from top to bottom, has committed over a hundred offenses, large and small, some of which are serious crimes. These include forcing people to their deaths to seize fertile land, coercing and bribing them to lend money at exorbitant interest rates, forcing people to sell their children, and forcing women into prostitution, causing hundreds of impoverished families to be ruined and their lives destroyed. Furthermore, Minister Wei, out of jealousy of talented individuals, deliberately ruined their futures, resulting in the loss of many promising talents..."
After the proclamation of condemnation was issued yesterday, the officials of the Court of Judicial Review knew that this matter could not be resolved peacefully. They investigated the case almost all night, interrogated the Wei family members, and extracted a number of charges from them.
In addition, Cen Ying had already interrogated many people and even found evidence when she took over the case that day, which saved her a lot of trouble. Therefore, she was able to organize a large number of files overnight.
The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review read the case for a long time, and in the end it was still shocking. Wei Xian was only a fifth-rank official, but he committed so many crimes that countless people lost their lives because of him.
With a muffled thud, the emperor couldn't bear it any longer and slammed his hand on the armrest of the dragon throne, his face ashen and frosty.
"The Wei family, such a small family, is like a den of thieves. It was too lenient for the Marquis of Zhongyi to give him a beating; why didn't he just kill him! Listen to these crimes; they are not things that humans would do, they are worse than animals. The Marquis of Zhongyi is right; are you all in cahoots with the Wei family? Otherwise, why are you speaking up for them so much?"
The emperor was furious and immediately questioned the civil official, pointing directly at him.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger! We have been wronged!"
Instantly, several civil officials knelt down, their faces deathly pale. These were the same people who had repeatedly submitted memorials to drag the Jiang family down with them, but now they were filled with regret.
"Your Majesty, we are unaware of the crimes committed by the Wei family. Wei Xian is an official appointed by the court. Whatever mistakes he has made, they should be decided by Your Majesty and the government, and should not be used by someone to vent their personal grievances and directly mobilize private troops." Yu Jingxuan remained composed and explained directly.
Marquis Zhongyi immediately spoke up: "Your Majesty, Lord Yu is lying. On that day, when I led the guards to surround the Wei family, to prevent anyone from smearing us and saying that I had tortured the Wei family into confessing, I specially left many guests behind as witnesses. The crimes committed by the Wei family have already spread far and wide. How could you gentlemen not know about them? Besides, two days have passed. Even a rat on the street should have heard some whispers. Are you gentlemen truly deaf and blind?"
"Even if you are truly unaware, as officials of the imperial court, you should be more aware of public sentiment than ordinary people. If you are even less capable than children on the street, can you truly fulfill your duties to the Great Li Dynasty?"
He struck while the iron was hot, giving the civil officials no chance to retaliate.
Sure enough, after he said those words, the emperor's expression became even more unpleasant.
"All my ministers who have submitted memorials to me impeaching the Marquis of Zhongyi, go back and write another memorial explaining your mistakes. If I am not satisfied with it, you will all be demoted and investigated!" The Emperor immediately issued the order.
Instantly, the faces of the civil officials turned extremely pale, each one as white as paper. Several elderly officials even swayed slightly, as if they were about to faint, clearly having suffered a fatal blow.
These scholars are very concerned about their reputation and have always looked down on military generals.
Even though military generals risked their lives, many civil officials thought they were just simple-minded, physically strong but mentally weak brutes. They believed that to stabilize the country, it was still necessary to rely on those who had studied the classics.
Now the Emperor has ordered them to write a petition, which is supposed to be for the Emperor's eyes, but in reality it is still forcing them to bow down and admit their mistakes to Jiang Yiping. Being suppressed by such a crude and uncouth brute is an utter disgrace.
"Your Majesty!" An old minister knelt down, seemingly wanting to say something, but before he could speak, he was interrupted by the emperor.
"What? If you think the punishment is too lenient, I can increase it!"
Upon hearing this, no one dared to speak, and they all bowed their heads and obeyed.
"Dismiss the court." Ruan De's shrill voice rang out, and the emperor flung his sleeves and left.
The quiet atmosphere in the hall gradually dissipated, and the adults gathered in twos and threes, beginning to discuss the matter.
"The Marquis has become quite eloquent these days. It seems he was given some prior instruction in the manor," Yu Jingxuan said sarcastically, without leaving.
Marquis Zhongyi curled his lip and said with great disdain, "It's just a matter of talking. Does it need to be taught? Everyone can speak unless they're mute. If you can't speak, Lord Yu, I can teach you!"
"Ha, Lord Marquis, you certainly have a good method. You used the fact that the Wei family preyed on the people to cover up your contempt for the law and your use of private punishment. You can silence your colleagues, but you can't silence the public. You trespassed into the Wei residence and treated the Wei family like servants of your Jiang family. The people will not let you off the hook!" Yu Jingxuan narrowed his eyes and continued to threaten.
Clearly, the proclamation he had distributed yesterday was to prevent what happened today.
The Jiang family is currently at its peak, and the Emperor values them highly and will not punish them easily. Moreover, the Wei family committed a serious offense, so the Emperor will inevitably show some favoritism.
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