Chapter 177 The Demise of the Fang Family
Xue Han knew that Emperor Jingping would definitely ask about it, so he said what he had already thought of: "Because of Miss Qiu Liu."
Emperor Jingping was stunned: "How could it be because of Miss Qiu Liu?"
What does this have to do with a little girl?
"Xue Han, you must be joking with me. Surely it wasn't Miss Qiu who told you that Fang Yuanzhi's study has a secret room?"
Xue Quan, standing to the side, had a cold look in his eyes, and the anger that had been building up for days was about to burst out.
The downfall of Fang Xiang was also a significant loss for him. As the hidden prime minister, he could only interfere in some matters of the court without Fang Xiang's cooperation. If someone else had taken Fang Xiang's position, it wouldn't have been so convenient.
Because the case of Fang Xiang accepting bribes from Northern Qi was too high-profile, he hadn't had a chance to talk to Xue Han in the past few days.
Looking at the tall, calm young man, Xue Quan had a thought: This kid seems to have grown too big for his britches.
This made his heart sink, and his eyes grew even colder.
"Your Majesty, it was indeed Miss Qiu who told me about the secret room."
Emperor Jingping looked suspicious: "Oh, tell me what exactly happened."
"It's like this, the Imperial City Guard was keeping an eye on three suspected spies and discovered they went to Prime Minister Fang's residence to offer condolences. I heard that Miss Qiu was at the Prime Minister's residence, so I took the opportunity of meeting her to ask her to keep an eye on Prime Minister Fang's movements. I never expected that she would risk her life to sneak into Prime Minister Fang's study and discover the location of the secret room..."
Xue Han's words were a mix of truth and falsehood, and were something he had discussed with Qiu Heng.
During the interrogation of the Northern Qi spy, it was learned from him that the three of them had gone to the Prime Minister's residence under the pretext of offering condolences before entering the residence at night to deliver the gifts, and had arranged a time with Prime Minister Fang to deliver the gifts.
With this information, the order could be cleverly reversed. The Imperial City Guard would first discover that the spy had started tailing them, and then discover that the spy had gone to the Prime Minister's residence to offer condolences. So they would ask Qiu Heng, who happened to be at the Prime Minister's residence, to keep an eye on things. This way, they could both conceal Qiu Heng's purpose in moving into the Prime Minister's residence and let the world know about Qiu Heng's contribution in eliminating the treacherous prime minister.
Xue Han recalled how the girl waved her hand in refusal when he made those remarks.
She said: Success doesn't have to be achieved by me; the most important thing is to bring the treacherous minister to justice.
But he can't take all the credit.
He sent people to keep an eye on Aheng because he suspected her, which led to the accidental discovery of the spy. It was also because Aheng discovered the secret room and memorized the mechanism to open it that he was able to obtain evidence of Fang Xiang's treason with lightning speed. Even the secret ledger was obtained by Aheng.
It's easy to imagine that if he didn't make a move against Fang Xiang, Ah Heng, who held the secret account, would definitely take action. Knowing what Ah Heng had done, he wouldn't be arrogant enough to think that Ah Heng couldn't accomplish anything without him.
This merit is not a reward from the current emperor, but a glory for eradicating evil and upholding justice.
The world should know about Aheng's sacrifices.
Emperor Jingping was dumbfounded: "Sixth Miss Qiu actually sneaked into Fang Yuanzhi's study? How did a young girl like her manage that?"
Xue Han said in a matter-of-fact tone, "Miss Qiu is clever, resourceful, and exceptionally courageous."
As for the details of how they infiltrated, not a single word was mentioned.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Jingping immediately recalled how Qiu Heng had lured away a black bear during the autumn hunt to save Princess Rongning, and he was no longer so shocked that she was able to sneak into Prime Minister Fang's study.
"Looking at it this way, we really owe her a lot," Emperor Jingping remarked, then said nothing more.
Those who should be punished haven't been punished yet, and those who should be rewarded aren't in a hurry either.
Xue Quan and Xue Han walked out together.
"Come with me." With that, Xue Quan walked forward with his hands behind his back.
Xue Han silently followed.
Upon entering the room, Xue Quan abruptly turned around and coldly looked at Xue Han: "I never knew that Han'er had such great abilities."
Xue Han met his gaze calmly: "Supervising all officials is the duty of the Imperial City Guard. I was able to sit in the position of Imperial City Envoy without Father's support. I do not want to be a derelict person and disappoint you."
Xue Quan smiled enigmatically: "Not only are you capable, but you're also eloquent. Han'er, you've really grown up."
"No matter how much our child grows up, he will always be our child."
Xue Quan's face darkened: "It's good that you remember this! You went against Fang Yuanzhi on such a big matter, and you acted first and reported later. Do you even respect your father?"
Seeing that Xue Quan had vented his anger, Xue Han knew that he had barely passed this hurdle.
Of course, he also understood that his adoptive father's resentment could never be completely eliminated. It was fine as long as he remained the obedient and well-behaved child; if he continued to act as he had towards Fang Xiang, a day would inevitably come when tensions would rise.
But people aren't puppets; they'll grow up eventually.
Xue Han sighed inwardly, but his face remained impassive: "I didn't mean to do this, but there wasn't enough time. Prime Minister Fang wields immense power. If we give him time to react, it will be difficult to obtain evidence of his treason. Father should understand how much harm Prime Minister Fang, as the head of all officials, poses to Great Xia by colluding with Northern Qi. If this continues, the consequences will be unimaginable..."
Xue Quan frowned, unable to utter a rebuttal.
He and Fang Yuanzhi worked together quite well, one inside and one outside, but he never expected that this guy would actually collude with the enemy!
Embezzlement, bribery, and selling official positions are all normal, but how can they collude with the Qi people! Once the Great Xia is destroyed by the Northern Qi, what difference will there be between these people and pigs and dogs?
Greed to the point of stupidity, they deserve to die.
“This is a special case, and I don’t want it to happen again.”
"I understand."
After dealing with Xue Quan, Xue Han had just left the palace when he received news that Prime Minister Fang was dead, having died of poisoning after eating prison food.
Those who learned of this matter understood perfectly well that they were afraid that Fang Xiang would reveal anything other than his collusion with the Qi people, and that he would be silenced.
There are so many people involved with Fang Xiang that it would be difficult to find them. And since he died at the Dali Temple, this mess is no longer the responsibility of the Imperial City Guard.
With Fang Xiang's death, the trial of his bribery case against Northern Qi was expedited. The male members of the Prime Minister's household were exiled, the female members were placed on the lowest social class, and their property was confiscated.
Ironically, when the entire Prime Minister's residence was being questioned, the Third Young Master Fang had not yet passed his forty-nine-day mourning period and had not yet been buried.
The chanting monks and Taoist priests had all disappeared, and the grand scene of people coming to pay their respects seemed like a dream. Apart from government officials coming and going, there were mostly ordinary people who came to vent their anger after learning of Fang Xiang's crimes.
Uncle Yongqing couldn't resist going to watch the commotion, and almost got splashed with excrement, so he quickly ran home.
"Prime Minister Fang—no, the entire treacherous family—is truly finished!"
When he said these words to the old lady, Yongqing was deeply moved.
The old lady sneered, "Weren't you going to send Fourth Miss to the Prime Minister's residence?"
"Nobody can see backs before they fall," said Yongqingbo, feeling humiliated and regretting coming to Qiansongtang.
He was genuinely distressed and wanted to talk to someone about the Fang family's affairs, but that old hag was just waiting to see him make a fool of himself.
That sixth girl even went to curry favor with the First Madam of the Prime Minister's Mansion, but all her efforts were in vain.
The Earl of Yongqing sent someone to invite Qiuheng, and the maid returned to report: "Master, the Sixth Miss has gone out."
Yongqingbo had no choice but to give up.
On the street, Qiu Heng called out, "Uncle Zhang, please stop the car. I'll walk by myself."
Everything on the street was as usual, unchanged by the Fang family's downfall. But Qiu Heng knew that many people's fates had already changed.
After a rhythmic knock, someone inside asked, "Who is it?"
"magpie."
The door opened, and Nie Sanniang quickly pulled Qiuheng inside.
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