Chapter 552: The life-saving food and money allocated by the court has become fat meat for you to line your pockets!
From outside the palace came the shrill, anxious voice of Eunuch Li, the chief eunuch, "The Emperor has arrived!"
The young emperor Mo Yifan was surrounded by people and walked in quickly. He was wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, but his face was still sleepy and there was a faint shadow of blue under his eyes.
He was also filled with doubt and uncertainty. The young uncle had given no sign of this last night, yet suddenly, at dawn, he summoned the emperor to court. Could it be that the disaster in the north had suddenly worsened? He forced himself to move forward and walked towards the supreme throne.
"Your Highness, long live the Emperor!" All the officials paid their respects in unison.
Mo Yifan sat down on the large dragon throne and said, "No need to be polite. Stand up!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The ministers were about to stand up and stretch their stiff muscles as if they had been pardoned.
"Kneel down, don't get up!"
A sound as cold as a knife cutting through cold iron suddenly rang out. It was not loud, but it clearly penetrated the entire hall. It brought with it an unquestionable and absolute pressure, instantly pinning everyone back to their original positions!
Mo Yifan: "Uh...!" He suddenly looked down at Mo Liyuan who was sitting upright, and his heart was shocked.
The young uncle was more than just in a bad mood today; he was practically wrathful! His fingers on the armrests of the dragon throne tightened unconsciously.
The warmth that had just risen in the hearts of the court officials instantly froze into ice. They could only bury their heads even lower, their foreheads almost touching the cold floor tiles, not even daring to breathe.
The hall was eerily silent, with only the occasional crackling of faint sparks from the charcoal brazier.
At this moment, a burst of hurried and chaotic footsteps outside the palace gate broke the frozen air!
The elderly Lord An, his hair slightly disheveled and his official robes slightly messy from his haste, stumbled in! He had come to the palace to file a complaint, but at the palace gate he was shocked to learn that a special court meeting was being held today!
He didn't care about his manners and rushed into the hall. He saw the culprit who was sitting like a devil and caused his An Mansion to fall overnight - Mo Liyuan!
Old Master An was filled with grief and indignation, tears streaming down his face. He had no time to take in the strange atmosphere around him. He suddenly threw himself down in front of the imperial steps and kowtowed heavily to Mo Yifan on the dragon throne. His voice was shrill and hoarse, and every word was tearful:
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! This old minister pays homage to Your Majesty! I beg Your Majesty to make a decision for the An Mansion! Make a decision for this old minister!!"
Mo Yifan was even more bewildered by this sudden change: "Master An, what happened to the An Mansion? Please tell me slowly, what is the decision?"
Old Master An burst into tears, pointing a trembling finger at Mo Liyuan, accusing him, "Your Majesty! It was the Regent! He, he... just last night! The Regent personally led the ferocious royal guards and stormed into the An Mansion! He ransacked everything! My son, daughter-in-law, grandchildren, over a hundred servants in the mansion... not a single one was spared! He arrested them all and threw them into the gloomy prison that very night! Your Majesty! The An family has been loyal and righteous for generations, how could this have happened? I beg Your Majesty to see through this, to help me, and clear my name!"
"hiss!"
In the hall, an irrepressible sound of people gasping for air suddenly rang out! It was like a huge rock being thrown into a calm lake!
All the ministers kneeling on the ground trembled violently, glanced at Lord An in disbelief, and then glanced at the regent who was sitting like a mountain with an expressionless face in horror.
The An Mansion was raided? The entire family was imprisoned? Just last night, while they were on holiday? This… this was a bolt from the blue! Why did the Regent suddenly take such drastic action against the An Mansion? They hadn't even heard a word.
Mo Yifan was so shocked by the news that he straightened up from the dragon throne, his eyes wide open. He subconsciously looked at Mo Liyuan, his voice slightly dry, "Little...little uncle? What...what's the reason? What Elder An said..."
Mo Liyuan finally raised his eyes.
Those bottomless eyes were like a cold pond or an ancient well, without the slightest ripple.
He glanced at Elder An's tear-stained face, then slowly passed over the courtiers in the hall, who were as silent as a cicada. His thin lips parted slightly, and the words he uttered were cold and clear, carrying a kind of indifference and absolute control that looked down upon the world:
"This king will confiscate your property without any reason!"
"boom!"
These words were like thunder from the heavens, striking everyone's heart fiercely! Domineering! Absolutely domineering! No explanations needed, no arguments allowed! This naked declaration of power sent a chill through the ministers' bones, from the soles of their feet to their heads!
Mo Yifan understood his uncle, the little prince. Although the little prince said that, there must be a reason for his actions. It must be that the An family offended the little prince. By the way, what did he say before about Anya? Once the little prince comes back, Anya will be finished. But he didn't expect that the little prince would vent his anger on everyone in the An family. Well, this is also the little prince's character.
Mo Yifan understood the reason and remained silent.
Mo Liyuan's gaze was like a solid ice cone, piercing the officials who were kneeling on the ground and shaking with fear. His voice suddenly became harsh, carrying the force of thunder:
"My lords, resting at home, enjoying delicious meals and sleeping in warm rooms, you must be very comfortable! But have you ever considered the hellish scene thousands of miles away in the northern borders right now? Starving people are everywhere, people are exchanging their own children for food! The life-saving rations allocated by the court have become fat meat to line your pockets!"
He paused, and in the hall you could hear a pin drop, with only heavy breathing coming one after another.
Mo Liyuan tilted his head slightly and gestured to Tianyi beside him.
Tianyi took out a thick account book from his pocket with an expressionless face and unfolded it.
His voice was not loud, but extremely clear, like a cold guillotine, reading out the death sentence word by word:
"Minister Zhang Boqian of the Ministry of Revenue colluded with Wang Hong, the Northern Border Grain Transport Commissioner, to falsely report the number of disaster victims, withhold fine grain, and fill the numbers with moldy old rice. They embezzled 300,000 taels of silver. The evidence is irrefutable!"
"Li Dequan, a doctor in the Military Affairs Department, allowed his brother Li Dechang to smuggle contraband under the guise of escorting military supplies and resell government grain, earning a profit of 100,000 taels. The evidence is irrefutable!"
"Zhao Zhijing, the Deputy Minister of Works..."
…
Every time a name was read out, the official who was called out felt as if struck by lightning. His body began to tremble violently, his face instantly turned as pale as paper, and beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down his forehead and hit the cold gold bricks.
Some people even collapsed uncontrollably, letting out suppressed sobs.
The accounts are clear and the evidence is conclusive!
Tianyi wrote the last word and closed the booklet.
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