Chapter 139 Xie Sangning Attends Court
Xie Sangning's face showed just the right amount of confusion: "Relief funds? Your Majesty, please forgive my bluntness... but in recent years, Xihan... seems to have received very little relief from the court?"
She paused, her voice tinged with doubt, "Could it be... that the money... was stolen on the way?"
These words may sound light, but they are incredibly damaging!
"presumptuous!"
Pei Yan slammed his hand on the imperial desk, nearly standing up in anger. "One hundred thousand taels of silver every year! The Ministry of Revenue has it all clearly recorded! It was sent to Xihan! You dare say you didn't receive it?!"
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger."
Xie Sangning remained calm and composed. "This humble woman dares not speak presumptuously. No, it simply is. As for where the money went..."
He hesitated to speak, but everyone present understood what he meant.
"Empty words are no proof!" Pei Yan roared. "You think you can shirk responsibility just by talking?!"
“I have evidence. It proves that every single penny of Xihan’s expenses over the years came from my own pocket! It proves that Xihan has indeed received very little of the imperial relief funds!”
"Your Majesty, please summon my maid Ruchun to the palace!"
Soon, Ru Chun, carrying several thick booklets with frayed edges, walked in quickly with her head down and knelt behind Xie Sangning.
"His Majesty!"
Xie Sangning pointed to the booklets and said in a clear voice, "These are all the detailed accounts of all expenditures in Xihan to date! Every single expenditure, whether it's for road repairs, buying grain seeds, building schools, hiring craftsmen, or taking in refugees, is recorded in detail, including the time, place, person in charge, and purpose!"
"This is only a portion of what I brought with me. The more detailed information is sealed in the storeroom of the Xihan County government office! Your Majesty is free to send people to investigate!"
She naturally wouldn't release any ledgers that would be detrimental to her or expose trade secrets. Right now, these ledgers only reveal how kind-hearted Xie Sangning is.
Your Majesty, these few account books alone are enough to show that the money and provisions I invest in Xihan each year far exceed the so-called 100,000 taels of relief funds! I am using my own money to support the people of Xihan, to repair the roads, and to build schools! I dare not claim credit, but only wish to ask Your Majesty…
Her voice carried a hint of grievance, "This humble woman has used her own money to support the people and ensure their well-being for the court, and has helped Your Majesty stabilize a mess from the past. Now that the initial results are visible, it's one thing not to reward me... but must I also be punished for the crime of concealing information?"
The account books were presented to him by the eunuch.
Pei Yan's face was grim as he casually flipped open a book. He only glanced at it before his brow twitched violently!
The accounts were meticulously recorded, with dates, items, amounts, signatures and fingerprints of those in charge... each entry and each line was so clear it was almost blinding!
The cost of repairing that road and building the irrigation canal alone is almost equal to the total amount of relief funds reported by the Ministry of Revenue!
Not to mention the expenses for buying seeds, building workshops, and setting up schools!
Xie Sangning didn't lie!
She really poured in an astronomical amount of money!
Pei Yan's fingers turned white from gripping the ledger so tightly, and the nameless anger in his chest made his lungs ache!
He had intended to use the pretext of concealing and embezzling relief funds to blackmail Xie Sangning and force her to hand over Xihan, but instead, she confronted him with the account books! This proved that his relief funds either hadn't reached their intended recipients or were negligible! It proved that Xie Sangning was the one who suffered the most financial loss!
Just then, a few suppressed coughs came from a corner of the hall, accompanied by the rustling sound of fabric rubbing together.
Pei Yan's cold gaze swept over them in a flash!
Wang Qi, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was deathly pale, with cold sweat pouring down his forehead as if it were free.
Standing next to him was Wang Huan, the official in charge of allocating funds and grain in the Northwest. The old man was even worse off; his legs were trembling so badly he could barely stand. His eyes darted around, staring intently at the ground, as if he wanted to find a crack to crawl into!
These individuals are the key figures in the disbursement of relief funds!
Looking at the cowardly appearance of his ministers and then at Xie Sangning's calm and composed face, Pei Yan felt a surge of anger stuck in his throat, unable to swallow it or spit it out!
Faced with irrefutable evidence and Xie Sangning's accusing gaze, he could no longer hold onto the embezzlement of relief funds!
That would be tantamount to slapping oneself in the face and admitting that the imperial court's disaster relief system was utterly rotten!
The main hall was deathly silent; you could hear a pin drop.
All the ministers lowered their heads, not daring to utter a sound.
Everyone could see that the Emperor had shot himself in the foot, rendered speechless by Xie Sangning's account books. He'd paid for the mess himself, and now he wanted to pin the blame on him?
That's an ugly way to eat!
Pei Yan's expression changed constantly, alternating between pale and flushed.
He knew that given Xie Sangning's immense sacrifices, his reasons for punishing her were no longer valid. But was he really going to let it go like that? Would the prize of Xi Han truly belong to her forever? He was unwilling! Anger and resentment gnawed at his reason like venomous snakes.
In a fit of rage, Pei Yan blurted out a thoughtless remark, laced with anger and embarrassment:
“Even so! Concealing the truth about the local situation is still a capital crime of deceiving the emperor! Considering how much you have invested, your initial intention might be understood as… wanting to give me a surprise…” He squeezed out the word “surprise” with difficulty, feeling disgusted even with himself, “You may be spared the death penalty! But you cannot escape punishment! I… will strip you of your title of county princess! The Western Han fiefdom will be temporarily taken over by the imperial court! After investigating all your accounts and expenditures and confirming that there is no embezzlement… a final decision will be made!”
"boom--!"
These words were like pouring cold water into a pot of boiling oil, causing an uproar throughout the Taiji Hall!
The ministers could no longer contain themselves; they all looked up, their faces filled with shock and disbelief! Their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets!
What is that?
Strip the county magistrate of her title? Reclaim Xihan?
Good heavens! Has the Emperor gone mad with anger?!
There are so many problems with this that the officials have almost lost count!
Xie Sangning deserves great credit for contributing high-yield grain seeds, right? Now that he's personally funding the transformation of Xihan from a bottomless pit into a treasure trove, isn't that an even greater achievement?
Not only did you not reward or bestow any titles, but you also stripped them of their titles? And took back the land that they had painstakingly revitalized?!
Moreover, it has only been a short time since the imperial decree personally bestowed upon her the title of County Princess! If she had truly committed some capital offense, it would be understandable, but now she has not only not committed any crime, but has also performed a great service that can be recorded in history!
This isn't just being unreasonable; it's blatant betrayal and abandonment!
Those with a slightly quicker mind immediately realized—oh no! The Emperor has been severely provoked and is determined to pry this piece of fat meat out of Xie Sangning's mouth!
All that talk about concealing information and auditing is just an excuse! It's all about taking back Xihan!
For a moment, the expressions on the faces of everyone in the court were quite varied, and even the Ninth Prince Pei Zhi, who was standing in the corner, cast a worried glance at Xie Sangning.
In his heart, he and Xie Sangning were already friends! Although he hadn't seen this friend since their last meeting in the palace.
However, Xie Sangning sent him the most powerful cricket, which is still undefeated, making him very proud. It's not something that can be bought with money alone. It can be said that this gift was exactly what he wanted.
This alone made Pei Zhi's heart waver. He felt that his father was being unreasonable and might be getting senile.
Inside the hall, everyone's hearts were pounding: His Majesty's move today was a terrible one!
Xie Sang stood quietly in place, her face still expressionless.
But those unfathomable eyes coldly gazed at the emperor on the throne, who had lost his composure in his rage, and a hint of mockery flickered across them.
Finally, the true intentions were revealed.
Are you going to just take it by force?
She took a deep breath, about to retort.
"Your Majesty! Wait!"
An old yet loud voice suddenly rang out, breaking the suffocating atmosphere!
Lin Zhu, the former Grand Tutor with white hair and beard, walked in shakily, leaning on his cane.
Very few people could enter the palace directly without being informed.
Everyone looked on in surprise and saw that it was Grand Tutor Lin, the ancestor of Xie Sangning's maternal family, the Lin family, a figure whom even the emperor had to respect.
Grand Tutor Lin, who had not attended court for several years, had heard that he had lost interest in the Lin family and had long since stopped interfering in affairs, but he showed up today.
Xie Sangning was also somewhat surprised, but she quickly understood. It must have been because the news of her being summoned to the palace by the Emperor last night had reached the Lin family, which was why they had sent this patriarch out of seclusion to protect her.
After thinking it through, Xie Sangning felt a warm current in her heart, a feeling that was both unfamiliar and novel.
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