Chapter 456: Dismissal and Fine
"The cause of the fire can be found."
Song Yanjun shook his head. He was in a hurry to put out the fire and had no time to investigate.
Emperor Chengde's thin lips were pressed into a straight line, revealing boundless coldness.
At this time, Zuo Shiwen, the Minister of Justice, came over from behind the crowd, grabbing a man by the collar. Rubing's face was full of solemnity. No wonder others gave him the title of the Iron-faced King of Hell.
"Your humble servant pays respect to His Majesty."
Zuo Shiwen walked up to Emperor Chengde, threw the person in his hand to the ground roughly, and bowed to him.
"No need to be polite, my dear Lord Zuo," Emperor Chengde said, and then his eyes fell suspiciously on the man on the ground: "Who is this?"
Zuo Shiwen said expressionlessly, "Your Majesty, I just investigated the cause of the fire and saw this man trying to escape in secret, so I immediately caught him. Although he kept his mouth shut, I was able to make a rough analysis based on his words. This man was drinking in the academy, and when he was drunk, he accidentally knocked over the candles. The fire burned the tables and chairs with the help of the strong liquor and spread all the way. He woke up halfway and found the fire, so he escaped, but a pillar fell and pressed down his legs. By the time he tried to escape, the fire was already out of control."
After saying this, he glared at the Dali Temple Minister angrily, his eyes full of disdain.
As the Chief Justice of Dali Temple, it was his duty to investigate the cause of the fire, but this fellow didn't take it seriously at all. His ability is too poor.
Emperor Chengde's eyes were stern, and fell on the man like a sharp dagger. His whole body was filled with the pressure that belonged only to the emperor, which was breathtaking: "Raise your head."
The man shuddered with fear. His legs were already in excruciating pain from being crushed by the pillar, but at this moment he clearly felt that the pain in his legs was negligible compared to being stared at by the emperor.
The man slowly raised his head, revealing a dark face.
Emperor Chengde frowned, wondering who would recognize this dark person.
"Who are you?"
"I... your humble servant Xiao Muheng." Xiao Muheng prostrated himself on the ground, his body shaking with fear. The gaze of Emperor Cheng De was like an invisible big hand, strangling his throat tightly and making him feel the fear of being on the verge of death.
Some people in the crowd began to whisper.
Emperor Chengde looked at Xiao Muheng with cold eyes: "Are you on duty tonight?"
Xiao Muheng replied with a trembling voice: "Yes... yes, your humble servant."
BANG——
As soon as he finished speaking, Emperor Chengde raised his leg and kicked him: "Asshole, do you think the Imperial College is your home? How dare you drink here?"
The chief academician of the Imperial College wanted to plead for Xiao Muheng, as he was the son-in-law of Prime Minister Liu and it was Prime Minister Liu who arranged for him to enter the Imperial College. However, when he met the cold gaze of Emperor Chengde, he could not utter any words.
Forget it, the most important thing is to protect yourself.
Xiao Muheng got drunk and burned down the Imperial College. This matter cannot be forgiven easily. There is no need to sacrifice my future for him.
Emperor Chengde stared at Xiao Muheng with anger and said sternly, "He neglected his duty and set fire to the Imperial College. Come, take him out and chop him off for me."
Xiao Muheng was horrified when he heard this: "Your Majesty, please have mercy on me. I know I was wrong. I beg Your Majesty to spare my life. Please spare my life."
He kowtowed repeatedly and begged for mercy in fear.
Emperor Chengde snorted coldly and waved his hand behind him indifferently. Immediately, the imperial guards stepped forward, grabbed Xiao Muheng and tried to drag him out.
At this time, an official stood up and said, "Your Majesty, it is the New Year and it is not appropriate to kill people. Although Mr. Xiao's crime is unforgivable, please allow him to make up for his crime with meritorious service."
He is Prime Minister Liu's man. He doesn't know whether killing Xiao Muheng will cause Prime Minister Liu to lose his right-hand man or not. But today, asking the emperor to kill Xiao Muheng for the fire in the Imperial College is undoubtedly an invisible slap in Prime Minister Liu's face. How can Prime Minister Liu save his face in the future?
Emperor Chengde looked at the Minister of Justice and sneered, "What do you think, my dear minister?"
The sneer fell into the ears of the Minister of Justice, and a chill ran down his soles for no reason. He shuddered violently and subconsciously wanted to retreat, but he gritted his teeth and held back, saying respectfully: "The big mistake has been made. Even if you chop off Lord Xiao's head, the Imperial College will still be burned down. Why don't the emperor fine Lord Xiao to pay to rebuild the burned-down school to relieve the emperor's worries."
Xiao Muheng secretly cast a grateful glance towards the Minister of Justice.
It's just a fine, which is a trivial matter for him. With the Xiao family's background, they can even rebuild an imperial academy.
Thinking of this, Xiao Muheng kowtowed to Emperor Chengde and pleaded guilty: "I know that I deserve death, but I am willing to rebuild the Imperial Academy. I beg Your Majesty to give me a chance to correct my mistakes. Please show mercy."
Emperor Chengde looked down at Xiao Muheng, his cold eyes filled with dark colors, and no emotion could be seen.
The air suddenly became quiet, even the breathing of everyone became heavy in the ears. An invisible pressure fell on everyone, making them dare not breathe.
After a long while, Emperor Chengde's cold voice finally sounded: "Qi Aiqing's words make sense. The New Year is coming soon. It is a good day for a new year and a new atmosphere. It is really not appropriate to kill people. However, Xiao Muheng can be spared the death penalty, but he cannot escape the punishment of life. Convey my decree to dismiss him from his post, deprive him of his honors and demote him to a commoner. He will not be hired for life, and he will be beaten with eighty strokes of the cane and fined 10 million taels of silver to rebuild the Imperial College."
hiss--
Someone in the crowd couldn't help but gasp.
Ten million taels...
We can build two Imperial Colleges.
No matter how rich the Xiao family is, they can't afford such a turmoil.
The Minister of Justice's face froze, and he hesitated to speak. Emperor Chengde did not give him the chance to speak and said, "If Qi Aiqing is reluctant to let him be beaten and pay the money, I have no objection to you paying for him."
"I dare not, Your Majesty is wise."
The assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice quickly bowed and agreed.
Are you kidding? He has already done his best to plead for Xiao Muheng when the emperor is furious. Is he crazy to ask for punishment for Xiao Muheng?
Anyway, he saved Xiao Muheng's life, and he also gave an explanation to Liu Xiang himself.
As for whether Xiao Muheng would rather be beheaded or pay out 10 million taels to appease the Holy Wrath, it has nothing to do with him.
"Hmph." Emperor Chengde snorted and glanced at everyone: "What about you? Do any of you feel dissatisfied?"
Everyone bowed their heads and said, "Your Majesty is wise, and we admire you."
Can I object?
Those who are not members of the Liu Party don't care about Xiao Muheng's life or death. Anyway, he has no relationship with them. He dared to drink in the Imperial College and asked for his own death. Who can he blame?
As for the people of Liu's party, after seeing the previous incident with the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice, no one dared to speak out.
No matter how much they feared Prime Minister Liu's authority, they would not empty their family fortunes for Xiao Muheng.
The Emperor has made it clear that he wants to severely punish Xiao Muheng. If you continue to oppose it, not only will the Emperor not change his mind, but you will most likely ruin your own future. From now on, the Emperor will definitely remember you and will make things difficult for you until your death.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I know I am wrong and I am willing to be beaten and punished. I beg Your Majesty not to dismiss me from my post. I beg Your Majesty to have mercy on me and spare me." When Xiao Muheng heard about Emperor Chengde's punishment, his mind went blank and the blood drained from his face. He suddenly came to his senses and begged for mercy in panic.
The emperor demoted him from his official position and took away his fame. From then on, he could no longer serve as an official in the court. His ambitions could no longer be realized. After so many years of hard work, he had nothing.
And there is also that 10 million taels, which will make him bankrupt.
Without his official position, fame, and property, he was undoubtedly a useless person to Prime Minister Liu. Without wealth and honor, he could no longer be a high-ranking official. Xiao Muheng felt a buzzing in his head and was almost on the verge of collapse.
Emperor Chengde was unmoved by his grief and said: "If you don't want to, then drag me out and chop me off."
Now that you know how to beg for mercy, you would have done something wrong.
Drinking in the Imperial College, is grass on your mind?
"Your Majesty, please don't..." Xiao Muheng regretted and cried out in fear: "Your humble servant accepts the punishment, your humble servant accepts the punishment."
Emperor Chengde said to the Imperial Guards with a cold expression: "Take him out and beat him at the gate of the Imperial College. Give the Xiao family three days to raise 10 million taels. Otherwise, I don't mind raiding his house."
Boom!
Xiao Muheng finally couldn't stand the shock, and coupled with the smoke, the injury on his leg had not been treated in time, and he passed out with both eyes blacking out.
The deputy commander of the Imperial Guard was stunned for a moment: "Your Majesty, this..."
The person is dizzy, do you still want to fight?
Emperor Chengde glared at him and said, "Be beaten even if you faint."
"yes."
After receiving the order, the deputy commander immediately ordered his men to carry the man to the gate of the Imperial College.
The imperial guards were more brutal in their punishments than the eunuchs. Eighty strokes of the cane would be enough to kill even a man.
On the way, Xiao Muheng was awakened by the pain, wailed a few times, and then fainted again from the pain.
Led by Emperor Chengde, several officials and countless fire-fighting soldiers accompanied by yamen runners stood at the gate of the Imperial College and watched Xiao Muheng being beaten with the cane.
After the beating, Emperor Chengde glanced at everyone with a warning look, and said in a deep voice: "I will be lenient this time and give you one chance. You all should be careful. If anyone dares to burn any place next time, you will not only be beaten and fined, but also wait for your heads to be removed. Think carefully about how many heads you have that are worthy of being chopped off by me."
Everyone bowed their hands and responded: "Your humble servant will follow the emperor's teachings and will be strict with himself."
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