Chapter 132 Confrontation in Court (2) How dare you say I am not a good...
Li Yang followed the eunuch and walked step by step into the Imperial Study.
The emperor was seated, and the room was simply furnished, with only a crooked desk. Upon seeing her, Consort Gao quickly ordered a chair to be brought over, gesturing for her to sit down.
Li Yang sat down blankly, staring at the ground, his mind filled with his own resounding words and the words the Fourth Prince had whispered in his ear.
Emperor Qing glanced at her with displeasure, and upon seeing her expression, he coldly snorted.
A short while later, another person entered the Imperial Study. Li Yang was lost in thought and didn't turn around to look. He only heard the person's clear voice, "This humble subject pays respects to Your Majesty, Consort Gao, and may Your Majesty live ten thousand years!"
Chen Junbo.
Li Yang hurriedly turned around to look at him. The man was dressed in plain clothes, just like himself. His hair, which had not been combed for several days, was disheveled and hanging down his back. There were a few streaks of blood on his clothes, all in front of him. It seemed that he had specially changed into clean clothes, but they were still stained with the blood from his wounds.
The white clothes and red blood stung Li Yang's eyes.
"They used torture?" Consort Gao exclaimed in surprise.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Qing turned to look at Chen Junbai. The bloodstains were so vivid that they stung the eyes of everyone in the room.
"How dare they use torture? They're not guilty of murder, and the evidence isn't sufficient. How dare they use torture to force a confession?" Consort Gao's few words defined the nature of the matter and naturally expressed her attitude. These words drew a displeased look from Emperor Qing.
Emperor Qing: "Get out."
Consort Gao pulled the handkerchief back to her front, bowed, and said, "This concubine takes her leave."
Emperor Qing: "Chen Junbai, your wife was quite imposing today, leading the people to beat the Dengwen Drum to appeal for your grievances. Tell me, what grievance do you have?"
Chen Junbo knelt on the ground, and upon hearing this, his gaze shifted to Li Yang, then quickly returned to Emperor Qing, saying, "Your Majesty, this humble subject has no..."
“Chen Junbo,” Li Yang suddenly spoke up.
The two people inside looked at her, only to see her staring at the ground, seemingly talking to herself, "You always told me that the common people don't fight with officials because officials are the ones who set the rules of the game. You also said that things in this world cannot be judged solely by right and wrong, there are always some areas in between. You told me that one should never try to stand out, lest one become too prominent and attract unwanted attention."
“I just want to ask you something.” Li Yang said, looking up at him. “Now, the people who set the rules of the game have framed you, and your forbearance has not earned you any appreciation. Now, I have used the Dengwen Drum as a pretext to ask you for an opportunity to discuss right and wrong and clarify the truth. Do you want this opportunity?”
Chen Junbo looked back at her, his eyes flickering. There was not a trace of a smile on the serious little face in front of him, but the little girl's face was so bright back then.
Two faces overlapped before Chen Junbai. He had no idea what Li Yang had gone through these days. Clearly, when he visited her in prison that day, she hadn't looked so dejected as she did today.
The two sat side by side, one kneeling and the other facing Emperor Qing. Chen Junbai only needed to turn his head slightly to see the bloodstains on Li Yang's back.
She went to beat the Dengwen Drum, and thirty strokes of the cane were ordered. Looking at the crisscrossing bloodstains on Li Yang's back, Chen Junbai felt his heart pounding.
How could such a delicate young girl endure thirty strokes of the cane?
"I'm asking you, do you want this opportunity?" Li Yang looked at the unreadable expression in his eyes, and Chen Junbai instinctively felt like he was seeing things.
When she asked him again, Chen Junbo seemed to wake up suddenly. He looked at the girl in front of him, lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment, then turned to Emperor Qing and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."
Emperor Qing looked at him and said, "Chen Junbo, do you also think that I made the wrong judgment in this case?"
Li Yang might not understand this sentence, but Chen Junbo did.
How could the emperor make a mistake? It's just a matter of the emperor's will. The Chen family, and even the Zhang family, as the leading merchants of Lianghuai, naturally understood that the wealth of salt merchants came entirely from the salt permits issued by the imperial court. Since the court had given salt merchants the right to amass wealth, it would naturally take back that wealth one day.
Thinking about it this way, what imperial merchants, what close ties with the emperor, what the head of the Lianghuai salt industry—they were nothing more than sheep to be slaughtered. Once fattened up, they were ready to be butchered and cooked.
He had long understood this principle, so what was there to argue about? But now, Li Yang was desperately trying to get justice for him, enduring thirty strokes of the cane in court. He couldn't even imagine how a young woman could have argued so strongly after receiving thirty strokes of the cane, in order to get Emperor Qing to summon him today.
His eyes darted back and forth between Li Yang and Emperor Qing, neither of them looking too good. Chen Junbai felt a surge of strength rising from the depths of his heart. He didn't want to be exiled to the border all alone. He was unwilling to return to that state of barely surviving after having Li Yang.
With a sliver of strength, Chen Junbai spoke up: "Your Majesty, there are still hidden details in this case."
Emperor Qing stared intently at Chen Junbo. "I remember the first time I met you was in Songshan Town. Back then, your maternal grandfather was the chief merchant."
At that time, I asked you what you wanted to do in the future.
You answer me, you want to follow in your grandfather's footsteps and oversee the salt industry in the Huai River region for me, don't you?"
Li Yang found it utterly ridiculous. The emperor wanted to exile people to the border on one hand, and on the other hand, he was hoping that Chen Junbai would comply with his wishes. A sneer appeared on his lips.
Chen Junbo looked at Emperor Qing: "Your Majesty is not mistaken."
Emperor Qing's tone shifted abruptly, "Is this how you manage the salt industry in Lianghuai for me?!"
Chen Junbo glanced at Li Yang, who was staring at the ground with a mocking smile on his lips. Then, he looked at Emperor Qing and said, "In all these years as the chief merchant, I have done my best and never slacked off."
Emperor Qing: "Then where is the treasury silver? Where did all of my treasury silver go? The treasury silver doesn't match the accounts, and you still won't admit your guilt!"
Li Yang slowly raised his head, staring intently at Emperor Qing, his eyes filled with obvious mockery.
Before Chen Junbai could answer, Emperor Qing roared at her, "How dare you! What are you looking at!"
Chen Junbo: "Your Majesty!"
Li Yang: "Your Majesty!"
The two spoke at the same time. Chen Junbo was taken aback. He saw Li Yang pick up the account book and say, "Several hours have passed since I entered the palace to plead my case. Does His Majesty only care whether Chen Junbo pleads guilty?"
"How much silver did Zhang Youdao and Zhong Zhengyuan embezzle, and how much did the officials who served before them embezzle? Doesn't Your Majesty really want to see these account books?"
Emperor Qing: "How dare you! What do you want to say? What do you want to say? This is outrageous!"
“I have seen this ledger, and not only that, I have also copied it down. It records in great detail how much silver each salt commissioner and salt transporter collected, and how the treasury silver was transferred out of the salt depot tael by tael. Your Majesty, would you like to see it?” Li Yang shook the ledger in his hand, while the salt merchant stared at Emperor Qing’s face.
Li Yang: "I can also read it to His Majesty."
Emperor Qing: "No, I won't listen."
Chen Junbo looked worried. "Zhaozhao."
Li Yang: "Does Your Majesty not want to listen, or is he afraid to listen?"
The study was completely silent, except for the lingering echo of Li Yang's stern questioning.
"Do you really not know where the treasury's silver goes? Don't you know how much silver you spent on each of your southern tours, and how much the Imperial Household Department spent? Don't you know how much silver the court spent on each disaster relief and war, and how much silver officials in the capital pocketed?"
Li Yang finished speaking in one breath, then stared at Emperor Qing, panting.
She meticulously checked the ledger, line by line, and carefully examined the treasury silver accounts and surplus silver accounts verified by the penholder.
At that time, she thought that even a king, though high above others, could not escape the misfortune of being deceived.
Today's events have made her realize that this emperor has not been deceived at all; he is very clear-headed and has calculated all the accounts perfectly in his mind.
He only needs to give the order, and someone will naturally become the murder weapon for him. He only needs to pretend to be ignorant and deceived.
Ah, look at this, the ruler of the world is no different from a rat who steals oil and rice from the granary.
Emperor Qing was enraged by her, "That Lin Yihuai, as the Salt Commissioner, how can the embezzlement of treasury funds not be his responsibility? How have I wronged him?"
Chen Junbo, the leading merchant of Lianghuai, was of extraordinary status. How could he not bear any responsibility?
"You, Tea Lady, you're trying to win over the people and incite the court officials. What are you trying to do!"
Li Yang: "This humble woman only seeks justice!"
Without justice, there is no fairness; if you don't seek justice, what's the point of imperial power?
The drought was raging, and the people were suffering terribly. The salt merchants knew they should help by contributing their money, but the emperor in the imperial court was calculating the gains and losses.
I'm afraid that in His Majesty's heart there is only imperial power, gains and losses, and the people and justice he once had.
Lord Lin, in Songshan Town, joined forces with Chen Junbai to resist local forces, all to help His Majesty alleviate the shortage of funds. And what about His Majesty, far away in the capital? With a single decree, you arrest those who genuinely serve you. If this continues, who in the world will dare to serve you again?
"I don't understand imperial power, but I do know that no one would do something that's unprofitable."
Emperor Qing: "Are you blaming me for not being a good emperor? Do you know that since I sat on this dragon throne, I have worked tirelessly day and night for the sake of all the people under heaven!"
Pacifying the Dzungar Khanate, pacifying the Hui people, defeating the Jinchuan, calming Taiwan, subjugating Burma, and securing southern Xinjiang—which of these achievements wasn't under my rule?
How dare you say I am not a good emperor?!
Li Yang smiled slightly, "Then Your Majesty, how much did each of these things cost? And where did the funds come from?"
Emperor Qing was taken aback by her question, and slowly exhaled, "Good, good, Chen Junbai, Chen Ziqian, you have truly found a good wife. She knows how to use the Prime Minister's kinship, how to instigate my son, how to win over the hearts of the people, and even more so, how to force me to let you go."
"Very well, as you wish, I grant your request. The salt permit case will be reopened."
Chen Junbo felt a sense of dread, his heart pounding with every word and action of Li Yang, his heart clenching so tightly he dared not skip a beat.
Hearing Emperor Qing say this, he knew that Emperor Qing was letting him off the hook and would not pursue Li Yang's case. He breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Li Yang.
Then Emperor Qing turned and said, "But it's you!"
Li Yang smiled faintly, "Before the drum was beaten today, I had already written a letter of severance, cutting all ties with the Prime Minister's Mansion from now on."
After a pause, Li Yang lowered his head.
"Your Majesty need not worry that I will have any further dealings with the salt merchants. Chen Junbai wrote a letter of release from prison, and now I have no further connection with the Chen family."
The woman and others left the capital after the case was closed.
The teahouses in the capital have already been raided by the imperial court, but the woman who owned one has already sold it off. We hope Your Majesty will send someone to remove the seals and not cut off the teahouse owner's livelihood.
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