PDLP Chapter 196 Heads rolling in
Chapter 196 Heads rolling in
Chapter 196 Heads Rolling
It was the censor who spoke again in the court. Yes, it was the unlucky censor who took the blame, but this time it was really Kangxi who gave the order, and this time it was not just Mingzhu who was impeached, but several people, including the Vice Minister of Personnel, the Vice Minister of Revenue, and the Vice Minister of War. It can be said that it almost covered the most powerful network in the court.
Everyone looked at the censor with eyes that said "Are you crazy?", not understanding why he could be so desperate. The impeachment of Mingzhu had not yet come to an end, but he had already started to use a big move again. And didn't he know that the reason he was alive and well recently was all because Lord Mingzhu had not been convicted?
If Lord Mingzhu were truly convicted, he would be the first to escape. In such a dangerous situation, how could the other party still have the leisure to impeach others? Could this person be so bold that he could reach the sky?
Hmm? Tongtian! Thinking of this, the few people who were originally just suspicious once again cast their eyes on the censor. Sure enough, under the gaze of several people, the other party's body trembled unconsciously a few times, but it quickly disappeared.
What else is there to be confused about now? Oh, of course there is. Why did these impeached officials collapse to the ground in an instant? The confused people began to shift their gaze to the impeached people again, not noticing that the emperor's eyes were always fixed on the person in the front today.
Oh, some people did notice it, like Yinreng. In his previous life, he couldn't figure out why his uncle didn't support him before his death, but instead recommended the Eighth Prince to his father. Now he thinks it's because they had been secretly collaborating for a long time. At that time, seeing that the end was approaching, for the sake of the next generation of cousins, his uncle must have wanted to fight for it. After all, everyone in the world knew that his father and his uncle had a very good relationship.
It was strange to say that the Emperor's uncle and the Emperor's father had such a good relationship, but the Emperor's uncle never showed any real enthusiasm when facing his own son, the Emperor's father's favorite. Of course, the Emperor's uncle was not enthusiastic towards all the princes, and his greetings were just those of a normal uncle, never going beyond the framework.
Now thinking back, it is not right. Since he has such a close relationship with the Emperor, he should be kind to these younger generations as well, or like the Emperor's uncle, he should have preferences, liking some and disliking some. How can he treat them equally?
After the salt case came out, he finally understood what was strange. It turned out that it was not that the emperor's uncle disliked them, but that the emperor's uncle had always hated them. Not only them, but also the emperor's father was a person hated by the emperor's uncle.
Then he thought of the fight for the throne back then. Could it be that the facts were really as the ancestors said, that when the emperor asked about his thoughts on the throne, his uncle took the initiative to resign and sincerely said, "I am willing to assist my younger brother all my life"?
No, that statement must have been made sincerely, because they were too young at the time, and many of their methods and psychological intentions could not be hidden in front of adults. If the emperor's uncle was not sincere, then the ancestor would have taken action long ago, and the emperor's uncle would not have grown up.
If you think about it this way, then as time went by, the emperor's uncle gradually became unwilling to give up? That's why his attitude gradually changed, and why he took such a big risk to do such a thing?
Yinreng felt that he had guessed the truth of the matter. Now it all depended on what the emperor would do next. Would he stay and forgive him, or resolve the matter as soon as possible to avoid any future troubles?
In the court, discussions began to arise because of the impeachment of the censor, and the voices gradually became louder. Those officials were not idle commanders. The waters in the capital were complicated and everyone had relatives. The officials who were unwilling to believe that there were problems in the local area and those who believed that the other party was not innocent soon started arguing with each other intentionally.
Kangxi sat at the top and had no intention of stopping them, or perhaps he was fishing to see if some big shot would pop up later.
The leader's attitude determines the atmosphere below. Seeing that Kangxi did not stop it, some people mistakenly believed that the emperor did not believe it, so they became emboldened. As for the quarrel, they were all civil servants, not afraid. Without evidence, who would not speak out based on their mouths? Besides, if this matter had not been impeached by the censor, no one in the court would have paid any attention.
At this time, you must believe what the censor says. Although he cannot win a debate with a group of heroes, it is not difficult to make several civil servants speechless by quoting classics.
They could just sit back and watch their own people being bullied, but when they saw the censor's strong fighting ability, their desire to win was instantly aroused. Then more people came out to fight. The censors saw this and wondered, how could they tolerate it? Their own people were being bullied by so many people, so they were not soft persimmons, so they rolled up their sleeves and joined in.
In just a few minutes, the court became a chaotic market, and the ministers transformed into market aunties, with both sides going back and forth in a heated exchange. They didn't notice that none of the real bosses would be punished, and even the princes standing in the court just stood aside quietly, not wanting to interrupt.
Kangxi nodded to Liang Jiugong who was standing quietly beside him. Then, at Liang Jiugong's signal, two young eunuchs brought over a box and placed it in front of several ministers.
The commotion was not small, not to mention that everyone was actually paying attention to the situation on the emperor's side. Seeing this, everyone quickly calmed down and looked quietly at the black box placed in front of the big guys.
Liang Jiugong personally took out the key and opened it, then bowed to the ministers and said, "Please check, my lords. These are the evidence brought back from Jiangnan, as well as the list of people involved in the salt case."
The hall was instantly filled with silence, a pin drop audible. If they had previously thought that the Censorate was slandering the ministers without any evidence, they would have needed to uphold justice. As soon as Liang Jiugong mentioned the word "salt," everyone realized something was amiss. No one who could hold an official position and attend court was foolish. What could and could not be touched was ingrained in their bones.
Take the salt business, for example. Those who could handle it were necessarily trusted aides to the emperor, and there were layers of oversight. Yet, under such tight control, someone still managed to interfere, stealing right in front of the emperor. This was truly a heinous crime. If such a person weren't punished, who would die?
The six ministers circulated the evidence very quickly. After about half an hour, they had basically reviewed all the evidence. They looked at each other and knelt down to ask the emperor to severely punish those involved in the case.
Seeing that their superiors all nodded in agreement, the people below finally felt relieved. Everyone tacitly accepted the fate of those people, leaving the middle empty and staying away from them. At this time, let alone relatives, even if their own fathers came, they would also kill their relatives for the sake of justice.
Kangxi finally spoke: "Liang Jiugong, announce the decree."
Liang Jiugong stepped out and took out the imperial edict he had prepared long ago: "By the grace of Heaven and the Mandate of Heaven, I hereby declare: Today, we have investigated XXX's involvement in the Jiangnan Salt Case. After a thorough investigation, the evidence is irrefutable, and there is no objection from the court. All women in the clan are hereby sentenced to imprisonment in the Jiaofang Bureau, all men over ten years old to be executed immediately, and those under ten years old to be sentenced to imprisonment of 3,000 miles. From now on, no one will be pardoned unless there is a general amnesty. I decree this."
Everyone in the court knelt without hesitation and said, "We obey the Holy Order. Long live the Emperor."
Liang Jiugong: "Dismiss the court!"