vrcanaries Chapter 367 Deprivation
Chapter 367 Deprivation
"Your Highness, I'm guilty. Yes, it was my nephew Wang Jingwen who managed to get me in. For this position, I gave him two hundred thousand taels of silver, and he said he wanted to use it as a tribute to His Royal Highness the Third Prince. He also said that once you have an official position, you don't have to go to the local area to take up the position. You can just send a servant to guard it there. All you have to do is collect the silver on time and remember to hand it in..."
"This guilty minister also took the silver. I gave it to my nephew Chang Fei. He, he also said that if he gave the Third Prince some silver, he would help me with this matter. My servants sent 50,000 taels of silver from the county every month, and I only kept 20,000 taels and handed over the rest..."
"I gave it to Sun Xi. He's my distant cousin. He gave it to the Third Prince on my behalf. I only kept 20,000 taels every month. I didn't spend the rest..."
"My silver was personally given to the Third Prince by my godfather..."
The emperor's eyes went dark.
Now even if he insisted that it had nothing to do with the Third Prince, he couldn't get involved.
Wang Jingwen, Sun Xi, Chang Fei, these are Xu'er's friends who often play together!
Previously, Xu'er had helped these people get positions as centurions in the Guard Command, saying that he needed these people as close bodyguards, but in fact they were just playmates!
At that time, I thought it was not good for him to be bored in the palace alone, so I agreed to it by accompanying him to study and practice martial arts.
I didn’t expect that they would do such a collusion!
The Grand Tutor and the two Shangshu had breathed a sigh of relief earlier, but now when they heard these words, the blood rushed to their heads and their tense nerves almost broke immediately.
It turned out to be that rebellious son of my own family!!!
I had seen several of them get jobs in the palace before, and I thought they would eventually achieve great things in the future.
I didn’t expect that this is the way to sell official positions and titles!
Everyone knew how important the Third Prince was in the Emperor's heart, so they immediately understood that their rebellious son and grandson was probably finished!
From the Grand Tutor to the Minister of War, everyone looked calm, but in fact their backs were soaked twice and their blood ran cold.
"Your Majesty, for matters of this magnitude, I believe we should invite the Third Prince and several of the elder ministers' sons to come out and confront them. This way, we will avoid bias."
These sensible words came from Jiang Xing's mouth. He was extremely polite and serious, and it seemed that he even wanted to make some excuses for the Third Prince.
Then the other ministers below began to speak. "Such a serious matter is worthy of being called a disaster for the country and its people! Your Majesty, if jade is not polished, it will not become a useful object, let alone a prince. Whether it is the Third Prince or the other young masters, those who sell official positions, accept bribes, and disrupt the government should be severely punished! Your Majesty, please summon them immediately for confrontation!"
The emperor frowned when he thought of the third prince lying on his sickbed, shivering in pain and unable to get out of bed.
Although he asked all the doctors in the Imperial Hospital to keep the news secret, if he called Xu'er over at this time, it would expose the fact that he was injured.
What should I do if I am afraid that these pedantic old guys will say that he is not capable of the task, which will cause trouble in the future and make him unable to be qualified for the position of crown prince?
Therefore, the emperor showed an extremely angry look, and with a "bang", he smashed the animal-head incense burner on the table with a punch.
A deep, cold voice echoed in the hall, "There's no need to call the Third Prince for confrontation. If that wicked son is truly at fault, he should bear the full responsibility! Bring Wang Jingwen and the others up here!"
After a while, several young men in guard uniforms were brought into the hall.
"Meet the Emperor!"
When they heard the summons from the Jinwu Guards, they began to tremble in their hearts, especially since the Jinwu Guards had just killed all the Yulin soldiers who went to the Eastern Palace a few days ago.
Many of them were usually under their jurisdiction, so when they saw Pei Fan, they acted as if they had seen a god of death, and their bones went weak all the way.
When they arrived at the palace, they saw their four relatives kneeling inside. The emperor didn't ask any questions, but they were so scared that they confessed everything immediately.
"Your Majesty, please spare my life. This is the first time I've done this. It wasn't intentional. It was Wang Xiaotong who first approached me and asked me to find a way. I asked the Third Prince, and he agreed, saying it could be done for a fee. That's why I did it..."
"Your Majesty, I am the same as you. It was Chang Yuandao who said he envied my father's ability to be an official and wanted to be one too. He asked me to find a way, so I went to Your Highness and told him..."
"..."
The three of them talked back and forth, and in less than a cup of tea, everything was revealed.
The emperor was furious, his brows furrowed, his eyes were bloodshot, and a wheezing sound came from his throat. He Yuanguang, who was beside him, was so scared that he quickly handed him a cup of tea.
Unexpectedly, the emperor used the cup of tea and threw it directly at the guards around Wang Jingwen and the other four third princes.
"Boom!"
Several people didn't dare to dodge, and the base of the teacup hit Chang Fei's forehead, and blood spurted out like a floodgate.
Chang Wenji was heartbroken when he saw his son being beaten and bleeding, but he had no choice but to kneel down and say sternly, "Your Majesty, all this trouble is caused by my son's ignorance of rules and his disregard for discipline. I, your humble servant, have failed to educate him properly and am to blame for this. I beg Your Majesty to punish him severely!"
The Grand Tutor and the Minister of War also felt as if their hearts were being twisted, but they knew very well that the emperor favored the third prince. In order to prevent the emperor from venting all his anger on his own children and grandchildren, they had to lower their posture and request severe punishment to calm the emperor's anger.
The emperor's cold eyes fiercely swept over the four people kneeling on the ground. His face was stern and the atmosphere was as oppressive as the night before a tsunami.
After taking a deep breath for a while, he fiercely flicked his sleeves and said, "Pass on my decree. Wang Xiaotong, Chang Yuandao, Sun Yaoyi, and Zhao Bing, who have committed bribery and abuse of power, shall be executed immediately at the Meridian Gate!"
The emperor's face turned blue and purple, and veins bulged on his neck, showing that he was extremely angry.
His eyes then swept over Jiang Xing and Lu Xuan.
Jiang Xing was watching the scene leisurely. Lu Xuan still had that weathered and upright look on his face.
Then he glanced at the three ministers kneeling on the ground, all of whom were important ministers who were crucial to the government affairs.
He gritted his teeth and blurted out words one by one, "Wang Jingwen, Chang Fei, and Sun Xi, all three will be imprisoned and await their fate! As for Zhao Qi, he's already dead, so forget it!"
When Chang Wenji heard that he was going to be thrown into prison instead of beheaded at the Meridian Gate, the tension in his heart instantly relaxed.
He suddenly fell to the ground, sweat dripping down his forehead, and his body limp into a puddle.
However, Master Wang fainted because it was so thrilling that his heart seemed unable to withstand such a great shock.
Tutor Wang was carried away by the eunuchs.
These people were dealt with.
So, what about the third prince?
The hall was still deathly silent, and everyone was waiting for the final result.
After a long time, the emperor's helpless trembling voice was finally heard, "The Third Prince has sold official positions and titles, disrupted the government, and is therefore fined three years' salary. He has disregarded the law and committed immoral acts. His title is abolished and he is demoted to the Prince of Anchang."
After saying the last word, the emperor seemed to have lost all his strength.
Xu'er is now seriously ill in bed. If he knew that he had been stripped of his throne and was only a prince, I wonder how aggrieved he would be!
The hands hidden under the wide sleeves of the dragon robe were clenched white, and his whole body was trembling slightly because of anger.
If it weren't for those bastard friends in the audience who instigated him, Xu'er would not have ended up like this!
It's obvious that he was being used by someone with ulterior motives!
Chang Wenji had just received his sentence, so he secretly winked at the eunuchs in the palace. Fortunately, at this moment, his son Chang Fei and others had been taken away by the Jinwu Guards.
Otherwise, if he continued to stay in this palace and ran into such an angry emperor, he would not know what kind of punishment he would receive.
Jiang Xing had seen enough of the show and had achieved his goal for today, so he threw a seductive glance at He Yuanguang who was standing beside the emperor.
After receiving the signal, He Yuanguang's face suddenly fell.
He coughed dryly, and then solemnly shouted, "If you have something to say, please report it. If not, please leave the court—"