Liang Guangyi was so furious he nearly fainted.
What did Cao mean by saying he wouldn’t spare these people?
He had nothing to do with this matter! Why would he care whether these people lived or died?!
Cao Dejiang frowned. “Minister Liang, I’ve said we’re investigating the southern case. Why do you keep interrupting? What’s your intent?”
“You… you…”
Liang Guangyi trembled with rage.
Cao Dejiang’s brow furrowed tighter. “Could it be you truly have ulterior motives?”
“I have none!”
“Then does Minister Liang think I’m unfit to question this case? Fair enough—you’re the Grand Preceptor, and I’m just a lowly censor. How could I dare to inquire?”
Liang Guangyi: “!!”
He never said that!!
“You’re spouting nonsense…”
He opened his mouth to curse Cao Dejiang for pinning false charges on him, but then Xiao Yan, who had been standing quietly, frowned and spoke. “Minister Liang, you’re scaring the witnesses.”
Liang Guangyi: “…”
His words stopped abruptly, his face alternating between red and white as if dyed with color.
Xiao Yan continued, “In His Majesty’s presence, Minister Liang, you’re overstepping.”
*Pfft—*
“Cough, cough, cough!”
Fu Laiqing choked on his saliva, his face flushing red. Meeting his granduncle’s deadly glare, he quickly shrank back behind a pillar.
He really didn’t mean to laugh—it was just that his granduncle and Xiao Yan were too ruthless.
Tang Ning couldn’t help but curl her lips slightly. Qian Qiyue, tightly held by Madam Qian, also lowered her head, her shoulders twitching oddly.
Serves the old Liang fool right for trying to kick them when they were down.
He deserved it!
The atmosphere in the hall grew strange. Liang Guangyi glared furiously at Fu Laiqing hiding behind the pillar, his pent-up anger unable to find release.
Xiao Yan lowered his gaze to the woman kneeling on the floor. “Didn’t you hear Lord Cao’s question?”
The woman jolted. “I’m not lying!”
“My husband may be dead, but my brother-in-law is still alive. And he wasn’t the only bandit leader who entered officialdom. There are still many in Shezhou, and some in Langzhou and Raozhou too.”
As she spoke, she pointed at an older woman beside her. “Old Madam Xiong, speak! Isn’t your nephew’s concubine’s uncle one of the men who caused trouble with Zhou Jungui back then?”
“What are you blabbering about?” The older woman jumped in fright.
The woman pressed on. “I’m not blabbering! I remember his name—Lai Chuan, that’s it, Lai Chuan. He’s living in Raozhou now. He lost an arm in an accident and couldn’t become an official, but he got a huge sum of money.”
“I heard my husband say that to appease them, Zhou Jungui and Lord Xiong worked together, using the pretext of distributing relief grain to get Lai Chuan a plaque for a ‘house of virtue’ to hang in his residence. My brother-in-law even mocked him when drunk, saying with all the people Lai Chuan killed, if he’s a good man, there are no villains left in the world…”
Old Madam Xiong’s face twitched as all eyes fell on her. She nearly fainted.
The first woman was relentless. “Speak! Isn’t Lai Chuan close to your family? When your nephew took that concubine, you held a banquet and invited us. I even sent a gift. And Lord Xiong had several men like Lai Chuan under him.”
“They send tribute to Lord Xiong every year. You’ve been collecting money annually!”
Cao Dejiang looked at Old Madam Xiong. “Is what she says true?”
“I… I…”
“If it’s true, say so. If not, say it’s not. What’s with the stammering?” a general snapped angrily.
Marquis Wenxin said coldly, “Since you’re here today, you should know why. If you dare utter a single lie, don’t expect to live!”
Old Madam Xiong’s face trembled, pale as she whispered, “It… it’s true, but I didn’t know! It was all my nephew’s doing. I… I only accepted a bit of his filial tribute. I know nothing about officialdom…”
She broke into tears as she spoke, but no one in the hall showed sympathy.
Old Madam Fu, who had been holding back, finally snapped. “You didn’t know? You didn’t know yet accepted so much tribute? You didn’t know yet took your nephew’s ill-gotten wealth for granted? You didn’t know what kind of man your nephew was, yet you threw a grand banquet for his concubine? That’s just…”
“Great-Aunt!”
Fu Jinrou, startled, quickly grabbed Old Madam Fu’s hand.
Old Madam Fu swallowed the last curse she was about to spit out.
The older woman, her face ashen, didn’t dare make a sound.
Xiao Yan glanced at the indignant courtiers in the hall and said calmly to the kneeling women, “Do you know anything about Rongjiang?”
They all shook their heads.
One whispered, “The men rarely told us about official matters, but I heard about a plague in Shezhou. In Langzhou, we sealed the city for a while and strictly checked outsiders.”
“People were terrified. My husband told me to keep the children inside and not let anyone in. But a few days later, he came back saying it was fine.”
“Yes, I remember that too,” the first woman added. “Shezhou was in an uproar. My husband said he was going to investigate the plague but returned quickly, saying it was just rumors. No one in the city knew anything, and life went on as usual.”
A young imperial physician said gravely, “Impossible. If there was no plague in the south, why would the Imperial Medical Academy send my father and others there? They even took a large amount of plague medicine, recorded in the Academy’s logs.”
Qian Baokun added, “The Crown Prince’s reputation was already damaged, and the disaster relief was failing. A plague would only worsen his standing. He had no reason to lie about such a thing.”
The Zichen Palace fell silent. Suddenly, Prince Ji, who had been hiding in the crowd, spoke up.
“If the Crown Prince didn’t lie, and there was indeed a plague in the south, with He Wenzhuo left to guard the afflicted in Rongjiang and physicians sent to treat it, then the Rongjiang matter is likely true.”
“Your Highness…”
Princess Ji gasped, and even Xie Yuyan’s eyes widened.
Why was Father siding with Xiao Yan?!
Prince Ji ignored his wife and daughter, as well as the disapproving looks from the other royals, and said solemnly, “A plague is no small matter. Even those in Raozhou and Langzhou heard of it. How could Shezhou, the prefecture overseeing Rongjiang, not know? Yet they dismissed it as a rumor.”
“If the Crown Prince wasn’t lying, then someone had means to confirm the plague was contained and wouldn’t spread. Simply flooding Rongjiang wouldn’t achieve that.”
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T/N: Congratulations you have read this novel halfway
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You can read ahead to chapterr 470 (100+ extra chapters) here
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