Minister Sun arrived at the Imperial Study. There were only three people in the spacious and luxurious room. They were the Yuanjing Emperor who sat on the throne, the astute Wang Shoufu, and the green-clothed woman with white hair on her temples.
Minister Sun glanced at the Grand Secretary out of habit and found that the other party had a serious expression and a gloomy gaze. Minister Sun, who thought it was just an ordinary court meeting, was stunned.
"What is Wei Yuan up to this time …" He immediately turned his head to look at the green-clothed woman. However, this intelligent eunuch had a gentle temperament, deep and reserved, making it impossible to see through his inner thoughts.
Minister Sun had a bad premonition. After saluting, he silently stood in his position.
Time passed, and the officials arrived one after another. They bowed and took their seats. The Yuanjing Emperor had been resting with his eyes closed until he heard the voice of the Minister of Works.
The Yuanjing Emperor opened his eyes and looked down at the officials. Those who could attend the court meeting were all big shots. Ordinary high-ranking officials were not qualified.
"Dear Minister Wei, tell the others about it."
Wei Yuan stepped out and said, "Last night, the night watchmen found a house in the inner city that kept catamites and prostitutes. The women were from good families, and the boys were children of ordinary families. They were captured by human traffickers and imprisoned here. They were forced to serve the customers who came to the house at night to get drunk …
"Last night, the night watchmen moved out and surrounded this nest of thieves. They caught 13 customers. Ten of them were officials, and three of them were big businessmen in the capital. In addition, the night watchmen fished out 40 skeletons from the well in the backyard. They all belonged to good families that had been murdered. "
Wei Yuan's words stirred up a huge commotion in the Imperial Study. The officials discussed loudly, ignoring the rules of silence in the court meeting.
Human trafficking, keeping prostitutes, trading of power and sex … Any one of these could cause the officials involved to be consigned to eternal damnation. Especially during the period of imperial inspection, it could not be covered up.
However, before Wei Yuan finished speaking, another big piece of news came out. "According to the investigation, the owner of the house was involved with the sorcerers of the Witchcraft Cult. The Ghost Raising Spell carved in the well was the evidence. The owner of the house confessed that he was working for Minister Liu of the Ministry of Works. That private house is not only a place to form cliques but also a stronghold to secretly contact the Witchcraft Cult. "
The officials were in an uproar.
If it could be said that they had maintained a certain image just now, they had now become a market. Some people were berating Wei Yuan for slandering him, and some people were proposing to cut off Wei Yuan's head.
The chief eunuch standing next to the Yuanjing Emperor repeatedly shouted 'silence' three times, but the chaotic situation was still not suppressed.
Forming cliques for personal gain, abducting and trafficking human beings, forcing women into prostitution, these are all illegal crimes. However, colluding with the Witchcraft Cult was a different story. It was a wanted crime of treason.
According to the laws of Daibun, those who colluded with the enemy and committed treason would be exterminated.
"Pa!" The Yuanjing Emperor slammed his hand on the table, and the imperial study fell silent in an instant. His sharp gaze swept over the officials and landed on Wang Zhenwen, the Grand Secretary.
"What do you think, Minister Wang?"
The Grand Secretary stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "This matter should be investigated thoroughly. We cannot tolerate it."
It sounded like he was trying to smooth things over, but Minister Sun of the Ministry of Justice could sense that his elder brother was siding with Wei Yuan. He immediately understood what his elder brother meant.
If he was the Minister of Works, he would, at most, do a great favor and embarrass Wei Yuan.
If he was on Wei Yuan's side, once it was investigated, the Minister of Works would be finished. The Qi Party would lose a leader.
In the Sampo Case, the Royal Party had tried to frame the Minister of Works to deal a heavy blow to the Qi Party. Although it failed, it was indeed an opportunity.
The Yuanjing Emperor looked at Wei Yuan. "Where is the culprit?"
Wei Yuan shook his head and sighed. "The culprit was killed by a witchcraft curse last night. Dead men tell no tales."
The Yuanjing Emperor furrowed his eyebrows.
The Imperial Study fell into a dead silence. The ministers looked at Wei Yuan with a strange expression as if saying, 'Why don't you say something if you don't have a picture?'
The Grand Secretary Wang Zhenwen, who was well-versed in Qi cultivation, turned his head and looked at Wei Yuan with a frown.
The Minister of Works smirked and stepped forward with a cold smile. He shouted, "Your Majesty, I am innocent. Wei Yuan is slandering me. Your Majesty, please uphold justice. "
The Yuanjing Emperor's face darkened. "Wei Yuan, what do you have to say?"
Wei Yuan was extremely calm. He said in a clear voice, "Your Majesty, please summon Xu Qi'an, the Copper Gong."
Copper Gong Xu Qi'an … Upon hearing this name, the ministers had a strange expression on their faces. Based on the previous incident with Zhou Chixiong, summoning Xu Qi'an at this critical juncture made the ministers realize that there was a follow-up to the incident. Wei Yuan was hiding something.
Especially the members of the Royal Faction, they had a slight PTSD when they heard the words' summon Xu Qi'an '.
The Minister of Works' expression changed slightly, but he quickly hid his emotions and maintained his composure.
The Yuanjing Emperor was silent for a few seconds. "Summon him."
Ten minutes later, Xu Qi'an entered the Imperial Study wearing a black robe, a copper gong, and a cape. The Black Gold Long Knife that hung behind his waist was confiscated.
Accompanying him were Chu Caiwei and two Celestial Commissioner's white robes.
"Greetings, Your Majesty." Xu Qi'an bowed with his hands held in front.
The Yuanjing Emperor looked at the small gong indifferently. Wei Yuan turned his head and smiled. "Tell His Majesty about your discovery."
Xu Qi'an immediately told the Minister of Works about his plan to use the silver awarded by His Majesty to buy a property. In the end, he discovered a haunted house. Then, through his empathy, he discovered the private house.
The more the Minister of Works listened, the worse his expression became. His heart slowly sank.
The person who reported the night watch last night was furious … They don't have any evidence and are trying to bluff me … The Minister of Works calmed himself down and sneered in his heart.
I've been an official for half my life and experienced many ups and downs. Yet, this is all I can do.
When Xu Qi'an finished, he saw that the Yuanjing Emperor was indifferent and expressionless. He added, "The female ghost is kept in the Fengshui Compass of the Celestial Commissioner, Miss Caiwei. If Your Majesty wants to verify it, you can choose a trustworthy person to empathize with the female ghost."
After that, he thought darkly to himself, 'I must find a man to empathize with.'
The Yuanjing Emperor pondered for a moment and looked at the Head Eunuch beside him. If there was anyone he trusted the most, it was naturally this companion who had served him since childhood.
"I'm willing to sacrifice my life for Your Majesty." The Head Eunuch bowed and said.
"Don't panic, eunuch. It's not a big deal." Xu Qi'an saw the Head Eunuch was a little scared. He thought that the Head Eunuch didn't know what empathy was, so he comforted him.
At most, it was a man riding on his crotch. But don't worry, it was just like watching a movie. There was no specific feeling.
Xu Qi'an thought it was a gift for the Head Eunuch who missed the opportunity to sleep with a man. He couldn't sleep with a woman, so he could make up for his regret by sleeping with a man.
Chu Caiwei took out the Fengshui Compass and came to the Head Eunuch. The Fengshui Compass glowed with Light. The Tai Chi fish rotated and popped out a black fog.
She gently moved the black fog to the Head Eunuch's forehead. The Head Eunuch subconsciously leaned back and tried to avoid it. The next moment, the black fog invaded his Vital Spirit.
Chu Caiwei pointed at the Head Eunuch's forehead and helped him merge with the female ghost. Otherwise, the Head Eunuch's Vital Spirit would be assimilated by the ghost and he wouldn't be able to tell who he was.
The Yuanjing Emperor and the ministers in the study observed the Head Eunuch. His face changed from fear to ferociousness, despair, and pain.
The process lasted for 15 minutes. Chu Caiwei withdrew her finger and the black fog at the same time. Then she put the Fengshui Compass back.
The Head Eunuch groaned and opened his eyes. He knelt on the ground and cried, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please help me …"
As he cried, he suddenly realized that he was a man, or at least he used to be. What he experienced just now was the female ghost's memory, not his own.
After realizing this, the Head Eunuch wiped away his tears. His face gradually returned to normal, but he still said in a sad tone, "Your Majesty, I saw everything."
The Yuanjing Emperor nodded, "Say it."
He looked at the three Celestial Commissioners in white, including Chu Caiwei. Seeing the clear air flowing in their eyes, he felt relieved and looked at the Head Eunuch again.
"I saw that she was kidnapped and sent to the capital. Every day, she was forced to serve the customers who bought her … No, the customers didn't pay."
The ministers looked at each other. It seemed that what Wei Yuan said was true. This was a private house that abducted and sold innocent people and forced them to work as prostitutes.
"Later, she served a customer named Tamlaha. He recognized her and she became his mistress."
Tamlaha … That was the name of a person from a different tribe.
The Yuanjing Emperor narrowed his eyes and glanced at the Minister of Works. He nodded and said, "What happened next?"
"One night, she accidentally eavesdropped on a secret conversation and heard the words' cannon 'and' weapon '. She was brutally murdered and her body was thrown into a well. I saw that the person who talked to Tamlaha … "
At this point, the Head Eunuch turned his head and pointed at the Minister of Works. He said in a sharp voice, "It was Minister Liu."
The Yuanjing Emperor's face turned livid.
The Imperial Study was in an uproar. The ministers changed their target and attacked the Minister of Works. Among them, the Dali Monastery's high priest reacted fiercely and criticized Minister Liu for not being a son.
In the midst of the condemnation, the Minister of Works turned ashen like a lifeless puppet.
…
After leaving the Imperial Palace, Xu Qi 'an rode his horse and rode side by side with Wei Yuan's carriage.
"Duke Wei, the Minister of Works is one of the leaders of the Qi Party. If we have him in our hands, we can uproot the Qi Party." Xu Qi'an said in a low voice.
In the carriage, Wei Yuan laughed. "Now is not the time to uproot the Qi Party. Without the Qi Party, we won't be the biggest beneficiaries."
Xu Qi'an did not dwell on this topic. He changed the topic and asked, "Can I be considered to have made a contribution to redeem myself?"
Wei Yuan grunted. "The Ministry of Justice will not arrest you anymore. The rest of the night watchmen will be decided by His Majesty. Later on, I will send a memorial to the palace. "
"Hmm, I'll leave this to Wei Yuan … My promotion to Silver Gong should be in the bag … I'll go home first and comfort Second Uncle and Aunt."
Xu Qi'an immediately applied for leave and bid farewell to Wei Yuan. He patted the little mare's butt and rushed out of the city.
Second Uncle was on duty and was not at home. There were only Aunt and two sisters at home.
Aunt was sitting on a chair in the front hall, drinking tea and eating snacks. From time to time, she would feed the little bean who was playing with wooden toys.
She wore a dark blue silk dress. Her hair was tied up in a bun and she wore a beautiful golden buyao. Her beautiful face had delicate makeup.
Seeing her unlucky nephew, Aunt's expression changed slightly. She lowered her voice and said hurriedly,
"Why did you come back? Your Second Uncle said there are spies from the Ministry of Justice nearby. Get lost."
"Big Pot, Big Pot …" Xu Lingyin greeted him cheerfully. She braked in front of him and raised her palm-sized face.
"Did you bring back delicious food?"
"No."
Xu Qi'an's indifference shattered his younger sister's ardent expectations.
"Oh."
Xu Lingyin was also a practical girl. She immediately abandoned her big brother, shook her little butt, and went to play by herself.
Xu Qi'an didn't want to talk to Aunt. He walked to the table and reached for the pastries. The beautiful woman slapped his hand away and glared at him. "I'm talking to you."
Xu Qi'an said casually, "The matter has been settled. I came back to inform them."
Hearing that the matter had been settled, Aunt showed a slight smile on her face. She quickly restrained herself and scolded, "You only know how to cause trouble. Can't you live a peaceful life for a while?"
Since the tax case, the matter had never been settled. It would happen every few days. Aunt had been worried and scared at first, but now she was somewhat used to it.
This wasn't a good thing.
Xu Qi'an ignored Aunt's chatter and said, "I've chosen a house. I want to take Lingyue and Lingyin to have a look. Aunt, do you want to go?"
Hearing that the house had been chosen, Aunt's beautiful eyes lit up. She said reservedly, "I have nothing to do anyway. I'll go with you."
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