I'm all ears!
Wei Yi propped himself up and paced two steps with his back facing Jing Rong before turning around to meet Jing Rong's gaze.
At the same time, Jing Rong also stood up.
Their eyes met. Wei Yi furrowed his brows and slowly said, "Let's talk about that Lord Liu first. We know that he has been using his authority to conduct illegal transactions and profiting from them. Colluding with officials and businessmen has never been good. How can we allow him to wear that official hat again? Becoming an official in the court? There was also Lord Lu of the Cabinet. He had always been unconvinced by me. Several times, he had privately plotted with the court officials on how to impeach me. He wanted me to abdicate and give up my position. That was a crime of treason, a crime that would implicate his entire family. Considering that they were all old officials, I left them some face. I only stripped them of their positions and allowed them to return to the capital. There is also Lord Zhou. Relying on his position as a scholar of Hanlin Academy, he accepted the private money of the sons of rich families and led them to the Hanlin Academy to hold a post. His various acts of bribery are intolerable. Let me ask you, how can we expect these officials to serve the court? I had no choice but to take this risk to prevent birds from abandoning the tree and insects from remaining.
As for those new officials, I carefully selected them and promoted them. Their backgrounds are clean and they are all virtuous officials. I believe they will be of use to the court. "
Every word he said was reasonable.
Jing Rong didn't know if it was true or false.
You may know a person's face but not his heart.
No!
Lord Liu, Lord Lu, and Lord Zhou were all loyal officials. When he left the capital, he had specially instructed them to assist the Emperor. In just two short months, how did they all become rebellious and corrupt officials?
The treacherous truth was like a bottomless pool of water.
Wei Yi took two steps closer to him and continued, "I knew you would misunderstand. I had intended to wait until the court situation had stabilized before sending someone to send you a letter to reassure you. I didn't expect you to return to the capital so soon."
Jing Rong didn't want to expose him directly. He narrowed his eyes and said, "If all this is true, Your Majesty should remove them from their official positions."
"Since I am sitting in this position, I naturally know what is right and wrong. Jing Rong, you should believe me." Wei Yi's face was full of sincerity.
'You should believe me!'
Jing Rong's chest shook.
Before entering the palace, Ji Yunshu pulled his hand and asked him to believe Wei Yi.
Believe?
You don't believe me?
He looked at Wei Yi and said, "If Your Majesty can keep to your original intentions, I will naturally believe you!" "I am relieved to hear your words." Wei Yi revealed a smile, but his expression quickly turned regretful. "But I presume you came to the capital because of Lord Qin's matter? Speaking of which, I truly feel very apologetic. Although he secretly arranged for officials to enter the Ministry of War without informing me or handing them over to the Ministry of Personnel, I had no intention of blaming him. Yet, he wanted to resign and return to his hometown. Although I was reluctant at the time, I still agreed. But … if I hadn't agreed, he wouldn't have encountered bandits on his way back … Lord Qin is the person I respect the most. Ever since I ascended to the throne, he has taught me many things and is a good teacher.
，”
He blamed himself very much!
Jing Rong only said, "Everything is decided by the heavens."
"Perhaps."
Jing Rong did not stay any longer. He cupped his hands and excused himself.
Wei Yi suddenly asked, "We heard that Hou Liao annihilated Yue Dan in less than a month?"
Jing Rong replied, "Yes."
"Hou Liao now controls the entire Xisai Grassland. I hope he isn't a threat to the Great Lin." Wei Yi's words carried a hidden meaning.
Jing Rong vaguely understood his meaning and emphasized, "Hou Liao has always maintained a friendly relationship with our Great Lin for a hundred years. Their leader, Muzar, has never thought of opposing our Great Lin. He will never disturb our borders. Your Majesty can rest assured on this point."
"That's for the best!"
Jing Rong left the main hall.
Wei Yi stood in the same spot for a long time before returning to his original seat. He looked at the two cups of tea in front of him.
His cup was already half empty.
Jing Rong's cup remained motionless.
The hot tea gradually cooled down.
Jing Rong walked out of the palace, but his footsteps stopped at the palace gates. He turned around.
The inside and outside of the palace were only separated by a single wall.
Those few short steps had changed a person's life.
His gaze moved from the outside to the inside, passing through the gate, the long and secluded porch, and the long stretch of stone slabs. He didn't know where his gaze ended.
He only knew that he couldn't see the end.
After a long time, he withdrew his gaze.
He mounted his horse and went straight to the Rong Estate.
As soon as he entered the estate, he asked Lang Po about Ji Yunshu.
Lang Po told him that Ji Yunshu had gone to the Ministry of Justice to take over Yu Dali's case. She was currently painting a skeleton in the backyard.
She wanted to take over Yu Dali's case, so she planned to return to the capital.
Jing Rong didn't go to the backyard to disturb her. Instead, he asked Lang Po to help him investigate a matter.
At night, Lang Po returned with news.
He reported, "Your Highness, the reason why Lord Liu, Lord Zhou, and the others were removed from their posts was not made public. However, this subordinate has secretly investigated and confirmed that they were indeed removed from their posts due to corruption and treason."
'Is it really like what Wei Yi said?'
Jing Rong frowned deeply. He still didn't believe it. Lu Jiang, who was at the side, knew that Jing Rong was confused. He stepped forward and said, "When Your Highness was away from the capital, I had been observing the movements in the capital. Lord Liu and the others were convicted too suddenly. Their removal from office was also very sudden. Before this, there was no sign of corruption or treason.
However, Lord Liu and the others confessed to their crimes, so they were willing to be removed from office and left the capital. "
These words seemed to have awakened Jing Rong.
What those officials were most afraid of was getting into trouble and offending their superiors, not to mention the Emperor. If the Emperor put a crime on them, the only way for them to protect themselves was to obediently bear the crime, admit the crime, and then leave the capital and keep their lives.
"You mean … if you want to incriminate someone, you can always find a pretext?"
If you want to incriminate someone, you can always find a pretext!
Lu Jiang said, "I'm just guessing. I don't dare to make a conclusion."
"It seems like … this Prince's thinking was too simple."
Thinking of this made his heart ache.
At this time …
An imperial guard came to report, "Your Highness, Lord Qi of the Office of Transmission has arrived."
Lord Qi?
Jing Rong nodded and let him in.
Soon, Lord Qi dragged his son, Qi Li, in.
The little fellow hobbled along, looking adorable and silly. Unlike before, this time, he obediently followed by his father's side, holding a beautiful pen holder in his hands. He didn't make any noise, but his big eyes seemed to have cried for a long time, as they were extremely red and swollen.
They entered the hall.
"Greetings, Your Highness."
"Lord Qi doesn't need to greet me. But it's already so late, why did you bring your son along?"
Lord Qi explained, "This child has been crying for the whole day. He couldn't bear to leave me, so he came along."
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