After the morning court session the next day, Wu Zetian arrived at Wucheng Hall. Shanghai Wan 'er served her a bowl of her favorite fermented rice, then quietly retreated to the side, afraid to offend her.
There were two people in the hall. One was the Minister of Revenue, Xue Lingxue, and the other was the Minister of Works, Gao Yanli. The two had been waiting even before the morning court session ended. Shanghai Wan 'er already knew why they were here, so she was especially careful.
As expected, Wu Zetian's expression darkened as soon as she heard the two's intentions.
The two had come to report on her.
Wu Zetian loved to listen to people snitching on her secrets. For this reason, she had specially set up a "copper cage" to receive snitches. She had even issued an edict, ordering all the provinces and counties under the heavens to provide the informant with a post horse, accommodation, and food of a fifth-ranked official. The informant was to be sent to the capital, and the local officials were not to question the contents of the informant's report. If the informant was found to be true, they would be rewarded. If the informant was found to be false, they would not be pursued.
But today, with these two people snitching on her, Wu Zetian could not bring herself to be happy. Because these two people had not only exposed Wu Zetian's relatives, but also some of Wu Zetian's most trusted confidants.
Xue Lingxue and Gao Yanli had reported the two brothers, Zong Qinke and Zong Chuke, their cousin Zong Jinqing, and Fu Youyi, who had made great contributions during Wu Zetian's ascension to the throne.
Zong Qinke was the assistant minister of the Phoenix Pavilion, Zong Chuke was the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and Zong Jinqing was a master craftsman. Although Fu Youyi had been removed from his position as the Prime Minister, he was now the Assistant Minister of Rites, an important official in the Ministry of Rites.
Xue Lingxue and Gao Yanli provided the account books and other solid evidence, accusing Zong Qinke, his brothers, and Fu Youyi of corruption, bribery, embezzlement, selling official positions, and even cutting corners during the construction of the Wu Clan's Seven Temples.
Zong Qinke was the assistant minister of the Phoenix Pavilion as well as the Inner Custodian. If he wanted to sell his official rank, he had the qualifications to do so. Zong Chuke was the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, while Zong Jinqing was a master craftsman. They had a hand in the construction of palaces, ancestral temples, and mausoleums. Furthermore, these buildings had to be inspected by the Ministry of Rites in terms of regulations, decorations, specifications, and materials. Therefore, Fu You Yi, as the Assistant Minister of Rites, could also be completely involved.
Naturally, Xue Lingxue and Gao Yanli were sent here by the Prime Ministers. However, the evidence they presented was undeniable. The Prime Ministers had long held onto this evidence. The reason why they had not brought it out earlier was that although this evidence could strike at their political enemies, it could not cause them any serious damage or even completely defeat them. Therefore, they had not used it all this time in order to avoid rashly fighting without sufficient preparation.
Now that Wu Chengsi was being overbearing, they had no choice but to return the favor.
Wu Zetian was truly distressed. Of course, she understood the principle that if the water was too clear, there would be no fish. She also understood the principle of "the wise do not see, the wise do not hear, the virtuous do not see, the small transgressions are forgiven, and the righteousness of only one person". She had never wanted to demand that her officials be as honest as saints.
However, Zong Qinke, his brothers, and Fu You Yi's actions were too excessive. Selling official rank! Then what kind of officials would the court appoint? They even dared to skimp on the construction of the Seven Temples of the Wu Clan. What else would they not dare to embezzle?
Today, the world belonged to Wu Zetian. She wanted her dynasty to stand tall for all eternity. She wanted to create a flourishing dynasty that belonged to her, Wu Zetian. The actions of these corrupt and corrupt officials were destroying her great cause.
Thinking of this, Wu Zetian's eyebrows lightly rose. However, with a slight raise of her eyebrows, her originally calm and graceful face was suffused with a faint murderous aura.
Wu Zetian grabbed a red brush. The tip of the brush was as sharp as a blade. After hovering over the paper for a moment, she began to write. A moment later, an imperial edict was written. Wu Zetian said to Shanghai Wan'er, "Add a seal and send it to the Imperial Censorate. Tell Lai Junchen to handle it as soon as possible!"
Shanghai Wan'er gave a sound of assent. She gave Little Hai a meaningful glance, and Little Hai immediately took out the imperial seal. Shanghai Wan'er took this opportunity to look at the imperial edict. Seeing Wu Zetian's choice of words, she knew that the three Zong brothers could be spared. But that Fu You Yi who had been promoted because he had taken the lead in persuading the emperor would definitely be done for.
Asking Lai Junchen to investigate again was just going through the procedure according to the law. The imperial edict had already decided the fate of these people. Lai Junchen was someone who was good at understanding the Emperor's will. He would "find" the needed evidence according to the punishment the Emperor wanted to give.
For the sake of her everlasting foundation, Wu Zetian was determined to punish her subjects who had violated the laws of the Zhou Dynasty. But she would never realize that she herself was doing something that violated the laws of the Zhou Dynasty.
Xue Lingxue and Gao Yanli saw that Wu Zetian had already punished them, so they bowed and left. Wu Zetian tiredly leaned back in her chair and sadly closed her eyes. Seeing this, Wan'er hurriedly walked behind her. Stretching out her slender fingers, she gently massaged her shoulders. She discovered that Wu Zetian's temples had already turned silver. She couldn't help but feel a bit sad.
Even though Wan'er's grandfather and father were both executed by Wu Zetian, as a person who believed in the supremacy of the monarchy, she couldn't bring herself to feel enmity towards Wu Zetian. Moreover, her grandfather and father had died when she was still a baby. She didn't have any feelings towards them.
On the contrary, she had a special feeling towards Wu Zetian, who she had been with since she was fourteen. That feeling was like a child's admiration for a loving mother, but also like a reverence for a strict father. Now, she discovered that even though Wu Zetian spent a lot of time every day and used countless treasures to maintain her body, her youth was still slipping away day by day …
"Wan'er …"
"What?" Wan'er was startled and quickly asked.
Wu Zetian let out a long sigh. She mumbled as if she was in a dream, "I … cannot tolerate anyone destroying the empire that I have built with my own hands! However, there are always people that I trust and use to destroy it. Tell me … who is there that I can trust? "
Wan'er gently pressed on Wu Zetian's shoulders and thought for a long time. Just as she was about to tactfully avoid this question, she discovered that Wu Zetian was snoring softly. She had fallen asleep …
…
Lai Junchen was more efficient than Zhou Xing. Early the next morning, he reported the results of the trial to Wu Zetian: Zong Qinke, Zong Chuke and Zong Jinqing had colluded to embezzle the funds for the construction of the palace. The evidence was conclusive and a large amount of stolen goods was found in the three's mansions. The three had confessed to their crimes and respectfully awaited the Emperor's judgment.
Wu Zetian decreed that Zong Qinke would be demoted to Zunhua County Lieutenant, while Zong Chuke and Zong Jinqing would be exiled to Lingnan.
As soon as Wu Zetian issued the decree, Lai Junchen immediately took out another memorial from his sleeve. It said that the Assistant Minister of Rites, Fu Youyi, dreamed that he ascended to the Palace of Deep Dew and sat on the Dragon Throne. He wore the Dragon Robe and was worshipped by hundreds of officials. When he woke up, he was pleased with himself and told his relatives about what he saw in his dream.
His relatives were sensible and ran to the Imperial Censor to report him. Lai Junchen arrested Fu Youyi and sent him to prison for questioning. Fu Youyi confessed to his ambition and committed suicide to escape punishment. Wu Zetian decreed that since the criminal was dead, there would be no additional charges. Fu Youyi's family was sensible and reported him meritorious service.
Just like that, Fu Youyi died in such a baffling manner. More than a year ago, because he had taken the lead in persuading people to enter the government, he was promoted from a lower sixth-ranked official to the Prime Minister. He was promoted so quickly that he was known as the "Four Seasons Official". More than a year later, because of a "dream", he "committed suicide to escape punishment" in prison.
From his promotion to his violent death, wasn't Fu Youyi's fantastical experience just like a dream?
Zong Qinke, Fu Youyi, and the others were all on Wu Chengsi's side. Their sudden disaster was clearly the Prime Minister's counterattack. Fu Youyi "committed suicide", Zong Qinke was demoted to a lowly county officer, and Zong Chuke and Zong Jinqing were exiled to Lingnan. This series of powerful counterattacks made the officials who were not on the Wu side proud and elated.
But Wu Chengsi was not willing to give up. He immediately ordered Zhou Xing to repeat the same trick and very quickly obtained a new confession from Wei Fangzhi, confessing that Prime Minister Cen Zhangqian was his accomplice. This time, Zhou Xing had learned from his failure to bite Su Liangsi. Once he obtained the confession, he immediately conducted a search of Cen Zhangqian's mansion. As if performing a magic trick, he found more than a hundred sets of armor, hundreds of spears, and dozens of crossbows.
Cen Zhangqian was not only the Prime Minister, he also had a military rank. He had been the Minister of War for a long time and still held the military rank of General Who Supports the Nation. Cen Wenqian was the nephew of the Prime Minister of the Taizong dynasty, Cen Wenwen. Uncle and nephew had served as Prime Minister for two generations. He had a wide network of people, had many disciples, and held both civil and military positions. As soon as she heard that he was Wei Fangzhi's accomplice, Wu Zetian became very nervous. She immediately ordered Zhou Xing to step up the investigation and strengthen the capital's defenses.
After Cen Wenqian was imprisoned, he saw the new and soul-shattering torture devices and knew that his body would not be able to endure the torture. The Cen family had many people. If he couldn't endure the torture and went against his will, he would definitely harm many of the officials who were on good terms with the Cen family. Carrying the crime of rebellion on his back, he would not be able to escape death. It was better for him to end things early. He made up his mind and committed suicide.
When Wu Zetian heard the news, she was furious. She ordered the tombs of her father and grandfather to be dug up and exposed in the wilderness. Zhou Xing did not give up. Seeing that Cen Wenqian had committed suicide, he tortured his son Cen Lingyuan to force him to confess his accomplice. Unable to endure the torture, Cen Lingyuan randomly confessed to a few officials. In a short period of time, the Minister of Rites Ouyang Tong, the Right Imperial Envoy Ge Fuyuan, and dozens of other officials were imprisoned for the crime of rebellion.
The Prime Ministers did not want to be outdone. Using the evidence they had on the opposing officials, they continuously impeached them. The originally peaceful officialdom was thrown into chaos. Wu Zetian originally thought that after her ascension to the throne, the government would be clear and the officials would be honest. She did not expect that there would be rebellion and corruption. In her anger and grief, her killing intent soared.
For a short period of time, Luoyang was a reign of terror. Ever since Wu Zetian ascended to the throne, several abandoned markets that had been deserted for a long time were once again bustling with activity. Every day, there would be officials being escorted to the execution grounds to be executed. At this time, it was already the height of summer. However, for many people, every day was as cold as ice.
Yang Fan watched the decisive battle between the Prime Ministers and Wu Chengsi. He was anxious. He knew that if he wanted to stop all of this, he could only rely on the intervention of a third force. The best candidate for this third force was naturally Wu Sansi. As long as he was willing to take action, not only could he change the current situation, but he could also deal a heavy blow to Wu Chengsi.
However, Wu Sansi was very satisfied with the current situation. In order to prevent a third force from joining the opposing side, both sides did their best to avoid involving the officials belonging to the third force. Since Wu Sansi did not suffer any losses, he was naturally happy to let them fight to the death.
At this time, Shen Mu was fighting with Young Master Jiang in Chang 'an. Wu Sansi was biding his time, so Yang Fan had no other choice but to bite the bullet and go find Princess Taiping. At this moment, if there was anyone who could stop this tragic battle, it was the Flower of Luoyang!
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