Seeing Li Sheng kneeling in front of him begging for mercy, Xiao Ruxun was not angry.
Or rather, he was not angry at all.
"Get up, we didn't say I was angry, why did you plead guilty? Is this a crime? "
Xiao Ruxun's words stunned Li Sheng, who was still trembling in fear and despair.
"Your Majesty …"
Li Sheng knelt on the ground and raised his head to look at Xiao Ruxun.
"Li Sheng, we didn't say you committed a crime. What we are unhappy about is that you didn't tell us about the one thousand taels of silver at first notice."
Xiao Ruxun crooked his finger at Li Sheng: "Stand up."
Li Sheng trembled as he climbed up from the ground with doubt and fear.
"Your Majesty … this old servant … this old servant really didn't mean it … really …"
"Li Sheng, throughout the dynasties, the most important thing for someone by the emperor's side is loyalty."
Xiao Ruxun looked at Li Sheng: "What the emperor cares about the most is loyalty. As long as you are loyal enough, one thousand taels of silver is nothing and you will still be our loyal servant. But if you are not loyal enough, even if you didn't take a single copper coin, we can still turn you into a greedy person."
Li Sheng trembled and was about to kneel again, but Xiao Ruxun directly raised his leg to stop his knee.
"Why are you kneeling? We haven't asked you about your crime yet, why are you kneeling? "
"Your Majesty … this old servant … this old servant's loyalty to Your Majesty, the heavens can bear witness!"
Li Sheng raised his head to look at Xiao Ruxun: "The silver General Qi gave this old servant, this old servant didn't say anything outside of Your Majesty's permission, not a single word."
Li Sheng's lips trembled and his face turned pale.
"Of course we know, if you said anything, or if you wanted to say anything, do you think you would have the chance to stand in front of Qi Dayong and take the silver?"
Xiao Ruxun had a smile on his face, but Li Sheng felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, his entire body turning cold.
At that moment, he had almost forgotten what kind of emperor Xiao Ruxun was …
"I put you by my side because I think highly of your loyalty, your efficiency in handling matters, and your wisdom in seeing the big picture. Not everyone around me can be a good person. I think highly of you, that's why I promoted you to be my chief steward. But what I don't understand is, why didn't you tell me after you took the money?"
Li Sheng trembled, unable to utter a single word.
"This Emperor doesn't care whether you took the silver or not. What This Emperor cares about is why you didn't tell This Emperor that you took the silver. Answer This Emperor. Li Sheng, why didn't you tell This Emperor?"
Li Sheng became even more frightened. He wanted to say something, but he couldn't. His legs trembled, and his body went limp as he fell to the ground.
"Li Sheng, We don't care whether you took the money or not. The money you took was either a reward We gave to the officials or their own salaries. They felt that they had too much money and wanted to give it to you. We don't care. But why did you hide it from us?
Ever since you came back, This Emperor has been giving you opportunities to tell This Emperor about this matter, but you don't seem to have any intention of telling This Emperor. You are This Emperor's servant. Everything you have, including your life, is This Emperor's. You shouldn't have secrets, and you aren't allowed to have secrets.
Li Sheng, remember this. The moment you have a secret is the moment we lose you. You are a loyal servant that we have high hopes for, and we have high hopes for you. If we lose you, we will have to think hard about choosing someone else. We don't want to lose you. "
Xiao Ruxun directly reached out and lifted Li Sheng up.
Li Sheng's lips trembled, even his breathing was shaky. Looking at Xiao Ruxun's ice-cold face, he shut his mouth and swallowed a mouthful of saliva, forcefully suppressing the fear in his heart.
"Your Majesty, this old servant knows his wrongs. This old servant will never dare to do such a thing again. From now on, this old servant's everything is Your Majesty's. This old servant will do whatever Your Majesty says. This old servant will say whatever Your Majesty wants to know. Your Majesty, this old servant knows his wrongs, this old servant really knows his wrongs …"
Xiao Ruxun looked at Li Sheng for a while.
"You really know your wrongs?"
"Really … really, Your Majesty, this old servant really knows his wrongs."
Xiao Ruxun smiled.
"Fine, This Emperor will believe you this once and give you a chance."
Li Sheng's eyes widened.
His body no longer trembled, and he no longer stuttered.
"Your Majesty is really willing to forgive this old servant?"
"A monarch does not joke."
Xiao Ruxun nodded: "However, take out half of your one thousand taels of silver and send it to This Emperor's personal funds. This Emperor's hands aren't that good."
"Ah?"
"What ah? You are unwilling? "
Xiao Ruxun frowned: "You can receive silver because you are someone by This Emperor's side. Because This Emperor promoted you to this position, you can enter the eyes of Qi Dayong and the others. Otherwise, do you think Qi Dayong and the others would care about a eunuch deep in the palace?"
"Your Majesty's words … are extremely …"
Li Sheng lowered his head.
"So, everything you have is given by This Emperor. The reason you can receive silver is also because of This Emperor. The silver they give you, This Emperor will split it half with you. It's not a big deal, is it?"
Li Sheng hurriedly said: "It's not a big deal, it's not a big deal. Your Majesty should take it all! Everything this old servant has is Your Majesty's! "
"Forget it, leave some money for your old age."
Xiao Ruxun waved his hand: "Your days are not that easy. This Emperor knows very well. In any case, the money you took was bestowed by This Emperor. Wool comes from the sheep. If they are willing to give it, This Emperor is happy to accept it. You only need to remember, in the future, whatever This Emperor wants you to tell Qi Dayong, you must tell him.
If there are others who bribe you, you must also accept it and report it to This Emperor. If there are other Emperor attendants who take bribes, you must also know and report it to This Emperor. Some people are so interested in This Emperor, This Emperor naturally has to give them a chance. "
Li Sheng's pupils shrank as he realized what the Emperor wanted to do.
However, he did not have much of a choice. He immediately knelt down and accepted the Emperor's order. Just like in the past, he would become the Emperor's dog and live as the Emperor's lackey.
Lackeys who could not work for the Emperor and could not fight for the Emperor were fated to be abandoned. Li Sheng knew this very well.
What the Emperor needed was a loyal dog that was absolutely loyal and meticulous, not an ingrate with ulterior motives.
Not only did he have to become such a loyal dog, but he also had to help the Emperor get rid of all the ingrates. Otherwise, he would be labeled as an ingrate.
"Alright, get up."
Xiao Ruxun said: "Just remember this matter in your heart. Right, that daughter of Yang Yinglong, is she beautiful?"
Li Sheng was taken aback. He blinked and immediately replied: "Yes, she is very beautiful. It is said that she is proficient in the four arts of zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Yang Yinglong regarded her as a pearl in his palm and doted on her very much. Many of the local nobles have proposed marriage to Yang Yinglong, but Yang Yinglong has never agreed."
"Oh, is that so? Then This Emperor has ordered the annihilation of her entire family. Right now, her heart must be filled with hatred for This Emperor, right?"
"This … Your Majesty, this is also human nature."
Li Sheng was a little troubled: "But Your Majesty, rest assured, as long as Your Majesty wishes, this old servant will definitely train her to be obedient for Your Majesty."
"Why? “
Xiao Ruxun looked at Li Sheng with interest: "Train her to be obedient? Boring, really boring. There is no motivation at all. Moreover, This Emperor does not like the training methods in the palace. If you want to train her, This Emperor will do it personally."
After saying this, Xiao Ruxun beckoned Li Sheng to come closer and said a few words.
Li Sheng did not understand this at all.
"Your Majesty, this … is this useful?"
"Of course it is useful. Moreover, don't you think this is very interesting?"
"This …"
"Alright, just do as This Emperor says. Staying in the palace all the time to deal with government affairs is a big headache. You should at least find some fun, right? This Emperor also needs to rest. "
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
