"How dare you!"
The officials he had just called out had already been taken away by the imperial guards who had rushed in from outside. Emperor Jing looked down with a gloomy expression. "In a few years, hundreds of thousands of taels of silver … I am not raising officials, but a group of vermin!"
"This official is guilty, please have mercy, Your Majesty!"
"Please have mercy, Your Majesty!"
"Please have mercy, Your Majesty!"
…
…
At this moment, no one had any illusions. Nearly ten people knelt on the ground and cried out loud, tears and mucus flowing down their faces.
A trace of fatigue appeared on Emperor Jing's face. He waved his hand and said, "Remove these people from their official positions. First, take them to the Supreme Court and confiscate their property. Put everything into the national treasury!"
Soon, those people were taken away by the imperial guards. The court officials below were all silent. They looked at the ground and did not dare to raise their heads.
The highest official that had been called out by His Majesty was a fourth-rank official. A little higher would be the Minister of the Six Ministries. In recent years, it was the first time that such a large number of officials had been dismissed.
And looking at His Majesty's expression, this was just the beginning.
Could it be that His Majesty had really made up his mind to overthrow the entire court?
"Yesterday, the Divination Academy sent the results of the accounts to the palace." Emperor Jing turned around and walked up. He sat back on the dragon throne and said, "I looked through the accounts all night … I am very distressed …"
Hearing His Majesty's voice sink, the hearts of many court officials also sank.
According to the previous situation, any problematic accounts could not be hidden from the students of the Divination Academy. Didn't that mean that all the evidence of the corruption of the capital's officials was in His Majesty's hands?
Thinking of this, even those officials who had a clear conscience felt a chill on their backs.
As for those who felt guilty, their feet were already a little unstable.
This time, could it be that they really could not escape?
…
…
"Boy, His Majesty trusts you the most. This time, does His Majesty really plan to catch all those people in one fell swoop?" Old General Xue pushed Li Yi and asked with a frown.
Just now, the old Emperor had spoken so loudly that he couldn't fall asleep. Li Yi was already awake. Hearing the words, he opened his eyes and said, "You generals should know what His Majesty will do, right?"
Old General Ma waved his hand and said, "His Majesty's actions these days are very different from before. Even the few of us can't figure it out. Brat, don't keep us guessing. Hurry up and tell us …"
Li Yi shook his head and said, "How could His Majesty allow the court to fall into chaos? Generals, don't worry."
Old General Xue stared at him and asked, "Do you really know the inside story?"
"Shh …" Li Yi raised a finger and whispered, "This time, it's up to the generals to grasp the opportunity …"
A moment later, Old General Xue's face lit up as he asked, "Is this true?"
Li Yi retorted, "When have I ever deceived the generals?"
"Good lad …" Old General Xue patted him on the shoulder and rubbed his palms together. His eyes shone brightly.
A faint fragrance drifted over to his side. The princess was standing beside him and asked, "Did something good happen?"
During morning court sessions, the princess was the only woman who could enter this hall. Li Yi thought for a moment and felt that he should bring the princess along. Just as he was about to speak, another figure came over.
…
…
"The Left Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Feng Yuan, was born into a poor family and failed in the imperial examinations. It was I who made an exception and recruited him. In the past 15 years, he has been promoted single-handedly. The Ministry of Revenue is in charge of money and rations. Do you know how much he has embezzled? 150,000 taels, a whole 150,000 taels!"
"Do you know that for the sake of 50,000 taels of military expenditure, the Minister of War and the Minister of Revenue almost got into a fight in front of me? That's not even enough for Feng Yuan to embezzle for a year!"
"You may not know the Director of the Inspection Branch, Chen Ying, but we remember it very clearly. In the eighth year of Yuanhe, he became a Jinshi. In the tenth year of Yuanhe, we promoted him to be the Director of the Inspection Branch. 80,000 taels, 80,000 taels in three years …"
Jing Emperor's voice gradually turned from grief and indignation to pain. Some of the officials below were pale and trembling, while others showed shame on their faces.
"All of you here are not without problems. You are not much better than the people we have just captured. Touch your conscience. Do you still have a conscience?"
…
…
After a moment, Jing Emperor seemed to be tired from speaking. He sat back on the throne in a somewhat dispirited manner and said, "We have finished speaking. It's your turn to speak."
Most of the officials still had their heads bowed and the entire hall was silent.
At this time, whoever spoke first would be the first to face the Emperor's anger.
"This official has something to say."
Amidst the silence, an unhurried voice came from behind a pillar.
Looking at the young man who walked out from behind the pillar, everyone's faces showed surprise and confusion.
County Uncle Li, it was actually County Uncle Li!
The investigation of the accounts was done by a student of the School of Mathematics. As the dean of the School of Mathematics and the person with the most royal favor in the court, he could have stayed out of it, but he stood up at this time. What did he want?
Didn't he know that His Majesty was angry and whoever stood up would be unlucky?
In the crowd, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Appointments, Li Mingze, raised his head and showed a worried expression. The Minister of War, Yan Bing, frowned slightly. The capital governor, Dong Wenyun, looked at him in surprise. There were also a few people in the corner who looked at him with gloating eyes.
"Speak." Jing Emperor glanced down and said lightly.
"Reporting to Your Majesty." Li Yi raised his head and said, "The School of Mathematics has been open for half a month. In order to create a good learning environment for the students, I want to dig an inner lake in the School of Mathematics. However, the school's budget is insufficient, so I want to apply for a grant from Your Majesty …"
Before he finished speaking, many people in the hall were stunned.
Was he talking about digging a lake?
His Majesty was talking about corruption. What did it have to do with digging a lake?
What did digging a lake have to do with the study of the School of Mathematics?
Did County Uncle Li really think that he could be so presumptuous in the court just because he was valued by His Majesty?
Without waiting for them to react, another figure walked out. Old General Xue said in a rough voice, "If I may be so bold, I would like to ask Your Majesty to allocate 100,000 taels of silver to purchase a new batch of military equipment for the frontline soldiers …"
Li Yi glanced at General Xue. He asked for 100,000 taels. Old ginger was spicier and his heart was more ruthless …
Before people could figure out why General Xue wanted to join in the fun, there was another voice in the hall. The Eldest Princess came forward and said, "I have been ordered to build a women's college. I am short of 50,000 taels …"
Li Xuan, the son of Prince Ning and the dean of the Academy of Sciences, stepped forward and said, "The Academy of Sciences is about to open. I would like to apply for 50,000 taels of research funds from Your Majesty …"
…
…
Crazy, they were all crazy.
This was the most intuitive feeling of the courtiers.
It was because the national treasury was tight that there was this investigation of accounts and His Majesty's thunderous anger.
Wasn't it courting death to say this kind of thing at this time?
It was understandable that County Uncle Li was hysterical and General Xue was old and confused. But why did the Eldest Princess and the Eldest Prince come up to join in the fun?
The expressions of many people in the imperial court immediately changed, and many people revealed expressions of schadenfreude.
The next moment, Emperor Jing stood up and slowly said in front of everyone's eyes, "The new mathematics is very important to our Jing Kingdom. The soldiers are fighting at the frontline, and the ordnance is indispensable. The establishment of a women's college is also a matter for women. The research of the Academy of Sciences is beneficial to the country … But the national treasury is tight, and the money needs to be used in the most important places …"
Emperor Jing thought for a moment and said, "The national treasury can't be used arbitrarily. How about this, I will take out 10,000 taels from the Inner Mansion. As for how to distribute it, you can discuss it yourself."
General Xue quickly said, "Your Majesty, you must not. The Inner Mansion is responsible for the expenses of the palace. You must not mix it with these."
Emperor Jing waved his hand and said, "It doesn't matter. In the future, the standards of the banquets in the palace will be reduced, and I will save some money from other places."
All the courtiers in the hall were stunned. His Majesty did not blame him at all and smoothly took over the topic?
Compared to these things, the matter of accounts that almost caused the court to collapse seemed to be more important, right?
Among the many courtiers, a middle-aged official suddenly came to his senses. The next moment, his breathing became a little rapid, and his face became flushed.
He took a deep breath and took a big step forward. He said righteously, "Your Majesty, the Inner Mansion is responsible for the expenses of the palace. It has already been carefully planned, and the expenditure must not be reduced. As a courtier, I should share Your Majesty's worries. I am willing to donate 20,000 taels for the soldiers of our Jing Kingdom!"
Many officials in the court were stunned for a moment. After looking at each other, they finally seemed to realize something. Immediately, many people's faces became excited …
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