Compared to the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Appointments, one of the six ministries, the Ministry of Works, did not seem as important. However, the fact that an assistant minister had been brought to the Ministry of Justice for investigation was still a considerable disturbance to the entire court.
Although they didn't know what the result would be, based on the current situation, Assistant Minister Li was most likely dead.
The results of the Ministry of Justice or the Secret Intelligence Bureau's investigations were always the results that the Emperor wanted. If they investigated meticulously, there was not a single person in the court who did not have a guilty conscience.
The other officials were fine, but although the Emperor had changed greatly these days, even his temperament had become more ruthless and he was not as magnanimous and tolerant toward the mistakes of the court officials as before, there was only a certain limit.
This time, Assistant Minister Li of the Ministry of Works had exceeded that limit.
However, for some other officials, the two to three years of good times were truly unlucky.
The officials in the faction were all suffering. Now, it was already the turn of a fourth-rank official. Even the King of Shu had been banished from the capital. Prime Minister Qin rarely spoke up in court. In just over a year, the advantage that he had gained over the past few decades had become negligible.
The Emperor's health was getting worse, but he had banished the King of Shu and suppressed the officials in the king's faction. Could it be that the Emperor was so disappointed in him that he had other plans?
These guesses and suspicions began to surface in the minds of more and more people and could not be dispelled.
…
"Why are there always so many idiots in this world?"
In a brothel somewhere in the capital, Qin Yu sipped a cup of wine and shook his head as he held a plump woman in his arms.
Chen Lijun sighed and said, "The Li family is finished. The assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice personally led people to search their house today. Li Jianren's funeral has just been organized. I'm afraid they will have to do it again."
This time, the Li family that the assistant minister of the Ministry of Works belonged to would be completely erased from the list of influential officials in the capital.
Li Jianren was dead. His death was not without meaning. At the very least, he had dragged the entire Li family with him to be buried with him.
Chen Lijun raised his head and glanced around. In the entire capital, few people could compare to Qin Yu's hatred for Li Yi.
However, even he could only endure and not do anything. Who gave those idiots the confidence?
Clang!
Cui Chengyu threw something on the table, making a crisp sound. He looked at the plump woman in Qin Yu's arms and said, "You go out first."
"Thank you, young master!"
Seeing the sparkling and translucent bracelet on the table, the woman's eyes widened. She grabbed it and hid it in her sleeve, saying: "Thank you, Young Master, thank you, Young Master. This humble woman will leave right away!"
After the woman left, Qin Yu looked at Cui Chengyu with some surprise and asked, "When did you become so generous, giving out glass bracelets so casually?"
"They're all worthless things." Cui Chengyu shook his head and said, "I have something to ask you."
Qin Yu sighed and said, "The Cui family is really a big family. I can't compare, I can't compare …"
Cui Chengyu looked at him and asked seriously, "What is Prime Minister Qin thinking?"
Qin Yu glanced at him and asked, "Is the one talking to me Cui Chengyu or the eldest young master of the Cui family?"
"Young Duke Qin." Cui Chengyu stood up, cupped his hands, and asked, "I need to know the attitude of your Qin family."
At this moment, he represented the Cui family. After being rejected several times in the Qin family's mansion, the Cui family was eager to know the true attitude of Prime Minister Qin and the civil officials under him.
Qin Yu glanced at him, waved his hand, and said, "Sit down and talk …"
Not long after, in a teahouse opposite a brothel, a man sitting by the window saw several young people coming out of the brothel, turned around, and went downstairs.
Several performers invited by the teahouse were performing on a temporary stage, and the seats below were full of guests. The man walked to a place and whispered to a middle-aged man sitting there, "Fifth Master, they're coming out."
"Watching opera in a teahouse is different from a brothel. It's boring, let's go …" The middle-aged man stood up and shook his head. The two walked out of the teahouse and went straight to the opposite teahouse.
…
Ministry of Justice prison.
The former assistant minister of the Ministry of Works sat in front of a table. This cell was unusually clean, without a trace of strange smell. The food on the table in front of him was fragrant, and there was no lack of good wine and delicacies.
He poured himself a cup of wine and leisurely enjoyed his meal. After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, he slowly wiped his mouth with a clean handkerchief, looked at the young man opposite him and said, "Lord Liu, you have good methods."
Liu Yizhong looked at him and said, "Is there anything else that Lord Li wants to eat? I'll tell them to buy it."
"The desire for good food is not worth mentioning." The assistant minister waved his hand and said, "I thought there would never be such a day. Heaven's plan is not as good as man's plan. I admire Lord Liu."
"If you don't want people to know, don't do it." Liu Yizhong shook his head and said, "If you knew it would be like this, why did you do it in the first place?"
The middle-aged man opposite him smiled and said, "People in the court can't do what they want. Lord Liu is still young. You will understand in the future. In this court, who dares to say that he is clean both in front and behind him?"
Liu Yizhong looked at him and asked, "So you're saying that Lord Li plans on shouldering these matters alone? Don't tell me you don't know what the consequences of adding up these crimes will be? "
The middle-aged man shook his head and said, "Let this matter end here. Otherwise, it will be a disaster for Lord Liu and not a blessing."
After a pause, he raised his head to look at Liu Yizhong and said, "I do not seek to be dishonorable. I only hope that Lord Liu will be lenient and leave some descendants for my Li family. I will be extremely grateful."
Liu Yizhong nodded and said, "Beyond the law, there is reason. Lord Li's request is not excessive."
The middle-aged man stood up and bowed to him. "Thank you, Lord Liu."
Liu Yizhong nodded and said, "However, before this, I have a question."
"Lord Liu, please speak."
Liu Yizhong looked at him and said word by word, "How much does Lord Li know about the matter at the Palace of Eternal Peace twenty years ago?"
The middle-aged man's expression changed greatly, but he instantly recovered and shook his head. "I do not know what Lord Liu is talking about."
Liu Yizhong looked at him and said, "In that case, I will take my leave!"
After saying this, he turned around and left decisively.
"Protect the descendants of my Li family."
As he stepped out of the cell, a voice with difficulty came from behind him.
… …
… …
Between the lofty mountains and precipitous cliffs, a group of nearly a hundred people was slowly moving around a few carriages.
In front of one of the carriages, a man in yellow looked back and said, "How long do you think he will sleep today? I'll guess twenty hours."
Another man in yellow thought for a moment and said, "I'll guess more than twenty hours. There are twenty-four hours in a day, and it's convenient to eat. I'll bet one tael of silver."
"I'll bet!"
Just as the other man finished speaking, the curtain of the carriage was lifted and the young man asked, "Where are we?"
A man in yellow immediately said, "In a few more days, we will reach Shu Province."
The young man nodded, but he did not enter the carriage. Instead, he leaned against the front of the carriage and admired the surrounding scenery.
Seeing this, the man in yellow was slightly startled and asked tentatively, "You, you're not going to sleep?"
"No." The young man shook his head and said, "It's stuffy in the carriage, so I came out to get some fresh air."
The man in yellow counted with his fingers. In another two hours, he would have slept for a total of eleven hours in a day, and he would have one tael of silver in his hands. However, if he continued to enjoy the scenery, his silver would fly away ….
He looked at the young man and said in a low voice, "How about you go in and sleep a bit more? I'll help you roll up the curtain and open the window. That way, it won't be too stuffy …"
The young man thought for a moment and nodded. "That's fine."
Not long after, another sound of gnashing teeth came from outside the carriage.
"Damn it, you're cheating!"
… …
"Spare me, spare me, spare me!"
On the rugged mountain road, the ten or so bandits who were extremely fierce just a moment ago were all kneeling on the ground. Their faces were pale and their voices were trembling.
"Did you see it or not?" The young woman holding the sword asked coldly.
"Yes, yes!"
A bald bandit hurriedly nodded and said, "Two days ago, there was a group of people like the heroine who passed by here. However, there were too many of them at that time, so we didn't dare to make a move!"
"Where did they go?" The woman asked coldly.
"Shu Province!"
The bald bandit immediately stretched out his hand and pointed in a certain direction.
After a long time, there was no sound. He mustered up his courage and looked up. Finally, he let out a sigh of relief and sat down on the ground.
That demoness had finally left!
After a moment, the bald bandit turned around and gritted his teeth. "Who hasn't failed before? The first business failed, but it doesn't matter. I'll come back tomorrow!"
One day later.
"Senior, senior, three days ago, the person you spoke of passed by here three days ago and went to Shu Province!" The bald bandit's face was covered in blood and his body was trembling as he spoke to an old man in front of him.
"If I find out that you're lying to me, be careful of your head!" The old man glanced at him and instantly disappeared.
After a long time, the bald bandit crawled up from the ground, patted the dirt off his body and walked forward in a daze.
"Big brother, where are you going?" A few anxious voices came from behind him.
The bald bandit wiped his tears and said with a trembling voice, "I want to turn over a new leaf …"
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