Chapter 227: Chapter 225: A Harmonious Court (Update 22)
They all speculated in their hearts, imagining if they were in such a situation, would Fourth Prince come to their aid?
But they soon got the answer: absolutely not.
Fourth Prince would certainly not offend the young Emperor for their sake, at least not publicly.
As a result, their hearts all felt a unified chill.
They all felt a coldness, as if they had lost something.
Meanwhile, disregarding the thoughts of those around him, but speaking of Official Liu and that Wang Kui.
They might want to beg for mercy, but they knew by now the young Emperor’s attitude had said it all.
Their pleas, no matter how earnest, would be to no avail.
Obviously, the young Emperor was siding directly with Lin Yi.
But this was also expected, after all, Lin Yi was his close official.
The difference in importance was clear at a glance.
Now, they only hoped that Fourth Prince would come forward to lend them a helping hand.
But all this was futile, regardless of how much they looked towards Fourth Prince, it was of no use.
Yet they dared not call out to Fourth Prince, for if they did, their families would be ruined.
However, the matter was not over, just as everyone thought it would end there.
Just as everyone thought the young Emperor would order the seizure of these few people’s possessions, Lin Yi’s voice sounded again:
“Since the two of you have no defense against the accusation of competing with the people for profit, then this crime is established, and we shall not discuss it further.
Now let us talk about something else, which is that both of your families have amassed such wealth, meaning that you have engaged in corruption.
Do not be hasty in refuting me, although I do not have evidence of your embezzlement of You Country’s finances, the fact of your acceptance of bribes is established.
Such behavior, I believe, is absolutely not allowed under the laws of You Country.”
At this point, Lin Yi’s gaze swept across the assembled ministers:
“Where is the Minister of Dali Temple? Would you step forward and explain to this official?”
Upon hearing this, the young Emperor also tacitly looked towards one of the elders.
Clearly, this indicated the Emperor’s stance, asking the Minister of Dali Temple to step forward and clarify what the punishment would be.
Seeing this, the Minister of Dali Temple originally did not intend to come forward, but seeing the young Emperor’s gaze, he had no choice but to step out.
Then, the old man bowed to the young Emperor:
“Dali Temple Minister Xu Mao presents himself to Your Majesty.”
Seeing the old man step forward, the Emperor did not say anything, but nodded directly.
Seeing this, the Minister of Dali Temple knew what he must say.
Fortunately, he was not part of Fourth Prince’s faction.
He belonged to Sixth Prince’s command, so speaking out posed absolutely no problem for him.
Thus, the old man did not hold back and recited all of the crimes.
When the words “be executed immediately” were heard, both Official Liu and Wang Kui were so scared they fell to the ground with a thud.
This scene made all the surrounding officials break out in cold sweat.
Such matters indeed existed for every one of them.
If these two were beheaded, it meant that none of them could escape.
They wanted to speak out to stop it, but seeing Lin Yi’s almost-smiling expression, they all wisely shut their mouths.
They had reached their current positions, and not one was a fool.
They all knew that Lin Yi was using this incident to threaten them.
It could be said that everyone’s life was in Lin Yi’s hands.
After all, You Country was still the Emperor’s realm; whoever he wanted dead must die.
These officials had neither the ability nor the courage to challenge the Emperor’s authority.
Although they knew in their hearts that if they united, even the Emperor would be helpless against them, doing so would lay a serious hidden danger.
While they were pondering how to act, just as Wang Kui and Official Liu were scared stiff on the floor, Lin Yi’s gaze swept over the crowd before he continued:
“All of this is the result of your own doings. If you could keep your hands clean like the other nobles here, you wouldn’t be facing such consequences today.”
This statement was like a sedative for everyone, slightly relaxing their hearts.
They looked at Lin Yi with gratitude, knowing he did not intend to pursue them today or cause them trouble.
Lin Yi’s target was very clear today: the few officials from the Imperial Censorate.
Giving kindness for kindness, the officials were keenly aware of this.
After hearing Lin Yi’s words, the ministers began to condemn the few from the Imperial Censorate.
When Official Liu and Wang Kui heard the accusations, they spat out blood and fainted.
The situation they hoped for Lin Yi to be in had actually befallen on themselves, which was quite ironic.
But although he had fainted, Lin Yi would not let them off the hook.
Nor would the surrounding officials.
Now was the time to completely take down the opposition and ensure their own safety.
Thus, a ridiculous scene unfolded. Both Fourth Prince’s and Sixth Prince’s factions were now siding with Lin Yi.
The tacit understanding of the court was self-evident.
For a time, even the young Emperor seemed somewhat distracted.
Such a scene seemed to only occur when the late Emperor was alive.
And now, this man had managed to reach such a level all by himself, which was enough to show that he truly had the ability.
At the same time, she filled her gaze towards Lin Yi with little stars.
Amidst such an atmosphere, the young Emperor concluded the matter with a final decision, handing them over to the Minister of Dali Temple for handling according to his words.
Thus, this farce finally came to an end.
And because of the preceding display, nobody dared to resent Lin Yi.
Even as the Civil and Military Officials faced Lin Yi,