The Return of the Seventh Young Lady-Chapter 83 - 82
Chapter 82
"Your Majesty, this matter involves many officials and merchants. Please make a decisive judgment, Your Majesty!" Du Chisuan pleaded firmly, and his allies joined in their support.
"Your Majesty, please make a decisive judgment!"
San Yan picked up the petition thrown in front of him and read it. For a moment, his eyes showed panic. Although his name wasn’t listed among the offenders, it was filled with names of his close associates who did all his bidding.
Additionally, the De family, the top merchants in Basui, who funded their schemes to promote the Eldest Prince to Crown Prince, were also listed. If the De family was dealt with, they would be in serious trouble!
"Your Majesty, although this evidence appears solid, it is the result of a unilateral investigation by the Crown Prince. Such actions bypass the proper judicial procedures, which require reporting to the royal court and the presence of senior officials, including Your Majesty, to prevent false accusations and fabricated evidence for personal gain!"
San Yan, unable to let his enemies cripple him, stepped forward to report with a serious expression, his eyes stern like a principled elder statesman. Seeing the Right Side Chancellor opposing the investigation results, his allies knelt to request a re-examination from the Emperor.
"Your Majesty, please reconsider!"
The Eldest Prince exchanged a glance with San Yan and then persuaded his father. "Father, this matter involves many people and cannot be handled recklessly."
"Not only are the lives of many officials at stake, but it also affects the balance within the court. If we punish many officials without thorough verification, the court will face a significant shortage of officials. We recently had a major reshuffle, and another would cause severe disruption, Father."
The Emperor remained silent for a long time upon hearing this. Deep inside, he was also concerned about this issue. Punishing the guilty was necessary, but without a plan to mitigate the aftermath, he hesitated to act rashly.
"A re-investigation poses no problem since the evidence and witnesses are still intact. Another inquiry can be conducted." Lu Jiu smiled coldly at the corner of his mouth, anticipating that his enemies wouldn’t let this matter pass easily. He had already prepared for this scenario.
Demanding a new investigation to buy time for evidence destruction?
Daydreaming!
“However, Eldest Prince’s concern about the balance of the court is overthinking...”
Lu Jiu’s cold eyes fixed on the other party as he continued, “Although punishing a large number of officials may indeed cause temporary turmoil in the court, it’s just a temporary period. The vast land of Basui is not lacking in capable officials.”
“When the current officials behave unworthily, exploiting the people and committing such vile acts, acting like a vile official, letting them be is like letting vicious worms burrow the land till it becomes rotten one day. Isn’t it wiser to eliminate the root cause early on rather than let it fester?”
Lu Jiu scanned over a hundred officials with a calm gaze, making it difficult for anyone to guess his thoughts. However, his icy voice sent chills through the bones of the officials.
“The great region of Basui certainly has many capable officials who might not yet have had the opportunity to showcase their talents. Removing these corrupt officials will clear the way for those virtuous officials who have been waiting for their chance.”
“Moreover, this matter is not solely at the discretion of the court. Don’t forget that the funds used by the court come from the taxes of the people. Thus, the opinion of the people must also be considered...”
Lu Jiu finished with a sneering smile, his sharp eyes glinting with a chilling intensity. His sarcastic words echoed in the minds of all the officials, even leaving the Emperor stunned.
San Yan clenched his lips, trying to suppress his anger. It seemed the Crown Prince had no intention of letting this matter slide. The words just spoken were so ruthless that they left no room for counterarguments.
The Eldest Prince lowered his eyes, searching for words to counter for a long time. Then, as a thought struck him, he responded in a cold voice, "It seems the Crown Prince has missed the point. What the officials are calling for is merely a new investigation..."
"A new investigation? A new investigation it is. The truth will remain the truth, regardless," Lu Jiu shrugged lightly, showing no signs of agitation. He glanced at his enemies as if he were looking at fools.
As the atmosphere in the throne room grew increasingly tense, an imperial guard hurriedly stepped into the hall with a grave expression. He knelt before the Emperor and urgently reported,
"Your Majesty, there is a large disturbance at the palace gates right now! A vast number of citizens and scholars have gathered there, demanding justice from Your Majesty!"
The Emperor’s face grew tense immediately. The discussion among the officials was already pressing, but now with citizens and scholars joining in, the situation seemed to be spiraling out of control.
"What justice are they demanding?"
"Your Majesty, it concerns the officials involved in the recent atrocities. The capital is abuzz with talks about the true masterminds behind the events. More and more people are gathering at the palace gates, declaring that if Your Majesty does not deliver justice, they will kneel there indefinitely."
The Eldest Prince frowned deeply and turned sharply to Lu Jiu with a cold gaze. "Crown Prince...is this your doing, causing this disturbance?"
"I have been standing here the whole time," Lu Jiu raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled cunningly, showing no concern for his enemy’s suspicions. He glanced around at the officials watching him before speaking, his voice laced with a soft laugh.
"I said before, we must consider the people’s opinion..."
San Yan and his faction were infuriated. It was clear that all of this was orchestrated by the Crown Prince. Their enemy had prepared well, and they had fallen into his trap!
San Yan’s initial plan was to delay the punishments to buy time to save their key allies, but with citizens and scholars pressuring for immediate justice, there would be no chance for a new investigation. To quickly restore order in the capital in a limited time frame, the guilty would need to be sentenced swiftly.
It seemed they had lost this battle...
Du Chisuan, seeing everything unfolding according to the Crown Prince’s plan, quickly stepped forward to address the Emperor. "Your Majesty, if the chaos continues, those with ill intentions might exploit the situation to incite further unrest. Please consider this carefully!"
"Please consider this carefully, Your Majesty!"
The Emperor watched the officials kneeling before him, pleading for him to make the right decision. He contemplated for a moment before finally deciding.
"Draft an imperial decree! All officials involved in this matter shall be sentenced to death along with the nine generations of their families! Those who aided the wrongdoers shall be exiled to serve as royal slaves at the border for life, along with their families. They are banned from ever holding office again!"
The powerful decree echoed like thunder, striking into the hearts of all the officials. They were all stunned and alarmed, their hearts trembling violently. In less than a month, numerous officials had already been sentenced to death. The capital was nearly drenched in the scent of blood from these two major purges. Many began to believe that the Crown Prince indeed had the destiny of a demon that devoured the city; otherwise, how could so many people have died in such a short period?...
Lu Jiu observed the panicked expressions of the officials in the throne room with a look of amusement. He clasped his hands and bowed, expressing his gratitude to the Emperor in a delighted tone. “Your Majesty is exceedingly wise!”
“Your Majesty is exceedingly wise!”
The officials supporting Commander Du echoed their thanks in unison. Meanwhile, the officials involved in the wrongdoing turned pale as they realized that the Emperor’s decision was essentially a death sentence for them!
After the morning court session concluded, an imperial decree was announced before the gathered citizens and scholars at the gates of the royal palace. This decision greatly satisfied the populace, and many in the capital began to praise the Crown Prince for addressing the injustice. Lu Jiu’s reputation among the people soared, and soon, the entire capital and surrounding areas revered him!
As Lu Jiu was about to pass through the palace gates on his way back to the Eastern Palace, a figure blocked his path. It was none other than the Third Prince.
“Crown Prince, you truly are impressive. How long have you been back at court? Yet, you’ve already managed to purge quite a few corrupt officials. I must say, I’m in awe...”
The Third Prince remarked, his tone half-serious, half-joke. His eyes held a peculiar glint as he regarded the young man before him, a faint smile appeared on his otherwise stern face.
Lu Jiu smiled back, raising his eyebrows slightly. “Actually, I prefer peace. However, if someone crosses my line, I’m not opposed to teaching them a lesson.”
“Do you think you’ll always be this lucky?” The Third Prince narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint flashing within them.
“Lucky?”
Lu Jiu repeated the word with a laugh, then quickly grew serious. “What I’ve done isn’t luck. It’s those people who brought trouble upon themselves. The Third Prince should avoid imitating them. Stirring up trouble might result in severe consequences, even death...”
With that, Lu Jiu offered a faint smile and walked past the Third Prince nonchalantly. The Third Prince, however, watched him leave with a vicious gleam in his eyes.
Did he think he could intimidate him?
We’ll see about that!
Eastern Palace
After returning to the Eastern Palace and changing clothes, Lu Jiu sat down to work in his study. When his trusted guard entered to report, Lu Jiu looked up from the documents on his desk.
“How did it go?”
“Your Highness, our men among the citizens have spread rumors suggesting that the crime might be linked to the Eldest Prince. It’s expected that within three days, this will instill suspicion among the populace regarding the Eldest Prince.”
Lu Jiu nodded in satisfaction at this report before asking further, “And what about the scholars?”
“Currently, the scholars are beginning to discuss the recent events, Your Highness. Even though many officials have already been executed by imperial decree, they all seem to agree that this incident is related to the struggle for the throne. This has caused many scholars to become dissatisfied with the Eldest Prince.”
“That’s good.”
Lu Jiu smiled slightly, his eyes reflecting his satisfaction. “The Eldest Prince has built up his reputation over many years. To thoroughly destroy an enemy’s reputation, one must slowly plant the seeds of doubt in the people’s minds.”
“Once these seeds grow, it will not be difficult to take down the enemy...”
This strategy of weakening the enemy’s power would significantly harm the Eldest Prince and the Right Side Chancellor, rendering them unable to move for a while. Now was an excellent opportunity for Lu Jiu to gather evidence of all their wrongdoings. The next time he struck, he would ensure it was a decisive blow that would completely neutralize his enemies!
With the Eldest Prince weakened, the Third Prince would not sit idly by. Lu Jiu had no intention of letting him off easily either. The quicker he could resolve these matters, the sooner he could return to Qingzhou Region!
“Any news from Qingzhou Region?” 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖
Lu Jiu asked with a softer expression, his previously cold eyes briefly warming. His personal guard, who knew a bit about the situation, was not surprised and proceeded to report what they had received from their contacts in the capital of Qingzhou Region.
“Your Highness, our men report that everything in Qingzhou Region remains calm, with no significant incidents occurring. Seventh Young Miss is living peacefully at the manor. However, regarding the three women you asked us to investigate, there has been no progress yet.”
“As long as she is at peace, it’s good. She deserves some rest.” Lu Jiu inadvertently showed a gentle smile before his face turned serious again. “Send more people. We must find those three women, especially around the outskirts of the capital. They can’t hide forever.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
The guard responded firmly before turning to leave and carrying out the orders. When Lu Jiu was alone in the room, he lowered his eyes in deep thought, his face showing signs of tension, and his long brows furrowed into a knot.
He wasn’t sure if he was overthinking it, but he had a bad feeling that had been growing stronger with each passing day. He feared that the three women might soon make their return...
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