The Ming Dynasty: The most ruthless imperial grandson, Old Zhu begged me not to kill him.

Chapter 221 Frenzied Climbing and Biting, Everyone Pushes the Wall When It Falls
Guo Huan said angrily.

"You eunuchs have quite the nerve, daring to disturb the resting place of my ancestors! If my ancestors are angered, I will not let you get away with this!"

The ministers in the court were extremely shocked. They never expected that Guo Huan would hide the account book in the ancestral hall, which was the resting place of their ancestors.

To actually store such filthy and corrupt items, even the Guo family's ancestor would probably be furious if he knew about it.

Yu Huatian said with utter disdain.

"I never imagined that Lord Guo was someone who valued his clan. It's just that you put these corrupt and lawless things in the ancestral hall!"

"Is this your way of showing respect to your ancestors?"

Upon hearing this, Guo Huan's face turned pale and then flushed.

He stammered, unsure of where to begin.

Crown Prince Zhu Biao flipped through the account book and looked at it. Although he knew some of the things these people had done, seeing the details still made him angry.

What these guys did was much more serious than I imagined.

Damn.

If not for them.

How could the Ming Dynasty be like this now?

Crown Prince Zhu Biao angrily threw down the account book in his hand.

"Guo Huan, didn't you claim to be incorruptible? Didn't you claim to have never embezzled or broken the law? How do you explain this?"

Guo Huan knelt on the ground, trembling.

"I am innocent! This is all a lie! It's all a lie!"

Crown Prince Zhu Biao glared angrily at the civil and military officials in the court.

"What? You all think so too?"

Upon hearing this, the civil and military officials in the court all lowered their heads: "We deserve to die!"

The evidence is right in front of them; they can't deny it anymore.

That damned Guo Huan said it was foolproof! It would have been so much better to destroy something so important, how despicable!

When Guo Huan saw the Crown Prince Zhu Biao's furious expression, he knew he was doomed.

Guo Huan's face was ashen; who could have imagined that he would end up like this?

He had been hoping to seize this opportunity to become the Minister of Revenue and advance his career, but he never expected that the Crown Prince Zhu Xiong Ying had already begun investigating the matter. It seems that his defeat was not unjust.

Guo Huan looked at the civil and military officials in the court and felt extremely unwilling.

Although he initiated this matter, few of the officials in the court were innocent.

He felt resentful that he had to shoulder the burden of the resources that he had shared back then when things went wrong.

He looked at Crown Prince Zhu Biao and Grandson Zhu Xiong Ying and said.

"Your Highnesses, the theft of the granary is such a major case, do you really think I did it all by myself?"

"Let me tell you, there's more than one person involved in this, especially the high-ranking officials in the court. They always claim to be incredibly loyal, but in reality, which one of them hasn't been involved in this?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions turned extremely grim.

What is Guo Huan trying to do? Does he intend to betray everyone? Many ministers in the court realized that Guo Huan had completely gone mad, and now he wanted to make a big fuss about this matter so that more people would be implicated.

Thinking of this, they gritted their teeth in hatred.

If Guo Huan had taken the blame for this matter, it wouldn't have been a big problem. At worst, a few more officials could have been executed in the provinces, and perhaps they would have tried their best to protect Guo Huan's family or lessen his punishment. But now Guo Huan has implicated all the civil and military officials in the court.

Now, nobody can escape.

Everyone was filled with hatred and gritted their teeth.

"Guo Huan, what are you doing? We are all officials appointed by the imperial court. How can we allow you to implicate each other here!"

"Your Highness, Your Highness the Grandson, Guo Huan has gone mad! His words cannot be trusted!"

"Your Highness, Guo Huan is a wolf in sheep's clothing. He wants to implicate the entire court and plunge our Ming Dynasty into chaos. He is truly a wolf in sheep's clothing. I request that this official be executed immediately!"

...In an instant, the ministers who were originally on good terms with Guo Huan in the court, and the henchmen who followed Guo Huan, all changed their tune.

Many officials in the imperial court were extremely anxious, as this matter was closely related to them, and if it were discovered, their lives would be in danger.

Grandson Zhu Xiong Ying sneered.

"My lords, please do not be anxious."

Whether or not you were involved, I'm confident I can investigate and find out!

"I will never let a corrupt official go unpunished, but I will never wrong an innocent person. Guards, temporarily imprison Guo Huan, and then send Guo Huan's testimony to the Hall of Diligent Governance!"

Two guards quickly arrived and dragged Guo Huan away. The ministers in the court were extremely nervous. They were not afraid that Zhu Xiong Ying had not investigated the matter thoroughly, but rather what their fate would be if the investigation were truly thorough.

This matter has far-reaching implications.

The group turned their gazes to Liu Bowen, hoping that if Liu Bowen could offer some advice to His Highness the Crown Prince, there might be a chance for a change in the situation.

Liu Bowen sighed.

Clearly, many people were involved in this matter, including many from the Censorate. Could they possibly bring all of them to justice? At this moment, Liu Bowen stepped forward and looked at Crown Prince Zhu Biao and Grandson Zhu Xiong Ying.

"Your Highness, Your Highness the Crown Prince, water that is too clear has no fish, and a person who is too discerning has no followers!"

"The officials in the court may have committed some crimes, but some of them do not warrant death. We hope Your Highness can show leniency!"

Zhu Xiong Ying was not surprised that Liu Bowen was willing to step forward.

"Lord Liu."

"May I ask you, are there more scholars or commoners?"

Liu Bowen paused for a moment upon hearing this, as if he understood what Zhu Xiong Ying meant, and stammered out his answer.

"Of course there are many people in the world, but if there are no scholars in the world, who will my Great Ming use to govern the world?"

Zhu Xiong Ying snorted coldly, exuding an imposing aura without anger.

"It is precisely because you all think this way that you corrupt officials know how to oppress the people. Our Great Ming Dynasty rose from humble beginnings and governs the world together with the people. Anything that is detrimental to the people should be completely eliminated!"

"If all those who harm the people can be let go, and all those who embezzle and break the law can be let go, then what use is the Great Ming Law?"

Liu Bowen felt a pang of pity for these people who had studied diligently for decades and finally managed to become officials.

It's normal to have some greed, especially considering how few people can remain untainted in the corrupt world of officialdom.

Zhu Xiong Ying breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the officials in the court.

"I know you have studied for many years and finally achieved your current positions. It is heartbreaking to see so many of your classmates who have studied hard for decades go to jail. But when they were reselling government grain, did they ever think about the people suffering from hunger? I can let them go, but who can let the people go?"

"I know you are having a hard time and I intend to increase your salaries, but some of you should never have touched these granaries. These are the foundation of my Great Ming!"

(End of this chapter)