Red Mansion: After being expelled from the family, I was granted the title of Marquis of Mobei

Chapter 41: Impeachment at the Court Meeting, On the Spot

And Sheng Minglan knew it very well. Although her father looked like a kind father, he was already wishing that she would agree to this matter right away.

It was because she was going to marry her brother Jia Jue in February, and her father was worried that he would hold a grudge against her because of this matter after she got married, so he acted as if he was letting her make the decision.

Sheng Minglan knew very well that in the end, she was the only one who would be wronged.

In order to save his beloved daughter, Princess Yong'an, the Ying family owed a huge favor to the Sheng family this time.

But these are not important anymore. As long as my brother Jia Jue is fine in the future, I will bear with the grievances.

Sheng Minglan nodded slightly and said.

"Daddy, I understand. Now that things have come to this, there seems to be no other choice but to help them."

"My daughter is willing to serve the Marquis together with the princess from now on, and we will be on equal footing, regardless of whether we are great or small, right or wrong."

After hearing this, Sheng Hong was ecstatic, but he still suppressed his inner smile and said with a guilty look on his face.

"Minglan, it's all because of Daddy's incompetence. He simply couldn't resist the British government's pleas."

Sheng Minglan waved her hand and said.

"Daddy, you don't have to say anything. Your daughter understands."

"It's getting late. I'll go back and rest first. I'll go pay my respects to you tomorrow."

After saying this, Sheng Minglan turned around and went back to her bedroom. Sheng Hong didn't care about this, after all, his goal had been achieved.

This time, the British government owes me such a big favor, and it will definitely be of great help to the Sheng family when the critical moment comes.

Seeing that Sheng Minglan had already gone back, Sheng Hong was too lazy to pretend anymore and left happily humming a little tune.

The next day, on the ninth day of the Lunar New Year, the first court meeting of the Great Zhou Dynasty in the fourth year of Yongping officially began.

After a complicated ceremony, Emperor Yongping ascended the throne in the Hall of Supreme Harmony and accepted the worship of civil and military officials.

After the worship, Emperor Yongping looked around at his ministers with majestic dignity.

"My dear ministers, I, a humble person, have been entrusted by our ancestors to succeed the throne. I rely on the protection of heaven and earth and the protection of my subjects. Now, in the new year, I gather here with you all, and my heart is filled with joy."

"Looking back on last year, you and I have worked tirelessly to protect our country."

"When disasters and famines ravage the land, leaving countless people starving, we are fortunate to be able to overcome the disaster thanks to the wise and capable people in the court providing relief and the kind and capable local officials who comfort the people."

"There were also times when barbarians harassed our borders, and when wars broke out, our soldiers risked their lives, bearing their weapons to repel the enemy, shedding their blood on the battlefield to protect the peace of our homeland. Farmers diligently cultivated, resulting in abundant harvests and filling granaries. Craftsmen refined their crafts, creating exquisite artifacts and opening trade routes. Literati spread the truth, leaving behind a legacy of classics and promoting propriety and righteousness. These are all the achievements of you and the people working together, and I will remember them in my heart."

"Now that the new year has begun and the Yang energy is rising, I hope that you, as prime ministers, will help me manage the Yin and Yang, plan strategies, offer wise and virtuous advice, and assist me in governing the world."

"The six ministries and nine ministers each perform their duties, clarifying customs, promoting benefits and eliminating abuses, ensuring smooth implementation of government orders and benefiting the people; the frontier governors comfort the people, supervise agriculture and sericulture, train the army and strengthen defense, and ensure the prosperity and stability of the region."

"As soldiers, you must be loyal to your country, prepare your horses and weapons, bravely defend the frontier when encountering the enemy; as scholars, you must diligently cultivate virtue and study the world to gain knowledge, waiting for the opportunity to serve your country. I, too, must be diligent and unremitting, respect Heaven and follow the example of my ancestors, restrain myself and uphold propriety, and set an example for all people."

After Emperor Yongping delivered his passionate New Year's speech, all civil and military officials congratulated him loudly.

"Long live your majesty."

After a simple business exchange, the old eunuch Xia Shouzhong on the side spoke loudly.

"After the court ceremony, all ministers, if you have a memorial, please report early. If you don't, please leave the court."

As soon as Xia Shouzhong finished speaking, he saw the Chief Censor Qi Mu come to the hall, bowed, and said.

"Your Majesty, I, the humble Minister, Qi Mu, the Imperial Censor, am writing to impeach the Marquis of Guanjun, Jia Jue, for abusing his position as the Chief Justice of the Jiangnan Salt Administration. He has abused his position as the Chief Justice to handle the Jiangnan Salt Administration case, abusing the power of private punishment, persecuting innocent people, and committing corruption and abuse of power. I beg Your Majesty to investigate this matter."

As soon as Qi Mu said this, it was like the curtain was drawn. More than thirty officials in the hall walked out of the queue and spoke in unison.

"We, your Majesty, also wish to impeach the Champion Marquis Jia. We ask that this thief be investigated and prosecuted."

In the court, Sheng Hong looked at the grand scene in front of him and couldn't help feeling a little uneasy.

My goodness, so many officials submitted petitions to impeach Marquis Guanjun at the grand court meeting. No one would believe that there was no one organizing this.

It seems that my future son-in-law is not only powerful, but also has many enemies.

At the front row of nobles in the hall, the four princes including Prince Beijing all looked angry.

The reason for this was that they were surprised to find that Wang Ziteng was still staying in the queue calmly and did not come out to impeach Jia Jue.

This made the four kings extremely angry.

There were two main forces behind the impeachment of Jia Jue at this court meeting. One was naturally the four founding kings, and the other was the civil service force headed by the Prince's Grand Tutor Lou.

Chief Censor Qi Mu was the representative of the civil officials sent by Grand Tutor Lou, while Wang Ziteng was the representative of the founding fathers sent by the four kings.

After all, the real person behind the scenes certainly cannot personally take part in such a bare-chested affair.

However, at such a critical moment, Wang Ziteng actually failed to deliver. How could the four kings not be angry?

However, even though the four princes' eyes were almost popping out, Wang Ziteng remained calm and composed, as if nothing had happened.

This also made the four kings realize instantly that something bad was going to happen. This Wang Ziteng was most likely having a rebellious mind.

However, the trend of impeachment had already emerged at this time, and Emperor Yongping was sitting in the palace. The four princes could only observe the development of the situation quietly and did not dare to act rashly.

Emperor Yongping said calmly after seeing these dozens of officials jointly submit a petition to impeach Jia Jue.

"Why, are you the only ones impeaching the Champion Marquis? There's no one else."

"My dear ministers, today is a grand court meeting. If anyone still wishes to impeach the Marquis of Guanjun, please step forward."

After hearing what Emperor Yongping said, the officials were confused about what he was going to do, so they chose to remain inactive.

After a while, Emperor Yongping saw that no one else joined the queue, then smiled and said.

“It seems like they all jumped out.”

"You all want to impeach the Champion Marquis, right?"

Once the arrow is shot, there is no turning back. Although the officials noticed something strange, they could only speak up at this time.

"Your Majesty, the Champion Marquis is lawless and reckless. Please order the three judicial departments to conduct a thorough investigation."

"Haha, it's fine."

Emperor Yongping sneered twice, then looked at the officials headed by Chief Censor Qi Mu and spoke sternly.

"You are truly the most loyal and trustworthy officials of our Great Zhou. I am deeply impressed by you, Chief Censor Qi Mu. I have something I would like to ask you."

After hearing this, Qi Mu quickly bowed and said.

"I dare not. Please allow Your Majesty to instruct me."

Emperor Yongping stared at Qi Mu and said.

"In the first year of the Yongping reign, the salt tax paid by Jiangnan amounted to a mere one million taels."

"Jiangnan is known as the land of fish and rice. Since the reign of Emperor Taizu of our dynasty, it has been a tax-paying region of the Great Zhou Dynasty." "During the reigns of Emperors Taizu and Taizong, the salt tax collected in Jiangnan amounted to tens of millions."

"In the first year of the Yongping reign, it dropped sharply to just over one million taels."

"The four generations of emperors of our Great Zhou have worked hard to govern the country. The population of Jiangnan has grown significantly and it has become more prosperous."

"The result was a 90% reduction in salt tax compared to the period of Emperor Taizu."

"Could it be that the people in Jiangnan don't eat salt?"

"After reading the Ministry of Revenue's report, I was furious and sent the Ministry of Revenue and the Censorate south to investigate the salt tax in Jiangnan."

"I remember that the official sent by the Censorate at that time was none other than you, the Chief Censor."

"Do you still remember the results of your investigation?"

Chief Censor Qi Mu bowed and said.

"Your Majesty, I remember."

"After the Minister of Revenue and I traveled south, we conducted investigations in Jiangnan for several months."

"The reason why the salt tax in Jiangnan has dropped so sharply is because salt smugglers are rampant and private salt is rampant."

"Although the salt administration and salt merchants tried their best to sell salt, the illegal sale of salt was a stealing business with no capital investment, so the ignorant people all bought the illegal salt, and no one was interested in the official salt from the court."

"This is not the fault of officials and salt merchants."

"However, the Marquis of Guanjun accepted bribes from illegal salt dealers and forced numerous Jiangnan officials and salt merchants into confessing. Meanwhile, the illegal salt dealers remained unharmed, some even becoming legitimate merchants with salt permits issued by the imperial court."

"This is truly appalling and completely devoid of conscience. Without execution, public anger will not be appeased, and justice will not be upheld."

Qi Mu's words were so righteous and high-sounding that those who didn't know him would really think he was some upright official who stood up for the people.

However, after hearing this, Emperor Yongping became furious and pointed at Qi Mu and cursed.

"Shut up, you shameless person."

"You still know what it means to call a horse a zebra and what it means to be completely devoid of conscience."

"I think you are wearing a human skin in vain. What you say is simply nonsense and appalling."

"You are the Chief Censor, yet you can actually say such nonsense. You deserve to be killed."

"What do you mean by Jiangnan salt officials and salt merchants are loyal to the emperor and patriotic? You can't even say that."

"I think you have been bribed by those unscrupulous officials and salt merchants with too much money. Not only are you talking nonsense, but your conscience has also become black."

Qi Mu suddenly looked extremely humiliated.

"Your Majesty, I am loyal to the emperor, patriotic, and devoted to my master. I have absolutely no intention of making any reservations. Please understand this."

Emperor Yongping looked at Qi Mu meaningfully and said.

"I won't give up until I see the Yellow River, and I won't cry until I see the coffin. Well, I see that the only thing that's tough in your body is your mouth."

"Xia Shouzhong, read."

"The slaves obey the order."

Xia Shouzhong, who was standing by, immediately took out a secret memorial and opened it, reading it aloud.

"On July 13th of the first year of the Yongping reign, the Imperial Censor Qi Mu arrived in Yangzhou and stayed that night at the home of the Yangzhou salt merchant He."

"Qi Mu accepted a bribe of 30,000 taels of silver from salt merchant Huang Juntai, along with ten skinny horses from Yangzhou."

"On August 15th, the Yangzhou salt merchant presented Qi Mu with a white jade Guanyin statue as a Mid-Autumn Festival gift. It's priceless."

"On November 13th, the night before Qi Mu left Yangzhou, the Yangzhou salt merchants raised another 20,000 taels to send Qi Mu off. The banquet was filled with beautiful women, and the salt merchants even spent a large sum of money to make a basket of gold leaves for Qi Mu to lavishly spend at the banquet, attracting a scramble from the maids."

Qi Mu turned pale with fright when he heard this. He never thought that what happened three years ago would be investigated so thoroughly.

Qi Mu could only cry out for justice.

"Your Majesty, I am wronged. This is completely false. Someone is framing me."

Emperor Yongping looked at Qi Mu with disdain and said.

"They say you won't cry until you see the coffin. You really are a piece of shit. The matter has been investigated so clearly, yet you still dare to deny it."

"Well, if I don't let you die with a clear conscience, I don't think you will be convinced."

"Xia Shouzhong, continue."

"The slaves obey."

Xia Shouzhong agreed, then looked at Qi Mu with a forced smile.

"Master Qi, you said you were wronged, so I would like to ask you for advice."

"You are only a second-rank official, and your annual salary is only a little over a hundred taels. Even if you add in the carbon tribute, ice tribute, etc., your annual income is only about seven or eight thousand taels."

"Could you explain to us why there are over 200,000 taels of silver in your mansion's treasury? And where did the mutton-fat jade Guanyin statue enshrined in your wife's shrine come from?"

"Also, your son lost fifty thousand taels of silver in just one night at a gambling house in Shendu. And your family has so much land, property, and shops. Can you explain where they came from?"

Upon hearing this, Qi Mu collapsed to the ground instantly. Xia Shouzhong knew all the properties in his house like the back of his hand. Needless to say, he must have been targeting him for a long time.

At this time, Qi Mu looked in the direction of Master Lou with pleading eyes, but Master Lou seemed to have not noticed the request for help from his trusted subordinate and continued to sit back and relax.

Seeing this, Qi Mu felt despair and knew that he was finished this time, but even so, he did not dare to drag Master Lou into the water.

Qi Mu could only sit on the ground without saying a word.

Emperor Yongping snorted coldly upon seeing this.

"Why, you don't want to cry out for justice anymore, right? Since you don't want to cry out, then I will tell you."

"The fundamental reason why the salt tax in Jiangnan has dropped so sharply is that Jiangnan salt officials have colluded with salt merchants to raise the price of official salt, and then provide salt to private salt dealers to enrich themselves."

"You are the dignified Chief Censor, yet you still have the nerve to speak up for them. How shameless!"

"It is precisely because of people like you who abuse their power for personal gain that those unscrupulous officials and salt merchants in Jiangnan have become increasingly unscrupulous, even to the point of openly harming public interests for their own benefit."

"If the Marquis of Guanjun had not been able to understand right and wrong and act swiftly to completely destroy this interest group, the imperial court would have suffered countless losses."

"You dare to come out and impeach the Marquis of Guanjun, intending to put him to death. You are truly despicable, you are truly despicable."

"Come, announce the decree. Qi Mu, the Chief Censor, has betrayed the Emperor's grace and committed corruption and abuse of power. He is to be immediately dismissed from his position as Chief Censor, all his property confiscated, and his entire family exiled to Lingnan, never to return to the capital."

Qi Mu was completely stunned. He never expected that his mere impeachment of Marquis Guanjun would trigger such a big reaction from Emperor Yongping.

Although his life was saved, his family was completely destroyed.

(End of this chapter)