Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 478 - 476

Chapter 478: 476

"Excellent! The two of you have indeed conducted the case with utmost seriousness and meticulousness. Here I have some secret letters. See if the number matches, let the rest of the officials examine these as well!"

Secret letters? The officials looked at one another in confusion. What secret letters?

The eunuch beside the emperor passed down a big bundle of secret letters.

Upon opening them, everyone’s expressions lit up.

"Well? Do my beloved officials still believe that Master Di and the others are corrupt?"

"We have been foolish not to realize the integrity of these great men."

"Indeed, their integrity is like lotus that grow out of silt but remains unstained!"

"I only now realize that bribery could be used in such a manner. I am truly impressed!"

"These great men are truly admirable. I originally thought they were abusing their power for personal gain, but it turns out they were masquerading personal interests for public ends."

...

The Minister of the Right was holding the secret letter in his hands, his mind spinning!

The Third Prince’s knuckles turned white as he squeezed the secret letter.

How did this happen? A battle carefully planned for years to cut off the right-hand aids of the legitimate line abruptly characterizes Marquis Zhongyong Mansion as loyal and protective of the country!

Each secret letter, like a raised palm, was a slap to his face ringing aloud.

Each secret letter bore roughly the same content, with only names and a few numbers varying.

They recorded who had given him how many taels of silver or property, farmland, villa, mansions, etc., for what purpose.

And the Emperor had approved each request, rewarding them with a hundred to several hundred taels each depending on the amount!

Thus, they did accept bribes, but only after informing the Emperor and receiving his approval!

What a brilliant way! Those honest and unselfish officials regretted not having thought of this method earlier!

Many people offered bribes to officials at their level, but there were also those who refused. And it wasn’t that they didn’t need it, but that they valued their power. Everyone felt a stir in their minds after looking at these memorials. They would all follow this method from now on!

This way, their sleeves would no longer need to pretend to be clean. They could take the money and also use it to do something practical for the people, maintaining an impression of integrity, loyalty and rectitude in front of the emperor. Why hadn’t they thought of this brilliant method before!

The Third Prince’s face turned pale. He had painstakingly planned for so many years, spent so much money and energy, originally wanting those who support the legitimate line to fall. But he never expected that, in the end, he is actually making the wedding dress for others!

No wonder the Emperor did not send them to jail, but only ordered a thorough investigation. Only when the evidence is conclusive could it be counted. All the evidence they had submitted earlier was not considered as evidence at all, which made him think that the evidence was not sufficient.

The Minister of the Left spoke up after sufficient praise: "Your Majesty, there is one more matter I need to report."

"Speak."

"Your Majesty, a major avalanche occurred in Moon Canyon not long ago, which caused a landslide, resulting in over a hundred casualties. Upon investigation..."

The Third Prince’s face changed slightly upon hearing this, but quickly returned to normal. Could it be that the incident had been traced back to him?

No, that’s impossible. He had sent only dead soldiers there! It couldn’t be traced back to him!

"...Upon investigation, it was found that when the mountain road in Moon Canyon was built, someone had embezzled funds intended for the project, not spending most of this money on road construction. Without preventative measures against landslides as required by the design, a significant avalanche occurred in the first year after the road was completed. I believe such embezzlement and corruption, filling one’s own pockets, and disregarding the lives and property of the people should be severely punished!"

Upon hearing this, the Third Prince didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Even if there’s no evidence proving that the dead soldiers he dispatched caused this, others could still accuse him if they believed it was him. With a mere excuse, they could find a chance to counterattack!

The mountain road was, of course, built with genuine materials and funds. The avalanche was a man-made disaster, caused by the men he sent to lay traps. He intended to use a natural disaster to eliminate a strong competitor!

Now he had no choice but to grit his teeth and admit it, because he had previously mentioned in front of the Emperor that the avalanche was a natural disaster.

The censors were originally disheartened when Minister of the Left, Di Zhiyuan and others were claimed to be corrupt and even threatened to remove the Empress. The truths turned out to be surprising!

Now it appeared that there truly was corruption and a fatal accident. They perked up and started to engage in a war of words.

Whenever the Emperor saw these few men, he would get a headache. They had been arguing so much these days that his ears buzzed even when he was sleeping at night. He raised his hand to stop their impending actions. "Who was in charge of the construction of that road?"

"Replying to Father Emperor, I was in charge. It was my negligence that allowed the people below to take advantage of me. I ask for Father Emperor’s punishment."

What a cleverly-worded reply! Not embezzlement, simply negligence!

Shangguan Xuanyi’s lips quirked upwards slightly in disdain, a flash of disdain evident in his eyes.

If he couldn’t kill him, he would at least make him lose some skin!

The expressions of the ministers subtly changed.

...

In the end, the Third Prince was punished with confinement for a year due to negligence in supervision, was stripped of his position, and forced to pay for repairs of the landslide damage, as well as provide compensation for the victims. It seemed another sideline prince has withdrawn from the political stage!

The morning passed in this way. The Emperor looked at the civil and military officials below him. "Do any of you have anything you need to report?"

"Father Emperor, I have one matter to report. When I was passing through Moon Canyon, I was nearly buried. I barely escaped the natural disaster, only to encounter a man-made disaster. At that time, several dozens of killers appeared to assassinate me. I barely escaped with my life. Later, we captured two killers alive, whom I found a shoe on." Shangguan Xuanyi signaled Xiao Fuzi, who was standing outside the palace gate, to present the shoe.

The civil and military officials took turns examining the shoe on the tray: What was so special about this one shoe? It was just an ordinary shoe. Everyone on the street wears this kind of shoe, could it be considered evidence?

"What can this shoe prove?" the Emperor asked, expressing the doubt in everyone’s heart.

"Xiao Fuzi!" Shangguan Xuanyi signaled Xiao Fuzi to reveal to everyone the special feature of the shoe.

With bated breath, Xiao Fuzi pulled out the stinking insole from the shoe.

The originally white insoles had turned black. The foul stench permeated the air causing the officials to cover their noses and step back.

"Sixth Prince, this is the throne room. How could you bring out something so filthy to offend His Majesty’s eyes and nose?" the Minister of the Right held his nose, his face filled with disgust.

"A filthy person would naturally wear filthy things. If this filth is not brought to light, today it is my Sixth Brother who is harmed, and next time it could be Father Emperor himself! Even if this object is filthy, it must be brought out to expose the person who attempts to hide. Or does the Minister of the Right think we should not bring this dirty person to justice?" Shangguan Xuanhao looked at the Minister of the Right, his words carrying hidden meaning.