eurekapd Chapter 408 The Fox Spirit is Back
Chapter 408 The Fox Spirit is Back
"My lord, accept the order."
Yun Shang lifted his robe and knelt down.
As soon as the word fell, everyone's eyes turned to him.
It could be out of concern or ill intent.
Next, a small court assembly was held in the Imperial Study. Emperor Wenjing not only ordered Yunshang to thoroughly investigate corruption with the Emperor's sword in hand, but also took a series of measures.
The powerful officials led by Li Chongyi were caught off guard, while the officials of Xie Shifu's faction wept with joy.
They studied diligently for many years to enter officialdom, all for the sake of the people's well-being. However, due to the emperor's inaction over the years, they were hampered by powerful families and had no emperor to support them, making it difficult for them to do anything.
Originally, these people were already disappointed with the emperor and the Zhao Dynasty, but unexpectedly, the emperor suddenly realized his mistake.
Yes, everyone felt that the emperor had suddenly come to his senses.
Li Chongyi's faction also felt the same way.
After the court session ended, everyone went to Li Chongyi's residence.
Originally, after court sessions, these people would usually go in groups of three or five to elegant places that only entertained aristocratic families and nobles to drink and enjoy themselves.
But today, the situation has changed drastically, and everyone's heart is heavy, so there is no time for leisure.
Li Chongyi sat upright in the main seat, his face terribly gloomy. He slammed the teacup he was holding onto the table with a loud thud.
The other officials sitting in the main hall felt a jolt in their hearts and exchanged bewildered glances.
The Right Chancellor was always deep and reserved, never showing his emotions. Others rarely could discern his moods, let alone such obvious anger as he was now.
"Prime Minister, please calm down. Don't get upset and harm your health."
Li Chongyi, his face grim, spoke in a deep voice, "Do you all think that the Emperor has suddenly come to his senses, or has he been deliberately pretending all these years?"
Everyone was startled when they heard this.
"Fake, disguise?"
"Isn't this possible?"
"The emperor is, after all, the Son of Heaven, the ruler of the country. Although he doesn't wield much real power, he shouldn't have to feign such humiliation for so many years..."
Everyone chimed in with disbelief.
Li Chongyi glanced at everyone's reactions and inwardly scoffed.
These idiots still can't see the situation clearly.
"You think it's impossible?" Li Chongyi's cold gaze swept over the crowd. "Then how do you explain the emperor's sudden change of heart? Previously, the emperor turned a blind eye to the corruption of officials in the court, but now he is determined to clean up the court. If it wasn't premeditated, how could he be so decisive?"
A senior official frowned, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Prime Minister, even if His Majesty is deliberately feigning it, what is his purpose? He has allowed us to act as we please for so many years, and now he suddenly launches an attack. What benefit does this bring him?"
Li Chongyi leaned back in his chair, a ruthless glint in his eyes: "What he wants is to completely control the court and take back the power from our hands."
"Over the years, he has appeared inactive, but in reality, he has been observing in secret, waiting for the right opportunity. Now that he feels the time is ripe, he wants to use Yunshang to uproot us completely."
"It was my carelessness."
Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed drastically.
If what Li Chongyi said is true, then these aristocratic officials have acted recklessly all these years because of the emperor's inaction, and there is plenty of evidence to be found. If the emperor has indeed secretly collected evidence, they will be in dire straits!
The officials from the powerful families were ashen-faced and sat there dumbfounded.
They were stunned for a long time, and after they came to their senses, they excitedly began to speak.
"Prime Minister, what should we do now? Are we just going to sit here and wait to die?"
"Of course we can't just sit here and wait to die! We've worked so hard for so many years, how can we let it all go to waste!"
"I think the most urgent task is to destroy any evidence that could be used against us. Once you all get back, you should immediately start taking action. Destroy all the accounts, letters, and anything that could cause trouble. Don't leave a single word behind."
"Why don't we strike first and find an opportunity to get rid of Yun Shang? Without him, the emperor will be without a useful weapon, and we can buy some time to clean up the mess."
"No! Since the emperor has been planning this all along, he may have already sent people to keep an eye on us. If we act now, wouldn't that be handing him leverage?"
"Nothing works, nothing works, what should we do now?!"
The crowd started arguing and their emotions became increasingly agitated, turning the entire hall into a chaotic mess, resembling a bustling market.
Seeing this out-of-control scene, Li Chongyi felt even more agitated.
He stood up abruptly, slammed his hands on the table, and shouted sharply, "Shut up, all of you! What kind of behavior is this, making such a racket!"
The crowd fell silent at his shout, turning to look at Li Chongyi with fear in their eyes.
Looking at these people, Li Chongyi said unhappily, "It seems that the aristocratic families have indeed been living too comfortably these years. It's just a small matter, and you've already thrown yourselves into disarray."
The officials lowered their heads in shame, not daring to look Li Chongyi in the eye.
“The matter is far from being unsolvable.” Li Chongyi’s cold gaze swept over everyone. “You should first clean up all the evidence you can handle, and do it cleanly, without leaving any loopholes. Arrange for trusted people to move the accounts and letters in batches under the cover of night, and burn them if necessary.”
"Yes, Your Excellency," the crowd replied in hushed tones.
"As for those with irrefutable evidence..." Li Chongyi's gaze swept over the assembled aristocratic officials with a deep look, "How to deal with them? Haven't you all become adept at it over the years?"
Everyone tensed up, and their hearts immediately calmed down a bit.
Even if the evidence is conclusive, we can sacrifice a few henchmen to save the king.
That night, many people in Shengjing City must have been tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
Yun Shang had traveled a long and arduous journey, and after entering the palace, he was entrusted with such an important task. By the time he had a moment to return home, the moon was already high in the sky.
Because Emperor Wenjing ordered him to investigate corruption, Prince Chen was worried that powerful officials like Li Chongyi would turn against Yun Shang in desperation, so he secretly sent many people to protect him.
As Prince Chen had predicted, Yun Shang was ambushed by two waves of assassins on his way home from the Ministry of Revenue alone.
Those assassins were well-trained and ruthless; they were clearly people secretly trained by aristocratic families.
Fortunately, Emperor Wenjing had made arrangements in advance, sending the Imperial Guards to protect Yun Shang closely, and Prince Chen's secret guards were also protecting him from the shadows, so it was a close call.
The journey took a considerable amount of time, and by the time Yun Shang's carriage arrived at the Yun residence, it was almost midnight.
Yun Mansion.
Originally, it was Shen Shi and Yun Xi who were waiting, but seeing that Yun Shang had not returned for a long time, Yu Wan, who had secretly slipped into the Yun family, told Shen Shi and Yun Xi to go to sleep first.
She can stay up all night, but Shen Shi and Yun Xi can't. Seeing them yawning so much, she realized she had caught it from them.
But Shen and Yunxi refused to leave, so the three of them sat in the front hall and waited.
Sleepiness is truly contagious. Yu Wan was sitting upright at first, but seeing Shen Shi and Yun Xi yawning one after another, she couldn't help but feel her eyelids grow heavy and start to doze off.
Yun Shang arrived under the moonlight at this moment.
Yu Wan looked up, still dazed.
Under the hazy moonlight, Yun Shang walked slowly towards him.
He stood tall and elegant, his broad shoulders and slender waist bound tightly by a jade belt. His eyes and brows exuded a cool and aloof air, and his flawless face, like white jade, unexpectedly possessed a bewitching charm against the backdrop of his crimson imperial envoy robe.
The moment he looked up, Yu Wan felt as if she had seen a fox spirit that had come to life.