novelhk Chapter 20: The Purge of the Imperial Court! Ying Zheng's First Strike!
Chapter 20: The Purge of the Imperial Court! Ying Zheng's First Strike!
On the third day after ascending the throne, there was a court meeting.
Before dawn, all the officials were already standing in the main hall.
No one spoke; the entire court was silent, the air seemed to freeze, making it hard to breathe.
Because they all know that many people are probably going to have bad luck today.
Ying Zheng remained calm, holding memorials in his hand, reviewing them one by one.
Time passed in this way, and an hour went by.
The officials in the court were getting impatient, but out of fear of Ying Zheng's power, no one stood up to speak.
Upon seeing this, Zhao Gao couldn't help but reveal a cold glint in his eyes and secretly shook his head.
Some people are just asking for trouble!
His Majesty's silence is a sign of waiting, waiting for someone to step forward and speak.
Unfortunately, these people lost their last chance.
After an unknown amount of time, Ying Zheng finished reviewing a memorial, placed a copper coin into the scales, and slowly raised his head.
His gaze swept over the crowd in the court.
Upon seeing this, the previously restless courtiers quieted down once again.
Upon seeing this, Zhao Gao slowly stepped forward, holding a scroll of silk in his hands, and unfurled it.
His voice was not loud, but every word was clear: "Zhou Chang, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, colluded with the Fourth Prince Xue Beng to embezzle 300,000 taels of military funds."
Upon hearing this, the face of the Vice Minister of Revenue among the court officials turned ashen. He knelt down with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly: "Your Majesty, I am innocent..."
Ying Zheng ignored him and gestured for Zhao Gao to continue.
Zhao Gao continued reading: "Liu Wu, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards, opened the city gates without authorization, allowing Prince Xue Beng's cavalry to enter the city. This is a crime of treason."
Liu Wu, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards, stiffened, his lips trembled a few times, and he couldn't utter a word.
Then, Zhao Gao recited a series of names, and everyone who heard them felt as if their flesh and blood had been drained. Some even fainted from fright.
The hall was silent, except for Zhao Gao's voice.
After Zhao Gao's voice stopped, a large number of people in the hall had already knelt down, their bodies trembling.
Ying Zheng raised his head and looked at the kneeling courtiers. There was no anger or murderous intent in his eyes; it was as if he were looking at a group of dead people.
"I gave you a chance."
Ying Zheng's voice wasn't loud, but it resounded throughout the entire hall.
"When Avalanche rebelled, you followed him. When Avalanche was defeated, you showed no remorse."
"It has been three days since I ascended the throne, and no one, not a single person, has come to confess their sins to me."
Ying Zheng's expression was extremely cold. He then continued, "Just now, I waited here for another hour, hoping that some of you would step forward and confess your crimes."
"But... there's still no one."
"Do you all think that I dare not kill you?"
These words shocked the assembled officials.
Those court officials whose names were called and who knelt in the main hall were particularly pale-faced and filled with remorse.
They knew they were finished.
Perhaps... perhaps they should have come forward and confessed long ago.
Zhou Chang collapsed to the ground, unable to speak. Liu Wu lowered his head, his body trembling.
Ying Zheng nodded slightly to Zhao Gao, who slowly raised his head, revealing a sinister expression: "Vice Minister of Revenue, execute!"
"The deputy commander of the Imperial Guards, behead him!"
"Duke Wright, execute him!"
"..."
"The remaining accomplices shall be exiled to the northern frontier."
Zhao Gao read out the names of more than a dozen people in a row, and when they heard the word "execution," they fell down helplessly.
"Your Majesty, I am innocent! I am innocent!"
"Ying Zheng, you will die a horrible death!!!"
"Tyrant, Ying Zheng, you tyrant..."
Pleading for mercy and insults rose and fell throughout the hall.
After these people were dragged away, the hall became much emptier, and the remaining people breathed a sigh of relief.
"Don't think that you've gotten over it."
Suddenly, Ying Zheng's voice rang out again.
"I know that many of you are corrupt and lawless, I am very clear about it."
"However, I will give you a chance. After tomorrow, you will present your crimes to me."
Upon hearing this, many of the court officials present turned pale.
Ying Zheng looked at the many court officials, said nothing, and then left the hall.
The courtiers dispersed.
Inside Ying Zheng's palace, Ying Zheng sat on the dragon throne and continued to review memorials.
Shortly after, Zhao Gao walked in.
"Your Majesty, Zhou Chang, Liu Wu, and the others have all been executed."
"His family members were exiled, their property was confiscated, and six million gold coins, along with countless antiques and paintings, were seized..."
Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng remained unmoved and nodded calmly: "Put the property into the Ministry of Revenue."
Zhao Gao nodded slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke, "Your Majesty, you have just ascended the throne, and such killings will surely cause unrest."
"After all, the Spirit Hall, the Star Luo Empire, and other major powers are all keeping an eye on you."
"What if someone secretly betrays us to the enemy..."
Zhao Gao stopped there.
After Ying Zheng finished reviewing a memorial, he placed a copper coin in the balance. The scales shifted slightly, but did not tip even.
"I am not killing people, I am killing the rules."
"If rules are established, we won't have to kill people in the future."
As the first emperor who founded the Qin Dynasty, Ying Zheng knew that killing people could not solve problems; the greatest effect of killing was to intimidate.
"Your Majesty, what about Prince Xue Beng?" Zhao Gao's expression narrowed slightly, revealing a hint of murderous intent.
"Should I...?"
Before Zhao Gao could finish speaking, Ying Zheng raised his hand to stop him.
Ying Zheng raised his head and looked out the window at the sky, which was cloudless and clear.
"Take me to see him..."
...
The news that more than a dozen court officials had been beheaded quickly spread throughout Tiandou City.
Upon hearing this, countless people were filled with joy, some even wishing they could personally kill those corrupt officials.
In recent years, the common people have been oppressed by those high-ranking officials and nobles.
I've had enough.
Xue Qinghe's residence.
Qian Renxue sat in the study, holding a cup of tea in her hand. The tea had gone cold, but she didn't drink it.
At this moment, she held a letter in her hand, from the headquarters of the Spirit Hall, from the woman she hated most.
"The situation cannot be changed, shall we return?"
Faced with this sudden show of concern, Qian Renxue's expression changed slightly. She then placed the letter directly into the candle flame beside her and watched it burn to ashes.
Beside them, the two titled Douluo powerhouses, Porcupine and Serpent Spear, looked at each other in bewilderment, remaining silent.
They knew a little about the matter between the young master and the pope, but they dared not discuss it directly.
"Young Master, Ying Zheng is indeed no simple man."
"He started taking action at the court assembly today, executing more than a dozen court officials and implicating hundreds of others."
"Isn't that right?"
At this point, Serpent Spear showed a hint of hesitation.
Upon hearing this, Qian Renxue's eyes flashed with a sharp light as she looked out the window: "No need. Ying Zheng doesn't know my situation yet. As long as he doesn't know, I'm safe for now."
After a pause, Qian Renxue smiled slightly and continued, "As for killing more than ten court officials, it was just a matter of making an example of them."
"More than these things, I want to know to what extent he is capable of achieving them."
"Even that woman, Bibi Dong, has actually started to take him seriously..."