Chapter 19

The people saved that day were all taken in by Jiang Yuxun.

Consequently, in addition to his salary being docked for three years, his household now had dozens more mouths to feed, leading to daily expenses.

To ensure that his fields could continue to be maintained next year, it was imperative to quickly reclaim the barren land.

Combining these two tasks, it didn’t take long for his family’s savings to be depleted.

At this moment, Jiang Yuxun was indeed penniless...

The only consolation was, according to the letters from home, the reclamation work was yielding good results.

After hearing Jiang Yuxun's words, Ying Changchuan chuckled lightly and sincerely praised, "Your selfless service is indeed a fortune for the Great Zhou."

Jiang Yuxun: ...

Ying Changchuan couldn’t possibly miss the underlying meaning in his words, he must have deliberately responded this way!

But it was alright, Jiang Yuxun hadn’t held much hope to begin with.

—Ying Changchuan was known for his firm decisions; he had never retracted a punishment once decreed.

Knowing this well, Jiang Yuxun merely wanted to subtly remind Ying Changchuan of his dire living conditions...

"Your Majesty is too kind."

Despite it being the height of summer, the nights were still cool.

After saying this, Jiang Yuxun, who had rushed out wearing only a casual garment, couldn’t help but let out a small sneeze.

Ying Changchuan, who was about to leave, paused in his steps.

It was late, and after the drama at Xiangtai Hall ended, the Emperor finally led everyone away from the scene.

Jiang Yuxun did as he had said earlier, waiting until the other's figure disappeared before slowly walking towards his duty room.

However, after only a few steps, a familiar figure unexpectedly reappeared in front of him.

"Eunuch Sang?"

Hadn't he left with Ying Changchuan? Why did he come back?

"Ah, Minister Jiang!" As he spoke, Eunuch Sang quickly approached Jiang Yuxun.

It wasn't until he came closer that Jiang Yuxun, under the moonlight, could see that the other was apparently holding... a piece of clothing?

Before the youth could react, Eunuch Sang, with a beaming face, unfolded the overcoat and draped it over his shoulders, "It's cold and dewy at night. Please wear this for now."

Jiang Yuxun paused for a moment, "Alright."

After speaking, Eunuch Sang bowed to him and then turned to rejoin the path.

The night breeze brought a chill.

Jiang Yuxun's nose caught a hint of the faint dragon's brain incense.

...This overcoat was a gift from Ying Changchuan.

The silk brocade robe shone softly under the moonlight.

The youth couldn’t help but draw it tighter around himself, while a fleeting thought of poverty crossed his mind — I wonder how much this overcoat is worth?

Stop it!

The next second, Jiang Yuxun reminded himself: Selling a royal gift is a serious crime.

At the same time, he forcefully quelled this inappropriate thought in its infancy.

-

The news of the Mayor of the Capital embezzling funds for dike repairs had spread far and wide through the mouths of the people at the ferry.

Emotions ran high along both banks of the Yi River.

Countless people gathered outside Xianyou Palace, waiting for a thorough investigation into the matter.

The Prime Minister, supported by an imperial attendant, entered the Liuyun Hall.

Upon entering, he immediately smelled a strong scent of blood.

Seeing him, the kneeling Mayor of the Capital became agitated.

He struggled to say something but was held down by the Xuan Yin Monitors, unable to make a sound.

The others also refrained from speaking, each keeping to themselves in silence.

—Especially the courtiers who had 'pressured the palace' that day.

They knew that after dealing with the Mayor, it would be their turn, and thus sweat poured down their faces as soon as they entered the hall.

"Please, take a seat, Prime Minister," Ying Changchuan's demeanor was as usual.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The Prime Minister sat down on the mat, grinding his teeth.

Light rain began to fall again near Xianyou Palace, filling the air with a cold dampness.

Even at noon, lamps were still lit inside the hall.

Next to the Prime Minister stood a tree-shaped continuous cup bronze lamp.

The lantern flickered in the breeze, casting shadows that unsettled him.

It wasn't long before the Prime Minister's back was soaked with cold sweat.

After a while, Ying Changchuan, leaning against a jade table, finally spoke calmly, "I wonder if the Prime Minister has heard what the Prefect of Jingzhao said the other night?"

On that day, in front of Xiangtai Hall, all officials were present.

Pretending ignorance at this point would be too much.

As soon as Ying Changchuan finished speaking, the prepared Prime Minister immediately said with a grave face, "To be honest, I only learned then that the Prefect of Jingzhao dared to go so far—"

While speaking, he trembled, left his seat, and knelt on the ground.

His voice hoarse and dry, he said, "Your Majesty, I have never taken a single penny from him, I am truly wronged!"

Ying Changchuan remained noncommittal.

He glanced at the Xuan Yin Monitor, who immediately understood and removed the gag from the Prefect of Jingzhao's mouth.

The Prefect of Jingzhao, knowing he was doomed, was no longer as nervous as that night.

Now, he had only one thought in his mind—to not let the chief culprit escape this disaster.

If he were to die, he would take the Prime Minister down with him!

Taking a deep breath, he shouted with all his might:

"Three years of dike repairs, the court allocated a total of 7.2 million taels of silver! Of which, over 6 million taels ended up in your pocket. Prime Minister! Until now, are you still going to feign ignorance?!"

"Slanderous accusations!" The Prime Minister didn't respond to the Prefect of Jingzhao, but instead kept kowtowing to Ying Changchuan, hunched over, "Your Majesty, there is no evidence for what he says!"

It was unclear whether it was due to nervousness or excessive agitation.

At this moment, the Prime Minister's body was visibly trembling violently.

"...Uh, the evidence, the evidence."

The Mayor of the Capital then started to stammer.

He had initially kept records of the financial transactions.

But as soon as the Yi River incident occurred, the Prime Minister had blackmailed him with his family's safety, forcing him to destroy all the evidence.

Seeing the Mayor of the Capital fumbling for words without being able to form a complete sentence, the Prime Minister finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Clenching his teeth and straightening his back, he said to Ying Changchuan, "Your Majesty, please discern the truth."

After speaking, he sneakily glanced towards a corner of the hall.

The previous dynasty's court had long been controlled by powerful families.

Randomly selecting two people would reveal relationships of kinship or association.

As the Prime Minister, his network was even more intricate.

No sooner had the Prime Minister withdrawn his gaze than a bold individual stepped forward, "Your Majesty, the Mayor is falsely accusing, and there is not a shred of evidence. Everyone knows the Prime Minister has always been frugal and modest, unlike someone who would accept such heavy bribes."

After kowtowing deeply three times, the person continued, "Moreover, he has the merit of supporting the dragon throne and is too old to be disturbed like this. Please, Your Majesty, consider the past loyalty—"

Ying Changchuan suddenly narrowed his eyes, cutting off the speaker nonchalantly, "Frugal and modest?"

The atmosphere in Liuyun Hall abruptly changed.

Moments later, the official who was just loudly praising the Prime Minister's merit started tremblingly to plead, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger."

The Prime Minister also subconsciously clenched his fist and belatedly realized — Jiang Yuxun wasn't present in the hall today.

Despite being just a minor court official, Jiang Yuxun's absence strangely made the Prime Minister feel uneasy and afraid.

It seemed that what he feared the most was coming true.

Almost immediately, Jiang Yuxun's voice resounded from outside the hall:

"The Prime Minister indeed lives a simple life, but this does not mean he doesn't spend money elsewhere."

As he spoke, Jiang Yuxun entered the hall, "Your Majesty, the people have been brought here."

"Good."

The Prime Minister, who had just been feigning innocence, immediately showed fear on his face, "What... who are these people?"

Jiang Yuxun paused, turned around, and thoughtfully replied to him, "They are the ones who were selling slaves on the outskirts of Zhaodu City."

...Selling slaves?

As he spoke, the Xuan Yin Monitors brought several men into the hall.

These men were battered and looked utterly disheveled.

However, their appearance instantly changed the expressions of many in the hall.

Jiang Yuxun smiled at the Prime Minister, completing the sentence he had started outside the hall, "For instance, the Prime Minister alone spent over a hundred thousand taels of silver on purchasing slaves."

As Jiang Yuxun finished speaking, the Prime Minister, who had been holding himself upright, suddenly collapsed to the ground as if all strength had been drained from him.

He instantly seemed to age a decade.

Yesterday, Ying Changchuan had ordered Jiang Yuxun to return to the Xuan Yin Bureau in Zhao Du before the interrogation of the Prime Minister to take custody of certain individuals.

Upon arrival, seeing these familiar faces, the young man understood why the Prime Minister was so desperate to assassinate Ying Changchuan.

——The octogenarian Prime Minister still firmly believed in the old ways of "witchcraft, divination, human sacrifice, and rituals."

Knowing his time was limited, he had long been seeking human sacrifices for his own burial.

He had even purchased human sacrifices from these people!

After their capture, the Prime Minister was restless day and night.

Unsure if they would betray him, but knowing that privately killing human sacrifices was a capital offense, from the day they were captured, the Prime Minister had been resolved to assassinate Ying Changchuan.

Not to mention that soon after, the Prefect of Jingzhao, who had once bribed him, also fell into disgrace...

The Prime Minister, after a long wait, finally found an opportunity when Ying Changchuan was returning to the palace.

Little did he know that this was a flaw deliberately exposed by the other party.

"I, I, I..."

The Prime Minister’s face suddenly turned ashen, and his eyes rolled back.

Before he could even begin his defense, he collapsed on the ground, convulsing.

Jiang Yuxun: ?!

"Could it be, this old man is even more fragile than the Grand Diviner!"

"Imperial Physician!" Seeing this, Eunuch Sang, who was waiting in the hall, screamed in fright.

The courtiers were also shocked by the Prime Minister's condition.

They immediately panicked.

The eunuch's shrill voice reached outside the hall.

The imperial physician, who had been standing by nearby, rushed in with his medicine chest at the first sign of trouble.

Soon, the Prime Minister’s face was covered with silver needles.

Ying Changchuan also frowned at this moment and ordered everyone else to leave.

In an instant, the once-crowded Liuyun Hall was empty again.

"What's wrong with him?" Seeing the Prime Minister still convulsing, Jiang Yuxun couldn't help but step forward and ask.

Jiang Yuxun didn’t realize that his voice had slightly changed due to anxiety.

The imperial physician, while gently rotating the needles, responded, "Minister Jiang need not worry, the Prime Minister appears to have suffered from acute stress."

"That's a relief!" Hearing this, Jiang Yuxun finally let out a sigh of relief, "You scared me to death, I thought..."

The hall was silent, and the youth's voice was especially clear.

Mid-sentence, he realized the impropriety and stopped talking.

“What do you think, my dear official?”

Ying Changchuan's voice came from behind the young man.

"I thought he might choose to commit suicide out of fear for his crimes," Jiang Yuxun paused briefly, adding with a hint of disdain, "But it seems the Prime Minister, being so afraid of death, wouldn't do that."

The Emperor couldn't help but smile.

He seemed to share the same thought.

Under the full care of several imperial physicians, the Prime Minister soon stopped convulsing.

The Emperor gently raised his hand, and the Xuan Yin Bureau officials quickly stepped forward, carrying the still unconscious Prime Minister out of the Liuyun Hall.

Finally, Ying Changchuan also slowly walked out.

...Was he going to personally oversee the interrogation?

Jiang Yuxun instinctively called out, "Your Majesty!"

"What is it, my dear official?"

Recalling the cruel tortures invented by Ying Changchuan and several infamous historical anecdotes, the young man grew anxious, "… The Prime Minister is indeed of advanced age, and just now he was overcome by extreme agitation. Regardless, please be merciful and spare his life for now."

Unexpectedly, Ying Changchuan didn’t respond to this but paused for a few seconds before slowly turning to look at him, "In my dear official’s eyes, am I truly so ruthless?"

Jiang Yuxun replied sincerely, "…To some extent, yes."