Chapter 142: Duel on the Golden Steps
Inside Xuanzheng Hall, the atmosphere was solemn and majestic.
Emperor Chong Zhao sat on the Dragon Throne, his expression grim and ashen.
Below the imperial steps, Grand Censor Zhou Zhongping held his ivory tablet, his posture upright, his voice like a thunderclap.
“Your humble servant reports to His Majesty, Minister Xiao Zhengyuan of the Ministry of Works deserves death for three crimes! First, he embezzled one hundred thousand taels of silver meant for the Luo River embankment, causing the embankment to break for a thousand li, leading to the starvation of seven thousand households; second, he secretly harbored soldiers and ambushed the imperial carriage, severely injuring the Crown Prince; third…”
“This is utter nonsense!”
Before the words had even finished, they were sharply interrupted by Prime Minister Xiao Song.
Xiao Song’s hair and beard bristled as he strode forward.
“Your Majesty, please see clearly, what Lord Zhou says is all baseless talk. It is likely that someone in the imperial court is colluding and plotting to frame others! Fabricating so many charges is merely to eliminate dissent!”
“Frame-up?” Grand Censor Zhou snorted coldly, holding up the confession of the death warriors from the West Mountain Imperial Palace with both hands, his voice as sharp as a blade.
“The Xiao family has used the people’s blood and sweat to raise death warriors, committing all sorts of evil deeds. Each and every one is an irrefutable fact! Who could possibly frame them?”
Grand Censor Zhou, upright and impartial, directly threw the stack of confessions forcefully in front of Xiao Song.
“Prime Minister Xiao, please take a good look. Is this secret letter, bearing the Xiao clan’s emblem, from your nephew, Xiao Zhengyuan?”
Xiao Song’s face turned ashen, and he slowly bent down to pick it up.
Seeing this, Zhou Zhongping’s gaze firmly fixed on Emperor Chong Zhao on the Dragon Throne, and he declared loudly, “Your Majesty! With such detailed evidence before us, the Xiao clan cannot escape their guilt.”
Emperor Chong Zhao remained expressionless, rubbing the jade thumb ring on his hand.
On his three-zhang vermilion imperial desk, the case files for the Luo River flood were old and mottled.
The words “starvation of seven thousand households” were as if carved by a knife.
Even the former Top Scholar and Imperial Son-in-law, Lu You’an, had come forward to testify.
On the signature, there was clearly Lu You’an’s personal handwriting and a bright red thumbprint.
Emperor Chong Zhao’s gaze slowly swept across the hall, towards the silent majority.
“My beloved ministers, do you have any further memorials to present?”
“Reporting to Your Majesty—”
With a low cry, Junior Minister Chen Lian of the Supreme Court stepped forward.
“The remaining archives of the Ministry of Works and the yellow books of accounts from the River Administration Office show a discrepancy of three hundred and twenty-seven thousand taels.”
Chen Lian was an honest and upright person, but to put it bluntly, he was timid and afraid of trouble.
At his age, with white hair, he had only hoped to retire peacefully, return home, and enjoy his grandchildren’s company. He had always acted with extreme caution, going with the flow, and rarely took the initiative to step forward.
His sudden appearance to impeach the Xiao clan made him inevitably nervous, and his ivory tablet trembled precariously with his voice.
“The six embankments supervised by Minister Xiao used only thirty percent actual bricks; the rest were mixed with straw and river sand—”
He tightly clutched the document in his hand and handed it forward.
“Your Majesty, this is the confession of Zhao Fu, the chief engineer of the river works.”
Xiao Song’s fingers tightened abruptly. He glanced at the silent Minister Xie Yanzhan of the Supreme Court—Chen Lian’s superior—and a cold smile flickered across his lips.
“Junior Minister Chen, are your old eyes failing you? The funds required for river management are all verified by the three provinces and six ministries. How can they be casually criticized…”
Chen Lian gritted his teeth inwardly.
He knew in his heart that it wasn’t that it couldn’t be criticized, but that no one had dared to criticize it before.
“This humble servant also has a report to make—”
Chen Lian, with trembling hands, presented the yellowed ledger.
He dared not meet Xiao Song’s gaze. The ledger he held high bore the seal of the Ministry of Works.
“On the seventeenth day of the twelfth month of Chong Zhao’s tenth year, the Ministry of Works withdrew three thousand cubic meters of fir wood, but the wood ledger recorded that day…”
He paused slightly, looking at Xiao Song’s stern face, a cold sweat breaking out on his back.
“The eldest son of the Xiao family, Xiao Zhengyu, son of Minister Xiao Jing of the Ministry of Revenue, additionally withdrew two thousand eight hundred cubic meters of golden nanmu from the Ministry of Works…”
Xiao Song said sternly, “What proof can old, forgotten accounts provide!?”
As soon as these words were spoken, a collective gasp of cold air echoed through the hall.
Chen Lian seemed to suddenly steel his resolve, knelt forward, his expression resolute.
“Your Majesty, there is one more matter this old servant must risk his life to report… Minister Xiao Zhengyuan of the Ministry of Works embezzled river construction funds and melted them down to cast a Guanyin statue to present to a Buddhist temple. At the base of the statue, it is inscribed, inscribed…”
“Inscribed with what?” Emperor Chong Zhao asked coldly.
“Eternal Blessing Princess Ping Le, long live.”
Chen Lian kowtowed heavily, his forehead striking the gold bricks with a dull thud.
“That statue is enshrined in Puning Temple. It can be verified with a single investigation.”
Upon hearing this, Grand Censor Zhou Zhongping also bowed, “We implore Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!”
His words were righteous and stern, resonating throughout the imperial court.
Coupled with the Junior Minister of the Supreme Court, who could not rise from his kowtow, such a scene caused all the civil and military officials to show astonishment.
Was this an attempt to bring down the entire Xiao family?
The atmosphere in the imperial court grew increasingly tense.
“This is truly a trumped-up charge…” Xiao Song suddenly laughed up to the sky. “The Censorate and the Supreme Court are colluding, fabricating charges and making a fuss. What is their intention?”
Having spoken, he abruptly turned and looked directly at Xie Yanzhan, “Minister Xie, as the Minister of the Supreme Court, how can you stand by and watch such a chaotic scene without saying a word?”
Xie Yanzhan’s brows furrowed, his expression troubled. He respectfully bowed.
“Replying to Your Majesty, the Supreme Court is burdened with numerous affairs. This minister was negligent and did not investigate thoroughly, and truly did not know.”
A fine “did not know,” absolving himself completely.
Xiao Song sneered, turned to face the imperial steps, lifted his robe, and knelt down, tears streaming down his face.
“Your Majesty, this old minister has served diligently for decades, dedicating his life to Daliang… My loyalty is as clear as the sun and moon.”
Emperor Chong Zhao gripped the gilded armrest and tapped it twice. The dull sound instantly silenced the whispers in the hall.
“The facts are all here, my beloved minister Xiao, how can I spare you?”
“Your Majesty, this old minister has absolutely no disloyalty to Your Majesty or Daliang…”
“Well said, ‘absolutely no disloyalty’!” Li Zhao suddenly let out a cold laugh and slowly stepped forward.
With a sweep of his wide sleeve, he took a few steps forward and presented a seal.
“Imperial Father, this is what was found on the Xiao clan’s private soldiers who ambushed the imperial carriage. After repeated identification by the Ministry of Culture and the Court of Diplomatic Relations, it is precisely the special seal made by Xizi for training death warriors. This shows that the Xiao clan has long been colluding with Xizi in secret, plotting rebellion…”
“A perfectly executed scheme!”
Xiao Song staggered two steps, pointing at the accusers.
“You have all deliberately plotted to put this old man and the Xiao family to death!”
Before his words had even fallen, a wail suddenly came from outside the hall.
“Imperial Father, your son has something to report.”
The hall instantly froze.
Everyone held their breath, not daring to speak.
Emperor Chong Zhao’s face darkened, “Princess Ping Le is still under house arrest and is not allowed to leave her residence without a decree. What kind of conduct is this, to barge into the hall unauthorized? Guards, escort the Princess back to her residence.”
Seeing this, Xie Yanzhan quickly stepped forward and cupped his hands in plea.
“Your Majesty! The Princess disregarded the decree and came rashly, there must be another reason. Your Majesty, why not let the Princess ascend the hall and finish speaking?”
Emperor Chong Zhao hesitated for a moment and nodded slightly, “Summon the Princess to the hall!”
“Summon—Princess Ping Le to the hall!” a loud announcement came from outside the hall.
Princess Ping Le, holding a camphor wood box, broke through the obstruction of the Imperial Guards outside the door. The soft, elegant, and long hem of her skirt swept across the mirror-like gold bricks as she strode into the hall.
The officials had not seen the confined Princess for a long time.
Rumor had it outside that the Princess was suffering from a serious illness. Under the dim palace lanterns, the Princess, with her wide sleeves billowing in the wind, indeed looked much thinner than before. Her once round and full face had become sharp and gaunt, and her waist was so slender it looked as if it would break with a gentle twist…
“Your son deserves death!”
Ping Le deeply prostrated herself on the ground, her forehead pressed against the gold bricks, her voice choked with emotion.
“But your son has come to atone for his mistakes!”
Her wide sleeves trailed on the ground as she spoke, her words filled with sorrow.
“Imperial Father, your son accidentally discovered that the lost blueprints for the Shen Bi Crossbow from the Ministry of War have appeared in the hands of Xizi merchants…”
The entire hall was stunned, and whispers immediately erupted.
The officials exchanged glances, all showing surprise.
Ping Le held the blueprints high with both hands and presented them.
“Please, Imperial Father, take a close look. Are these crossbows and bed mechanisms on the blueprints identical to those in the Ministry of War’s archives?”
The blueprints had a yellowish hue.
Emperor Chong Zhao looked closely. The Big Dipper emblem printed in the corner was particularly striking.
His breath hitched, “This is…”
“Imperial Father, these were obtained by your son through a broker from several Xizi traveling merchants. They told the broker that this blueprint came from the Ghost Market in the Old Mausoleum Swamp…”
Ping Le’s kneeling knees moved forward two steps. A strange smile played on her lips as she looked at Li Zhao on the dais.
“I heard that the Crown Prince was ambushed on his way to the West Mountain Imperial Palace this time, and he was traveling with Madam Ping’an? After clearing out the assassins, Xizi seals were found on them, and confessions accusing the Xiao family were obtained?”
This was tantamount to saying that Li Zhao and Xue Sui had colluded to frame the Xiao family.
The officials knew this well and exchanged glances.
Suddenly, Ping Le changed her tone.
“As everyone knows, Sixth Miss Xue came from the Old Mausoleum Swamp. Who knows if she is a Xizi mole, secretly colluding with Xizi? How can the confessions presented by the Crown Prince be considered valid?”
Li Zhao let out a cold laugh, “Imperial Sister, anyone can slander with mere words. Who can’t?”
He pointed to the evidence on the imperial desk, “You say that the Emperor and all the ministers, should they believe your words, or the irrefutable evidence?”
Ping Le raised her chin, staring at him proudly. She suddenly pulled out a roll of yellowed paper from the box and threw it onto the gold bricks of the hall.
“Everyone, please look. This is the archive from the Ministry of War two years ago. A Xizi woman disguised herself as a Hu Ji to offer wine, seduced Minister Cao of the Ministry of War, stole secret blueprints, and then fled…”
She slowly stood up, pressing step by step, “I’m afraid no one is unaware that Sixth Miss Xue, who has been missing for ten years, is not the real Sixth Miss Xue, but a Xizi bewitching woman, a substitute—”
Xie Yanzhan immediately spoke, “Princess, what do you mean by that?”
Ping Le sneered at Li Zhao, then bent down again to take a portrait from the box and unfurled it in front of everyone.
“This is the portrait of the Xizi female spy who seduced the former Minister of War, Cao Jin, stole the blueprints for the Shen Bi Crossbow and its bed mechanism, and fled to the Old Mausoleum Swamp!”
As soon as these words were spoken, it was like a giant stone falling into a lake, stirring up a thousand waves.
All the civil and military officials were shocked.
Xue Qingzhi’s ivory tablet clattered to the ground.
He had been watching this thrilling court struggle with a cold eye and had not spoken.
He hadn’t expected the spearhead to suddenly point towards the Xue family…
“Princess, you cannot speak such words carelessly?”
Ping Le pointed at the portrait, looking at him aggressively, “Minister Xue, do you dare to say that the woman in this painting is not your daughter whom you haven’t seen for ten years and brought back from the Old Mausoleum Swamp?”
The woman in the yellowed portrait had delicate features and bore a seven or eight-tenths resemblance to Xue Sui.
Xue Qingzhi looked at it, hesitated for a moment, and spoke with difficulty.
“This, this… she does indeed look very much like my daughter.”
Ping Le pointed at the yellowed portrait again.
“Then, Minister Xue, can you be sure that the daughter you have found now is still the same daughter who was lost before? Ten years have passed, and a young lady’s appearance changes greatly. Minister Xue probably no longer remembers her original appearance, right?”
Xue Qingzhi was speechless.
It had to be said that Ping Le’s move was very poisonous.
Sixth Miss Xue was too young when she left home.
His memory had long since become blurred, and he truly couldn’t guarantee with his chest puffed out that the current Sixth Miss Xue was the same Sixth Miss Xue from ten years ago…
In the eerie silence, Xie Yanzhan suddenly seemed to recall something and said tremblingly, “Your Majesty, there is indeed a record from Chong Zhao’s tenth year of a Xizi woman escaping with secret blueprints. The incident happened suddenly that year, and Minister Cao was deeply harmed. Not long after, he passed away…”
Ping Le said with certainty, “Imperial Father, your son believes that Sixth Miss Xue of the Xue family is actually a Xizi female spy in disguise!”
Li Zhao let out a cold laugh, his face full of disdain.
“What can a vague portrait prove? This portrait might have been forged by Imperial Sister? After all, if you can command Xizi death warriors to assassinate royalty, what difficulty would it be to have Xizi death warriors forge a portrait?”
“I have witnesses.”
The Princess suddenly said loudly, respectfully petitioning the Emperor on the throne.
“Imperial Father, your son had the broker find those two Xizi traveling merchants in the West Market. They can testify.”
Emperor Chong Zhao’s gaze was stern, “Summon them!”
