Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 407 When the water is clear, there will be no fish
Although everything happened under the cover of night, the news of the severing of ties between the Lu and Yan families eventually spread. This was not just a family matter between the two families, but also meant that the political climate in the court had changed.

Why was Lu Jie, whom Yan Song once regarded as his successor, so heartless? As soon as the case from the Dali Temple was reported, the crowd that had been discussing it fell silent.

As Lu Jie carried the case files into the palace, officials he encountered stopped to greet him. He responded as usual, and steadily strode into the palace gates, where he stood before the emperor.

"Regarding the Tanzhou case, after days of interrogation, Zhou Sheng has confessed everything. All the people involved in the case have been registered, and the corresponding amounts of silver embezzled and accepted as bribes have also been categorized and compiled into books."

"Please take a look, Your Majesty!"

The emperor took it in his hand, and after flipping through the case files, he began to look at the ledger of stolen silver.

After reading it, he snorted and slammed his hand on the table. After a while, he pointed to the embroidered stool below and said, "Sit."

Lu Jie thanked the emperor and sat down.

The emperor looked at him and said, "I heard that you've been working on this case day and night. Just last night, you were still busy until after 7 p.m.

"Your Majesty, I dare not betray your trust. Moreover, the river transport system is one of the lifelines of the court. Eliminating corrupt officials as soon as possible will also benefit the country and the nation."

The emperor lit a stick of incense and placed it in the incense holder: "I remember your daughter only married into the Yan family a few months ago, how come she's suddenly divorced?"

"Your Majesty may not know, but my first wife, Lady Cheng, was actually murdered by the Yan family through a secret plot."

"I was kept in the dark by the Yan family and regarded the second wife, Jiang, whom the Yan family had arranged for me to marry, as my closest person. As a result, I was resented by the eldest daughter born to the first wife without even knowing it."

“Until last night, my daughter had no choice but to expose this old case because the Yan family was trying to persecute my second daughter again. Only then did I learn what the Yan family had been doing all these years!”
"If I could still endure such humiliation, I would be unworthy of being a human being!"

Looking at his grief-stricken face, the emperor said, "Since the Yan family is so wicked, do you have anything else to say? Why not take this opportunity to impeach them?"

Lu Jie sighed: "To be honest, Your Majesty, I do want to do this. But thinking back, Grand Secretary Yan did help me a lot. If it weren't for Grand Secretary Yan's recommendation, I wouldn't have had the good fortune to write a memorial for Your Majesty and receive Your Majesty's guidance."

"His Majesty will decide whether he is right or wrong. I will not say any more."

"To fail to participate when one should be participating is dereliction of duty."

Lu Jie knelt down: "Your Majesty has discerning eyes. You must have already made a judgment on how to view the merits and demerits of the Yan family."

"Just as His Majesty said when he executed Yan Shu, if we were to judge his crimes, Yan Shu would not be enough to die ten times over!"
“But the court needs to appoint people right now. If I insist on impeaching again, how is that any different from threatening the emperor?”
"Although I am deeply angry, I would rather risk being accused of dereliction of duty than see Your Majesty in a difficult position!"

After listening, the emperor looked at him for a long time, then picked up the case file again: "Well done. I did not misjudge you."

He further stated, "The reply is to the Three Judicial Offices, and as you have said, Zhou Sheng, Liu Zheng, and other key criminals shall be sentenced to immediate execution. All their family property shall be confiscated, and their descendants for three generations shall be barred from taking the imperial examinations."

The remaining accomplices were sentenced to prison terms of varying degrees according to their crimes.

"According to the order!"

"Go back first."

The emperor closed the case.

After watching him leave, he looked at the eunuchs below the gate and said, "Summon He Ping here."

He Ping arrived a quarter of an hour later.

The emperor lit another stick of incense: "Did Lu Jie break ties with the Yan family because the case is true, or because he sided with Shen Bo?"

He Ping bowed: "It is said that the Yan family's plot to murder Lu Jie's first wife has been resolved with both witnesses and physical evidence. The Dali Temple has already conducted a trial in accordance with the law and obtained witness testimonies."

"The criminal has confessed to the facts without reservation. This morning, I also sent someone to Dali Temple to inquire about the matter. It is said that the case will be submitted after the case is closed there."

"As for the interactions with the Shen family, I haven't heard of any private dealings between them."

The emperor said, "Go and investigate again, and report back before nightfall." "Yes."

In late autumn, it gets dark early.

The emperor meditated for a while, and then Lin Chi accompanied him to practice making elixirs for a while. Lanterns had already been hung under the eaves outside the shop.

He Ping walked in amidst the aroma of herbs.

"Your Majesty, these are the people that Shen Bo and Lu Jie have come into contact with in the past six months since their marriage."

"Among the people registered here, apart from Shen Yu and Lu Jie's daughter Lu Jia, no one else has had contact with either of them."

The emperor examined the document under the lamp: "In other words, Lu Jie did not lie. Even after becoming in-laws, he indeed did not cross the threshold of the Shen family."

"Not only did Lu Jie never go to the Shen family, but Shen Bo also never went to the Lu family."

The emperor stared at the lamp wick in silence for a while, then asked, "Lu Jie has already parted ways with the Yan family. If he joins forces with Shen Bo to control the court, it will be a real disaster."

He Ping lowered his head and looked down at the ground: "In my opinion, Grand Commandant Shen may not necessarily think highly of him."

"Where did you get this from?"

"The reason why Lu Jie was close to the Yan family in the first place was because Lu Jie approved of the Yan family's actions. Lu Jie is not entirely incorruptible; I have heard about his acceptance of bribes from his subordinates over the years."

"However, the amount was too small to be worth mentioning, so I did not report it."

"He's greedy too?"

He Ping paused for a moment, then said slowly, "Perhaps there are very few capable and shrewd people in the world who can escape the mundane."

"And what about you?" the emperor asked.

He Ping knelt down with a thud: "Your subject is guilty. Last year, I accepted two jade corals and five thousand taels of silver from a merchant from Hubei in Beijing."

"Five thousand taels!"

The emperor put down the incense and looked at his withered hand. "Who doesn't love money? I do too! But no matter how greedy you are, you can't be greedy for my money, can you?"

"If you want to take kickbacks, you can't take them from my own business, can you? The taxes are all being taken by the people below, how am I supposed to use the money?"
"They've taken all the benefits, and the people are starving. They're all turning against me, calling me a tyrant. Am I not pathetic? Am I not innocent?"

"Your Majesty, I am guilty and beg for punishment!"

He Ping bumped his forehead on the ground.

The emperor said, "Get up."

"emperor!"

He Ping raised his head. "Does Your Majesty not blame this sinful subject?"

"If the water is too clear, there will be no fish. Do you think I don't understand this principle? I'm not afraid of your mistakes. How can a person not make mistakes?"
"If someone is truly flawless, then he is a saint."

"If you are saints, then what am I?"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

He Ping kowtowed again.

The Emperor gazed intently: "Since Yang Tingfang's death, there have been several vacancies in the cabinet. Go and summon the people from the Directorate of Ceremonial to draft an edict. I want to promote Lu Jie to Grand Secretary of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Starting tomorrow, he will replace Feng Chuo in the cabinet to govern."