Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 711 Bowing in Apology

"I still remember when I first entered the Hanlin Academy, the late emperor bestowed upon me a plaque with the inscription 'Ice Pot and Autumn Moon' to encourage me. However, in the third year of Yongchang, when I was in charge of the canal transport, I saw that the escorting officials had embezzled silk without being punished, and I began to harbor reckless thoughts. That night, the moonlight floating on the river illuminated the first sum of money I had secretly allocated for the repair of the dike. Its clear light was like a blade, tearing my conscience to shreds."

During the Hongbao era, I colluded with the Turks, plunging the area inside and outside the Great Wall into chaos. I even advocated moving the capital south, and the late emperor agreed. I know that the late emperor wanted to use concessions to allow the people to recuperate, but I am already mired in this quagmire and cannot extricate myself.

Afterwards, when the son of the military governor of Huainan was caught cheating in the imperial examinations, I personally switched the exam papers. The vermilion seal slipped through my fingers, resembling the blood splattered when the Minister of the Censorate died. This act led to the Hongbao Imperial Examination Cheating Scandal, which implicated tens of thousands of students and caused the fortunes of the Great Wei Dynasty to plummet.

The most painful memory is that night I framed the King of Qin, copying his handwriting until the third watch of the night, until the King of Qin was demoted to a commoner and later died of illness at Gaixia. The King of Qin and I have been close friends since childhood, and I should not have done this, I should not have done this.

This morning, a maid brought me a medicine bowl. The copper plate reflected my withered face, and suddenly I saw countless wronged souls emerge from my eyes—the number of border soldiers who died in battle, the canal workers who drowned, and the scholars who hanged themselves was exactly the amount of silver I had embezzled over the years.

Suddenly I noticed the two characters "持衡" (holding the balance) bestowed by the late emperor on the screen, which had always been missing a stroke. This missing stroke will ultimately have to be made up with my life.

"Now that my time is drawing near, I have no other request than to have my body cremated and scattered along the Grand Canal, and to have my image displayed as a kneeling figure facing the Imperial Ancestral Temple. I have no face to meet the late Emperor. My accounts are all kept at the Great Compassion Temple in Jinling; Your Majesty may examine and deal with them as you see fit, and the Gao family will have no grounds for objection."

After reading the letter, Xia Lin stood alone in the courtyard. At that moment, Emperor Jingtai also came out. The two looked at each other, and Xia Lin handed the letter to Emperor Jingtai.

Emperor Jingtai read the letter by moonlight. His face was terribly gloomy, but he did not explode immediately. Instead, he lowered his eyelids and said, "Daosheng, Zhongchun, come with me to the palace."

The three entered the palace from Gao Shilian's house. As soon as they entered, Xia Lin dismissed all the guards, maids, and eunuchs, leaving only the three of them in the vast Taiji Hall.

Emperor Jingtai held the letter in his hand, raised it, and waved it: "Huh? You old fool! Even in death you still want to give me a taste of my power! Huh!?"

Xia Lin leaned against a pillar in the main hall: "I don't think this is a show of force."

"Hmm, I don't think so either," Old Zhang echoed. "Although these are all old cases, each one is a major one. So why would Gao Shilian insist on bringing up these major cases?"

After saying that, he and Xia Lin exchanged a glance, and the two said in unison, "Crossing the river and then burning the bridge!"

Emperor Jingtai was clearly stunned. He obviously didn't have the brains of the two men below him and couldn't react for a moment. He was just angry.

"Huh? What are you talking about? You've been babbling on and on."

"Let's get his accounts first." Xia Lin glanced at Emperor Jingtai: "I knew it, when the time is right, heaven and earth lend a hand. But what do you plan to do about Gao Shilian's matter?"

"What can I do? Of course I won't do it! If I do it, wouldn't that be proclaiming to the world that my father is incompetent and foolish, allowing such a wicked and treacherous person to be prime minister for more than thirty years?"

Xia Lin waved his finger: "We'll do it, and we'll do it on a grand scale. But you have to give me a few days."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Brother," Xia Lin said with a troubled expression, "They are willing to risk their lifelong reputation to help you, and you still want to execute their entire family? Of course, you should let their family go."

"what?"

At this moment, Old Zhang stepped forward and explained, "These major cases could not have been handled by Gao Shilian alone. There must have been other important figures involved. Moreover, the fact that he was able to talk about these cases means that the people involved at the time still held important positions in the court and outside the court. Some of them may have even become heads of families."

Emperor Jingtai suddenly realized what was going on, and he immediately straightened up: "Then what are we waiting for? You two hurry up and get it done for me!"

The two men bowed to Emperor Jingtai and were about to leave when Xia Lin turned back halfway and said, "You're still going to pretend you know nothing. Don't alert them. Your job these next few days is the imperial examinations." "Okay, okay, hurry up and go!"

The two left the palace and immediately split into two groups. Old Zhang led his men to the place where Gao Shilian kept the accounts, while Xia Lin went directly to find the Li Tang delegation.

Gao Shilian's death didn't really cause much of a stir. He was a semi-retired old man, and although he still had influence, the old adage "out of sight, out of mind" still applies. So, the death of an old man was destined to cause little ripples.

However, the old man's death will soon cause a huge uproar.

It must be said that the old man was truly a man of exceptional wisdom. He had something to offer for serving as prime minister for thirty years; he was still strategizing even on the day he died.

Why did he leave this letter? Was it to harm his family? Of course not. He did it to protect the Gao family. It was a political shrewd move, because if he died like this, the impending purge would wipe out all the useless children in his Gao family.

What did the Gao family do a few days ago? All members resigned from their official posts and went into seclusion, claiming they wanted to pass on their family tradition of farming and studying. Now, on his deathbed, he has reopened a major case. This is his last exchange of interests with the emperor.

"It's better to die than to die," he thought. "Using the lives of those powerful families to ensure the safety of the Gao family is a deal that's a sure win for this old man."

Reputation? What's reputation worth? He's bound to be labeled a treacherous minister, so he might as well let it shine until the very end.

Xia Lin arrived at the Li Tang delegation, not to test the waters, but to directly request to see Li Shimin.

"Your wife's uncle died, aren't you going to go see him?"

"I'm sick, I'll go see a doctor."

Li Shimin and Xia Lin leaned against a tree at their resting place: "I'll be going back in a couple of days, I don't have time. Besides, I'm now the Prince of Shu of the Li Tang dynasty, I need to avoid suspicion."

"Don't avoid suspicion anymore. When you leave, take your uncle's family with you."

Who was Li Shimin? He was an incredibly shrewd man. He frowned and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I can't tell you now, you'll find out when the time comes." Xia Lin smacked his lips. "Anyway, just take them all away, don't worry about anything else. They won't hold you back here, but you need to hurry, lest something goes wrong."

"Are you about to make your move?"

"Hmm." Xia Lin nodded: "I don't need to teach you what to do, right?"

“Teaching is unnecessary, but what are the benefits?” Li Shimin twirled his fingers: “Who would do something that doesn’t bring any benefits?”

"Someone will come to your place later to discuss the industrial park."

"Like Fuliang?"

"Yes! Are you satisfied?"

"Deal," Li Shimin said with a smile. "Don't keep me waiting too long!"

(End of this chapter)