Daqin Zhentiansi

Chapter 509 Your Majesty, Marquis Qingyang has already left.
Family?
It was copied?
Did the Minister of Justice commit suicide out of fear of punishment?

The hall fell silent instantly.

Emperor Yuankang, seated on the dragon throne, frowned slightly but remained silent.

King Linglan, Ying Chongxiao, remained calm, not even glancing at the officials in the main hall.

Wang Anzhi, the Minister of Rites, turned his gaze to the officials of the Ministry of Rites and the censors of the Censorate, his brows furrowed.

Inside the main hall, the officials who came to offer their advice were either pale-faced, sweating profusely, or trembling.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, does this Marquis of Qingyang still have any regard for the laws of the land and the Qin Dynasty?"

A fifth-rank imperial censor with graying hair staggered forward a few steps and then banged his head on the ground.

"Your Excellency, I have served in the Censorate with an incorruptible hand, and my old wife has shared my poverty for decades. I never imagined that we would end up having our home confiscated..."

Looking up, the fifth-rank censor's eyes were filled with sorrow.

"Your Excellency, you know me, Cao Yue. If I have ever broken the law or violated discipline, I am willing to be struck by lightning or killed by sword and axe—"

The voice of Imperial Censor Cao Yue echoed in the main hall.

The other ministers and officials exchanged glances, their expressions shifting, wanting to step forward but not daring to.

They had no idea what would happen to Cao Yue.

Since the Marquis of Qingyang said he would confiscate all the houses, did he really confiscate their homes and find something extraordinary?

They certainly wouldn't dare say they're completely incorruptible.

“Your Majesty, I have worked with Cao Yue for thirty years and know him quite well.”

Wang Anzhi pondered for a moment, then bowed to Emperor Yuankang: "I do not believe that Cao Yue has committed any illegal or disorderly acts."

The Minister of Rites was the head of the civil officials.

Since he spoke, it represented the attitude of the civil officials.

Inside the main hall, everyone looked at Emperor Yuankang.

The emperor nodded and raised his hand, saying, "Go and have Zhang Qingyang report on the search and confiscation of Cao Yue's property."

Yu Kuizhen bowed as she left the main hall, then, carrying a book in her hands, she quickly walked up to the hall and carefully presented it to the emperor's long desk.

The emperor waved his hand and said calmly, "Read it."

Yu Kuizhen nodded, bowed, then turned around and looked at everyone in the hall. Her gaze swept over Cao Yue before she slowly opened the book in her hand.

"Cao Yue, the Imperial Censor, has an official examination record. He passed the provincial examination in the 29th year of Yongchang and became a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the 32nd year of Yongchang. He requested to be appointed as a ninth-rank county magistrate in Linshui County."

"In the fortieth year of Yongchang, he was promoted to Supervising Censor for his meritorious service in suppressing bandits, and he has not been promoted for more than thirty years since then."

"When the Zhen Tian Si An Ying Si searched the residence of Imperial Censor Cao Yue, they found that only twenty taels of silver were hidden in a secret compartment in the bedroom. The loose silver was wrapped in coarse cloth. The account book recorded: In the winter of Jiazi year, five taels of silver were exchanged to purchase charcoal and give it to an old man living alone in the south alley."

"A painting with the inscription 'A Gentle Breeze Comes to the Study' hangs there, signed 'Cao Mingyuan, Lecturer at Yulin Academy.' Inside the drawer is the academy's tuition ledger—'I teach for three days each month and receive five taels of silver.'"

"Thirty-seven thank-you letters are kept in the side room. They are all handwritten by the students who received the sponsorship. The latest one reads: 'I am grateful to Cao Xueqin for the donation of ten taels of silver to purchase 'The Strange Tales of Mountains and Rivers.' I have already entered Bailudong Academy.'"

"There was half a bag of brown rice on the kitchen stove, and his wife, Li, wore a faded wooden bracelet on her wrist—a betrothal gift given to Cao Yue when he passed the imperial examination thirty years ago."

According to the investigation by the Zhen Tian Si, the wooden bracelet that Cao Yue gave to his wife when he passed the imperial examination thirty years ago is still his only piece of jewelry. During his tenure as a censor, he refused to accept gifts of ice and charcoal, and he used half of the tuition fees from his lectures at the academy to help students from poor families.

After Yu Kuizhen finished reading the scroll in her hand, she gently closed it and her gaze fell on Cao Yue.

Cao Yue sat there, kneeling, looking bewildered.

"Lord Cao, when Marquis Qingyang handed this scroll to me, he asked me to ask a question on his behalf."

"Having lived a life of poverty, do you regret it?"

Can I regret it?
Cao Yue slowly raised his head.

"Regret? Thirty years ago, when I went to the exam barefoot in the snow, I did regret that my family was poor and had no coal to burn down, until I saw with my own eyes the wolf riders from the northern deserts burning down the county school—"

"Only then did I realize that poverty was not due to a lack of ink in the inkstone, but rather to a lack of knowledge about the vast landscape in my heart, and an inability to die for the Qin Dynasty."

Cao Yue's eyes shone with an undisguised brilliance: "If we speak of cultivation, I cultivate the righteous energy of heaven and earth; if we speak of a life of poverty—"

"Those who have the well-being of the people in their hearts are never poor. When their backbones support the Qin Dynasty, all they see is a beautiful and prosperous land!"

Really loud.

In the main hall, only Cao Yue's voice resonated powerfully.

Emperor Yuankang, seated on his throne, fixed his gaze on Cao Yue, his hand lightly stroking the jade seal on the long table, and said calmly, "You have served as the Censor for forty years of the Yongchang era, and you have already..."

"I have served as an imperial censor for thirty-eight years," Cao Yue said loudly.

Emperor Yuankang nodded, his gaze turning to Wang Anzhi, the Minister of Rites. "Thirty-eight years as a censor in blue robes, you, Minister of Rites, still retain some of the integrity of a scholar."

Wang Anzhi quickly bowed: "Your Majesty, Cao Yue is of a strong and unyielding character. He wishes to serve as an imperial censor and has refused promotions and transfers several times..."

"I recall that the Censorate is still short of a Grand Censor?" the Emperor's voice rang out.

The Imperial Censor is a third-rank official, second only to the Ministers of the Six Ministries!
In the Censorate, the Grand Censor is the deputy to the Vice Censor-in-Chief, but the Vice Censor-in-Chief must be concurrently held by the Minister of Rites.

In other words, the Grand Censor was the head of the Censorate and the chief remonstrating official of the Qin Dynasty!

In the main hall, everyone looked at Cao Yue, their eyes filled with undisguised envy.

Who would have thought that Cao Yue's family would not be destroyed after the Zhen Tian Si raided his home, but instead he would soar to great heights!
Since Your Majesty has asked, the meaning is quite clear.

Cao Yue is the next Imperial Censor!
Cao Yue, kneeling on the ground, looked somewhat bewildered.

"Your Majesty, I, I am also from a poor family, and I am also honest and upright—" In the main hall, a supervisor from the Ministry of Justice bowed and stepped forward.

“Your Majesty, my family has property, all of which are ancestral assets, and there is absolutely no dereliction of duty or corruption involved.”

"Your Majesty, I am also an honest official—"

Inside the main hall, several shouts rang out, and the officials could no longer hold back, kneeling and begging Emperor Yuankang.

Cao Yue's unexpected good fortune really spurred them on.

Taking advantage of the fact that the emperor has a good impression of the civil officials, we should quickly plead our case. Maybe the emperor will be in a good mood and the matter will be over today?

"Ahem, Your Majesty, Marquis Qingyang said that if any of the other officials wish to see their own records of confiscation, they may go outside the palace to obtain them."

Yu Kuizhen coughed lightly, silencing the crowd.

He turned his head slightly, his expression revealing a hint of coldness.

"If you have a guilty conscience, don't go see it."

"Furthermore, if the search and seizure records are unbearable to look at, I suggest that you do not bring them back to offend His Majesty's eyes."

Go outside the palace to retrieve the documents and see what the Zhen Tian Si (the Heavenly Guard) found when they searched your home.
If there isn't much to record, then bringing it back to His Majesty might even earn us a reward.

If something is indeed found out, we can simply not take it back.

Should we gamble?

While some were still hesitating, others had already grabbed their clothes and rushed out of the main hall.

Immediately, all the officials rushed outside the main hall to see the records of the confiscation of property by the Zhen Tian Si (a local authority).

The main hall suddenly became much emptier.

and so on.

After a long while, Emperor Yuankang narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Yu Kuizhen, go and see what's going on outside."

Yu Kuizhen walked out quickly, and then returned.

"Your Majesty, Marquis Qingyang has already left."

gone?

Emperor Yuankang's lips twitched.

"What about those officials?" Wang Anzhi, the Minister of Rites, turned and asked.

“Naturally, he was also taken away by Marquis Qingyang.” Yu Kuizhen’s face was tense, but he still couldn’t hide the smile in his eyes.

They were taken away.

They left Qianyang Palace on their own and were then taken away by Qingyang Marquis.

Wang Anzhi's beard trembled, and he remained silent for a moment.

Beside him, King Linglan laughed heartily.

"Your Majesty, I must impeach Marquis Qingyang for his lawlessness, untrustworthiness, and arrogant behavior—"

Cao Yue's voice rang out from the main hall.

Yu Kuizhen looked at Cao Yue and said softly, "Lord Cao, the Marquis of Qingyang left a few soldiers outside to guard the account books and other items that were confiscated. Would you like to take a look before you speak?"

Before Cao Yue could speak, Emperor Yuankang's voice came from the head of the table.

"Send it in."

(End of this chapter)