Killer Queen: Tyrant, prepare to die!

March 29th, morning.

Yesterday, Liu Chengzong vomited blood and fainted in the Golden Hall. He was rushed back to his residence for treatment, and the news had already spread throughout the court and the public.

Officials of the Liu faction were filled with anxiety and felt as if they had lost their parents.

The neutral parties remained silent, observing the situation closely.

Meanwhile, some upright and honest individuals, whose spirits had been suppressed for a long time, began to feel a flicker of hope.

The atmosphere at today's grand assembly was even more eerie than yesterday.

The position of Prime Minister Liu was vacant again. The officials of Liu's faction all looked ashen-faced, their eyes darting around, their former arrogance gone.

However, after all the officials had lined up, a figure, aged yet upright as a pine tree, appeared.

Holding a jet-black ebony cane with a golden dragon knob at the top,

When he stepped steadily into the Golden Palace, everyone's breath caught in their throat!

That walking stick... that's the "Panlong Imperial Staff" bestowed by the late emperor!

Seeing the staff is like seeing the late emperor; the person holding the staff has the power to "admonish the monarch and spur on treacherous officials"!

This staff has not been seen in the world for many years since the late emperor passed away!

The person carrying the cane is none other than the one who has "recovered" and returned.

Shen Anbang, the Grand Secretary of the Wenhua Hall who has always kept a low profile and claimed to be ill!

He was not wearing his official robes today, but only a faded blue scholar's gown.

His silver hair was meticulously combed, his face was lean and refined, but his eyes were as sharp as a hawk's, and his back was ramrod straight.

It seemed that the silence and hardships of the past two years had not broken his spirit.

Instead, it tempered that spirit into something even stronger!

Without glancing to the side, holding his imperial staff, he walked straight through the line of officials and reached the foot of the jade steps, before the throne.

Then, he stopped and raised the staff high with both hands.

An aged yet resonant voice echoed throughout the hall:

"The late emperor's imperial staff is here!"

Your subject, Shen Anbang, has been granted permission by Your Majesty to today carry the "Dragon-Patterned Imperial Staff" bestowed upon him by the late Emperor.

In the golden palace, they pleaded their cases, appealed their grievances, and impeached treacherous officials.

To rectify the court's affairs and comfort the spirit of the late emperor in heaven!

The voice was powerful and resonant, echoing in the deathly silent hall, carrying an undeniable and awe-inspiring righteousness!

Nangong Ye looked down at the familiar yet unfamiliar figure below the steps—his father-in-law and mentor.

Looking at the imperial staff in his hand, which represented the late emperor's authority,

A sudden warmth filled my chest, and my throat tightened.

He slowly stood up, facing the imperial staff and also Shen Anbang.

He nodded solemnly: "Minister Shen...please proceed with your presentation!"

Behind the beaded curtain, Shen Qingci sat quietly, watching her father's tall and straight back.

The hand hidden in the sleeve clenched almost imperceptibly.

Father...you can finally stand here with your head held high.

With permission, Shen Anbang slammed his imperial staff onto the gold brick, producing a deep yet majestic sound.

He stopped looking at the throne and turned away.

Facing the assembled civil and military officials, his gaze was sharp as lightning.

Slowly sweeping across the faces—some surprised, some guilty, some excited—

Finally, it seemed to penetrate the palace walls and land in the direction of the Liu residence.

"Today, this old minister wishes to impeach the current Prime Minister, Liu Chengzong!"

Shen Anbang spoke, his voice not loud, but each word clear and distinct, striking everyone's heart like a heavy hammer blow.

"His crimes are ten, each one shocking and a scourge to the country and its people!"

This old minister possesses irrefutable evidence, and today, before the late Emperor's imperial staff, in the Golden Hall...

"I have laid out each point, and I request Your Majesty and your colleagues to make a fair judgment!"

"Firstly!"

Shen Anbang took out a blue-covered book from his pocket, held it high,

"They formed cliques for personal gain and seized control of the government!"

Liu Chengzong served as prime minister for more than ten years, during which time he installed his cronies and eliminated dissidents.

Among the Six Ministries, his disciples and former associates were scattered throughout important positions, and the selection of officials through the imperial examinations was also largely controlled by his cronies!

This book contains a list of officials he promoted and placed over the years.

A total of 371 individuals have been identified, along with related evidence. Your Majesty, please review this document!

A eunuch stepped forward, respectfully accepted the gift, and presented it to the emperor.

A low murmur rippled through the hall.

Three hundred and seventy-one people!

This practically gave them control over half of the real power in the imperial court!

Secondly! They deceived the emperor and misled the emperor's ears!

Liu Chengzong always reported only good news and never bad news when he presented his memorials to the emperor.

They painted a rosy picture of peace and intercepted urgent reports from the local areas, making it difficult for His Majesty to understand the suffering of the people and the hidden worries on the border!

The old minister has collected twenty-seven copies of the memorials that he intercepted and altered.

This involves information on floods and droughts, border troop movements, and emerging civilian uprisings!

Thirdly, the sale of official positions corrupts the administration.

Prices are clearly marked: how much for a prefect, how much for a county magistrate.

Even those in short supply in the military can be bought and sold!

This contains partial testimonies from those involved and shady financial records!

Shen Anbang listed them one by one, each accompanied by solid evidence or witness testimony.

Although shocking, it was still within the scope of what people imagined a prime minister's "routine operation."

The officials from Liu's faction grew paler and paler, yet they managed to maintain their composure.

However, when Shen Anbang read the seventh point, his voice suddenly rose, filled with boundless anger and heartache:

"Seventh! Embezzling military funds undermines the foundation of the nation! This is the most serious of all crimes!"

He then took out an even thicker, black ledger with a glossy cover from his sleeve.

The ledger was badly worn along the edges, clearly indicating it had been repeatedly read.

"This is the three armies of the North and the two garrisons of the Southwest."

A genuine copy of the accounts for the distribution of military pay and the purchase of provisions and equipment over the past eight years!

This is completely different from the official accounts kept by the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue!

Shen Anbang opened the account book, his finger pointing to a page, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.

"In the fifth year of Jinghe, the imperial court allocated 800,000 taels of silver for the winter pay of the Northern Expeditionary Army, and the accounts clearly show that the full amount was distributed."

However, this secret account shows that only 450,000 taels actually reached the army!

The remaining 350,000 taels passed through five hands.

Ultimately, the money flowed into seven secret accounts disguised as "Jiangnan Litong Money Shop".

The owners behind them all point to the Liu clan and its members!

He turned to another page: "In the seventh year of Jinghe, the southwestern barbarians were pacified, and 300,000 taels of silver were specially allocated to purchase gunpowder and arrows."

The secret records show that half of the gunpowder purchased was mixed with sand, and the arrowheads were made of wood wrapped in iron. The actual expenditure was less than 80,000 taels!

The remaining 220,000 taels of silver will be used to build a villa called "Qixia Villa" for Liu Chengzong in Jiangzhou!

"And there are even more outrageous individuals!"

Shen Anbang's old eyes were filled with tears, and his hair stood on end in anger.

"In the winter of the eighth year of Jinghe, the northern border was bitterly cold, and His Majesty issued a special decree to issue an additional 150,000 taels of silver for winter clothing."

The secret records show that what was allocated was moldy cotton wadding and thin summer cloth!

As a result, more than a thousand soldiers suffered frostbite that year, and dozens died from frostbite ulceration!

This sum of money was used by Liu Chengming to host a banquet for the Vice Minister of Works at the "Shangchunlou" in Jiangnan.

A lavish one-night stand to purchase pearls from the South China Sea for her father's birthday!

The records in the ledgers are so detailed it's outrageous!

Time, place, people involved, amount of money, final destination, and even some shady details of the banquet.

For example, on a certain day of a certain month of a certain year, Liu Chengming hosted a banquet for a deputy general of a border town at the "Furongfang" on the Qinhuai River.

During the banquet, he was presented with a beautiful concubine, which cost five thousand taels of silver.

Everything is recorded clearly!

This is no ordinary embezzlement; it's exploiting the flesh and blood of soldiers guarding the border to suck their marrow dry!

They're treating the Great Wall of the nation like their own personal money bag!

Among the ranks of military officers inside the hall, several veteran generals already had bloodshot eyes.

His fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and he glared at the officials from the Liu faction, wishing he could tear them to pieces!

The civil officials were also shocked and appalled, for they knew the Liu family was corrupt.

But I never expected that their greed would be so unbridled and so depraved!

"Eighth!"

Shen Anbang gave everyone no chance to catch their breath, and then dropped an even bigger bombshell.

"Embezzling salt taxes and stealing state funds!"

This is the Salt Transport Office of Jiangnan, Lianghuai, and Liangzhe.

A comparison of the actual salt tax collected and remitted over the past decade!

He held up another thick ledger, exuding a salty, musty smell:

"Five or six tenths of the salt tax collected by the imperial court did not go into the national treasury!"

All of them were intercepted at each level under the guise of "loss", "drowning", and "fire damage"!

Ultimately, it ended up in the hands of the Liu family and the salt merchants they controlled!

Between the sixth and ninth years of the Jinghe reign, over a period of three years, he embezzled more than four million taels of salt tax!

That's enough to support another 100,000-strong border army!

Four million taels! This number sent chills down everyone's spine!

"Ninth! Colluding with江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world) to assassinate imperial officials!"

The three imperial auditors who died tragically last night were silenced by Liu Chengzong!

The "bandits" of Eagle Beak Mountain were actually desperate criminals secretly kept by the Liu family!

This old minister has obtained tokens and confessions from two of the "bandit leaders" who were secretly communicating with the steward of the Liu residence!

"Tenth!" Shen Anbang roared hoarsely, using all his remaining strength.

"They framed loyal officials and harmed the empress and imperial heirs!"

The evidence in the witchcraft case back then was forged by the Liu family!

The poison "Crimson Death" that Empress Shen was poisoned with in the Cold Palace came from Xiling, and the purchaser was none other than Liu Chengming!

All of Consort Liu Ruyan's evil deeds were instigated and encouraged by her father and brothers!

Liu Chengzong, you acted out of personal gain and for the sake of family power...

They framed my entire Shen family, poisoned the Empress, and harmed the imperial heirs.

"To undermine the foundation of the nation is an unforgivable crime, deserving of death!"

Ten major crimes, each one fatal!

Especially the embezzlement ledgers for military pay and salt tax listed in Articles 7 and 8.

The records are incredibly detailed, the amounts involved are enormous, and the details are astonishing.

It's as if the Liu family has sucked every drop of the nation's fortune and the people's wealth over the past decade.

They were all laid out bloody in broad daylight!

That black ledger even recorded the proportion of copper and lead added when military pay silver ingots were melted down and recast.

And after the craftsman in charge of the matter died unexpectedly,

The amount of "compensation" received by the family and the person who handled it...

The evidence is irrefutable!

"puff--!"

A muffled thud and a gasp came faintly from outside the hall, seemingly from the direction of the Liu residence.

Immediately afterwards, a eunuch scrambled into the hall, his face filled with terror:

"Your Majesty! A report has come from the Liu residence... Liu, he..."

Upon hearing that Grand Secretary Shen had entered the palace, he was overcome with anger and grief, and once again vomited blood uncontrollably.

She had already... had already fainted. The imperial physician said... that there was a risk of stroke!

Liu Chengzong was so frightened by these ten major charges and two shocking ledgers that he suffered a stroke!

The entire court was deathly silent.

All eyes were on Shen Anbang.

Focusing on the dragon-carved imperial staff in his hand, a symbol of the late emperor's authority,

And on those account books that seemed to weigh a ton.

Shen Anbang stood tall and imposing, his silver hair swaying slightly in the beams of light shining through the palace doors.

It resembles an ancient bronze statue, weathered by time yet unyielding.

He slowly turned to face the throne, raising the imperial staff and account books high with both hands.

The aged voice carried endless sorrow and hope:

"Your Majesty! What I have said is all true, and the evidence is irrefutable!"

Liu Chengzong and his cronies committed heinous crimes that are too numerous to recount!

Your Majesty, I humbly beseech you to follow the will of Heaven and the people, rectify the court, and severely punish the traitors!

Give the world justice!

Give the soldiers on the frontier justice!

"Give the Shen family its innocence!"

The sound echoed and lingered for a long time.