Chapter 308: Just Die Then!

Baili Junyi and Shen Ninghua knelt on the ground with their back straight and their serious gazes on Baili Qingcang. Their eyes were clear and their expressions were calm, not being bothered by the officials at all.

Baili Qingcang’s heart trembled. “A-Are you trying to force me to depose you?!” One of them was a royal prince and the other a noble princess. Had they ever thought of the consequences of failure for going up against the officials?

Shen Ninghua looked up at the old man sitting on the throne. The nine-clawed golden dragon with a dragon horn on his chair was majestic and intimidating. “Father Emperor, I’m sorry for putting you in a difficult situation this time, but I do not regret it. It hurts to remove the rotten things at once, but only by being ruthless can a new opportunity be reborn.”

The officials on the side were infuriated.

“Rotten? What do you mean by that, Princess Zhaohua? Are you saying that all of us are rotten?”

“When I was an official, you were not even born. Do you think that with His Majesty’s favor, you can easily kill an official of the imperial court?”

“If Royal Prince Yi and Princess Zhaohua do not give us an explanation now, we will fight for our innocence even if we have to die here!”

“Just die then!” Baili Junyi suddenly turned his head, his gaze overbearing and not yielding in the slightest. “Without you, there are plenty of people waiting to be officials. Do you really think you are so important that we can’t afford to lose you?”

“Fifth Prince, what do you mean by this? Do you want us to die?”

Baili Junyi’s face was full of ridicule. “Hehe, you’re the one who wants to die, so I just play along with your remarks, but you turn around to bite me. Have you forgotten what you are?”

“Your Majesty, the Fifth Prince is so arrogant, and he looks down on us. How are we going to survive if this goes on?”

With a cold sneer, Shen Ninghua looked up, her eyes full of disdain. “Lord Zhou, don’t try to stand out if you don’t know the ins and outs of the matter. Royal Prince Yi said that he was the one who set the fire in the brothels, but he didn’t say that the ledgers were fake!”

“W-What?”

“The contents of the ledgers are all real. Why don’t you think about it before you whitewash yourself? How can we expose the matter without evidence?”

The noisy hall instantly fell silent. Many officials lowered their heads, and their faces turned ghastly pale. They knew what they had done and knew that what was recorded in the ledgers was true. They just wanted to fight for their lives. Now that they thought about it, if there was no real evidence, how could Baili Junyi and Shen Ninghua dare to reveal the matter?

Baili Jinchuan looked on with his aloof eyes, but he had to admit that Baili Junyi and Shen Ninghua had good plans.

They tricked these officials into the trap step by step. First, the fires at the brothels and the exposure of the ledgers disrupted the officials’ minds and sent them into chaos.

Then, as the men of sacrifice and the Dragon Scale Army moved a large sum of money to Chengqian Hall, it inadvertently verified the authenticity of the records in the ledgers. Of course, His Majesty would be furious about this, and his actions in punishing a few officials by beheading completely scared these officials out of their wits.

However, just when the officials thought that they were screwed, the table had turned when Baili Junyi and Shen Ninghua admitted that they were the ones who deliberately burned down the brothels. The officials, who were despaired at first, saw the sign of revival and fought to clean their names.

All kinds of ugly gestures were exposed in front of the Emperor with their loud arguments and harsh debate. On one hand, Baili Junyi and Shen Ninghua obtained solid evidence and statements; on the other hand, the officials were panicked and babbling. Which side should the Emperor trust?

The frigid aura was exhumed from Baili Qingcang’s body. He swiped the teacup from the imperial writing desk, and it smashed on the floor, producing a crisp sound as broken pieces of the teacup splashed everywhere.

“Your Majesty, please calm down.”

“Junyi, Ninghua, is what you said true?”

Baili Junyi’s gaze was firm and confident. “Father Emperor, we do not intend to hide anything. Other than these boxes of money and jewelry, the courtesans in the brothels can also testify. If you don’t believe me, you can ask these officials to strip off their official robes and change them into ordinary clothes for the girls to recognize. At that time, the truth will naturally be revealed.”

Many officials rolled their eyes and fainted. They had forgotten that even if they could debate the authenticity of the ledgers, the courtesans were also solid evidence. They had paid and slept with so many courtesans that they wouldn’t be able to kill every single one of them even if they wanted to.

Baili Qingcang was furious. “Wonderful! This is wonderful! I’ve kept a bunch of good-for-nothing scums! You ignore the Da’an Kingdom’s laws! What’s the point of keeping you around? Tell me, what’s the point?”

“Your Majesty, please spare us. We’re sorry! Please spare us, Your Majesty!”

“Your Majesty, I have only been there once, I swear! I’ve been working so diligently for many years. Please spare me!”

Seeing this, Shen Ninghua grinned in contempt. So now they finally succumbed to their mistakes and begged for mercy. Why did they do the deeds in the first place?

Baili Qingcang was burning with anger. However, looking at the officials who almost all knelt down, he did not know how to deal with them. There were too many officials involved this time.

Seeing Baili Qingcang’s hesitation, Baili Junyi asserted in a clear voice.

“Father Emperor, these people deserve the punishment. They received the salary of the imperial court and enjoyed the glory you gave them. They should have risked their lives for the Da’an Kingdom to repay your kindness. Instead, not only were they ungrateful, but they were also greedy. If they did not corrupt and accept bribes, where did their large sum of money come from? If they did not oppress the people, why did their lawlessness for years go unheard?”

“And also those imperial censors. Every day, they would criticize the officials and all kinds of unjust matters, looking as if they were very upright and honest. Why is there no one to mention such a big thing? What is the difference between keeping them around and killing them?”

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“Their sole purpose is to oppress the people and take bribes. They completely forget the determination to serve the country faithfully. As imperial officials, they do not work diligently for you, Father Emperor, they do not think about serving the people, and all they can think of is their own selfish desires and gains. You should beat the dogs before the lion and kill them all today! By killing them, you can smooth the people’s ruffled feathers as well as give a warning to the officials in the country!”

Baili Junyi sounded righteous and upright, and some officials, who were in a trance, vomited blood after being provoked by his statement.

Shen Ninghua felt her heart beating fast. She was proud of Baili Junyi from the bottom of her heart. Such a proud and righteous man was her husband, her lover. For the sake of his dream, even if she had to go through a sea of flames, she would never regret it!

Baili Jinchuan crushed the cup in his hand with a bang. The jealousy in his heart spread and almost swallowed him. He wanted to draw Shen Ninghua’s gaze over. He wanted her to look at him with the same gaze. He would do anything to win her gaze and her heart.

The Third Prince and the others were completely dumbfounded. They did not know how to react and what else they could say to refute Baili Junyi.

What should they do? What should they do now?

Baili Qingcang looked at Baili Junyi and Shen Ninghua, who were kneeling side by side on the ground. There were both pride and frustration in his eyes.

He was proud that they dared to risk overwhelming condemnation to expose the darkness of the court officials. On the other hand, he was frustrated that they were too bold and did not leave him any leeway.

Looking at the resolute expressions of the two children, he suddenly thought that they wanted to use this matter to leave the capital instead of leaving leeway for themselves.

Were they not afraid of revenge? After leaving the capital and being far away from the court, it would be a piece of cake for the officials to attack them. By then, they were not under his protection. They might be able to avoid apparent attacks, but they would not be able to save themselves from stealth attacks!

“Junyi, Ninghua, stand up.”

“Yes, Father Emperor.”

Baili Junyi helped Shen Ninghua up. The two of them did not let go of their hands.

“According to your opinions, how should we deal with this matter?”

Baili Junyi said, “Father Emperor, you are the ruler of a country. The Da’an Kingdom has a clear rule in this matter. You should deal with it however you want.”

Hearing this, Baili Qingcang secretly sighed as a sense of powerlessness rose up in his heart. Of course, he knew how to deal with it, but there were so many officials involved in this matter. If he executed them all, there would be no officials in the Da’an Kingdom’s court. Indeed, many people were waiting for an official position, but it was impossible to promote them in a short time.

He was in a dilemma. What should he do?

Glancing at the officials, Shen Ninghua felt that it was about time, so she slowly quipped, “Father Emperor, Junyi’s method is direct and most appropriate. However, if you execute them all, there will be not many officials left in the court, and it is not a good idea to have so many vacant positions in the government. Why don’t we take a compromise approach?”

“Oh? What do you have in mind?”

A small hope instantly appeared in the officials’ devastated soul. If there was a way to compromise, they could live!

“Father Emperor, not every one of these officials spends money like water. Why don’t you set a rule and divide their crimes into three ranks?”

Shen Ninghua’s words made Baili Qingcang’s eyes light up.

“The most serious offenders will be executed by death, for sure. For the second rank, confiscating their assets, putting them into exile, and they will never be hired again. For the third rank, this is the lightest charge and can be dealt with leniently. Leave enough assets for them to survive and reinstate their positions in the government. Then, based on their future performance, you can either burn the evidence if they perform well or punish them if they perform badly.”

As soon as Shen Ninghua said this, the officials, who seldom frequented the brothels, immediately quavered.

“Princess Zhaohua is right. Your Majesty, I am willing to hand over all my assets. From now on, I will work hard for the country and the people. Please give me another chance.”

“I also agree with Princess Zhaohua’s suggestion. Your Majesty, please give me another chance.”

“Your Majesty, please show mercy.”

The corners of Baili Junyi’s lips curled up subtly. There were too many officials involved in this matter, so it was impossible to kill them all. Ninghua’s method temporarily spared their lives, but she had also put their career at stake. With the evidence in the hands of His Majesty, they would definitely be loyal and devoted.

If they survived today and made any mistakes in the future, there would be plenty of people who could replace them.

A light flashed in Baili Qingcang’s eyes as he swept his gaze over the excited officials. “Do you all agree with Princess Zhaohua’s method?”

“Yes, we agree.”

Many of the people present had been to the brothels before, but only a handful of them spent money like water in the brothels. Everyone hoped that the Emperor would loosen up a little when he divided their crimes into ranks. At that time, they would at least be able to stay alive and keep their positions.

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