in2ebook Chapter 186 King Xuan's Revenge
Chapter 186 King Xuan's Revenge
The Cui family has been having a tough time lately. Cui Maosheng has been summoned by the Ministry of Justice for questioning several times, all concerning the case of the missing controlled equipment in Jianzhou Road.
Tao Dingbang has already returned to Jianzhou Road, but he is still being questioned because of this case.
All his connections, social interactions, and household accounts have been thoroughly investigated.
People from the Ministry of Revenue were coming and going, and people from the Ministry of Justice were coming and going, making it almost impossible for him to stay in his peaceful home.
The investigation began with Tao Dingbang being secretly escorted back to the capital, and he was asked to cooperate with the investigation through normal procedures. Later, after Princess Yongle made a fuss about marrying his son Cui Yan, the questioning of him increased.
He knew that the Emperor was pressuring him, not wanting the Cui family to marry a royal woman, but for the sake of the Cui family's future, he resisted.
But now that the Emperor has already bestowed marriage upon Yongle and Shen Qingque, the questioning has only intensified!
"Is this King Xuan's revenge?"
The Ministry of Justice is currently busy investigating the Ministry of Revenue, so it transferred the case of the Ministry of War's missing weapons to the Court of Judicial Review. Every day before dawn, the Court of Judicial Review sends someone to knock on the door, saying that they are afraid Cui Maosheng will run away, so they come to check every day.
This meant that no one in the entire Cui family could sleep well.
Even when his son went to the examination hall, he was yawning.
"Ha, isn't this all the trouble you caused!" Madam Cui sneered. Because of his and her son's self-deception, she was caught in the middle and couldn't stand anyone. Now, even if she wanted to pack her bags and go back to the Lu family, her own family wouldn't welcome her!
"How was I supposed to know things would turn out like this! Everything was fine before!" He gasped for breath, all because Yongle had changed his mind!
If Princess Yongle marries his son, then everything can return to normal!
"I'm warning you, if you do anything shameless again, we're getting a divorce!" Madam Cui said angrily.
Cui Maosheng said nonchalantly, "Women are short-sighted and don't understand my efforts for the great cause!"
Madam Cui didn't understand, nor did she want to understand. These past few days, she hadn't dared to leave the house, let alone attend any banquets, for fear of seeing the mocking looks from outsiders!
Seeing her husband's resolute gaze, she said angrily, "As an outsider, I will not interfere in the affairs of your Cui family!"
After saying that, she turned and left, returning to her courtyard to pack her things and go back to her parents' home. No matter how her family viewed her, she was going back!
However, the first heavy rain of the summer solstice hindered Madam Cui's journey.
The rain came suddenly and violently, accompanied by thunderstorms that tore through the sky, causing people in the capital to stay at home and dare not go out.
Fang Rao and his men emerged from the tunnel, covered in mud and water, and reported as expected: "Your Highness, the fire has broken out!"
Song Yaozhu hurriedly told them to drink the ginger soup she had prepared beforehand and to quickly take a bath and rest.
When they smuggled gold last time, Fang Rao and his men installed a lightning rod in the Tong family's ancestral hall, but the effect was not obvious, so they went to the Tong family's house in the rain and set it on fire again.
Before long, the sound of gongs and drums could be heard outside, and someone was delivering a message in the rain.
"Fire! Fire! The ancestral hall of the Minister of Revenue has been struck by lightning and is on fire!"
The news quickly spread throughout the streets and alleys of the capital. Many businesses had few customers due to the rain, and upon hearing the news, some curious people couldn't resist going there with their umbrellas to join in the fun.
"Husband! Didn't you hear that he was struck by lightning?! How dare you run outside!" A wife said urgently, pulling her husband back as he was about to leave.
"Don't worry, I haven't done anything wrong, why should I be afraid of being struck by lightning!" After saying that, he put on his raincoat and rushed into the rain.
The fire at the Tong family's house was raging. Tong Qian wasn't home, and his son was in charge of the household, but even he couldn't put out the fire!
The rain poured down, but it couldn't extinguish the raging flames. All the Tong family members could only watch from afar as the fire burned mercilessly. The wooden beams collapsed with a deafening crash, like a thousand pounds of force striking the hearts of the Tong family.
"Master, what... what should we do?!"
"What can I do about natural disasters and man-made calamities?" He had no choice but to accept it!
After everything was burned, the servants of the Tong family entered the site to begin clearing the ruins. Suddenly, one of the servants slipped and fell on his backside. He grumbled as he got up, only to find his hands covered in a slippery substance.
"Oil?" He sniffed it, took a sip, and then exclaimed, "It's tung oil! It's tung oil!"
The Tong family immediately reported the incident to the authorities. Someone had taken advantage of Tong Qian's imprisonment and used the thunderstorm as cover to set fire to their Tong family ancestral hall. This was simply unforgivable!
The officials from the Jingzhao Prefecture immediately led a team to the Tong family residence to investigate. This investigation unexpectedly revealed the underground tunnel to everyone. Officials immediately followed the tunnel to investigate its destination, and what they discovered shocked the imperial court!
"Minister of Revenue Tong Qian dug a tunnel leading to the treasury from his ancestral hall. This is not the act of a subject! For Tong Qian, as Minister of Revenue, to commit such an act of embezzlement is despicable!"
"Your Majesty, Tong Qian, as the Minister of Revenue, should be a role model for all officials, yet he has done such a shocking thing. This is simply unbelievable! He is utterly lawless; the national treasury is about to become his Tong family's storehouse!"
The officials from the Censorate kept attacking Tong Qian, bringing him to the lowest level. Their goal was simple: to destroy Tong Qian.
Even the people from the Imperial Observatory chimed in: "Heaven saw his disloyalty and injustice, so it sent down a lightning tribulation to let the Emperor see this man's true colors!"
Yuwen Wuji was furious. He never expected that Tong Qian would have such audacity as to dig a tunnel that led directly to the treasury!
"You Mingwang!" Yuwen Wuji roared, and You Mingwang, the Minister of Justice, stepped forward tremblingly. "Your Ministry of Justice must thoroughly investigate this case for me! There will be no leniency!"
You Mingwang bowed and accepted the order. He sighed deeply, knowing that Tong Qian was doomed.
At the same time, he was also shocked. He knew Tong Qian was audacious, but he never expected him to do something like this. He not only condoned officials buying and selling their own wives in secret, but now he had even made a hole in the treasury.
Alas, as expected of someone who has served two dynasties, without such courage one could not have risen to the position of head of the Ministry of Revenue and become the emperor's confidant during his second spring.
At this time, Tong Qian was still in prison waiting for the emperor to fulfill his promise and release him. He was still fantasizing about how to deal with the people who betrayed him and the land that the Lu family had promised him after he got out.
Just as he was leisurely waiting, a group of yamen runners carrying knives stormed into the prison to clear a path. After they lined up in neat rows, You Mingwang, the Minister of Justice, wearing his scarlet official robe, walked up to Tong Qian with a swagger.
Holding the imperial edict in one hand and with the other behind his back, he sighed, "Old brother, it's not that we didn't want to save you this time, it's just that you messed up!"