r18novel Page 497
Page 497
Not far from her, a tall figure in a blue robe slowly descended, a hint of murderous intent flashing across his refined and handsome face.
Arresting a third-rank official without authorization is a complete overreach of authority.
"Reckless? I think it's great. There are some things he can do better than I can."
"It's surprising that the Imperial Preceptor, a man of such reclusive nature, would concern himself with such mundane matters?"
Luo Yuheng slowly said, "This person is related to the fate of our Daoist sect, or rather, the fate of this mortal world. Tell me, is there anyone in the world more important than him? Lord Wei has already gotten there first."
Wei Yuan was startled. He had specifically consulted the Director of the Imperial Observatory about Li Chang'an, but the Director only smiled and remained silent, claiming that heavenly secrets could not be revealed.
“The amount of silver embezzled by Zhou Xianping is far more than 150,000 taels. His Majesty underestimated this man’s ambition and was blinded by his apparent loyalty, so he was unwilling to investigate further. It is a good thing that Li Chang’an was able to find out.”
Beneath the veil, Luo Yuheng gave a cold smile. Was Emperor Yuanjing deceived by Zhou Xianping? Probably not.
"Lord Wei, loyal ministers and good generals have never met a good end. You'd better take care of yourself."
Wei Yuan was unwilling to ask why; he knew he wouldn't get any answers, so he chose to remain silent.
"Lord Li... spare me... I was wrong..." Zhou Li mumbled, already admitting defeat.
"Alright," Li Chang'an said.
Upon hearing the order, Xu Qi'an stopped and then demanded, "Zhou Li, why did you send someone to assassinate me?"
Zhou Li slumped to the ground, mumbling, "I was in a brothel... being beaten and scolded by my father... and you were just standing there laughing..."
"Go to hell!" Xu Qi'an cursed, stepping on Zhou Li's back.
Zhou Li had very few teeth left, but he refused to let go.
"to be honest."
As soon as Li Chang'an spoke, Zhou Li couldn't help but confess.
"My father intended to embezzle 150,000 taels of tax silver. It was he who instructed the Registrar of Revenue to stage the tax silver robbery, but you saw through the scheme, and his plan failed at the last minute..."
Zhou Li's words did not cause any emotional ripples among anyone; it was an open secret, but no one had pointed it out.
The clerk summoned by Li Yuchun was nervously recording the details; Zhou Xianping's embezzlement of tax silver was undeniable.
Zhou Xianping was furious, but he could only watch helplessly as his son was forced to confess.
150,000 taels of silver is not a small amount, but it is not much for the emperor either. It is just a trivial matter to balance the relationships in the court.
Zhou Xianping, who had been in officialdom for many years, sneered inwardly. Li Chang'an had never been an official and did not know the emperor's thoughts. What Emperor Yuanjing cared about most was the emperor's dignity.
Li Chang'an's actions against Zhou Xianping without an imperial edict were something the emperor could not tolerate.
Zhou Li didn't know much, so he couldn't get any more information from him. Li Chang'an turned his gaze to Zhou Xianping, which made Zhou Xianping tremble with fear.
"Li Chang'an, don't be so arrogant! You've disobeyed the imperial decree, and you're about to die!"
Li Chang'an was unconcerned by Zhou Xianping's threat. "I have heard that Vice Minister Zhou has embezzled five million taels of tax silver over the past few years. This is a serious matter, and we can only act expediently in this urgent situation."
Upon hearing this, the faces of the several Silver Robe Night Watchmen were visibly shaken. Five million taels! This was simply the act of a thief who had stolen the country!
Even Wei Yuan, who was far away, had his pupils shrink sharply, and a huge wave of emotions surged in his heart. If it really was five million taels, where did all that money go? Even a life of extravagance and debauchery couldn't cost that much.
No wonder Li Chang'an dared to barge into the Zhou residence. If the emperor knew that Zhou Xianping's case involved not 150,000 taels of silver, nor 500,000 taels, but 5 million taels, he would never have tolerated him.
Zhou Xianping was shocked upon hearing this, and his voice became somewhat unnatural, "Li Chang'an, don't spout nonsense. This is all the wealth I have accumulated over the years. Where would I get five million taels of silver!"
Li Chang'an said coldly, "You won't shed tears until you see the coffin?"
Seeing Li Chang'an's eyes turn cold, Zhou Xianping panicked and immediately shouted, "Scholars cannot use the law of words against officials of the fourth rank or above; this is an ironclad rule of the Great Feng Dynasty!"
After he shouted, he wished he could run away, but several silver gongs had already blocked the road.
Li Chang'an said calmly, "Is there such a rule? I didn't know. Wei Yuan didn't tell me."
Then, staring intently into Zhou Xianping's eyes, he said, "A gentleman... should be honest!"
"Tell me, how much silver did you take from the national treasury, and where did it all go?"
Zhou Xianping's eyes widened in terror, and he broke out in a cold sweat. His consciousness gradually slipped out of his control, and his mind was filled with the thought of confessing.
Xu Qi'an put his hands on his hips and said arrogantly, "My master is a martial artist. What do the rules of a Confucian scholar have to do with a martial artist!"
Zhou Xianping had no way to refute the story, and could only confess tremblingly, "Over the past ten years... I have used various means, including embezzlement, robbery, and theft, to take a total of 6.1 to 12 million taels of silver from the national treasury..."
The Vice Minister of Revenue confessed to the facts himself, and even more than Li Chang'an had said. Even Wei Yuan was somewhat astonished, realizing that the officialdom of the Great Feng Dynasty was in such a chaotic state.
Even Xu Qi'an was completely shocked. A vice minister had embezzled six million taels of silver from the national treasury over the years, and the entire court was completely unaware of it. What kind of damned court was this?
Zhou Li, who was lying on the ground, also stared wide-eyed. He had no idea that his father would be so generous!
“Those silver... silver... I... I... can’t remember.”
Zhou Xianping's mind went blank for a moment, and he couldn't control what he was saying, but he just couldn't continue speaking.
Li Chang'an frowned, knowing that this was a third-rank sorcerer's method of concealing heavenly secrets. Although the Confucian school's "words become law" could make him speak, if the information about the whereabouts of the silver was concealed in his mind and there was no trace of it in his brain, he would not be able to speak.
"Shield the secrets of heaven!"
Luo Yuheng and Wei Yuan were equally surprised, which meant that Zhou Xianping had a powerful force behind him, an unknown and powerful force hidden in the shadows, which made everyone ignore him.
Wei Yuan said with a solemn expression, "The one who made the fake silver is a skilled sorcerer, and the one who concealed the secrets of heaven is also a sorcerer. It seems that there is a powerful sorcerer hiding in the shadows."
“After a sorcerer conceals the secrets of heaven, unless he appears in public on his own initiative, everyone’s memory of him will be erased, all traces he left behind will disappear, and his relatives and friends will forget him.”
The top three ranks of all systems are called the extraordinary realm, each possessing extraordinary abilities and employing unique and bizarre methods.
Li Chang'an knew this matter could be over. As long as Zhou Xianping confessed to embezzling the silver, Wei Yuan could handle the rest.
As for the truth, Li Chang'an was well aware of it, but under the influence of the sorcerer's concealment of heavenly secrets, even if he spoke it out, no one would remember it.
"Xu Qi'an, where is your father?"
Xu Qi'an answered without hesitation, "He sacrificed his life for the country in the Battle of Shanhai."
Li Chang'an nodded. His memory had been blocked; just as he suspected.
He ordered the night watchmen to arrest Zhou Xianping and his son, and ransacked the Zhou residence overnight. The once powerful and influential Vice Minister Zhou was completely brought down.
The news spread throughout the capital the next day: Zhou Shilang's son had assassinated Li Chang'an's disciple, and the night watchmen had raided and confiscated his property.
As the Grand God of Wealth, Vice Minister Zhou had embezzled six million taels of silver without authorization, which immediately drew widespread condemnation from the people.
Some criticized Zhou Xianping for his greed and madness, while others condemned the court for its incompetence, yet they remained completely oblivious for so long.
The reactions of the court officials varied. Many cursed Zhou Xianping, but almost all the civil officials submitted memorials demanding that Li Chang'an be punished for overstepping his authority.
Firstly, the case was handled without imperial decree; secondly, the law was enforced against a high-ranking official of the third rank.
The second point, in particular, was enough to make all the officials of the Great Feng Dynasty uneasy, for every official had some unspeakable secrets.
Emperor Yuanjing, who was originally focused on cultivating Taoism, also had his tranquility disrupted.
Biao Biao was so frightened by the pile of memorials impeaching Li Chang'an that it was almost taller than her.
“Father, ignorance is no excuse. Wei Yuan didn’t tell Li Chang’an, so of course Li Chang’an didn’t know that rule! Wei Yuan should be punished for this!”
"Li Chang'an knew that Zhou Xianping was a threat to the country, so he risked overstepping his authority to handle the case. He acted swiftly and decisively. If Father Emperor punishes him, it will break the hearts of the people!"
"Father... Li Chang'an is a loyal minister of the country!"
Chapter 300 Chen Jinnan Encounters Ling Lingqi
Emperor Yuanjing was in his prime, without a single gray hair. His refined appearance exuded an air of otherworldly grace, making him look unlike an emperor.
To outsiders, he appears more like a sage, which is exactly what he hoped to see.
Zhou Xianping was incredibly audacious, embezzling such a large sum of money from the national treasury, which infuriated him.
Therefore, Zhou Xianping's fate of having his entire family executed was inevitable, and no one pleaded for his life.
But where did the money go? What exactly is the sorcerer behind Zhou Xianping plotting?
Wei Yuan has already gone to investigate. Although the emperor knows that this matter is difficult to investigate because the sorcerer has obscured the secrets of heaven, no one can remember who that person is unless he appears himself.
Of course, what Emperor Yuanjing didn't know was that Li Chang'an was an exception, because the mark left in Li Chang'an's mind was not caused by Xu Pingfeng himself, so Xu Pingfeng couldn't erase it either.
Li Chang'an's overstepping of his authority in handling the case this time did indeed displease Emperor Yuanjing.
Since Li Chang'an arrived in the capital, Emperor Yuanjing had been paying attention to him. Eventually, he discovered that Li Chang'an did not intend to get deeply involved in politics, so Emperor Yuanjing stopped caring about him.
As long as it doesn't interfere with my grand plan, nothing else matters.
Even Li Chang'an's arrest of Zhou Xianping and his son this time was not out of loyalty to the Great Feng Dynasty, but because the Zhou family had offended Li Chang'an's young apprentice.
From this perspective, Li Chang'an simply wanted to be a wealthy and leisurely man, and such a person would actually be very suitable to be a prince consort.
However, Li Chang'an already had a concubine and was also keeping a courtesan in the brothel, which was somewhat improper.
"In Lin'an, was Li Chang'an being loyal to the Great Feng? Or was he avenging his disciple?"
He dared to appoint a third-rank official without an imperial edict; does he even respect the Emperor?
Princess Lin'an pouted, her peach-blossom eyes filled with grievance, and nodded helplessly.
"Indeed, no. He had no interest in national affairs; he just wrote poems and painted."
But this time Zhou Li has gone too far, and the Zhou family stole so much silver from the Emperor; killing them wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Emperor Yuanjing sneered, "He doesn't respect me at all, and if I don't punish him, where is my authority!"