Chapter 535: Chapter 535 What A Disaster
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Sun Miaoke was surprised. She bit her chopsticks and replied with a blush, “Thank you, Your Highness.”
At the same time, she was surprised and relieved.
What surprised her was that she never expected him to serve her food personally.
She was relieved he wasn’t as cold as he looked on the surface, which gave her confidence in this marriage.
King Rui nodded and did not reply. Instead, he stretched out his hand to reach for a steamed bun.
Sun Miaoke hurriedly called out to him. “Let me.”
After saying that, she brought the plate of steamed buns to him.
King Rui picked one up and placed it inside his bowl, lowering his head to eat.
The two of them didn’t talk much after that, but they took care of each other, more or less. The two of them got along quite well.
When Qing Tao saw this, she immediately walked out in the name of serving chicken soup.
When she left the courtyard, tears flowed down uncontrollably.
Honestly, she had always thought that her Young Miss could not let go of her cousin and would never get close to His Highness. It seemed that she was overthinking.
In the palace, after the Emperor finished the barely satisfactory Egg Fried Rice made by the imperial chef, he asked, “Old Li, is Xiao Heng back?”
“Not yet, but this old servant heard Chief Xiao mention he was going to the suburbs to look for the victim.”
“The victim?”
“Yes, it’s said that many people died because of the Cui family’s loaning business.”
“What a disaster.” The Emperor laughed mockingly at himself.
Even the Emperor, when the situation was at its worst two years ago, did not exploit the people. He even had to limit himself to one meat and one vegetable per meal.
Instead, the Cui family dared to amass wealth wantonly. Unforgivable.
He had to teach these servants of his a good lesson and make an example out of them.
The Emperor spoke up, “Keep an eye on them. If Xiao Heng comes back, tell him to come see me as soon as possible.”
“Yes, this old servant will remember it.” After Eunuch Li finished speaking, he retreated to the side.
The Emperor got up and went back to the side hall to rest.
They waited until the night before Xiao Heng returned. He handed a thick stack of confessions to the Emperor. “Your Majesty, I have already investigated the Cui family’s crimes.
“Over the past five years, 368 civilians have died from loans from the Cui family.
“Over a thousand girls were sold to the Red Chamber or elsewhere.
“Many also had their families broken up and their wives and children separated.
“Their total earnings over the years total about 150,000 silver.”
“So, not only are they in the loan shark business, but they’re also involved in trafficking women?”
“Yes, but they only traffic young girls who owe them money. They didn’t dabble in anything else.”
“Are their relatives all dead, with so many people implicated? How come no one has reported this case?” Angrily, the Emperor demanded.
Xiao Heng made an awkward laugh. “At first, the victims did file a report. They were not only denied justice, but they were also taught a lesson. As a result, no one dared do so anymore.”
The Emperor understood what had happened and asked, “Are the officials from back then still around?”
“Yes, one of them has also entered the Ministry of Revenue.”
“Good, very good.” The Emperor gritted his teeth.
He ordered, “Arrest Yang Shicheng and all those officials. Send them to the Ministry of Justice. Also, get that so-called Master Wen, Brother Hu, and the others who helped them. Arrest them and confiscate their property.”
“Yes, this subordinate will see to it immediately.” Xiao Heng turned around and was about to leave after that.
The Emperor quickly called out to him, “Wait a minute, have you found any clues about Yang Shicheng’s corruption?”
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