Word by word piercing the heart, sentence by sentence cutting like a blade.
Xu Qing read aloud the irrefutable evidence that the External Affairs Office and the Imperial Guard had urgently compiled overnight—the corpses of the death-men, the city gate that had been blasted open, and the Marquis's waist tokens retrieved from the death-men's bodies. Every piece, every item, was ironclad proof.
On the dragon throne, the emperor remained silent.
He did not speak immediately. Instead, his deep, piercing gaze slowly swept across the ranks of military officers standing on the right side of the great hall.
Standing there were generals who had once followed the Yongchang Marquis through life-and-death battles, or who had countless ties to the Ministry of War and the Marquis Manor. On ordinary days, these men, relying on their military merits, often acted arrogantly and unyieldingly in court.
But at this moment, these battle-hardened generals each fixed their eyes on their noses, their noses on their hearts, staring stubbornly at the golden bricks beneath their feet, as if cracks in those bricks might sprout flowers.
No one dared to step forward. No one dared to speak a single word for the Yongchang Marquis.
Watching those generals trembling in silence, a hint of cruel satisfaction flickered in the emperor's heart.
He had waited for this day for far too long. This group of proud, unruly soldiers, who had always subtly looked to Chen Yuan as their leader, had finally lowered their noble heads before this blade he had named "Xu Qing."
The emperor slowly stopped tapping his fingers on the armrest of the dragon throne. He straightened his posture, his voice low and commanding:
"Yongchang Marquis Chen Yuan, having received the emperor's boundless grace, yet harbored the ambition of a wolf. Committing treason by colluding with the enemy, secretly training death-men, nearly causing the overturning of our Great Xing's state and altars—his crimes are beyond pardon."
The emperor paused, his gaze sweeping across the assembled officials, and proclaimed his judgment word by word:
"I hereby decree: strip Chen Yuan of all noble titles and official positions. The Yongchang Marquis Manor shall be executed by mass beheading! In three days, at the Meridian Gate of the Execution Grounds, the sentence shall be carried out before the public! His mansion, properties, farmlands, and shops shall all be confiscated and turned over to the state treasury. They shall be allocated in full to the Ministry of Revenue's special fund, to be used for compensating the families of fallen soldiers on the Northern Frontier. No mistakes shall be tolerated!"
As these words fell, an extremely faint disturbance rippled through the great hall.
It was the subtle sound of officials exhaling long breaths under immense suppression.
Among the military officers' ranks, some secretly sighed in relief—a release from the pressure of having to choose sides and live in constant fear. Others wiped cold sweat from their brows, frantically thanking their lucky stars that they hadn't been swayed by the Marquis's promises in recent days, that they hadn't followed him down that dark path to the end.
The emperor observed all of this. His peripheral vision caught a glimpse of Xu Qing standing bolt upright in the hall, a flicker of subtle satisfaction mixed with wariness flashing in his eyes.
This blade named Xu Qing was indeed sharp enough. Not only had it severed Chen Yuan's foundations, but it had also sheared away the boldness and edge of the entire military.
Just as everyone thought this earth-shattering storm would end with the Yongchang Marquis's death…
Xu Qing took another step forward.
"Your Majesty, Your servant has one more memorial to present."
Xu Qing's voice carried not a single ripple. From deep within his wide sleeves, he pulled out a second dossier with extreme steadiness.
This dossier was slightly thinner than the first, but as Xu Qing slowly unfurled it, the dense rows of tiny, meticulously written characters on it instantly froze the slightly relaxed atmosphere in the great hall back to the point of ice!
It was a list.
A blood-soaked list, one capable of making half the court tremble—a list for liquidation!
"Your servant, by imperial decree, investigated the case of the Yongchang Marquis's embezzlement and treason. It took several years, and I dared not slack day or night. I have now ascertained that Chen Yuan's ability to cover the sky with one hand was not his own doing. His underlings are spread everywhere like a dense network, colluding internally and externally, forming a massive web of corruption. Your servant has organized the implicated personnel into a detailed record, one by one."
Xu Qing's calm gaze swept over the officials whose faces had instantly turned deathly pale. He began to read aloud:
"Zhang Qian, the chief advisor of the Yongchang Marquis Manor. Though a commoner without official rank, he plotted and strategized for Chen Yuan, manipulated the embezzlement of military pay, acted as a tiger's accomplice, and committed heinous crimes. Proposed sentence: beheading before the public, confiscation of family property!"
"Wang Fu, the Manager of the Hundred Refinements Hall. Using his position for personal gain, he engaged in large-scale illegal sales of military equipment, passing off shoddy goods as quality ones, causing frontline soldiers to die in vain. Proposed sentence: beheading before the public, extermination of his entire clan!"
"Li Cheng, Vice General of the Northern Frontier Cavalry Camp. Dependent on the Yongchang Marquis, he accepted bribes for years, falsely reported soldier numbers, and embezzled military grain. Proposed sentence: stripped of rank, banished for life, exiled to the wretched lands of Lingnan!"
"Zhao Yuan, Junior Clerk of the Military Equipment Department in the Ministry of War. He secretly opened wide the door for the Yongchang Marquis Manor's illegal transport of iron ore..."
"Qian Bin, Vice Director of the Fiscal Allocation Department in the Ministry of Revenue..."
Xu Qing's voice was unhurried. Every name he pronounced came with solid evidence of crimes and a thunderous punishment.
As the list was read out continuously, the atmosphere in the great hall became incredibly strange and terrifying.
The officials whose names were called reacted in various ways.
Zhao Yuan, the Junior Clerk of the Military Equipment Department in the Ministry of War, had only heard half of it before his legs seemed to lose all bones. He collapsed limply onto the golden bricks, a suspicious wet stain spreading in his trousers, his mouth muttering only "It's over," unconsciously.
Qian Bin, the Vice Director in the Ministry of Revenue who had once made things difficult for Su Ming in every way, threw himself to the ground with a loud thud. He banged his head frantically, weeping and wailing miserably: "Your Majesty, spare me! Lord Xu, spare me! This humble official was forced! I was forced by the Yongchang Marquis!"
There was also a hot-tempered military officer who, knowing he was doomed, suddenly leaped up from the ground. He pointed at Xu Qing's nose and burst into furious curses: "Xu Qing! You ungrateful, treacherous, petty villain! You frame loyal men! You will die a horrible death! Even as a ghost, I will never let you go!"
Facing these disgraceful wails and curses, Xu Qing didn't even lift an eyelid.
"Disorderly conduct in the hall, bellowing at the court—drag them out," the emperor's cold voice rang out at the perfect moment.
Immediately, tiger-like palace guards outside the hall surged in. Like dragging dead dogs, they gagged the collapsed, the kneeling, the cursing officials and roughly hauled them out of the hall. On the long imperial pathway, trails of despair were left behind.
The emperor watched all this with a blank expression.
He didn't care at all whether these officials lived or died. What he needed was to use this purge to replace all the powerful positions in the court with his own people.
He only spoke one sentence, but it carried the weight of a mountain: "Approved."
The great purge continued.
It wasn't until a full incense stick's time later that Xu Qing slowly closed that long dossier.
"Your Majesty, the list of implicated personnel that Your servant has drawn up totals one hundred and seventy-three people." Xu Qing met the emperor's gaze directly, delivering his final summary. "Among them, twenty-three are guilty of the most heinous crimes, involved in treason and the secret training of death-men. Proposed sentence: beheading before the public. Forty-seven who relied on Chen Yuan and embezzled massive military funds are proposed to be stripped of rank and exiled. The rest, who were coerced or voluntarily confessed their crimes, are to be demoted, fined, and given a chance to redeem themselves through meritorious service. I beseech Your Majesty's wise judgment."
The great hall fell into deathly silence.
One hundred and seventy-three people!
This had almost flayed a whole layer of skin off the middle and high-ranking officials of the Great Xing court and the capital!
The emperor looked at the young man standing in the hall, his back straight, his expression calm. His eyes became extremely complex.
He had thought Xu Qing was just an obedient blade, meant only to chop down the great tree that was Chen Yuan. He never expected that this blade had not only severed the tree but had also conveniently overturned all the poisonous insects, rats, vines, and weeds under its roots, pulling them out by the roots and cleaning everything spotlessly.
This young man was more ruthless, more meticulous, and calmer than he had imagined. Calm enough to send a chill down one's spine.
"Minister Xu's considerations are thorough, and his investigations are detailed. I approve. This matter shall be handed over to you for full supervision and execution." The emperor slowly nodded, granting Xu Qing supreme authority.
"Your servant accepts the decree and thanks Your Majesty for the grace."
Xu Qing performed a respectful bow. Then, for the third time, he straightened his body.
"Your Majesty, Your servant has one final proposal."
