The Villainous Minister 07

Recently, there have been individuals attempting to leave the city carrying secret letters, only to be intercepted before even reaching the gates. The letters they carried soon became damning evidence.

As confession after confession piled up, the secret letters were laid before Emperor Shunying, who sighed repeatedly, occasionally glancing up at Fang Zhiyi standing before him. "My dear minister, why didn’t you act like this sooner? How could it be that my empire was built upon these noble families?"

Fang Zhiyi nodded. "That is precisely why the uprising erupted."

News spread that Emperor Shunying would hold court.

The surviving ministers scrambled to the grand hall, their spirits worn down by relentless torment. Nearly every noble family in the capital had been arrested by the Xuanjing Bureau, and some who resisted were shot dead on the spot. Rumor had it their hidden silver and estates had all been confiscated.

The court still appeared full, as if no purge had ever taken place. Yet the remaining ministers were inwardly alarmed—why did they not recognize a single face among those standing beside them?

"The Minister of Revenue—what was his name again?" Emperor Shunying pondered for a long moment.

The newly appointed Minister of Revenue stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "Your servant, Wang Chongxi, greets Your Majesty."

At the mention of this name, several ministers paled in fear. Before the rebel army had besieged the capital, they had seen this very name on petitions for reinforcements—Wang Chongxi had been the leader of a rebel faction in the west! But now, none dared speak out of turn. They could only stare at him in uneasy silence.

"Ah, yes, Wang Chongxi. How goes the treasury audit?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, we have recently confiscated vast amounts of wealth. The treasury is still being tallied, but based on preliminary estimates, it exceeds one hundred million taels of silver."

This declaration stunned not only Emperor Shunying but also the surviving ministers.

What did this mean? In the past, though Emperor Shunying rarely attended court, Cao Ji had always been present. Countless disputes had revolved around budget allocations, with the treasury perpetually hovering at just a few million taels—much of which was further skimmed off by corrupt officials. And now, what had they just heard?

"One hundred million taels?" Emperor Shunying’s eyes gleamed. No emperor disliked a treasury overflowing with silver.

Wang Chongxi added, "And that is a conservative figure. If we include rare treasures and artifacts, I estimate another fifty million taels."

Emperor Shunying leaned back on his throne, thoroughly satisfied. "Excellent! These miserly bastards—when the capital was under siege, they all wept poverty. Now their hidden fortunes have been exposed. How satisfying!"

The old ministers shrank back, fully understanding the implication.

"And the Ministry of Justice? Any reports?"

The newly appointed Minister of Justice stepped forward. "Reporting to Your Majesty, since assuming office, my ministry has expedited the resolution of over nine hundred backlogged cases of wrongful convictions. Work is still ongoing."

"Good!"

Several more ministers stepped forward to deliver their reports. The old officials finally realized—these new colleagues of theirs were almost entirely former rebel leaders! And the one who had elevated them to this golden hall was none other than the man seated beside the throne. Their eyes covertly flickered toward Fang Zhiyi.

For the first time, Emperor Shunying found court sessions rather enjoyable. The men Fang Zhiyi had recruited were all highly capable, handling affairs without constantly deferring to the emperor for every minor decision.

"General Fang, what of your report? Any matters to address?"

Fang Zhiyi rose to his feet. "The Feixiong Army has pacified the northwest. I propose deploying additional forces to suppress rebel factions in the south and disband the local garrisons."

The old ministers were baffled—what rebels in the south?

But Emperor Shunying nodded. "Approved! You have my full authority to proceed."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Meanwhile, in Huaiyang City—a southern border town—the local governor, Governor Hu, was drinking with the garrison commander, General Wang, while embracing a courtesan.

"General Wang, I heard the capital’s defense was successful. Do you think His Majesty will hold it against us?" Governor Hu was uneasy. When news of the capital’s siege had arrived, Huaiyang and other southern cities should have mobilized troops to reinforce the capital. Yet they had all tacitly agreed to remain idle.

General Wang waved dismissively. "You know the emperor. Later, we’ll just send him a few more beauties and some rare treasures—no harm done." He wasn’t wrong. A weak-willed ruler like Emperor Shunying wouldn’t bother settling old scores. His grip on the woman in his arms tightened slightly. "But General Fang… that’s another matter. After all, he’s my superior. Now that he’s won another great victory, I’ll need your help, Governor, to prepare generous gifts."

Governor Hu nodded eagerly. "Of course, no problem. We’ll just notify the Ji and Sun families—we might even profit from this."

General Wang downed his wine in one gulp and slammed the cup onto the table. "Just mentioning them pisses me off! Those high-and-mighty noble families—they’ve gone too far! I had my troops ready to march, but those bastards sent people to stop me!"

Governor Hu quickly tried to calm him. "Careful with your words, General Wang! The noble families hold immense power. Even I have to kowtow to them just to keep my position. Making money isn’t shameful."

General Wang’s face darkened, his drunkenness showing. "I heard Elder Li of the southern thirteen cities was planning to enthrone Prince Dai as emperor. If that got out… heh, the Li family would be finished."

Governor Hu’s expression changed instantly. He hastily dismissed the courtesans. "Don’t speak nonsense! General Wang, you’ve had too much to drink."

Seeing his nervous reaction, General Wang suddenly understood and slapped his own forehead. "Ah, right, I forgot—you’ve got the Hu family behind you. Hah! Pretend I said nothing."

Governor Hu sighed, about to reply, when a guard burst in.

"Disaster, my lord! Disaster!"

"What happened?" Governor Hu’s heart sank with a terrible premonition.

"Merchants from the capital have been allowed to trade freely again. A large group arrived at our gates, but the moment they entered, they overturned their carts and drew weapons hidden beneath! The city gates have already fallen!"

"What?!" both Governor Hu and General Wang shouted in unison. The latter staggered out in a drunken rush, while Governor Hu stood frozen, speechless.

The gates had been completely overrun. Above them fluttered a banner bearing a single bold character: "Heaven."

From a distance, General Wang recognized that tattered flag and halted in disbelief. "Impossible… the Heavenly King’s rebels? Weren’t they crushed by the general? How…?" A terrifying possibility struck him—the capital had fallen! The earlier reports of victory had been lies! The capital’s sealed gates, supposedly to root out bandits, had been nothing but a ruse!

Fear crept into his heart. Years of indulgence had left him too cowardly to raise a sword. The fleeting courage from the wine vanished with the wind.