Failing to Educate My Younger Brother Properly

Copies of title deeds for mansions purchased by certain officials in Luodu, inventories of treasures seized from their homes, lease contracts for villas where their mistresses resided...

The evidence was irrefutable!

Some officials' hands began to tremble, barely able to hold the account books.

Worse still, some turned deathly pale, their legs giving way as they nearly collapsed to the floor.

And right at this moment.

Gu Chengyin raised his hand.

He pointed directly in Xiao Song's direction and declared loudly,

"And the mastermind behind all this is..."

This scene made everyone's heart skip a beat!

What was Gu Chengyin trying to do?

Was he going to directly accuse the current Chief Minister?!

A collective gasp echoed through the hall.

Some officials even subconsciously took a half-step back, as if terrified of being caught in the impending storm.

Xiao Jie, who was kneeling on the ground, jerked his head up, all color draining from his face.

Xiao Song, who had been bowing in apology, now slowly straightened his back. A cold, blade-like glint flashed in his aged eyes.

Just when everyone thought Gu Chengyin was going to say the name Xiao Song...

"The Minister of Personnel! Xiao Jie!"

Gu Chengyin's voice exploded like a clap of thunder!

A momentary bewilderment swept through the hall.

Wait.

He was pointing at Xiao Jie?

The crowd looked carefully along the direction of Gu Chengyin's finger and realized that his hand was indeed pointing at Xiao Jie.

It was only because Xiao Jie was kneeling right beside Xiao Song, their positions so close, that people mistakenly thought he was pointing at Xiao Song.

This discovery made the atmosphere in the hall even more bizarre.

Gu Chengyin wasn't attacking Xiao Song directly?

He was attacking Xiao Jie, who had just offered his resignation?

What... what kind of play was this?

Even Luo Zhao frowned slightly at this moment, casting a sidelong glance at Gu Chengyin beside her.

A trace of confusion flashed through those phoenix eyes.

Only Emperor Luo, seated on the dragon throne, curled the corners of his lips into a satisfied smile.

Gu Chengyin, however, did not give the crowd much time to think.

He lowered his hand, his gaze like lightning piercing the kneeling Xiao Jie. His voice suddenly rose in a furious reprimand:

"Grand Secretary Xiao has repeatedly ordered that the entire court must be upright and honest, serve the public with integrity, and prioritize the affairs of the state!"

"But you, Xiao Jie!"

"As the Minister of Personnel, holding the great power of selecting and evaluating officials, you not only ignored Grand Secretary Xiao's words, but acted arbitrarily, deceiving your superiors and hiding the truth from your subordinates!"

With every sentence, Gu Chengyin took a step forward.

One step, one sentence.

Pressing closer with every move.

"You used your authority to sell official posts and titles, and accepted bribes."

"Colluding with officials from the Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of Works, and other offices, you wove a massive web of corruption covering half the imperial court!"

"In just three years, the amount of state treasury silver lost through your hands reached as high as..."

Gu Chengyin paused, calling out a number that made everyone's scalp tingle:

"Eighteen million seven hundred thousand taels!"

"And this is only the verified portion in the account books!"

Eighteen million seven hundred thousand taels!

The hall completely erupted!

Some veteran ministers were trembling with rage, pointing at Xiao Jie, stuttering, unable to speak.

Xiao Jie collapsed onto the ground, his face ashen.

Yet Gu Chengyin's reprimand did not stop.

"What is even more detestable!"

His voice suddenly became sharper, as if ready to swallow Xiao Jie alive:

"To cover up your crimes, you did not hesitate to force Xiao Bichang to his death, making him take the fall for you!"

"Although Xiao Bichang was also corrupt, those three million taels were but the tip of the iceberg!"

"The true arch-corrupt official is you, Xiao Jie! Yet you pushed all the blame onto a dead man!"

"Such actions provoke the wrath of both men and gods! They are intolerable to heaven and earth!"

Gu Chengyin took a deep breath, suddenly turned around, faced Xiao Song, and his tone abruptly became one of deep sorrow and distress:

"Grand Secretary Xiao, you are the Chief Minister of the Cabinet, the towering pillar of our Great Luo!"

"You have been upright all your life, serving the country and the people with uncorrupted integrity, known to both the court and the public!"

"But look!"

Gu Chengyin whipped around, pointing at Xiao Jie once again:

"This younger brother of yours! This black sheep of the Xiao clan!"

"He not only failed your teachings but ruined the noble and pure reputation of the Xiao clan."

"He has destroyed the prestige you accumulated over decades in a single stroke!"

"If I were you!"

Gu Chengyin spoke word by word, each word piercing the heart:

"I would immediately take this scum of the Xiao clan, this parasite of the court, this trampler of the nation's laws!"

"Drag him out to the Meridian Gate and behead him as a public warning!"

"To rectify the noble name of the Lanling Xiao Clan! To uphold the laws and discipline of the imperial court! To set straight the hearts of the people!"

As his voice faded, a deathly silence fell over the hall.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

These words of Gu Chengyin...

Were too bizarre.

He seemed to be furiously scolding Xiao Jie, but every sentence pushed Xiao Song toward the image of a highly principled, uncorrupted official who had been deceived by his brother.

It looked like an attack on the Xiao clan, but the spearhead was entirely focused on Xiao Jie alone, completely extricating Xiao Song.

He was even... plotting on Xiao Song's behalf, teaching him how to clean house and preserve the Xiao clan's reputation?

This... how was this an attack between political enemies?

This was clearly helping Xiao Song sacrifice a pawn to save the king!

Some quick-witted officials had already vaguely guessed Gu Chengyin's intention.

He was giving Xiao Song a choice.

Either protect Xiao Jie.

Which would be equal to admitting that everything Xiao Jie did was tacitly approved or even orchestrated by Xiao Song.

This would confirm that the Xiao clan was the core of the entire corruption syndicate, and the whole clan would perish alongside Xiao Jie.

Or, abandon Xiao Jie.

Push him out to take the fall, admitting that all of this was Xiao Jie's personal doing.

That Xiao Song was merely deceived and had been too lax in his discipline.

The result would be Xiao Jie's death, Xiao Song's survival, and the core group of the Xiao clan might still be preserved.

This was an overt plot.

One laid out in the open, seemingly offering two choices.

But in reality, it was an overt plot where only one choice could be made.

And what was even more brilliant.

Gu Chengyin's rhetoric, seemingly considering Xiao Song's best interests, left Xiao Song with no room to refute.

Refute it?

Then you would be admitting Xiao Jie was not at fault, which was tantamount to acknowledging the existence of the entire Xiao clan corruption syndicate.

Because the evidence was irrefutable, and the account books were laid out in front of everyone.

Not refute it?

Then you would be tacitly agreeing with Gu Chengyin's narrative that Xiao Jie acted alone and that Xiao Song was merely deceived.

Furthermore, the other veteran ministers would not feel this was kicking someone while they were down.

After all, Gu Chengyin had personally stated that Xiao Song was upright and honest, and this corruption had nothing to do with him.

A straightforward path had turned into a trap blocked at both ends.

At this moment, the eyes of everyone in the hall were focused on Xiao Song.

Waiting for the old Chief Minister's choice.

Time slipped by, minute by minute, second by second.

Xiao Song stood frozen in place.

His wrinkle-covered face showed no expression.

Only deep within those aged eyes did stormy seas surge.

He did not look at Gu Chengyin, but instead looked toward Emperor Luo on the dragon throne.

After a long time, as if he had received his answer.

Xiao Song slowly closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, only a deathly stillness remained in his gaze.

Finally, Xiao Song faced the dragon throne, toward the supreme emperor seated upon it.

He bowed deeply:

"This old minister..."

"Has failed in disciplining his brother."