SFS Chapter 472 Killing the chicken to scare the monkey
Chapter 472 Killing the chicken to scare the monkey
Zhao Yi stormed into the government office and arrested several high-ranking officials. His actions were so swift and sudden that no one had time to react.
The Vice Ministers of the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Personnel, in particular, were unaware of the situation.
It wasn't until he was imprisoned that he realized what had happened.
They were officials of the third rank in the imperial court. Even if they committed crimes, the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate would intervene in the investigation, or the Emperor of Northern Qi would specially appoint an imperial envoy to supervise the case.
In that case, it's impossible for them not to hear the news.
Zhao Yi clearly acted first and reported later.
"This old minister has always been dutiful and selfless, and has never been corrupt or lawless. You have brought men to arrest us and throw us into prison. Is there no law left?"
“This old minister is an official appointed by the court. Even if I have made a mistake, it is His Majesty and the Three Judicial Offices that are responsible for handling it. You neither reported to the Three Judicial Offices nor had His Majesty’s decree, yet you arrested us without authorization. This is a crime of usurpation!”
"Your Majesty, we wish to see you to seek justice."
The Vice Ministers of the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Personnel cried out their grievances.
The censor standing nearby heard the two officials pleading their cases, but Zhao Yi remained unmoved, seemingly determined to punish them.
He said with great emotion, "Although you are the heir of our Northern Qi, your maternal family is the royal family of the Great Zhou. You grew up in the Great Zhou and your heart is with the Great Zhou."
"His Majesty values you highly and has delegated authority to you. Yet you have betrayed His Majesty's trust, abused your power, and arrested us, the important officials of the court. Are you plotting to arrange for your people to replace us in our positions?"
"In this way, the Great Zhou can take away our Northern Qi without losing a single soldier. You truly have the ambition of a wolf!"
"I only learned today that a mere seventh-rank official can be called an important minister of the court." Zhao Yi sneered, "The court sent you to inspect Yongqing County, and you had already discovered Feng Zhihuan's actions. Instead of reporting to the court, you secretly colluded with them."
The censor vehemently denied it, turning the tables and accusing the accuser: "You're making baseless accusations... uh..."
A long sword was held against the censor's neck; with a forceful slash, blood spurted out.
With a "whoosh," the guard sheathed his longsword and stood behind Zhao Yi.
The Vice Ministers of the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Personnel were deathly pale as they watched helplessly as the Censor was killed.
This is an example to scare others.
"I am investigating this case on His Majesty's orders. Anyone who disobeys will be executed on the spot." Zhao Yi took out a token.
Upon seeing the token, they dared not utter another word, fearing they would suffer the same fate as the censor.
Zhao Yi intimidated them and ordered his guards to keep a close watch on them, forbidding anyone from visiting.
Zhao Yi did not try to suppress what happened in the prison; in no time, the news spread rapidly throughout the capital.
For a time, everyone was in danger.
Among them, the Minister of Personnel is the most prominent.
When he learned that Zhao Yi had arrested several court officials and publicly executed the censor, he knew that this matter was not simple.
Such arrogant behavior clearly indicates that they have something to rely on.
Could it be... that Zhao Yi is acting on imperial orders?
The Minister of Personnel looked up at the sky, which had been relatively clear, but was now covered with large patches of dark clouds that blocked out the sunlight.
That day, things changed.
The Minister of Personnel's anxiety finally subsided at that moment, leaving him feeling uneasy.
He waited until the end of his shift at dusk, then hurriedly returned to his residence and went straight to the main courtyard.
The old lady calculated the time when the Minister of Personnel would return home and instructed the maid to set out dinner.
The Minister of Personnel dismissed the servants around him and said in a solemn tone, "You must have heard about what happened in the capital today, right?"
Before the old lady could speak, the Minister of Personnel continued to express his innermost speculation: "It turns out that the court was divided into two factions, one supporting the Prince of Qi and the other supporting the Prince of Xian. After the Prince of Qi fell, the officials who supported him, led by the Marquis of Shou'an, switched their support to the Prince of Guangling, and only a small number defected to the Prince of Xian."
"Our Ministry of Personnel and Ministry of Justice are part of the Wise Prince's faction. On the surface, the Prince of Guangling only took action against the Vice Ministers of the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Justice after discovering evidence of their crimes. In reality, he wanted to purge the Wise Prince's right-hand men?"
"If that's the case, then the Prince of Guangling will have some big plans." The old lady looked worried, fearing that this trouble would fall on them. "I recently acquired a Blood Spirit Mushroom. The Princess Consort of Guangling has been ill for some time. Why don't I take the Blood Spirit Mushroom to visit her tomorrow?"
The Minister of Personnel saw through the old lady's thoughts. She was using the pretext of visiting the sick to test the attitude of the Princess Consort of Guangling, or perhaps she was making two preparations and planning to surrender to the Prince of Guangling.
Thinking of this, the Minister of Personnel suddenly realized that the actions of the Prince of Guangling today probably had another purpose—to force the officials who supported the virtuous king to turn against him.
The next moment, the Minister of Personnel rejected the idea.
No matter how incompetent the wise king was or how big of a mistake he made, the Northern Qi emperor would unconditionally protect him and appoint him as crown prince simply because of his pure bloodline.
No matter how much the Prince of Guangling did, it wouldn't have much effect.
Unless the Prince of Guangling commits treason and usurps the throne.
"Perhaps we are overthinking it, or perhaps the Prince of Guangling has some leverage over them, which is why His Majesty issued the decree ordering the Prince of Guangling to arrest the culpable officials." The Minister of Personnel said calmly, "His Majesty wants to support the Prince of Xian to ascend the throne, so how could he allow the Prince of Guangling to suppress the Prince of Xian's power? If the Prince of Guangling wants to take this opportunity to cut off the Prince of Xian's left and right arms, His Majesty will not sit idly by."
Although that's what he said, the Minister of Personnel left some room for maneuver: "I'll go to the Prince Xian's residence tonight. We'll discuss other matters when I return."
The old lady nodded slightly: "This is a matter of great importance and should be handled with care."
With something on his mind, the Minister of Personnel hastily ate a few bites of food before taking a sedan chair to the Prince Xian's residence.