old friends return

"Pa-ta--" With a sound, Cheng Muzhi threw a thick stack of memorials on the table in front of him, "Yan Xiang, I really want to ask you, I went back to Shengjing from Anyang, passing through Jiangning Fu, Fengyucheng, Qingzhou Yamen, do you know how much you have received for your book?"

When he returned to Beijing yesterday, he saw that Yan Qi dared to pick him up, he was already surprised. At that time, he thought he was a bit courageous, but when he heard Cheng Muxing's words later, it was really a different matter.

Cheng Muxing kept his gold and silver coins and sent troops to guard around Yan's mansion, otherwise, Yan Qi would have packed up his things and run away.

These were Cheng Muxing's original words, and Cheng Muzhi finally laughed out loud.

But sadness comes from it.

Such a person has been in chaos for nearly ten years. Such a person has killed countless loyal ministers and good ministers in the court. Such a person, collaborating with the enemy and treason, almost plunged Dazhou into war!

Did he overestimate Yan Qi, or underestimate himself?

Yan Qi finally couldn't stand still, "Plop—" he knelt down and begged for mercy, "The emperor spares my life! The emperor spares my life! I know I was wrong, I...shouldn't care about human lives, I..."

Under the pressure of Cheng Muzhi's gaze, he couldn't even speak, his body was trembling, his face was trembling, and his whole body was completely prostrate, and he had long since lost the prestige he had before.

Cheng Muzhi sneered, "Your crime is far more than just disregarding human life?"

"I checked the drought in Fengyu that year. If you hadn't colluded with the local officials to embezzle the relief money, how could the people have suffered so many deaths and injuries? What I didn't expect is that you suppressed the plague!"

It is very common to have a plague after a catastrophe, but there was no relevant news back then. Later, it was Hui Shanyuan who found out about it, so he worked hard to save some people with him.

The drought caused no crops to be harvested in the fields, and the imperial court allocated money to release grain, but the actual amount of grain and silver that arrived in the account was only one-fifth of the money. There used to be a county magistrate in Fengyu City who is still in prison because of this incident.

But when Cheng Muzhi went to investigate now, he was still the same as before, and he did not admit that he had committed corruption.

Cheng Muzhi asked him, but he smiled wryly: "Your Majesty, if you are really a wise king, why don't you check out Gan Ping, who was the prefect of Fengyu City back then, and now he is the Minister of the Ministry of War."

He said: "People speak lightly and have nowhere to redress the crime. The more they sit, the more it seems to be true."

"My own mother also died in that drought... I was old, fainted from hunger and contracted the plague, so I watched her go."

"The disaster relief food distributed by the imperial court, in the bowl, there is "chopsticks in the porridge", but what about the real ones in our hands? A pair of chopsticks can't stand up, so where is porridge? It doesn't even count as rice soup!"

"But what can we do? The only ones in our hands are those..." He seemed to recall the tragedy of the drought that year, and turned his head to cover his face with his sleeves to cover up his gaffe.

Cheng Muzhi felt cold.

He looked at Yan Qi who was kneeling with his head down, and the disgust in his eyes increased, "Yan Qi, the crimes on your body are far more than disregarding human life? Think about the county magistrate who is still in prison, what do you think?"

"By the way," Cheng Muzhi suddenly looked at all the officials below, "Someone told me about one thing before, that the barbarians also had guns. This matter is also thanks to this Yan Xiang. "

There was a sigh of relief.

I can't believe it.

"I just want to ask you now, what did you really think about the incident with Liu Shangshu back then?"

Yan Qi didn't open his mouth, and once again fell into dead silence, the courtiers looked at each other, probably never thought that one day the morning court would turn into three trials.

Yan Qi stood up suddenly, looked at Cheng Muzhi, his eyes changed from timidity and fear to overwhelming madness, "Liu Yinqiu deserves to die! The court doesn't need such an unassuming official like him, how many people has he blocked?" He should know that sooner or later he will have such a day!"

Hearing this, Liu Qingyan suddenly opened his closed eyes, his eyes were scarlet, he knew it, he knew it!How could his father do such a thing!

"I let the Gu family send the painting, I let the bank notes go, and I killed the person in the end. I just wanted the Liu family to be wiped out. He blocked my way. He deserved to die." !"

He laughed even more wildly, "Not only do I want him to die, but I also want him to be ruined. I want him to have no bones left. He will never see his wife or mother in this life, and never..."

His words came to an abrupt end.

Liu Qingyan let go of the dagger, blood was all over the front of his clothes and hands.

Sweat and tears rolled down his face together.

"Finally...it's over." He thought, he finally took revenge, with his own hands.

Yan Qi fell straight to the ground, his eyes still closed, staring straight ahead.

Cheng Muzhi looked at Liu Qingyan who was stunned with some distress, fearing that he would not be able to hold on.

Fortunately not.

Cheng Muzhi waved his hand and asked someone to carry Yan Qi's body down. The morning court was not over yet, and he didn't let Liu Qingyan go first. He knew that there were some things that Liu Qingyan had to hear with his own ears before he could be reconciled.

He rubbed his temples, looked down, "I think there should be a few Ai Qing who have something to say?"

Dali Temple Minister Chen Yuting looked around, came out and knelt down, "Your Majesty, I am guilty."

Cheng Muzhi waited for him to finish.

"Your Majesty, I knew that Yan Qi had this kind of thought back then, but I didn't report it and even helped the king to commit crimes. I am guilty of this crime, and I ask the Emperor to punish me."

Cheng Muzhi didn't answer, but looked at the others.

Gan Ping, the servant of the Ministry of War, also knelt down, and the son of the former Taifu Li Ye also knelt down.

They are all important officials of the imperial court, Cheng Muzhi's eyebrows are a little tired, it's okay, it's okay to deal with it all at once today.

After waiting for a stick of incense, Cheng Muzhi said, "At least I still have the guts to admit it."

"Of course I will punish you for your sins. There will be no place for you to stay in these positions."

"Hui Xiang, a new round of imperial examinations will start soon, and I need to trouble you to keep an eye on them. Among this batch of scholars, I have heard that there are some very good people."

"The minister leads the order."

The last purpose is to have fun with the people. There will be a very large gathering in Shengjing to celebrate the new emperor's ascension to the throne.

Chen Yuting, the Minister of Dali Temple, was demoted to the Minister of the Ministry of War, and all the others were cut off from their official positions and put in prisons.

Huang Qingwen, the commander-in-chief of the guards, was also cut from his official position, but on the surface, it meant that he was disarmed and returned to the fields, so that he could spend his old age in peace.

There are twists and turns in it, and everyone probably understands it.

Finally retreated.

Today's early court is probably the first fire that Cheng Muzhi's new emperor will burn when he ascends the throne.

It worked out great.

The influence of the court is clean.