20demayo Chapter 1011: The Four Great Families Are in Despair
Chapter 1011: The Four Great Families Are in Despair
Yes, what a coincidence!
Everyone was sweating profusely.
The Guo family is not the only defendant.
For several days, the court inexplicably shifted its focus from arguing whether to depose the emperor to various cases reported to the emperor.
The most eye-catching among them are the four major families.
Someone from the Qin family in Huaidong abducted women and killed people to take their wives. Over the years, they falsely reported dredging costs and created breaches to defraud disaster relief funds.
The Gui family in Yunxi privately occupied iron mines and forged military equipment; they falsely reported military pay and raised private soldiers; they replaced garrison soldiers to mine, and used private soldiers to impersonate official soldiers to guard the border, resulting in a lack of defense lines.
The Guangnan Lin family was the most protective of their reputation. On the surface, they appeared to be clean, but secretly they set up a private torture chamber and minted inferior coins.
The crimes of the four great families broke out in the court at the same time overnight. How could this be a coincidence? It was clearly a trap set up by someone!
The answer is obvious.
The emperor had long been eyeing the four great families and had been secretly collecting evidence for a long time. Even if Tang Chujun hadn't happened, they would have to settle accounts sooner or later.
In the secret room, Gui Sifang slammed the table and stood up, "The emperor is forcing us to rebel!"
Guo Jindong's face turned pale. He had never thought of treason.
The Guo family was the equivalent of a local tyrant in northern Jiangsu, rich and powerful. Several states in northern Jiangsu were equivalent to the Guo family's fiefdom, and they enjoyed more wealth and honor than those princes who only had titles.
How confused must they be to rebel?
Qin Hongchang slumped in his chair, sweating profusely, his brocade robe soaked with cold sweat. His situation and thoughts were similar to Guo Jindong's.
Lin Wensong secretly gritted his teeth and was even more annoyed. His real purpose was actually just to send a legitimate daughter into the palace and become the new emperor's right-hand man again.
The three of them looked at Gui Sifang at the same time, clearly saying, we have never thought of rebellion.
These three families all had the same idea, which was to make as much profit as possible for the family and to allow the family to continue the privileges, prosperity and wealth of a century-old family.
Gui Sifang stopped pretending, "The current situation is not about whether you want to rebel or not. It is the emperor who forced us to rebel!"
Only the Gui family is truly ambitious. However, treason requires the right time, right place, and right people, and comprehensive planning.
Shi Anxia remembered that in the previous life, even when Beiyi was about to die, the Gui family did not dare to take action.
To put it bluntly, the four great families were all favored by the emperor and enjoyed noble titles and salaries for generations. Their original splendor and wealth made them hesitate, and even if they had ambitions, they would be unable to make up their minds for various reasons.
Their ancestors made great contributions to the founding of Beiyi, and each of them was granted the title of frontier official. The legacy has been passed down to this day and has become the unshakable foundation of Beiyi.
Unless it was absolutely necessary, Shi Anxia and Xiao Yunde did not want to start a war against the four major families.
When the Qingchen Plan came to an end, Shi Anxia once advised Emperor Mingde, "If there is spare power, we should send people to monitor what the four great families are doing in the local area."
But I didn't expect that it would come in handy now.
The four great families are in dire straits.
First of all, they are anxious because they have been marginalized and are eager to change the current situation.
Emperor Mingde was too strong and opinionated, with no weaknesses at all, making it difficult to deal with him.
The opportunity came at this time, and the new emperor ascended the throne.
When the new emperor ascended the throne, the four great families put aside their past grudges and could not wait to join forces in an attempt to regain control of the government.
They bribed the new emperor's close attendant Xiao Luzi, and also bribed the imperial physician to use Mandrake to stimulate the new emperor's selfish desires.
Little did he know that the new emperor was already in deep nightmare, and this move would only add fuel to the fire.
Now, the imperial physician has been imprisoned and is awaiting a confession; the Eastern Yu Guards have captured the person who instigated the students, and all the charges in the Dengwen Drum case are crimes of genocide.
And as for the kidnapping and murder of Tang Chujun, regardless of whether it will be made public, the nail has been planted.
The emperor will not give up.
Retreating is a bottomless abyss, but advancing may give you a glimmer of hope.
The new emperor became the key.
Even if the truth is revealed in the future and the new emperor knows that they drugged her, there will be nothing he can do.
At that time, the new emperor could not do without the support of the aristocratic families.
Inside and outside the court, the smell of danger had already begun. Even people outside the court could smell it.
That day, Shi Chengxuan shook off Dong Xi's obstruction and broke into Xia Shiyuan.
He got some inside information and knew that there had been great turmoil in the imperial court recently.
His son is obsessed with fighting in the court, and the Shi family may face a catastrophe at any time. Thinking of this, Shi Chengxuan's steps became more hurried.
He must find his daughter and ask her to persuade his son to stay away from court disputes and not to take sides easily.
His son didn't listen to what he said.
His son always listens to what his daughter says.
Now he is the only elder with a clear mind and in charge, and he must shoulder this responsibility without shirking.
Alas, this family can’t do without him.
When Shi Chengxuan went in, Mu Lan was sweeping the yard.
"Where is your master?" Shi Chengxuan asked.
Mu Lan didn't expect that outsiders could come in. She panicked and pointed to the backyard. "The princess is basking in the sun under the peach tree."
"Second Master, Second Master, you can't go in..." When Dong Xi chased in, it was too late. He only saw Shi Chengxuan rushing towards the backyard with big strides.
The two maids looked at each other.
Mu Lan immediately realized that she was in trouble and her face turned pale.
Shi Chengxuan didn't care about the expressions of the two girls and ran towards the peach forest in the backyard.
"Xia'er, I have something urgent to tell you..." Shi Chengxuan was stunned as he entered the peach forest in the backyard.
Hey, what is going on!
There are falling petals in the peach forest, and five women are drinking tea.
Tang Chujun was wearing a scarlet silk dress, just like a bright peach blossom; Yao Sheng's white dress was whiter than snow, just like a lotus emerging from the water. Three young girls sat around, Shi Anxia held the pot to pour tea, Wei Cailing covered her lips and smiled softly, and the silly, curved eyebrows...
"Shi Anrou?!" Shi Chengxuan's eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost, "Why are you here!"
Shi Anrou was so scared that she pulled Shi Anxia's sleeve and hid behind him. After a long time, she poked half of her head out and said, "Father, father..."
"Who is your father!" Shi Chengxuan still remembered that the girl's background was questionable. She might be the bastard born by that scumbag Aunt Wen and her lover.
Before Shi Anxia could speak, Tang Chujun's eyebrows sank, "Who allowed you to yell here!"
"Chu Jun!" Shi Chengxuan shouted helplessly, feeling wronged and sad. "I have been worried about you these days. They said you were missing, but I didn't believe it. I was still protecting you outside. Why are you and Shi Anrou doing this..."
He swallowed the three dirty words "bastard" with great effort, but his meaning was very clear.
How come you can sit at the same table with Shi Anrou!
Afraid that others would not understand, she did not forget to remind him, "She was born to Aunt Wen. Don't you have an irreconcilable feud with Aunt Wen?"
Shi Anrou's face turned paler and paler as she listened. She gradually loosened her grip on Shi Anxia's sleeves and lowered her head silently.
But Tang Chujun said firmly, "Auntie Wen is Auntie Wen! I will not blame Rou'er for Auntie Wen's mistakes. If we really want to settle this account, it will be on you anyway. But I don't want to talk about the old things, it will affect my mood. Shi Chengxuan, if you have something to say, say it, if not, get out, and don't disturb our mother and daughter's chat."