Chapter 310: The Big Fish

Chapter 310: The Big Fish

After sitting down, Emperor Xingyuan slowly sipped his tea and looked at the ministers standing respectfully with their hands at their sides.

"I called you here to discuss the matter of Empress Xin's burial," Emperor Xingyuan said calmly, observing the changes in the ministers' expressions. "I have already discussed this with the head of the Imperial Clan Court yesterday. This is the proposal from the Imperial Clan Court. You should take a look at it as well."

The proposal was first handed to the Minister of Rites, then passed down. After everyone had read it, the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Feeling the gazes of his colleagues, the Minister of Rites was about to step forward to object when the Minister of Revenue spoke first: "Your Majesty, if we follow this proposal for the funeral, it will require a large amount of money. With frequent disasters across the country, the national treasury is already strained for disaster relief and cannot afford such a huge expense!"

"Oh? Then Minister Yu, please tell me, where in the proposal can we cut costs?" Emperor Xingyuan asked with a sincere expression.

"Empress Xin has been deceased for over a year. I believe there is no need to keep the body for several months, and the number of monks and Taoists is indeed too many," the Minister of Revenue went on, pointing out the extravagances one by one.

The Minister of Rites twitched at the corner of his mouth, wishing he could kick the Minister of Revenue standing in front of him.

He still needed to oppose the burial of Empress Xin in the imperial mausoleum. How did it skip this step and turn into a tug-of-war with the Emperor over funeral expenses?

Who agreed to this!

When the Minister of Revenue finally ran out of things to say and was temporarily satisfied with the results he had argued for, he suddenly felt several cold gazes falling on him.

What was going on?

Catching a glimpse of Emperor Xingyuan's slightly raised lips, the Minister of Revenue's heart sank as he realized: Oh no, I forgot to oppose the burial of Empress Xin in the imperial mausoleum.

But he couldn't be blamed. As the one in charge of the empire's finances, how could he not get excited when he saw the enormous expenses listed?

"Do any of you have other suggestions?" Emperor Xingyuan asked lightly, scanning the faces of the ministers.

The Minister of Rites still stepped forward bravely: "I believe Empress Xin should not be buried in the imperial mausoleum under the title of Empress."

"If not in the imperial mausoleum, where should she be buried?"

The Minister of Rites cleared his throat, avoiding the Emperor's cold gaze: "Lady Xin's farmland, bestowed by Your Majesty, is located in the outskirts of the capital, beautiful and spacious. I think it would be fitting to bury her there. Empress Xin, in her heavenly spirit, would surely be satisfied to rest on the land Your Majesty granted to Lady Xin."

"How can Minister Sun be so sure Empress Xin would be satisfied? Have you asked her?"

The Minister of Rites' face turned grim.

The Emperor was clearly threatening him!

At this moment, Elder Deng spoke up: "Your Majesty, I also think Minister Sun's proposal is a good one."

The head of the Hanlin Academy, Xie Chengan, stepped forward: "I disagree. Empress Xin made great contributions to the state. If she cannot be buried in the imperial mausoleum, wouldn't it make the world laugh at Your Majesty for being heartless and the founding ministers for being ungrateful?"

"But Empress Xin left the palace back then, which means she abandoned her title as Empress—"

Meng Jizuo also stepped forward: "I agree with Xie Chengan. No one is perfect. Empress Xin's decision to leave the palace was indeed rash, but compared to her achievements, this flaw does not overshadow her virtues."

Seeing the ministers divided into two sides, engaging in a heated debate, Emperor Xingyuan leisurely took another sip of tea.

What he wanted to do, he would definitely accomplish. He would let these rebellious ministers jump around for a while.

Before the ministers could reach a conclusion, a eunuch reported that the Changle Marquis, He Qingxiao, had urgent matters to discuss.

The scene immediately fell silent, and all the ministers turned their eyes to Emperor Xingyuan sitting at the head.

The Jinlin Guard's identity was sensitive, and they rarely appeared in such settings to avoid provoking the civil and military officials. Once they ignored these concerns, it was clear that something major had happened.

What’s going on?

Whether they were ministers opposing the burial of Empress Xin in the imperial mausoleum or those supporting it, everyone was on edge.

As Emperor Xingyuan spoke, He Qingxiao quickly entered.

"Your Majesty."

"Rise. Commander He, what brings you here now?"

Because of their differing opinions, the ministers instinctively split into two groups. He Qingxiao glanced in the direction of the Minister of Rites and others, then reported to Emperor Xingyuan: "While transporting the late Empress's coffin to the capital, the procession got caught in the rain and had to spend the night in a rundown temple. That night, a venomous snake slithered toward Lady Xin, almost biting her."

Huang Cheng and others quietly escorted Zhou Ming and Qian Da to the capital. It’s unclear how many were watching. At least at this moment, the ministers present all showed shock.

Emperor Xingyuan’s expression turned icy, and he asked word by word: "Why wasn’t this reported sooner?"

Facing the Emperor’s angry questioning, He Qingxiao remained calm, and his calmness helped ease the Emperor’s anger.

"I realized this wasn’t a simple matter, so I first sent my subordinates back to the capital to investigate. To avoid tipping anyone off, I kept it quiet."

"You didn’t bring it up yesterday either." Emperor Xingyuan’s tone carried displeasure, though he wasn’t actually very angry.

He knew He Qingxiao well; without substantial progress, he wouldn’t choose to report at this time.

"I only got back to the capital yesterday. I wanted to get the full picture before reporting to you."

"Go on, what did you find?"

"The investigation revealed that Wang Peng’s uncle was closely connected to Director Tong Dafeng from the Ministry of Personnel. Tong Dafeng has been arrested and is in custody. After interrogation—" He Qingxiao once again looked towards the Minister of Rites and others.

The Minister of Rites and others felt their hearts race and their palms sweat.

"Under interrogation, Tong Dafeng admitted he was acting on Elder Deng Chongjing’s orders." He Qingxiao stared at Elder Deng, word by word revealing the answer extracted from Director Tong.

Ministers near Elder Deng instinctively backed away, looking shocked: "Elder Deng?"

Deng Chongjing immediately removed his official hat and prostrated on the ground: "Your Majesty, I’ve been wronged—"

"Are you accusing Commander He of lying?" Emperor Xingyuan asked coldly.

"I have no reason to harm Lady Xin—why would I order such a thing!"

"In that case, Commander He—"

"Your humble servant is here."

Emperor Xingyuan’s gaze towards He Qingxiao held satisfaction.

After this incident, there would be no obstacles to Xinxin’s burial in the imperial mausoleum. This young man really knows how to get things done.

"Take Elder Deng to the Jinlin Guard and interrogate him thoroughly."

"Your humble servant obeys the decree."

Upon hearing this, Deng Chongjing collapsed to the ground, casting a pleading look towards Chief Minister Zhang Xu.

Chief Minister Zhang Xu stepped forward: "Your Majesty, involving a cabinet minister is no small matter. I believe it should be handed over to the three judicial departments for a joint investigation."

"I agree." Two more officials spoke up.

Emperor Xingyuan gazed at the men with an impassive expression and remarked coolly, "All things must be seen through from start to finish. This case was investigated by the Jinlin Guard, and Commander He of the Pacification Office was also present at the scene. No one is more suitable than him."

"Your Majesty—"

Emperor Xingyuan raised an eyebrow, "Is taking Elder Deng in for questioning making you all this uneasy? Could it be that you are all involved?"

At these words, the men who had come forward dropped to their knees, begging for mercy.

Emperor Xingyuan glanced at He Qingxiao.

"Your humble servant takes his leave." He Qingxiao swiftly lifted the ashen-faced Elder Deng and strode away.

Emperor Xingyuan withdrew his gaze and took a sip of tea, "Let’s move on to discussing the Empress’s burial arrangements."