Chapter 82

Chapter 82

Meng Shuping couldn't help but speculate, "Hmm..."

"Could someone have silenced those individuals to prevent them from confessing? After all, dead men tell no tales. If there are no living witnesses, even if everyone knows who's responsible, there's nothing we can do, right?"

"Sigh, should I inform the Emperor? Although their character is deplorable, their crimes aren't punishable by death. But speaking up in public is so awkward!"

"Forget it. They've handled so many cases and have far more experience in this area than I do. What use is a novice official like me reminding them?"

"Your Majesty!" Minister of Justice Cao Jie shrewdly stepped forward and declared, "Based on my experience, the mastermind might silence those individuals now that their plan has been exposed, leaving no living witnesses! Therefore, I suggest we place those individuals under strict guard to prevent any loopholes from being exploited!"

Emperor Qianyou also didn't want those people to needlessly lose their lives over such a minor incident. He looked at Peng Boshan and said, "In that case, Peng Aiqing, have your men ensure their safety and prevent them from being harmed."

Peng Boshan immediately replied, "Yes!"

Dong Lide gritted his teeth and glared at Cao Jie. "Cao! There's no animosity between us. Why do you constantly thwart my plans?"

Cao Jie's expression remained completely unfazed. After all, Meng Shuping was the one drawing the most ire. He was merely fanning the flames from the sidelines. If anyone was to face retribution, it wouldn't be him first. What harm was there in enjoying the spectacle?

Meng Shuping breathed a sigh of relief. "As expected, this Lord Cao, though a bit annoying, has gained considerable experience after serving as Minister of Justice for so many years! Good thing I didn't try to teach a fish to swim, or I would have made a complete fool of myself!"

Cao Jie's face darkened. What did he mean by "a bit annoying"? Did that kid Meng Shuping think he himself was particularly likable?

By then, Meng Shuping's thoughts had already drifted elsewhere. "Speaking of which, since I've been summoned to the palace, should I take the opportunity to lodge a complaint? I shouldn't let this trip be in vain, right?"

Dong Lide's heart sank, and he immediately began strategizing how to interrupt Meng Shuping. But just as he was about to speak, he heard Meng Shuping's voice say, "Forget it. There are too many people here. I'll wait until after the morning court session. Besides, with so many people around, I just can't bring myself to say it!"

Dong Lide instantly felt relieved. He was truly afraid Meng Shuping would suddenly bring up his affairs. He had finally realized that this Meng Shuping was utterly unpredictable. Who knew what devious tricks this kid would pull?

Emperor Qianyou, Minister of Revenue Chen, and the others were curious about what Meng Shuping wanted to complain about, but then noticed he said nothing more. Emperor Qianyou hesitated for a moment but couldn't resist. He asked Meng Shuping, "Beloved Minister Meng, how is the investigation I assigned you progressing?"

Meng Shuping had been quietly trying to find a corner to hide in when he heard Emperor Qianyou address him. He stiffened and had to step forward to reply, "Y-Your Majesty, I have found evidence that Lord Dong accepted bribes and sold official positions!"

The officials in the court: "Oh!"

Vice Director Meng certainly has a bold tongue! In just one morning court session, Lord Dong has been accused of several crimes, each more serious than the last! Tsk tsk. Lord Dong is truly pathetic! Hahaha!

Dong Lide's face turned livid. He glared furiously at Meng Shuping. "Don't you dare slander me! When have I ever sold official positions?"

Although he thought Meng Shuping surely had no evidence, why did he have such a bad feeling about this? That kid Meng Shuping—could he actually have gotten hold of something?

Meng Shuping immediately seized on the loophole in his words. He kept his head down, not daring to look at anyone. "So you admit to accepting bribes?"

Dong Lide was so angry he nearly exploded. "Who admitted anything? I was so furious I misspoke!"

Meng Shuping said, "Oh, I see, I see. So angry that you blurted it out? Honestly, such unconscious reactions are often the most truthful. It means he's definitely guilty of accepting bribes!"

Dong Lide grew even angrier. He immediately turned to the Emperor. "Your Majesty, Vice Director Meng is slandering me. Since he insists that I accepted bribes and sold official positions, then let him produce the evidence!"

Meng Shuping couldn't help but complain, "When it comes to accusing me, they speak without proof, but when it's their turn, they demand evidence. Are they somehow special?"

Emperor Qianyou was also surprised. Although he had asked Meng Shuping to investigate Dong Lide, he hadn't actually expected Meng Shuping to find anything substantial, since Meng Shuping himself had said he didn't know how to investigate.

He asked in astonishment, "Beloved Minister Meng, do you have any evidence to support these claims?"

Meng Shuping's eyes darted around nervously, and he didn't dare lift his head. "On November 8th of the fifth year of Jingfeng, Yuan Huang, the current Director of the Ministry of Works, sent him five whole chests of gold, silver, and jewels, and then obtained his current official position!"

Dong Lide stared at Meng Shuping in disbelief. He had never seen such a shameless person. Although he had indeed accepted gifts from Yuan Huang, aside from that part being true, everything else was fabricated by this kid!

What infuriated him the most was that by mixing truth with lies, no one would suspect the kid was just spouting nonsense!

As soon as Meng Shuping dragged him into the matter, Yuan Huang, the Director of the Ministry of Works, immediately stepped forward to plead his innocence. "Your Majesty, please see reason! I never gave Lord Dong any extravagant gifts. Even if I did send something, it was merely normal social interaction. Surely that can't be considered bribery?"

Meng Shuping immediately retorted in his mind, "What do you mean no heavy gifts? So much gold, silver, and jewels, and he calls that trivial! How much would he consider a lot, then?"

"Of course, the main reason he became Director of the Ministry of Works wasn't because he knew how to bribe, but because he was exceptionally good at flattery! Once, he and Lord Dong attended a banquet together. Lord Dong let out a loud, long, stinky fart, and he immediately flushed red and claimed it was him! I mean, being such a good bootlicker, how could Lord Dong not appreciate him?"

"And there's more! To get promoted, he followed Lord Dong everywhere. Even when Lord Dong went to the toilet, he was dying to follow, eager to wipe Lord Dong's ass for him!"

"Eww, that's so desperate! Doesn't he mind the smell?"

"Pfft!"

"Hahaha!"

Minister of Revenue Chen looked excited. "But how did I hear that Official Yuan's promotion wasn't entirely due to gift-giving, but because he was good at flattery?"

"I remember once at a banquet, Lord Dong let out a loud fart, and Official Yuan immediately claimed it was his. He even followed Lord Dong to the toilet and offered to wipe his ass for him!"

"So it was because of his sincerity that Lord Dong arranged for his promotion!"

Minister of Justice Cao Jie immediately chimed in, "Exactly, exactly! I happened to be at that banquet as well. I just saw how well the two of them cooperated, and for Lord Dong's sake, I didn't expose them."

The court officials: "Wow!"

"Now that you mention it, I remember that too. At the time, I wondered how Official Yuan's fart could be so loud and stinky. Turns out it wasn't his!"

"Admirable! Truly admirable! If we were all as good at handling things as he is, we'd have been promoted long ago, right?"

"Shameful! Utterly shameful! How can one curry favor with powerful figures like this to obtain official positions? I'm ashamed to be associated with him!"

"No wonder I haven't been promoted as quickly—he has an inside track! I could never do that. As officials, we must be upright and honorable!"

"Official Yuan, what were you thinking!"

Yuan Huang's face flushed bright red. Although he had long discarded his dignity when doing these things, having them brought up in front of so many people still made him feel utterly humiliated.

Dong Lide's face also alternated between green and white, extremely embarrassed. He never expected that something from so long ago could be dug up now!

Meng Shuping was very surprised. "Wow, they actually know all about it? So Official Yuan's efforts to cover for Lord Dong were in vain? But I'm really curious—how loud, stinky, and long was Lord Dong's fart? Was it like a firecracker?"

"Hahahaha!" Peng Boshan laughed so hard he could barely straighten his back, though he had to admit, it was indeed very loud.

Realizing he had inadvertently strayed from the topic, Meng Shuping quickly reined in his wandering thoughts and said to Emperor Qianyou, "Your Majesty, besides this Official Yuan, there's also the Magistrate of Luzhou. Not long after he gave gifts to Lord Dong, he was appointed to an official position."

"This gentleman is even more impressive. Not only did he learn to bray like a donkey to please Lord Dong, but he also recognized Lord Dong's concubine as his godmother! Wow, he really goes all out!"

Minister of Justice Cao Jie excitedly jumped in. "I know about this! Lord Dong enjoys donkey brays. This Magistrate practiced donkey brays at home for a whole month to please him. He imitated it so vividly, it was just like a real donkey, hahaha! I won't even mention him recognizing Lord Dong's concubine as his godmother."

The court officials: "Wow, wow!"

"Hahahaha! Lord Dong is so fortunate to have such a thoughtful and understanding 'good son'!"

"I really want to know how accurately he imitated the donkey bray. Could you really not tell the difference?"

Meng Shuping was astonished. "Wow, I only knew he learned to bray like a donkey, but I didn't know he practiced for so long. How are they all so well-informed? Do they also know about the Prefect of Xingyuan?"

His eyes lit up as he said, "Your Majesty, the Prefect of Xingyuan also had shady financial dealings with Lord Dong. As for the others, I won't list them all one by one."

【The most impressive one has to be the Prefect of Xingyuan! Do you know how far he went to get a promotion? Once, when Lord Dong fell ill, he went to visit. To stand out among all the sycophantic officials, he said to Lord Dong, "Lord Dong, might I have some of your urine?"】

"Lord Dong was puzzled, wondering what kind of flattery this was. But to satisfy his curiosity, he gave it to him anyway!"

【To everyone’s surprise, the Prefect of Xingyuan actually drank Lord Dong’s urine right then and there. 'Congratulations, Lord Dong! Your urine is salty, not sweet! Actually quite palatable. You will recover from your illness very soon!'】

"Tsk tsk, now that's commitment! Seriously next-level! Who would have thought that even flattery could be so competitive? We're so out of our league, we really are. Frankly, for those of us who can’t read the room, not offending them is already an achievement!"

"Hahaha!" Minister of Revenue Chen laughed heartily, "I’ve also heard about this Prefect of Xingyuan. It’s said that after Lord Dong fell ill, he personally sampled Lord Dong’s urine. Lord Dong was quite impressed with him."

The officials in the court: "Wow, wow, wow!"

You never know until you hear it—some officials really go all out to curry favor! We clearly haven't seen it all, haha!