“……”
In front of the Gate of Heaven Influence, sixteen people knelt down and pleaded guilty, begging for their families to be spared.
Li Shiming looked at the sixteen people kneeling on the ground with a gloomy expression. He had thought that the disaster relief fund corruption case might involve many officials, but he never expected that sixteen people would kneel this time.
Especially when they had knelt down and admitted it because of Kong Yan's words!
The other ministers were also shocked. They did not expect so many people to be involved in this case.
Zhangsun Wuji turned his head to take a look, his heart sinking slightly.
Three of them had the surname Zhangsun!
"You are really my good subjects!" Li Shi Min's face was as dark as water as he gritted his teeth.
All the officials kept quiet, and the corrupt criminals kneeling on the ground were all frightened.
The entire Gate of Heaven Influence was filled with killing intent!
"There are still three people left." Kong Yan suddenly muttered. His voice wasn't loud, but the square was very quiet, so his muttering clearly reached everyone's ears.
Plop!
Plop!
Plop!
“……”
As soon as Kong Yan finished speaking, another eight officials knelt down.
Li Shi Min was stunned.
The ministers were also stunned.
The eight people who had just knelt down looked at each other, and many of them had extremely regretful expressions on their faces.
" Cough cough." Kong Yan coughed dryly and said," Actually, including Jin Yuliang and Liu Quansheng who were killed, Wang Zheng who was knocked unconscious and sent to prison, and these six people, I only have twelve spots left."”
"F * ck! We've been tricked!" A certain official who was kneeling had a face full of annoyance and resentment.
“……”
The eyes of the other officials who were kneeling flickered. Some were annoyed, some were lucky, and some sighed and accepted their fate.。
The ministers were speechless. At the same time, they couldn't help but find it strange. Why would someone rush to kneel and confess?
Li Shiming's eyebrows also furrowed, and he asked with a dark face,"What happened?"
" It's possible…" Kong Yan rubbed his nose and said," Some adults have too high expectations of themselves. They think that having a few meals with someone from the Zhangsun Clan means that they have been bribed."”
"Your Majesty, I once wrote a set of words for State Duke Xue and received some money for polishing the brush. That's all!”An elderly official with a white beard stood up shakily with a wronged expression.
"This official's calligraphy is a bit expensive, and I'm afraid that State Duke Xue's payment is stolen money, so I have no choice but to admit to this unwarranted crime.”
"How expensive?" Kong Yan asked curiously.
"A hundred taels per word." the white-bearded official said hesitantly.
"With your status as an official of the court, is it very expensive to pay a hundred taels per word?”Kong Yan was puzzled. He wasn't trying to act cool, but a hundred taels per word wasn't considered expensive.
As far as he knew, his eldest uncle, Kong Yingda, could not buy a single word from him!
This white-bearded official might not be as famous as Kong Yingda, but his official position should not be low. Moreover, to be found by State Duke Xue, he must have some achievements in the field of diplomacy.
The civil officials were also puzzled. Putting aside the question of calligraphy, with their status, it would be too demeaning for them to write an inscription for someone.
The generals had a different thought. Some of their eyes turned red.
"A hundred taels for one word?" A certain general who knew how to write snorted and stared at some of the civil officials, his eyes shining.
When the white-bearded official saw the disdain in the expressions of his fellow scholars, he could not stand it anymore.
"What do you know? He asked me to write an ancient text, which is nearly two hundred words.”The white-bearded official stroked his beard and snorted.
“……”
Many scholars fell silent, and many of their eyes turned red.
"What ancient language?" Kong Yan was a little curious and puzzled at the same time. He said," According to my investigation, State Duke Xue is not cut out for studying.”
" This..." The white-bearded official hesitated. He stole a glance at Li Shiming and shook his head," I can't tell you."”
"Is it related to His Majesty?" Kong Yan asked directly.
Li Shi Min stared coldly at the white-bearded official and said,""What ancient language? Tell him!"
"The brush formation diagram," the white-bearded official hesitated.”
"Brush Formation Diagram? Why did it sound so familiar? Where had he heard of it before?”Kong Yan frowned.
"Brush Formation Diagram?" Li Shiming frowned and asked,"Did you forge the birthday gift that Green Sparrow gave to the Empress?"”
Kong Yan looked enlightened.
On the day of the Empress 'birthday banquet, the birthday gift that the King of Yue, Li Tai, gave to Empress Zhangsun was a calligraphy scroll and a brush array diagram.
The white-bearded official knelt down and said in a trembling voice,""Previously, this old minister did not know the use of this array diagram. It was only later that I found out that State Duke Xue had sold the array diagram that this old minister had copied to His Highness the King of Yue at a price of 100,000 taels…"
“……”
Li Shi Min's face darkened. What kind of relatives are these?
After complaining for a while, Li Shimin sighed helplessly. Zhangsun Shunde was dead, and everything in the past could only return to dust. He couldn't whip his corpse, right?
"Where are the others? Did you also charge me for polishing the pen?" Li Shi Min asked coldly.
There were a total of twelve more people kneeling, and only one of them had a legitimate reason to kneel. There were still eleven people who had ulterior motives!
"This subject's legs went weak just now and knelt on the wrong knee.”An official slowly stood up and said weakly.
" I was just thinking of my wife and children. I don't know why I thought of the scene after I was arrested, but in fact, I had nothing to do with the corruption case. I was simply possessed for a moment..." Another official stood up and gave an irrelevant reason.
“……”
Soon after, some of the kneeling officials stood up one after another. In the end, including the six who had been kneeling at the front, there were seventeen people kneeling in the hall.
There were eighteen people who should be kneeling, and one less person had to kneel!
Some of the kneeling officials also looked conflicted, as if they were considering whether they had a problem or not.
"Hmph, tell me, why did they kneel just now?”Li Shi Min looked at Kong Yan and asked coldly. He felt that there was something wrong.
Kong Yan chuckled." You shouldn't ask me that. Your Majesty should ask Uncle Zhangsun."”
"Hmm?" Li Shiming frowned and looked at Zhangsun Wuji." Do you know the reason?"”
Zhangsun Wuji was silent. He indeed knew, but he could not say it.
"I don't understand." Zhangsun Wuji shook his head.
"I'm afraid it's not that I don't understand, but that I can't say it.”Kong Yan said leisurely.
"What happened? If you continue to dawdle, I will chop off your head.”Li Shi Min's face turned cold.
"Didn't Your Majesty hear it just now? They said that it had nothing to do with the case of corruption of the disaster relief funds.”Kong Yan put on a half-smile and emphasized the case of corruption in the disaster relief funds. Then, he said casually," Your Majesty, do you think that they are not greedy for anything else when they dare to be greedy for the disaster relief funds?”
“……”
Li Shi Min's brows relaxed as he finally understood why those officials had knelt down.
"What kind of people have I raised?!”Li Shi Min laughed self-mockingly, his face cold.
"We are terrified!" All the officials knelt down, and so did the surrounding Golden Guards.
The 1,000 men hired by Kong Yan looked at each other and knelt down as well.
Zhu Sanlang glanced at the crowd, his eyelids twitching slightly. He also brought his own secret guards to kneel on one knee.
In front of the Sky Bearing Gate, no one was standing. Other than Li Shi Min and Kong Yan who were sitting, the rest of the people knelt down under Li Shi Min's self-mockery.
"Ever since I ascended the throne, disasters have occurred in various places. Guanyin has taken pity on the world, and the expenses of the harem have been reduced again and again. The silver of the inner mansion is mostly used for disaster relief, and the national treasury is also in a state of loss all year round.”
Li Shi Min leaned back on the sofa and looked at the clear blue sky. He laughed self-mockingly and said," My national treasury can't afford the money for this disaster relief. I summoned the richest man in the Great Tang and asked for five million taels in one go.”
"Zhen knows that five million taels is more than enough for disaster relief. Zhen could have left some for the inner residence, but Zhen didn't. Zhen only wanted to make the disaster victims in Guanzhong better!”
"Five million taels of disaster relief funds, but less than one million taels of disaster relief funds are used on the victims. The victims can't even eat old grain, and they have to eat grass mixed with sand?!”
"With such a disaster relief, it's no wonder that people keep saying that the Great Tang's natural disasters are all a punishment from the heavens, and that I'm not worthy of being the Son of Heaven!”
“……”
Everyone was silent, not daring to make a single sound.
Even Kong Yan was trying his best to lower his presence.
Li Shi Min took a deep breath and sighed,""If we rise, the people will suffer. If we die, the people will suffer.”
Kong Yan was speechless.
If it wasn't for the fact that the occasion wasn't right, he would definitely have looked down on her for shamelessly stealing the lyrics!
He remembered very clearly that he had said this to Wang De.
Obviously, Li Shi Min had spoken directly.
"We can't delay the reorganization of the government!" Li Shiming glanced at Kong Yan from the corner of his eye and felt a strong sense of danger.
........
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。