Chapter 206: The Major Grain Relief Case Ten Years Ago

A few ministers, led by Minister Wen, fell silent as cold cicadas.

A strong sense of unease rose in their hearts.

No matter how they thought, they could not imagine anything that would be unbearable for them.

The worst case would be to confiscate their households and dismiss them, or even behead them.

They were convinced that His Majesty would never do such a thing.

The present young His Majesty is an ambitious ruler, certainly not a tyrant.

Although he had dealt with Lao An and Si Tu Wei, and even imprisoned his own mother Jiang Peihuan, this showed how cold‑blooded and ruthless he was.

But the three truly plotted to seize power and usurp the throne; their crimes were excessively heinous.

His Majesty's handling of them posed no problem.

It could even be said that, in fact, he showed some hidden leniency, still considering blood ties; otherwise, given Jiang Peihuan's actions, she would have met at least the same fate as Lao An.

After weighing everything, the ministers became increasingly certain that Xiao Qidi could not execute Lord Rong Rui.

As for these ministers who kept pleading on behalf of Lord Rong Rui and the Xiao royal clan, they certainly would not be put to death by His Majesty.

Demoting them to commoners was likewise impossible; His Majesty himself knew that even such a measure, given the current situation, would be making a mountain out of a molehill and would trigger a series of serious repercussions.

Thus only punishments that seemed severe but were actually harmless remained.

For example, docking a few years of salary, throwing them into the dungeon for a few days, or temporarily transferring them away from the Royal City to serve as local officials in remote areas for a while.

This was akin to His Majesty finding a stepping stone: the ministers would endure some superficial hardship, the matter would end inconclusively, and everyone could remain at peace, with the court still stable.

At the same time, it provided the appearance of action, giving the people a reassurance that, though ineffective, could soothe public sentiment.

It could be called a win‑win.

Not only the few ministers led by Minister Wen thought so, but the rest of the officials also arrived at these ideas within a short time.

Consequently, the atmosphere in the great hall became considerably more relaxed.

Only a handful of ministers vaguely sensed that matters might not be so simple, that beneath the seemingly invisible ease, a thunderous storm was brewing.

Much like the brief calm before an oncoming storm, which easily lets people lower their guard.

About half a incense stick's worth of time passed.

Seeing that they had waited so long with no response from Minister Wen and the other ministers, Xiao Qidi said, "I suppose you have all given this deep thought; it seems you have finally decided to abandon the opportunity I gave you."

He turned and slowly ascended the steps, taking his seat again on the throne.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"There's a saying that a knife that doesn't pierce you can't teach you pain. It seems that after letting you imagine, you still cannot empathize," he said.

"Then, I shall have you feel a harsh pain," he continued.

Xiao Qidi opened his eyes.

The previously tangled expression of complex emotions vanished, leaving only a cold indifference.

The ministers grew increasingly baffled, none could guess what His Majesty intended to do.

Only Li Yao, who knew Xiao Qidi's plan, wore a grave expression and muttered, "Alas, His Majesty truly tolerated them to the extreme, fulfilling both benevolence and righteousness. He did not want to reach this point; they brought it upon themselves."

"Li Yao, step out," Xiao Qidi's authoritative voice rang through the great hall.

Li Yao immediately stepped forward.

Xiao Qidi ordered, "Reveal the matters concerning Minister Wen that you have uncovered in your investigation."

"Yes, His Majesty," Li Yao turned, facing the ministers.

The other ministers looked at each other in bewilderment.

Minister Wen, kneeling on the ground, was completely at a loss.

He excelled at flattering royal nobles and using his position to smooth over issues for royal family members, yet those matters did not breach Daxuan law; what case could be involved?

Li Yao thought briefly, then announced loudly, "Minister Wen once punished three civilians, citing inciting a crowd, by beating them with a board, causing them to convalesce for months; after they recovered, he ordered them imprisoned for half a year."

The ministers were all stunned, and a sudden uproar erupted.

"What kind of matter is this?"

"Isn't it just a routine handling of a civilian dispute?"

Even ministers who usually clashed with Minister Wen couldn't help commenting, "He was originally a law‑enforcement officer in the Royal City; cases like this are countless, why bring this up?"

"Indeed, Minister Wen has never erred in punishing troublesome subjects; it's nothing worth mentioning!"

Amid the chatter of the crowd,

Minister Wen's expression changed, his eyes flashing with resentment, and his fingers unconsciously scratched the ground.

"Please, gentlemen, remain silent and hear me continue," Li Yao said as he approached Minister Wen, "Minister Wen, do you still recall the case I mentioned?"

Minister Wen lowered his head, "I remember... of course I remember..."

Li Yao asked again, "According to my investigation, those three civilians did not incite a crowd, nor even act, so why were they punished by you?"

Minister Wen clenched his back molars, "They... said some unpleasant words."

"Oh? What unpleasant words?" Li Yao pressed, "Were they disrespectful to you, Minister? Under Daxuan law, insulting an official may result, depending on severity, in a fine of up to a hundred cash or up to five lashes and imprisonment for ten to fifteen days. Why were those three treated so harshly?"

"They... they..." Minister Wen stammered, seeming to hide something unspeakable.

Xiao Qidi spoke in a deep voice, "Minister Wen, answer Li Yao's question."

Minister Wen's temples bulged with veins, he bit his teeth and said, "They did not insult me; they... insulted my family."

"Your family? Who exactly? How did they insult them?"

"I..."

Facing Li Yao's relentless questioning, Minister Wen seemed under immense pressure.

This made the attending ministers feel even more baffled.

On the one hand, the matter seemed to have no value worth bringing up.

Secondly, what connection does this have with the current situation where His Majesty intends to punish Lord Rongrui, yet more than half of the ministers strongly oppose it?

His Majesty and Li Yao—what on earth are they up to…?

"Minister Wen!" Li Yao urged, "Exactly who did those three men insult?"

Minister Wen closed his eyes, his cheeks trembling slightly, "They insulted my… my son…"

Upon hearing this, the ministers' expressions varied.

And Minister Wen's shoulders began to shake as well, as if in great distress.

"How did they insult him?" Li Yao pressed for the details.

"They called my son… a…" Minister Wen forced a few words through his teeth, "a creature worse than a beast… deserving of death… with no place to be buried!"

Among the officials, someone let out a soft sigh.

Others snorted coldly.

Li Yao crouched beside Minister Wen and said, "Ten years ago, a flood struck Daxuan Luoxia County; the levees collapsed and three counties were submerged. The court dispatched officials for disaster relief, and your son was in charge of retrieving grain and supplies from a nearby county's warehouse to aid the victims. Months later, the supplies that should have reached the disaster zone were still missing, resulting in nearly one hundred thousand victims starving to death."

"Please stop… Minister Li… I beg you, stop…" Minister Wen pleaded with a trembling voice.

Li Yao did not stop, continuing:

"Later investigations revealed that your son had embezzled the grain and supplies, exchanged them for silver, and while in hiding was robbed by bandits who seized his massive silver and dismembered him into eight pieces, dumping them in the wilderness. When the County Officer finally found him, he had been gnawed down to bone by wild dogs and wolves."

"You have only this one son; upon hearing of his death, despite your own severe illness, you went to the place where his remains were found, hoping to bring his bones home for burial."

"Instead, angry villagers seized the remains, crushing them to dust."

After Li Yao finished speaking, Minister Wen was already collapsed on the ground, tears streaming.

"Minister Wen," Li Yao whispered, grinding his back teeth, "Given your son's deeds, could those three commoners have been wrong to insult him? Isn't your son a creature worse than a beast, deserving of death with no burial place? How can you still have the face to punish those three?"

"That's not… not so!"

Minister Wen suddenly looked up, grabbed Li Yao's collar, and roared with reddened eyes, "My son may be mediocre and idle, but his character is upright and kind! He never even takes a single benefit from the state, let alone embezzle grain meant for disaster relief for money! He could not have done such a thing! He… he is innocent!"

Li Yao's expression remained unchanged as he said, "But the final investigation concluded exactly that; the facts are before the Daxuan common folk. You now proclaim his innocence—were the original investigators those officials? Those officials were all appointed by the former king from among the members of the Daxuan royal family."

"I… I…" Minister Wen's pale face was gaunt as he sobbed, "I still… still cannot believe my son would do that; I… I also dare not doubt the original investigators."

"Then what do you think actually happened?" Li Yao asked, looking at his swollen, crying eyes.

Minister Wen was on the brink of mental collapse, stammering, unable to articulate anything, weakly releasing his grip on Li Yao's collar, his trembling lips repeatedly muttering, "My son would not do that… would not… certainly not…"

The other ministers, seeing Minister Wen's heartbreaking and helpless state, couldn't help feeling a sigh of pity.

Someone also thought that his son's case back then had issues.

Others simply felt he could not accept the facts.

Likewise, some believed his son's fate was deserved, and that even he, as a father, now bearing the scar, was being punished for his failure to educate his child.

Nevertheless, regardless of each minister's thoughts, none spoke up.

Li Yao helped Minister Wen to his feet, saying word for word, "Minister Wen, now I tell you, your son truly was wronged."

Minister Wen froze on the spot, "You… what are you saying?!"

The other ministers, including Lord Rongrui, all wore expressions of astonishment.

"Your son was wronged," Li Yao said gravely, "You are correct; he indeed did not commit such inhuman acts!"

Minister Wen's whole body stiffened, his eyes widening, and he clenched Li Yao's arms with both hands, "Minister Li! Do not deceive me!"

Li Yao replied, "In front of His Majesty, how could I lie to you?"

"Then… then my son… what exactly… happened?!" Minister Wen fell to his knees before Li Yao, "Please, Minister Li, tell me the truth!"

Li Yao's cheeks were tight, anger simmering in his eyes, as he said slowly,

"Back then, after your son arrived at the site, he found the warehouse that should have been stocked with emergency grain and supplies completely empty. He decided to report this to the court, but was silenced; later they fabricated that he had secretly sold the grain for silver and fled with the money."

"The flood occurred so suddenly that the real embezzler of the grain and supplies had no time to remedy it, and the consequences were so severe that even the chief culprit, no matter how high his rank, could not bear it and would be reviled for eternity; thus they could only use your son as a scapegoat."

The statement struck like a bolt from a clear sky, shocking all officials in the great hall.

Minister Wen, tears streaming, shouted, "Who did it… who is the murderer… who!?"

"Do you want to know who killed your son, who dismembered him and left his remains in the wilderness, who fabricated the robbery, or who emptied the warehouse, or perhaps… who truly embezzled the grain and caused the disaster?"

Minister Wen replied without hesitation, "Of course it's the chief culprit!"

Li Yao announced loudly, "Very well, then I tell you, that person is right here in this hall!"

"Who! Who is it! Step forward!" Minister Wen sprang to his feet, his voice blazing with fury as he demanded answers from everyone.

The ministers, bewildered, glanced at those beside them.

Lord Rongrui frowned, scanning all the ministers, yet no one among the court officials showed even a hint of guilt.

This was strange…

"Lord Rongrui, do you know who it is?" Li Yao suddenly turned to ask him.

"Huh? You ask me?" Lord Rongrui was surprised, waving his hands, and said confidently, "How could I possibly know! When the flood broke out, I was bedridden with illness! I had no involvement in any disaster relief matters!"

"Who! Who exactly!" Minister Wen roared like a madman, "Minister Li has already uncovered the truth! What is there to hide! The chief culprit, come out now!"

Even at this point, no official stepped forward.

Minister Wen sobbed, "Minister Li, just tell me directly! None of these ministers will admit anything!"

"Of course none of them will admit it, because they aren't the ones," Li Yao raised his hand, pointing at Lord Rongrui, and said coldly, "The chief culprit is this person—the head of the Daxuan royal family, Lord Rongrui!"

Minister Wen was struck as if by lightning again, freezing on the spot.

The officials were equally horrified, looking at Lord Rongrui in disbelief.

"Minister Li, are you mad? To point so recklessly! This is absurd!" Lord Rongrui exclaimed, astonished.

His reaction was not feigned; it was a genuine display of shock and anger after being slandered.

Then, he, furious, shouted at Xiao Qidi:

"His Majesty! I think I finally understand the meaning of this play! You let Li Yao use a trivial matter to bring up the ten‑year‑old embezzlement of disaster‑relief grain, then pin it on me, hoping to add another charge and stir public anger so that you can lawfully execute me! Is that right or not?! If I truly erred, I will admit it! But His Majesty, to arbitrarily invert right and wrong and impose guilt is excessive! Heaven's justice cannot tolerate this!"