Chapter 62: Wanting to Hide Away
Li Wei moved quickly. In less than an hour, the assets of both families had been seized.
A grand procession carried them off to the National Treasury.
With the evidence of their crimes provided by the Regent King, the seizures didn’t stop at just the two families. All of their associates were targeted as well.
Those who had feasted on the National Treasury’s wealth would be forced to cough it all up until they were utterly ruined.
Prince Jing summoned all the officials from the Ministry of Revenue, armed each one with an abacus, and had them stand at the treasury entrance to tally the goods. The beads on their abacuses flew so fast they practically shot sparks.
The last time they’d done a tally like this was during the seizure of the Liu and Chen Families’ assets. But back then, Li Wei had taken all the counted wealth, leaving them without a single coin. This time was different—it was all going to the Ministry of Revenue!
Ever since Prince Jing became the Minister of Revenue, he had faced a constant stream of people with their hands out, demanding money. This was the first time he’d seen funds actually *coming in*, and he was absolutely ecstatic.
Every time a vault was filled, he would personally go and lock it. One lock wasn’t enough; he would secure it with three, then post guards with strict orders that no one was to touch a thing.
One would think that two ministers, no matter how corrupt, couldn’t have embezzled that much. Yet nearly ten million taels of silver were seized from just their two households. And when you added in their associates, the total amount was no less staggering.
The grand total came to over fifty million taels of silver. To put that in perspective, the entire nation’s annual tax revenue was a mere fifteen million.
They hadn’t just stolen tax revenue; they had been chipping away at the very foundation of the Imperial Family.
Greedy leeches. It’s people like them who bring a nation to ruin. They deserve to die a thousand deaths!
-----
"AH! Mercy, I’ll talk! I’ll talk... Mercy..."
"Aaaah... Aaaah..."
Inside the Heavenly Prison, bloodcurdling screams echoed without end. They were so horrifying that even the prisoners who weren’t being tortured trembled in fear.
It wasn’t just the prisoners; the cries set the jailers’ teeth on edge. And since they had to watch it happen, the experience was even more terrifying for them.
The Little Emperor had sent a baby-faced young gentleman to interrogate the prisoners, and at first, the jailers thought it was a joke. ’What could a boy like that possibly accomplish?’
They half-expected him to burst into tears the moment he set foot in the Heavenly Prison.
But the young man completely shattered their expectations. He might have had an innocent face, but his methods were utterly vicious.
Whips? Branding irons? That was all child’s play. When he went to work, his cruelty was on another level. The screaming never stopped.
No prisoner in his hands could last for more than an hour. He didn’t kill them, but he left them in a state worse than death.
One by one, they all broke, spilling everything they knew—and even things they shouldn’t have.
As soon as he was done with one batch, a new one was brought in.
The asset seizures had supposedly ended, but based on their confessions, a dozen more households, large and small, were raided in quick succession. The Heavenly Prison was filled to capacity overnight.
If the Emperor hadn’t sent someone to summon him, the young gentleman would have gladly stayed in the Heavenly Prison indefinitely.
The jailers learned firsthand the meaning of the saying, "never judge a book by its cover."
When Xu Xingchen emerged, he found a large carriage waiting at the gate, guarded by a hundred-strong contingent of the Black Dragon Cavalry.
Its body was crafted from black-lacquered agarwood, inlaid with gold patterns. Octagonal palace lanterns hung from the corners, their black bases painted with golden, coiling dragons.
Only one person could be sitting inside such a carriage: the Emperor.
Xu Xingchen walked to the side of the carriage and bowed formally. "Your Majesty."
The carriage curtain lifted, revealing an exquisitely beautiful face. A glint appeared in Xu Xingchen’s eyes.
’He didn’t care about appearances and normally paid no mind to whether someone was beautiful or ugly. But the Emperor’s face was so striking he found it impossible to ignore.’
’The surface beauty was exquisite, but the bone structure beneath was even more perfect.’
’I want to hide it away.’
A flash of greedy, dark cunning flickered in his eyes before vanishing, leaving behind only an expression of pure innocence.
Yet this was the same "pure and harmless" person who had just tortured a group of prisoners until they begged for a death that would not come. With this one display, he had become a legend in the Heavenly Prison of the Ministry of Justice. Everyone now knew of this fiend who, with the face of an angel, delivered the most brutal and bloody of punishments.
Even now, the thick stench of blood clung to him, refusing to dissipate.
Although Xiao Yang hadn’t witnessed it herself, she was well aware of his accomplishments.
She knew what would happen before she sent him here.
Looking at her still-adorable little deviant, her eyes filled with amusement. "Had your fun?"
Xiao Yang had once said that the little deviant’s best quality was his honesty.
And just as she expected, he made no effort to hide the visible delight in his eyes. "Yes."
’The Xu Family had placed so many restrictions on him. Before this, all his methods had only existed in his mind, never put into practice. This time, he had gotten to try out every single one of his ideas. It was a pleasure like nothing he had ever known.’
Xiao Yang looked up. "Starting tomorrow, you will take up a position at the Ministry of Justice."
Xu Xingchen tilted his head. "But wasn’t I supposed to be Your Majesty’s Imperial Tutor?"
Xiao Yang scoffed, "Tch. I don’t even like to read. What would I need an Imperial Tutor for? It would be a waste of your talents."
With her decision made, Xiao Yang tossed the official appointment papers to him. "And that’s final. I’m leaving!"
Xu Xingchen caught the papers. ’Junior Minister of the Ministry of Justice. A fourth-rank official.’
’His own uncle was only a third-rank official.’
’And the Emperor was just giving a position like this to him?’
’He had no real ambition to be an official, but as the Junior Minister of the Ministry of Justice, he wouldn’t be able to stay by the Emperor’s side. Does she hate him?’
-----
The carriage curtain fell. Xiao Yang glared coldly at the Regent King, who was sitting across from her.
He sat perfectly upright, his back straight as a ramrod. He held a report in both hands, his expression severe as he read, exuding the dignified air of a master strategist in command.
Frustrated, Xiao Yang kicked out at him. "If the Regent King wants to read his reports, he can do it in the palace! Why do you insist on following me around?"
Xiao Yang had been bored in the palace and wanted to come out to check on her little deviant, Xu Xingchen.
Xiao Lv had been too busy to accompany her, and Li Wei, worried for her safety, had arranged an escort of one hundred elite Black Dragon Cavalry.
But just as she was about to leave, Rong Yin had boarded her carriage, insisting he had to protect her from the dangers outside. Yet when they arrived, he declared the prison was too bloody and absolutely refused to let her go in.
’He’s always telling me what to do. It’s so annoying!’
Rong Yin’s gaze lifted from the report. He looked first at the foot that had kicked him, then slowly raised his eyes to meet Xiao Yang’s.
Her exquisite face was a mask of impatience and disdain.
Rong Yin’s gaze darkened. "This time, you moved against more than just two families; you took on an entire political faction. There are many eyes on you now. Especially around the Heavenly Prison. There could be assassins lurking about, or men waiting to break the prisoners out."
"Your Majesty is the sovereign of this nation. You should not place yourself in such a dangerous position."
Xiao Yang could tell he meant well and knew that Rong Yin was right, but she hated being lectured. The feeling truly set her teeth on edge.
"I didn’t come alone, did I? I brought the guards Li Wei gave me. I offered you the throne, but you didn’t want it. Yet you still insist on lecturing me. You don’t actually think you’re my father, do you?"
Rong Yin’s grip tightened on the report. He didn’t say another word.
Xiao Yang’s retort had been casual, more of a complaint than a real argument. But instead of continuing the lecture, Rong Yin had simply fallen silent.
’Huh?’
Her gaze swept over Rong Yin. She wracked her brain but couldn’t figure out which of her words had managed to shut him up.
Unable to visit the Heavenly Prison, Xiao Yang went to the public execution grounds in the city’s west.
Criminals were typically executed after the autumn assizes, but Xiao Yang didn’t want any delays to breed new problems. What if something happened to her? Wouldn’t these corrupt officials escape justice then?
Better to kill those who deserved it as quickly as possible.