The Heavens: A Qing, the Yue Girl at the beginning

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by another angry minister: "What are you considering? Are you considering compromising with these two evil women? If this matter is not investigated, then in the future, won't everyone be able to follow suit, do whatever they want, fabricate charges, and persecute the descendants of loyal officials?"

"Descendants of loyal and righteous people? Where did the descendants of loyal and righteous people come from?"

Xia Mi tilted her head slightly and glanced at the angry minister, the smile on her face becoming brighter: "This lord is so righteous and righteous, I guess your family must be clean, and your wife, sons, and nephews have never been involved in the case? If so, why are you so excited?"

"Could it be... that he is speaking up for the criminals who have been killed by the 'Master', and the families behind them? Those who betrayed the interests of the Great Chu can be called 'loyal and good', but the loyal ones can't be the Great Qin, right? And what is the good one...?"

Her words were full of thorns, and the minister's face immediately turned red. He seemed to be extremely humiliated, and his fingers were shaking as he pointed at Xia Mi: "You... stop slandering me! How could I speak up for those criminals? I am only discussing the matter at hand, and I will not allow you to trample on the court's laws at will!"

"Good answer."

Xia Mi nodded, with a mixture of sarcasm and pity on her face, as if she was looking at a funny clown. She glanced at the other party's uneasy hands, then sighed and read the relevant information she had just obtained from Zhao Qing through the Lingxi Jade Talisman:
"Fang Xuanyuan was born in the seventh year of Wulie. His ancestral home is Fengqing County, Hele Prefecture. He was born as a student of Nanquan Academy. He is currently the deputy envoy of the Gouzao Division for mining inspection. His cultivation level is the lower level of the fifth realm. He has a wife, three concubines, two sons and one daughter."

"Your eldest son Fang You just turned twenty last year. When he first entered the third realm, he passed the craftsman assessment organized by the Chief Craftsman and became a formal craftsman of Tiangong Pavilion. His talent and ability were both rated as 'superior'. His future is bright."

"However, I'm sure you know how this 'prospect' was obtained."

As soon as he finished speaking, Fang Xuanyuan's face turned pale, his body trembled uncontrollably, and his eyes revealed an indescribable fear. He opened his mouth, but it seemed as if he was choked by something and he couldn't make a sound.

"Your second son Fang Chi is seventeen years old this year. Although he has no talent in cultivation, he has a good understanding of business."

"On the one hand, he used your and Gouzaosi's names to run a monopoly on the ore business in Hele County, forcing many miners to lose their homes. On the other hand, he competed with others in underground gambling houses in Yingdu, squandering money without restraint. He lost everything every time and ended up in debt."

"In order to make up for the huge financial shortfall in his family's livelihood, he frequently relied on the power of some 'Qin friends' to secretly reveal intelligence about some of Da Chu's precious mineral resources to them in exchange for the reduction of gambling debts and more wealth."

"As for your daughter Fang Jin, she just turned fifteen this year. She is very pretty and has dabbled in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. But she is the most daring one among them. Under the manipulation of your uncle Fang Qihai, she has had affairs with several young officials of the Military Works Department at the same time, using this to seek personal gain."

"And Fang Qihai happens to be one of the core figures in this workshop corruption case. Not only did he enrich himself, he also colluded with Qin spies and continuously delivered confidential intelligence from our dynasty to Qin. What do you think, does this count as a family 'working together' to contribute to the 'prosperity and stability' of the Great Chu?"

"Please... stop talking..." Fang Xuanyuan's legs softened and he collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down his face. "I plead guilty, I plead guilty! Miss... No, sir, please forgive my family, they were just... just confused for a moment, please give them a chance to reform."

"You regret it now? It's too late!" Xia Mi smiled coldly, not even looking at the other party's miserable appearance of crying and begging: "These three people have all been executed and beheaded. They are in the Fang family mansion. The servants and guards of your family who were in cahoots with them will accompany them to the underworld."

"Oh, by the way, there are also your wife and three concubines. They also chose to die to apologize for their crimes, which can be regarded as preserving the last face of the Fang family. If you rush back now, you may still have time to see their corpses. Of course, the premise is that you can walk out of this Chu Palace alive."

After saying this, she waved her sleeves in the distance, picked up Fang Xuanyuan, who was lying on the ground, like a dead dog and threw him to the side of the hall. He was escorted away by several blue-armored guards who appeared from the side door in time. Then she looked around, her eyes slowly sweeping across the faces of other ministers.

Anyone who was touched by her gaze involuntarily lowered their head or turned away, not daring to look her in the face. A deep fear and a feeling of grief for the loss of another person surged in their hearts.

Most of these ministers who had been accusing loudly not long ago now looked pale and had cold hands and feet, fearing that they would be like Fang Xuanyuan, and be exposed on the spot for some shameful scandal and crime by this girl who looked young and beautiful but was actually as hard-hearted and ruthless.

For a moment, the huge Golden Throne Hall was completely silent, and one could hear a pin drop. Only Fang Xuanyuan's intermittent crying and pleading were left. As he was carried out of the hall by the guards, his voice gradually faded away, becoming lighter and lighter, and finally disappeared completely.

The Emperor of Chu sat on a high dragon throne and took in the whole scene. He couldn't help but secretly admire the cleverness and courage of Zhao Qing and Xia Mi. They took advantage of the isolated environment inside and outside the Golden Throne Hall, used the time difference to create information asymmetry, set verbal traps, exerted psychological pressure, and defeated them one by one.

Under such circumstances, those who have a guilty conscience are all in danger and extremely tormented, and must make a decision within a short period of time. Either they try to resist like Fang Xuanyuan, but end up having their crimes exposed, being ruined, and their families destroyed; or they take the initiative to confess their crimes and be punished, and perhaps even get a lighter sentence and retain a bit of face.

Even those ministers who believed they were not involved in the case and were innocent were shocked by this series of thunderous measures and Xia Mi's terrifying intelligence capabilities, so they did not dare to speak out easily in the subsequent meetings.

In this way, as one gained strength while the other lost, Zhao Qing and Xia Mi completely controlled the right to speak in this evening court meeting. Even though the two of them had not obtained any formal official positions or titles, and were still nominally the "guests" of the Emperor of Chu and Concubine Zhao, they were already key figures who could actually influence the direction of government affairs.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Xia Mi smiled slightly and spoke again, her voice returning to its previous soft and gentle tone, as if the ruthless means just now were just an illusion:
"My Lords, I know that many of you are in similar situations to Lord Fang. Perhaps you are not involved in the case, but your family members, relatives, students and former officials may not be as honest as you."

"Although the officials and nobles involved in the case whose crimes have accumulated to a certain extent have all been executed and have no chance of resurrection, those who have committed crimes that are not punishable by death and have done limited evil have actually only been detained and guarded, and their relatives and friends can help reduce their sentences."

"How can we reduce it? It's very simple. We can exchange it with 'merit'. For example, we can take the initiative to report other people's crimes and provide effective clues and evidence; or we can donate our property to the national treasury to help disaster victims, repair river works, strengthen city defenses, and other things that benefit the country and the people..."

"After all, neither my 'Master' nor I are cold-blooded and heartless people. As long as the conditions are right, everything can be negotiated. If you miss this last chance, there will be no hope in the future!"

She paused and added, "However, before you 'make up for your crimes', I suggest you first assess the severity of your crimes and the distribution of your assets. You can redeem the dead by commuting their sentences, or use the confiscated assets to pay for your crimes. But it's useless. Don't think you can take advantage of the court."

"At best, we can only consider their positive attitude of confession, and make it effective for the living. We can give the deceased in our family a little reputation, and give them some coffins, funeral expenses, and convenience for incense and sacrifices, so that they will not be left exposed in the wilderness or buried hastily."

"One 'merit' is worth one sin. If all you put together is still not enough, then my friendly advice is to give up."

Hearing this, the Emperor of Chu couldn't help but feel happy: he had made up his mind to report and denounce his accomplices, reluctantly donated hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars of his family's wealth, and then waited anxiously in the Golden Throne Hall, but in the end he might only get a simple tomb. Is there anything more excessive than this in the world of "forced buying and selling"?
However, on second thought, for these officials and nobles involved in the case, this difficult choice was, after all, the only straw that could save their family and their own destiny. Although the conditions were harsh, it was much better than sitting and waiting to die with nothing.

Of course, all things are not so easy to resolve. After redeeming the sins, depriving the enemy of their power and resources, and removing the threat, there will be plenty of opportunities for further actions.

Sure enough, a slightly plump, fair-faced official soon knelt down with a plop:
"Your Majesty, I am guilty. I am willing to confess everything and only ask Your Majesty to give me a lighter sentence. I have accepted bribes from Fang Qihai many times and have had contact with Qin spies, but I have not sold out the core secrets of the Great Chu."

"...I have gold, silver, and jewelry saved at home, totaling about 536 million coins. I have more than 5,000 acres of good land in the Yingdu area and about 70,000 acres of land in Xiyuan County...I also have a lot of deposits in underground banks, which I am willing to donate to the court. I only ask for the pardon of my family."

"Very good, you are the first minister to stand up and make meritorious service while serving your sentence. Your courage is commendable." Xia Mi nodded, with an approving look on her face: "As long as the clues and evidence you provide are solid and the transfer of the family property is smooth, the court will definitely consider it and give you a lighter sentence." Then, she took out a blue silk ribbon with "Medium-grade Indulgence" written on it from her sleeve, threw it casually, and it flew out and landed in the hands of this person. This minister immediately felt like he had found a treasure. He held the ribbon tightly and kowtowed like crazy.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to confess as well."

An old minister in his sixties in a green robe also stood up tremblingly: "My son was involved in the counterfeiting of the workshop. I failed to discipline him strictly, so I cannot escape the blame. I have a number of rare ancient books and countless famous paintings and antiques at home. I am willing to donate them all. I only hope that Your Majesty can show leniency."

With these two people taking the lead, there was a little commotion in the hall. Several ministers stood up one after another, either reporting the crimes of others or confessing their own mistakes. They all expressed their willingness to donate their property to atone their sins, and they also received various "indulgences" distributed by Xia Mi.

For a time, the cries, shouts, pleas for mercy, and voices of revelations from many officials were intertwined, creating a chaotic mess.

Taking advantage of the chaos, a young man with pale golden dragon and phoenix patterns embroidered on his robe, obviously a member of the royal family, turned his head quietly and winked at several officials near and far, as if issuing some secret instructions.

"Witch! Do you think we will really surrender to you? Don't even think about it!"

Suddenly, a burly, rugged-looking old minister stood up abruptly, his voice like a bell, drowning out the voices of others. At the same time, he drew a gleaming short sword from his waist and threw it fiercely at Xia Mi!

"How can there be such a thing as tolerating treacherous officials and forcing loyal and good people? Follow me today to kill the tyrant emperor, punish the evil woman, and protect the country!"

"Have you not heard of the previous example of Wei Yunshui Palace? Relying on the power of a single sect, weakening the ministers and vassals, and cutting off one's own arms, this is the disaster of the country's destruction!"

"The treacherous and corrupt officials are in power, and the government is in ruins! How can we just sit there and wait for death?"

"If we don't eliminate this threat, the Great Chu will be doomed to eternal damnation. We would rather die than surrender, and our blood will spill on the throne!"

Following a few loud shouts, several officials stood up at the same time. Some drew the swords at their waists, some waved their hands to grab the long spears held by the guards next to them, and some directly lifted the heavy bronze tripod in the hall and rushed towards the direction where Emperor Chu and Xia Mi were.

Some officials who knew that their crimes were not worth their merits rushed out of the palace regardless, apparently wanting to escape from the Chu Palace and summon their own private soldiers and guards. It was hard to say whether they would take the opportunity to break out of Yingdu and escape, or lead their troops to attack the imperial city.

"Protect Your Majesty!"

"There is an assassin, quickly escort him!"

"Be bold!"

The seven or eight officials who suddenly took action and assassinated were all powerful practitioners of the sixth realm or above. One of them was a veteran master of the middle level of the seventh realm. Even though there was a suppression array in the Golden Throne Hall, the violent storm of vital energy that was set off in an instant could not be resisted by any practitioner below the fourth realm.

Millions of tiny lightning bolts like gossamer threads filled the space between heaven and earth, separating the self-operating Fengming magic array that enveloped the entire palace, and seeping out from the relief patterns on the pillars in the palace, like thousands of feather-like golden lights flying and falling, and they also forcibly resisted the black light shot from the fingers of Emperor Chu for almost half a breath.

Fan Wu Gou had never expected this to happen. He was originally negotiating with several officials who, in his opinion, were talented but had gone astray, and was considering whether to pay out of his own pocket to intercede for these people and atone for their sins. Suddenly, a burly military officer pounced on him and hugged him.

Extend the time a hundred times and look at it.

The short sword that was thrown towards Xia Mi at the beginning was first shattered into pieces by a slight flick of the finger, and flew back at a much faster speed than before, cutting off the head of the burly old minister. However, this man, who had already destroyed his own meridians, shot out countless crystal sword streams from the acupoints all over his body, killing indiscriminately.

The burly military officer who managed to hold onto Fan Wugui's thigh used some evil skills to turn his body into crystal, becoming almost indestructible. However, under the erosion and expansion of the Wuchen Wugui sword energy inch by inch, he was quickly worn away and turned into flying dust, but it did delay him for a moment after all.

The royal member who was planning the assassination shouted the word "Father" and flew towards a bronze round tripod weighing more than ten thousand pounds that was thrown into the air, as if he wanted to use his body to sacrifice his life to block the attack. In fact, there was a faint flash of black light in the palms of his hands.

This is one of the advanced ghost secret techniques originating from the Great Qi Dynasty, the "Heart Curse". Once it comes into contact with the enemy's skin, it can briefly allow the nearby true energy to be contaminated with some deathly energy, causing it to lose the ability to maintain vitality. For the Emperor of Chu, who relies entirely on his cultivation to survive, this is undoubtedly extremely fatal.

It can be said that this desperate prince on the field, as he was getting further and further away from the throne of the Great Chu, had probably been planning to kill his father for a long time. He had long ago started practicing this secret technique that was not conducive to the practice of orthodox Zhen Yuan Gong Jue, and was not hesitant to harm his body and delay his own progress in practice, just to have the possibility of ascending to the throne.

At the same time, this attack seemed to be aimed at Chu Di and Xia Mi, but knowing that the former had always been the best master in the Great Chu, and the latter was most likely at the level of a Seventh Realm Grandmaster, he did not actually hold out much hope.

Therefore, these people used the secret method of reversing the flow of true energy and disintegrating the meridians before taking action. If they could not succeed and the assassination attempt failed, when their minds were exhausted and it was difficult to maintain, they would enter the "self-destruction" stage and try to take the lives of the nearby ministers.

Although officials of all major dynasties give priority to cultivators, those above the fourth or fifth realm are still a minority, and civil servants with no cultivation at all are not uncommon. If they encounter such a disaster, there will inevitably be heavy casualties.

A lot of effort was spent on designing such an ingenious occasion to make the officials and nobles involved in the case confess their crimes, cooperate in making meritorious contributions, and recover the stolen money. However, they were all killed in a suicide attack. Isn't this putting Xia Mi and the Emperor of Chu on the spot?

By then, no matter it is the relatives and friends of those involved in the case, or those clean officials who did not have time to participate in corruption but were "beaten to death with one stick", they will direct their anger at Emperor Chu, Xia Mi, Zhao Qing, and Concubine Zhao Xiang, and truly set off a national rebellion that is enough to overthrow a dynasty.

It has to be said that the attackers were very naive. They thought that this would destroy Zhao Qing's plan, or at least make her and Xia Mi's life in Chu much more difficult. However, they didn't know that everything was under their control.

"Zheng——"

A clear and passionate sword sound suddenly resounded throughout the sky, instantly drowning out all the sounds in the Golden Throne Hall.

...(End of chapter)