The Demon Prince

Chapter 88 I was indeed greedy.

Xiao Xingyue's voice was slightly hoarse, as if he had just woken up or was exhausted.

"You, Li Miaoqing, you've always been eyeing me."

Li Miaoqing was both ashamed and angry, and struggled slightly:

"Let go."

Xiao Xingyue didn't let go; instead, he pressed her closer to his chest.

"What didn't we do during the last fire?"

Li Miaoqing's ears burned, her eyes darted around, and she dared not look at him again:

"I, I was..."

Before she could finish speaking, Xiao Xingyue kissed her back.

A gust of wind blew under the eaves, and the girl was swallowed up with a muffled sound.

Studying medicine inevitably involves understanding the physiological structure of the human body.

……

The next morning, the court session began.

Several imperial censors stepped forward early on.

These people have a good reputation, speak firmly, and don't usually form cliques. That's why it seems more appropriate for them to take the lead today.

But everyone knows that behind them stand the old faction of the Ministry of War, the remnants of the Ministry of Rites, the marginal old members of the Jiang family, and the remnants left behind by Cao Bi.

These people didn't dare to step forward themselves, so they pushed up this group of censors who genuinely believed they were upholding the law.

A middle-aged censor from the Censorate stepped forward first, his eyes shining, his voice resounding:

"Your Majesty, I wish to impeach Prince Xiao Xingyue of the State of Zhen for accepting bribes, setting up private accounts, accumulating wealth under the guise of investigation, and even killing court officials without authorization."

If left unchecked, the power of investigation will inevitably become a tool for embezzlement.

The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the main hall changed.

Some people were secretly pleased, some looked down at the gold bricks under their feet, and others glanced at Xiao Xingyue, wanting to see how he would react.

The censor was clearly caught up in his passion, and the more he spoke, the more enthusiastic he became:

"The Prince's Mansion was bustling with carriages and horses, and outside the mourning hall, piles of gold and silver were everywhere."

Zhou Heng died, and before the case even reached the Ministry of Justice, his head had already rolled.

Such behavior is no different from that of a traitor to the country.

Qin Zhenyue frowned deeply.

The emperor sat behind the beaded curtain, his emotions unreadable, and spoke only calmly:

"Xiao Xingyue, is there anything you want to say?"

All eyes in the hall were on him.

Xiao Xingyue slowly stepped forward and first cupped his hands in a respectful gesture:

"Your Majesty, I have indeed accepted it."

One sentence caused an uproar throughout the court.

The eyes of those imperial censors lit up; they hadn't expected the young man to recognize them so readily.

Some of the hidden officials were secretly delighted. It was good that he had confessed; they could continue to press him down relentlessly!

The middle-aged censor's spirits lifted:

"Since the young master acknowledges it, then this money..."

Xiao Xingyue interrupted him unhurriedly:

"Your subject received 50,000 taels of silver notes, two boxes of jewelry, and several property deeds."

There are also several shops selling antiques, jade, and silk, which are indeed quite valuable.

Upon hearing this, the old and remnant factions of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Rites became even more excited, as they were now even reporting their own expenses.

The censor stepped forward, his voice rising even higher:

"May I ask, Your Highness, where is this money now?"

Xiao Xingyue smiled: "Good question."

He turned his head to look outside the hall:

"Yuanbao, bring it in."

Soon, several guards from the Prince's mansion, along with Zhao Yuanbao, carried several large boxes containing account books into the main hall.

The boxes were heavy, and each box was sealed with a tape.

Xiao Xingyue raised his hand and patted the frontmost box:

"It's all here. Not just the money, but also where the money went."

When the box was opened, the top layer wasn't silver notes or jewelry, but stacks of densely filled account books.

The document details the supplementary payments for the former northern troops, the placement of disabled veterans, the use of funds for disaster relief soup kitchens, and the purchase of medicines at pharmacies.

As soon as the page was turned, the entire hall fell silent.

Just moments ago, they were making a huge fuss, as if they wanted to bite Xiao Xingyue to death on the spot, but now they've fallen silent, as if someone has grabbed their neck.

The hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; at that moment, no one could utter a word.

The main hall was eerily quiet.

Shen Yan stepped forward, opened the first account book, and spoke in a clear voice:

"The register of pensions and reissues for former troops in the northern border region, the source of the money, and the fact that Xu Huaide, a former official of the Ministry of War, repaid 900 taels of silver."

Whereabouts: 27 wounded and disabled soldiers from the former northern garrison.

The person in charge was Zhao Yuanbao of the Prince of Zhenguo's Mansion; the witnesses were Chen Shao, a military officer from the Eighth Princess's Mansion, and Sun Ting, a clerk from the Ministry of War.

He turned another page:

"The second source of the money was Sun Ting, a former official of the Ministry of War, who embezzled 1,200 taels of silver."

Whereabouts: twelve widows of soldiers who died in battle.

The person in charge was Feng Lie, a guard of the King's Palace in Zhenguo County. The witnesses were Chu Lan, a female guard of the Eighth Princess's Palace, and Liu Gui, a veteran of the Northern Border.

Seal, same as above.

One by one, each transaction had its source and destination. It recorded who received it, who issued it, who saw it, and who stamped it. Even the banknote serial number and the property deed value were clearly remembered.

The censor's lips moved, but he couldn't get a word out.

He was originally full of enthusiasm, thinking that he was going to tear open a festering sore for the court today.

But these ledgers were so clear that if he uttered another curse, it would be as if he were cursing himself for being blind.

Xiao Xingyue stood beside the tent box and patted the lid:

"Your Excellency, please continue your questioning."

The censor's face turned bright red:

"What about Zhou Heng's fifty thousand taels?"

This person is dead, and there's no way to verify the story. Who can prove that the money wasn't embezzled by your Zhenguo Palace?

Upon hearing this, some members of the old faction in the Ministry of War breathed a sigh of relief. Yes, they wanted to attack Zhou Heng.

Zhou Heng is dead, and the dead can't speak. As long as the 50,000 taels can't be explained, no matter how much Xiao Xingyue did before, he can still be smeared with dirty water.

Zhao Yuanbao immediately opened the other box. With a click, the lid revealed a stack of booklets tied with red rope.

Zhao Yuanbao presented it:

"Zhou Heng's list of embezzled funds: 50,000 taels of silver notes, two boxes of jewelry, and three house deeds."

Of the 13,000 taels, 13,000 taels will be used first to cover the death benefits embezzled by Zhou Heng, and 20,000 taels will be temporarily sealed and returned to each of the affected military households after the victims have been identified.

The jewelry, valued at 8,400 taels, has been deposited into the sealed treasury. The deeds to the three properties are temporarily held, pending the settlement of old accounts before they are sold.

He flipped to the last few pages and confronted the censor directly:

"Look carefully, there's a banknote shop here, and there's a treasury seal here."

And here, it's all written down which households Zhou Heng annexed, who hasn't received their share yet, and who has already received it.

Zhao Yuanbao became increasingly angry as he spoke:

"You accuse my young master of being greedy, so why don't you show me how greedy you've gone to such lengths?"

Several people in the hall twitched their faces hard.

Who would fabricate accounts like that if they were truly corrupt? Wouldn't that be building their own grave?

The faces of several former Ministry of War officials grew increasingly grim.

After the initial panic came frustration, and then a sense of dejection. Why was Xiao Xingyue so difficult to deal with? Damn it!

Outside the palace, in the waiting area, Chief Clerk Xu and several minor officials, including Sun Ting, knelt in a corner.

They were brought here to hear the trial, still harboring a sliver of resentment, thinking that if Xiao Xingyue was impeached, they might be able to get their money back.

But now, as they listened, they were completely stunned: "They really made it?"

Sun Ting's lips were dry.

"My 1,200 taels, did you really give it to the military household?"

Manager Xu's face turned pale as he recalled what he had said in the teahouse yesterday.

Xiao Xingyue was no different from Cao Bi, except that someone even more ruthless was collecting the money.

At that moment, those words felt like a slap in the face, so painful that he couldn't lift his head!

A Ministry of War official stepped forward with a heavy heart:

"Your Highness, the account books can be falsified."

These procedures seem complete, but if they were all arranged by people from your own palace, who can guarantee their authenticity?

Xiao Xingyue glanced at him:

"You know a lot."

The official's face stiffened.