Dad, don't be greedy! My brother climbed into the emperor's bed, and I became famous overn

The next day.

The first rays of sunlight peeked through the eastern horizon, leaving a pale gray sliver.

The Cui household was in complete chaos.

The servants hurried along, their faces filled with fear, and the maid serving tea trembled so much that the lid of the cup rattled.

The person in charge ran in and out, his lips trembling as he relayed the message.

Cui Ming didn't sleep all night.

He changed into a dark-colored casual robe and sat on the grand master's chair in the central hall.

His eyes were bloodshot, and his lips were pressed tightly together.

He was surrounded by five or six aides, all of whom looked unpleasant.

"Any news from the Ministry of Justice?" Cui Ming asked in a hoarse voice.

The Ministry of Justice is under the influence of the powerful Liu family, and we need their help.

An aide stepped forward and reported in a low voice:

"The money has been handed in."

"Duke Liu said he could only put in a good word for us with the Ministry of Justice. After all, it was an assassination witnessed by thousands of people. Once the crime is confirmed, he wouldn't dare to get too involved."

"Moreover, the palace handled this matter extremely quickly. The note personally approved by His Majesty was delivered to the Minister of Justice and the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review in the middle of the night."

"The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Su Ting, is very stern. It won't be easy for him to get rid of the three assassins before the trial."

Cui Ming's face was gloomy.

The evidence was irrefutable, and he truly had no way to defend himself.

The current young emperor is no longer the same boy who was easily manipulated during the reign of the previous emperor.

If they were to rely on the power of the Cui family to forcefully suppress the emperor, it would not only fail to frighten him, but would also give him an excuse to turn on them on the spot and have his entire family executed.

Cui Ming took a deep breath and suddenly stood up.

"Quickly send someone to Lingzhou to deliver a message to my brother! Ask him to come in person."

He paced back and forth a couple of times, his voice carrying a hint of ruthlessness.

"Only if the head of my Cui family goes to the emperor's door... and lowers his stance, might we be able to save our entire family."

"The Cui family is a century-old clan, and we cannot let it end in my hands."

The staff member bowed his head, accepted the order, and hurriedly left the main hall.

It was just past 9 AM.

A fully armed Imperial Guard appeared outside the gate of the Cui residence.

The captain in the lead was expressionless, with a sword at his waist.

Cui Ming was taken to the main hall of the Ministry of Justice.

Upon entering, he was greeted by Chen Heng, the Minister of Justice.

He was ushered into a fairly decent side room.

With tea and snacks provided, this treatment clearly indicates that the Liu family had given instructions.

Cui Ming picked up his teacup and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Before she could even calm down, the door to the side hall was pushed open from the outside.

Su Ting, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, stepped in.

Two clerks carrying files followed behind him.

Su Ting was in his early fifties, thin, with a pale complexion and sharp eyes when he looked at people.

Without exchanging pleasantries, he directly laid a thick stack of confessions in front of Cui Ming.

"Second Master Cui".

Su Ting's voice was authoritative and official.

"Besides the assassination, the three assassins confessed to other matters. I have come here specifically to invite Second Master Cui to court for verification."

"The Cui family's six wharves along the Grand Canal and two ironworks in Gyeonggi Province are of dubious origin."

Su Ting opened the confession and read it aloud, line by line.

"Furthermore, the dirty work I've done for the Cui family over the years goes far beyond this assassination. Smuggling salt and iron, seizing farmland for flood control projects, annexing the imperial canal wharves, and falsifying project funding..."

He closed the file and looked up at Cui Ming.

"The assassins gave very detailed accounts."

Cui Ming was completely stunned.

Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

How could an assassin know all this?!

This is someone using another person to do their dirty work!

Take advantage of the assassination attempt to destroy the Cui family!

Cui Ming suddenly stood up and flew into a rage.

"These江湖人 (jianghu people) spout nonsense and their claims are worthless! My Cui family does not accept these so-called pieces of evidence!"

Su Ting nodded expressionlessly.

"Master Cui is right."

"Of course, the confession should be compared with the Ministry of Works' case files."

"Whether the construction of the dock was reported, whether the requisition of farmland for flood control was approved, and whether the money went into the accounts... all these things are clearly documented in black and white, and a simple comparison will reveal the truth."

"So I'll have to trouble you to stay at the yamen for a couple more days, Master Cui. Once I've finished reviewing the Ministry of Works' files, the truth will be revealed."

Cui Ming's pupils suddenly contracted.

He understood.

The little emperor has set a huge trap for him.

The blame should fall on either the Cui family or the Ministry of Works.

As long as the Ministry of Works' case files remain, all the tricks the Cui family played in the Grand Canal and iron smelting can be traced.

The Cui family's influence in the Ministry of Works, built up over decades, is likely to be lost.

That afternoon.

The note from the Cui family passed through three hands before finally reaching Zhao Pei, the Minister of Works.

Zhao Pei unfolded the note.

The document contained only one line: "The file cannot be kept."

Zhao Pei's face turned deathly pale.

He paced back and forth in the Ministry of Works office for more than a dozen steps with his hands behind his back, and fine beads of sweat seeped out from his forehead.

The Cui family is going to abandon them!

He hadn't been unaware that this day would come.

Zhao Pei stopped, closed his eyes briefly, and then summoned Zhou Qiao.

"Put the case files in the archives concerning the construction of all wharves along the canal and the requisition of farmland for flood control..."

"Find them all. Burn them."

Zhou Qiao hesitated for a moment.

"Sir, those case files are quite numerous. Dozens of boxes."

"Burn it all."

Zhao Pei suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with a desperate ruthlessness.

Not a single scroll may be left behind.

Once the Ministry of Works loses its evidence, the Court of Judicial Review will have no way to prove anything.

No matter how many testimonies are given, without physical evidence, a conviction cannot be made.

Their crime of neglecting to properly handle case files is far less serious than their crime of embezzling land.

So, that night...

A fire broke out in the Ministry of Works' case file room for no apparent reason.

The flames shot into the sky and burned for almost half an hour before being extinguished.

I heard that many old case files have been reduced to ashes.

After the fire went out, Zhao Pei and Zhou Qiao exchanged a glance and both breathed a sigh of relief.

Early the next morning.

Zhao Pei arrived at the Ministry of Works as usual, exchanged pleasantries with his colleagues with a normal expression, and even approved two official documents.

Everything seemed calm and peaceful.

Then he received a message.

Half a month ago, the Censorate received a complete set of case files regarding the construction of the canal wharf and the requisition of farmland for flood control.

It's still the original book.

Zhao Pei's smile froze on his face.

The teacup in his hand crashed to the ground with a "crack," shattering into pieces.

About two weeks ago?

Who the hell sent the case file to the Censorate half a month ago?!

The assassination hadn't happened yet!

The Cui family was doing well back then!

What does this mean?

This means that someone had already dug a pit, waiting for them to walk into it.

Zhao Pei felt a chill run through his body.

He looked up in the direction of the Ministry of Works.

Last night's fire didn't burn old case files.

It was his own way out.

Destroying irrefutable evidence in a case being investigated by the imperial court is punishable by death according to the law.

Right Prime Minister's Mansion.

The lights in the study were dim.

Gu Debai sat on a rosewood chair, holding a cup of warm tea in his hand, his posture as relaxed as if he were listening to the finale of a good play.

The staff member stood below, reporting the latest situation in a low voice.

"My lord, Zhao Pei and Zhou Qiao personally went to the Censorate to verify the authenticity of the case files."

"What was the result?"

"The files we sent over half a month ago were the original volumes. The ones kept by the Ministry of Works are the duplicates. After they went through them, their faces turned pale."

Gu Debai took a sip of tea, and the corners of his mouth slowly curved up.

"A bunch of idiots."

"I didn't intend to deal with them so quickly. But they dared to target my son; are they eager to die?"

"Then send them on their way."