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

At the same time, a very high-class carriage drove in from the south gate of the capital.

There were no signs on the carriage.

Thirty guards followed behind the carriage, all dressed in dark blue, stern-faced men.

Sitting inside the carriage was Cui Yuan, the head of the Cui family, one of the four great clans of Lingbo, and the Duke of Guo.

The day before Cui Yuan arrived in the capital, he submitted a petition requesting an audience with the emperor.

He was the Duke of Dayong, a hereditary title.

According to the system, he has the right to have an audience with the emperor.

He arrived at the Cui residence in Kyoto at noon, and in the afternoon he appeared in the Imperial Study to apologize to the Emperor.

Cui Yuan is in his sixties, tall and with a square face. His temples are white, but he is still very energetic.

His triangular eyes were very similar to Cui Ming's, but he had a more seasoned and composed demeanor.

He was dressed in a deep purple court robe and performed a grand salute after entering the hall.

My forehead hit the cold floor tiles.

"This old minister is guilty. I have failed in my duty to manage my household, which has led to members of my clan offending the Emperor. This old minister has come to beg for forgiveness."

The hall was completely silent.

Xiao Ye sat calmly on the dragon throne, looking down at the old Duke kneeling in the hall.

His deep, sharp eyes revealed no emotion whatsoever.

What a cunning old fox!

The Cui family was found guilty of numerous crimes, including embezzlement, monopolistic practices, and attempted assassination of the emperor. Yet, this person casually dismissed the charges as "offending the emperor" in an attempt to change the nature of the crime.

Xiao Ye looked away, picked up a folded booklet, flipped through it, and spoke calmly.

Get up.

"Did the Duke know that Cui Ming sent assassins?"

Cui Yuan thanked the emperor and stood up, his expression calm.

"The old minister failed to discipline his younger brother, who acted recklessly, delegating authority to his staff while remaining completely unaware of the situation."

"Um."

Xiao Ye closed the folding book and glanced at Cui Yuan.

"I believe what the Duke said."

Cui Yuan bowed slightly.

"Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty. My Cui family will fully cooperate with Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate this matter and punish those who disregard the law!"

Xiao Ye didn't respond to that.

The young emperor and the seasoned duke clashed silently in the air.

"I will not investigate Cui Ming's assassination attempt further."

"But I have already seen the case files of what the Cui family has done in the Grand Canal over the years."

Xiao Ye spoke of the matter in a nonchalant manner.

The severity of the Cui family's crimes was entirely determined by the way he spoke.

"The Cui family has built a century-old legacy. When the Great Yong Dynasty was founded, it was the Cui family that took the lead in supporting the late emperor. I will remember this kindness."

Xiao Ye glanced at Cui Yuan.

"I am a sentimental person. But the rules of the Great Yong Dynasty must still be followed. What do you say, Your Excellency?"

Cui Yuan's back stiffened, and he quickly cupped his hands in greeting.

The ice jar inside the hall emitted a faint melting sound, and water droplets slid down the inner wall of the bronze cauldron.

If the Cui family doesn't show some sincerity now that things have come to this point, they might really break ties with the royal family.

Cui Yuan remained calm and asked directly, "What does Your Majesty desire?"

Xiao Ye picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"The Cui family owned nine wharves along the canal route. Six of these wharves had construction records with the Ministry of Works."

"If I remember correctly, that should have been the imperial canal wharf."

How did it end up in the hands of the Cui family?

Cui Yuan's eye twitched slightly.

The canal wharf was one of the Cui family's most important sources of income.

Every year, the toll fees and cargo commissions alone amounted to millions of taels of silver.

The six docks that the young emperor mentioned so casually were the result of generations of meticulous planning by the Cui family.

They controlled Ministry of Works officials through marriage alliances and by paying large sums of money.

When the imperial court allocated funds for construction, the project was delayed indefinitely using various legitimate reasons such as "river channel collapse," "water bandit incursions," and "materials getting damp."

They secretly laundered the project funds into the Cui family's treasury.

In the end, the imperial project was dragged down to become an unfinished ruin.

Then, the local government intervened and sold the land at a low price under the guise of "wasteland," transferring it to the Cui family's name.

The top-quality stone and timber that the Ministry of Works had previously purchased with funds from the national treasury had already been secretly allocated by the Cui family.

They were stockpiled in a secret warehouse at the site of the project.

Once the Cui family legally obtained the land deed, they brazenly began construction.

So, the materials bought with the imperial court's money were used to build on the Cui family's land.

The docks approved by the imperial court were marked "invalid" in the Ministry of Works' records.

This dock ultimately and logically became the Cui family's treasure trove.

However, the intricacies involved were extremely well hidden, and the accounts were kept flawlessly.

The Cui family has operated in this way since the previous dynasty, and there has never been a mistake.

The young emperor has only been on the throne for a mere two years, yet his methods have already penetrated so deeply?!

For the first time, Cui Yuan felt real fear.

The back of my shirt was soaked with cold sweat.

He swallowed hard, his words now extremely cautious:

"Your Majesty, there may be a misunderstanding. Those docks were indeed purchased by the Cui family from the local government with real money..."

Xiao Ye seemed completely uninterested in Cui Yuan's weak defense.

He interrupted him directly, calmly throwing out a second bombshell.

"In addition, the Ministry of Works previously reported that the imperial ironworks had been reducing production year after year, and the output was insufficient to supply the military."

"But I sent spies to check two iron smelting workshops around Gyeonggi Province. The blast furnaces there are running day and night, and business is booming."

Upon hearing this, Cui Yuan felt a surge of anger rising within him.

Those two places were workshops privately built by the Cui family under the cover of the Ministry of Works' iron smelting workshop.

The iron produced in those two locations accounted for 30% of the ironware circulating among the people of Dayong.

The iron ore from the Ministry of Works' iron smelting went into the Cui family's workshops, naturally reducing the amount of iron produced by the imperial court.

Now, the young emperor has made his stance clear.

These are the six wharves that the Cui family owns and make a fortune every day, plus the two iron smelting workshops that are the lifeblood of the Cui family!

This is hardly a case of forcing the Cui family to take a loss.

This is practically like sawing off the Cui family's arms with a dull knife!

"Duke Cui,"

Xiao Ye seemed completely oblivious to Cui Yuan's increasingly disheartened expression, continuing to calmly sip his tea.

"The case file of Cui Ming's attempted assassination, along with the written confession and signature, was presented to the Emperor last night. I have not yet approved it."

He put down his teacup and glanced at Cui Yuan with a faint look in his eyes.

"I have indeed been very busy lately. In addition, I am going to watch the Cuju (ancient Chinese football) competition, so I plan to... deal with that case in three days."

"Perfect timing, Duke Cui, you've also come to the capital. If your Cui family feels wronged, you can come to the Imperial Study to appeal before my vermilion edict is issued."

A decisive goal.

Cui Yuan tried his best to maintain a calm demeanor, but his hands, hidden in his wide sleeves, were already clenched into fists.

He, the head of the Cui family who had dominated the court for decades, had finally experienced firsthand the methods of this young emperor.

Cui Yuan was not actually afraid that the emperor, being young and impetuous, would completely turn against the Cui family and sentence them to be executed.

If that were the case, the private soldiers and former retainers secretly raised by the Cui family could use the pretext of "the emperor being tyrannical and persecuting loyal officials" to directly rise up in rebellion.

But Xiao Ye was not one to be impatient for quick success!

He was like an extremely patient hunter.

The knife is halfway down, hanging over your neck.

He neither went to extremes nor forced the Cui family into a desperate situation where they would completely break off relations and rebel.

Yet they hold a fatal weakness, forcing you to cut off your own limbs and bleed out your flesh!

If you rebel, you will be a traitorous minister who attempts to assassinate the king, and the whole world will condemn you.

If you don't rebel, you'll have to obediently hand over your family's assets!

The Cui family was in the wrong at every turn and was being manipulated at every step!

Despite having a smooth and successful life for decades, he inexplicably stumbled on this path!

Finally, Cui Yuan slowly lowered his head, which he had held high all his life.

Suppressing the burning anger and humiliation that welled up inside him, he bowed deeply.

"This old minister...understands. This old minister obeys the decree."

……