Governing the country, enriching the people, an unparalleled imperial tutor

Seeing the three of them stubbornly denying their story, a cold sneer flashed in Lin Yanzhou's eyes. He thought to himself: Trying to play dead with me? In front of my mind-reading ability, your lies are thinner than a blank sheet of paper. You're just asking for trouble.

Lin Yanzhou was too lazy to argue with them. He spoke up in public and exposed the three men's hidden crimes word by word. He even revealed the location of the stolen silver, the number of assassins, the specific amount of bribes, and the names of the officials who framed them.

"Zhou Bing, you falsely reported 30,000 shi of disaster relief grain and embezzled 80,000 taels of relief funds for displaced people. The embezzled silver was hidden in a secret underground compartment in your private residence five li west of the city. The compartment had three levels, and you even made sure it was moisture-proof. You secretly paid Zhang Lin money and grain every month, helping him form cliques, manipulate the grain market, and causing thousands of displaced people to go hungry. Your crimes are tantamount to bringing disaster to the country and the people!"

"Ge Yan, half a month ago you accepted a bribe of 20,000 taels of silver from a grain merchant, altered grain case files, condoned wrongdoing and promoted good, repeatedly exiled outstanding scholars from poor families who reported on you, fabricated charges to persecute three upright officials, abused your power for personal gain, and distorted the truth. Your crimes are a trampling on the law!"

"Ma Kui, as an imperial censor, instead of promoting integrity, you have committed evil deeds, fabricating rumors to impeach loyal officials and framing virtuous bureaucrats, resulting in the wrongful demotion of four virtuous ministers. You have also secretly housed twelve assassins in your suburban villa, who are under Zhang Lin's command; your crime is forming a faction and plotting rebellion!"

Every sentence hits the mark on hidden pain points, without the slightest deviation.

As soon as the words were spoken, Zhou Bing, Ge Yan, and Ma Kui turned deathly pale, their blood froze, their limbs trembled violently, and their legs went weak, almost collapsing to the ground on the spot.

Zhou Bing's body swayed violently, his pupils contracted sharply, his mind went blank, and all that remained in his heart was extreme fear and horror: he knew the secrets of even the hidden compartments in the underground of the private residence in the west of the city, which was something that could not be known through investigation!

Ge Yan clenched his teeth, terrified and filled with disbelief. The records he had deliberately erased, the poor scholar he had secretly framed—all his secrets had been precisely exposed.

Ma Kui's arms trembled uncontrollably, his body was covered in cold sweat that soaked through his court robes, and a chill ran down his back. His heart trembled wildly: the twelve assassins, the villa in the suburbs, the assassination plot—these serious crimes of treason that he had buried deep in his heart and never told anyone had been revealed to him in detail!

These crimes were all top secrets buried deep in their hearts, never mentioned to anyone, not even the person next to them in bed. Yet the commoner national advisor in front of them accurately revealed them without the slightest error!

At this moment, the last shred of hope in the three of them completely collapsed.

No one dared to argue anymore; their arrogance vanished instantly. The three men loosened their grip, their scepters nearly slipping from their hands, and then they all knelt down with a thud, their foreheads pressed tightly against the cold gold brick floor, stammering, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty confesses! Your Majesty deserves to die!"

The entire court was shaken, and a tremendous wave of emotion surged through everyone's hearts.

Zhang Lin's old clique, who had been secretly gloating and waiting for a comeback, now shrank back, their faces ashen, and all their hopes collapsed. They finally realized that the Grand Tutor before them was no ordinary strategist; he could truly see through all hidden sins! Their supposedly flawless acts of corruption and favoritism were exposed like naked naked before him.

The former party officials, who had been certain of Lin Yanzhou's defeat, now hung their heads, filled with endless fear, and didn't even have the courage to look him in the eye.

The group of neutral senior officials breathed a sigh of relief, their tense backs slowly relaxing, their eyes filled with shock and awe. They all bowed deeply, murmuring their admiration. The white-haired Grand Tutor, his hands tucked into his sleeves, said, "Heaven's secrets are clear; good and evil will be rewarded accordingly. Xuan Shuo finally has hope of purging the wicked and restoring order to the court!" Several upright senior officials beside him echoed, bowing in agreement, "The late Emperor's spirit has protected us; the court is fortunate, Your Majesty is fortunate!"

Those officials who were used to observing and speculating were already terrified, their hands hanging tightly at their sides, filled with endless fear. They secretly rejoiced that they had never dared to commit any heinous crimes, and at the same time quickly lowered their heads to review their past mistakes, fearing that they would be exposed on the spot and ruined.

Lin Yanzhou's gaze swept across the entire hall, his voice resounding throughout the entire palace, establishing new court rules and completely controlling the sentiments of the officials to stabilize the court: "Guards, temporarily imprison these three individuals, and immediately confiscate all their family property for future disaster relief!"

"With the spirit of the late Emperor above, good and evil will be revealed. From this day forward, a 'Confession Box of the Late Emperor' will be placed in front of the main hall. Anyone who has committed crimes such as corruption, favoritism, forming cliques, or dereliction of duty may write down their confessions and put them in the box to repent and confess to the late Emperor."

"Anyone who voluntarily surrenders and repents for their past mistakes will be pardoned, their official position and salary will remain unchanged, and they will be treated leniently."

"Anyone who harbors侥幸心理 (a sense of侥幸, a belief that they can get away with it), conceals their crimes, or commits further offenses will be thoroughly investigated by this National Preceptor, severely punished, and their relatives will be held accountable without exception!"

As soon as the words were spoken, an overwhelming aura swept through the entire room. No one dared to refute them. Witnessing the three unyielding ministers go from refusing to confess to kneeling and submitting to the law, everyone was filled with utter awe.

In a short while, none of the civil and military officials dared to conceal anything. They all rushed forward, took up their pens and paper, and wrote down their incriminating evidence in fear.

The officials who had once sided with Zhang Lin and secretly formed cliques bowed their heads, filled with fear. They were afraid that if they concealed their crimes, they would be discovered and held accountable in the future. While writing down their confessions, they whispered their repentance: "I was confused for a moment, siding with a powerful minister and disregarding the emperor's grace. Today I voluntarily surrender myself. In the future, I will be loyal to my lord and reform myself!"

There were officials who had embezzled small sums of money or engaged in favoritism and cover-ups. They all bowed their heads and kowtowed repeatedly as they wrote, their shoulders trembling slightly: "Your subject has neglected his duties and harbored selfish thoughts. I am ashamed before the court and am willing to accept punishment. From now on, I will repent and be conscientious in my duties!"

Even a group of loyal officials who were known for their integrity and had no major faults straightened their posture, bowed and reflected on themselves, picked up their pens and carefully wrote down their past minor oversights, solemnly put their confessions into the confession box with both hands, and frankly reflected on themselves: "As an official, one should reflect on oneself every day. Even minor oversights are dereliction of duty. I will remember this lesson and will be diligent in my duties and public service from now on without the slightest slackness!"

Some timid people even wrote about how they peeped at maids bathing when they were young. Everyone's mindset completely changed, from initial observation and wishful thinking to awe, submission, and genuine repentance.

In an instant, throughout the entire Zichen Hall, all the officials bowed their heads, the rustling of paper and pen filling the air, none daring to conceal anything. Many officials, having finished writing their confessions, presented them with both hands, bowed deeply, and loudly begged for forgiveness and repentance before the late emperor and the young ruler, their posture respectful and their hearts filled with awe. The previously murky and corrupt atmosphere of the court was instantly transformed, the hall filled with sounds of self-reflection and reverence.

Zhang Lin's decades-long network of influence in the imperial court was completely paralyzed and dismantled by Lin Yanzhou's swift and decisive actions, which exposed him in public and led to the surrender of all his members.

Lin Yanzhou thought to himself, "I'll use the crimes of these three people to ignite your anger. Confess and you'll be treated leniently; resist and you'll be punished severely!"

Through this incident, Lin Yanzhou completely grasped the hearts and minds of all officials and their weaknesses, firmly controlling the absolute power of discourse in the court.

The entire court was deeply imprinted with awe and fear. When standing in their ranks, everyone stood upright, eyes closed, and breathless. No one dared to entertain the thought of forming cliques, engaging in corruption, dereliction of duty, or defying the new policies.

Many officials stood sideways, whispering warnings to their colleagues: "The Imperial Preceptor is as discerning as a god, knowing good and evil. From now on, only by being honest and upright can one secure a stable position!" The once deeply entrenched power of the ministers and the undercurrents of corruption in the court crumbled from the hearts of the people. The Xuan Shuo imperial power was temporarily stabilized, and the court truly entered a new era.

Looking at the court officials who were bowing their heads in submission and reflecting on their actions, Lin Yanzhou secretly breathed a sigh of relief, stretched, and silently complained to himself: The instructor's criticism and self-criticism are still the most powerful!

Seeing that the situation was settled, Lin Yanzhou coughed lightly: "Ahem, now, I will read out His Majesty's edicts. Since Grand Tutor Zhang Lin has voluntarily relinquished his military power, Princess Zhao Lingxi is hereby appointed to take command of the military seal and temporarily assume the position of commander-in-chief. The Imperial Guards in the capital can only be ordered by Princess Zhao Lingxi. Does anyone have any objections? Ah, let me put it another way. His Majesty is democratic. In order to fully respect the suggestions of all the ministers, those who disagree, please raise your hands."