Chapter 335: The Eyes of the Officials Shine Bright!
Prince of Northern Hebei sneered, “Empress, do you know what your beloved minister has done behind your back?”
The Empress replied, “I don’t know. Please tell me the details.”
Prince of Northern Hebei spoke loudly, “Long ago, your beloved minister Lin Beifan conspired with me! Initially, my beloved son was trapped in the capital! He secretly took 1.5 million taels of silver from me and persuaded the court to release my son!”
“Later, he invented the flying celestial device, the air balloon, and the water-based tool, the air cushion boat! These were crucial national assets that shouldn’t have been disclosed. However, his greed led me to spend around 7 million taels of silver to obtain the manufacturing methods of these two divine artifacts!”
“And then there’s dragon bone, an unparalleled treasure in the world, which should never be revealed. Yet, I only spent 5 million taels of silver to get a portion of the dragon bone from him!”
…
Prince of Northern Hebei listed Lin Beifan’s crimes one by one.
“Overall, he embezzled 15 million taels of silver from me, plunging me into poverty! So, Empress, the loyal minister in your eyes has long betrayed you, the court, and the country! I thought that after taking so much from me, he and I were on the same boat! But I was wrong!”
Prince of Northern Hebei angrily pointed at Lin Beifan and shouted, “He’s a parasite, taking from me while giving nothing in return! He stole all my wealth, took all the good things, and then stabbed me in the back! I hate him!!!”
His voice was as mournful as a cuckoo crying blood, bringing sorrow to those who heard it and tears to those who witnessed it!
However, after hearing Prince of Northern Hebei’s accusations, Lin Beifan remained calm, the Empress remained calm, and the officials remained calm.
This scene had happened twice before, so everyone was somewhat accustomed to it.
The Empress looked at Lin Beifan and asked, “Minister, do you have anything to say?”
Lin Beifan calmly replied, “Your Majesty, the pure stay pure, and the impure stay impure. I have nothing to say. I have only one thing to say: let’s just listen to his words and not take them seriously.”
The Empress nodded in agreement, “Minister, you’re absolutely right!”
Prince of Northern Hebei angrily snorted, “Hmph! Lin Beifan, I knew you would deny it, so I kept something in reserve!”
Saying that, he removed the worn-out battle armor from his body and took out two crumpled pieces of paper from his Han clothing.
The Empress curiously asked, “What are these?”
Prince of Northern Hebei glared at Lin Beifan, a triumphant vengeance in his eyes, and said, “These are the two major divine artifact manufacturing methods Lin Beifan gave me! Once you take a look, it will prove the truth of my words!”
However, as these two pieces of paper were presented, the Empress didn’t even look at them and asked, “What are your thoughts, esteemed ministers?”
Minister of Personnel Gao Tianyao stepped forward, bowing, and said, “Your Majesty, in my opinion, Prince of Northern Hebei is intentionally accusing loyal officials of wrongdoing. Just like when he initially rose in rebellion and fabricated accusations against us officials, these are baseless claims that can’t be taken seriously!”
Minister of Works Wang Rushui also stood up and said, “Your Majesty, I wholeheartedly agree with Minister Gao. Prince of Northern Hebei is already a repeat offender. He falsely accused us in the past, and now he dares to falsely accuse Minister Lin. We need not pay attention to him!”
Minister of War Li Kaiguang said, “I share the same sentiment! Just like the previous two cases of false accusations, even at death’s door, he wants to drag others down with him, framing and sowing discord between ruler and subject. His intentions are extremely malicious!”
Minister of Rites Zhao Jinli said, “Your Majesty, there’s really no need to pay attention! I can vouch for Minister Lin’s integrity. He is definitely not that kind of person. But the same can’t be said for Prince of Northern Hebei. For the sake of his own ambitions, he would even harm his own allies. What can’t he do? His words, his evidence, are completely unreliable!”
…
Next, the officials actively voiced their opinions.
The essence of their words was that Lin Beifan was undoubtedly innocent, and Prince of Northern Hebei was merely fabricating charges and slandering the loyal officials.
His words and evidence were untrustworthy.
Prince of Northern Hebei trembled with anger, “You bunch of corrupt and deceitful officials! Distorting facts, confusing right and wrong, misleading the public… When I regain my freedom, none of you will be spared!”
The officials sneered in their hearts, go ahead and curse, curse all you want!
You used to curse me so fiercely, today I’ll hit you just as hard, let’s see if I can’t beat you down!
The Empress smiled faintly, “Uncle, do you have anything else to say?”
Prince of Northern Hebei anxiously said, “Empress, don’t you want to take a look? After you see it, you’ll know the truth!”
The Empress waved her hand and generously stated, “No need to look! Just as the officials said, this could easily be fabricated. It’s entirely insufficient for us to believe. Everyone’s eyes are clear, and I trust Minister Lin!”
Lin Beifan immediately bowed, “Your Majesty is wise!”
The officials also bowed and said loudly, “Your Majesty is wise!”
Prince of Northern Hebei exclaimed, “Damn it!”
At that moment, Prince of Northern Hebei seemed to have received 10,000 points of damage!
“Lin Beifan, don’t get too cocky. I still have evidence!”
Carefully, Prince of Northern Hebei pulled out a small brocade pouch from his pocket, containing a packet of white powder.
The Empress curiously asked, “Uncle, what is this?”
“This is the world’s treasure — dragon bone!”
Prince of Northern Hebei loudly declared, “This is the dragon bone I obtained from Lin Beifan! In his pursuit of wealth, he even stole and scraped this off a dragon bone, damaging a divine artifact. Your Majesty, please examine it carefully!”
The Empress remained very composed, “Esteemed ministers, what are your thoughts?”
Once again, Minister of Personnel Gao Tianyao was the first to stand up, “Prince of Northern Hebei, you’re casually presenting an ordinary packet of white powder as dragon bone? Clearly, you’re framing and accusing falsely. Why bother with excuses? In my view, this thing is probably bone ash, scraped from some tomb!”
Minister of Works Wang Rushui countered, “Minister Gao, let’s be more generous. If we call it flour, we’re really not giving Prince of Northern Hebei any face! In my opinion, this thing looks more like lime!”
Minister of Rites Zhao Jinli said, “Please forgive my ignorance, but doesn’t this thing resemble quicklime?”
Prince of Northern Hebei was extremely frustrated, “This is dragon bone! Genuine dragon bone!”
“Alright, my lord. Even if it’s dragon bone, how do you prove that it came from Minister Lin?” Gao Tianyao sneered, “At that time, there were tens of thousands guarding the dragon bone, and countless experts among them. Obtaining dragon bone was too easy for them, easier than for Minister Lin. Yet, you’re singling out Minister Lin with this false accusation!”
Wang Rushui said, “My lord, to be honest, I’ve seen cases like yours where dragon bone is used to falsely accuse others, not once but twice before! You’re not the first one, and probably not the last!”
Zhao Jinli tsked, “My lord, for the sake of smearing others, you casually take a packet of white powder and claim it’s dragon bone, even saying it was given by Minister Lin. You’re really not holding back! To harm even your own allies, do you have any dignity left?”
Everyone ridiculed and mocked, once again making Prince of Northern Hebei tremble with anger, “You lot of treacherous ministers who twist facts and spread rumors! Once I regain my freedom, I will crush you to dust, you won’t have a good death!”
The Empress waved her hand impatiently, “Uncle, you’ve seen it yourself, this thing can’t prove Minister Lin’s guilt at all! Even if this isn’t dragon bone, it might just be bone powder from some other animal. Take it back and make a nutritious soup out of it!”
Lin Beifan immediately bowed, “Your Majesty is wise!”
The officials also loudly declared, “Your Majesty is wise!”
Prince of Northern Hebei was left speechless, “Why don’t you believe whatever I say?”
The Empress chuckled, mocking, “Do you even need to ask? Just look at everything Minister Lin has done over these years. Which action hasn’t benefited our court, our Great Wu? Then look at yourself. Is there anything you’ve done that’s benefited our court, our Great Wu? He is a loyal subject, you’re a rebel. Should I believe him or believe you? Unless I’m foolish, I won’t believe a word you say! No matter how much you argue, no matter what evidence you present, I won’t believe it. What can you do about it?”
… … … …
Lin Beifan immediately responded, “Your Majesty is wise!”
The officials also declared, “Your Majesty is wise!”
Prince of Northern Hebei exclaimed, “Damn it!”
At this point, Prince of Northern Hebei looked at the mocking Empress, at the officials who were laughing at him, and at Lin Beifan’s smug smile…
He finally understood the difficulty of explaining oneself!
He finally understood what it meant for officials to protect each other!
He finally understood the concept of incompetence and tyranny!
He finally understood what it meant to have… treacherous ministers in power, with no hope in sight!
Prince of Northern Hebei felt his anger quivering within him.
The frustration and helplessness in his heart turned into a mouthful of old blood, spewing out with a “puh!”
His chest was stained red!
The Empress exclaimed loudly, “Prince of Northern Hebei, for your rebellious intentions, your acts of treason, your heinous crimes! But considering your status as my uncle, I’ll spare your life. You shall be demoted to a commoner and imprisoned in the dungeon! Without my permission, you will not step out of the dungeon! As for your descendants, they shall all be eradicated, not a single one shall remain!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” Several chief imperial guards stepped forward and escorted Prince of Northern Hebei away.
Prince of Northern Hebei laughed maniacally, “Incompetent ruler! Corrupt officials! Treacherous ministers! Great Wu… Great Wu will definitely meet its end at your hands! I will watch with my own eyes, witness the downfall of Great Wu, witness your deaths!!!”
The Empress showed a contemptuous smile, “Uncle, you definitely won’t get to see it! Because Great Wu will surely rise swiftly under my rule, its power will shake the four seas and eight wildernesses!”
