bayedsolid Chapter 1237 All Four Crimes
Chapter 1237 All Four Crimes
"Two years ago, there was a heavy rain in Jiangnan, and grain prices soared. Qiyang had more than ten granaries with 500,000 shi of grain stored up. They inflated rice prices, causing them to rise to more than ten times the normal price. The common people had no grain to eat and starved to death on the streets."
Over three years, he secretly opened a pawnshop, charging five percent monthly interest, exploiting the people with exorbitant interest rates, and driving seventy-eight ordinary citizens to their deaths by borrowing money.
Li Yu'an continued, and the Xie family members' expressions changed noticeably.
Every now and then, people would look up and cautiously peek at His Majesty's expression.
Liang Chongyue sat in the armchair, his expression indifferent, staring ahead, not even sparing a glance for these people who had committed grave mistakes and were about to die.
"The Xie family privately harbored over two hundred outlaws, built three manors as their hideouts, trained a private army, and also secretly possessed three hundred barbarian knives and two hundred sets of bows and arrows. They have violated the laws of the land and harbor rebellious intentions..."
Xie Huanying could no longer listen and struggled to get up from the ground. The guards stepped forward to stop him, but Liang Chongyue raised his hand to stop them.
She wanted to see how the Xie family could refute the matter when the evidence was irrefutable.
Xie Huanying's legs and feet were injured, and he looked like he had been tortured.
Liang Chongyue glanced at Fei He out of the corner of her eye. Fei He lowered her head slightly, and Liang Chongyue understood.
So what if he was beaten? It's too lenient for someone like that to only get a beating before he dies.
Xie Huanying finally crawled to His Majesty's side, raising his face, which was covered in sweat from the pain of crawling.
He knelt down two meters away from Liang Chongyue and kept kowtowing to her.
"Please have mercy, Your Majesty. These were all evil deeds committed by my father. The descendants of the Xie family were unaware of them, Your Majesty."
Liang Chongyue's only regret now is that he didn't have Xie Hong brought over so that he could hear what his son was saying.
Liang Chongyue ignored Xie Huanying's attempts to exonerate his family members. Whether he said those words or not, the Xie family would still be guilty of being executed.
She allowed him to crawl up to her, just so he could die more clearly.
"The Xie family of Qiyang has used their wealth to deceive Heaven and their power to disregard the law. They have concealed land taxes, colluded with officials to exploit the people, and privately amassed weapons. All four crimes have been committed, harming the local area for a century. Their crimes deserve to be punished!"
Li Yu'an finished reading the booklet in his hand. As for the final sentencing, that was His Majesty's decision.
Liang Chongyue adjusted her posture, abandoning her initial languid and casual demeanor, now sitting with an even more domineering air. Her gaze gradually shifted downwards, fixing on Xie Huanying's face, which had turned pale with pain, and she slowly spoke:
"The Governor-General of Jiangnan hereby orders the confiscation of all property of the Xie family, all male members of the Xie clan aged ten and above to be beheaded, and those under the age of ten to be exiled three thousand li away, with their wives and children becoming government slaves."
All officials, high and low, involved in the case in Jiangnan should be dismissed, arrested, and dealt with strictly according to the law, without any leniency!
The remaining corrupt gentry who were affiliated with the Xie family and those who fled shall all be investigated and punished. This proclamation shall be made public throughout Jiangnan so that all may be informed, as a warning to others!
Liang Chongyue's voice carried steadily to every corner of the Xie family's hall, causing large beads of sweat to appear on the foreheads of every Xie family member kneeling before the hall, and their pupils to dilate instantly.
No one expected His Majesty to be so ruthless. Even when powerful families in the capital had trouble before, His Majesty had never been so cruel.
All children of the Xie family over the age of ten are to be beheaded, but unfortunately, the only children under the age of ten in the Xie family this generation are girls.
This means the Xie family line will end.
The entire Xie family was gripped by fear; even the servants were so terrified that they knelt on the ground and vomited uncontrollably.
Xie Huanying could no longer bear it and reached out to grab the emperor's robe, begging for mercy.
Fei He was already waiting by His Majesty's side long before Xie Huanying took any action.
As soon as Xie Huanying raised his hand, Fei He stepped on it.
"Your Majesty!" Xie Huanying was carried from his sickbed and crawled all the way to His Majesty's side.
Even though Fei He had almost broken his hand bones, he no longer had the strength to struggle free.
They only looked up and begged His Majesty for mercy.
Liang Chongyue glanced down at him, the coldness in her eyes striking Xie Huanying, who trembled in fear.
Liang Chongyue: "Your Xie family just doesn't have any boys under ten years old. Not counting the sons you keep outside, I remember the youngest one is only five years old. Let's meet in the underworld together."
Xie Huanying's eyes widened in terror, and the immense panic made him feel nauseous.
He vomited it right in front of Liang Chongyue.
Liang Chongyue glanced at Fei He with disgust, then stood up and gave him an order:
"Keep the Xie family's gates tightly shut, and do not let a single person out until the Ministry of Justice and the Governor-General of Jiangnan arrive."
After saying this, Liang Chongyue left the Xie residence amidst the cries and pleas of the Xie family members, taking with him the officials from Qiyang.
Fei He and Li Yu'an had only finished investigating the Xie family; they hadn't yet had time to fully investigate the crimes committed by these officials.
Liang Chongyue and his men did not go to the small courtyard, but went directly to the Qiyang Governor's Office.
Xie Jiayou and Fei He were watching, and this time she was accompanied by Li Yu'an.
Liang Chongyue sat in the governor's chair, and with a sharp glance, the officials standing in front of him all knelt down.
“I am not such a harsh person. If you honestly tell me about the evil deeds you have committed in Qiyang over the years, I will grant your whole family a proper burial.”
Liang Chongyue's voice sounded like it came from the underworld.
It gave people the creeps.
They had all witnessed the tragic state of the Xie family.
Now it's their turn.
After Liang Chongyue finished speaking, there was no reaction whatsoever.
"Since you have nothing to say, then I will investigate. If I find anything more serious, it won't just be your entire family in Qiyang that will be punished."
Qiyang was a "prosperous land" that she didn't even know about. Officials who made it there all had connections in the imperial court.
Liang Chongyue was capable of executing nine generations of her family for every little thing that displeased her.
I've done it several times already.
While waiting for these people to make their choices, Liang Chongyue was also busy: "Yu'an, why don't you go in and investigate first? Maybe you won't have to worry about it so much. I'll find out everything in a little while."
The kneeling officials all focused their attention on Li Yu'an. As Li Yu'an walked into the inner room, he caught a glimpse of these officials, who had just looked conflicted, now filled with fear of him.
The former Grand Tutor, now Her Majesty the Empress.
Although she has neglected state affairs for many years, there have long been rumors that Her Highness the Queen has not been idle in the palace and often discusses political matters with His Majesty.
They are probably more familiar with the undercurrents in the imperial court than they are with the people in the capital.
Sending Li Junhou to investigate the evil deeds they have committed over the years is no different from holding a knife to the necks of their entire clan.
Liang Chongyue sometimes finds it really disgusting to see the desperate expressions on these people's faces and their reactions when they are about to die.
Through these beasts, she thought more about the people they had bullied, wondering if they felt the same despair when they had nowhere else to turn.