"An imperial decree has been issued, bring Huang Qianshan!"
With his command, a young eunuch standing behind him immediately shouted.
"Bring Huang Qianshan to the Hall!"
Amidst the continuous announcements from outside the doors, about the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, Huang Qianshan, clad in prison attire, was once again brought before the Golden Hall under everyone's gaze…
"Huang Qianshan, I ask you, in Yuanfu year three, when I sent you to inspect the disaster situation in Qin Prefecture, what did you tell me?"
The thought that this very man was the reason he had suffered so much misfortune over the years made Zhao Ji wish he could devour him alive.
"Replying to Your Majesty, this minister is guilty, this minister is guilty!"
The facts of this matter were clear, and he had no room for sophistry. Huang Qianshan had no intention of arguing and immediately knelt on the ground to confess his guilt.
"You are guilty? Do you know that because of your selfish desires, the fortunes of my Great Song have been precarious until this day!"
His silence was better; the moment he spoke, Zhao Ji became even more enraged.
"Replying to Your Majesty, Huang Qianshan is indeed guilty of deceiving the heavens and concealing the truth. However, what this guilty minister said before, about Han Mo, the Commissioner of the Two Zhejiang and Fujian Circuits, colluding with Cai Tao and embezzling the Pu family's property worth twenty-four million guan, is also absolutely true!"
Since he had reached this point, Huang Qianshan decided to go all out. His life was definitely over anyway, so he might as well seize this opportunity to make a final contribution. If he could drag Han Mo down with him and even eliminate Cai Jing, perhaps Yu Shen, upon his rise to power, might still look after his Huang family descendants…
His words were already explosive enough, and upon hearing them, the entire imperial court fell into complete silence. Almost everyone turned their gaze towards Han Mo.
"Where are Han Mo and Cai Tao?"
Regardless of anything, this was still in the Golden Hall. He had already spoken to this extent, and even Emperor Zhao Ji had no choice but to follow his lead and continue the inquiry.
"Replying to Your Majesty, this minister is here!"
After tidying his clothes, Han Mo directly cleared his throat and strode forward.
"This minister is here!"
With Han Mo having appeared, Cai Tao, as the other protagonist in this matter, naturally had to stand out with him.
"I ask you, is what he said true?"
Twenty-four million guan! This was almost one-third of the entire annual revenue of the Great Song dynasty. To say one was not tempted would be a lie. Not only was Emperor Zhao Ji tempted, but the remaining officials also widened their eyes and pricked up their ears. These high-ranking officials were certainly not lacking in wealth, but the lower and middle-ranking officials were still eagerly awaiting the court’s annual bestowments! Wang Fu and Cai You, who were Cai Jing's biggest rivals, both put on an expression as if they were watching a play. If one were to say who was the most at ease at this moment, it would likely be none other than Grand Commandant Liang Shicheng. After glancing coldly at the expressions on Wang Fu and Cai You's faces, he slowly closed his eyes again.
"Replying to Your Majesty, this is utter nonsense!"
Before Han Mo could speak, Cai Tao was already the first to deny it outright.
"You surnamed Cai, if it weren't for you swallowing the twenty-four million guan in copper coins from the Pu family, how could Han Mo have the qualifications to swallow the title of the Great Song's foremost maritime merchant!"
At this point, Huang Qianshan no longer cared about dignity, struggling like a mad dog. If he hadn't been restrained by two imperial guards, he probably would have lunged at Cai Tao by now.
"Your Majesty, all the documents and evidence related to this case have now been sealed and stored in the wooden chest outside the hall. I request Your Majesty to personally review them!"
After exchanging a glance with Cai You, Du Chong stepped forward and said.
"Present them!"
Emperor Zhao Ji was more concerned about the existence of this money than anyone else. Hearing Du Chong's words, he immediately waved his hand and said.
"Yes!"
Upon hearing the emperor's command, several guards outside the doors carried a large wooden chest and walked in, trembling.
"Yuan Weng, what do you have to say about this matter?"
After glancing at the seal on the wooden chest, Zhao Ji slowly turned to Cai Jing, who was sitting calmly beside him.
"Replying to Your Majesty, if this unfilial son truly committed this deed, this old minister is willing to resign from his position as Grand Chancellor!"
At this point, Cai Jing no longer had any room for retreat.
"Yuan Weng, absolutely not! You are the Prime Minister of the nation, how can you utter such words so easily?"
Upon hearing Cai Jing's words, Wang Fu was overjoyed and quickly stepped forward, intending to finalize the matter.
"Yes, Your Majesty, even if Cai Tao is truly guilty, it has nothing to do with Yuan Weng!"
With Wang Fu stepping out, Cai You naturally had to come forward to lend support. Although the two of them were now speaking in unison to exonerate Cai Jing, everyone could hear that these two were clearly stirring up trouble. No matter how one looked at it, Cai Jing was the Prime Minister of the nation. If his son were to embezzle so much copper money during this national crisis and it were confirmed, what face would he have to remain in that position?
"Cai Tao, Han Mo, I give you one last chance. If you truly did this, and you admit it now, I can be lenient in my judgment."
After surveying the crowd, Zhao Ji spoke slowly again.
"Replying to Your Majesty, if this minister were to commit such a treacherous and ungrateful act, may the heavens strike down and devour this minister's heart and liver!"
Making oaths was something Han Mo could do without any psychological burden.
"If this minister were to do such a thing, then I shall smash my head against this hall today. I implore Your Majesty to clear this minister's name!"
With Han Mo taking the lead, Cai Tao naturally followed suit.
"Guards, open the chest!"
With both of them having spoken so definitively, Zhao Ji did not say any more, merely waving his hand with a grim expression. Upon receiving his command, two young eunuchs immediately stepped forward, signaling Du Chong to inspect the seal. After Du Chong nodded in satisfaction, the two young eunuchs then reached out and removed the seal from the chest. Seeing the thick pile of documents and various sealed brocade boxes within, Wang Fu’s face was filled with a smug smile. He had originally thought it might take some effort to get rid of Cai Tao, but he never expected to have such an unexpected bonus today…
"Lord Cai, Lord Han, you both claim this matter has nothing to do with you. These are the account books for the confiscation of the Pu family's assets, which Lord Han submitted. I wonder why there is no record of the Pu family's income this year in these account books?"