"Heh—"
Mu Changxi let out a cold laugh. "You, a mere steward, would hardly dare to tamper with the imperial disaster relief funds, would you? Is there someone behind you pulling the strings?"
Song Chaoyu had been supporting Lord Han all along. Seeing him close his eyes now, she noticed his hands clenched tightly together.
Perhaps his Western abilities were kicking in, urging Han Wei not to expose him.
However, facing Mu Changxi's imposing presence, Han Wei obediently nodded and then pointed at Lord Han. "Yes. As the Han family's steward, I naturally follow Lord Han's orders. If it weren't for that fellow Ha De telling me to do this, I, Nu, would never have dared to lay a hand on the imperial disaster relief funds!"
"You—you're spouting nonsense!"
Lord Han was truly flustered at this moment.
But all he could do was shout weakly at Han Wei, "You insolent servant! How dare Jiang Ran smear such filth upon my name? Those are disaster relief funds allocated by the imperial court! Even if I had a hundred times the courage, I wouldn't dare to do such a thing! It's you, you wicked servant, greedy as you are, trying to drag me down with you?!"
As he spoke, he did not forget to subtly threaten Han Wei, "You wicked servant! You've served in my Han family for many years, and even your wife and son are now in the Han family. Yet you dare to betray my Han family like this. What are your intentions?"
"Alas—"
Han Wei shook his head, knowing Mu Changxi was right.
At this critical juncture, even if Lord Han were to use his family to threaten Han Wei, he would never help Han Wei.
Lord Han's words only solidified Han Wei's resolve.
He looked up and sighed at Lord Han, "My lord, please stop struggling. The Prince has already promised me that he will protect my family. My lord, from the past until now, I have served in the Han family for a full thirty years. I have done so many wicked deeds for you, and now you won't even spare my family. My lord... Han Wei originally felt he had wronged you. Now, seeing this, I feel at ease!"
Without waiting for Mu Changxi to ask, Han Wei proactively "confessed" to Mu Changxi, "Your Highness, it was indeed Lord Han who instructed me to go to the Qingyun Money House. Not only that, but all the wicked deeds Lord Han has committed in Yuezhou City over the years were done with my help! I am willing to tell Your Highness everything, please give me a chance!"
At this point, all hope in Lord Han's eyes was extinguished.
Mu Changxi nodded at Han Wei. "Regarding other matters, I will give you a chance to speak today. But first, you must tell me, where did you and Lord Han hide the hundred thousand taels of disaster relief silver?"
Han Wei no longer glanced at Lord Han, but directly told Mu Changxi, "Initially, it was directly transported into the prefectural office. To prevent others from discovering it, Lord Han dared not hide the silver in the Han residence. However, Lord Han's wife's family runs a镖局 (biao ju - escort agency) in Yuezhou City. I only know that Lord Han sent a portion of the silver to that escort agency. As for the rest, I don't know how they disposed of it."
"Good!"
In fact, Han Wei's confession was sufficient at this point.
Mu Changxi immediately ordered Ping Jiang to arrest Lord Han and then slammed the gavel, "Search! Starting from the Han family, search all properties related to the Han family thoroughly! You must find that hundred thousand taels of disaster relief silver!"
"Your Highness Chang Wang!"
At this moment, Lord Han, knowing it was beyond redemption, still couldn't help but shout at Mu Changxi, "I am an official appointed by the imperial court! Are you going to act against me based on the words of a few lowly individuals? If this matter is misjudged, how will Your Highness explain it to the Emperor?!"
"Heh—"
His words elicited only a cold laugh from Mu Changxi. "That is not something Lord Han needs to worry about. Lord Han only needs to know that I am here to provide disaster relief, to help the people of Yuezhou City. That is enough. Moreover, I do not need to explain anything to my father, only to the people about the whereabouts of these hundred thousand taels of disaster relief silver. If Lord Han did not do these things, what is there to fear?"
Lord Han seemed much more defiant than the official from Yizhou City.
Even as Ping Jiang dragged him away, he glared at Mu Changxi, "Your Highness Chang Wang, if you act this way, even if you win today, you will lose miserably in the capital later! I will wait and see your fate! What hundred thousand taels of disaster relief silver! You can fool others, but you can't fool me! Therefore, you will never find this hundred thousand taels. As long as you can't find it, you can't convict me. I will wait and see your fate!"
"Bang—"
It seemed Ping An Jing could no longer tolerate it. Seeing his defiant demeanor, he punched him in the face.
Lord Han was dazed by the blow, but as he was dragged away, he still laughed defiantly, "I will wait and see your fate! You will not have a good end!"
Such heart-wrenching shouts made even Song Chaoyu feel a chill.
She did not want Mu Changxi to be cursed or reviled by anyone.
Only after Lord Han was dragged away did the courtroom finally fall silent.
Mu Changxi seemed unfazed by Lord Han's "curse."
He looked at Han Wei, who was still kneeling in the hall, "You said earlier that besides the matter of the disaster relief funds, Lord Han has committed many other wicked deeds over the years. Now, I give you the opportunity, tell me one by one."
Han Wei dared not hesitate or conceal anything further. He blurted out all the wicked deeds Lord Han had committed here over the years.
Each incident was something the people of Yuezhou City had never imagined.
But Han Wei's accounts were detailed and credible, and as the Han family's assets were gradually being investigated, the common people knew that their beloved official, Lord Han, would likely disappear forever.
Seeing the disappointment in the eyes of the common people, even Song Chaoyu felt a spark of anger ignite within her heart.
She understood even more why Mu Changxi was so determined to help the Crown Prince ascend to the throne.
Because only from that position could they see hope and the future of the court.
Although the task was arduous and long, Song Chaoyu was confident that she could walk this path alongside Mu Changxi!
—
However... during the confiscation of the Han family's assets, they eventually encountered trouble!
Compared to others, Lord Han had been far too clever.
In the vast Han residence, they could not find a single item that violated the rules!
It was as if Lord Han was as he appeared on the surface, an incorruptible official.