The King of Qin, with military duties still upon him, did not linger in the capital for more than a few days before returning. Perhaps sensing a change in Zhuo Ni's disposition, he gave his support to his daughter's ambition to serve in the imperial court before departing.
Another laborer was sent to Zhuo Ni.
After more than a month of investigation, the Censorate presented Zhuo Ni with a list of over forty pages in mid-May. It detailed two to three hundred officials, from those in the imperial court to provincial administrators, who had engaged in corruption and bribery. The amounts varied from a few dozen taels of silver to millions, with the largest sum being over five million taels embezzled by the dean of Qingluan Academy, the first academy of Zhuque, and his entire family. They had maintained a façade of legitimacy until an outside mistress kept by his daughter exposed them. The evidence was irrefutable.
This investigation uncovered over three hundred main culprits, with more than a thousand others involved in assisting, forging documents, and within their extended families, had committed offenses such as oppressing the common people, exploiting the populace, seizing farmland, and engaging in forced sales. These thousand individuals were all deeply guilty and deserving of death.
Subordinates would offer bribes, and superiors would turn a blind eye, allowing them to continue exploiting the people, accumulating wealth, and then using that wealth to pave their way. This vicious cycle was not uncommon, and officials with no evidence against them other than corruption managed to escape punishment.
Perhaps it was the prolonged period of ease that led some to forget that corruption and bribery were indeed illegal.
Zhuo Ni ordered Qin Dan, who had recently taken office, to be the overall commander of this rectification. All those involved in corruption and bribery were to be arrested and transported to the capital for trial and judgment.
Qin Dan, truly one of the protagonist's right-hand women, worked with the same vigor as her. Within half a month, the majority of the main culprits were sent to the capital. The imperial prison suddenly had too many inmates, and it was almost overwhelmed.
At this point, the trials officially commenced.
Zhuo Ni dispatched Chong Yan to represent her and oversee the proceedings, with Zhou Hong, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, as the chief judge, Qin Dan as the associate judge, and several other officials supervising. Outside the Court of Judicial Review, countless citizens gathered daily to witness the events.
The sentencing standards were proposed by Chong Yan. Although Zhuo Ni had previously stated her criteria for judging corruption and bribery, arresting so many people now meant that applying those standards would appear too harsh. Therefore, he proposed that for those without particularly grave offenses, such as murder or arson, their families could pay a ransom for their release.
This would, on one hand, enhance her reputation for benevolence, and on the other, yield substantial funds to fill deficits, achieving two goals with one action.
Zhuo Ni naturally had no objections.
She merely emphasized repeatedly to the civil and military officials that this matter had been proposed by Chong Yan.
The officials in the court finally understood. Their Empress intended to have Chong Yan openly participate in state affairs and to elevate him.
They wondered what spell he had cast upon the Empress.
Many were deeply frustrated.
The cases of corruption across the provinces were like pulling out a radish and bringing along the mud. Apart from those with lighter offenses who could be ransomed, those who reported other illegal and criminal activities could also be rewarded for their merits. Consequently, a battle of mutual denunciation frequently unfolded at the Court of Judicial Review.
Some individuals who had delivered impassioned speeches in court one moment were stripped of their official robes the next and thrown into the imperial prison.
The benefit of letting them turn on each other was that many, for their own sake, would betray others. Even if some crimes were not severe enough for sentencing, they would still serve as a means for Zhuo Ni to reprimand them in court, laying the groundwork for future "donations."
With their wedding approaching, the final judgments for those individuals were handed down. According to the law, out of the thousands, over sixty would be sentenced to death, over a hundred would be exiled three thousand li, and over four hundred would be subjected to ten years or more of penal servitude. The rest were also convicted according to their crimes.
A standard for reduced sentences was also established.
For those sentenced to death, a ransom of one million taels of silver would commute their sentence to exile. For those to be exiled three thousand li, a ransom of five hundred thousand taels would reduce their exile to one thousand li. And so on. Except for a dozen or so particularly heinous cases that were unavoidable, others could exchange money for lesser punishments.
The court, like a lion, made exorbitant demands, and the families of those convicted were not about to be taken advantage of. Those with slightly less severe crimes were willing to pay some money, but the initial demand was over a million taels. Everyone remained silent, showing no inclination to pay for the release of their kin.
Zhuo Ni was not in a hurry.
Their wedding was on the fifteenth of June. She issued an edict stating that people could still pay to redeem their relatives before the tenth of June. On the tenth of June, those who were to be executed would be executed, and those to be exiled would be exiled. Money would be of no use then.
As the deadline drew near, and seeing that their families showed no intention of paying to redeem them, some who knew that money could save their lives began to grow restless. They had become main culprits, so they must have had contingency plans. By the eighth and ninth of June, several more individuals started confessing, hoping to earn merit through their testimony.
Two of them even claimed they were not the main culprits but were brought in to take the fall. The person who had hired them had promised to find a way to rescue them, but now showed no willingness to pay for their release. Thus, they revealed everything.
As a result, several more people were arrested.
On the tenth of June, executioners with their broadswords were ready early outside the Meridian Gate. A large portion of the capital's populace had gathered to witness the beheading of these corrupt officials.
The morning court session was canceled, and the surviving officials were all present.
Zhuo Ni personally oversaw the executions.
The entire execution ground was heavily guarded, and the atmosphere was exceptionally solemn. However, as noon approached, some individuals, risking their lives, attempted to storm the execution ground.
They seemed to know that the Empress was present. Some went to rescue the condemned, while others charged directly at Zhuo Ni and Chong Yan. The officials present were all aghast. Some shouted, "Protect the Empress!" and everyone converged around the two.
Unbeknownst to them, Zhuo Ni had produced a long sword. With one arm around Chong Yan, she leaped into the air and, with a single strike, bisected a masked assassin flying towards them. His internal organs spilled out, creating a gruesome and bloody scene. The officials below were almost brought to tears and scrambled to escape.
No one knew their Empress possessed such martial prowess. After all, her previous killings either involved delegating the task to others or were against defenseless individuals who merely presented their necks for a chop, requiring no particular skill.
It was only now that they witnessed how formidable she truly was.
While holding someone in her arms, her Qing Gong was in no way inferior to these well-trained assassins. Her movements were as light and graceful as a butterfly, and the sword in her hand, though peculiar, was incredibly sharp. Those who came close died, each with a terrifying end.
The perpetrators of the prison break had intended to attack the Empress, thereby drawing the attention of the guards and achieving their objective of freeing the condemned. Unexpectedly, the Empress required no assistance; she alone could eliminate all the assassins without leaving a single one standing.
Qin Dan, quickly assessing the situation, ordered a portion of her men to ensure the Empress's safety and the rest to swiftly regain control. The assassins attempting to disrupt the execution were to be captured alive if possible, and killed on the spot otherwise.