Chapter 608: Chapter 608: Getting Something for Nothing

The entire Shuiyu City populace heard the voices of the soldiers.

A young man in green excitedly ran out of his home.

He pushed open the door and stuck out his head, seeing that all the neighbors had come out.

Someone confidently said, “The Emperor and Empress have come here to us!”

“I heard it too! Where are they?” The old man’s eyes sparkled.

“Ancestor, the sound seems to be coming from over there!” The young man pointed towards the Hostel.

“Is it really the Emperor and Empress who’ve come? I thought I was dreaming, but it turns out everyone heard it!”

A middle-aged man went home to put on his best clothes, “It’s true, it’s true! Let’s go have a look quickly! I saw people already heading towards the Hostel!”

Someone joked, “Old Li, you’re wearing clothes that you only wear during the New Year!”

Old Li shyly smiled, “I’m happy, is that your business? With the Emperor and Empress here, we can finally have some hope for our days ahead!”

Better than just wearing the best clothes, he regretted not bathing today!

The citizens cheerfully made their way towards the direction of the Hostel.

Soon, all the alleys around the Hostel were packed with people, and some even climbed up trees and rooftops.

Mrs. Zhou, who sold tofu pudding, heard the Emperor’s voice.

“Wang Kun abused his power, ran roughshod over the countryside, oppressed the people, and deserves the death by a thousand cuts, to be executed in a month! The entire Wang Family is sentenced to death! The entire Zhao Family is sentenced to death!”

Wang Kun was scared out of his wits; the Emperor wanted to slice him up slowly and torturously to death!

Mrs. Zhou listened to the Emperor’s voice among the crowd, finding it somewhat familiar as if she had heard it somewhere before.

Wang Kun was held down and knelt on the ground. He tried to appear calm and said, “I beg the Emperor for mercy, it’s the Zhao Family! They did all the bad things, I have already divorced Zhao Yueji, and I have no ties with the Zhao Family!”

Zhao Jiu, hearing that his entire family was doomed, wailed in tears and snot, “Emperor, this humble subject was used by Wang Kun! I can expose all his crimes; I confess to everything!”

Zhan Lan’s voice came, “No need for you to confess; the citizens have already told us about your crimes, everyone in Shuiyu City is a witness!”

Mrs. Zhou heard Zhan Lan’s voice and was dumbfounded. Wasn’t that the voice of the lady who ate tofu pudding at her house this morning?

The couple was very special, leaving a deep impression on her.

Mrs. Zhou squeezed through the crowd with all her might and finally saw the faces of the Emperor and Empress; their enchanting appearance and demeanor made her mock herself, thinking she had been overthinking. How could the most noble people in the world eat at her modest place?

But upon seeing their attire, she was stunned; the Emperor and Empress’s figures and clothes were exactly the same as the couple she saw in the morning.

Could it be that the Empress and the Emperor had disguised themselves? Now looking at their features, it was traceable; they just deliberately dressed a bit plainly.

Mrs. Zhou was moved to tears; she had somehow sat at the same table and chatted with the Emperor and Empress! Upon returning, she would hide away the table, chairs, bowls, and chopsticks used by them, treating them as family heirlooms!

It only now dawned on her that the Emperor and Empress asked her those questions to deal with County Magistrate Wang and others today!

County Magistrate Wang broke into a cold sweat, kneeling hopelessly in the cold wind. His eyes met Lord Prefect Meng Huai’s, and their gazes collided. Meng Huai’s eyes avoided, unable to protect himself, let alone defend Wang Kun.

Wang Kun had long heard that in Dayu, the Empress had the say, because even the Emperor listened to the Empress. He kowtowed to Zhan Lan, “Empress, I am guilty, but I cannot let some people run free. I wish to accuse Lord Meng Huai! All my actions were directed by Meng Huai!”

Meng Huai’s pupils contracted sharply. Wang Kun wanted to drag him down too; he had already offended the Emperor and Empress. If these charges accumulated, he wouldn’t survive!

He knelt to defend himself, “Emperor, Empress, I absolutely did not oppress the people. Wang Kun, at the brink of death, wants to drag me down with him. His intentions are malicious, I beseech the Emperor to see clearly!”

Governor Zhang stood with lowered eyes, quietly observing the situation’s development. It was not yet his turn to speak; the matter with Wang Kun happened within his jurisdiction, and since the Emperor had him summoned, he couldn’t shirk responsibility.

Let’s see what happens first!

“You’ll soon find out which of you two is lying,” Zhan Lan gestured toward a distance. Shortly, a middle-aged woman with a scholarly aura was brought over by the Hidden Guard.

Upon seeing her, both Wang Kun and Meng Huai’s faces changed.

After paying respects, the woman knelt and said, “This humble woman is Wang Kun’s wife, Lady Yan. These are the accounts of Wang Kun’s bribes to Lord Prefect Meng Huai over the years, and silver notes from Wang Kun’s exploitation of the people. He also had Mr. Liu’s entire family murdered for trying to petition. I can testify to these.”

Zhan Lan inquired as Wang Kun favored concubines over his wife. When she was young, Lady Yan came from an esteemed literary family. Wang Kun rose through the courts relying on his father-in-law’s connections. After his father-in-law passed away, Wang Kun showed his true nature, extremely despising Lady Yan who often advised him to be a good official, punishing her with beatings and insults. The citizens of Shuiyu City knew of these matters.

Thus, she had the Hidden Guard send word to Lady Yan, asking her to testify.

Lady Yan was pitiable. If she did not come forward to expose Wang Kun, with the Wang Family doomed, she wouldn’t survive either.

This arrangement was something Mu Yan and she discussed yesterday, properly protecting Lady Yan’s position.

“Wicked woman! What nonsense are you spouting?” Wang Kun cursed. He had been cautious in his dealings; there were no such ledgers!

Meng Huai trembled after hearing Lady Yan’s words, his face turning blue, “Emperor, Empress, she’s making false accusations against me! Everything she says is utter nonsense!”

He had never left any evidence of the bribes he took, and neither did Wang Kun. How could this woman have any ledgers?

Zhan Lan walked over to Lady Yan, took the ledger, and flipped through it page by page, occasionally revealing a look of surprise.

Wang Kun panicked. Lady Yan knew his secrets and where his hidden chamber was. He always thought her obedient but never imagined she would betray him!

Zhan Lan closed the ledger and said sternly, “Lord Meng, you took bribes and covered up Wang Kun’s crimes. Wouldn’t these crimes merit the extermination of nine generations?”

“Is that so, Emperor?”

She glanced at Mu Yan, who nodded, “The Empress speaks truly; officials covering for each other places citizens in dire straits—sentence them to the extermination of nine generations!”

Meng Huai’s complexion turned as pale as paper; tears and snot ran down his face as he kowtowed three times, “Emperor, Empress, this guilty official confesses. I did indeed take five hundred thousand taels of silver from Wang Kun, but I did nothing else!”

Zhan Lan closed the empty ledger, “So it was five hundred thousand!”

Mu Yan felt that with Zhan Lan in trials, it was like hunting without leaving a trace. For this matter of sending silver, without the Wang Family as witnesses and alleged ledgers, if no evidence was presented, even as rulers, they couldn’t arbitrarily demand someone’s head.

The mention of extermination of nine generations was just a scare tactic by him and Zhan Lan, and unexpectedly, Meng Huai confessed everything!