Chapter 48 - The King and the Minister

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The impeachment memorial from the Head of the Ministry of Appointments shocked everyone!

This was especially true for Wu Qiuhan. He looked at the minister of the Ministry of Appointments, then at Su Changqing, not knowing what these two were trying to sell to the people present.

What was going on? Did the Head of the Ministry of Appointments also wished to go against the Prime Minister?

The duo fell out?

Wu Qiuhan thought about it for a long time before finally deciding to agree. “That’s right, Your Majesty. Su Changqing is the head of all officials, yet has failed to teach his son well. This resulted in Su Wen spending so much money in a brothel and fighting with others in wealth. His actions have incurred the wrath of the commoners and many people feel that the officials of our Great Zhou are corrupt.

Now, the commoners are saying even if all the corrupt officials in Great Zhou were to be exposed and killed, there would definitely be a fish that escaped the net. After all, the head of all officials, Su Changqing, is one of the most corrupt!”

Su Changqing looked at Wu Qiuhan, his eyes twinkling in amusement.

This guy was really impatient.

However, the moment he opened his mouth, those close to him immediately began to echo his words. Not only that, Su Changqing’s disciples also echoed his words. In that instant, the entire imperial court was filled with criticisms of Su Changqing’s unfilial son.

The Zhou Emperor narrowed his eyes and tapped his fingers on the armrest of his dragon throne. To him, this situation was also extremely unexpected.

“Changqing, what do you say?”

This time, Su Changqing did not explain anything. He simply kneeled on the ground and exclaimed, “This subject is guilty!”

Wu Qiuhan was overjoyed.

Since Su Changqing did not explain his crime, it meant that he admitted he was guilty. What happened next would depend on how they looked at his crime. Although the crime of not teaching his son was not as serious as the crime of corruption, it could be both big and small. If Wu Qiuhan were to use this crime to pull Su Changqing down from the position of the Prime Minister, he would at least have a chance to compete.

As expected, the Emperor looked at the officials and calmly stated, “Tell me, how should we deal with Minister Su who failed to teach his son well?”

For a moment, the entire hall was silent.

No one dared to make a sound.

Even Wu Qiuhan retracted his words that were at the tip of his mouth.

Before this, Emperor Zhou had always called Su Changqing by his name, but he actually changed his form of address to calling the latter Minister Su, when asking about his crime should be viewed.

The meaning behind this was worth pondering over.

Su Changqing was also quite touched in his heart. No matter what, at this time, the Zhou Emperor still showed his stance. Su Changqing’s position as the Prime Minister could not be moved.

After a moment, the head of the Ministry of Appointments replied, “Minister Su failed to teach his son properly. The root cause was that the Su family had too many properties and too much money, causing his son, Su Wen, to not understand the value of money. In my opinion, we should confiscate Prime Minister Su’s assets as a warning to others. This can also let the world know that such a matter will not be condoned.”

A trace of excitement flashed across Emperor Zhou’s eyes. He somewhat understood the situation now. Su Changqing was going to offer up his family’s wealth.

He more or less knew about the current wealth Su Changqing possessed.

To put it bluntly, did Emperor Zhou need money? Very much. The more ambitious an emperor, the more money he needed.

But at the same time, he knew very well the origins of Su Changqing’s wealth.

He had never thought of touching Su Changqing’s private coffers.

But now, Su Changqing actually took the initiative to offer his family’s private coffer, and even in the name of being guilty. This way, the commoners would even clap their hands in praise at serving justice, and he as the Emperor would not have the reputation of being exploited by his subjects.

Considerate, so considerate.

As expected, Su Changqing continued, “I have failed in teaching my son well and the commoners of the world are angry at the influential officials. I am willing to forfeit my family wealth and offer it into the national treasury as a warning to others. I will let the world know that even if they have money, they can’t do as they wish and become extravagant.”

The Emperor looked at Su Changqing before softly speaking, “Changqing, you and I are like brothers. After so many years, I can’t bear to see you like this today.”

The court officials were dumbfounded. What did Emperor Zhou say?

The Monarch treated his minister like a brother?

Emperor Zhou was still the ruler after all. Now, he was not even removing the offender’s head, just taking away his assets. In fact, Su Changqing was unharmed, and his position was not even threatened. However, Emperor Zhou still chose to say this in front of all the officials.

It was obvious that Emperor Zhou was telling all the officials that even if he had confiscated Su Changqing’s fortune today, it did not mean that he wanted to punish Su Changqing.

The benevolent kindness of the Emperor to Su Changqing was expressed in his words.

It was even a subtle warning to those who harbored ill intentions.

Su Changqing shed tears of gratitude. With tears and snot flowing down his face, he said, “This subject feels guilty. For many years, I have been busy with the affairs of the country, causing me to neglect the teachings of my son. I am indebted to Your Majesty’s grace. Today, I will offer up my wealth and let my son know that life is not easy, so that he can turn over a new leaf.”

Emperor Zhou also said, “Changqing, your words are wrong. You are usually busy with official business and have already taught Su Cheng and Su Yu to become the pillars of the country. Even Su Wen, although he appears show-offy, has excellent martial talent. In the future, he will also be a pillar of my Great Zhou.”

What a good lad. Wu Qiuhan’s head was buzzing from what he heard.

That Su Wen could even be considered as a pillar of Great Zhou?

If the two of you were to chat for a while longer, Minister Su probably would not even need to be fined.

At this moment, the Head of the Ministry of Appointments spoke out, “Your Majesty, this humble subject believes that the confiscation of Minister Su’s property should be conducted by the Minister of Revenue, Wu Qiuhan. Lord Wu is honest, and as everyone knows, he is also the person in the Great Zhou Dynasty who is most skilled at calculating money. If he is the one that is involved in the seizing of assets, this will definitely be able to seal the mouths of those who have malicious intentions and not create any trouble.”

Emperor Zhou smiled and said, “Let’s do as you suggested!”

He did not even ask for Wu Qiuhan’s opinion this time.

At this moment, Wu Qiuhan understood. Su Changqing was doing this on purpose. He wanted to offer his family’s private assets to Emperor Zhou. Putting everything aside, who would not like someone who willingly sent money over?

At that moment, Emperor Zhou touched his chin and murmured, “I remember that there was another person who competed with Su Wen in wealth, right?”

Wu Qiuhan’s heart skipped a beat.

Previously, he had intentionally addressed Xue Meng as a wealthy person to prevent him from being involved.

However, now that Emperor Zhou had taken the initiative to ask, he probably couldn’t escape responsibility anymore.

As expected, someone immediately replied, “That’s right, that person is Xue Meng, son of the Xue Family, a wealthy merchant.”

Emperor Zhou asked, “Prime Minister Su taught his son poorly, resulting in everyone within the capital learning about Su Wen and Xue Meng competing in wealth. Now that Minister Su has been punished, how should we deal with the Xue family? I heard that Xue Meng was the one who suggested this competition as well.”

Wu Qiuhan hurriedly stood up and said, “Your Majesty, Xue Meng is indeed in the wrong, but he does not hold a position in the Royal Court, and no one in the Xue family holds a position in the court either. If we punish him rashly, I’m afraid that the merchants of the country will be frightened, and when the time comes, they might choose to transfer to another country.”

No matter what, Xue Meng was his nephew. He had to protect him.

The Xue family was also inexorably linked to him.

However, he did not notice that just when he said those words, the corners of Su Changqing’s mouth twitched slightly.

‘Haha, if you had learnt from me, you would have similarly made the Xue Family offer up some of their family’s assets, and this matter can still be turned around. But aren’t your actions right now just highlighting my selflessness?” Su Changqing felt disdain towards his opponent in his heart.

As expected, Emperor Zhou raised his brows and said, “Ridiculous. Could it be that no one will want to do business in the Great Zhou Dynasty if one merchant moves away? Wu Qiuhan, I remember that your sister married into the Xue family, right?”

Wu Qiuhan was drenched in sweat. He fell to his knees and kowtowed. “Yes!”

Emperor Zhou pointed towards him, but didn’t dwell on this problem. Instead, he continued, “Minister Su taught his son poorly, and the Xue family also taught their son poorly. Since that’s the case, if Minister Su is to be punished, the Xue family should also be punished. However, I’m not that kind of despot that rules tyrannically, so I won’t touch a single cent of the Xue family’s private interests.

However, from today onwards, all transactions involving the Xue family and the Royal Court will be stopped. All procedures that need to be approved will not be approved for the next 20 years. Also, that Xue Meng, since he doesn’t serve in the Royal Court, I’ll send him to the northern border to serve for five years.. This isn’t too much, right?”