Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 628: Chapter 313 Prince Chu Stayed in the Capital_2

Prince Chu defended himself against the accusations made by the courtiers, addressing each point with reason and evidence, leaving his accusers speechless.

Despite Prince Chu’s usual silent demeanor, which made others think he had poor speaking skills, his eloquence was actually very impressive.

After hearing Prince Chu’s defense, the emperor scolded the courtiers who accused him and warned the Crown Prince and Prince Dai not to create trouble.

The Crown Prince and Prince Dai clearly understood the emperor’s warning, feeling that the emperor intended to protect Prince Chu, which made them resent him even more.

While they were plotting against Prince Chu once again, Marquis An Yang revealed at the morning court that Marquis Jingyang had colluded with the Xiongnu, causing a tremendous uproar in the court.

The emperor, furious, ordered the Crown Prince and Prince Dai to investigate the matter thoroughly.

The attention of the Crown Prince and Prince Dai shifted instantly to the issue of Marquis Jingyang’s collusion with the Xiongnu, temporarily shelving their plans against Prince Chu.

The emperor tasked the Crown Prince and Prince Dai with a thorough investigation into Marquis Jingyang’s collusion with the Xiongnu, not just to divert their attention, but with deeper motives in mind.

Although the Marquis Jingyang’s Mansion had lost a lot with the demise of two legitimate sons before, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse, and it remained stronger than second-tier noble families. Now, the downfall of the Marquis Jingyang’s Mansion was a tempting opportunity for the Duke Zhen Mansion and the Marquis Xuanping’s Mansion.

The emperor purposely had the Duke Zhen and Marquis Xuanping jointly investigate the affairs of the Marquis Jingyang’s Mansion to allow them to seize this piece of fat.

The issue of Marquis Jingyang’s colluding with the Xiongnu was of great significance, and the Crown Prince and Prince Dai did not dare to neglect it. They took five days to uncover all the evidence, proving that Marquis Jingyang indeed colluded with the Xiongnu, and it was not a false accusation by Marquis An Yang.

When the Crown Prince and Prince Dai presented the evidence of Marquis Jingyang’s collusion with the Xiongnu, the court was in an uproar. The civil and military officials were shocked to learn that Marquis Jingyang had actually colluded with the Xiongnu, and had close relations with them since the previous dynasty.

Colluding with foreign tribes is a grave crime, punishable by the extermination of nine generations according to Great Zhou laws. However, the emperor, in his mercy, decreed the execution of only three generations, while the other six were to be exiled, not to Lingnan this time, but to Qiongzhou for hard labor.

Due to the end of the year, where bloodshed is to be avoided, the execution of the three generations was postponed until the next year. However, confiscation of property need not wait until the following year.

The wealth accumulated by the Marquis Jingyang’s Mansion over hundreds of years was immense, exceeding even the income of Great Zhou established in the past twenty-odd years. Previously, a significant amount was expropriated from the Han Family. Now, with the added wealth from the Marquis Jingyang’s Mansion, the national treasury of Great Zhou would be thoroughly enriched.

The emperor anticipated the wealth of the Marquis Jingyang’s Mansion, but did not expect it to be so substantial. If the Marquis Jingyang’s Mansion, the weakest of the four major families in the capital, was so wealthy, then the reserves of the other three families must be... The emperor was eager to confiscate the other three families immediately.

Even Prime Minister He was eager to confiscate the Xie Family, Wang Family, and Xun Family as soon as possible. He believed their fortunes would be astounding, enabling significant use of their funds for various projects.

For exposing Marquis Jingyang’s collusion with the Xiongnu, Marquis An Yang and his son were rewarded, with the emperor decreeing Marquis An Yang be ennobled as Duke Anyang, and Wang Siqi promoted to General Zhonglang of Jianyi.

Since the founding of Great Zhou, there had only been one national duke, Duke Zhen. Now that Marquis An Yang was promoted to Duke Anyang, he became the second national duke of Great Zhou, which was not good news for Duke Zhen.

Duke Anyang’s Mansion, known as the Wang Family, had always been just a notch below the Xie Family. Now, as a Duke’s Mansion, the Wang Family could soon stand on equal footing with the Xie Family.

The elevation of the Wang Family to a Duke’s Mansion came as an unexpected development for Duke Zhen, but there was nothing he could do to prevent it, and he could only watch as Duke Anyang’s Mansion rose to equal status with the Duke Zhen Country Mansion. Fortunately, the emperor did not recall Prince Zheng, which provided some solace for Duke Zhen.

If Prince Zheng were favored due to this affair and rose to prominence like Prince Chu, the Crown Prince and Duke Zhen would be furious.

Once the investigation into Marquis Jingyang’s collusion with the Xiongnu was concluded, the court closed the matter as the New Year was upon them.

This New Year was not a happy one for the Crown Prince, Duke Zhen, Prince Dai, and Marquis Xuanping.

In the courtyard of He Lianfang’s residence, Zhao Yao squatted, basking in the sun and petting a cat.

"When do you plan to discuss the Keju exam with your father, the emperor?" He Lianfang said, his expression turning somewhat peculiar, "You haven’t forgotten about this matter, have you?"