Was Xiao Huayong gentle?
He certainly thought of himself as gentle.
He had merely arranged for various officials to receive news of an empty treasury before the Dong Biquan case broke.
These people would naturally panic at the thought of an empty treasury, and when Dong Biquan’s matter came to light, they would unanimously call for an audit of the Ministry of Revenue.
Would His Majesty dare to allow such an abrupt audit of the Ministry of Revenue to verify the treasury’s contents?
He wouldn’t dare. Even if he ultimately compromised to an audit, he would first need to distance himself. But with the court and common people filled with righteous indignation, even His Majesty’s people who didn’t know the inside story would want to clarify exactly how much remained in the treasury.
What else could His Majesty do?
He would have to follow his lead and feign illness.
“Your Highness, Minister Cui, and others are still kneeling at the hall entrance, requesting His Majesty’s permission to audit the Ministry of Revenue,” Tianyuan delivered the news gathered from below.
“No hurry. Let them pressure His Majesty. Has Dong Biquan still not spoken?” Xiao Huayong peeled open a pomegranate and tasted it. “Sweet and fresh. Tomorrow pick a few juicy ones to send to Youyou.”
Tianyuan looked up at the bright red pomegranates in the distance, quite festive in appearance. “Yes, Your Highness.”
After acknowledging it, Tianyuan continued, “Dong Biquan is showing signs of wavering. After two days without seeing His Majesty, he will naturally speak up.”
“Mm, His Majesty will remain ill these few days, but Cui Zheng and the others cannot kneel for too long. Pry open his mouth as soon as possible,” Xiao Huayong instructed.
Dong Biquan was confined in the imperial prison, and forbidden from receiving visitors. Even Xiao Huayong couldn’t enter. The prison guards were dressed as His Majesty’s confidants, and even with one or two of their people there, they dared not act rashly.
Dong Biquan waited for His Majesty’s summons while Xiao Huayong’s people relayed every detail of outside events to him.
“Minister Dong, confessing early will help preserve the Dong family,” the guard said.
“Your master hasn’t shown his face or sent even a word of message. Why should I trust you?” Dong Biquan sat expressionless.
“Does Minister Dong see any other way out?” the guard asked. “Minister Dong must understand, His Majesty has been pushed to this point and cannot protect you. The treasury’s deficit and the ministry’s corruption are destined to fall on Minister Dong’s shoulders.”
At these words, Dong Biquan’s heart jumped—this person knew he had been acting as His Majesty’s vanguard.
“Minister Dong, if you confess you face death either way, but my master might still be able to protect the Dong household,” the guard persuaded patiently. “If you don’t confess, Minister Dong might want to consider the fate of Prince Kang’s mansion.”
“You—” Dong Biquan’s heart surged with shock—this person even knew Prince Kang was His Majesty’s man!
The guard ignored his reaction and continued, “The young masters of Prince Kang’s household barely survived because of their royal blood. The Dong family has no such royal connection.”
Dong Biquan thought of Prince Kang’s third son, and his thoughts began to spiral into chaos.
“How will your master protect my household? And how will he ensure my wife and children have food and shelter for the rest of their lives?” Dong Biquan asked.
“That depends on whether Minister Dong believes us or not,” the guard was merely passing on the message. “Belief offers a thread of hope for survival. Disbelief means execution for the entire family.”
Having said his piece, to avoid suspicion, the guard left without lingering.
Two days had passed. His Majesty claimed illness for two days. Cui Zheng and Xue Heng led the court officials in departing before nightfall, only to return to kneel and request an audience at dawn.
On the third day, Xiao Huayong finally obtained what he wanted. After casually flipping through it, he stood up: “Let’s see His Majesty.”
Liu Sanzhi, seeing the Crown Prince looking frail and pale, seemingly even thinner than before, dared not stop him. If the Crown Prince were to kneel outside as well, he couldn’t bear that responsibility.
Liu Sanzhi entered to report, and Xiao Huayong became the first prince allowed in to visit.
“Seventh Brother has come. Sit,” Emperor Youning truly had dark circles under his eyes and red rashes around his lips.
“Father *cough cough cough cough*…” Xiao Huayong burst into violent coughing, barely managing to bow and sit down. “Father, the Ministry of Revenue… what exactly happened there?”
Emperor Youning couldn’t help but feel a headache at the mere mention of the Ministry of Revenue. He rubbed his temples: “The ministry is in deficit. Five years of tax silver has vanished without a trace. If the civil and military officials learn of this, no one will know peace.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Huayong was shocked into another bout of rapid coughing, until his eyes reddened: “Dong Biquan… he, he is so brazen!”
“It’s your father’s fault for poor judgment in appointing officials.” Emperor Youning hung his head and sighed, showing considerable self-reproach.
“Father… I feel *cough cough cough cough*… the ministers may have heard some rumors…” Xiao Huayong said with difficulty. “Continuing to delay like this… might make them more uneasy…”
“Your father has thought of a solution. Seventh Brother need not worry.” Saying this, Emperor Youning instructed Liu Sanzhi, “Summon Cui Zheng, Xue Heng, Tao Zhuanxian, and the Six Ministers.”
Emperor Youning had spent two days reviewing the Ministry of Revenue and had developed a plan. He only summoned eight people.
These people had been worn down over the past few days. Emperor Youning spoke gently, informing them of the true situation with the Ministry of Revenue. The ministers grew dizzy hearing it—the corruption was even worse than they had imagined. To balance the books, Emperor Youning had added some non-existent entries in other places.
“It was my poor judgment in selecting officials that caused this great disaster. This news cannot leak out, or the frontier tribes will surely seize the opportunity for war.” Emperor Youning directly passed the problem to the ministers. “You gentlemen discuss and develop a plan.”
They were all stunned—their supposedly prosperous nation was just an empty shell. Cui Zheng asked, “Your Majesty, are there any leads on the embezzled silver?”
“I will order Dong Biquan to be interrogated,” Emperor Youning answered. “The immediate concern is how to keep this matter quiet.”
Indeed, this matter couldn’t be exposed, or it would mark the beginning of national chaos.
“Your Majesty, if we are to keep this quiet, we must show leniency to the Dong family,” Xue Heng said.
At this suggestion, Emperor Youning’s face turned ashen. The court officials, unaware of the inside story, assumed His Majesty was displeased. They understood His Majesty had to clean up after such an audacious criminal for the greater good, and couldn’t even deal with him as harshly as desired. Naturally, they felt dissatisfied.
They dared not speak easily, fearing that by pleading for Dong Biquan today and giving His Majesty a way out, they might face embarrassment if other crimes were discovered later.
Xiao Huayong looked at everyone, then slowly knelt with Tianyuan’s support: “Your Majesty, punishment should not extend to wives and children. Let Minister Dong’s mistakes be borne by him alone *cough cough cough cough cough*…”
Xiao Huayong coughed as if his heart was being torn apart. Emperor Youning strode forward to help him up personally.
Gripping his shoulders, he found him even thinner than the last time.
Cui Zheng and the others looked at Xiao Huayong with both admiration and regret. The Crown Prince showed responsibility, but alas, his health…
The outcome: Dong Biquan was sentenced to execution after autumn, while the Ministry of Revenue would be audited jointly by the other five ministries along with the Secretariat and Department of State Affairs. They calculated a deficit amount that finally calmed the officials’ hearts. While Dong Biquan’s corruption was enormous, thanks to the Crown Prince’s plea for mercy, his wife and children were spared prosecution. Emperor Youning only confiscated the Dong family property, and Dong Biquan’s descendants were banned from official positions for three generations.
When the court officials learned of this, they all praised the Crown Prince’s benevolence.