NCCnovel Chapter 1236 Evidence
Chapter 1236 Evidence
The Xie family's residence occupied most of the best street in Qiyang. After Liang Chongyue entered, the Xie family members were urged by the guards to gather in the main hall.
Liang Chongyue sat on the armchair in the hall, with a huge dog standing next to her. It had changed its usual silly demeanor and was now staring at the Xie family members who were slowly approaching with a sharp look in its eyes.
The Xie family members were visibly stunned for a moment when they saw the system; the more timid ones even trembled with fear.
The entire Xie family was forced to kneel down, while Liang Chongyue sat silently in the armchair.
She was waiting for everyone to arrive.
After waiting for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Princess Qiyang and her consort finally arrived late.
"Greetings, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
Princess Qiyang had not yet gained fame from the jade tablet, and was still dressed in luxurious clothes, wearing even more pearl hairpins than before.
Liang Chongyue glanced down at her out of the corner of her eye and saw Princess Qiyang dodging to the side, and a wisp of hair deliberately left down on her left side.
“Raise your head.”
Princess Qiyang reluctantly raised her head, and Liang Chongyue then noticed the bruises around her eyes. The prince consort kneeling beside her didn't even have the courage to look up at the system.
Liang Chongyue gently patted the system, then raised her voice and said, "Princess Qiyang is of royal lineage after all, and not just anyone can bully her."
As soon as she finished speaking, the system shot out like an arrow, its target the prince consort.
When the prince consort heard His Majesty's words, he knew that the emperor was referring to him, but he couldn't help but think that after Princess Qiyang left that small courtyard, she would go home and ask for a divorce.
With His Majesty's trusted maidservant by his side, her imperious manner infuriated him, and he couldn't help but make a move on the Duke of Qiyang.
Just as he was about to look up and say something in his defense, the system rushed up to him.
Startled, his pupils dilated, and before he could react, the system knocked him away.
The car bumped into a few members of the Xie family, who immediately scrambled away.
The prince consort was left slumped on the ground, waving his hands repeatedly at the system in fright.
"She was the one who started this affair and then abandoned me. All these years, my Xie family has provided her with good food and drink, and let her take whatever gold and silver she wanted. Now that my Xie family is in trouble, all I asked was for her to say a few good words for my Xie family to His Majesty. And she came back and wants a divorce. Who knows what she'll say about my Xie family to His Majesty. I just couldn't hold back for a moment..."
Before the prince consort could finish pleading for mercy, the system stepped on his abdomen with its left forefoot, raised its right forefoot high, and slapped his head to the side.
The prince consort fell to the ground without a sound.
Seeing this, Ping An jogged over and checked his breathing.
Then, standing beside the prince consort, he said to His Majesty, "Young Master Xie is in poor health and has fainted due to the heat."
The Xie family was furious at such blatant nonsense, but no one dared to say a word.
As for the former prince consort who was knocked unconscious by the system, he was still lying on the ground. Ping An simply went to check his breathing to see if he was dead.
If you're not dead, just keep lying there. It's more comfortable to watch from a distance than those kneeling on the ground.
Liang Chongyue was still waiting for people to arrive; the grand show couldn't begin until everyone was there.
After another half incense stick's time, the governor of Qiyang, the provincial administration commissioner, the provincial judicial commissioner, and officials from various departments arrived.
Xie Huanying was also carried up, seemingly terrified by the system, unable to even walk.
The governor, the provincial administration commissioner, and the provincial judicial commissioner of Qiyang all looked rather unwell, especially the governor and the provincial judicial commissioner. The provincial judicial commissioner had a rather large injury on his face and was walking with a limp. Anyone who didn't know better would think he had been beaten up.
In contrast, the governor strode over without a trace of remorse for his mistake. When he met His Majesty's scrutinizing eyes, he returned the greeting respectfully.
It was as if everything that happened in Qiyang had nothing to do with him; only his eyes seemed somewhat numb.
It's as if they've become indifferent to life and death, leaving it to others to do as they please.
Now that everyone had arrived, Liang Chongyue coughed lightly, and Li Yu'an stepped forward, opened the booklet he was holding, and began to read out the Xie family's incriminating evidence sentence by sentence.
"The Xie family of Qiyang forcibly seized the people's land and evaded taxes."
They forcibly seized tens of thousands of acres of fertile land in Fuliang County, Shicheng County, and Songyang County, privately altered land deeds, and forged tenant registers, deceiving the authorities. For more than 20 years, they failed to pay land taxes, amounting to more than 403,000 taels of silver.
They also used trickery and force to seize the land and property of the surrounding common people, causing more than a thousand households to be displaced. The local officials, fearing their power, dared not investigate further…
Li Yu'an meticulously listed the Xie family's crimes one by one, while Liang Chongyue sat in the armchair, observing the reactions of the Xie family members.
When Li Yu'an spoke, they looked puzzled, as if they knew nothing about it, which infuriated Liang Chongyue.
When Li Yu'an thoroughly investigated this matter, it took several days just to compile statistics on the fertile fields. For those fields that were not registered, he had to find and re-record them from booklets hidden in various nooks and crannies.
The Xie family's reaction clearly indicated that they were completely unaware of the situation, or that they were simply reaping the benefits without contributing anything, having become accustomed to living off the people's hard-earned money.
In their minds, these things were not something they had taken, but something that originally belonged to them.
Liang Chongyue's gaze was fixed on Xie Huanying. Perhaps the system had gone too far, because the man's eyes were glazed over, and he seemed not to have heard Li Yu'an's words at all.
Liang Chongyue raised his hand, signaling Ping An to bring the person closer so he could hear clearly.
Ping An moved extremely quickly, summoning two guards who silently carried the person to Li Junhou's side.
After finishing all that, he quietly stood behind His Majesty.
Li Yu'an's voice continued beside her:
"The Xie family colluded with officials to control the local area, bribing the governor of Qiyang, the provincial administration commissioner, the provincial judicial commissioner, and more than 20 other officials of various ranks with fertile land and silver."
Using local officials to control county and prefectural lawsuits, they would bend the law and act out of personal favoritism whenever their clansmen or associates were involved, arbitrarily harming ordinary people and forcing virtuous women into prostitution…
Li Yu'an explained everything clearly, word by word. This was the result of their emergency investigation. If they had been given more time...
The findings will surely be even more appalling. If the Xie family were in the capital, they would have been dead hundreds of times over.
Unfortunately, this place is far from the reach of the emperor, which allowed them to take advantage of the situation.
Liang Chongyue, dressed in a black robe with auspicious cloud patterns, sat on a grand chair, exuding an aura of authority. His words carried an air of quiet power, and wherever his gaze swept over, people trembled.
I didn't dare to look him in the eye.
Looking at these people, Liang Chongyue thought of the cancer in the capital, not just Qiyang, but the entire capital.
They're doing evil right under her nose. Once she's cleaned up this place, she'll leave the rest of the affairs in the capital to Minglang.
Consider it homework assigned to her, a way to add to her political achievements.