These ministers, if they could, would certainly not have confessed.
But they knew that since Lin Tian had spoken, they would have no opportunity not to confess. If they dared to refuse, Lin Tian could uncover their crimes. At that point, Lin Tian would surely not let them go.
Thinking of this, these ministers became extremely fearful. Consequently, each and every one of them confessed proactively.
This proactive confession greatly surprised Ying Zheng. The land these ministers had encroached upon was far more than Ying Zheng had imagined. He could not even fathom that these seemingly honest ministers would do such things. Moreover, their methods were so ruthless. This left Ying Zheng looking at these ministers with utter disbelief.
Subsequently, his gaze grew colder.
"Since you dare to do these things, you must bear the consequences!"
"Guards, arrest them, do not let a single one escape!!"
"Yes!!"
As soon as Ying Zheng gave the order, soldiers appeared and apprehended these officials.
Instantly, cries for mercy erupted. However, Ying Zheng paid no heed to these pleas. On the contrary, their begging only made him more resolute in this matter.
"Execute the devised plan immediately, begin the land survey, and levy taxes according to the amount of land occupied!!"
"At the same time, thoroughly investigate the source of that land. Anyone who is heinous, do not let them go!!"
"Yes!!"
With Ying Zheng's command, more soldiers were dispatched to handle this matter, and the entire Great Qin was thrown into turmoil.
Those who first received the news were those who paid close attention to the court. Upon discovering that a large number of officials had been arrested, they immediately sent people to inquire about what had happened in the court. When they learned it was related to land, many of their faces changed.
"What? It's about land? His Majesty is going to survey the land? And also levy taxes based on the amount of land, doesn't that mean we will lose a lot of money?!"
"Not only will we lose a lot of money, but we also have to explain the source of these lands. Once we cannot explain clearly, or if they discover that we gained the land by oppressing the common people, we will be in great trouble!!"
"It's over, we're in big trouble this time. Most of the land we hold was not bought, but directly seized. Many people even died because of it. Once the King knows about this, we are finished!!"
"This, this... what do we do now? How do we resolve this matter??"
Knowing what was happening in the court and Ying Zheng's subsequent actions, these people became frantic. Every single one of them was not clean. By Ying Zheng's standards, they were all doomed. As for when they would die, it depended on when the people sent by Ying Zheng reached them.
Thinking of this, they completely lost their composure.
"What should we do? Should we bribe the investigators to go easy on us??"
"Bribe the investigators? Do you think bribing one investigator can solve this? His Majesty will surely not send just one person to investigate us!"
"Those are people extremely trusted by His Majesty and the Crown Prince. You can bribe one person, but can you bribe them all??"
"Then we... do we have no other options??"
"The method of bribing is definitely not feasible. We can only think of other methods!"
At these words, many fell silent. Bribing the investigators was the best method they could think of. As for other methods, none were as reliable. Especially since Ying Zheng had arrested officials in the court, which further demonstrated Ying Zheng's determination in this matter. This also fully illustrated how difficult this issue was to resolve.
Many of them pondered and discussed for a long time, but they could not find a reliable solution. They even felt that death was imminent. Going by this trend, the soldiers of Great Qin would undoubtedly discover their misdeeds. Once discovered, they would have no escape.
The more they thought about it, the more chaotic they became. They felt as if they were waiting for death, and this feeling grew stronger and stronger. Even before death arrived, many of them were already terrified.
"What do we do? What do we do? How can we survive??"
"Rebel, let's rebel! If we rebel against Great Qin, perhaps we'll have a chance to survive!"
"Rebellion? What do we have to rebel with? Although we have money and land, we have no soldiers. We cannot possibly succeed in rebellion!"
"Since we cannot succeed in rebellion, then let's flee. Perhaps we can find a way to survive if we leave here!"
"Leave here? Where can we go if we leave here? Don't forget, our Crown Prince has already conquered the entire realm. No matter where we go now, it will be the territory of Great Qin. We have nowhere to flee!"
Such words plunged these people into complete despair. They realized that no matter what they did, it was a dead end. Therefore, they were filled with regret.
"Ah! I wish I hadn't seized that land before!"
"What's so good about these lands? They're not worth much money. Why did I want them? What was I trying to achieve!"
"Return them! I don't want these lands anymore! I am willing to return all of them. I just want to live!"
The words "return them" caused many to pause. Previously, they had never considered returning the land. All they thought about was how to conceal the matter and prevent Ying Zheng from finding out. But now, they suddenly felt that returning it was a good option. As long as they returned it, they would not be considered to have encroached on a large amount of land. As long as they returned it, it would be difficult for Qin officials to investigate them. As long as they returned it, it would largely quell the anger of the common people. If that wasn't enough, they were willing to offer more financial compensation. They could give money to the common people as compensation. They believed that as long as the money was in place, those common people would surely accept it gladly. After all, who would turn down money?
Thinking of this, their spirits were lifted.
"Yes! Return them! As long as we return these lands, we still have a glimmer of hope!"
"Even if it means compensating those common people, do not be stingy!"
"This time, even if we go bankrupt, we must survive!"