The individuals whose names were called, before they could fully relax their tense nerves, heard Emperor Rui continue.
"To ensure that all my dear officials will not be influenced by external factors when handling cases, everyone shall remain within the palace until the cases are clarified."
Even their families, Emperor Rui declared, had been "protected" since early this morning by highly skilled imperial guards, allowing the officials to investigate the cases with peace of mind.
Protection in the open, surveillance in secret!
Not only were the residences of all officials in the capital brought under control overnight, but the nine city gates were also guarded by elite troops from the elite cavalry, personally commanded by Emperor Rui, ensuring not a single fly could escape.
The officials knew this was Emperor Rui's threat. Their families were monitored, they were confined, and now the city gates were under strict guard. Escaping the capital was harder than ascending to heaven.
They were told to investigate but not allowed to leave. This was because Huo Qiyuan held all the evidence. These summoned officials only needed to organize it according to the timeline and assign the implicated officials accordingly.
The capital in early August had unpredictable weather, and the court was filled with a heavy atmosphere daily.
Since Huo Qiyuan and his allies were well-prepared and had ample evidence, they managed to sort out the case of the Prince Regent's manor and all related cases that surfaced within just three days.
Emperor Rui ordered the proclamation to be posted, making the entire affair public. He then dispatched messengers at top speed to send the news overnight to various prefectures, towns, and even larger villages.
Considering that many common people in the Great Yu Dynasty were illiterate, he also ordered officials to send their subordinates to go through streets and alleys, beating gongs and drums to inform everyone of the Prince Regent's manor's wrongful accusation and its subsequent vindication.
Huo Qixiao, as a member of the Huo family, had colluded with his kin, framed loyal officials, and ultimately met his end by Lingchi execution.
On the day of Huo Qixiao's execution, Su Muqing administered him a special drug, ensuring he would not die midway through the torture.
With the aid of Su Muqing's medicine and the superb skill of the most renowned executioner in the Great Yu Dynasty, Huo Qixiao endured a thousand cuts before finally taking his last breath.
The method was brutal, yet it brought immense satisfaction to the people.
This thorough overhaul of the court saw all officials implicated in the Prince Regent's manor case, whose offenses were severe, sentenced to death. The execution grounds at Caishikou were stained with so much blood from the frequent executions that it could not be washed away, and the blue bricks on the ground were soaked into a dark crimson.
Those with moderate involvement were largely exiled to the barren lands, or sold to armored soldiers as slaves, forever forbidden to cross the borders of the Great Yu Dynasty.
These lords and young masters, accustomed to years of luxurious living, were plunged from paradise into hell overnight. Many died of illness or exhaustion on their journey.
The female members of their families fared even worse. They were initially to be sold to squalid places or sent to military camps to become camp followers. In the end, Su Muqing changed her mind.
All the female relatives of the convicted officials were sent to the lowest-ranking Jiaofangsi, where they transitioned from pampered young ladies to slaves awaiting sale.
As for officials with minor involvement, they were sentenced to prison terms of 5-10 years, their properties confiscated and turned over to the national treasury, and their families permanently relegated to the status of commoners in remote mountain areas.
Those officials who were not involved in the Prince Regent's manor case but had other cases pending, waiting for the emperor to honor his promise of merit offsetting punishment, were instead thrown into prison once their own cases were resolved.
This situation was unprecedented, a phenomenon never before seen in history. In just a few days, almost all officials in the court were cleared out!
Those who rose from below were thrust into leadership roles. Despite their fumbling, they managed to maintain a semblance of order.
The uproar caused by this outcome was immense.
The entire capital fell into silence at first, with deserted streets as no one dared to venture out. This was followed by a prolonged period of clamor, with nearly all citizens discussing the matter.
Initially, they were afraid to discuss it in crowded places, as many commoners had been beheaded for talking about the incident in the past.
It wasn't until the third day after the reversal of the verdict that Emperor Rui's decree of self-reproach was posted on the notice boards at the nine city gates.
The decree detailed Emperor Rui's involvement in the Prince Regent's manor's treason case, his condoning of Wang Jinghong and Huo Qixiao's poisoning of Huo Qiyuan, his despicable acceptance of the deaths of tens of thousands of soldiers to bring down Huo Sijun, his gratuitous killings of innocents to suppress the pro-Huo faction, and his self-serving order to destroy cities, resulting in the deaths of countless innocent civilians!
The atmosphere in the capital was as gloomy and oppressive as the overcast sky.
The common people could not believe that their emperor was like this in private.
How could such a person be fit to rule a nation! Instantly, the populace became enraged. Spurred by an unknown stimulus, they gathered in crowds and spontaneously blocked the city gates, strongly demanding the emperor's abdication. The area below the Imperial City was also swamped with people!
In the past, such a situation would have led to secret rejoicing and even instigation from the princes vying for the throne.
However, everything had happened too quickly, changed too drastically. They had only gone to court one morning, and they had never been able to leave since.
Not only that, but all their covert schemes were unearthed, and those who had secretly recruited soldiers and horses were all brought under control.
From an arrogant imperial lineage, they had been reduced to prisoners. Everything they owned was lost on this day.
Facing the agitated masses, the guards at the gates merely maintained order and did not engage them in conflict.
After this situation persisted for two more days, new news appeared on the Imperial City's notice boards, a shocking revelation.
A letter of surrender!
Emperor Rui of Great Yu, undeserving of his title, abdicated in response to the will of the people. The Great Yu Dynasty voluntarily submitted to the Huaxia Dynasty, and the capital was henceforth renamed Duzhou Prefecture.
The once magnificent and powerful nation thus fell, and this land was officially renamed the Huaxia Dynasty. The world would know no more Great Yu Dynasty.
When this proclamation was issued, all the common people fell silent. They never imagined that they, the ordinary folk, could wield such influence!
They had initially only wanted Emperor Rui, this insidious, cunning, and life-disdaining tyrannical ruler, to step down. They never expected him to abandon the entire country!
This had escalated a bit too much...