So, the young marquis had been investigating him from a very early age?
Wei Linman was extremely terrified, so nervous he couldn't speak...
Glancing at Xiang'er, who was kneeling by his side, Wei Linman's teeth itched with hatred, wishing he could hang her up and beat her.
Seeing Wei Linman's delay in speaking, Gu Mingyan chuckled, closed the ledger, and said, "Since Lord Wei finds it difficult to speak, I will help you enumerate your crimes..."
"From the moment you became the Censorate Minister, you have been colluding with most of the wealthy merchants in the capital. Moreover, Lord Wei is greedy for money and lustful, so you have received several beautiful concubines almost every year to serve you comfortably!~"
"Lord Wei, the life you are living now probably surpasses that of the Emperor. Three wives and six concubines, a multitude of beautiful women, with singing and dancing girls throughout the mansion, and colorful butterflies flying everywhere. You are quite comfortable as the Censorate Minister..."
Wei Linman was drenched in sweat, biting his lip tightly, unable to utter a word.
Everything the young marquis said was true, and he had no way to refute it...
Upon hearing this, the others looked at Wei Linman with disgust and contempt.
It is indeed true that one cannot judge a person by their appearance, nor can one measure the sea with a dipper.
Although Lord Wei appeared respectable and dignified in court, his private life was so dissolute...
At this point, Gu Mingyan's face suddenly darkened, "Lord Wei, as a Censor, your duty is to inspect and supervise the conduct, style, and corruption of officials. Yet, you abuse your power for personal gain and break the law..."
"Besides keeping concubines, you have also accepted bribes and amassed wealth frantically. Your crimes are so numerous they cannot be fully recorded, and they defy heavenly justice. Do you have anything else to say?"
Wei Linman, with a look of despair: "..."
With things having reached this point, what else could he say?
He couldn't just grit his teeth and deny it, could he?
"My, my, my father hasn't broken the law. You're not allowed to wrong my daddy..." Wei Nanxiang shouted, feeling very indignant.
If her father fell from power, she would no longer be able to be glorious.
"Hurry up and shut your mouth!" Wei Linman gritted his teeth, his anger reaching its peak.
If it weren't for this rebellious daughter causing trouble, would he have ended up in this predicament...
Wei Nanxiang was startled and lowered her head meekly.
"Your Majesty, Lord Wei's crimes have been investigated. I request Your Majesty to pass judgment!" Gu Mingyan cupped his hands towards Emperor Cheng.
If this incident hadn't occurred, Gu Mingyan might have let Wei Linman continue to stir up trouble for a while...
But this father and daughter were truly ungrateful, actually bullying Sweet Baby at his wedding. Wasn't this playing with fire and courting destruction?
Emperor Cheng heard this and pondered for a moment, "The court has always had a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption. Yet, Lord Wei dared to act against the tide and disregard the law. His crimes are extremely serious..."
Saying this, he looked at Xiao Xitian again and lowered his voice, "Xitian girl, in your opinion, how should this corrupt official be dealt with?"
Xiao Xitian: "..."
Why are you asking me again?
"Uh... Uncle Huang, please punish him according to the rules!" Xiao Xitian replied with a smile.
Alas, for causing such a great disaster due to Wei Nanxiang's bickering, Wei Linman's intestines must be regretting it immensely.
If he had taught his daughter well from the beginning, it wouldn't have affected him.
Emperor Cheng gave a "hmm" and waved his hand, "Censorate Minister Wei Linman, listen to the decree!~"
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Wei Linman in unison, very curious...
What punishment did the Emperor intend to give him?
"Censorate Minister Wei Linman, during his tenure as an official, colluded with merchants, amassed great wealth, disregarded the court's laws, and committed enormous corruption. Therefore, I have decided to remove you from your position as Censorate Minister, demote you to commoner, confiscate your property, and your descendants shall forever be barred from entering officialdom..."
As soon as the imperial decree was issued, Wei Linman's eyes rolled back, and he fainted.
Who could withstand such a blow?
One moment he was the glorious and high-ranking Censorate Minister, and the next he was demoted to a commoner...
Wei Nanxiang's eyes widened even further, completely unable to accept this reality.
"No, no, no, it can't be. Your Majesty, you can't demote my daddy to a commoner. He knows he was wrong, and he'll change, okay?" Wei Nanxiang wailed.
Empress Xiao stepped forward and slapped her, "Bold commoner girl, how dare you shout and be rude in front of the Emperor? Guards, escort this father and daughter out...!"
"Yes!"
A group of Imperial Guards rushed into the back garden and, in a flash, dragged Wei Linman and his daughter out.
The commotion quickly passed. Through this incident, everyone saw clearly that anyone who dared to provoke Princess Dongping would suffer the same fate as Wei Nanxiang...
Her status in the Emperor's heart had surpassed that of the young crown prince.
"Th-that's it?" Little Jie Kong looked at the moon gate with regret. "I haven't even beaten that dead girl properly yet..."
Wouldn't it be too lenient to just throw them out?
Xiao Jinheng heard this and sneered, "What, little monk, are you dissatisfied with Father Emperor's judgment?"
"No!"
Little Jie Kong shrugged and said in a way that made people want to die, "I just think you're too useless. You still need your father to handle such matters. If you truly care about Sister Xitian, you should have resolved it yourself!"
Xiao Jinheng: "..."
This stinking monk was good at finding fault and picking on every detail.
"Little monk, you probably forgot, I am only the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, not the Emperor. To strip a first-rank official of his position, I still need Father Emperor's approval. I don't have that right myself..." Xiao Jinheng explained coldly.
Little Jie Kong heard this and waved his little hand, "Then I don't care. Sister Xitian, let's go eat something delicious. Let's go, let's go!"
In the open space in the front courtyard, there were more than ten long tables filled with various pastries and delicious snacks...
The ladies and children were gathered around the tables, some feasting ravenously, others admiring the designs of the pastries.
"I can't eat anymore!" Little Xitian rubbed her round belly. "I want to go see Sister Jiaojiao!"
Today was Han Cheyan's wedding, and Han Chejiao had already gone to the inn to help her sister with makeup and dressing, waiting for Marquis Gu to come and welcome the bride at dusk...
Since arriving in the capital, Little Xitian hadn't had a good chat with Han Chejiao.
Xiao Jinheng patted her little head, "You'll see her later!"
"Mmm-hmm!"
After a brief period of busyness, it was evening. The sky was painted with a red cloud, and the sun was about to set, casting a golden glow on everyone's faces...
Just as Gu Mingyan was about to go and welcome the bride, a carriage suddenly arrived outside the Marquis's mansion.