"Someone come!"

"Drag these rebellious officials who slander the imperial concubine and disrupt the court assembly down and beat them with a hundred strokes!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Wenlang and the others turned pale with fright.

A hundred strokes?

Wasn't this a death sentence?!

Terrified, everyone looked at Mei Wenshi with pleading eyes.

Feeling their gazes, Mei Wenshi's expression instantly darkened.

A wild goose hunter all his life, yet today he was pecked in the eye by a goose!

His carefully laid plans not only failed to harm the Shugui fei (Virtuous Imperial Concubine), but were even turned against his own people by the emperor.

Now, he had no choice but to step forward; otherwise, their morale would collapse.

"Your Majesty, hold on!"

"Although Lord Liu and the others' words were inappropriate, their intentions were good. Such a harsh punishment would chill the hearts of loyal ministers!"

As soon as Mei Wenshi spoke, many others pleaded for mercy.

Zhang Kang, the Censor-in-Chief, Mei Kang, the Vice Minister of Revenue, and other officials all spoke up for Liu Wenlang and the others.

But Jiang Chen remained firm, unyielding in his decision.

Ignoring the ministers, he shot a sharp gaze at the Jin Wu Wei (Imperial Guards): "Are you still not moving? Are you waiting for朕 (zhèn, I, imperial use) to personally invite you?"

Shi Ping, the captain of the guard, straightened his face and immediately began arresting people.

For a time, the great hall was filled with noise and pleas for mercy.

Yuan Buyi had been pondering how to raise disaster relief funds when he suddenly felt a gaze upon him.

He looked up in confusion and met Jiang Chen's meaningful eyes.

Startled for a moment, he immediately understood and stepped forward, saying:

"Your Majesty, this must not be done!"

These words caused Mei Wenshi and the others to cry out in surprise.

How could this old fox, Yuan Buyi, stand up for them? Impossible!

Could the sun be rising in the west today?

Just as Mei Wenshi and the others were wondering, Jiang Chen's angry voice sounded again.

"Minister Yuan, step back!"

"Liu Wenlang and the others slandered朕's imperial concubine; they are exceedingly bold and must be severely punished! No one can plead for them!"

"Your Majesty, we acted this way for the sake of the Wei dynasty. We beg you to show mercy and spare us!"

"We are loyal subjects of the court! Your Majesty, you shouldn't treat us like this!"

Liu Wenlang wept bitterly. He was still young and had a bright future ahead of him. A hundred strokes, even if he survived, would leave him crippled. How could he accept that?

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. A hundred strokes is truly too severe."

"The court is currently facing many troubles. It would be better to let Lord Liu and the others atone for their crimes, which would alleviate the court's burden."

Yuan Buyi's tone was sincere, his words clear and persuasive.

The other officials nodded in agreement, and Zhang Kang even echoed:

"Your Majesty, Minister Yuan is right!"

"Now that the Wei River is flooding, we are in dire need of manpower. Our Censorate cannot be without Lord Liu and the others."

Jiang Chen deliberately showed a hint of hesitation, scrutinized Liu Wenlang and the others, and said sternly:

"Hmph, if it weren't for Qing (qīng, term of endearment for officials) Yuan and Qing Zhang pleading for you, 朕 would not have spared you so easily!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Wenlang and the others' eyes revealed the joy of being rescued from the brink of despair, and they trembled as they said:

"The guilty ministers, the guilty ministers, thank Your Majesty for your grace!"

As they spoke, more than a dozen people touched their foreheads to the ground.

But Jiang Chen then said: "朕 is willing to forgive you, but 朕 must see if you are sincerely repentant!"

Repent?

The crowd paused in their kowtowing and looked up at the dragon throne in confusion.

At Jiang Chen's gesture, their gazes turned to the silver taels scattered on the ground.

Mei Wenshi and the others were the first to realize that His Majesty had put on this show for the money in their hands!

Was this still the fatuous and incompetent emperor who only knew how to indulge in pleasure?

His methods of scheming against people and controlling officials were simply chilling!

Liu Wenlang was young, but smart enough to become the Vice Censor-in-Chief. He immediately understood Jiang Chen's intentions.

"Your Majesty, this minister is willing to donate one thousand taels of silver for disaster relief!"

Jiang Chen's lips curled slightly. One thousand taels? Are you trying to send away beggars?!

Sensing the emperor's displeasure, Liu Wenlang added loudly:

"Your Majesty, this minister is willing to donate five thousand taels of silver, plus a three-courtyard residence in the suburbs of the capital!"

In Da Wei, the residences in the suburbs of the capital were not cheap. A three-courtyard residence would cost at least four thousand taels.

Calculated in this way, Liu Wenlang would have to donate at least nine thousand taels of silver this time! This was a significant expenditure for a Vice Censor-in-Chief.

Of course, Jiang Chen also knew that these guys usually took bribes and squeezed money from the people, so they were all dripping with wealth, and this little bit of money was nothing to them. They just didn't dare to show it openly.

After everyone finished stating the amount of their donations, they looked up at Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen's expression remained unchanged, and his gaze turned to Mei Wenshi and the others:

"Too little!"

"Are there no other civil and military officials willing to contribute to disaster relief?"

As soon as he spoke, the officials looked at each other.

Was His Majesty asking them for money?

Just as everyone was silent, Xu Changqing suddenly stepped forward and was the first to respond to Jiang Chen!

"Your Majesty, this minister is willing to donate one hundred and fifty thousand taels of silver and one hundred dan (a unit of dry measure for grain) of grain to support the Wei River!"

Hearing this amount, Liu Wenlang and the others felt a darkness before their eyes. Wasn't this pushing them to their deaths?

Your Xu family has been in business for generations and has a thick fortune, so you can afford this money, how can we compare with you?

Mei Wenshi's face darkened as he looked at Xu Changqing.

These two, monarch and minister, were clearly trying to force them to submit!

He didn't care about temporary gains and losses, but the emperor's transformation had to be clarified!

Now was not the time to break face.

"Your Majesty, this minister is willing to donate ten thousand taels of silver, plus one hundred dan of grain, to support disaster relief."

Mei Wenshi cupped his hands and stepped forward, his attitude gentle.

The ministers in the hall saw him express his attitude and stood up one after another, offering donations, as if they were willing to give everything for the people of Wei River.

"Your Majesty, this minister is willing to donate five thousand taels to help the victims!"

"Your Majesty, this minister is willing to sell his residence, plus twenty dan of grain!"

"Your Majesty, this minister..."

Jiang Chen looked at the enthusiastic scene in the center of the hall, but a sneer rose from the corner of his mouth.

These officials usually cried poverty more than anyone else, but unexpectedly, squeezing them today yielded so much profit! They must have been taking money from the national treasury all along!

Thinking of this, Jiang Chen's face became even darker.

At this moment, Feng Jin, holding a scroll recording the amount of donations from the ministers, walked to Jiang Chen's side.

"Your Majesty, please take a look."

Feng Jin's tone was very cautious, as he could feel His Majesty's displeasure.

As the Chief Eunuch, reading the expressions of others was an instinct engraved in his bones.

Taking the scroll, Jiang Chen roughly glanced at it and estimated the total amount of donations.

Well, five hundred thousand taels of silver, plus nearly a thousand dan of grain, such a huge sum of money was enough to deal with the Wei River flood.

Once 朕 has settled the affected people, the good days for you corrupt officials will be over!

With a 'whoosh' sound.

Jiang Chen closed the scroll, and his majestic gaze intimidated the ministers.

"Yuan Buyi, 朕 gives you three days to gather the supplies and rush to the Wei River, can you do it?"

Yuan Buyi knelt down excitedly: "Your Majesty, this minister will not fail his mission! This minister kowtows to Your Majesty for his great kindness on behalf of the people of Wei River!"

Jiang Chen nodded slightly, his eyes turned to Xu Changqing.

"Qing Xu, there are many bandits along the Wei River. 朕 orders you to lead the Southern Army to clear this disaster, protect Qing Yuan's disaster relief, can you do it?"

Xu Changqing cupped his hands in salute, his refined face showing excitement: "Your Majesty, within a month, this minister will surely eliminate the bandits on both sides of the Wei River and return a peaceful and prosperous home to the people!"

Jiang Chen's eyes flashed with relief when he heard this.

Then, his gaze swept over Mei Wenshi and the others.

Regarding Xu Changqing's command of the army, Mei Wenshi uncharacteristically did not speak out to stop it.

Even Mei Kang, who was usually impulsive and easily angered, behaved very obediently...