Chapter 557: Rotten To The Bones
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation | Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Su Ying told the Minister of Appointments to mark out the names of those people who were promoted and rewarded on the booklet.
The Minister of Appointments didn’t know what Su Ying was up to, but he still did as she instructed.
After he was done, Su Ying took the booklet and looked through it. There were quite a number of people marked out in the columns, and many of them had already reached high positions. It would be very problematic to investigate them.
Su Ying handed the booklet to Zhou Qing and told her to copy out all the highlighted names on it.
After copying, Su Ying led Zhou Qing out of the Ministry of Justice.
“Your Imperial Highness, are we going back to the palace now?” Su Ying shook her head. “Proceed to the Prime Minister’s Residence.” Zhou Qing didn’t understand why Su Ying was going to the Prime Minister’s Residence at this point.
Up until now, Su Yulun had not returned to court, nor had he stepped outside his home. He also did not receive any visitors and had simply holed up in the Prime Minister’s Residence. No one knew what he was thinking.
Su Yulun was very surprised when he learned that Su Ying had arrived, but his face then immediately clouded over.
If this were in the past, he would still have some hope for Su Ying, thinking that they could stand on the same side. However, reality had slapped him in the face so many times that he no longer dared to have such a fantasy.
Unable to figure out Su Ying’s intentions, Su Yulun could only invite her into the main hall.
Su Ying sat down on the main seat and swept her gaze over Su Yulun. After a series of setbacks, Su Yulun’s spirit had been greatly weakened, and he appeared to have aged more than ten years compared to his past self.
“May I know what brings Your Imperial Highness to my residence?” Su Yulun asked outright.
“I do have something to ask you.” Su Ying instructed Zhou Qing to take out the name list that she had just copied.
Prime Minister, have a look. Are you familiar with the people on this list?” Su Yulun took the name list and read it carefully. He had been in the Imperial Court for so many years, so how could he not know these people?
“What does Your imperial Highness want to do?”
Su Ying tapped her fingers on the table. “Oh, it’s nothing much. These people have been in the Imperial Court for many years. There are bound to be a few matters about them that can’t be exposed in public. Dig out those matters and give them two choices. One, you will report those matters to the Emperor. Two, ask them how much of their military merits in the war with the Qiang Tribe were earned honestly by them. If they don’t want to lose everything completely, they are to kneel their way from their own doorstep to the grave of the Great General Weimeng and kowtow to him in apology.”
Su Yulun’s hair stood on end when he heard that!
He knew it! What good could this unfilial daughter bring when she approached him? She was clearly asking him to offend people!
It was true that he was the Prime Minister, but it did not mean that he could manipulate these aristocratic families at will, especially those who had been around for more than a century. What the hell! Did he look like such a big sucker?
Su Yulun held back his anger and said through gritted teeth, “Your Imperial Highness, I’ve been feeling unwell recently and I’m afraid I can’t bear such a great responsibility. I’m worried that I can’t carry out such an important task well and disappoint Your Imperial Highness. Please look for another candidate, Your Imperial Highness.”
Su Ying wasn’t annoyed and even said patiently, “Ooh… look at me. I have forgotten about this matter. Prime Minister is not in good health! But no problem. My medical skills are good. From today onward, I will temporarily stay in the Prime Minister’s Residence to help you treat your body until your body recovers, Prime Minister.”
The veins on Su Yulun’s forehead almost burst out. He gritted his teeth and said, “Your Imperial Highness is the master of the Imperial harem’s palace complex. How can you stay outside the palace?”
“Well, I am doing this for your health. Prime Minister, you are the pillar of the kingdom. It is only right for me to make some sacrifices.”
You!” Su Yulun knew that Su Ying was doing this on purpose. He had tasted her methods before. If he really allowed her to stay, he would be skinned alive even if he didn’t die!
After weighing the pros and cons, Su Yulun decided that his life was more important. “Your Imperial Highness, what exactly do you want?” He had to know her motive for doing this so that he could make a decision on how to deal with this matter.
“The Great General Weimeng died unjustly, and his resentment was tremendous. I couldn’t bear to see this and just wanted to make the people who stole his credit pay the price. It’s not anything so difficult.”
If it wasn’t difficult, why didn’t she do it herself!
The Great General Weimeng had been dead for so many years, and Su Yulun didn’t know why Su Ying was still bringing up something from so long ago. Nonetheless, since she had already made her request clear, then if he complied, wouldn’t he be able to negotiate some terms?
“Does His Majesty know about this?”
“What do you think?”
It was impossible for the Emperor to not know about such a major matter. Su Ying and Xiao Jin were not people who could be easily manipulated by others. Su Yulun ultimately decided to protect his job first.
“Don’t worry, Your Imperial Highness. Your lowly official will not disappoint Your Imperial Highness.”
“You have half a month at most. I don’t care what method you use, I’ll only give you half a month at most. I want to see them kneel before the grave of the Great General Weimeng and repent!”
Half a month! Why didn’t she ask for the sky!
“Your Imperial Highness…”
“You can’t?”
Middle-aged men hated it the most when others said that they couldn’t do it!
This was particularly so when Su Ying’s tone was filled with contempt.
Su Yulun took a deep breath. ”Alright. In half a month’s time, your lowly official will definitely give Your Imperial Highness a satisfactory answer!”
“I believe that Prime Minister will definitely not disappoint me.”
As soon as Su Ying left, Su Yulun was so angry that he swept away everything on the table. What kind of sin did he commit to give birth to such a creature!
Xiao Jin only knew that Su Ying had gone to the Ministry of Justice, but he didn’t ask about what happened in detail.
It wasn’t until Su Ying returned at night, after the family of four had dinner, and after the two little ones had been coaxed to sleep, that Su Ying told Xiao Jin about what had happened at the Ministry of Justice.
“I’ve asked Su Yulun to deal with those people. Does Your Majesty have any objections?”
After saying this, Su Ying turned her head up from Xiao Jin’s lap and glanced at him.
“You actually thought of looking for him?” Other people probably wouldn’t be able to understand if they knew Su Yulun was tasked to handle the matter of offending other people, but Xiao Jin felt that Su Ying was really smart.
“Didn’t that bastard Su Yulun pocket some gains in that matter of the Jing Prefecture dam? I have to make him slowly pay off all the debts he owed.”
Xiao Jin’s coarse fingertips gently caressed Su Ying’s face. The touch of his fingertips was slightly cold but very soft.
“Actually, half of those people were promoted by the late Emperor.” The one who really wanted the Great General Weimeng dead was not those aristocratic families, but the late emperor.
“Back then, the Great General Weimeng already had great prestige in the army. However, he was not on the late emperor’s side. He was much closer to the late emperor’s rival. How could the late emperor not be afraid of such a hidden danger sitting beside him?”
Su Ying frowned. The late emperor was truly rotten to the bone. He truly practiced the art of burning bridges after crossing them to perfection.
However, Xiao Jin was his son. He could not possibly criticize the late emperor’s actions after he had been dead for so long. He could only take action on those people the late emperor had promoted back then.
The rest were matters of the Imperial Court, so Su Ying didn’t care anymore. Xiao Jin said that he would settle it and that she didn’t have to worry about it.
Right now, Su Ying only needed to wait for the Ministry of Justice to capture Li An for her to ask him where he had gotten that Fire Token.
She did not want the Red Demon Sect to have any private dealings with the Imperial Court.
Before the matter with the White Lotus Cult concluded, Su Ying received a message from Mo Tu.
He had arrived in the capital city with Que Que..