Climbing to the Top: A Reborn Queen's Journey-Chapter 712: Cutting the Flesh (Part 3)

The next day coincided with the grand court assembly.

The Emperor sat solemnly on the Dragon Throne as Secretary Wang presented the memorial from Duke An and read it aloud before the court.

The originally solemn and quiet grand assembly was disturbed, akin to a drop of water splashing into hot oil, with the reading of this admission of guilt by Duke An.

Officials who had previously submitted memorials impeaching Duke An emerged to denounce him. The original Grand Empress Dowager’s Faction remained silent, with no one stepping forward to defend Duke An.

The once mighty vessel of the Zheng Family was now leaking with a gaping hole, cold river water continually pouring in. It barely remained afloat for now, but sinking seemed inevitable.

It was solely the Grand Empress Dowager Zheng who had fiercely protected the Zheng Family. Otherwise, the Zheng Family would have long been dragged to the execution grounds, leading to a massacre and the confiscation of their entire estate.

Duke An offered to step down and pledge half of his family’s wealth, merely to silence the public for a while.

The Emperor sat listening to the angry scolding of Duke An for a long time before finally speaking: "Duke An has confessed to his crimes and pleaded to resign; I grant his wishes."

"The Zheng Family is to cede half of their wealth as military funds for the Heroic Guard Camp. This will be considered as redeeming faults with merits! The Zheng Family shall be spared this time."

"Minister Ji!"

Minister Ji immediately cupped his hands: "Your servant is here!"

"Duke An has served as Duke for many years; I must grant him some dignity," the Emperor stated calmly. "You will personally go to the Zheng Family and tell them that previous matters are to be written off. The fifty percent of the wealth that the Zheng Family contributes must enter the National Treasury without one penny missing. In the future, it will be reserved exclusively for military expenses to quell rebellions by the Heroic Guard Camp."

What’s the key point?

The key point is not even a penny less!

This was Duke An’s ransom silver to buy the entire Zheng Family’s survival. Since it was stated as fifty percent, it must indeed be fifty percent in reality.

Minister Ji immediately understood, solemnly acknowledging: "Your servant will certainly take care of the matter diligently."

...

The transition of the throne, with a new emperor ascending and cleansing the court, appointing trusted confidants, is nothing unusual.

The Empress has been remarkably calm and restrained, not indulging in widespread killings. However, the frequency of estates being confiscated has indeed increased. The citizens of the Capital City have observed several rounds of excitement: first, it was the Gao Liang Prince Mansion, followed closely by the Wan Family and the Zhang Family. Although the confiscation of the Huaiyang Prince Mansion and the Wu’an County Prince Mansion was not witnessed due to distance, the scenes of wealth being sent to the Ministry of Revenue were certainly eye-opening.

Now, it was the Zheng Family’s turn.

Of course, for the Zheng Family, it wasn’t a confiscation but voluntarily offering half of their wealth.

Minister Ji personally led people into the Zheng Family residence to proclaim the Emperor’s decree.

Duke An led the Zheng Family to kneel on the ground; no one knew the extent of his inner turmoil, though his outward appearance remained composed. At least, there were no tears and lamentations, preserving the last shred of dignity.

After reading the imperial decree, Minister Ji ordered the plaque of the Duke Mansion to be taken down and then said to Duke An: "Lord Duke, I come at the Emperor’s decree to perform my duty today, and I apologize for any offense."

Watching the plaque being removed felt like a knife through Duke An’s heart, and he reluctantly squeezed out a few words: "Please convey my thanks to His Majesty when you return to the palace, Mr. Ji."

After serving together in the same hall for decades, even if there were no heartfelt camaraderie, there was some collegial friendship. Seeing Duke An at the end of his rope made Minister Ji feel uneasy.

He reached out to help Duke An up, whispering a reminder: "The Emperor instructed me to collect and inspect the Zheng Family’s fifty percent wealth; not a single penny less."

The warning implied was well understood by Duke An without needing to be detailed.

Duke An smirked bitterly and whispered, "I know the gravity of the situation and dare not play tricks. Rest assured, the account books are ready. You can take them to the warehouse and verify and audit them one by one."

Minister Ji nodded, instructing Tang Youyin to collect the account books. The entourage then grandly proceeded to the Zheng Family’s warehouse.

The Duchess An fainted from weeping again.

Dragging one leg, Duke An moved slowly forward with the assistance of a long-term follower, instructing without looking back: "Someone, carry the Duchess back to her room. For the next few days, stay indoors to recuperate and avoid public embarrassment."

...

How much wealth did the Zheng Family truly have?

Just how much was fifty percent of their estate?

Citizens gathered outside the Zheng Family’s gate daily for entertainment.

The officials of Da Liang each busily attended to their duties, unable to spare time for spectacle during the day. Yet, after work, quite a few orchestrated their carriages to pass by the Zheng Family mansion for a loop of curiosity.

Each evening, the area outside the Duke Mansion became teeming with carriages and pedestrians, far livelier than a marketplace.

Anyway, by the time Left General set off with his troops, the officials of the Ministry of Revenue had not yet finished counting.

Prime Minister Wang never set foot outside but had a thorough knowledge of the situation at the Zheng Family.

Wang Jin worked late into the night at the palace before being summoned to the study, visibly exhausted. By the light of glowing candles, Prime Minister Wang’s expression was unusual as he spoke directly: "Fourth son, do you know how much gold and silver the Zheng Family ultimately offered up?"

Though Wang Jin served within the imperial court, his understanding was still not as detailed as Prime Minister Wang’s: "I only know it’s more than what was seized from the Gao Liang Prince Mansion."

Prime Minister Wang sneered: "Not merely! Adding in the estates of the Huaiyang Prince Mansion and the Wu’an County Prince Mansion, it is barely equivalent."

And this is just half of their estate!

To describe the Zheng Family as wealthier than a nation is no exaggeration.

The fifty percent estate offered was sufficient to supply the Heroic Guard Camp with military expenses and provisions for tens of thousands of soldiers for ten years!

Upon hearing this, Wang Jin remained silent for a long time before finally speaking quietly: "Compared to the Zheng Family, how does our Wang Family measure up?"

This time, it was Prime Minister Wang who was rendered speechless.

The Zheng Family’s wealth could rival a nation. Widely regarded as the top aristocratic family of Da Liang, the Wang Family was no less affluent than the Zheng Family.

The wealth and blood extracted from the Zheng Family filled the depleted National Treasury, nourishing the financially strained court. Would the Wang Family be the next one to have its "flesh and blood" extracted?

"Father," Wang Jin sighed deeply, "with every new emperor comes new courtiers. The Empress has only ascended the throne for a few months, yet the court embodies a brand new atmosphere. Father should visit the Six Ministries to see for yourself. Now each government office operates with efficiency that surpasses previous times many fold. No one shirks responsibility; no one dares to slack off; everyone is fully engaged in their duties. The old bad habit in the officialdom of taking a cut has been decisively ended by the Empress."

"The present is truly different from the past. Father must also genuinely face the reality!"

Prime Minister Wang, feeling pierced in his heart, frowned and glared at his son: "I have already agreed to your request to purge the deadwood of the Wang Family. What more do you want? Are you suggesting we also follow the Zheng Family and voluntarily offer up fifty percent of our estate?"

Wang Jin surprisingly said: "Why not! A large tree attracts the wind; our Wang Family’s vast estate is all gleaned from the fat of the land and sweat of the people. Offering a portion to the court now, taking from the people and using it for the people, could be seen as returning it to its rightful owner."

Prime Minister Wang, infuriated, pointed at Wang Jin’s nose and shouted: "Get out of here!"

"For you, I have retreated again and again, made concession after concession. Now you intend to strip me of my last bit of dignity! Get out!"