Sure enough, after a minor official confessed to the crime.
More than a dozen officials in the court could not bear the pressure and surrendered one after another.
Some of them, both in terms of official position and amount of corruption, far exceed that of the minor officials.
Some people even embezzled tens of thousands of taels of silver.
Faced with the guilty pleas of these corrupt officials, Yan Lichu decisively adopted Su Ye's suggestion.
Officials who voluntarily surrendered were exempted from the death penalty, but they were deprived of their official positions and exiled to the frontiers.
As more and more people come forward, those officials who remain silent even though they know they are guilty are becoming increasingly tormented.
The expression of Assistant Minister Chen Mu also became more serious.
In his opinion, Yan Lichu and Su Ye did not dare to publish the list.
All this is just a bluff.
However, this move still exposed some people's weaknesses.
If this continues, his power will be greatly reduced.
Even he is the only commander left!
Chen Mu finally couldn't hold himself back any longer, just as the next fourth-grade official was about to speak.
He warned the official with a stern look and mouthed the threat:
"Don't forget your family."
The official looked shocked.
Chen Mu's ruthless tactics are well known to everyone.
Even if he managed to save his life, he would be exiled to the frontier and survive.
However, the ruthless Chen Mu will definitely look for opportunities to retaliate.
At that time, he will be dismissed from his official position and far away from the capital. How can he protect his family?
The fourth-grade official thought of this and hesitated for a moment in his outstretched steps.
Finally, he slowly took it back.
He stood stiffly, neither daring to raise his head to face the empress, nor to look sideways at the auxiliary minister.
An uncomfortable silence gradually spread among the ministers.
The atmosphere in the hall changed, making everyone feel stressed.
Seeing the fourth-grade official flinch, he looked at Chen Mu's sinister eyes.
Other officials who had been hesitant to come forward bowed their heads, filled with fear.
They knew the determination of Yan Lichu and Su Ye, and they also understood that Chen Mu's threat was not groundless.
Under this kind of pressure, no one dared to act rashly anymore and chose to remain silent.
Whether it was Chen Mu's threat or the ministers chose to retreat out of fear.
None of this escaped Su Ye's sight.
The atmosphere in the court became increasingly tense. Yan Lichu couldn't help but feel anxious when he saw that the situation was gradually reaching a deadlock.
She knew that if this dilemma could not be broken at this moment, the integrity crisis would probably end in vain.
The blue veins on Yan Lichu's forehead popped out, and he felt helpless. This group of people clearly wanted to drink wine as a penalty instead of eating the toast!
She lifted up the list written by Chen Mu, threw it onto the hall, and declared sternly:
"I have given you ample opportunity. Those listed on the list who fail to take the initiative to plead guilty will be severely punished!"
"I will keep my word!"
Seeing that the time, place and amount of bribes taken by each official were clearly recorded in black and white.
They were all written by Chen Mu himself.
Only now did they understand that Yan Lichu and Su Ye had already obtained conclusive evidence.
Facing the empress's anger, the atmosphere in the court fell to freezing point.
All the ministers were dejected and frightened in their hearts.
The officials on the list were all panicked when they saw Yan Li's first real move.
Chen Mu felt deeply that the situation was serious, his expression suddenly changed, and he was quite panicked.
He had never expected that Yan Lichu would dare to disclose the list, and he became increasingly flustered.
Only now did some officials realize that their lives were at stake, and they were so horrified that they knelt down and begged for mercy.
"I hope Your Majesty will be merciful and merciful!"
Yan Lichu glanced at the ministers in the hall with firm eyes, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
These officials, who are usually sanctimonious and talk about benevolence, justice and morality, are now like bereaved dogs, showing their ugly appearance.
She won't give anyone another chance, just wave her hand.
Then a group of palace guards filed in, arrested all the remaining officials on the list, and threw them into prison.
All of a sudden, cries and regrets could be heard in the hall.
However, Yan Lichu dropped two words without hesitation:
"Retreat!"
Turn around and leave immediately, no longer watching this farce.
Confession at this time is of no use.
Except for the fact that corrupt officials themselves were detained in prisons, waiting to be executed.
The Imperial Guard in the capital also mobilized in full force, broke into the residences of corrupt officials, and conducted a comprehensive search of their property.
For a whole day, the capital city was shrouded in fear and turmoil.
It's so lively.
The people were talking a lot and were deeply shocked by this corruption crisis.
At the same time, he also expressed admiration for Yan Lichu's firm determination and decisive actions.
Officials who have held high positions and become famous.
Now he is behind bars for corruption and has become a talking point for people after dinner.
Due to the suddenness of the incident, no one expected this sudden disaster.
Most of the stolen money is stored in the mansion and has not yet been transferred.
The Imperial Guards plundered countless gold and silver treasures and piled them up like mountains.
Su Ye was ordered to count the stolen money and was surprised to find out.
The total value of these gold and silver treasures is enough to be worth the total tax revenue of Dayan for more than ten years!
It's very surprising.
I don’t know how much of it was supposed to be relief funds for refugees, and how much was supposed to be weapons and armor for soldiers.
Yan Lichu decisively ordered that all the stolen money be collected to fill the vacancy in the national treasury and relieve the people.
At a time when the national treasury is in huge deficit due to years of war.
An anti-corruption campaign emerged to successfully fill this gap.
This storm shocked the entire court, and also made the people of Yan Kingdom look at Yan Lichu with new eyes.
They all lamented that the young empress was not as weak as the rumors said.
Rather, he is a wise king who dares to face problems head-on and reforms.
Rumors spread in the streets and alleys.
The story of the Empress of Yan and Baiyi Su Ye working together to clear up the government and save the fate of the common people has become a ballad and a storybook.
It was passed down word of mouth among the people and became a legend.
Some are happy and some are sad.
When Assistant Minister Chen Mu returned to the mansion, he was surprised to find that the clothes on his back were soaked in cold sweat.
At this time, the subordinates who did not know how to assess the situation came forward to flatter them:
"Your Excellency has a high status, and His Majesty is so powerful that I dare not offend you even a little bit."
Chen Mu felt irritated and slapped him with his hand:
"idiot!"
The subordinate covered his red and swollen cheeks and knelt down in fear, begging for mercy:
"My subordinate made a mistake, please forgive me."
Chen Mu said in a serious tone:
"Yan Lichu's actions today are intended to warn me that she is no longer the easy-to-control empress of the past."
After saying this, a cold light flashed in Chen Mu's eyes.
"Hurry and inform the commanders, make arrangements in advance and be on standby at any time!"
The subordinate did not dare to delay and immediately rolled away.
Chen Mu looked in the direction of the palace in the night with murderous intent.
Yan Lichu, you have been on the throne for long enough!
