FID – Chapter 991

Chapter 991: This King’s Consort—How Dare You Covet Her?

While he was lost in thought, Zhu Hu had already fallen to his knees in front of them. Tears streamed down his aged face as he wept in deep regret. Holding his official hat high above his head with both hands, he said, “Your servant greets Your Highness, the King and the King’s Consort! I know my sins are grave. I have failed in teaching my son properly. Today, I willingly resign from my post to atone for my crimes!”

“F-Father! Save me! Save me! I don’t want to die, Father—please save me!” Seeing his savior right before him, Zhu Xian tried desperately to crawl closer. The arrogance and swagger he had shown earlier were long gone, replaced only by stark terror.

“Silence, you unfilial beast!” Zhu Hu was about to lash out in fury when a thick stack of papers was thrown down before him.

Feng Qingbai said calmly, “Of course punishment is due. With so many charges, not a single person involved will get away. As the commandery administrator, you allowed your son to run rampant in Cangzhou, committing crimes too numerous to record. Do you think a single claim of ‘I didn’t know’ can clear you of fault? If you can’t even control your own son, how can you govern the people of an entire prefecture?”

Staring at the pile of complaints stacked like snow, the color drained from Zhu Hu’s face. “Y-Your Highness, I am wrongfully accused! I am innocent, Your Highness. None of this was known to me!”

“When nearly the entire city’s populace testifies against you, you still dare deny your crimes? If you had not erred in your conduct as an official, why would the people turn against you? Or are you suggesting that the entire city conspired together to bring down their own commandery administrator? For a ruler, winning the people’s trust is the path to power; the same holds true for an official. When did you forget this principle?”

Feng Qingbai’s eyes were icy cold. Ignoring Zhu Hu, who looked about to collapse, he parted his lips and delivered the verdict: “Zhu Hu, commandery administrator of Cangzhou, used his authority to wield unchecked power over Cangzhou, forming factions for personal gain during his tenure, accepting bribes, and sheltering his son as he committed evil. From this moment, he is stripped of his office and thrown into prison to await the imperial court’s interrogation. All his family property shall be confiscated and turned over to the state.”

“Sang Ping, Prefect of Cangzhou—while occupying your post, you failed to fulfill your duties, neglected your responsibilities, and colluded with Zhu Xian to harm innocent citizens. You are hereby removed from office, imprisoned, and will await interrogation by the imperial court.”

……

The man’s clear, steady voice fell one judgment after another, condemning every implicated official present—none were spared.

The commoners erupted into cheers; shouts of joy and praise filled the entire yamen.

Among the dozen or so Cangzhou officials brought to justice this time, the most notable were Commandery Administrator Zhu Hu and his son, as well as Prefect Sang Ping.

Zhu Xian, particular, was the direct culprit behind the torment and deaths of the people. Everyone had been waiting eagerly to see him receive the punishment he deserved.

That clear, resolute voice did not betray the crowd’s expectations. It slowly sounded again:

“Zhu Xian, son of the Commandery Administrator of Cangzhou—bullied merchants, coerced men, violated women; misappropriated public resources and treated the laws of the empire as nothing. You have run rampant in Cangzhou for more than ten years, causing the wrongful deaths of many innocents and earning the hatred of the people. Your crimes are innumerable and your evil immeasurable. You are thereby sentenced to execution!”

With that final verdict, the people outside the hall erupted in thunderous cheers.

The shadow that had weighed over Cangzhou for more than ten years was finally about to lift.

The prefect and the commandery administrator had fallen; Zhu Xian had been brought to justice. Never again would they have to live in constant fear of tyranny, trembling through each day.

Inside the hall, however, there was a deathly silence.

All the officials standing within, high-ranking and low-ranking alike, wore ashen faces.

Because of Zhu Xian’s crimes, ten of them had lost their positions, while the rest were all demoted or punished.

Not a single person dared to cry injustice.

“This journey to Cangzhou has truly opened this King’s eyes.” Feng Qingbai swept his gaze over the assembled officials, the curve of his thin lips icy.

“The son of a mere Commandery Administrator, yet within the provincial capital he dared call himself the Crown Prince. Arrogant enough to claim he was the law itself! He was able to mobilize imperial constables at will, treating the yamen as his personal court! Arresting whomever he pleased, slapping on whatever charges he wished! And this happened not once or twice, not for just a day or two. Are you all going to tell me that you had no knowledge of it?”

No one dared utter a sound.

Sang Ping was shaking like a leaf, cold sweat soaking through layer after layer of his clothes.

He was the prefect, the one who oversaw all local yamen affairs. Without his approval, Zhu Xian could never have used the yamen constables as his personal tools.

Thus, his earlier plea of ‘I didn’t know’ now seemed utterly laughable.

“Zhu Hu, this King remembers that you were born into a poor family. It was no easy feat for you to rise step by step to where you stand today. Do you still remember the oath you swore when you were appointed Commandery Administrator of Cangzhou? I did not expect that a single taste of success would make you forget your original intentions. Save this display of three kneels and one kowtow. It is useless before this King. A wrong is a wrong; no excuses will be entertained!”

Zhu Hu collapsed to the floor, as devastated as one mourning a parent.

“Men! Take all those convicted and throw them into prison to await further judgment!” Feng Qingbai glanced coldly at the hesitant constables. “What? Have you forgotten whose salary you are paid with?”

The yamen constables immediately stepped forward, dragging away the once lofty officials one by one and throwing them into the jail.

By taking the imperial court’s salary, they belonged to the court—not to any individual official.

With matters handled up to this point, all officials in Cangzhou, ranging from the prefect down to the registrar were punished accordingly. None escaped unscathed. The case could be considered settled.

Though Zhu Hu had built a vast and deep network of connections in Cangzhou, the grievances of the common people were overwhelming. He had lost the people’s support. 

With the King personally conducting the trial and citizens stepping forward to testify, his entire power structure collapsed overnight. None of his connections could help him.

Thus, confiscating the Zhu family’s property required little effort.

When the yamen guards went to seize the Zhu manor, the citizens of Cangzhou followed them all the way, even setting off firecrackers along the route.

With the downfall of Zhu Hu, his son, and the other implicated officials, the atmosphere throughout the city was transformed—joy and celebration everywhere.

Amid the lively commotion, Feng Qingbai made his way to the prison.

He stopped before the cell where Zhu Xian was held.

It was dark and damp.

The man who had been so arrogant at noon now could only crouch in a corner like a dog, awaiting death.

With all four limbs broken, Zhu Xian couldn’t even crawl. Pain had twisted his features, and when he heard movement outside his cell, he could only turn his head sideways. He watched as the man outside approached, black brocade boots stopping right in front of his eyes.

“What more do you want!” Zhu Xian’s eyes were bloodshot; fear and hatred warred within him. He issued a fierce bark that was hollow at its core. “My family has been stripped bare, my father removed from office, and I’ve been sentenced to execution! What else do you want? What more are you dissatisfied with?!”

“The moment you harbored wicked intentions, you should have known this would be your fate.” The man finished the thought for him, his words stabbing precisely into the rawest part of Zhu Xian’s heart. “Now, you regret it deeply—regret that a moment of lust has brought you to total ruin.”

The man bent down toward him, his voice soft and faint, “How could someone like you ever dare covet this King’s Consort?”

The prisoner’s pupils contracted violently. A heartbeat later, a shrill, agonized scream tore through the cell, but not a single jailer dared to look in that direction.

Only after the King had left did the guards stationed outside the cell approach to take a look. When they saw the scene inside, a chill ran down their spines.

The man’s eye sockets were sunken in, blood and flesh mangled. Below the waist, blood was everywhere—he had been utterly destroyed.