482: Chapter 483 The Emperor's Heart is Iron: Punishing Corruption with a Thunderous Strike to Rectify the Court

Lu Chen's voice echoed within the Fengtian Hall, carrying a metallic resonance, ringing out with undeniable weight.

"Is the word 'vermin' not clear enough?"

His gaze was like lightning, slowly sweeping across the officials below the steps.

The officials were silent as cicadas in winter; many already had sweat on their foreheads, and their backs felt cold.

The Emperor's words carried too much Killing Intent.

Especially those who knew they were not entirely clean; they felt even more guilty, their legs trembling.

"I view the people of the world as my own subjects." Lu Chen's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears. "Since the founding of the nation, salaries have been raised repeatedly, and rewards have never been stingy."

He paused, his lips curling into a smile that was not quite a smile. "Logically speaking, whether for high or low-ranking officials, providing fine clothes and food for your wives and children should not be a problem, right?"

Lu Chen sneered, "The sky is not high; the human heart is higher than the sky. Selling plain water as wine, yet still complaining that the pigs have no swill."

"These words might be a bit crude, but the logic is sound."

"There are some who, if given a thousand taels of silver, will still dream of a mountain of gold. If given a mountain of gold, they will still want all the wealth in the world to belong to them."

"This greed is like wild grass in the fields; after a single rain, it grows wildly and can never be fully eradicated."

He paced back and forth a few times, the hem of his Dragon robe dragging across the floor with a faint rustling sound.

"You all are the pillars of my Great Ming, well-read in the classics and deeply understanding of reason."

"Tell me, how should this greed be curbed? How should these vermin be purged?"

The hall was deathly silent.

Who dared to speak first? If one spoke too lightly, they would be deceiving the Emperor. If one spoke too heavily, and His Majesty truly acted upon it, heads would roll.

As the Left Chancellor and head of the officials, Yang Xiao could not remain silent at this moment.

He braced himself and stepped forward. "Reporting to Your Majesty, I believe we should strictly enforce the laws, appoint inspection censors, and increase the severity of punishments. Once corruption is verified, there must be no leniency!"

"Severe laws and harsh punishments?" Lu Chen was noncommittal. "Left Chancellor Yang, is the punishment for corruption in our great ming code considered light?"

Yang Xiao felt a chill in his heart. "Replying to Your Majesty, the great ming code is strict; embezzling more than five thousand wen results in criminal charges."

"Then why are there still people who dare to defy the law?" Lu Chen pressed.

Yang Xiao was momentarily speechless; he opened his mouth but did not know how to answer.

Seeing this, Right Chancellor Fan Yao stepped forward to defuse the situation. "Your Majesty, I believe that besides strict laws, we should also strengthen moral education. By requiring officials to cultivate their character, know shame, and understand honor and disgrace, we can fundamentally eradicate corruption."

"Moral education, strict laws—these are all old tunes played again." Lu Chen's voice rang out again, breaking the silence. "Today, I want to discuss something fresh."

He sat up slightly, his gaze suddenly becoming sharp, like two beams of cold light piercing downward.

"The Imperial Examination!"

As soon as these words were spoken, many officials shuddered imperceptibly.

"Three years since the founding of the Great Ming, I have only just held the first special Imperial Examination to widely recruit talented individuals."

"I believe that the Foundation of a nation lies in talent. This Imperial Examination is the narrow bridge for selecting talent for the country; among thousands of troops and horses, only the elite are chosen."

Lu Chen's voice suddenly rose, carrying a trace of icy anger. "Yet, some people want to build side paths and take the Evil Path on this narrow bridge!"

He slammed his hand on the armrest, his voice sounding like a thunderclap.

"In this Imperial Examination, there was actually malpractice!"

"Whoosh—"

The hall was instantly filled with low exclamations, like cold water splashed into hot oil, erupting instantly.

The officials raised their heads one after another, their faces filled with shock and unease.

Yang Xiao and Fan Yao exchanged glances, both seeing gravity in the other's eyes.

Malpractice in the Imperial Examination is a major case in every dynasty. Once verified, it involves a wide range of people and is enough to trigger an earthquake in the officialdom.

Lu Chen watched their reactions coldly and stood up from the Dragon throne.

"Gao Jin."

The eunuch Gao Jin, who was standing by, immediately bowed. "This servant is here."

"Pass the items around for the ministers to read." Lu Chen's tone was indifferent.

"As you command."

Gao Jin walked quickly to the imperial desk, held up a thick dossier with both hands, turned, and walked down the steps.

The dossier was first handed to the Left Chancellor, Yang Xiao.

Yang Xiao opened it and looked; after scanning just a few lines, his face instantly turned pale.

His hand holding the dossier trembled slightly.

On it, there were not only the names of the candidates involved but also the list of officials operating behind the scenes, including the time, location, methods, and financial transactions—every single detail was clearly recorded.

The dossier was passed among the officials.

The atmosphere in the Fengtian Hall was suppressed to the extreme.

Lu Chen paced to the edge of the steps, looking down at the panic-stricken faces below.

"I have said that I view the people of the world as my own subjects. This Imperial Examination is the ladder for students from humble families to ascend to the sky in one step; it is the opportunity they have exchanged for over a decade of hard study in the cold window."

"Malpractice does not just ruin the future of a few candidates; it shakes the very Foundation of our Great Ming!"

His voice was not loud, but every word carried the weight of a thousand jin.

"This list was obtained by Ding Minjun of the South Division of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Zhu Yuanzhang of the Northern Zhenfu Division, each handling the case independently and cross-verifying the evidence."

As soon as these words were spoken, the officials were even more shocked.

The South Division of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Northern Zhenfu Division—what kind of places were those?

They were the eyes and ears of Your Majesty, the sharp swords hanging over the heads of all officials!

With these two ominous government offices acting simultaneously, who would dare to question what they found?

"An object must first rot before worms can grow." Lu Chen said slowly, his voice carrying a trace of weariness, but even more coldness.

"The Great Ming has been founded for no more than three years, and in the first special Imperial Examination, someone dared to extend their greedy claws, treating the Great Ming's grand ceremony of selecting the virtuous as their own backyard!"

His gaze swept across the faces of several officials who looked ashen.

"All personnel involved, regardless of rank or past contributions, will be punished according to the great ming code without exception!"

"Your Majesty, show mercy! Your Majesty, spare our lives!"

In the crowd, someone finally could not bear it; they fell to their knees with a thud and began to cry out.

Immediately after, several others knelt down, kowtowing like pounding garlic.

Lu Chen remained unmoved, his voice still calm:

"I am not here today to listen to your weeping and pleas for mercy."

"I want you to understand one thing."

He extended a finger and pointed at the officials in the hall.

"Whether you are a Juren, a Jinshi, or a high-ranking official in the court, who gave you your official position?"

No one dared to answer.

"It is I!" Lu Chen said, enunciating every word. "It is the Great Ming court that gave it to you!"

"Without my decree, no one can touch your official caps, and no one can take away your official status!"

"I give you dignity, salaries, and power so that you may serve the country and the people, and devote your utmost effort!"

His tone shifted, and he said sternly, "Not for you to form cliques, engage in malpractice, and poison the court!"

"Look at you; some of you, in order to curry favor with superiors or pave the way for your own nephews, actually took the initiative to participate in malpractice, treating the great affairs of the state as child's play!"

Lu Chen suddenly flicked his sleeves and shouted angrily, "How is such conduct any different from treason? Their hearts deserve to be punished!"

He took a deep breath, his gaze like a knife, sweeping across the entire hall.

"I will ask you one more time. Your official status was given by me. I want you to not be sycophantic to superiors, not bully those below, and to stand tall as you conduct yourselves and your work!"

"What are you afraid of?"

"Afraid of offending colleagues? Afraid of ruining your future?"

"Or are you afraid that I am sitting too securely on this throne?"

The last sentence was filled with chilling Killing Intent.

The officials in the hall were silent as cicadas in winter; they even breathed softly.

Lu Chen's eyes narrowed, and he spat out two words: "Take them down!"

The voice was not loud, but it carried unquestionable majesty.

Before the words had faded, the clanging sound of armor suddenly erupted outside the hall.

Dozens of Embroidered Uniform Guard, wearing flying fish robes and carrying embroidered spring knives at their waists, rushed into the Fengtian Hall like wolves and tigers.

They were expressionless, their eyes cold, charging directly toward several officials in the crowd who had already been targeted.

"Your Majesty! I have shed blood for the Great Ming and performed meritorious service for Your Majesty!"

An old official was held on both sides by two Embroidered Uniform Guard, struggling and shouting.

"Drag him away!" The commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Zhu Yuanzhang, personally supervised the formation, his face as dark as water, waving his hand.

The entire Fengtian Hall was terrifyingly quiet.

Sunlight shone in from outside the hall, cutting out light and shadow, falling on the cold, stern profile of the young Emperor on the imperial throne.

Zhu Yuanzhang stepped forward and knelt on one knee. "Reporting to Your Majesty, all personnel involved have been captured, without a single omission."

Lu Chen gave an "Hmm," picked up the teacup on the imperial desk, and gently stirred the tea leaves.

"Have you all seen clearly today's events?"

Everyone bowed their heads and replied in unison, "We have seen clearly." Their voices carried an undisguisable tremor.

"Very good." Lu Chen nodded. "Left Chancellor Yang, Right Chancellor Fan."

Yang Xiao and Fan Yao hurriedly stepped forward and bowed. "We are here."

"The Imperial Examination malpractice case shall be jointly tried by the Three Judicial Offices, with the South Division of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Northern Zhenfu Division assisting in the trial. All personnel involved, regardless of who is implicated, shall be strictly punished without leniency." Lu Chen's tone was devoid of any emotion.

"We obey the decree!" Yang Xiao and Fan Yao replied in unison, their hearts feeling icy cold.

His Majesty is about to start a massive purge.

"As for the vacant positions," Lu Chen tapped his finger on the armrest, "Scholar Song."

Song Lian stepped forward. "I am here."

"You shall lead, with the Ministry of Personnel assisting, to select from the newly arrived talented individuals and draft a list as soon as possible to fill the vacancies. My only requirement is that they possess both virtue and talent, without being constrained by conventional patterns."

"I obey the decree." Song Lian's voice was steady.