PFC Chapter 33 All the nobles in Ye should be executed!
Chapter 33 All the nobles in Ye should be executed!
Meanwhile, in a secluded mansion far away in Ye City.
A dark-skinned boy was huddled in a secret room, his brows furrowed as he stared at a thick stack of secret letters in front of him.
This ugly, dark creature was none other than Gao Yang, the second son of the Gao family, who had been secretly infiltrated Yedu for more than half a month at the behest of Gao Cheng.
What he was reading was the information he had gathered from his trusted confidants who had risked their lives to secretly investigate the illegal activities of the nobles and officials of Yedu.
The letter was covered with dense writing, each word revealing a shocking sin.
Grand Protector Sun Teng, holding the title of Grand General of the Palace Attendants, relied on his past merits as a descendant of the emperor to forcibly seize over 3,000 hectares of farmland and support over 2,000 private households. Furthermore, he colluded with Gao Long, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and General of the Imperial Guards, to embezzle one million strings of cash from military funds. As a result, the Imperial Guards in Ye City went without food and pay for three months, causing widespread discontent among the soldiers, who nearly staged a mutiny.
Prince Gao Yue of Qinghe was a cousin of Prince Gao and a member of the Gao clan. He held the official positions of Attendant-in-Ordinary, General of the Cavalry, and Grand Master of the Palace. His mansion in Ye was extremely luxurious, with carved beams and painted rafters. He often said that "nothing in the imperial palace can compare to it." He also forcibly abducted hundreds of women to fill his harem for his pleasure.
Moreover, this was not all. He also frequently colluded with Sima Ziru, the Minister of Personnel, to control the selection of officials in the Ministry of Personnel, selling official positions and titles with clearly marked prices. People at the time said, "A thousand coins can buy a prefecture, and ten thousand coins can buy a governor." Bribery was rampant throughout the court and the country, and the wise and foolish were reversed.
Another was Gao Longzhi, originally surnamed Xu, who was given the surname Gao by the favor of the King of Gao. He then became arrogant and unruly, relying on this favor. Once, in the middle of a bustling market, he openly beat and killed an imperial censor over a mere disagreement. The officials, fearing his power, dared not intervene.
These individual crimes are too numerous to recount, and their punishment is unforgivable.
Gao Yang carefully examined each letter, one after another. The more he read, the angrier he became. Veins bulged on his forehead, and he was almost unable to suppress his shock and anger.
When Gao Cheng ordered him to secretly infiltrate Ye City, he obeyed the order but was quite disapproving, feeling that Gao Cheng was being overly cautious and making a mountain out of a molehill.
After all, Duan Shao and Huli Guang had already gone to Yedu. Both of them were shrewd and capable people, so why would he need to do something extra?
But now, looking at the shocking illegal acts before him, he finally understood Gao Cheng's good intentions.
Brother's move was not only farsighted, but also incredibly insightful, anticipating the enemy's moves in advance.
These nobles in Yedu were rotten to the core. Relying on Gao Huan's favor, they acted arrogantly and domineeringly in Yedu, oppressing the people and turning the once prosperous capital into a chaotic and miserable place.
If such behavior is not rectified, I fear that before Yuwen Heita from Guanzhong and Xiao Pusa from Jiangnan even attack, Eastern Wei itself will collapse.
After reading all the secret letters, Gao Yang finally couldn't hold back any longer and slammed the secret letters in his hand onto the table with a loud "bang".
He then roared angrily, "They should all be executed! Sun Teng should be executed, Sima Ziru should be executed, Gao Yue should be executed, Gao Longzhi should also be executed, all the nobles in Ye should be executed!"
The servants guarding the door were startled by the noise coming from inside, thinking something terrible had happened.
He hurriedly pushed open the door and rushed in, asking in a flustered manner, "Lord Taiyuan, what brings you here?"
Gao Yang was already furious, and seeing the servant barge in without prior notice only fueled his rage. He shouted angrily, "Get out! Who gave you permission to trespass into this secret room? Do you want to die?"
Upon hearing this, the servant was instantly terrified, his face turned deathly pale, and he knelt down with a thud, repeatedly kowtowing and begging for forgiveness: "I deserve to die, Lord Taiyuan, spare my life, Lord Taiyuan, spare my life."
Seeing his terrified appearance, Gao Yang realized his lapse in composure, took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and shouted, "Get out of the way!"
Upon hearing this, the servant felt as if he had been granted a pardon and quickly got up, ready to leave in a hurry.
"Wait a moment!"
Unexpectedly, at this moment, Gao Yang suddenly spoke again.
The attendant hurriedly stopped, his face filled with fear, and turned to ask, "What further instructions does the Duke of Taiyuan have?"
Seeing this, Gao Yang took a deep breath, finally suppressing his anger, and asked, "Tell me, is there any news of my brother from Jinyang? When will he go to Ye?"
Upon hearing this, the attendant finally breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly bowed his head, saying, "Reporting to Lord Taiyuan, there has been no news yet regarding the heir's departure date."
Hearing that Gao Cheng had not yet sent any news, Gao Cheng frowned again.
However, after a moment's consideration of Gao Cheng's abilities, he ultimately decided not to dwell on the matter and instead asked, "How have Cousin Tiefa and Huli Guang been doing lately?"
Upon hearing this, the attendant was taken aback, and then carefully replied, "Your Excellency, it seems that Young Master Duan and Young Master Huli are very close to Grand Protector Sun and Attendant-in-Ordinary Gao."
"Especially Duan Langjun, he has become a guest of honor among the nobles of Ye, receiving banquet invitations during the day and drinking invitations at night."
Upon hearing about the recent actions of the two men, Gao Yang felt his anger, which he had just suppressed, rise again, and he was instantly enraged.
A moment later, he couldn't help but grit his teeth and curse, "My elder brother treated them well, entrusting them with important responsibilities and giving them many important tasks. Yet, as soon as they arrived in Ye City, they were corrupted by these good-for-nothings. How absurd!"
"Those Xianbei and Tiele brats are truly worthless and not worth discussing anything with. If it weren't for my elder brother sending me here, who would have upheld the foundation of our Gao clan?"
However, despite his cursing, he was precocious and, after a moment's thought, immediately noticed the illogicality.
This is because Duan Shao and Huli Guang are not people who are easily corrupted by wealth and honor.
Duan Shao was Lou Zhaojun's nephew and grew up with Gao Cheng since childhood, and was extremely loyal. Huli Guang was famous at a young age, with an upright character, and hated those who were corrupt and lawless.
These two individuals could not possibly have so easily joined forces with Sun Teng and his associates.
"Could it be... that he pretended to associate with Sun Teng and his ilk, while secretly waiting for an opportunity to find fault with them?"
He frowned, pondering to himself, and his expression softened slightly upon considering this possibility.
Without further ado, he waved his hand and said to his attendants, "That's enough. You all should secretly observe the two of them and see what they're planning. Just remember to keep a distance and don't alert them."
"only!"
The attendant hurriedly responded and turned to leave.
But the next moment, Gao Yang said again, "I urgently send another letter to Jinyang, urging my brother to inquire when we will set off."
Upon hearing this, the servant dared not be negligent, quickly replying with a "Yes," before turning and hastily leaving, closing the door behind him.
As the door creaked shut, Gao Yang was left alone in the secret room once again.
He leaned back on the couch, gazing at the dim candlelight above him. The anger on his face gradually faded, replaced by a deep weariness.
For the past two weeks, he has only slept for two hours a day and is already physically and mentally exhausted.
But he dared not rest.
Because Sun Teng and the others had already sensed something was wrong and were secretly investigating who was investigating them.
If Gao Cheng doesn't come soon, I'm afraid his identity will be exposed very quickly.
After sitting there anxiously for a long time, he couldn't help but raise his hand to rub his throbbing temples.
He looked again toward Jinyang and murmured, "Brother, brother, please come quickly. I am struggling to hold on here alone, and my strength is about to give out..."