SBCEJM -Chapter 12 Kicking Out the Entire Nest of Corrupt Rats in the Ministry of Works!

Inside the Golden Hall, the atmosphere suddenly froze solid.

Zhang Tai could feel the emperor’s towering rage.

His legs went weak, and he nearly followed Zhou Huaili’s example by collapsing on the spot.

No!

I can’t panic!

He clenched his teeth, his nails digging deep into his flesh.

The accounts are flawless. And inner thoughts can’t be used as evidence.

Even if His Majesty investigates, they’ll never trace anything back to me!

As long as I refuse to admit it, who can convict me?!

Meanwhile, Feng Zexuan urged excitedly in her mind:

【System! Don’t stop now! Keep spilling the tea!】

The system rubbed its hands eagerly.

【You got it, Host. Zhang Tai’s scandal is ten thousand times worse than Zhou Huaili’s cuckold fetish!】

【Zhou Huaili was just a private pervert. Zhang Tai is rotten to the core!】

【He didn’t just embezzle money—he also… caused innocent deaths!】

Caused innocent deaths?

Those four words struck the court like thunder.

Feng Zexuan froze.

【What do you mean? His corruption got people killed?】

The system’s tone turned grave.

【Host, remember the massive flood downstream of the Yongding River last year?】

【Three villages were submerged, and hundreds of people died. The court ruled it a natural disaster.】

Feng Zexuan nodded.

【I remember. It caused a huge uproar. The emperor even issued a self-blame edict, saying Heaven punished him for his lack of virtue.】

The system scoffed.

【Natural disaster my ass! It was man-made!】

【To embezzle the riverbank repair funds, Zhang Tai deliberately delayed construction. Worse, he replaced the bluestone materials in several crucial sections with cheap materials mixed with sand and mud!】

【Before the disaster, the local magistrate risked his life to send three urgent eight-hundred-li memorials warning that the dam was at risk of collapsing!】

【And what happened?】

【All of them were forcibly suppressed by Zhang Tai, who was serving as Minister of Works at the time!】

【To protect himself, he watched helplessly as hundreds of innocent lives were swallowed by the floodwaters!】

Boom!

Feng Zexuan’s mind exploded.

An uncontrollable fury surged straight to her head.

【BEAST!!!】

【This isn’t just corruption anymore!】

【This is murder! Mass murder!】

【To him, hundreds of human lives meant less than money?!】

【Someone like this deserves death by a thousand cuts! Even execution by slow slicing wouldn’t be enough to appease public anger!】

The court fell into dead silence.

Then came waves of horrified uproar.

The upright officials who cared for the people stared at Zhang Tai in utter disbelief.

Was this even human?!

For the sake of wealth, he had ignored the lives of countless civilians!

“Bang!”

Xiao Juechen suddenly shot up from the dragon throne.

His chest heaved violently as he glared at Zhang Tai.

His bloodshot eyes no longer looked at a minister—but at a mortal enemy.

That flood had been the greatest pain since Xiao Juechen ascended the throne.

He had believed it was punishment from Heaven for his own lack of virtue.

For that reason, he had fasted for three months, worn plain mourning clothes, eaten only vegetarian meals, and spent sleepless nights tormented by guilt toward the common people.

But now—

Now he discovered it wasn’t a natural disaster at all, but human evil!

And the culprit was the very Minister of Works he had trusted most, who caused it all for personal gain!

“ZHANG TAI! Do you know your crime?!”

Xiao Juechen’s furious roar dripped with killing intent, making everyone’s ears ring.

Zhang Tai could no longer hold on.

With a loud thud, he dropped heavily to his knees.

He slammed his forehead against the ground repeatedly until flesh split and blood smeared everywhere.

“Your Majesty! I—”

He wanted to accuse Feng Zexuan of slander.

But Feng Zexuan stood there silently, lips tightly sealed, without saying a single word!

How was he supposed to refute thoughts spoken only in someone’s mind?!

This was an impossible trap!

【System, looks like the emperor already heard some rumors. Time for the main course! Bring out the evidence! I’ll personally report him to the emperor later and hammer this bastard into the ground!】

Feng Zexuan gritted her teeth in hatred.

The system replied:

【Right away! Zhang Tai has done countless evil deeds, but he has one fatal weakness—he’s terrified of his wife!】

【Most of the silver he embezzled is hidden in his wife’s dowry estate under the excuse of “managing her assets.”】

【And his wife knows everything about his corruption. She even helped him plan things and manage the stolen money!】

【Most importantly, she has an excellent habit—keeping records!】

【Every single dirty transaction—who bribed him, what favors were exchanged—is written in a secret ledger!】

Feng Zexuan’s eyes lit up.

【Holy crap! Wife of the year!】

【Corrupt officials aren’t scary. What’s scary is corrupt officials without weaknesses!】

【A useless teammate is the best! Where’s the ledger?】

The system answered:

【Hidden in a secret compartment inside the third drawer of their bedroom vanity table! Ironclad evidence!】

Hearing this, Zhang Tai stopped kowtowing.

Slowly, he lifted his head.

His face was covered in blood, his eyes filled only with despair and lifeless resignation.

The hidden compartment…

Even that… they knew?

His final shred of hope vanished.

Heaven truly wanted him dead.

At that moment, the previously silent Censor-in-Chief Zhao Xian suddenly stepped out of the ranks.

Ha! This was exactly what he’d been waiting for!

Zhao Xian lifted his robes and knelt, his voice stern and righteous.

“Your Majesty! This minister impeaches Minister of Works Zhang Tai for corruption, abuse of power, and causing the deaths of hundreds of civilians along the Yongding River! His crimes are too numerous to record and worthy of extermination of the nine clans!”

“I request an imperial decree to immediately raid the Zhang residence, seize evidence, and bring justice to the innocent dead!”

“Approved!”

Xiao Juechen practically squeezed the words out through clenched teeth.

Zhang Tai was dragged away like a limp sack of mud by the Imperial Guards and thrown into the heavenly prison.

The system notification rang out:

【Congratulations, Host, for finishing an SSS-tier chained scandal 【corruption + loss of life】! Reward: 50,000 Melon Points. Current total: 56,000.】

Feng Zexuan blinked.

【Why so many this time?】

The system explained:

【Because this was a chained scandal. Much more satisfying to consume! If Host had reported it to the emperor earlier and eliminated harm for the people, the merit would’ve been immeasurable. Too bad someone beat you to it…】

Feng Zexuan also felt depressed.

Those censor officials really had sharp eyes.

She’d better be more careful during court sessions from now on and avoid leaving any leverage behind~

The atmosphere in the Golden Hall had dropped to freezing point after the downfall of the Ministry of Works’ two top officials—one a pervert, the other a monster.

The air itself seemed to carry the lingering scent of blood.

Seated on the dragon throne, Xiao Juechen’s face remained dark as iron, his chest still rising and falling. Clearly, Zhang Tai’s disregard for human life had enraged him beyond measure.

The officials trembled with fear, terrified the next “melon” would be about them.

Feng Zexuan, however, was in a great mood.

Fifty thousand Melon Points acquired!

She was one huge step closer to her goal of one million points.

Happily calculating her progress, her gaze began wandering around the court like someone shopping for bargains.

The Ministry of Works scandals were done.

So who would be the next lucky victim?

At that moment, she noticed a middle-aged official in third-rank robes standing midway through the ranks, behaving extremely strangely.

The man kept his head lowered and his body hunched like a shrimp.

His left hand stayed tucked inside his oversized sleeve, carefully protecting something.

Meanwhile, his right hand occasionally slipped into the left sleeve and gently stroked whatever was inside.

His movements were incredibly tender, as though he were caressing some priceless treasure that might shatter at the slightest touch.

Feng Zexuan raised an eyebrow.

【Huh? What’s this guy doing? What’s hidden in his sleeve?】

【Don’t tell me court sessions are so boring he’s secretly playing with walnuts in there? No… those movements are way too gentle. It looks more like he’s stroking a secret lover.】

The system immediately chimed in:

【Ding ding! SS-tier bizarre scandal detected! Host, this is Vice Minister of Rites Liu Hong!】

Feng Zexuan fixed her gaze on Liu Hong.

Vice Minister of Rites?

The department in charge of etiquette and moral teachings?

He sounded like the stiff, old-fashioned type. What kind of bizarre scandal could he possibly have?

【So what exactly is inside his sleeve? Gold? Silver? Snacks?】