Upon learning the truth, Zhu Jie felt unexpectedly calm. There had been too much talk of killing lately, and he had no desire to become the tyrant people whispered about; he had always aspired to be an enlightened monarch.
Fú Quán caught a glimpse of the smile at the corner of Zhu Jie's mouth and felt his heart tremble. Was the Emperor going mad with rage? Usually, offenses like this were met with immediate confinement in the Celestial Prison, but this time, the punishment felt oddly lenient. Fú Quán realized he could no longer fathom Zhu Jie’s thoughts. Serving in the imperial presence was becoming increasingly difficult.
"Vice Minister Dīng has lined his pockets and is unfit to remain Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works. I want every cent he has embezzled over the years dug up. Contempt for imperial authority... he deserves death, but death is too easy for him. I will spare his life, but he and his three clans shall be exiled a thousand miles away as a warning to others."
Chapter 523