Soon, several officials in the imperial court felt they were being inexplicably targeted. Investigations into their corruption from many years ago had been unearthed and placed directly before the Emperor. They would never forget how they endured that morning assembly.
Cold sweat drenched them, their legs shook like sieves, and they were gripped by extreme fear. Everyone in the court knew that the Emperor detested corrupt officials above all else, yet they had been unable to resist the temptation to commit such acts. Now that they had been exposed, they faced the inevitable: imprisonment, the stripping of their official hats and robes, and a future as outcasts scorned by all.
Zhao Yan had orchestrated this. Few in the court knew of his role, but Grand Secretary Cao and Grand Secretary Yang of the Grand Secretariat were well aware. They had originally considered Zhao Yan the mildest-tempered of the three, only to realize he had simply not yet shown his teeth.
Chapter 695