After finding the evidence, Wei Shichu did not personally report Zhao Yiran. Instead, he found several survivors from the disaster-stricken areas, told them the truth, and asked them to go to Beijing to file a complaint as victims.
The families of these people all died in the flood: they were drowned and were finally rescued, but the help was too late and they died of hunger and illness. Therefore, when they learned that their family members had a chance to survive but died without receiving the relief food and medicine because someone embezzled the disaster relief funds, they hated the culprits and naturally agreed without hesitation when they learned that there was a chance for revenge.
So Zhao Yiran, who was enjoying the service of his beautiful wife and concubines and the happiness of his children at home, was dragged out of his peaceful life by the people from the Dali Temple without any psychological preparation.
He was furious and yelled why he was arrested and whether he knew his identity. He tried to use his status to bully others, but he did not get the preferential treatment he had imagined. The people in the Dali Temple treated him with contempt and ridicule, and it was obvious that they would not give him any face at all.
Zhao Yiran's heart instantly sank when he discovered this. As a person in the officialdom, how could he not understand that the attitudes of these people towards him were determined by their superiors? Since they could be so rude to a third-rank official like him, it meant that the matter was very serious, so serious that they were not afraid that he would turn the tables and retaliate against them in the future...
Zhao Yiran felt as if a heavy rock was pressing down on his heart, and he quickly recalled in his mind how he had been caught...
Before he could recall, the rest of the family was also taken away, even the daughter and the child were not spared. How could Zhao Yiran's wives and concubines have ever seen such a scene? They cried and made a fuss in fear, hoping that Zhao Yiran would support them, but they didn't know that Zhao Yiran was too busy to take care of himself.
"Shichu, the entire Zhao family was arrested and thrown into prison. Did you know about this?" The Fifth Master asked Wei Shichu with a serious expression. He called Zhao Yiran's family the Zhao Mansion.
Wei Shichu nodded and said, "The incident has become a hot topic, so I naturally heard about it. It is said that when Zhao Yiran was working at the Ministry of Revenue, he colluded with the former fifth prince to embezzle disaster relief funds, and now someone has come to report him."
This matter was planned by her alone, and she knows it better than anyone else.
The Fifth Master sighed and said, "I didn't expect Zhao Yiran to be so greedy and vicious that he even took the disaster relief money. I just hope that their family's affairs will not implicate us."
"Of course it won't implicate us. We are not from the same family as them. Although the crime of corruption is serious, it is not enough to execute the entire family. Zhao Lue has been adopted a long time ago, and I am no longer Zhao Yiran's concubine. Their crimes are not as serious as ours."
Wei Shichu comforted the Fifth Master very calmly.
After hearing her words, the Fifth Master was relieved. Then he remembered the scene when he went to the Zhao Mansion to cry and was treated impatiently by Zhao Yiran and his father and brother. So he sneered: "Zhao Yiran would never have thought that he would become a prisoner now? He deserved it. My grandson saved his life, but I didn't expect that he would still die. God is really merciful. It's a pity for my grandson..."
As the Fifth Grandpa spoke, he choked up again. Wei Shichu hurried to comfort him: "Grandpa, isn't Zhao Yiran's retribution coming now? Your younger brother will definitely be very happy when he knows about it. I'm sure he won't want to see you sad." The Fifth Grandpa's grandson was younger than Wei Shichu, so Wei Shichu called him his younger brother.
Wei Shichu quickly brought Zhao Lue out, and finally managed to make the old man feel better.
The evidence Wei Shichu found was sufficient and accurate, so Zhao Yiran's guilt was quickly confirmed. The emperor felt fooled when he learned that Zhao Yiran had secretly supported his enemies but pretended to be so good on the surface. He became even more angry with Zhao Yiran and asked the Dali Temple to thoroughly investigate the Zhao family.
The investigation uncovered all the bad things that Mr. Zhao had done when he was Prime Minister, as well as the bad things that Zhao Yiran's eldest brother, third brother, fourth brother, and relatives or subordinates had done by taking advantage of their power to bully others.
Originally, to become a first-class official family in the capital, the head of the family could not have clean hands, so the Zhao family was investigated and found to be guilty. None of the men in charge of the Zhao family could escape, and even some of the women in the mansion, relatives, and capable servants were guilty...
After reading the results of the investigation, the emperor was so angry that he laughed. He ordered that they should not be let off easily. So Zhao Yiran and his brothers were beheaded in public. The old man gave him the last bit of respect because he had been the prime minister and did not let him go to jail. However, other people who committed crimes could not be let off easily. Those who were sentenced were sentenced to prison, and those who were sentenced to exile were exiled...
Women and children who had not committed any crime were also exiled to other places for a few years.
When Zhao Yiran's wives and concubines in prison learned of this, they immediately collapsed. They angrily accused and cursed each other, and even cursed Zhao Yiran, saying that he was the one who harmed them...
One of Zhao Yiran's concubines suddenly said with regret: "Why wasn't my child adopted out? If he had been adopted out, he wouldn't have to suffer this kind of pain now..."
Her words were like a bolt from the blue that struck everyone. It turned out that there was one person who was able to escape the disaster! That was Zhao Lue who was adopted out!
Yes, if it was your own son who was adopted out, then it would be your own son who would be fine.
They had tried their best to push Zhao Lue out and adopt him to someone else, but now, it was Zhao Lue who was adopted out that became an outsider who was not implicated and could live a good life. How could they be willing to accept this
"Yes! And Zhao Lue! He is also Zhao Yiran's son, why hasn't he been arrested? Sir, go and arrest Zhao Yiran as well, go and arrest him..." Zhao Yiran's legitimate wife Chen shouted at the jailer like crazy. She was almost going crazy after suffering such a blow, especially when she realized that Zhao Lue, the illegitimate son whom she had never looked up to, could still be a young master with fine clothes and food, while her two legitimate sons would fall into the mud and be exiled with them... She could not bear it any more, so she wanted to catch Zhao Lue and die together with him.
When the jailer heard her words, he sneered and said, "Bah! Crazy woman, don't think I don't know that he was adopted by you as an unfavored bastard. He was adopted a long time ago and is less than three years old. Your Majesty is kind and will not involve irrelevant people. What if you are unwilling? People's fate is unpredictable."
Chen was already feeling regretful, unwilling and jealous. When she heard the jailer's words, she screamed and fainted.
The others knew that Zhao Lue could not be implicated, and they felt resentful, hateful, and regretful, but they could do nothing about it. Who made them do such a ruthless thing? It is said that fortune and misfortune go hand in hand. At first, they thought that being adopted was a terrible news, so they worked together to push Zhao Lue out. Unexpectedly, it was precisely this that allowed Zhao Lue to escape from the quagmire of the Zhao family and survive.