Wu Sheng’s face turned deathly pale as his entire body shook uncontrollably.

Yet he lowered his head even deeper, not daring to raise it for fear that the Emperor would see through him.

Emperor Jing silently gazed at Wu Sheng without saying a word.

After a while, Wu Sheng finally spoke: “In response to Your Majesty, your subject knows that Taoyuan County is a small county on the outskirts of Hengjiang Prefecture.”

“It has a population of just over two thousand and suffers from famines year after year. Even the county magistrate starved to death in office seven years ago. That’s why the prefecture exempts it from taxes.”

After speaking, Wu Sheng remained prostrate and motionless.

Li Yuanzhao curiously observed Wu Sheng. It was his first time seeing an official willing to kneel for so long.

Surprisingly, his Imperial Father also didn’t let him get up.

After a long time, Emperor Jing slowly spoke: “Raise your head.”

Wu Sheng’s head trembled as he slowly looked up.

“Why is our minister’s face so pale?”

Wu Sheng forced a smile: “Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Your subject rushed day and night to see you without rest, so I’m a bit fatigued.”

“How many times have you been to Taoyuan County in the past seven years?”

“In response to Your Majesty, your subject has gone three times since taking the position of Inspection Envoy.”

“Has Taoyuan County improved then?”

…

Wu Sheng hesitated for a moment before replying: “It has! To this day, the population still numbers only around two thousand. The famines have alleviated but poverty remains.”

“Lies!” Emperor Jing slammed the table and stood up, shouting furiously: “Wu Sheng! How dare you deceive your Emperor!”

Wu Sheng stared at Emperor Jing in consternation, then slammed his head to the ground.

His voice was filled with fear: “Your subject doesn’t dare! Doesn’t dare! Every word I spoke is true. If I uttered a single lie, may lightning strike me and horses tear me to pieces!”

Emperor Jing was astonished.

Based on Wu Sheng’s reaction, he clearly knew Taoyuan County’s situation, yet dared to deceive him to his face.

He even swore such a drastic oath to cover up the truth about Taoyuan County!

What power did Fang Zheng have to make Wu Sheng go to such lengths?

Guo Tianyang stood to the side in a daze, his mind repeatedly pondering this question.

Emperor Jing slowly sat down: “Guo, what is the punishment for deceiving the Emperor?”

Guo Tianyang replied: “At minimum, beheading. At worst, extermination of the clan. Wu Sheng is stubbornly unrepentant and dared to lie to the Emperor’s face, so he should receive the heavy sentence – execution of his nine familial exterminations!”

Having not slept for two days, Wu Sheng’s thoughts were completely chaotic upon hearing beheading and familial extermination.

Wu Sheng’s fear deepened. He continuously kowtowed, pleading for mercy.

“Wu Sheng! Do you have anything else to say?”

Wu Sheng raised his head, blood flowing down from his forehead, distorting his face. He said through gritted teeth: “How can Your Majesty unjustly kill your subject! What crime has Wu Sheng committed? At least let me die with clarity.”

Emperor Jing’s tone remained unhurried: “I have already been to Taoyuan County. Do you still have anything to say?”

“What?!” Wu Sheng couldn’t help exclaiming out loud.

He racked his brains but couldn’t understand how the Emperor could personally visit that desolate place of Taoyuan County!

Originally, based on his thinking, the tax evasion situation in Taoyuan County over the years had likely been discovered by the Ministry of Revenue.

Although the situation was terrible, he should have been able to gloss it over with some sophistry. He never imagined the Emperor had actually been to Taoyuan County!

Seeing his dispirited expression, Emperor Jing asked again: “Wu Sheng, I am now curious about one thing. What benefit did Fang Zheng give you that you would take such a risk to deceive me?”

Wu Sheng was disheartened. Dead either way now, he decided to lay his cards on the table.

He kowtowed loudly again and said mournfully: “Your subject deserves ten thousand deaths!”

“But your subject is being maligned! Your subject has something to say! It’s not that I wanted to deceive the Emperor, it’s that Fang Zheng is not human!!”

The eyes of Li Yuanzhao, kneeling in the corner, suddenly lit up.

It had been boring kneeling here, but now such a big piece of drama had arrived.

Tears flowed from the corners of Wu Sheng’s eyes, mingling with blood, blurring his face. He cried: “Your subject first went to Taoyuan County several years ago. By then it had already developed.”

“The outer earthen city walls were over ten meters high. The commoners lived prosperous lives in peace and contentment. It was completely different from the previously recorded poverty.”

“Your subject was overjoyed at the time and eager to report meritorious deeds to the court. Who knew…who knew that scoundrel Fang Zheng wouldn’t allow it!”

“He tied your subject up in the county yamen and coerced me not to speak of Taoyuan County’s affairs to outsiders. Your subject even saw his subordinate sewing a person’s anus closed on the street!”

“Your subject was terrified and had no choice but to agree…”

The other three people present immediately felt a chill in their chrysanthemum. This was too wicked! Was this even humane?

Li Yuanzhao thought for a bit and shuddered. If it were him, he would probably have surrendered too.

Emperor Jing and Guo Tianyang exchanged a glance. Zhang Biao! It must be that Zhang Biao!

But then Emperor Jing asked curiously again: “Then they just released you?”

“This doesn’t make sense. Since you had already left Taoyuan County, why didn’t you report it? Don’t tell me they had some other leverage over you?!”

Wu Sheng seemed lost in excruciating memories. He looked up at the ceiling, drool flowing from the corner of his mouth…

Then he closed his eyes and made up his mind: “Yes!”

“They had more leverage over your subject! At the time, I had already agreed not to spread news of Taoyuan County, but how could that treacherous Fang Zheng trust me!”

“He…they stripped your subject naked and tied me to a chair. Then they called an artist to paint your subject.”

“That painting…it was so lifelike…your subject had never seen such realistic artistry.”

“After painting, they continued threatening your subject. If I dared to speak, they would print thousands, tens of thousands of copies of that painting and distribute it across the land, ruining your subject’s reputation!”

Emperor Jing and Guo Tianyang exchanged another shocked glance.

Too despicable! To think there was such a vile minister in the world! This was bandit behavior, even bandits weren’t this terrible!

With his eyes closed, Wu Sheng continued: “That’s not all.”

“After they finished painting, they wouldn’t let your subject get dressed. I was carried naked to a horn, where they…they forced me to swear a poisonous oath…saying…”

At this point, Wu Sheng seemed to suffer immense emotional trauma. His entire body convulsed and he passed out.

Guo Tianyang hurriedly pressed his renzhong acupoint a few times and poured him a cup of tea before his breathing stabilized.

“Speak! Hurry and say it! What poisonous oath did you swear? What happened next?”

Emperor Jing asked urgently. That horn must be the one in the room when they signed the agreement back then!

He had been very curious about it at the time. Now with Wu Sheng’s reaction, Emperor Jing was certain that the horn had some other mysterious function!

…

Joy flashed repeatedly in Li Yuanzhao’s eyes.

This trip was worth it! This drama was absolutely delicious.

He was itching with anticipation to find out the nature of the poisonous oath Wu Sheng had sworn.

But really, what was the point of swearing an oath?

Could it be that Wu Sheng, after taking the oath, actually believed in its power? Was he such a fool?