This matter absolutely required someone to take the blame; it was imperative, otherwise, no one at the higher or lower echelons could be appeased.
However, who would be the one to bear this burden? This choice, if handled skillfully, was still subject to change.
Various thoughts flashed through Liu Ba's mind.
...
But soon, Liu Ba thought of the best candidate to be the scapegoat.
Liu Ba's expression changed. He straightened his back and, with the loudest voice he had ever possessed, shouted, "Everyone, please be quiet and listen to me!"
...
Upon hearing Liu Ba's words, both the princes and the officials shifted their gaze, all of them staring at him with keen interest.
Everyone wanted to see what method Liu Ba had to absolve himself of responsibility under such circumstances.
After all, the magnitude of this incident could be considered the most severe in tens of thousands of years.
Having made up his mind, Liu Ba pushed forward his own nephew, Liu Dongqiang, who served in the Ministry of Revenue, to be the fall guy.
The reason for choosing his own nephew was twofold. Firstly, it was unrealistic to expect someone else to take this blame.
Others were not fools; why would they take the fall for him?
His own nephew, by comparison, was much easier to control. At least Liu Ba was confident that he could make his nephew bear this burden in his stead.
Secondly, the sheer scale of this incident made it impossible to find a minor figure to blame; it would be too obvious a deception.
His nephew, Liu Dongqiang, who was a third-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue, was both controllable and qualified to take the blame. Liu Dongqiang was indeed the most suitable choice.
Thinking this, Liu Ba silently apologized to his nephew in his heart.
At this moment, Liu Ba suddenly thought of something. He owed his smooth sailing in collecting so many spirit stones to that petty clerk in the Ministry of Revenue.
Previously, blinded by the abundance of spirit stones, elixirs, treasures, and more, Liu Ba had not considered the possibility of a conspiracy.
A great conspiracy targeting the entire Liu imperial family.
Only now, in this predicament, did Liu Ba suddenly wonder if that clerk was problematic.
Could there be a grand scheme behind all this?
As this thought dawned on him, a cold sweat broke out on Liu Ba's back.
If this were indeed the case, he might become the greatest sinner in the history of the Liu imperial dynasty since its founding.
...
"Liu Dongqiang?"
Upon hearing this, the eldest prince, Liu Xiu, furrowed his brow slightly, though his expression held little surprise.
After all, it was natural for anyone in such a situation to immediately think of finding a scapegoat.
However, Liu Xiu had not expected Liu Ba to choose his own nephew as the fall guy.
Facing a group of colleagues with smirking and mocking expressions, even Liu Ba, thick-skinned as he was, couldn't help but blush slightly.
After all, making his own nephew take the blame for him was indeed a rather dishonorable act.
...
However, Liu Ba, having already made his decision, coughed lightly and, feigning calmness, engaged in a heated negotiation with those who wished to tear him apart.
After paying a heavy price, Liu Ba finally persuaded most of them to agree to his proposal of using his nephew as a scapegoat.
Although he had gained nothing from this endeavor and his life savings were also gone, at least his own life and official position could be preserved.
Seeing that the matter was about to be settled, Liu Ba finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Just then, Liu Xiangtai, the Vice Minister of Revenue, stepped forward.
In a very gentle tone, he spoke words of brutal truth: "Everyone, I have a document here. You may all take a look."
Upon hearing Liu Xiangtai's words, the princes and officials all froze, puzzled as to why Liu Xiangtai was doing this.
Only Liu Ba's heart sank, and he inwardly exclaimed, "Not good."
Having navigated the treacherous currents of officialdom for so many years, Liu Ba understood his subordinates' personalities all too well.
Liu Xiangtai, the Vice Minister of Revenue, was an incredibly patient man. He would absolutely not openly oppose Liu Ba unless he found an opportunity that could lead to Liu Ba's downfall.
It was not until Liu Xiangtai handed the jade slip, filled with documents, to the eldest prince, Liu Xiu, and Liu Xiu's face immediately broke into a strange smile after reading it.
The jade slip was then passed sequentially to everyone in the imperial court.
After reading this jade slip, the princes and officials all sighed inwardly, silently marveling at Liu Xiangtai's ruthlessness and decisiveness.
This was a surefire move to seal Liu Ba's fate. Truly, a biting dog doesn't bark, and a preying wolf doesn't show its teeth!
The documents recorded in this jade slip were evidence of Liu Ba's crimes.
Furthermore, the level of detail in the information was so meticulous that it was shocking to behold.
Every transaction, both incoming and outgoing, was recorded with such precision that it felt as if one had witnessed it firsthand.
Liu Ba was now utterly ruined, with no room for maneuver whatsoever.
And when this jade slip finally reached Liu Ba's hands, this late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, unable to stand, collapsed directly onto the ground.
When the heart dies like an extinguished lamp, in despair, even a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator loses their former imposing aura.
At this point, no matter how he struggled, he could not escape.
With such detailed evidence presented before him, how could those wolf-like figures let him go so easily?
He never imagined that all his years of effort would ultimately benefit someone else.
What Liu Ba never expected was that this evidence was provided to Liu Xiangtai, the Vice Minister of Revenue, by that rather amusing minor figure, Ying Dan.
...
When Liu Xiangtai, the Vice Minister of Revenue, saw this information, he was also greatly surprised.
He never imagined that a minor figure like Ying Dan could gather such detailed evidence.
Although Liu Xiangtai harbored some doubts, he still accepted the jade slip filled with documents and, in gratitude, gave Ying Dan a generous amount of spirit stones.
It was precisely with this evidence that Liu Ba, the Minister of Revenue, was finally crushed.
...
The ultimate fate of Liu Ba, the Minister of Revenue, was to be imprisoned. His entire family, including the servants, was apprehended.
His specific punishment would be decided after the Immortal Emperor emerged from seclusion.
However, regardless of the outcome, his fate would not be a pleasant one.
Meanwhile, Liu Xiangtai, the Vice Minister of Revenue, was promoted to Acting Minister of Revenue. Although it was an acting position, barring any unforeseen circumstances, it would soon be made permanent.
The Immortal Dynasty established by cultivators and the imperial dynasty established by mortals were essentially the same in their fundamental nature.
After a fierce debate in the imperial court, the princes and officials decided to dispatch the Yanhan Fleet to first quell the rebellions in the thirteen core territories, which served as their foundation, before addressing rebellions in other regions.
The five great legions, however, were to remain untouched. This was because the five great legions were responsible for guarding the four great Throne Families. As long as these families remained quiescent, the five great legions could not be easily mobilized.
...
The Yanhan Fleet was the fastest, most agile, and most effective aerial strike force among the direct forces of the Liu imperial family.
As the name suggests, the Yanhan Fleet was a group of top-tier, large-scale combat fleets.
They were constructed from Heaven and Earth spiritual roots and numerous high-grade ores.
The formations attached to the ship hulls were immensely powerful. After countless years of nurturing, the destructive power of each warship was comparable to that of several Nascent Soul cultivators working in concert.
And the Liu imperial family possessed over a thousand such warships.
As the orders were relayed, one colossal fleet after another, so vast it blotted out the sky and resembled mountains, rapidly dispersed in all directions.
Flying warships were essentially super-large war artifacts built by human cultivators specifically for warfare, designed for destruction.
Their indestructible hulls, forged from priceless Yan Jin (Yan Gold), instilled fear in the hearts of enemies.
Their erected sails, sewn from the hides of Nascent Soul-level divine beasts, allowed the ships to accelerate their flight speed.
Countless formations, transforming into lightning, intertwined on the hull, granting the ships unparalleled might.
The dense, black gun emplacements exuded an overwhelming sense of oppression. In addition to these, the warships possessed numerous other functions.
This was the terrifying power of the Yanhan Warships.
One Yanhan Warship after another, obscuring the sun, hovered in the sky.
Beneath the shadows of these Yanhan Fleets, even the bravest individual would feel an ineffable sense of awe.
With such power possessed by the Liu imperial family, who could possibly rival them?
...
In the cultivator-heavy city of Suxing, located within the core thirteen territories.
Suxing City, shrouded in darkness, was already surrounded by rebel cultivators.
Although protected by formations, the sheer number of surrounding cultivators was overwhelming.
A continuous barrage of various spells, divine abilities, magic tools, and treasures was hurled by the over ten thousand cultivators besieging Suxing City.
The one to two thousand defending cultivators were unable to counterattack and could only passively rely on the grand formation to hold on.
Some cultivators, while attacking the grand formation, also shouted loudly, "Hey, you bunch of guys, why are you acting like dogs for the Liu imperial family, risking your lives for them?"
"Now, I'll give you a chance. If you open the city protection formation, we'll spare your lives. Otherwise, once we breach the formation, not a single one of you will survive..."
Upon hearing this, the defending cultivators on the city walls of Suxing City were thrown into a commotion. Many began to discuss amongst themselves, their morale clearly unstable.
Fortunately, the City Lord of Suxing City was a member of the Liu imperial family.
As a member of the imperial family, Liu Shousong, the City Lord of Suxing City, had no choice but to defend Suxing City to the death.
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