One man immediately cupped his hands, his expression solemn. "Rest assured, my lord. We are all loyal and steadfast men. Anyone not of one heart with us is corrupt. Beheading and confiscating their households would be only natural!"
Though the others said nothing, they all revealed their agreement. Their attitudes were exactly the same.
Chai Kejing was quite satisfied by this. Letting out a breath, he still offered a reminder. "I already know what is in your hearts, but I must still give you a word of advice."
"The ancient sages said: Xia was without the Way, so Yin conquered it; Yin was without the Way, so Zhou conquered it; Qin was without the Way, so Han conquered it. Those with the Way strike down those without it—such is the heavenly principle."
"This may be a stale old saying, but stale old sayings are golden rules and jade decrees!"
At this point, Chai Kejing suddenly recalled the Imperial Grandson's instruction. His body trembled, and a thread of killing intent entered his voice.
"The guiding principle of our investigations is this: whether we measure matters by the court's laws or by the two yardsticks of moral teachings and ethical principles, we must stand on the side of righteousness. They may say we are harsh, but they must never say we are wrong!"
The scene fell silent as everyone pondered his words. Chai Kejing gazed at the gathering dark clouds and the increasingly dim sky, then said coldly, "First and foremost, do not fabricate accusations. We cannot smear the Imperial Grandson's name!"
"Is that difficult?"
Chai Kejing replied icily, "Not difficult at all!"
"As the saying goes, 'A prefect who stays clean for three years earns a hundred thousand taels of snowflake silver.' By court law, embezzling eighty taels of silver is