Mu Qing became more and more excited as he spoke, and his eyes and expression were filled with resentment and hatred.

His words also shocked the whole audience.

The Minister of Rites knelt down trembling, and Guo Gan's face was as pale as a dead person.

If it weren't for the fact that they were in the main hall, he would have wanted to stab Mu Qing to death, to shut him up and make him never speak again.

The emperor's face had turned dark, and his sharp eyes swept over the Minister of Rites and his grandson.

"Minister Guo, is what Mu Qing said true?"

Upon hearing this, Minister Guo just knocked his head heavily to the ground. He did not dare to refute at all.

Because what Mu Qing said was true, and Guo Gan really didn't have that talent. If he refused to admit it, his true colors would be exposed during the confrontation.

Silence meant consent, but Guo Gan was still unwilling to give in. He was desperate and actually looked at Helian Heng, ready to pull him out to block the way.

"Your Majesty, it was His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu who told me that you might ask questions about taxes in the palace examination, so I focused all my attention on taxation and did not specialize in other things. It was because of this that I performed poorly in the palace examination. I don't know who instructed this dog slave to slander me like this!"

Helian Heng originally wanted to treat himself as an invisible man, but when he saw him dragging him into the water, he burst into laughter on the spot. In his heart, he also saw the true colors of some people.

It turns out that the person he had been helping was actually a heartless person. He thought he was a real talent, but it turned out that he was just relying on other people's help.

When Minister Guo heard that this rebellious son dared to drag the King of Chu into trouble, he immediately lost his composure.

The King of Chu is the hope of all of them. Whether the Guo family can continue to prosper in the future depends entirely on him. He cannot afford to let the emperor get angry because of this.

Because of the mistakes they made, the emperor, for the sake of the King of Chu and the royal concubine, would at most demote them.

"Shut up, Your Majesty, you don't need to listen to this rebellious son's nonsense. This is all my fault. It's because I value fame and fortune too much that I made such a big mistake. Everything Mu Qing said is true, but Your Majesty, please spare my family for the sake of my three years of service. I am willing to accept the punishment without any complaints!"

Helian Heng originally planned to speak up to defend himself. Although he didn't want to be an emperor in this life, he didn't want to offend his father. He also wanted to live a carefree life in the future.

But now, in order to protect himself, his grandfather has taken the initiative to admit the matter and is ready to sacrifice himself, so he doesn't need to defend himself at this time.

However, those who need to plead should still plead.

Then he came out and knelt down:

"I also ask the Emperor to give a lighter punishment for the sake of Minister Guo's three-term service!"

When Guo Gan saw his grandfather confess and his cousin came out to plead for mercy, he knew that the matter was a foregone conclusion. What he needed to worry about now was what kind of punishment he would face.

He began to get scared and knelt there trembling all over. It was too late to regret now.

To be honest, His Majesty was very disappointed with this family, but he was more angry that they were playing such shameful tricks right under his nose.

It is really hateful and shameless.

"Mr. Guo, I have always respected you as a veteran of three dynasties, and I have placed high hopes on Guo Gan. So this is how you tease me? I am so disappointed."

The calmer His Majesty's tone, the angrier he is.

The grandfather and grandson of the Guo family both knelt there trembling, with their foreheads pressed against the marble floor, not daring to make a sound.

However, there is no point in dwelling on these things now; it all depends on how this matter is to be judged.

The Guo family had indeed gone too far, but for the sake of the Imperial Concubine and the King of Chu, the sentence cannot be too severe.

Moreover, Minister Guo is a veteran of three dynasties, and even if he has no merits, he has worked hard.

His son is an official in another place and his performance is pretty good, so we have to take this into consideration and not punish him too severely.

However, the emperor felt that his imperial power was insulted by their playing tricks on him, and he was very upset about it.

After weighing the pros and cons and confirming it again and again, the emperor finally made the following punishment.

"Minister of Rites Guo Yuanli, took advantage of his position to do things that were immoral and committed a serious mistake. However, considering his lifelong dedication to our dynasty, he is stripped of his position as Minister of Rites and allowed to retire to his hometown. His wife, Guo Lin, failed to discipline their young son and was previously granted the title of Second Class Imperial Lady. Her virtue is not worthy of the position, so her title is also stripped. Guo Gan ignored the laws of Daqing and openly cheated in the imperial examinations. He refused to repent and is sentenced to exile in Lingnan, and is not allowed to return to Beijing in this lifetime."

In the end, the emperor gave the lightest punishment out of consideration for the imperial concubine and the King of Chu.

However, in this way, even if the Guo family is no longer a force to be reckoned with, Helian Heng will lose a major support. Whenever the emperor sees him and thinks of this matter, he will feel resentful.

This is great news for the other three princes who want to seize the throne.

But Helian Heng secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking, fortunately, no one was killed, this is the best result.

At least, his uncle was not implicated and was still serving as an official in another place.

However, after this incident, my uncle might have no hope of promotion in this life, but it’s also good this way, as it keeps him away from court gossip.

According to Helian Jing's character, he would not kill innocent people when he held power in the future. Helian Jing was a wise monarch, and Helian Heng knew it well.

He was convinced and did not feel the slightest bit unwilling.

Mu Qing's words had the same result as in his previous life. He was a victim, and the emperor freed him from slavery. From then on, he became a good citizen. He was free in the future and could take part in the imperial examinations.

When the verdict came down, Mu Qing couldn't help crying with excitement. He kowtowed three times to His Majesty:

"Your Majesty is wise!"

This matter is easy to resolve. As long as Mu Qing is willing to blow himself up, Guo Gan will not be able to prove himself.

He had no way to defend himself. He was just a good-for-nothing idiot. How could he confront Mu Qing?

It's strange that he needs to use others, suck others' blood, and yet treat others unkindly. Mu Qing was hesitant at first and didn't want to betray his master, but that day he woke up all of a sudden.

With Helian Jing fanning the flames, he finally couldn't help but explode.

No matter how much you care about Guo Gan, he will think it is your duty and he will not be grateful to you at all.

Just like what happened in the hall just now, the first thing he thought of was to kick you and threaten you, which made Mu Qing instantly feel hopeless. He had to fight to the death today.

But I didn't expect things to go so smoothly. This is the best outcome.

Fortunately, Minister Guo only lost his position. He was already old and it was time for him to retire.

But it is a bit unfair for Old Madam Guo. She just sits at home and doesn't even have an imperial edict.