"This is a detailed list of bribes received by the Prime Minister's wife in recent years. Among them, the wife of the Salt Commissioner was the closest to her. Last year alone, she received ten bushels of pearls, two pieces of top-quality coral, twenty bolts of Shu brocade, two boxes of various gemstones, ten pieces of precious calligraphy and painting, and ten boxes of rare ancient books as gifts. Although it is normal for officials and nobles to exchange gifts during festivals, these gifts are too extravagant. Moreover, the Prime Minister's wife has not given any valuable return gifts. This is sufficient evidence to be reported to His Majesty."

Qi Jiejing presented what she had found out to everyone, her tone sarcastic: "I reckon she thought that as long as it wasn't gold or silver, she could openly accept it, so all she had to do was have people observe and study carefully to figure out what the ships from Jiangnan were carrying for her every year."

The third princess looked over with admiration, because while she was good at fighting and killing, she had never understood these intricacies.

"And this one too," Zhou Yuqing reported his findings. "Two years ago, the Prime Minister's wife's nephew beat a singing girl to death in a teahouse. Although she was a singing girl, she sold her art but not her body. This young master Fang, unable to force her, took her life in a fit of rage. The singing girl had a younger brother, and the two siblings depended on each other for survival. After the sister's death, the brother reported to the authorities, but a month later, the brother also died mysteriously. Afterwards, the young master Fang was not punished at all. The Prefect of the Capital who handled the matter was a disciple of Prime Minister Xu. A minor official was willing to testify that after the incident, the Prime Minister's wife made a special trip to the Prefect of the Capital's residence."

"But this only proves that the Prime Minister's wife is ignorant of the law. When the truth comes out, at most the Prime Minister can only be punished for failing to manage his household properly. If he deeply repents and divorces his wife, he will at most be demoted. The Xu family behind the Prime Minister is a family with a history of hundreds of years. There are many talented people in the family. Many of the officials in the capital are students of the Xu family. In addition, with the Prince of Xun as a relative by marriage, it is still easy for the Prime Minister to be promoted again or to influence the court."

"What if I said I had evidence that the Xu clan had seized farmland from ordinary people, forced women into prostitution, illegally mined, and raised troops?" The Fourth Princess's words were startling, and Feng Shao unconsciously swallowed.

It's no wonder he was so shocked. There had been rumors for a long time that the Fourth Princess was in poor health, and Consort De's background was just ordinary. How could the Fourth Princess, who had lived in seclusion in the palace for many years, know so many secrets?

The Fourth Princess, Song Xinghe, smiled shyly: "It is precisely because my mother and I do not have much power that, in order to protect ourselves and to avoid being arbitrarily married by my father or controlled by the court officials, I started to find ways to increase my bargaining power a long time ago. It's just a pity that by the time I found out, it was too late to save those who were persecuted by the Xu family. Fortunately, the past two years have been quite successful, and I have protected several farming families by keeping them in other estates."

"In this way, the Xu family can be charged with treason." The eldest prince looked at Song Xia, "Madam Song, when do you think would be the best time to send Prime Minister Xu on his way?"

Song Xia smiled and said, "Since all the evidence is complete, let's do it the day after Prince Xun Si Hengnian and Miss Xu Huixin get married. We are all good people, so let's not ruin their marriage. If Prime Minister Xu is convicted, Miss Xu will not be able to marry Prince Xun. How can we not let lovers be together in the end?"

Everyone exchanged glances and then laughed in unison, as if they could already foresee the conflict between Xu Huixin and Si Hengnian.

After all, if something happens to the Prime Minister's residence, Xu Huixin cannot sit idly by. However, the only person she can turn to for help is Si Hengnian. But the evidence is conclusive. No matter how powerful Si Hengnian is, he cannot challenge the imperial authority now. After all, although he has a high reputation, there are still 200,000 soldiers on the border!

Even if he went to the border now, he couldn't immediately mobilize those 200,000 troops. The timing wasn't right; he hadn't reached the pinnacle of power he had in his previous life.

Therefore, the destruction of the Prime Minister's mansion is a foregone conclusion. Once her biological parents are dead, how could Xu Huixin not feel any resentment?

If Prince Xun, Si Hengnian, were to make a mistake out of love and secretly send someone to switch Prime Minister Xu and his wife with death row inmates, that would be even better. They could catch him red-handed and bring the entire Prince Xun's household to justice.

The tenth day of the tenth lunar month was an auspicious day for the wedding, which was specially chosen by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau at the request of Prince Xun Siheng, with the intention of ensuring perfection.

To show his affection for Xu Huixin, the betrothal gifts were sent on the ninth day of the tenth lunar month, which caused a stir among the people of the capital. This was because the betrothal gifts were carried into the Prime Minister's residence from the first batch to the last batch, which had not yet left the Prince's residence. Moreover, each batch was filled with rare and precious items, which made everyone envious. It was said that the betrothal gifts and dowries prepared for the princes and princesses in the palace were not even half as good as this.

As a result, public opinion of the two began to reverse, with everyone talking about Si Hengnian's extreme doting on Xu Huixin and no longer mentioning their previous affair. After all, what woman wouldn't want to be valued like that by her future husband?

"So much, it's a pity their property will be confiscated in two days, and then it will all become part of the national treasury." On the top floor of the largest teahouse in the capital, several princes and princesses, along with Zhou Yuqing, Qi Jiejing, and others, sat together, watching the spectacle below.

"Shouldn't the Prime Minister's residence include the gifts sent by Si Hengnian as part of the dowry?"

"The dowry was prepared separately in advance. These betrothal gifts will be part of the dowry, but not the whole dowry. This was agreed upon in advance."

"I estimate that the Prime Minister's family also provided a considerable dowry."

"No more than this. Si Hengnian has been fighting abroad for nearly ten years, and the amount of gold and silver he has amassed is beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Wars have always been expensive but also easy to make money. In addition, with the annual tributes from his subordinates, Si Hengnian is probably richer than our father's private treasury."

“His ambition can be seen from the fact that he started distributing porridge a month before the wedding. He wanted to win the hearts of the people so as to avoid being attacked by the censors.”

"Unfortunately, what he doesn't know is that we didn't target him first. I hope that after Prime Minister Xu's incident, he and Xu Huixin can still be loving and sweet together."

On the day Si Hengnian and Xu Huixin got married, the eldest prince and the second prince personally went to congratulate them. The entire Xunwang Mansion was packed with civil and military officials, and there were five stewards just to receive the gifts.

The Prime Minister's residence was not to be outdone. After all, she was the only legitimate daughter, and she was married to the renowned Prince Xun. Fearing that they might not be able to establish a connection with the Prince Xun, they sent another gift to the Prime Minister's residence. According to Qi Jiejing's spies, the storeroom was overflowing with gifts, and two more courtyards had to be cleared out to store them.

The day after the wedding, Prime Minister Xu was invited to court by the emperor's close eunuch. Both Prime Minister Xu and his wife were beaming with joy and their eyes were full of pride.

"It's all thanks to Huixin marrying Prince Xun that His Majesty relented so quickly. Isn't that just to give Prince Xun face?"

Prime Minister Xu, no longer as cautious as before, walked out with his head held high and chest puffed out. Before leaving, he instructed his wife: "The mansion was a bit chaotic yesterday. Have someone clean it up quickly. Huixin will be returning to her parents' home in two days, and her husband will definitely come with her."

"Do you even need to tell me? Master, you can rest assured."