Chapter 314 Punishing Zhang Zifen!

Emperor Renxiao narrowed his eyes slightly: "The secret passage is known only to the emperors of past dynasties and the crown prince who will inherit the throne."

“The former crown prince, who was also my elder brother, must have known about the secret passage.”

Zhou Ruyuan's eyes flashed, and he looked up at his father. Just as he was about to speak, he heard his father say, "Back then, the Prince Li forced the Crown Prince to abdicate, killed the former Crown Prince, and slaughtered all of the former Crown Prince's bloodline. I suspect that the Prince Li may have used the former Crown Prince's family to coerce the former Crown Prince into revealing the location of the secret passage."

Shen Lanxi: "Your Majesty, does that King Li still have any descendants?"

Emperor Renxiao sighed: "When I first ascended the throne, I couldn't bear to commit massacres, but I was also afraid that I wouldn't be able to deter those with rebellious intentions. So I ordered all the adult males of the Prince of Li to be beheaded, and the female relatives to be sent to the army. The underage males were sent to guard the imperial tombs of our ancestors, and the underage females were sent to the Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau)."

Shen Lanxi: "Your Majesty is benevolent and virtuous; Heaven is grateful!"

Emperor Renxiao seemed to have aged considerably in an instant. He let out a long sigh and wearily rubbed his forehead.

"You two go and investigate. If it really is the descendants of the Prince of Li who are causing trouble, then you don't need to report to me how to deal with it."

Shen Lanxi bowed: "Your Majesty, I will personally go to the imperial mausoleum to investigate."

After Shen Lanxi left the palace, Zhou Ruyuan was summoned by Emperor Renxiao from Consort Shu's residence.

"Father."

Emperor Renxiao asked expressionlessly, "Just now, you seemed to have something to say."

Zhou Ruyuan hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty has already answered my question. It was the ungrateful orphans of the Li King who deserved to die!"

Emperor Renxiao looked coldly at his son: "You were just asking whether the former crown prince still has any descendants."

Zhou Ruyuan was shocked and quickly explained, "Father, that's not what I meant."

Emperor Renxiao snorted coldly: "When you were fighting those two traitors in Dongchuan, did they say anything they shouldn't have?"

Of course there were. Zhou Ruyuan's heart raced as he thought of those rebellious words.

"Father, how can we believe the words of those two traitors?"

Emperor Renxiao: "Have your men been keeping an eye on Prince Cheng's movements?"

Zhou Ruyuan's heart sank, and he hurriedly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, I am worried that they will make a comeback, so I have sent people to keep an eye on both Prince Cheng and Prince Dongliao."

Emperor Renxiao: "Have your men investigate who Prince Cheng has been in contact with."

Prince Cheng and the former Crown Prince were born of the same mother. With the Emperor saying this, what else is there to misunderstand?

"Your subject will take care of it immediately!"

After sending his son away, Emperor Renxiao dispatched his personal guards to Prince Cheng's fiefdom.

Wang Bao was worried and whispered a reminder: "Your Majesty, we don't have many manpower left!"

After a moment of contemplation, Emperor Renxiao said, "The court is currently discussing the selection of examiners for the imperial examinations, but the matter remains unresolved. This stalemate is not a solution."

"How about we hold a martial arts competition first, to warm things up beforehand?"

Wang Bao immediately flattered, saying, "Your Majesty is wise; you have thought of things that no one before you could."

Emperor Renxiao nodded in satisfaction, as this would allow him to select virtuous officials and fill vacancies in military generals.

During the morning court session, the proposal to hold the military examination was put forward by the retired General Wen, and it was immediately approved by His Majesty. The special examination was thus postponed as a matter of course!

Some were happy, some were sad; the happiest were the writers who were not yet ready.

This also includes Shen Congwen.

"I refuse to believe we can't find a good academy to accept you." Shen Congwen was already furious after receiving several offers of resignation from his teachers. When he suddenly heard that the imperial examination was postponed, he felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, and he was instantly energized again.

"Master, I've heard that Mr. Ruohua, a very renowned figure from Jiangnan, is coming to the capital to visit a friend in the next few days. Is that true?" The steward relayed the news he had overheard on the street.

Upon hearing the name of Mr. Ruohua, Shen Congwen instantly stood up from his chair in excitement.

Who did you just call me?

The housekeeper was terrified.

Did you just mention Mr. Ruohua?

The butler was being held tightly by the collar by Shen Congwen.

"Yes, yes, sir, it was Mr. Ruohua. I heard it from those scholars in the teahouse, I'm absolutely sure I heard it correctly!"

Shen Congwen was so excited that tears welled up in his eyes. Mr. Ruohua was a renowned Confucian scholar who was famous throughout Jiangnan! Countless scholars and talented men had waited day and night at his door just to receive a word of guidance from him.

Unfortunately, the gentleman was a low-key person and always stayed in the Jiangnan region, unwilling to engage with the world, so his reputation was the lowest among the many great Confucian scholars.

However, when it comes to scholarship, if Mr. Ruohua claims to be second, no one in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty would dare to claim to be first.

When will Mr. Ruohua arrive in the capital? Has he mentioned where he will be staying? Who are his close friends?

The housekeeper was stumped by the three questions in a row.

"Master, this servant hasn't been investigated yet!"

Shen Congwen: "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go ask right away."

"yes!"

Since Shen Lanxi had agreed to go to the imperial mausoleum, she was determined to make the trip. She dealt with the important matters at hand and went to the Shen residence a day in advance to inform them.

"Hmph, so you still know how to come back!" Shen Congwen did not show any kindness to his daughter after receiving news of Mr. Ruohua.

Shen Lanxi lowered her eyes: "Father, I will be leaving the capital tomorrow to investigate the Wei family army case. My return date is uncertain. I bid you farewell!"

Upon hearing about the Wei family army case, Shen Congwen became even more annoyed, but he didn't say anything else.

Shen Lanxi went to say goodbye to her grandmother, and everyone else in the family was there.

"Grandma~"

Old Madam Shen was discussing the marriage of her two daughters with her family when she saw Shen Lanxi arrive, and wanted to hear her opinion.

"You've come at the perfect time. The family is discussing the marriage between Yuan Xin and Yuan Ruan. Come and listen!"

Shen Lanxi sat down with a normal expression, her eyes inadvertently glancing at Zhang Zifen beside Old Madam Shen.

"Grandmother, when did concubines become allowed to discuss matters alongside their masters?"

Zhang Zifen froze for a moment, then raised the corners of her mouth and said ingratiatingly, "Miss, it was Master who asked me to come in his place."

Shen Lanxi asked coldly, "Did you ask my mother?"

Zhang Zifen could no longer laugh.

“Miss, you don’t know this, but this has always been the case in our mansion. The madam doesn’t handle matters of the main branch; everything is left to the master.”

The temperature in Shen Lanxi's eyes gradually dropped.

Slap him!

Everyone was shocked!

Without saying a word, Chunxue Qiushuang stepped forward and pulled Zhang Zifen away from the old lady, followed by a series of slaps.

"Madam, save me..." Zhang Zifen never expected that after returning to the capital, Shen Lanxi would still dare to act so recklessly, beating and killing her family members. She was terrified.

"Madam, help me..." Zhang Zifen struggled towards Madam Shen, using both her hands and feet.

Madam Shen's face was ashen, and her chest heaved, clearly indicating that she was extremely angry.

Shen Lanxi narrowed her eyes, her voice as cold as ice.

"As long as I am alive, the Shen family will never allow anyone to scheme against their own family!"

Madam Shen was about to get angry, but upon hearing what she said, she sat back down in her chair.

Shen Lanxi: "Your trick might work on Father, but it won't work on me! You've broken my rules today, so you must accept the punishment as a sign of your discipline!"