Chapter 69 This is simply alarmist.

On the first morning of April, Yu Mingshu, her eyes slightly dark, prepared to go out. At the courtyard gate, she was stopped by Jiang Ru'an, who was rushing over, lifting her skirt.

Perhaps distance makes the heart grow fonder; Jiang Ruan seemed to have forgotten the unpleasantness of two months ago, and even had a sweet smile on her face when she spoke to her.

“Elder sister, it’s already the first day of the fourth month. The results of this year’s imperial examinations have been out for half a month. According to past practice, the candidates should have already been granted official positions or gone to the Ministry of Personnel to participate in the selection examinations by now…”

Yu Mingshu roughly calculated the time elapsed since the exam results were released, and it was indeed somewhat unusual.

"I'll ask around today."

Hearing her say that, Jiang Ruan felt much more at ease, and then smiled and said, "Actually, I know that with the war at hand, it's reasonable to postpone other things for a few days. But the invitations for the victory celebration banquet have already been sent out, and there's still no definite answer from above, so my mother-in-law and I are still uneasy."

As she spoke, she took Yu Mingshu's hand and said, "Thanks to my elder sister's extensive connections, otherwise we would have been left anxiously waiting."

Yu Mingshu was so embarrassed by the flattery that all he could think about during his morning work was finding out where the candidates had gone.

To avoid suspicion, she couldn't directly ask the Crown Prince and Chen Qingyue, since one of them was an examiner and the other was a family member of an examiner.

After much deliberation, Xie Huaijin remained her only connection in the capital.

"The imperial decrees for appointing officials to the top few in the imperial examination were issued yesterday. As for the other candidates, the Ministry of Personnel has tentatively set the selection and examination date for the middle of this month, either the 12th or the 14th."

"I see."

Yu Mingshu thanked Xie Huaijin, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "What kind of exams does the Ministry of Personnel hold?"

Seeing Xie Huaijin's startled expression, she quickly added, "I didn't ask you to reveal the exam questions! I just wanted to know what kind of exam it is, and whether there's a scope for the exam?"

"You don't need to be nervous. As long as you participate in the Ministry of Personnel's selection examination, you will pass. The only difference is the level of your official position and when you joined the post. The examination content is nothing more than your speech and behavior, calligraphy and writing."

After speaking in a gentle voice, Xie Huaijin seemed to remember something and lowered his voice to say, "There are rumors that height and appearance are also considered. I know very little about this and dare not speak rashly."

Yu Mingshu suddenly recalled some historical anecdotes, such as a poet who failed the imperial examinations repeatedly because of his less-than-ideal appearance, and a scholar who missed out on the top spot because of his unattractive appearance... This world judges by appearance.

Fortunately, Yu Dan was cleaned up and dressed properly, and was still a handsome young man.

As dusk approached, the two walked back side by side. When they reached the Vermilion Bird Gate, a palace attendant hurriedly caught up with them, calling out Yu Mingshu's name.

"Master Yu, please wait!"

The two turned around at the same time and saw the eunuch rushing towards them, about to crash into Yu Mingshu. Xie Huaijin reached out and stopped him, keeping him three steps away.

"What's the matter that you're in such a hurry?" Xie Huaijin asked, his tone displeased.

The eunuch bowed to him, then put on a stern face and said to Yu Mingshu, "Lord Yu, His Majesty requests your presence."

"You mean His Majesty summoned me?" Yu Mingshu was taken aback, pointing to himself in disbelief.

"Indeed." The eunuch's expression was not very pleasant as he urged, "Master Yu, please come with me quickly, lest His Majesty remain waiting."

Yu Mingshu had no choice but to turn around and head towards the Taiji Hall. Xie Huaijin frowned upon seeing this and quickly followed.

"I'll go with you."

Yu Mingshu returned his gaze with a grateful look.

Everyone praised the registrar as a rising star in the imperial court, highly valued by the emperor. Upon hearing his words, the eunuch couldn't help but glance back at the two walking side by side, pursing his lips and hesitating for a long while, but ultimately said nothing.

It was Xie Huaijin's business whether he wanted to come along, and it was His Majesty's business whether His Majesty would see him or not. He just kept his head down and led the way.

The three arrived outside the Taiji Hall, where an eunuch whispered in Yao Qingxi's ear.

Yao Qingxi glanced at the two people in front of the door and immediately went inside to report.

Before long, the eunuch received Yao Qingxi's signal and turned to Xie Huaijin and Yu Mingshu, saying, "His Majesty summons you two to the palace."

Unlike Xie Huaijin's composure, this was Yu Mingshu's first time formally entering the Taiji Hall to meet the Emperor. From the moment she stepped into the hall, she carefully restrained herself from making too much noise.

I walked lightly, avoiding friction between my clothes and the fabric, and even controlled my breathing to be extremely quiet.

As she walked among the courtiers on both sides, she casually observed the atmosphere in the hall. The atmosphere was somewhat somber, with Xie Shichang and others on the left and Chen Qu on the right all looking unusually serious.

This doesn't look like a good thing.

Stopping five steps below the steps, Yu Mingshu and Xie Huaijin bowed in unison.

The emperor glanced at Xie Huaijin, who had come uninvited, his expression unreadable. "Since you're here, just listen from the side."

Xie Huaijin agreed, glancing almost imperceptibly in Yu Mingshu's direction.

Not far from her, Xie Shichang stood with his sleeves tucked in and head held high, his eyes gleaming with a sinister light.

He silently stepped back to the other side, standing behind Chen Qu, lowering his eyes to conceal the worry in them.

The emperor looked down at the woman with an outstanding figure and said to the censor beside him, "Everyone is here. Repeat what you just said."

All eyes in the hall were drawn to the censor, and a middle-aged man with round cheeks stepped forward and bowed to the emperor on the throne.

"Your Majesty, I hereby accuse Yu Mingshu, a Palace Attendant of the Crown Prince, of bribing Chen Qu, an examiner of the imperial examinations, to facilitate his brother's cheating, thus abusing his power and violating the law, and unworthy of being a subject!"

These words shocked the entire hall.

"How is this possible..."

Yu Mingshu had only one thought in his mind: This is simply alarmist.

Chen Qu immediately stood up and declared firmly, "This is slander!"

Yu Mingshu quickly defended himself, saying, "The censor's words are absurd!"

"Chen Shizhong is in charge of all matters related to the Jinshi examination this year, while my younger brother is taking the Mingfa examination. The papers for the two examinations will be graded separately. I ask the Censor, how will Chen Shizhong show favoritism towards my younger brother?"

The censor said, "The two examinations are graded separately, but the examination venue is the same. Attendant Chen could easily make things easier for him when he enters the examination hall and allow him to smuggle notes into the hall."

Yu Mingshu said, "The Liang Code consists of twelve chapters and a total of five hundred articles. If copied onto a slip of paper, it would be at least a hundred feet long. Does the censor mean that my younger brother brought a hundred-foot-long slip of paper into the examination hall without anyone noticing?"

The imperial censor pondered for a moment and said, "It is said that there are calligraphers in the market who can write characters as small as mosquitoes and flies, and can copy more than 10,000 characters on a single page."

"Such extraordinary people are truly unheard of," Yu Mingshu sneered.

In this debate, Yu Mingshu was at a disadvantage. Just then, Yao Qingxi rushed in to report, "Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived."

The emperor waved his hand, signaling for the crown prince to enter.

Liang Yuanjun strode into the hall and said in a deep voice, "On the day of the imperial examination, I personally supervised the body search upon entry. Does the censor mean to accuse me of negligence in supervision and of protecting the Yu family?"

The censor hurriedly replied that he dared not.

"There are many candidates outside the examination hall. His Highness the Crown Prince only has one pair of eyes and is overseeing the examination from a distance, so it is inevitable that some oversights will occur. This matter is not His Highness's fault."

Liang Yuanjun bypassed him and went to the emperor's side.

The emperor frowned deeply, slapped the armrest, and said to the censor, "Words are no proof. Censor Zheng, do you have any evidence?"

The censor straightened his back and addressed the person outside the door: "Please provide a witness."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked towards the door, where they saw an attendant let in two students in blue robes.

The man on the left appeared calm and composed, while the man on the right seemed somewhat uneasy. The two of them stood between the censor and Yu Mingshu and knelt before the emperor.

The censor pointed to the student on the right and said, "This person is a candidate for the provincial examination this year. His seat in the examination room is directly opposite Yu Sanlang. He saw with his own eyes that Yu Sanlang's behavior during the examination was extremely suspicious and suspected of cheating."

The student being accused spoke tremulously: "Yes, I saw it with my own eyes. Yu Sanlang often looked around in the examination room. When no one was patrolling, he would cover his pen and write furiously at his desk. When someone was patrolling, he would stop writing, sit upright, and pretend to be thinking..."

"Why are you staring at Yu Sanlang instead of looking at the questions in the exam room?"

Xie Huaijin suddenly asked in a cold voice, drawing everyone's attention.

The student seemed startled, his lips trembling slightly before he finally spoke: "I wasn't staring at Yu Sanlang, but when my thoughts got stuck, I looked up a few times and happened to notice his unusual behavior."

Xie Huaijin didn't believe this explanation. "Since you discovered something unusual, why didn't you report it on the spot?"

"The student was afraid of wrongly accusing the other party, and also thought that it was better to avoid trouble, so he held back."

"Why did you remain silent then, but now you dare to report it?"

"Recently, there have been many rumors circulating in the inns and taverns of the capital, saying that the Yu family bribed the examiners and cheated on behalf of their brother. This reminded me of what happened in the examination hall, and that's why I dared to expose them."

The student kowtowed again, shouting, "Your Majesty, please investigate this matter thoroughly and restore justice to all the candidates in the imperial examinations!"

The emperor's gaze fell on Chen Qu and the other examiners. "What do you say?"

Chen Qu said, "These are all baseless rumors, utterly absurd."

Liang Yuanjun also said, "Father, once the fraud is confirmed, it will implicate many people. Without solid evidence, how can we easily convict someone?"

The censor surnamed Zheng waved his sleeve and pointed to another student, "You speak."

This man seemed impatient. As soon as the censor finished speaking, he said loudly, "I was also a fellow examinee of Yu Sanlang. On the evening of February 25th, after leaving the examination hall, on the street outside the examination hall, I heard Yu Sanlang confidently declare that he would definitely pass the examination and told his family to prepare a celebration banquet as soon as possible."

After saying that, he looked at Yu Mingshu with a smile in his eyes, "Minister Yu, you were also present that day. Do you dare to say that Third Master Yu did not say these words?"

A few images flashed vaguely through her mind, and Yu Mingshu's heart tightened, but she quickly regained her composure.

"That is true, but so what? Whether the answer sheet is good or bad, the candidates should know in their hearts."

"I heard that Yu Sanlang transferred to the Mingfa Department only a little over a year ago?" The man in the blue robe raised an eyebrow. "I have been studying law for five years and still cannot pass the Mingfa examination. If Yu Sanlang did not bribe and cheat, how could he be so sure that he would be on the list?"

Xie Huaijin said, "Yu Sheren entered school less than a year before passing the imperial examination. According to you, does that mean last year's examination should also be thoroughly investigated and reviewed?"

The man was speechless for a moment. He hadn't been prepared for this question, and in a panic, he instinctively looked at Xie Shichang, who was not far away.

Chen Qu noticed the fleeting fear in his eyes and couldn't help but chuckle, turning his gaze back to Imperial Censor Zheng.

"Can a few rumors and speculations really be considered empirical evidence?"

“Minister Chen, don’t be hasty,” Imperial Censor Zheng said, changing the subject. “Why don’t you present the physical evidence?”

Everyone looked towards the door again.

Yu Mingshu and Chen Qu were both very curious: how could evidence be conjured up out of thin air for something they had never done?

The censor glanced back at the emperor's face. He had already asked the provincial authorities to send someone else to the Chen family when the eunuchs went to invite Chen Qu and Yu Mingshu.

At this moment, two eunuchs struggled to lift a box onto the platform. The box was not large, but it seemed unusually heavy.

“In mid-February, Chen Shizhong held a full-month banquet for his youngest son at home. Yu Sheren used the pretext of congratulatory gifts to bribe him, burying a large amount of gold in the gift box.”

Yu Mingshu recognized the box as the one she had sent to the Chen family, but she had sent books, not gold.

"That's completely wrong! The gift I gave to the Chen family was a rare ancient book, not gold!"

The eunuch put down the gift box, lifted the lid, and saw that the top layer of the box contained several scrolls of scriptures.

The imperial censor stepped forward, opened the top book, and revealed a dazzling golden light.

“Yu Sheren claims to be gifting ancient books, but he buried gold under them, which is a disgrace to literature.”

The emperor said in a deep voice, "These were all found in the Chen family's treasury. Chen Qu, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Chen Qu was stunned for a moment, but quickly recovered and stepped forward to argue: "Your Majesty is wise! On the day of the banquet, I counted the gifts from each family. The gift from Yu Sheren was just a box of books, two sets of classics. After counting, they were registered and put into storage. I have never seen this box of valuables!"

Xie Shichang said quietly, "These things were found in your Chen family's warehouse. If you didn't personally accept the stolen goods, how could anyone have broken into your warehouse to frame you?"

Chen Qu stood frozen, a chill running down his spine. Only a few people could enter the family's storeroom; who had hidden this box of gold there?

Seeing that he couldn't answer, Xie Shichang's eyes lit up with a smile.

He then bowed to the emperor and declared in a firm voice, "The evidence is irrefutable that Yu Sheren bribed Chen Shizhong to facilitate his brother's corruption! Your Majesty, I beg you to punish him severely!"

"Wait!"

Yu Mingshu shouted, interrupting Xie Shichang's performance and drawing everyone's attention.

Not only did the officials look at her with curiosity, but her gaze also lingered among them. Finally, she fixed her eyes on the censor and said in a gentle tone, "I have a few questions that I would like to ask the censor to answer."

The censor straightened his collar, ignoring her question and focusing on the emperor's instructions.

The emperor nodded, signaling her to continue.

"Many people saw it on the day of the Chen family's full moon banquet. I went to the banquet with General He, and there was only one maid behind me. It was this maid who unloaded the gift box from the carriage and handed it to the Chen family's steward."

"As you all saw just now, the chest of gold was extremely heavy; even two eunuchs struggled to carry it in. May I ask, Imperial Censor Zheng, how did my maid manage to move this chest of gold by herself?"

Imperial Censor Zheng was stunned for a moment, then said loudly, "Women are not necessarily weak. The maids of the Yu family are used to doing rough work, and it is possible that they can lift a thousand catties."

“Alright.” Yu Mingshu simply smiled. “Then I’ll ask the censor again: how many copper coins can this chest of gold be worth? How much grain can it buy? How many kilograms of beef and mutton can it buy? How many houses can it buy? How many years can it support a family of three living in luxury?”

Imperial Censor Zheng was speechless again, then straightened his shoulders and said, "I am not trained in mathematics, so I cannot answer this question."

“I’ll calculate it for you,” Yu Mingshu said.

"Based on the strength of two adult men, this box of gold would weigh at least 1,500 taels, or 15,000 strings of copper coins. That would be enough to buy at least a million dou of rice, or 700,000 jin of wheat flour, or 200,000 jin of mutton. In the most prosperous area of ​​Chang'an, it could afford to build five houses."

"I ask you, Censor Zheng, if you were in my shoes, would you spend so much money bribing the examiners just to slip in a few pages of notes to cheat?"

As she spoke, a mocking smile curved her lips.

"I really want to know, just how blind were the people who framed me to the extent of their ignorance about the amount of money and grain? Is it worth it to exchange a fortune that could support three generations of descendants in luxury for a mediocre ranking in the Mingfa examination?"

The room fell silent.

"Have the person who framed me considered that, even if I sold everything I own, I couldn't come up with a thousand taels of gold!"

Upon hearing this, Imperial Censor Zheng finally spoke: "I have heard that Gentleman Yu has business dealings with the Fengyang Tower of the Shen family's trading company."

Yu Mingshu felt a sense of relief when the question was finally asked.

She bowed to the emperor on the throne and explained frankly: "Before entering officialdom, in order to make a living, I did sell a few beverage recipes to Fengyanglou. But in the past year, my family and I have had no new financial dealings with Fengyanglou."

After saying this, seeing that the emperor's expression was indifferent and normal, he turned slightly to the censor and said, "Even a year ago, the profit I made was only a little over eight hundred strings of cash, which I used entirely to buy a new house and to help my younger brother get married."

Zhang Jinghua said, "No matter how much the Yu family has declined, they are still descendants of founding heroes. Surely they can't even afford a thousand taels of gold."

These words made everyone's eyebrows twitch, and even Xie Shichang and Imperial Censor Zheng, who were standing on the same side as him, couldn't help but glare at him.

The emperor's face was very grim.

The fact that Zhang Jinghua could say such a thing only shows that a thousand taels of gold was not a large sum of money for the Zhang family.

With war raging and the national treasury strained, how could the emperor not have thoughts about the wealthy families who were unwilling to contribute to the court despite having money in their pockets?

Yu Mingshu bowed to the emperor again and said loudly, "I lost my father at a young age and my family was poor and struggling to make ends meet. When my younger brother first started learning to write, he was reluctant to use ink, so he used the leftover charcoal from the fire to practice writing. He would dip his brush in water and practice on the ground, and then rewrite it after the water dried."

“Minister Zhang was born into a prestigious family and probably doesn’t know what poverty is. I don’t know what a thousand taels of gold means to Minister Xie and Minister Zhang, but in the eyes of the Yu family, it is an astronomical figure. Even if we emptied the family’s wealth for three generations, we still couldn’t raise half of it.”

Xie Shichang scoffed, "Your mother, Wu, came from a prominent family in Huangzhou. Leaving aside her dowry, after Censor Yu passed away, I heard that Wu's family often sent money to help her out..."

Yu Mingshu immediately replied, “My mother’s dowry is untouched and is kept in the storeroom. As for the Wu family’s subsidies, my maternal grandfather does send a sum of money every year or two, but it is always a small amount, and there is not much left after living expenses. If you do not believe me, you can check the Yu family’s accounts. I can withstand the scrutiny.”

Xie Shichang remained silent.

Chen Qu, the other party to the impeachment, had been listening for so long and stepped forward, saying, "I can also withstand investigation."

It was nearly curfew time, and the emperor, weary, rested his head on his hand. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Attendant Chen and Attendant Yu are temporarily suspended from their duties pending investigation. They are not allowed to leave their homes until the matter is clarified."

After saying that, he looked around and his gaze fell on Xie Huaijin. "This matter will be handed over to the Censorate for investigation. Xie Lushi, you will assist in the supervision. There is no room for error."

Everyone was taken aback upon hearing this; His Majesty's regard for Xie Huaijin had reached such a level.

Xie Huaijin hesitated for only a moment before bowing and accepting the decree, saying, "Your subject obeys the decree and will certainly not fail in my mission."