"How did I break the rules?" Xie Liwei chuckled. "The Great Chen Law does stipulate that if a cold case is solved, those below the sixth rank can be promoted two ranks."

Gai Louyu choked up, because he didn't know if the "Great Chen Law" contained such a provision. He could only stubbornly say, "What kind of major unsolved case is this!"

"This matter concerns our national defense, yet in Lord Gai's eyes it's not considered a major case? Then what constitutes a major case?"

The building contractors have completely stopped talking; it's true that the more they say, the more mistakes they make.

But he was unwilling to let Xie Liwei continue the investigation like this. It wasn't that he was afraid of wrongful convictions, but rather that if Xie Liwei established his authority through this case, he could secure his position in the court!

Yuwen Wuji went to great lengths to get the Xie family out of the court. If they were allowed to return, the aristocratic families would only be severely suppressed by the Xie family.

"Your Highness, the Emperor has given you power not so that you could waste your time on trivial matters!"

"This concerns national defense, how can it be a waste of time?" Xie Liwei's tone also turned cold and somber. "I want to investigate this case because it may be related to the illegal mining of iron ore and the illegal forging of weapons. Lord Gai has repeatedly obstructed it. Could it be that he is involved in this matter?"

As he was being pressured so much, fine beads of sweat appeared on the forehead of the building contractor.

He swallowed hard, unable to understand how Xie Liwei's aura could be so strong, making him feel flustered and confused.

Gai Louyu glanced at the other cabinet members and, seeing that none of them intended to obstruct him, immediately realized that he had made a terrible mistake.

Xie Liwei chose this case to establish his authority in the court because he believed they would be unable to stop him.

No matter how they try to obstruct the case, as long as they voice their opposition, it is considered related to the case.

Wang Xuan's face darkened. He hadn't expected that Xie Liwei, who used to be so unassuming, would now be making no attempt to hide his brilliance.

Remembering what the Dowager Consort said before, Xie Liwei was originally standing with the Prince of Yan, but for some reason he disembarked at the last minute, it's clear that this person is quite cunning.

Wang Xuan rubbed his temples. Xie Liwei was truly not to be allowed to live; he was a potential threat!

Ever since Xie Liwei was appointed Regent, the Prince Xiaoyao's mansion has been receiving a constant stream of visiting cards, but Song Yaozhu has always kept her doors closed to guests, only accepting gifts from a few wives with whom she already had a relationship.

That day, Song Yaozhu saw the letter that Yu Gong had sent back. She was stunned for a moment, and then read the contents of the letter again in disbelief.

She could hardly believe the contents of the letter.

She carefully put the letter away in her dressing case, waiting for Xie Liwei to return that evening so they could discuss it together.

Xie Liwei has been involved in court affairs these past few days, rarely speaking during the deliberations at court meetings, only intervening when several parties are arguing endlessly. Moreover, not only is he present at the court meetings, but Prince Xuan and the Eldest Princess are also listening in.

It was indeed inappropriate for a woman like the Eldest Princess to enter the court, but this was the Yuwen family's empire, and they needed to guard against Xie Liwei becoming regent so that he could seize power. Therefore, many ministers strongly opposed the Eldest Princess's initial participation in the proceedings. However, the Eldest Princess truly only listened; she never spoke and had a very low profile. So, after a few days, although some court officials were still dissatisfied, they no longer opposed her so vehemently.

After Xie Liwei's "reward" was posted for fifteen days, someone finally wrote a letter saying that he was willing to try his best. This person turned out to be Hua Liufang, a minor county official in Qinghe.

When people in the capital heard that the person who took the exam was just a minor county magistrate, they couldn't help but look down on him. When they heard that he had been a county magistrate for many years, they all thought he was crazy for wanting a promotion.

This case is not so easy to solve. Even the emperor sent his own secret guards to investigate back then, but they found nothing. How could a powerless and insignificant county official possibly do it?

Who would have thought that Hua Liufang was not alone when he went to the capital? He brought his family with him, including a group of women and children.

The women, some old and some young, were all emaciated and looked miserable.

On his first day in the capital, Hua Liufang didn't rest at all, but went straight to court. The Minister of Justice felt he really didn't have time to deal with this petty county magistrate's squabbles and was extremely impatient. Besides, the case involved the Tao family, and he was a man of Prince Jing; how could he possibly afford to waste time with their nonsense!

Prince Xuan, however, remained firmly seated in his position, cleared his throat, and said to Hua Liufang, "Lord Hua, you will preside over this case. You are the most senior person in this court today. Please begin."

These words were spoken to Hua Liufang, and also to the other two adults.

The Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate had no objection to this matter; if this young lady could solve the case, it would be a significant contribution. However, the Minister of Justice, Ji Yutang, looked reluctant.

Hua Liufang asked the women in the hall to state their identities. The old lady said, "I am the wife of an old miner from Jianzhou. These women are my daughters-in-law, and these little ones are my granddaughters!"

King Xuan took a sip of tea and asked in confusion, "Why is your family all women?"

Upon hearing this question, the old woman's wrinkled face scrunched up again, and tears involuntarily streamed down her face.

"The woman's husband, son, and grandson were all taken to work in the mines, and their remains were never found!"

"So she's the widow of the disaster nine years ago." King Xuan's tone was quite heavy. Everyone present realized that there was an iron mine in Jianzhou nine years ago, but it seemed that excessive mining caused an earthquake that killed many people.

"Lord Hua, what is the connection between these people and this case?" Ji Yutang asked Hua Liufang, stroking his beard in an unfriendly tone.

Hua Liufang said calmly, "Lord Ji, listen carefully."

Ji Yutang glared and bristled, deeply dissatisfied with Hua Liufang's attitude towards him. How dare a mere lowly official disregard him!

The old woman continued, "My husband did not die in the earthquake!"

Upon hearing this, everyone present was stunned.

“When the earthquake struck, my husband was lucky enough to survive thanks to the guidance of the Rat Fairy. He vowed never to do that kind of work again and planned to go hunting to support the family. But not long after, my husband went back down into the mine! Not only did he go down into the mine, but he also took our son and grandson with him!”

The old woman wiped away her tears and said, "Before the earthquake, every time he came back from the mine, although he didn't bring back much silver, he could still feed the whole family. But then he took all the men and left, and we didn't hear from him for a year or two. It was only because my wives were capable that the family didn't fall apart!"

“I thought he was dead, but every now and then some loose silver would appear at my door, and I knew it was him coming back. But he would leave without even showing his face. Until last month, one night, he came back and saw me. My poor old man, he had lost one leg! He said he was going to die soon and told me to take the whole family and run away!”