Tomorrow I'll have Qingxing put a bowl of stinky tofu in her carriage, and see if Li Chengyun dares to come uninvited again.

"Miss, there are soldiers."

Jiang Shuwan was in a good mood when Qingxing suddenly pointed at a line of neatly arranged soldiers across the street and shouted.

Upon closer inspection, they discovered that the leader was none other than the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards, a subordinate of the old Marquis, who was leading a group of soldiers towards the Marquis's residence.

Alarm bells rang in Jiang Shuwan's mind, and she no longer had time to tease Li Chengyun. She took Qingxing and left the theater.

Li Chengyun stood on the second floor, staring at her back, his gaze unfathomable.

"The show is about to begin!"

Inside the palace, in the Taiji Hall.

Today, the old emperor had a rare meal with Consort Gao, but before they could even take a couple of bites, the scandal of cheating in the imperial examinations broke out, and it directly implicated Pei Yanzhi, the top scorer of this year's examination.

Students from all over the country were outraged and not only smashed up the examination hall, but also gathered outside the palace to demand an explanation.

The old emperor's face was very grim as he stared at the evidence presented by the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards.

"Was it really found in the Prince's Library?"

"Your Majesty, it was indeed found in the Crown Prince's residence. It was full of the examination questions for this spring imperial examination, and judging from the handwriting, it must have been there before the examination."

"presumptuous!"

The old emperor slammed his hand on the table, and the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards immediately knelt down.

“Prince Pei is my right-hand man. He made great contributions to the commercial tax last year, and I just promoted him to Vice Minister of Revenue a month ago. Do you think he would take the risk of cheating in the imperial examination?”

Upon hearing this, the deputy commander trembled and didn't know how to answer.

Consort Gao also said in a coquettish tone, "Your Majesty is right. Prince Pei is a genius. How could he cheat in the mere spring examination? Moreover, Prince Pei was originally the top scorer in the autumn examination. He was praised by his teachers when he was in the Imperial Academy. I would believe others if they were to cheat, but I do not believe Prince Pei."

Unexpectedly, Consort Gao was so reasonable. The old emperor looked at her with newfound respect and said, "What my beloved consort says is true. Pei Yanzhi is a trusted confidant whom I personally promoted. I trust him."

The deputy commander said nervously, "Your Majesty, what should we do about the students crowding the palace gates? And what about the exam questions..."

Holding the exam questions, the deputy commander felt like he was holding a hot potato—he couldn't throw it away, nor could he get rid of it.

"What's there to say? These ignorant fools dared to cause a scene at the palace gate when others joined in the commotion. They have no manners whatsoever. Just drive them away. Or do you expect His Majesty to punish Prince Pei for a test question that inexplicably appeared in his courtyard?"

Staring at the deputy commander, Consort Gao asked a question, but before the deputy commander could speak, she grabbed the old emperor's hand and said...

“Your Majesty, the imperial examination is such a big matter. If Your Majesty punishes Prince Pei, I'm afraid even Marquis Wenyuan will not escape punishment. And then there's Lord Yun, the chief examiner of this year's examination. He is also Prince Pei's maternal uncle. He cannot remain uninvolved either.”

"If you ask me, the person who framed Prince Pei is truly vicious. He's killing three birds with one stone, trying to bring the entire Pei clan into a great injustice!"

Consort Gao said indignantly, appearing to be avenging the injustice done to the Pei family.

Upon hearing her words, Eunuch Su, who was serving by her side, twitched his brow and was about to make a move when the old emperor narrowed his eyes.

"I've never heard that the Prime Minister is close to the Marquis's family. Why did you include him in the Pei family, my dear consort?"

"Your Majesty," Consort Gao said coquettishly, peeling an orange and feeding it to the old emperor's lips.

"Blood is thicker than water. Even if one's own nephews and nieces are far away, they are still close in heart. I also heard that an official once made things difficult for Prince Pei, demanding that he compensate for the jade pendant bestowed by the late emperor. It was Lord Yun who came out of the predicament for Prince Pei. It was also difficult for Prince Pei. The old Marquis is a military officer and can't usually help much. Fortunately, he has the Prime Minister's protection. Otherwise, Prince Pei's career would probably be very difficult."

"..."

With a slight smile, the old emperor said, "What my beloved concubine says is true. However, the imperial examination is a major event. Now that we have found the evidence, whether it is a false accusation or a frame-up, we must get to the bottom of it. Especially the Prime Minister, who has students all over the world and has dedicated his life to the country and the people. We cannot tarnish his reputation at this critical juncture."

"As for Marquis Wenyuan, suspend his duties as well. The laws of Jing Kingdom are not just for show. I want to see what kind of villain is causing trouble!"

Upon arriving at the Marquis's residence, Jiang Shuwan sensed an unusual atmosphere. All the servants and old women in the mansion were listless and filled with fear and unease.

Only after questioning a servant did they learn that the soldiers had just found evidence of Pei Yanzhi's cheating on the second floor of his study. Pei Yanzhi was immediately taken away by the soldiers.

As the chief examiner of the imperial examinations, and also as a relative by marriage to the Marquis's family, Old Madam Yun was imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice along with him, and the old Marquis was suspended from his post and stayed at home.

The Pei family is facing a turbulent period, and its future is uncertain.

"Young mistress, what are we going to do? Even the old Marquis has been suspended from his post."

"The Marquis's residence has never experienced anything like this before, thanks to the Emperor's grace..."

In the old lady's courtyard, the Yun family had all arrived. Everyone surrounded the old lady and the old marquis, asking them for ideas. When they saw Jiang Shuwan enter, the old lady grabbed Jiang Shuwan's hand and said, "Don't panic!"

"..."

In an instant, Jiang Shuwan almost burst into tears.

She stared at the old woman whose eyes were red with anxiety but who was still trying to remain calm. She had so much to say, but she couldn't utter a single word.

The next few days were tough for the entire Marquis's residence. Palace guards came several times, searching for evidence and interrogating the servants.

Pei Yanzhi was not exonerated; instead, the Ministry of Justice learned that he enjoyed reading tea classics.

The exam questions were found in the classic text on tea.

— This information caused a huge uproar as soon as it was released. Countless censors submitted memorials impeaching the Marquis's family, which was in turmoil and everyone was calling for their downfall.

Despite the old marquis's many efforts, nothing came of it, and in the end, he could only kneel for a long time at the entrance of the Taiji Hall.

The old lady aged ten years in an instant, especially after learning that such a big thing had happened at the Marquis's residence and that the Earl's residence had not come to visit. The old lady was extremely disappointed.

Not to mention Pei Jing, as soon as the Marquis's mansion was in trouble, Duke Liu found an excuse to send him back. He spent all day hiding in the Wen family's courtyard, crying uncontrollably, and couldn't help at all.

Wen was so anxious that she prayed to gods and Buddhas, and lost her appetite. Pei Yunzhou also returned from Chongwu. The whole family was gloomy and the people in the mansion were restless. Jiang Shuwan had no intention of going out, and only asked Qingxing to record the restless people's thoughts.

In fact, there were also officials in the court who spoke up for the Marquis's family, most of whom were officials who helped Pei Yanzhi manage commercial taxes.

However, they were all officials from humble backgrounds, weak and powerless, and of little use.

However, despite such a major incident at the Pei residence, the Yao family did not come to cancel the engagement.

The Yao family, along with the sixth prince, pleaded for the Marquis's family in court. However, compared to those who pleaded, there were many more who took advantage of the situation, especially the eldest prince's faction and other aristocratic families who had suffered great losses due to commercial taxes. They wished they could grind Pei Yanzhi to dust.

Besides, there was another special person, Liu Yunyan's admirer.