Chapter 77 Wrath

A shocking scene has unfolded once again!

One after another, brand-new blue-curtained carriages, pulled by strong servants, filed out!

The carriage was well-made, with a spacious interior and thick curtains!

A total of twenty-three vehicles!

Each carriage was accompanied by two servants dressed in neat blue robes, with respectful expressions.

What a grand display! What a lavish gesture!

Even more astonishingly, Ru Xia, accompanied by a group of servants, carried out heavy and exquisite wooden boxes with lotus scroll patterns and neatly stacked them next to each carriage.

The box was open, revealing neatly stacked, gleaming silver coins inside!

Servants were even carrying exquisitely packaged brocade boxes, which clearly contained valuable fabrics and writing implements!

"This trip to visit relatives is not just about coming to see me, but also about going back to visit my family. It would be best to bring them to the capital."

"The journey is long, and these carriages and servants will make it easier for you to travel and serve, and will also relieve your families of worry. A little silver, clothing, and writing materials are just enough to settle down. Don't let mundane affairs distract you. When you return from your visit, the imperial court is your true home."

Looking at the brand-new carriage, the heavy silver chest, and the respectful servants before him…

Thinking back to the rice, tuition fees, and precious books that the young lady had secretly sent over the past ten years…

Many students from impoverished backgrounds, whose families were already destitute, such as Sun Wenyuan, could no longer hold back their tears.

They bowed deeply, a thousand words stuck in their throats, ultimately condensing into just two simple yet profoundly weighty words:

"Thank you... Miss!"

The reason we are giving them this silver today is because they are visiting their relatives. If we give them more in the future, it will be a bribe.

Xie Sangning understands this, and so do the students.

Therefore, they were even more moved, as the young lady always considered their needs.

Xie Sangning looked at them, and the smile on her lips finally melted away, like the first thaw of spring ice, filled with relief.

She raised her hand slightly: "Go. Do not waste the spring, do not fail the emperor's kindness."

The twenty-three students bowed deeply once more, suppressing their excitement, and boarded their respective carriages amidst countless admiring and envious gazes.

The driver cracked his whip and gave a light shout.

Twenty-three blue-curtained carriages, like a majestic blue dragon, slowly drove away from the imposing gates of the general's mansion, heading towards their hometown and towards their destined extraordinary future.

In front of the General's Mansion, Xie Sangning stood alone on a high platform, her red dress embroidered with gold, dazzlingly beautiful.

Today's events are enough to shake the court and the public, and will deeply etch her name into the minds of everyone in the capital!

From then on, no one would ever again label her as extravagant or wasteful.

The news quickly reached the palace as well.

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty!" Desheng practically scrambled into the hall, his face deathly pale, cold sweat pouring down his forehead, soaking the brim of his hat: "The General of the State's residence...at the gate..."

Desheng was filled with bitterness. Weren't the young lady and those scholars a little too high-profile this time?

The young lady really doesn't care about Desheng's heart...

Being a spy is really tough! It all depends on acting skills!

On the dragon throne, Emperor Pei Yan, dressed in bright yellow robes, was reviewing memorials with a vermilion brush. Upon hearing this, he did not even raise his head, but simply uttered two words: "What's the rush?"

Desheng prostrated himself on the ground, his teeth chattering: "Reporting...reporting to Your Majesty! In front of the General's Mansion...this morning...this morning, the newly appointed top scholar Chen Yan led the twenty-three newly appointed scholars who had passed the imperial examination and returned home to visit their families by Your Majesty's grace...all...all gathered in front of the General's Mansion!"

The emperor paused his vermilion brush over the memorial, frowned slightly, and finally raised his head, looking calmly at Desheng: "You've come all the way to the general's residence for your family visit?"

Desheng trembled even more violently: "They...they're after Xie Sangning, the eldest daughter of the Xie family!"

A hint of confusion flashed across the emperor's eyes: "Xie Sangning? Have you offended them all?"

"Your Majesty! That's not the case!" Desheng swallowed hard. "A full twenty-three newly appointed gentlemen! They all knelt down in front of the General's Mansion! They were performing... performing the full kowtow to Miss Xie!"

"They call Miss Xie their benefactor! They say that without Miss Xie's ten years of nurturing and support, they would have starved to death in the wilderness long ago, and they would not have the chance to pass the imperial examination today!"

"They even said...they even said their kindness was as high as a mountain and they would never forget it! That scene...that scene...the whole capital was in an uproar! All the onlookers...they all saw it!"

"boom--!"

Before Zhang Dequan could finish speaking, the emperor felt a surge of evil fire rush down from the top of his head!

It felt as if all the blood in my body rushed to my head!

Twenty-three people! Newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations)! Visiting their hometown! Kneeling in gratitude to Sang Ning!

"Clang—!"

The emperor suddenly grabbed the paperweight on his desk and slammed it down!

It shattered into pieces in an instant!

"You bastard—!"

A roar made Desheng tremble violently, and he immediately pressed his head tightly against the floor!

Save my life! Save my life!

Only by staying alive can I continue to work for the young lady and continue to shine!

The emperor suddenly stood up, his wide sleeves causing the inkstone on his desk to overturn!

Vermilion ink splattered out, staining the hem of the dragon robe red, like fresh blood!

His face was ashen, veins bulged on his forehead, and his eyes were filled with shock, anger, and the rage of being fooled!

Pei Yan felt his chest heaving violently, as if it were about to explode!

"Twenty-three! Twenty-three!!"

He pointed at Desheng, his fingers trembling violently: "Tell me! The resumes submitted by the Ministry of Personnel! The household registrations verified by the Ministry of Revenue! Are they all worthless pieces of paper?! Are they all scribbles?!"

"These people! These pillars of the nation, personally selected and entrusted with high hopes by me! They... they all share the surname Xie?! They're all Xie Sangning's people?!"

"When did Xie Sangning's influence extend so far?! She actually managed to deceive everyone and stuff twenty-three of her people into my palace examination! into my court?!"

The emperor's questions swept through the entire imperial study like a storm.

Desheng pressed his head firmly against the cold ground, barely daring to breathe.

The eunuchs and palace maids standing in the hall were so frightened that they all knelt down with a thud, trembling all over, and dared not raise their heads.

"Excellent! Excellent Xie Sangning! Excellent General Zhenguo's Mansion!"

The emperor, enraged, laughed: "I thought she was just being ruthless and cleaning up her own household. Her methods were indeed harsh, but they were barely acceptable! I never imagined... that she would have such a monstrous ambition! Such a deceptive scheme!"

"Ten years! A full ten years! Secretly cultivating a clique! Playing me like a puppet! Treating the imperial palace as the Xie family's backyard! Such behavior is tantamount to usurping the country! It is tantamount to treason!"

"Your Majesty, please calm down! Your Majesty, please calm down!" Desheng cried, tears streaming down his face, kowtowing desperately. "Your health is the most important thing! Your health is the most important thing!"

"Calm down?"

The emperor suddenly turned around, his eyes like those of a beast, staring intently at the huge map of the territory hanging on the wall, his gaze falling on the northwestern lands under the rule of General Xie Zhenting!

Xie Sangning... Xie Zhenting's legitimate daughter!

A chill, mixed with unprecedented apprehension, instantly wrapped around his heart like icy vines, squeezing him so tightly he could hardly breathe!

Xie Zhenting, who held a large army and dominated the Northwest, was already a sword hanging over the emperor's heart!

Now, right under the noses of the capital, his daughter has quietly taken control of the future backbone of the court!

What a strategic plan! What ambition!

This father and daughter, one skilled in literature and the other in martial arts, one involved in external affairs and the other in internal affairs... Has the General's Mansion's power grown to such an extent?!

If it were someone else, and their achievements overshadowed their superiors, they would voluntarily resign from their post!

Our whole family is low-key!

The Xie family is quite different!