Sweating profusely, He Yunze staggered to Su Shaoyuan's side and knelt down with a thud.
He slowly bent down, each word filled with immense resentment: "I was wrong!"
"It was my fault for lacking discernment, harboring malicious intentions, being misled by rumors, and misunderstanding Lord Su and my sister-in-law. All the mistakes were my fault, please forgive me!"
After He Yunze finished speaking, his head slowly touched the cold bluestone bricks of the Imperial Study, and a tear of humiliation rolled silently from his eye.
After hearing his apology, Su Shaoyuan finally nodded in satisfaction.
His earnest words carried a hint of advice: "Young man, you are young and impetuous, and you will make mistakes nine times out of ten. It is good that you can correct your mistakes. Get up."
After saying this, he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Emperor Guangqi: "This old minister has forgiven him. Let this matter end here, Your Majesty."
After all, He Yunce has more important things to do when he returns to the Marquis's residence.
If Zhizhi knew about the gift her uncle gave her, she would probably be overjoyed.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Guangqi nodded, as he was simply too lazy to deal with this mess.
Today's matter involves only veteran officials, and all of them are loyal ministers who do not take sides, people he has always cherished and protected.
But it's precisely them who, when they get into trouble, are even more troublesome than the women in the imperial harem.
Emperor Guangqi thought for a moment, then raised his eyes again and looked at Prince Yu, who remained silent.
Prince Yu could no longer laugh. Looking at He Yunce's distraught appearance, he felt a burning rage in his heart.
This useless coward, stirring up trouble and parroting others' ideas, he misjudged him!
But Emperor Guangqi's meaningful gaze remained fixed on him:
“Prince Yu, I never expected that you and the Marquis of Anding’s family were so close, with such a deep personal relationship, and that you’ve even learned to stand up for the weak.”
The emperor's words were clearly laced with a warning, and his dark gaze seemed to see right through him.
Upon hearing this, Prince Yu broke out in a cold sweat and immediately knelt down.
“Your Majesty, I have only heard rumors from the common people and thus held the meritorious minister who proposed the Two-Tax System in high regard. That is why I spoke a few more words to Your Majesty, but I did not expect that such a gem would be tarnished.”
Upon hearing this, Emperor Guangqi suddenly smiled, but the smile did not reach his eyes: "Hearing rumors inevitably leads to jokes. Prince Yu should reflect on his own actions."
Prince Yu's face paled considerably. He gritted his teeth, his disgust for He Yunce growing stronger: "Yes, Your Majesty, I will certainly reflect on my actions."
The matter ultimately ended with Marquis An Ding being fined six months' salary and He Yun Ce kowtowing and apologizing to the entire Su family.
In addition, Emperor Guangqi sent precious medicinal herbs to Su Mingli from the national treasury to express his concern for his health.
Emperor Guangqi's combination of kindness and severity made the whole world aware of the truth.
The common people also knew that it was He Yunze who was causing trouble, and the reputation of the Marquis of Anding Mansion was damaged in an instant.
But that's a story for later. At this moment, the Marquis of Anding's residence had no idea what was happening outside.
Meanwhile, Song Xizhi was quietly learning how to manage a household from Madam He in her Wanxiang Hall.
The two sat on a soft couch, each with an account book beside them.
Song Xizhi looked down intently, while Old Madam He smiled and asked her, "Do you understand now? This is the expenditure of the Marquis's mansion over the past year."
Song Xizhi nodded: "The expenditures don't seem to be a big problem, but the expenses of the servants in the Marquis's mansion seem to be particularly high."
Upon hearing this, Madam He's smile widened even more: "You are very clever and quick to understand. You are very suitable to manage the household affairs of the Marquis's residence."
"Being a steward is not a simple job. It's not enough to just know how to do and read books. If you can only read books, you're just a bookkeeper. A steward also learns the art of managing subordinates."
As she spoke, she was also sighing inwardly.
After the marriage exchange, she secretly sent people to investigate the Song family. Everyone said that Song Xizhi was lazy, gluttonous, and had a terrible reputation.
But she observed that the child was not as eccentric as the rumors suggested.
She was old, her eyesight was failing, and even the accountant had great difficulty keeping track of the accounts. But her mind was not blind. If Huang had even half of Song Xizhi's ability, she would not have been able to hold the account books so firmly in her hands.
Song Xizhi listened for a whole morning and felt he had benefited greatly: "My granddaughter-in-law understands."
Having served as the matriarch of a noble family for decades, Madam He possessed experience and skills that she could never have learned through her own struggles in her previous life.
If I could learn from her for a while, it would be much easier for me to do anything in the future.
As soon as she was about to speak, Madam He heard Huang's loud voice ring out from outside.
"They're even making Song Xizhi learn to manage the household? She's going to ruin the future of the Marquis's mansion!"
As soon as Huang finished speaking, Song Xizhi turned his head and saw her barging in with people, accompanied by the delicate and frail Song Ruoan.
Seeing this, Madam He frowned slightly: "Madam Huang, you're so old, why are you still so loud and boisterous?"
Madam Huang clapped her hands helplessly, her eyes like knives, shooting straight at Song Xizhi: "This concerns the future of the Marquis's mansion, how can your daughter-in-law not be anxious?"
"I just found out too. Yun Ce and Ruo An were having dinner in the room when His Majesty summoned them directly to the Imperial Study."
"Jianbai did not return by the time the court session ended. When I inquired, I found out that His Majesty had summoned him to the Imperial Study."
Upon hearing this, Madam He frowned, but she wasn't as flustered as Madam Huang: "Perhaps His Majesty has some official business to discuss with them, father and son."
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