The next day.
Because there was something exciting to watch, Yu Yiluo, who was taken to the court, rarely complained.
After the ministers completed their usual formalities, the emperor smiled and asked everyone to stand up.
"The results of this assessment are out, and I'm very pleased. You're not all good-for-nothings. I pushed you hard, and your full potential has been unleashed."
"Of course I am. I used to think it was a stable job, and even if I failed, I would still get a salary. But now it's different. If I fail, I will just pack up and leave."
[Who dares to give up? Roll them all up and kill those who just want to get paid for nothing.]
The ministers below secretly rolled their eyes in their hearts. They had submitted so many memorials, was the emperor planning to pretend not to see them and get away with it?
The emperor didn't care what the ministers were thinking. After he finished speaking, he looked at Lord Shi and Prime Minister Li.
"The successful conclusion of the assessment is thanks to you two, my dear ministers."
"Serving the Emperor is what I should do."
The two of them stepped forward, bowed, and spoke in unison.
"Well," the emperor nodded calmly, "I know you all want to play a lot today, let's begin."
As soon as these words were spoken, the ministers who had been ready to take action immediately stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, there are rumors that there's something fishy about Mu Chen's exam results. He's a member of the Imperial Academy, but he passed the Ministry of Revenue exam. This is indeed hard not to be suspicious."
The emperor looked at the man with a smile.
"Yeah, you said that Mu Chen wasn't from the Ministry of Revenue, but he passed the exam for those who were originally from the Ministry of Revenue. And Li Yunhe also passed the exam for the Ministry of Personnel. Is there something fishy going on?"
"Your Majesty, Master Li is a student of Master Min, so it's only natural that he passed the exam."
Another minister stood up and said, of course you have to pick the weak ones.
Li Yunhe not only has a famous teacher behind him, but also Prime Minister Li. He will not kick the iron plate, but Mu Chen is different.
He only has Marquis Qingyuan and Concubine De behind him. Concubine De is not favored, and in addition, both the Marquis and Concubine De will be implicated in this incident. Mu Chen can be said to be isolated and helpless.
"What's the trick?" Lord Shi snorted coldly, "Would you please tell me where this trick comes from?"
It was good that Xu Xiaoxiao went to the Shi Mansion, but the assessment was the result of Mu Chen’s own efforts.
"Master Shi, please don't be angry. The rumors that there is something fishy are not groundless. Someone saw Mu Chen's wife go to the Shi Mansion with their own eyes."
After saying this, the man turned to look at Mu Chen and said righteously, "The emperor said that this assessment will be fair and just, but everyone in the court knows that Lord Shi has taken good care of Mu Chen."
"Are you questioning the fairness of this assessment?"
The emperor leaned back slightly behind the dragon throne while holding Yu Yiluo in his arms, his voice sounding majestic without being angry.
"I dare not."
The person who spoke knelt on the ground and said, "Since Mu Chen's wife went to the Shi Mansion, she must have a purpose. Otherwise, why would she go the day before the assessment?"
"Your Majesty, I did go to the Shi residence," Mu Chen lifted his official robe and knelt on the ground, his expression sincere, "but the results of my assessment have nothing to do with Lord Shi."
"You've gained something, so of course you won't admit it."
The man looked up and said, "Your Majesty, you said that this assessment will be fair, but if the people below pretend to obey but actually disobey, it will also destroy your reputation."
"Yes, Your Majesty, Mu Chen himself admitted that his wife went to the Shi Mansion. You must give us justice."
[While the words may be rather high-sounding, this matter truly must be handled properly. Otherwise, the ministers will be unbalanced, which will be a minor issue. Mu Chen will be criticized after taking office, which will be a major issue.]
They say love makes people blind, but Xu Xiaoxiao is so confused when it comes to love. This thing really shouldn't be touched.
The emperor agreed very much.
There should be more incidents like this to prevent Luo'er from being kidnapped when she grows up.
With the two taking the lead, the others followed suit and asked the emperor to give them justice.
In an instant, the ministers knelt on the ground.
Only Prime Minister Li, Lord Shi, Marquis Qingyuan, and Li Yunhe were still standing.
The emperor said nothing, just looked at the ministers kneeling on the ground, and the hall was suddenly silent.
Marquis Qingyuan glanced at the ministers on the ground without saying a word, as if everything had nothing to do with him.
Since the emperor allowed the matter to ferment, he would naturally have a solution in mind, so he was not worried at all.
"Your Majesty," Li Yunhe spoke, breaking the silence in the hall.
"Since you have raised doubts about Mu's test results, let's give him another test. If he passes, I'm sure you will have nothing to say."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone looked at Mu Chen, waiting for his answer.
[This is indeed an idea, but it's too risky. If Mu Chen fails the exam, it will be a done deal, regardless of whether he knew the questions in advance.]
The emperor had originally planned this, and asked in a deep voice after hearing this.
"Mu Chen, do you agree with this proposal?"
Mu Chen first glanced at Qingyuan Hou, then turned around and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, my test results are all based on my own efforts. Why not take another test?"
"Well," the emperor laughed heartily, "I was right in choosing you."
As he said this, he asked the people kneeling on the ground to stand up.
"Does anyone have any objections?"
The ministers who questioned Mu Chen shook their heads. Mu Chen had proved himself so well, but they were still holding on to him. It meant that they were not trying to get justice from the emperor, but were just making trouble.
"In that case, the Prime Minister will start setting the questions today when he returns. I will mark the exams during the morning court tomorrow."
"Your Majesty is wise."
At this time, Eunuch Cao came quickly from the door and walked to the emperor and whispered.
"Your Majesty, the people from the Beijing Defense Camp have already gone to the Marquis' Mansion."
The emperor waved his hand to signal Eunuch Cao to leave, then stood up and said, "I also know about Madam Mu Chen's visit to the Shi Mansion."
[Hahaha, it turns out the tyrant is waiting for things to ferment enough before saying this.]
[Yan Fan and Concubine Shu were destined to be disappointed.]
According to their prediction, if this matter becomes a big deal, the normal procedure should be to have the Dali Temple investigate. Those related to Mu Chen will be temporarily detained at the mansion and will only be released after the matter is fully understood.
But now that the tyrant said he knew, the ministers dared not say anything more and were only concerned with guessing what the tyrant meant.
The ministers looked at each other in confusion at the emperor's words.
I was trying to guess what the emperor meant by this.
"Withdraw from the court."
After leaving the hall, the ministers walked down the stairs while whispering to each other.
"It turns out that the emperor already knew about this in advance. It seems that he wanted to test Lord Shi and Mu Chen."
"The emperor's will is hard to predict. No wonder Qingyuan Hou stood aside without saying a word. He must have known about it."
Otherwise how could he be so calm.
At this point, several people couldn't help but feel a little sympathy for Mu Chen, because the emperor would have to test him again.
The emperor is now full of tricks. If they hadn't stopped while they were ahead, it would have been someone else's turn to sympathize with them.
The ministers who were unaware of the situation thought that it was indeed the emperor's intention for Xu Xiaoxiao to go to the Shi Mansion.
Only Mu Chen, Marquis Qingyuan and Lord Shi knew that this was not the case at all.
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