In early April, the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion offered a betrothal gift to the Fang family.
Wan Zhijing and Fang Biqu's marriage is officially confirmed.
The newly-minted scholars should have been granted official positions, but after nearly half a month, not all of them have been granted official positions.
According to tradition, the top three would be directly admitted to the Hanlin Academy, but Wan Zhijing, Fang Xiu, and the other two still hadn't received their appointments. Not only the top three, but also many of the second and third place Jinshi scholars hadn't received their appointments.
The Duke of Zhenguo was naturally concerned about his son's future. After inquiring and getting some information, he frowned.
The Hanlin Academy is a very special place. Since ancient times, all those who entered the cabinet came from the Hanlin Academy, and many imperial tutors also came from the Hanlin Academy.
The Hanlin Academy is a place that all scholars in the world want to enter. Once you enter the Hanlin Academy, it is easier to get promoted than for other officials.
Although the Duke of Zhenguo never thought that Wan Zhijing would have such a bright future, shouldn't he enter the Hanlin Academy first?
But he actually received news that the emperor intended to transfer all the new Jinshi this year to the local level. Not only that, the emperor also intended to select officials from the Hanlin Academy and various departments in Kyoto and transfer them to the local level.
Since ancient times, the Hanlin Academy has been the most prestigious place for those seeking official positions after passing the imperial examination. The top scorer in the first class would be directly appointed as a sixth-rank Hanlin Academy editor, while the second and third place winners would become seventh-rank Hanlin Academy editors. Those in the second and third place would undergo another assessment to select those with outstanding talent for admission to the Hanlin Academy.
As for the other new scholars, those who have connections can start as minor officials in Kyoto, but most of them will be demoted to local areas.
After being transferred to the local area, it is not certain when you can return to Kyoto to serve as an official.
The Duke of Zhenguo has been very worried about this matter recently. It was not until he saw the busy scene in the mansion that he realized that his eldest son and second son seemed to be getting married soon.
Shen Qing has been very busy recently. Both of his sons are getting married, one in May and the other in July.
After the Pei family girl finished her mourning period, the marriage between the two families was put on the agenda. The two of them had been delayed for three years and were no longer young. Children of the same age as Wan Muxing would have run away.
As for the wedding date of Wan Jinlan and King Qi, it has been set at the end of January next year.
There have been a lot of happy events in the mansion recently, and Wan Qiuyu's life has become much more relaxed.
Seeing that she had a proper attitude and was not playing any tricks, the nanny was somewhat satisfied with her. When she paid her respects in Jinchun Hall, she even received praise from the old lady.
Wan Qiuyu had been waiting for news from Xiao Minghuan, and Xiao Minghuan leaked the news to Prince Shun in order to reap the benefits. However, before Prince Shun could take any action, the spies in the palace spread the news that Prince An and Concubine Min were having a secret meeting in the cold palace.
Although Xiao Minghuan intended to reap the benefits, he also had his spies keep an eye on Minjieyu just to see whether the news Wan Qiuyu said was true or not.
When he heard the news, he really wanted to marry Wan Qiuyu.
No matter where Wan Qiuyu came from, she was just a woman. Once she entered his backyard, she had to treat him as her heaven. If she wanted to live a good life, she had to act according to his mood. What kind of trouble could she cause?
In mid-April, a major earthquake occurred in the court because of the salt corruption case in the Huaihe River and Yangtze River regions.
With Yangzhou as the center, most of the officials and salt merchants in the Huaihe River and Huaibei regions had their homes raided, some were exiled, and some were beheaded.
The emperor sent an imperial envoy to Yangzhou to assist the King of Qi in handling the case, and also sent three thousand Yulin guards to bring back the criminal officials and the confiscated silver.
The salt corruption in the Huai River and Yangtze River regions involved more than 10 million taels of silver. The exact amount has not yet been calculated, but once the news came out, the court was in an uproar.
Prince Guangling, who was recuperating in the Prince Guangling's Mansion in Kyoto, naturally had no peace, and memorials implicating him fell on the emperor's desk like snowflakes.
Officials wrote letters one after another, demanding a thorough investigation of Prince Guangling's accounts.
Guangling County was the fief of the Prince of Guangling. The Huai River and Huai River regions had been prosperous since ancient times, but the Prince of Guangling could not get involved in the salt tax of Guangling County. After all, no vassal king had this right. If there was a problem with the salt tax in his fiefdom, the Prince of Guangling would naturally be liquidated.
Prince Guangling dragged his sick body out of the palace in the middle of the night, and waited outside the palace gate for the morning court with a letter of apology.
When the ministers arrived, they found that Prince Guangling was the first one waiting outside the palace gate, and they all felt a little weird.
While waiting for the palace gate to open, Prince Guangling's frail body collapsed in the early morning wind.
Even when attending court, he had to be carried to the throne by a servant, which was against the rules.
Of course, the servant had no qualifications to stand in the Golden Palace, so the strange scene appeared where the ministers stood waiting while Prince Guangling sat on the floor.
After the emperor arrived, all the ministers knelt and were called to stand up. It seemed that Prince Guangling did not even have the strength to stand up.
Compared to last winter, his belly had disappeared in just a few months. His face became sallow, his body became thin, and he looked like he was seriously ill and about to die.
At this moment, Prince Guangling raised the memorial in his hand and burst into tears, saying, "I have accomplished nothing in my fiefdom, which led to the salt administration issue, which has jeopardized the treasury of the Great Wei. Your Majesty wishes to convict me, and I have nothing to say. After all, I am only a playboy who only cares about eating and drinking, and has never paid attention to the affairs of my fiefdom. I deserve this disaster now!"
The ministers were puzzled. Was Prince Guangling admitting his guilt? He was clearly trying to clear himself!
Emperor Jian'an sat on the dragon throne with a gloomy look in his eyes, but the eyes were blocked by the Mian Yu, so the ministers could not tell whether he was happy or angry.
"Prince Guangling, please get up quickly. Your body is not in good condition right now, so you should not overwork yourself. You should go back home to recuperate."
Emperor Jian'an was deeply concerned. He knew there was something fishy going on with the Prince of Guangling, but he couldn't produce any evidence. He had long since obtained the Guangling County financial ledgers, but he couldn't find a single mistake. If he were to be convicted, it wouldn't be a serious offense. After all, the suspects were local officials and major salt merchants appointed by the imperial court.
Prince Guangling cried so hard that he could barely breathe, holding up the account book with trembling hands. "Your Majesty, please check carefully. This is the account book for Guangling County. I am a humble servant with little influence, and the officials of the fiefdom do not take my land seriously. This is a huge mistake, and it is my incompetence that led to it."
"If I were not incompetent, I would not have nearly died on the way to my fiefdom. If I were not incompetent, I would not have caught a cold and fallen seriously ill on the way to Kyoto in the middle of winter to attend my eldest son's wedding."
Prince Guangling cried so hard that he was out of breath. Because the court was too quiet, the sound of Prince Guangling's crying lingered in the air, even more lingering than that of an opera.
The person closest to Emperor Jian'an was the eunuch Li Fu. When Li Fu saw the veins bulging on the back of the emperor's hand as he gripped the dragon throne, he felt a certain admiration for Prince Guangling.
All the ministers felt that Prince Guangling’s crying was so sad that they felt a little sad too.
They are all smart people. How could they not hear the hidden meaning in Prince Guangling's words? Some words should not be thought too much about. People who know too much never have a good ending.
"Prince Guangling, there's no need to belittle yourself. I heard that you married the princess of your mansion to the governor of Youzhou. We can't understand what your intention is. It shows that you are a very clever person."
Naturally, there were staunch royalists who knew what Emperor Jian’an was thinking, and they asked questions on his behalf, and their words were full of sarcasm.
Prince Guangling wiped his nose and said, "It's not that I'm incompetent. How could I have owed the Youzhou Governor a life-saving favor on my way to the vassal state? The Youzhou Governor lost his son in middle age, and his wife died of grief. If I were a woman, I would have personally repaid the favor, but unfortunately, I'm not!"
"If I wasn't incompetent, I wouldn't have to ask my daughter to pay off my debts. It's all my incompetence..."
Ministers: “…”
So, King Guangling, does your incompetence also include not being able to turn into a woman to repay a favor?
Prince Guangling fainted from crying.
Everyone in the Golden Palace was forced to listen to a half-hour long crying scene of "incompetence", and everyone's face was full of excitement.
As for how much information Prince Guangling revealed today, that depends on one's own opinion.
Emperor Jian'an clenched his fists and said, "Quickly call the imperial physician."
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