Extra 6: Governor of Yongzhou, are you going or not?
Wait a minute!
What does it mean to give her a ride?
Mrs. Rong's face was pale, her lips trembled uncontrollably, and her fingertips were curled tightly together.
Could it be what she meant?
Gu Zhizhuo's words shattered her remaining fantasy: "Madam Rong is determined to die, don't keep her waiting."
Zhou Mu clasped his fists in response, and brought two Jinwu Guards over to carry Madam Rong up, one on each side.
The Empress mentioned Wang Jiuzhi, who committed suicide by jumping from the Meridian Gate Tower.
So he ordered: "Drag him to the city wall."
The students looked at each other and said in unison, "Madam Rong is truly kind, for sacrificing her life for the Dharma."
The students who accused Gu Zhizhuo of being too tolerant also righteously said, "The Empress has not been partial to her husband and has not bent the law. This is a blessing for us. The Empress is wise!"
Gu Zhizhuo's gaze lingered on his face for a moment longer, while he calculated secretly with his fingers hidden in his sleeves.
Very good, he failed the exam.
He's like a fence-sitter, wavering from side to side, unable to understand anything he reads. It's better for him not to be an official for the time being.
Seeing her looking at him, the student felt relieved and quickly straightened his chest. He was the first to say, "Please, Madam Rong, go ahead."
Humph, you dare to sell questions! And you dare to threaten the Queen.
Fortunately, the Queen was determined and remained unmoved.
But what if the Queen softens her heart?
Thinking of this, he said loudly: "Madam Rong is willing to die for the sake of justice. This is a great act of kindness."
“No, don’t!”
Seeing so many people waiting to kill her, Mrs. Rong finally became scared. She screamed loudly and her legs went limp.
The soldiers dragged her by her arms.
"Mother! Grandmother!"
The mother and daughter of the Rong family crawled after them, but they did not dare to snatch the person from the soldiers' hands. They were so scared that their eyes were filled with tears.
Mrs. Rong was so frightened that she broke out in a cold sweat, her back already soaked. She kept comforting herself: Impossible! Absolutely impossible. She was just scaring herself.
She is the emperor's biological grandmother. How can he explain to the world that she forced him to death?
She told herself this countless times, but as she got closer and closer to the city wall, the soldiers showed no intention of letting her go. Her heart was beating like a drum and her breathing almost stopped.
"I heard," Zhou Mu said nonchalantly, "that when Wang Jiuzhi jumped from the city wall, his head hit the ground and his brains splattered, leaving him unrecognizable. Look, right there, Madam Rong, did you see it?"
Mrs. Rong subconsciously followed his gaze and shuddered.
When Wang Jiuzhi jumped from the city wall, she had just married into the capital and was still a young wife. She went with others to watch the excitement. What she saw were limbs that were no longer human.
The red one is blood.
The white is brain matter.
The tattered ones are the broken limbs and body parts...
Madam Rong shuddered. Why hadn't anyone come to rescue her yet?
Queen Gu didn't even come along, and the students surrounding her were still urging her to die...
"No, don't!"
"I'm not dying, I'm not dying!!"
The soldier let go, and Madam Rong fell to the ground, terrified. The wife of the Marquis of Qingyuan hurried over to support her, her heart pounding. Empress Gu wouldn't budge, and would the Emperor be the same? Was the Marquis doomed?!
She felt like she was struck by lightning, and her head was buzzing.
When Zhou Mu returned to report, Gu Zhizhuo let out a pretentious sigh and said, "Madam Rong's determination to die is not strong enough. This truly disappoints me."
She said coldly, "Take him back to the Qingyuan Marquis' Mansion and wait for the court to deal with him according to the law."
"yes."
After saying this, Gu Zhizhuo's gaze swept across the vast Meridian Gate Square. Facing the nervous faces, she smiled faintly and said loudly, "The Enke exam will be fair. You should review well and give it your all. Don't let the emperor down."
"I am waiting for the good news that you have passed the imperial examination."
Her voice was neither light nor heavy, and seemed to carry a tremendous force, reaching the ears of every student clearly.
The students felt relieved, and a surge of excitement surged in their chests.
Their eyes flashed with a fiery light, as if they could already see the exhilaration they would feel when their names were on the list of successful candidates. A bright future was right before their eyes, within their reach.
“Students must give their all.”
A student spoke first, and then more voices came in, making the atmosphere more excited and boiling.
"I will not let you down!"
"I will not let you down!!"
"I'll wait and see."
Gu Zhizhuo was about to go back when he suddenly stopped and looked at the black lacquered carriage not far away.
She stopped and waited for a while, until the carriage stopped in front of the palace gate, and Shen Xu stepped down on a footstool.
"Master Governor, what a coincidence."
skillful?
Shen Xu looked at the students who were being fooled and were full of passion and enthusiasm.
He arrived a long time ago.
Seeing how she suppressed public opinion with just a few words, and the Rong family could no longer stir up trouble, the students became even more devoted to her.
Gu Zhizhuo moved her ears. She seemed to hear a cat's meow. Her eyes lit up and she asked happily, "Is Cat Shen here too?"
"Meow~"
Hearing her voice, Cat Shen jumped out of the carriage window and threw himself into Gu Zhizhuo's arms, rubbing his furry little head against her chin.
"You're round again."
“It’s so heavy.”
"Meow~"
Cat Shen coquettishly snuggled into her arms.
Gu Zhizhuo smiled happily, picked up Chen Mao and walked into the palace gate, and the two walked towards the Zichen Palace together.
Chen Xu asked Sheng Jiang to hand the case file to Gu Zhizhuo.
"Thank you for your hard work, Lord Governor."
Gu Zhizhuo smiled, put the cat on his shoulder, opened the file and flipped through it.
She waited until Marquis Qingyuan confessed before returning to the palace, and this case file only contained a few more details than the confession.
Gu Zhizhuo closed the case file and saw that he was not in a good mood. He looked at him seriously and said, "Superintendent. Do you want to go to Yongzhou?"
She looked him straight in the eyes without any avoidance.
Yongzhou?
Just hearing these two words, Chen Xu's heart suddenly ached, a pain that went deep into his soul.
Chen Xu lowered his eyes and said with a half-smile, "Why, do you think I'm in the way and want to send me away from the capital?"
These words sounded just as sarcastic as before, but Gu Zhizhuo could tell that they were a bit more joking than before.
Gu Zhizhuo stroked the cat and said with a smile: "Yes~"
Although the capital city is good, for Yu Chenxu, he is like an eagle with broken wings, and can only curl up in the small East Factory.
The young master said that when Shen Xu was in Qingzhou for a few months, he did his job very well.
It's a pity to leave him trapped in the capital.
In fact, the young master had this plan a long time ago, but he had just succeeded to the throne and needed to maintain stability in the capital, so he did not mention it for a long time.
And now...
These impeachment memorials, and the confessions of the Marquis of Qingyuan, every word of which seemed to be for the sake of the country, constantly calling them "eunuchs" and "traitors"...
Gu Zhizhuo felt sorry for him.
She raised her voice and tilted her head, "Yongzhou Governor, are you going?"
The cat in her arms also tilted its head like her and shook its whiskers: "Meow?"
Sheng Jiang was startled. A provincial governor? A provincial governor held the military and political power of a province, concentrating military and political power in one person. His power was as great as that of a provincial governor.
Chen Xu sneered, raised the corner of his eye, and said in a soft voice with a watery look in his eyes: "At the cost of a provincial governor?"
"This is a losing business."
Now he holds great power. To put it nicely, he is above all officials. To put it bluntly, the East Factory and the Embroidered Uniform Guard are just a sharp and useful knife.
As for the governor of the state, he was the one who made the decisions and ruled the country. The entire Yongzhou was under his control.
If I say I'm not moved, I'd be lying.
Two years ago, Shen Xu would have suspected that Xie Yingchen had ulterior motives.
Now...
Gu Zhizhuo sighed, "I've lost money. Let's see if I can trick you, the sucker."
Oh.
Shen Xu glanced at her sideways and remained silent.
Yongzhou was like a nightmare to him, a nightmare that he wished he could completely erase from his soul, but he couldn't help but recall.
Cat Shen stretched out its paw and probed in his direction, as if it could sense his sadness.
His palm lightly touched his forehead, and the shadow of his palm fell on his face, covering up all the emotions in his eyes.
"Can I still go back?"
Shen Xu's voice trembled slightly as he murmured.
Yongzhou is his heart knot and the lingering haze in his soul.
It is also my hometown.
This is where my parents are buried.
He escaped with the thought that he would die, and never thought that one day he would be able to go back.
"Horse bandits are rampant in Yongzhou, with three separate factions separatist. The current commander-in-chief is too cautious and lenient, unable to suppress the rising tide of bandits."
Gu Zhizhuo raised his voice and said, "Not long ago, two gangs of horse bandits fought for territory and massacred a small town, killing thousands of people. Lord Governor, with your example, the young master has counted all the civil and military officials in the court, and he doesn't like any of them. How about you help the young master manage for a few terms?"
Sweet words! She said it as if she was asking him for help, but in fact she saw through his worries and pushed him from behind.
Shen Xu put down his hand and curled his lips.
It was strange that she could even trust someone like him.
Chen Xu slowly stroked the small jade token in his palm, did not respond immediately, and walked forward quickly.
Gu Zhizhuo held the cat and followed slowly.
When they arrived at the Purple Palace, Prime Minister Song and Duke Weiguo had already arrived. They stood up to greet them.
They actually arrived early in the morning, even earlier than Mrs. Rong and her mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.
The case file was still in Gu Zhizhuo's hand, and she handed it over.
Gu Zhizhuo's frequent visits to the former court and his involvement in government affairs were commonplace to the other court officials, with the exception of a few particularly stubborn censors. After all, the eldest aunt of the Gu family was no ordinary person; she had risen to her position through her own merits.
"Your Majesty, have the students given you any trouble?" Prime Minister Song asked worriedly.
Since ancient times, the pens of scholars have been the most poisonous. If you provoke them to attack you in groups, it will be detrimental to the reputation of the Empress.
"It's difficult?" Gu Zhizhuo chuckled. "They admire me so much that they want to bow down to me."
The Duke of Wei responded repeatedly, filled with righteous indignation: "If there is anyone who is blind, then he has become stupid because of reading too much. The court does not need fools."
Prime Minister Song glared at him. Was he looking for trouble? Was he willing to lose face just to show off in front of the Empress?
"The Duke of Wei is absolutely right." Xie Yingchen finished reading the family scroll. "Studying is for enlightenment. If you can't even understand right from wrong, you're not fit to serve in the court."
Being praised! Duke Wei glared back at Prime Minister Song with great satisfaction.
See, this is what it means to understand your heart. Old Song, oh Old Song, you are old~
Prime Minister Song: “…”
Xie Yingchen had the case file passed down, and after the two men had read it in turn, he said, "Since he has confessed, there is no need for a joint trial by the three courts."
"The principal offender in this cheating case, Qingyuan Hou Rongzhi, the accomplice, Academician Fan Xuan, and all other individuals involved will be dealt with according to the law. Anyone who purchased the exam questions will be stripped of their academic titles."
"emperor……"
Prime Minister Song hesitated to speak. Logically speaking, since Marquis Qingyuan had implicated Shen Xu, the case should not be handled by Shen Xu.
Chen Xu drank the tea. The tea was sweet and had a scent mixed with several flowers. It must be the floral scent he didn't get to drink last night. My sister would probably like it.
Noticing Prime Minister Song's gaze, Shen Xu raised his eyelids, his arrogant attitude exactly like his cat's.
Prime Minister Song shuddered. Well, the Marquis of Qingyuan even implicated the Emperor. He couldn't possibly try the Emperor as well! It was obvious that he was deliberately framing him.
In contrast—
"Your Majesty, Marquis Qingyuan is the late Queen's biological brother. Look..."
According to the law, the main culprit of cheating in the imperial examination should be executed.
"According to the law."
Xie Yingchen only replied with these two words.
When he was young and most helpless after experiencing a sudden change, he asked his uncle for help.
The Rong family pushed him away time and time again, treating him as a stranger. So, the Rong family was also a stranger to him.
He will not deliberately suppress anyone, nor will he show any leniency.
He continued, "Minister Song, you will redo the exam paper and destroy the discarded copy in public."
Prime Minister Song agreed repeatedly.
Duke Weiguo looked at him with envy, and only regretted that he had learned martial arts back then... By the way, when was the martial arts examination?
"Meow."
Cat Shen strolled around and inspected the area, then jumped onto Shen Xu's knees. He came close to his tea bowl and sniffed it. Just as he was about to lick it, Shen Xu coldly grabbed the cat's scruff and threw it out.
The cat meowed excitedly.
This series of movements was as smooth as flowing water, so skillful that it was heartbreaking.
"You go down first."
These words were said to Prime Minister Song and Duke Weiguo.
The two bowed and retreated. When they reached the corridor, they heard the emperor ask, "Lord Shen, Yaoyao has told you. Governor of Yongzhou, are you going?"
His tone was gentle and casual, and he even addressed the Empress by her nickname. Duke Wei and Prime Minister Song glanced at each other, a sour feeling rising in their hearts. After all the squabbling between the two, Chen Xu still held the most favor. Alas.
etc!
What did the emperor say just now?
Yongzhou Mu? !
They stopped in their tracks at the same time and looked into the warm room.
Then Shen Xu put down the tea bowl, stood up and bowed.
"I will go."
After saying these two words, he suddenly felt relieved.
He wants to go back.
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