The emperor was holding court in the early morning, and his complexion was still somewhat sallow as he had just recovered from a serious illness.
Fortunately, the court officials were understanding and simplified the matter considerably. They reported the matter according to regulations and then relayed it back for processing, which made things much easier for them.
As the meeting drew to a close, he was so exhausted that he wanted to rest and even planned to have the young apprentice massage his shoulders and neck again.
Until, a faint commotion arose outside.
Chief eunuch Wu hurriedly went out and returned a moment later, covered in sweat, stammering and hesitant to speak.
The emperor sensed something was wrong and stopped the Minister of Personnel, who was reporting, saying, "Steward Wu, please speak."
"Your Majesty," Chief Eunuch Wu suddenly knelt on the ground, "a group of scholars have arrived outside the capital, clamoring to eradicate cheating in the imperial examinations, and requesting your judgment..."
His voice grew weaker and weaker until it disappeared.
But it was enough for the court officials to look at each other in bewilderment, tense and amused.
Among them, the Zhu family head was the most anxious, constantly glancing at the Fang family head out of the corner of his eye, hoping to get some reassuring instructions.
Unexpectedly, the head of the Fang family was lost in thought and did not receive the message at all.
After a moment of contemplation, the emperor on the dragon throne finally nodded and released the person.
The court officials spontaneously stepped aside to the sides, leaving the center to the indignant scholars and students.
Actually, there weren't many people making a fuss this time. The students who traveled thousands of miles to take the exam couldn't afford to live in Fengjing and returned to their hometowns early. Only local literati and some wealthy students remained, totaling no more than a thousand.
At least the vast Golden Palace could accommodate them all.
Those who have been literate since childhood know the rules. Outside the imperial city, they may cry or make a fuss, but when they see the emperor, they all bow and greet him in slightly disordered voices, "Greetings, Your Majesty, may Your Majesty enjoy ten thousand years of good fortune and peace."
The emperor sighed, his brows and eyes drooping even more. "Rise."
The moment has finally arrived; it has finally come.
Xu Mo was somewhat nervous on the way, but now he was strangely calm.
He watched as the Prefect of Fengtian bowed respectfully and recounted the events at the Fang residence gate. He then shook his head and said, "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I am truly unable to control him. I can only ask Your Majesty to judge for yourself."
Scholars and intellectuals cannot be suppressed; force and weapons will only bring eternal infamy.
Tian Jia nodded knowingly, then shifted his gaze to Xu Mo and suddenly said, "Does this year's top scholar also believe there was cheating in the imperial examinations, and that there was something amiss in the provincial examinations?"
Indeed, being among the ranks of scholars and students is like being the first bird to fly.
The imperial court will not punish any student, but will blame the officials who incite public opinion.
Fortunately, Xiao Wu's letter allowed him to extricate himself from the situation, so Xu Mo was able to calmly bow and say, "When I passed by the gate of the Fang residence, I saw my former classmate indignant and the Prefect sighing in distress. So I stepped forward and tried my best to persuade him, but I did not expect to be misunderstood by my classmate."
As he spoke, his tone shifted from calm to indignation, “Your humble servant meant well, how can I tolerate such slander? Even my identity as the top scholar is being questioned. I am truly deserving of death to clear my name. I beg Your Majesty to judge and restore my innocence so that I may be able to stand up again in the world.”
You wouldn't believe it if you weren't a student who had studied hard for ten years. When he speaks, he is eloquent and uses words carefully. Even his emotions are progressive and conclude with the core message.
Most importantly, this kid actually had tears in his eyes, perfectly conveying the frustration and helplessness of a scholar, and the grievance that made him want to die to prove his point.
Even the emperor on the dragon throne was stunned.
It's unclear whether he was pleasantly surprised by the talent he personally promoted, or astonished that he possessed the demeanor of a seasoned official at such a young age.
Xu Mo was exceptionally shrewd; he shut up as soon as he finished speaking and tried his best to hide his figure.
The spies among the scholars and students, having received instructions, cried out, "We beg the Emperor to judge and restore fairness and impartiality to the imperial examinations!"
After this sentence, hundreds or even thousands of students knelt down and kowtowed.
They were at least successful candidates in the imperial examinations, and were not required to kneel in court, but they still knelt down.
Even deliberately planted spies truly yearn for justice, for the vines they can climb and leap up, and for their lives not to be predetermined from the moment they land.
The entire Golden Palace was filled with a dense mass of heads—those of eager scholars and countless shouting souls.
Even the imperial family was stunned and speechless for a long time.
Even the upright and honest courtiers were moved. Dou Weiming hesitated for a moment, then stood up with his hands clasped, saying, "Your Majesty, the imperial examination should be fair and just, and fairness is not afraid of judgment."
"Your Majesty, I second that proposal." Qi Zhenxiang bowed and displayed the document.
"I second that proposal," Jiang Jizong said without further hesitation.
"I second that proposal."
"Your subject... seconded the motion."
Some people bend over, while others stand upright.
The head of the Fang family came to his senses, almost crushing the scepter in his hand. He hurriedly tried to stand up and object, but his sleeve was grabbed.
Looking back, who else could it be but the head of the Ju family?
Thinking about the Ju family's vague investigation over the past few days, and Consort Ju's sarcastic tone, the head of the Fang family felt a chill run down his spine.
Serving two masters is a major taboo for aristocratic families.
The Fang family placed their bets on the two princes, outwardly helping the eldest prince while actually supporting the second prince, thus gaining the trust of the eldest prince and the gratitude of the second prince.
No matter which prince ascends the throne in the future, the Fang family will have contributed to his success.
However, compared to the eldest prince who had the support of the Ju family, the Fang family still preferred the second prince, who was weak and alone—the merit of following the emperor was also divided into first and second tiers.
However, this ambivalence must not be known to the eldest prince, nor to the ruthless Consort Ju.
The Fang family wanted to be able to advance or retreat as needed, especially now that the Second Prince's ambitions had been exposed. They needed to erase any connection to him to avoid arousing Consort Ju's suspicion and losing their right to support the First Prince.
In the past few days, in order to prove his innocence, the head of the Fang family has been extremely busy and exhausted, trying to please everyone.
He never expected that the Ju family would stop him at this moment.
This matter concerns cheating in the imperial examinations and involves Fang Yuan, the eldest son of the Fang family. How can we allow unruly people to slander us?
Just as the Fang family head was steeling himself to pull away his sleeve, he heard the Ju family head say calmly, "It is said that the health of the chief minister is getting worse and worse. When the position of head of the cabinet becomes vacant, all six deputy ministers are strong contenders."
The cabinet is divided into the chief minister and the deputy ministers. The chief minister has the most power and is Sun Ge Lao of the Sun family. However, due to his advanced age, he does not handle affairs much, and the power is gradually dispersed to the six deputy ministers.
While the six ministers might have rising stars like Qi Jia, the six secondary ministers were almost all from established families: Jiang Jizong of the Jiang family, Fang Huairen of the Fang family, Yao Jiancheng of the Yao family, He Chengqing of the He family, Dou Zhenming of the Dou family, and Zhu Liye of the Zhu family.
Dou Zhenming was the cousin of Dou Weiming, the Minister of Personnel. With two powerful officials from the same family, it's no wonder their status was no less than that of the Jiang family.
Although Fang Huai-ren seized the position of family head from his elder brother, he earned the position of second-in-command of the cabinet through years of hard work, and he was adept at navigating the officialdom of the literati.
He knew that the reason why Grand Secretary Sun did not step down was that the imperial family wanted to prevent powerful clans from growing too strong, and preferred that the Grand Secretary be a figurehead with no real power, using the six secondary Grand Secretaries to check and balance each other.
He also knew that once Grand Secretary Sun died, this delicate balance would be broken, and the position of Grand Secretary would ultimately have to be chosen from among the six Second Grand Secretaries.
Is it the Jiang family, the Fang family, the Dou family, or the He family?
Whoever becomes the chief minister will see their family's power grow stronger, and will have a greater say in the future succession of the emperor.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
