Chapter 183 Identity Exposed
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Grand Tutor's Mansion
"I think he's rebelling!"
A cup fired in an official kiln fell to the ground, shocking everyone.
Old Master Gu's face was ashen as he paced back and forth in the room. He caught a glimpse of his daughter wiping tears from the side of his eyes and was so angry that he jumped up and down, "Why are you crying? You still have the nerve to cry! I didn't like him at all, but you insisted on marrying me. Now look what happened, don't you? You're raising another woman's son for nothing!"
Hearing this, Gu Yunchang lowered her head guiltily, and her tears fell even more.
"What are you yelling about?" The old lady stood up suddenly, her voice louder than a man's, frightening Old Man Gu so much that he trembled three times. "My son has already admitted his mistake, and you're still nagging me. If you have time for that, you'd better think of how to deal with Tang Yuan and that adopted son! The throne of the Crown Prince should have been our Chen'er. So it seems that Tang Yuan was not immune to the fire eighteen years ago."
Old Master Gu looked a little embarrassed, rubbing his nose guiltily and sitting down angrily. "This Tang Yuan is so shameless and audacious. Tang Song isn't even his son, yet he actually abandoned his own son to pave the way for an outsider. I'm afraid he must have been kicked in the head by a donkey."
The old lady's face was gloomy, and she gritted her teeth. "Even if it means risking my reputation, I will go to the palace to seek justice for my son. A daughter of meritorious service has been treated so harshly. I want to ask whether the Gu family's contributions to the late emperor's conquest of the empire still count!"
"Don't get involved in this matter. With your hot temper, you might even tear the roof apart." Old Master Gu sighed softly, feeling rather helpless. "If anyone has to go, I'll go."
"Dad, Mom, there's no need to go to so much trouble." Gu Yunchang wiped the tears from her eyes and said softly, "Back then, Tang Yuan was just an insignificant bastard. His literary talent was mediocre and he couldn't even compose a smooth poem. Yet, he passed the imperial examinations and won the top three prizes. I sensed something was wrong and sent someone to investigate. I actually found out something."
The old couple looked at her. Gu Yunchang cleared her throat and spoke again, "The invigilator back then was Peng Chuan, a Grand Secretary of the Hanlin Academy. After the imperial examination, he suddenly became wealthy and bought three large houses in the city. I ordered an investigation and found that the three people on the list were all fake."
"You mean..." Mr. Gu was stunned for a moment, then he came to his senses and became furious, "Tang Yuan cheated?"
Gu Yunchang nodded, her expression firm. "This is absolutely true. However, the three people on the list, except Tang Yuan, are now serving in the court. If this matter were to be made public, it would offend the other two and would also bring down Peng Chuan."
"This is outrageous! They bribed the examiners and cheated for fame. What are those who truly studied hard supposed to do?" The old lady was also gloomy and furious. "They are the ones who stole other people's fame and ruined their lives. Peng Chuan aided and abetted the evil for money, and he deserves death! Are you afraid of offending such a scoundrel?"
"This happened over twenty years ago, and it's a big deal or a small one. Now that it's Lord Zhang who's in charge, it's better to spread the news rather than just bringing it to the palace." Old Master Gu's eyes were deep, with a gleam of insight in them. "As for Tang Song, he first poisoned you, and then hunted Chen'er down. This man must not be allowed to stay. Gu Yunchang, don't be soft-hearted."
"Leave that little bastard to me." The old lady rushed to take over the conversation, secretly glaring at her husband, "Yun Chang is still a child, what can she know? I'll take care of it."
Old Master Gu was furious again, his chest heaving violently, "Child? She's already in her early forties!"
"So what? You're already half buried in the ground." The old lady snorted coldly and said nonchalantly, "As long as I'm alive, my son will always be a child. Even if the sky falls, I, as his mother, will hold him up."
“You——” Mr. Gu was so angry that he felt powerless, “Just let it go!”
When Gu Yunchang saw the two elders arguing, she couldn't help but have tears in her eyes again.
This is her and Chen'er's home.
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Xie family
The door of the study was pushed open, Xie Suzhou strode into the room, and immediately saw Yan Ci sitting at the top.
Seeing the much younger Yan Ci, Xie Suzhou curled his lips and said in a gentle tone, "Greetings, Your Highness."
"You're back? Hurry up and get up." Yan Ci stood up to greet him, not like a king and his subject, but like a long-time friend. "You were away for so long, what were you doing?"
Xie Suzhou stood up, a smile in his eyes, "I went... to see my mother."
"Your mother?" Yan Ci paused, a trace of horror flashing in his eyes, "Didn't your mother... pass away?"
He had never heard that Xie's mother was buried in the capital.
Xie Suzhou lowered his head and smiled, a hint of gentleness between his brows, "It's the wife of Duke Su."
Yan Ci scratched his head, his eyes clearer than ever before. He looked at the person in front of him and murmured, "When did the wife of Duke Su become your mother?"
Xie Suzhou found it funny and told his whole life story without hiding anything.
After a long time, Yan Ci came back to his senses and slammed the Buddhist beads in his hand on the table. "What a Tang Song! He dared to lay a hand on my people. He really thinks his life is too long."
"But he's just a piece of scum. I can deal with him." Xie Suzhou glanced at the darkening sky, his face heavy. "I'm meeting with the prince today to discuss something important."
Yan Ci picked up the teacup beside him and took a few sips of the cold tea before calming down his anger. "What's the matter? Just tell me."
"In another month and a half, there will be a flood in Ganping. Family members will be separated, and countless people will die or be injured." Xie Suzhou lowered his eyelids and recounted the horrors of the flood in detail. "The flood happened because the water supervisor was corrupt and embezzled the money for building dams and dikes. Over time, the dams collapsed. After the flood in Ganping, similar problems have occurred in other places."
Yan Ci was stunned, then thought of something and his brows relaxed again, "But it was my sister-in-law who calculated it?"
Xie Suzhou was stunned for a moment, then seeing the smile on his lips, he nodded without hesitation, "That's right."
"Your Highness, please take this matter seriously. If a flood breaks out, crops will be destroyed, food prices will skyrocket, and many people will starve to death. Houses will collapse, and the common people will have no choice but to move to higher ground. If they encounter venomous snakes and ferocious beasts in the mountains, life will be unbearable for the people."
Xie Suzhou pursed his lips, his tone heavy, "If we don't take precautions, when that happens, silver will continue to flow into the river. If the northwest takes the opportunity to invade, how will we recruit soldiers to fight?"
Yan Ci's brows were knitted tightly together, twisted into a knot, and he stared at the man opposite him, "Sister-in-law, have you figured out who embezzled the public funds?"
Xie Suzhou recalled his past life and slowly uttered a few names, "Du Shuijian, Yu Chengli, Song Pinyang, Liu Meng."
They are all the heads of the Dushuijian.
Yan Ci closed his eyes and said in a low voice, "I understand. Please thank my sister-in-law for me."
Xie Suzhou nodded in agreement, his expression calm, "Yes."
"Doctor! Doctor, something's wrong!"
An Zhicheng suddenly rushed into the study and almost tripped on the threshold because he was too anxious.
Xie Suzhou frowned and looked back. Seeing his expression, his heart felt like it was being tightly grasped by a large hand. He hurriedly asked, "What happened?"
"Sister-in-law..." An Zhicheng barely caught his breath as he raised his hand and pointed in the direction of the Zhao family. "Sister-in-law's real family heard about this somewhere and rushed to the capital to expose her identity. They're now making a scene outside the Zhao family's door!"
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