Chapter 70 Aren't you afraid that I'll betray you after I become successful?
The dossier that Gu Nanxiao presented contained, unsurprisingly, one of Shi Qingchen's three groundbreaking policy essays, "Regulations for the Repair of Laws."
The content is, as always, more detailed and complete. The things that Qingchen submitted before were like those made by a child, not worth mentioning.
In fact, anyone with some knowledge of history knows that laws are gradually revised and improved based on events that occurred in each dynasty.
The later the time, the more detailed the laws become. In this respect, no matter how gifted a person may be, they cannot compare to what time has accumulated.
Therefore, the supplementary regulations that Yunxi presented are undoubtedly the ultimate version at this time.
On the surface, the Emperor did not seem as furious as he had been the previous two days, but those who knew him well could tell that he was extremely angry.
Because in his heart, he had completely realized that he had been fooled by this inexperienced brat from the Shi family. Unfortunately, matters of the court and the harem are interconnected, and although he wanted to tear Shi Qingchen apart, he had to spare his life for now.
With a chillingly calm tone, the Emperor announced on the spot: "Strip Shi Qing of all his official posts and never allow him to be reinstated."
Today's outcome was not unexpected for Chief Minister Shi. He had given up on continuing to discipline Shi Qingchen. He shared the Emperor's feelings, realizing that he too had been fooled by this rebellious son.
The Shi family had produced several renowned Confucian scholars, who were always regarded as role models for intellectuals. While the Grand Secretary Shi himself acknowledged that he could not match the talent of his ancestors, he considered himself a man of principle.
Although he had been immersed in the court for a long time and was no longer the aloof and arrogant man he once was, he was not as shameless as Shi Qingchen, who made his petty theft and thievery known to everyone.
Time and again, they told such a colossal lie, deceiving the emperor and the world, completely disgracing the Shi family.
Instead of pleading for Shi Qingchen, the Grand Secretary knelt in the main hall and earnestly begged for forgiveness, saying that he had failed in his duty to educate his son and was unworthy to be the head of all officials.
The emperor looked at the kneeling old minister and fell into deep thought. This matter could be handled leniently or severely. However, the Shi family had recently suffered a major setback; if he were to further suppress them, the balance of power in the court would have to be rearranged.
Therefore, the emperor adopted an attitude of caring for the old minister, comforted the chief minister Shi with a few words, and placed all the blame on Shi Qingchen, thus letting the matter rest.
When Shi Qingchen returned to the mansion with his father, he found that the clan elders were already waiting there. However, he was not surprised, as the chief minister had long intended to depose his young clan.
Now that he has been dismissed from his official post by the emperor, he is practically a useless cripple to the family. How could he possibly retain the position of young patriarch?
The chief minister and the elders opened the ancestral hall together, brought out the family genealogy, erased Shi Qingchen's title as the young master of the family, and re-registered him under the name of his lowly birth mother. As the illegitimate son of the Shi family, he returned to the ancestral home to guard the ancestral hall as before.
Then, the eldest son born to Lady Wen was made the young master of the Shi family.
When Shi Qingchen went to guard the main residence, Liu Shi naturally had to go with him. However, Liu Shi, who always had lofty ambitions, was overjoyed when she heard the news.
It's good that he's no longer the young master of the family! If Shi Qingchen were just an ordinary illegitimate son, the Shi family would never care about his life or death again. Madam Liu thought that as long as they could move to the ancestral home, she would have plenty of opportunities to deal with him.
As the eldest daughter of the Liu family, she brought with her a large retinue of maids, nannies, servants, guards, and a generous dowry. Shi Qingchen, on the other hand, had no one to rely on. Thus, the power dynamic between the two was completely reversed.
At this moment, although even standing was a problem for Lady Liu, she still needed her maid to support her so that she could watch the servants count her dowry.
She was planning in her heart that after leaving the mansion, she would buy more guards and vow to get back all the pain that Shi Qingchen had inflicted on her.
Shi Qingchen watched the servants inside the room busily packing things, while he sat there expressionless, silently recalling his past with Yunxi.
Three years ago, when Yunxi handed him those three policy essays, Shi Qingchen was also astonished. At that time, he even asked Yunxi:
"You've been so incredibly kind to me, aren't you afraid that one day, when I achieve great success, I'll betray you?"
He remembered that Yunxi just smiled dismissively at the time, and then said with a hint of contempt in her eyes: "I can help you soar to the clouds, or I can drag you to the Yellow Springs!"
So you'd better not betray me, or I have a hundred ways to bring you back to reality!
Recalling this, Shi Qingchen gave a bitter smile and muttered to himself, "That heartless girl Yunxi always kept her word."
He then took out Yunxi's diary from his pocket and gently stroked it affectionately. His lips moved, and although no sound came out, it was clear that he was saying something.
When Lady Liu was helped back from the storeroom, this was the state Shi Qingchen looked in. A sinister smile crept across her pale face. She deliberately raised her voice and ordered, "
"You guys, go and take that box down from the bedside and carry it away with you."
Upon hearing this, Shi Qingchen seemed to snap back to reality, his whole body trembled, and when he looked up and met Liu's resentful gaze, he panicked completely.
Shi Qingchen was dismissed from his post, and Yunxi had finally gotten her revenge. Although she did not suggest leaving, Gu Nanxiao still felt uneasy.
Yunxi seemed busier than before, spending all her time hunched over her desk, writing and revising. Her contact with Qi Jinxiu had also become more frequent, clearly indicating that she was planning something big, but she hadn't said a word to him about it.
Gu Nanxiao got up, walked to her side, picked her up, and sat her on his lap. He now understood that if he didn't take the initiative to approach her or speak to her, Yunxi might ignore him for the entire day.
Gu Nanxiao's actions did not affect Yunxi's work. She continued writing diligently, seemingly oblivious to her surroundings. Gu Nanxiao did not disturb her, but quietly watched what she was writing.
It turns out that Yunxi was writing about which grains are suitable for planting in the arid and water-scarce loess land of Northwest China, as well as precautions for planting and estimated yields.
When Gu Nanxiao first started reading, he was curious about several novel varieties. But as he read on, he frowned more and more. He found that the information Yunxi had written was so detailed that it was almost like a farewell instruction.
He held Yunxi's arm, unconsciously tightening his grip until the person in his arms struggled in protest, at which point Gu Nanxiao realized he had lost his composure.
Gu Nanxiao hoped he was just overthinking things, but judging from Yunxi's resolute personality, the little girl was very likely planning to leave again.
He had sensed before that Yunxi wasn't in a rush to leave. But ever since the contraceptive soup incident, their relationship had become uncontrollable.
He has recently put a lot of effort into making Yunxi happy, but Yunxi always proves his efforts futile with her indifferent attitude.
Three days later
Taking advantage of Gu Nanxiao's urgent departure to handle a case that evening, Yunxi left the Yongwang Mansion by carriage and headed straight for the Shi family's old residence. Two hours later, the carriage arrived at the back gate of the old residence.
Yunxi instructed Qianyu to help her scale the wall and enter the mansion. Once inside, Yunxi ordered Qianyu and the other guards to follow at a distance and not to eavesdrop on her conversation with Shi Qingchen.
Qianyu nodded blankly. Seeing how obedient he was, Yunxi reached out and ruffled his hair, then took out a gold ingot to reward him.
As soon as Yunxi entered the manor, Qianxun appeared and led her silently to the woodshed where Liu Shi was imprisoning Shi Qingchen.
When Yunxi pushed open the door and saw Shi Qingchen hanging upside down from the rafters, covered in bloodstains, she smiled with satisfaction.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com