Soon, the imperial court announced its decision regarding the case of the flying silver.
Qin Yuxiu deceived the emperor and embezzled public funds. Taking advantage of his position as a servant of Prince Qing, he brazenly manufactured counterfeit silver, disrupting the market and harming the people. He is hereby exiled three thousand miles away and never to return to the capital.
Officials who were close to Prince Qing on a regular basis were punished to varying degrees, and the reasons were similar to those of Qin Yuxiu.
Prince Qing, Zhao Yang, was stripped of his title, fined for three years, and confined to his residence for six months for his lax management of his subordinates and lack of moral integrity. From then on, he completely lost favor with the emperor.
Qin Yuxiu, this young top scholar, had just begun to show his talent in the imperial court when he tragically passed away.
Fortunately, A-Qiu and he are no longer connected.
Otherwise, with this exile, the Xie family will either get caught up in this mess, or they will have no choice but to watch helplessly as Xie Danqiu suffers in exile alongside Qin Yuxiu.
Gu Yaoniang and Lu Zhaoan were at the princess's residence, chatting with Princess Ruining. Upon learning of this news, Princess Ruining simply said...
Everyone knew the inside story, but the imperial family also had to consider their reputation. Naturally, Prince Qing could only be blamed for lax management of his subordinates and the secret printing of silver. In any case, he could not be involved.
"What a pity. Qin Yuxiu doesn't have that kind of guts."
Gu Yaoniang was still furious. Qin Yuxiu was certainly not innocent. Her serious injuries, Lu Zhaoan's stabbing, and even the hardships they endured in prison were all likely orchestrated by Qin Yuxiu in secret.
The situation was now settled, and even though she was dissatisfied, she dared not express it too openly.
Princess Ruining listened to her words without scolding or comforting her. Lu Zhaoan, on the other hand, glanced at her with concern.
Princess Ruining noticed Lu Zhaoan's subtle actions and couldn't help but smile.
She had long known that there must be something special between the two of them.
Gu Yaoniang must be dissatisfied with Zhao Yang. Zhao Yang has already infuriated his father. The deeper the investigation goes, the angrier his father becomes. Later, Zhao Yang even tearfully confessed to his father that he had only done so because he thought supervising the production of flying silver was profitable, and that's why he beat her to it and reported it in front of all the officials at the grand court assembly.
He hadn't expected such a huge mess to arise, and he panicked.
Princess Ruining was filled with mixed emotions. Zhao Yang had now completely lost the Emperor's favor, and she should have been happy. But this was her younger brother, whom she had grown up with. She had never imagined that her brother would turn against her, and now she felt a complex mix of emotions.
She knew that her father favored her, which meant that she and Zhao Yang would eventually become enemies. She thought that victory or defeat was just that—victory or defeat—and life could go on. But she never imagined that their conflict would be as ruthless as any dispute within an imperial family.
She said to Gu Yaoniang, "Now that the matter has been settled, there's no need to say anything more. Don't worry, your grievances won't be in vain."
Now that the Gu family is innocent, their past act of using all their wealth to help disaster victims will surely be remembered. You can rest assured now.”
Gu Yaoniang nodded, but still looked worried: "I wonder when we can go back to the way things were before."
Those people who can't afford to eat are truly pitiful.
Princess Ruining smiled: "Don't worry. Now that the government is keeping an eye on things, and my cousin is also keeping an eye on the Chamber of Commerce, they've made an example of a few disobedient merchants. Now they're all selling their goods properly, and the prices are very fair. There won't be any major problems."
Gu Yaoniang nodded gently: "With you in charge, I am naturally at ease. However, those people have already been drained of their savings by the previous price gouging. Even if the prices are fair now, they probably still won't be able to afford food and will still need to rely on the government's relief to survive. But if that's the case, it's not a long-term solution."
Princess Ruining nodded in agreement: "Indeed. I share this concern, which is why I brought you here today."
Princess Ruining first glanced at Lu Zhaoan and Gu Yaoniang. Lu Zhaoan's expression was calm and composed. Gu Yaoniang, on the other hand, looked worried, her eyes fixed on the table in front of her, clearly preoccupied.
"Do any of you have any good ideas?"
Gu Yaoniang and Lu Zhaoan exchanged a glance.
Princess Ruining asked in surprise, "What? Have you already discussed this beforehand?"
Lu Zhaoan laughed heartily: "No, not at all. I just want to guess whether what Madam Gu thinks is the same as what I think."
Gu Yaoniang glanced at him, her eyes smiling, "If I don't tell you, you can guess first, shall we?"
Princess Ruining couldn't bear to see them exchanging glances and speaking in riddles any longer, so she asked Linlang to come closer and whispered a few words of advice to her. Linlang then took her leave.
"Alright! Since that's the case, why don't you two write down what's on your minds, so I can see if you truly understand each other?"
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Princess Ruining pronounced the phrase "mutual understanding" very clearly. Lu Zhaoan blushed, while Gu Yaoniang appeared much calmer in comparison.
At this moment, Linlang had brought the paper and pen and respectfully placed them on the table in front of Gu Yaoniang and Lu Zhaoan.
The two women each picked up a pen and wrote down their thoughts. Lu Zhaoan wrote quickly and soon handed the paper to Princess Ruining. Gu Yaoniang, on the other hand, wrote and thought at the same time, and thus took much longer.
After Lu Zhaoan gave the rolled-up paper to Princess Ruining, he wandered over to Gu Yaoniang. Gu Yaoniang glared at him and then raised her sleeve to cover her desk.
Lu Zhaoan wasn't annoyed. He chuckled softly twice and returned to his seat.
Princess Ruining watched the interaction between the two with great interest, a smile playing on her lips.
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