As for Xie Jingyan, after Eunuch Yuan left, he took the imperial edict to the outskirts of the city to find Grand Secretary Han. He didn't return even after Shen Wan finished dinner.
Shen Wan sat on the swing, watching the afterglow of the setting sun.
As the vibrant sunset was gradually replaced by night, Xie Jingyan finally appeared at the courtyard gate.
By the light of the lanterns in the corridor, Shen Wan saw that Xie Jingyan was empty-handed, and Chen Feng behind him also had no imperial edict in his hand.
Shen Wan got off the swing and went to greet her, saying, "Why are you back so late? Have you had dinner yet?"
Xie Jingyan said, "I ate at Grand Secretary Han's place."
Shen Wan guessed that Grand Secretary Han had invited him to dinner, and asked, "Have you convinced Grand Secretary Han?"
"He has received the imperial decree."
Xie Jingyan wouldn't have asked the Emperor if he wasn't confident.
The fact that Grand Secretary Han's eldest son committed suicide at the Yan residence was like a thorn stuck in Grand Secretary Han's throat, something he couldn't pull out or swallow. Grand Secretary Han also wanted to know who had used Consort Chen's name to invite his son to the Yan residence back then.
Xie Jingyan took the imperial decree to Grand Secretary Han. Without wasting words, he directly said that he wanted to investigate the cause of his mother's death and asked Grand Secretary Han for his help.
The fact that Young Master Han committed suicide at the Yan residence is clearly related to the schemes against Consort Chen. Even if Grand Secretary Han doesn't help Xie Jingyan, he will still seek justice for his son.
However, Grand Secretary Han did not agree immediately. Xie Jingyan accompanied Grand Secretary Han to dinner, and only when Xie Jingyan left did Grand Secretary Han relent and accept the position of chief examiner for the autumn examination.
Upon hearing that Grand Secretary Han had accepted the imperial decree, Shen Wan was overjoyed. Anyone who could sit in the position of Grand Secretary must have extraordinary strategies and methods. With Grand Secretary Han's assistance, Xie Jingyan and his team would be even more powerful.
That night, Shen Wan slept soundly, but many ministers in the court tossed and turned, unable to sleep, completely baffled as to what the emperor was going to do.
The struggle for the crown prince position has reached a point where those courtiers who took sides early on are exhausted. They no longer aspire to help the future emperor succeed him; they only hope not to become enemies with the future crown prince or a thorn in his side.
Having not slept well the night before, and wanting to hear his colleagues' opinions, he went to the morning court session early.
The ministers chatted amongst themselves in twos and threes, all wondering if Prince Ling could persuade Grand Secretary Han to return to court.
At the morning court session, the Left Prime Minister and the Duke of Maoguo were unaware of this matter and were still vying for the position of chief examiner for the autumn imperial examination. Eunuch Yuan reported to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, Prince Ling has persuaded Grand Secretary Han to accept the imperial decree, and Grand Secretary Han is currently outside the palace."
The Emperor then summoned Grand Secretary Han to court.
After Grand Secretary Han resigned, many ministers never saw him again. When they met him again after more than six years, Grand Secretary Han had aged more than ten years.
However, this is quite normal. The sudden suicide of one's proud eldest son is a devastating blow to any father. When Eunuch Yuan went to deliver the imperial decree, Grand Secretary Han refused. Prince Ling persuaded him to return to the court, and Grand Secretary Han was undoubtedly on Prince Ling's side.
Although Grand Secretary Han had been away from the court for six years, he returned as the chief examiner of the autumn imperial examinations—no, he returned to the court as the chief examiner of the autumn imperial examinations. It is estimated that it will not be long before he regains the prestige he had before resigning.
Although the Emperor was still bothered by the death of Grand Secretary Han's son at the Yan residence, since he had issued an edict ordering Grand Secretary Han to return to court, he would not do anything that would contradict himself. He first praised Grand Secretary Han before discussing the autumn imperial examination.
The position of the chief examiner is already set, and there are still two assistant examiners.
The Left Chancellor and the Duke of Maoguo, settling for second best, had to squeeze their own people into the position of chief examiner if they couldn't get it.
The Emperor selected one person each from the eldest prince's faction and the Prince of Jin's faction to serve as deputy examiners.
The Emperor also made arrangements for the eighteen supervising officials: "On the day of the autumn imperial examination, the heirs of the Prince of Yanping and the Duke of Du will be the supervising officials, and the remaining candidates will be arranged by the Ministry of Rites and the Hanlin Academy."
Well, even though the Emperor appointed Grand Secretary Han as the chief examiner for the autumn imperial examinations, it didn't have as much impact as appointing the Prince of Yanping and Tang Ze as proctors.
The city patrol officers are now known for their impartiality and incorruptibility. With them supervising the autumn examinations, the students who come to the capital to take the exams believe that cheating can be prevented and that they can be given a fair chance to be selected.
...
Three more days have passed in the blink of an eye, and in two more days it will be the Emperor's birthday.
In my previous life, these two days were peaceful and uneventful, but in this life, it would be no exaggeration to say that these two days have been turbulent and stormy.
It rained all day yesterday and didn't stop until late at night.
Waking up in the early morning, Shen Wan stood by the window, looking at the sky after the rain. It was a clear, blue sky that was refreshing to behold.
It would be a shame not to go out shopping on such a nice day.
Shen Wan touched her slightly protruding belly, suppressed the urge to go out for a stroll, and decided to go for a walk in the garden later.
After Shen Wan finished washing up, Xie Jingyan returned to the room, and the two sat down to eat breakfast.
I had just picked up my chopsticks when there was a knock on the window.
"Come in."
Chen Feng jumped through the window and entered the room, reporting to Xie Jingyan, "Master, it rained yesterday, and the Imperial Ancestral Temple is leaking. The late emperor's memorial tablet got soaked..."
Xie Jingyan frowned.
Shen Wan bit her chopsticks, a hint of doubt in her eyes.
In my previous life, the leaking of the Imperial Ancestral Temple did not occur.
Although her rebirth changed many things, it shouldn't have affected the tiles on the roof of the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Shen Wan keenly sensed a hint of conspiracy.
If she remembers correctly...
The Imperial Ancestral Temple was repaired this spring, and Xie Jingyin was personally in charge of the work.
Such an event occurring at the Imperial Ancestral Temple before the Emperor's birthday would surely be seen as an ominous sign, and the Emperor would undoubtedly be furious upon learning of it.
With the incident at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, Xie Jingyin, the person in charge of its repair, is undoubtedly to blame, and the Emperor will surely punish him severely.
Yes, just as Shen Wan guessed, when the Emperor heard that the Imperial Ancestral Temple was leaking and the memorial tablets of the late Emperor were soaked, he was furious and immediately ordered people to investigate why the Imperial Ancestral Temple was leaking.
As evening fell, Shen Wan and Xie Jingyan gazed at the palace from the viewing tower, overlooking the entire Ling Prince's residence.
Just as I was engrossed in reading, I heard a series of thumping sounds coming from the steps.
Chen Feng stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the cause of the leak in the Imperial Ancestral Temple has been found. It is said that the tiles used for the repair were of poor quality. After being exposed to the sun, a sudden downpour caused the tiles to break. When the Emperor found out, he summoned Prince Jin and gave him a severe scolding. In his anger, the Emperor wanted to punish Prince Jin with forty strokes of the cane. Prince Cheng pleaded for him, saying that if Prince Jin were punished with forty strokes, he would be half-dead and unable to attend the Emperor's birthday banquet. This would cause the Great Chu to lose face in front of the envoys from Xiliang and Donglie. Out of consideration for Prince Cheng's plea, the Emperor only punished Prince Jin with twenty strokes of the cane and deducted his salary for a year."
The tiles used in the renovation of the Imperial Ancestral Temple were of poor quality...
Shen Wan asked, "Who discovered that there was a problem with the roof tiles of the Imperial Ancestral Temple?"
Chen Feng said, "It was investigated by the Dali Temple."
If it was investigated by the Dali Temple, then it should be true.
They were exposed to the sun and rained at the same time, so it's unreasonable that the tiles were cracked and leaking in this life when there were no problems in the previous life.
Someone has tampered with the roof tiles.
The only person who would scheme against Prince Jin like this is the eldest prince.
Why didn't the eldest prince think of this move in his previous life? Has his mind become sharper in this life?
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