Chapter 103
Xu Mansion.
Xue Letian happily wrote on the cloth.
"That's great. This wave of popularity is great. The milk tea shop will make a lot more money."
Qu Watanabe was also writing, and his writing was in an artistic font. The curved and round font looked very childlike, and there was a small animal on the top, mainly to attract children.
"Of course, everyone wants to try the milk tea which is better than the food served at Guanglu Temple."
In the past, this was just riding on the trending searches - not really.
They just advertised their new milk tea variety on the [chat] paper, just a casual thing.
Anyway, public opinion is for the imperial court to see. The common people below may care about it for a while, but forget about it in the blink of an eye. What they are worried about are still food, clothing, housing and transportation.
Throw away the [Idle Talk] leaflets, and the people might go buy a cup of milk tea, go to a teahouse or a tavern to listen to scholars analyze the matter, and then just eat melons and agree without thinking.
Xue Letian said: "I spent money to spread the news, and I made it back in the next minute, and even more. It's great. The sentence our young master added to promote the new milk tea product is the finishing touch."
Xu Tingfeng laughed: "Yes."
"The east wind has arrived, the wind and waves have risen, let's see if the eldest prince and his party can seize it."
Qu Dubian wrote the last word and put down his pen: "It's done!"
-
The eldest prince was so excited that he didn't even eat lunch.
After finishing his shift at the Ministry of Revenue, he went directly to the Shu family to see his father-in-law.
The Minister of Revenue was waiting for him early.
"Your Highness, please take a seat."
The eldest prince: "My father-in-law must have heard about it too."
The Minister of Revenue: "That's true. Although it's just groundless rumors, it's enough for the Censorate to impeach for a while. The Minister of Rites will have to explain, which is troublesome."
The eldest prince: "I'll just have someone tell the court to tell the Minister of Rites not to participate in this military examination. This way, the third prince won't have the opportunity to recruit those young military talents."
"It's just public opinion. It won't be a big deal if we explain it clearly. If we want to stir it up a bigger mess, we need to have a solid accusation."
The eldest prince: "A real crime?"
The Minister of Revenue smiled and nodded, then took out a list and an account book from his sleeve.
"The Ministry of Revenue keeps records of how much money each ministry and temple spends each month and every year. In addition, some bribery and corruption discovered in private are also recorded in the account books."
As soon as he learned about the public opinion in the capital, he began to sort it out, and he finished it just as he got off work.
The eldest prince frowned: "But Guanglu Temple is a lucrative job. It is a rule that everyone knows that some money or precious ingredients can be embezzled..."
The Minister of Revenue: "Xu Jianyan has spent a lot of money running around for his unpromising descendants over the years. He has already exceeded the quota. And, Your Highness, the reason why unspoken rules are unspoken rules is that they are not allowed and violate the rules."
"As long as we can prove that Xu Jianyan and the Minister of Rites had money dealings and accepted bribes, and add the influence of public opinion, this matter will be completely different."
The eldest prince: "Do they have?"
The Minister of Revenue pointed at the account book and smiled slightly, "If the account book says it is there, then they have it."
-
The next day.
Go to court.
The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue also impeached the Minister of Guanglu Temple and the Minister of Rites for having a conflict of interest on the grounds of bribery.
The Censorate impeached the Minister of Rites for leaking the test questions for the military examination and requested Emperor Chongzhao to reselect the questions before the test officially began.
The eldest prince's party launched an attack on the third prince's party, and impeachment memorials flew onto Emperor Chongzhao's desk like snowflakes.
The two sides quarreled fiercely in the court.
The conflict between the eldest prince and the third prince was ignited, and it became increasingly intense.
Xu Jianyan, the Minister of Imperial Households, was trembling with fear. Everyone could see that he was the fuse that was pulled in to start the fire, but no one cared whether he lived or died.
Emperor Chongzhao hadn't slept well for two days and was furious after reading the memorials.
Either this minister was looking for him or that minister had something to say in private. He hadn't slept for almost two days, and he drank cup after cup of cold and strong tea, which made Eunuch Yu hesitant to speak.
Emperor Chongzhao: "The eldest and the third are refusing to give in to each other. If they continue to curse, they will start fighting! The court is in chaos."
Eunuch Yu: "Your Majesty, please calm down."
Emperor Chongzhao said coldly: "After all, this court still belongs to me. The military examination is no joke. The two of them are fighting over it. Do they really think that I am too old and lack the energy?"
"But the third brother's ambition is a bit too big."
Is this the young people with great potential who want to take up most of the martial arts exams?
"Draft an edict."
Eunuch Yu: “Yes.”
-
soon.
The decree of Emperor Chongzhao came down.
Whether the Minister of Rites is suspected of leaking the exam questions remains to be investigated. The questions for the military and civil examinations will be reselected from the backup questions, and the exam will officially begin ten days later.
But the evidence of Guanglu Temple Minister's corruption is solid.
Xu Jianyan was dismissed from his official position and Emperor Chongzhao ordered him to return to his hometown to retire.
On the day his official position was abolished, he met Emperor Chongzhao for the last time.
Xu Jianyan pleaded with him without giving up: "Your Majesty, even if I have no merit, I have worked hard for you. I have managed the Guanglu Temple for so many years... The dispute between the First Prince and the Third Prince involved me. I was just implicated, Your Majesty!"
Emperor Chongzhao: "The evidence is already out in the open. How can I protect you?"
"Since you helped me and Yueqing get together, I have turned a blind eye to the money you embezzled. But now that things have come to this, and you are old, you might as well go back and enjoy your retirement. I didn't ask you to return the money you embezzled.
There are not many outstanding children in your lineage. I will choose a better one to be the magistrate of your hometown. After that, you should study hard for 10 to 20 years. When you have a few people who can study seriously, it will not be too late to return to the capital."
His words could even be considered well-intentioned.
Basically, it was all because of Xu Jianyan's advice on how to help him and Yue Qing to be together forever.
But Xu Jianyan couldn't accept it.
With the help of Xu Jin, their Xu family fought their way out of a small place step by step. After two generations, they finally took root in the capital. Do they have to go back to a remote little place?
The gap is too big and I can't bear it at all.
Xu Jianyan cried, "Your Majesty, please let me stay in the capital to accompany you. I do not ask for a high position or a high salary, I just want to be by your side! I respect and love you!"
"..." Emperor Chongzhao: "If you stay in the capital, I will not be able to explain to the officials. If you show favoritism once, it will be difficult to stop it a hundred times."
Xu Jianyan knelt forward: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."
"alright!"
Emperor Chongzhao's voice and eyes turned cold, and his expression became gloomy in an instant.
"Xu Jianyan, I don't want to take back even this little bit of kindness."
Xu Jianyan looked at his face and felt a chill run down his spine.
Your Majesty has completely abandoned him and saved the Minister of Rites.
Although the Minister of Rites is old and has also been caught up in the turmoil, he is the father-in-law of the Third Prince.
If he falls, the eldest prince will have the most power in the court, the balance will be broken, and the crown prince will be undecided. Your Majesty does not want to see such a situation.
Therefore, the Minister of Rites cannot fall. The only one who can fall is him, as he is the one given the explanation by His Majesty.
-
The Third Prince’s Mansion.
"Brother is really good at tactics. I knew he was just pretending to be so straightforward and brainless!" The third prince said with hatred, "With one move, he blocked my way to build up my power in the martial arts exam."
The Third Prince's wife analyzed: "The Minister of the Ministry of Revenue has been in the court for many years. Maybe he is the one who gives advice to the First Prince. There are many guests in the First Prince's house. His aide named Dou Shun is also quite talented. The First Prince's wife is also an assistant. I have heard that she is a good writer in my boudoir..."
"I didn't lose to him in the first two."
The Third Prince exhaled, "Sister-in-law... is too overbearing. She has been in the mansion for so many years, but she only gave birth to a daughter, and she didn't even give my brother a few more concubines. Sister-in-law is far less virtuous than you, so don't think you are inferior to her."
He patted the Third Prince's wife's hand soothingly and pulled her to his side. "Why are you standing so far away? Don't worry, the Emperor won't do anything to your father-in-law. At most, he will treat you coldly for a while. When the storm has passed, he will still be the Minister of Rites."
The Third Prince's Consort: "Well, I'm not worried."
The third prince placed his palm on her belly.
"Have you taken the medicine to regulate your body? The most important thing for you now is to give birth to your father's grandson, the eldest grandson of the emperor. Hurry up."
The Third Prince's wife was silent and looked much more haggard.
"I know."
The Third Prince narrowed his eyes, "It's just a failure, big brother, just wait and see."
-
Ten days later.
The military examination and written examination began.
Qu Dubian and Xi Zixing sent Xia Fuyang to the examination room.
After finishing outdoor tests like horse riding, archery, and fighting, this guy looked darker, but he was full of energy, and his eyes were shining with a different kind of brilliance.
At the entrance of the examination hall.
The guards formed a large circle, and officials from the Ministry of War patrolled back and forth in groups of three.
The level of strictness and formality is no less than that of the Spring Examination, but the examination time is not that long. The military examination and the literary examination only last one and a half days.
Because of the recent public opinion storm, fewer people dared to intervene in this martial arts examination.
Qu Duanbian said with a smile: "Work hard, it's your last exam. When you come out to rest at noon tomorrow, we will celebrate for you in the evening."
Xia Fuyang knew that Xu Cheng had instigated the Sixth Prince to trip him up in the martial arts examination, and Qu Dubian did not hide it from him.
Because he was not sure whether anyone would make things difficult for him in the martial arts test in addition to the written test, he informed Xia Fuyang in advance and asked him to be careful, so as not to let all his efforts over the years go to waste.
Fortunately, everything went well.
Xia Fuyang also knew what Qu Dubian and Xu Tingfeng had done, but there were some things he could not say now because he felt that Xi Zixing, who would choose other princes to follow in the future, was an outsider.
So he just patted Qu Watanabe's shoulder and said simply: "Thanks, brother."
Qu Dubian said with a smile: "Whatever you want to say, wait until after the test. Keep calm."
Xi Zixing: "Yes, don't be nervous. When you go to bed at night, remember to cover your answer sheet with a rain cloth or oil paper to prevent it from raining suddenly."
Xia Fuyang: "Okay, don't worry, don't worry, why are you two acting like my mother?"
Someone was shouting at the entrance of the examination hall:
"Line up for strip inspection! Nonessential people please leave the vicinity of the examination hall!"
Qu Watanabe: "Okay, we're leaving, come in quickly."
He and Xi Zixing didn't walk far after leaving the examination hall. They watched Xia Fuyang go in before they looked away.
Qu Duanbian sighed, "I'm confident he can handle the martial arts test, but as for the literary test...I haven't seen him read many articles. He has read quite a few storybooks, though."
Xi Zixing agreed.
Otherwise, the two of them wouldn't have given such detailed instructions.
Xi Zixing: "The top three are certain."
"But compared to Xia Fuyang's military examination, I've been thinking about another thing recently," he smiled and looked at Qu Dubian, "Almost everyone believes that the news that the Minister of Rites and Xu Jianyan leaked the military examination questions in a casual conversation was spread by the eldest prince."
"But if it was the Grand Prince's party's method, it was launched too late, and they actually did not gain anything from this fight."
Qu Watanabe: "It seems so. Your analysis is really good."
Xi Zixing stopped and looked at him: "I have read the first batch of [gossip] papers that were circulated in the streets and alleys. They all came from major bookstores. Others in the capital don't know, but I know that the person who controls the most bookstores is named Xue."
Qu Watanabe asked in confusion: "Oh? Really? What's the connection between the two?"
Xi Zixing stared at him for a few seconds, and there was really no flaw in the Seventh Prince's expression.
He had no idea about the relationship between Xue Letian and Xu Tingfeng. After all, they had only met a few times when the bookstores first cooperated to sell storybooks, and they had no contact after that.
But it was all too coincidental. All the people the Seventh Prince hated had a bad ending, such as the second branch of the Xu family. However, the people he cared about got fairer results, such as Xia Fuyang.
Xi Zixing wrote a booklet for the Seventh Prince because of the desire to protect the people that he showed when he was confronting Duke Lu.
It’s just that the Seventh Prince was in poor health and his academic performance was mediocre, and these two items had always been demerits in his booklet.
But after spending a long time with the Seventh Prince, Xi Zixing always felt that his mediocre grades were vaguely inconsistent with the Seventh Prince himself.
When this public opinion storm came out, he smelled something strange.
The seeds of doubt were planted and began to sprout, and Xi Zixing kept all his guesses hidden.
He smiled slightly: "Nothing, just talking casually, go back first, and think about what dishes we should eat when we celebrate Xia Fuyang tomorrow."
Qu Du walked beside him and wiped his sweat quietly.
Seriously, this guy is pretty sharp too.
He and Xia Fuyang had the same idea that no matter which prince on his list Xi Zixing would be loyal to in the future, it would be a bad idea for him to know about this, so as to avoid it becoming a handle in the future.
Qu Duanbian thought secretly.
Fortunately, he was quick-witted and responsive.
Thanks to Lao Deng for honing my acting skills over the years.
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