This is really exciting.

You know, this is the Minister of Rites! The highest official in charge of the five ceremonies in the court!

Who would have thought that this old man who always talks about propriety, righteousness, honesty and shame can do such a morally corrupt thing! ! !

At this moment, everything that happened around her became secondary, and Yan Shu immediately started to eat melons with great interest.

[What's the situation? Tell me quickly.]

System, [Do you know that the Minister of Rites has two sons?]

Yan Shu, [I know, isn't his eldest son the biological father of Concubine An? The one who is now the Minister of Honglu Temple?]

As she said this, she suddenly widened her eyes, [Could it be that the one who had an affair with Concubine An's mother?]

Not far away, the king accurately caught this sentence in the midst of a crowd of surprised voices, and couldn't help but pause quietly.

Cheat?

Anpin's mother?

Could it be...she is talking about the Minister of Rites?

System, [You are overthinking it. Even if that person wants to cheat, the old man probably won't look down on him. The old man's youngest son has been sickly since childhood and has no ability. His wife, Zhao, is a shrewd woman. After marriage, he found that his husband was unreliable, so he hooked up with the old man to gain benefits for himself. Therefore, the old man always favors the second wife, which makes the first wife dissatisfied.]

Yan Shu clicked her tongue, [So it seems that this father-in-law has been cheating with his daughter-in-law for many years? Did no one in the Minister of Rites' mansion find out? Is his youngest son willing to be cuckolded for so many years?]

Yuwen Lan, who was listening quietly, was stunned. He is actually the Minister of Rites?

System, [The old man's wife has been dead for many years, no one cares about her. The son is out of breath every time he walks. He usually sleeps separately from his wife, so naturally no one noticed.]

Yan Shu sighed, [His son is in such a bad condition, how can this father have the heart to steal someone else's wife? Isn't he afraid that his son will come back to seek revenge after he dies one day?]

Then she secretly glanced at the Minister of Rites who was talking to the emperor, and said in her heart, [Damn hooligan!]

Not far away, Yuwen Lan, who had listened silently, "..."

Well, he probably guessed what it was.

Glancing at the Minister of Rites who was denying the concubine, he said, "You gave it to your son? Your eldest son is already quite old, and your youngest son is born weak? Tell me, which son did you give it to? Is your daughter-in-law willing?"

He deliberately emphasized the word "daughter-in-law", and the Minister of Rites paused and panicked.

[What, what does this mean? Could it be... could it be that His Majesty knows? ? ?]

Yuwen Lan was certain in his heart, it was really true!!!

He temporarily concealed his shock and said meaningfully again, "If you don't want others to know, don't do it yourself."

The Minister of Rites was stunned for a few seconds.

Then he suddenly knelt down and cried, "I know my crime, please forgive me, Your Majesty. This matter was originally because Duke Cheng'en was concerned about the Imperial Concubine, and wanted me to find an opportunity to say a few good words for her, but the Imperial Concubine is virtuous, gentle and kind, and I don't need to say anything... I will return them now."

Before Yuwen Lan could say anything, Duke Cheng'en, who was kneeling on the side, suddenly became limp and fell to the side.

The palace was immediately filled with cries of surprise.

Concubine Zhou couldn't help but rush forward and shout, "Father!"

However, after shouting several times, Duke Cheng'en didn't respond at all.

Concubine Zhou turned around and begged Yuwen Lan, "Your Majesty, please send the imperial physician to save my father."

Yuwen Lan said coldly, "Isn't there one in the palace?"

Then he looked at the doctor who had just spoken the truth for Yan Shu and said, "Come and see Lord Cheng'en."

The doctor agreed and came to treat Lord Cheng'en.

Everyone watched, but they were confused.

Only Yan Shu was eating melons and clicking her tongue, [This doctor is straightforward and has great medical skills. If he diagnoses that Lord Cheng'en took pure medicine and overdosed, and then tells him...hahahahaha that would be exciting hahahaha!!]

Yuwen Lan, "..." He

really enjoyed the excitement!

However, things turned out just as she expected.

After a while, the doctor said to the king, "Your Majesty, Duke Cheng'en fainted due to kidney yang deficiency. It seems that he has indulged in excessive sexual activities recently, and his body has been seriously depleted." As

soon as the words fell, everyone's eyes widened -

excessive sexual activities?

Tsk tsk, you know, not only the people in the palace, but everyone who participated in the sacrifice today had to fast for three days.

Duke Cheng'en actually indulged in sexual activities during this period? ? ?

And excessive sexual activities? ? ?

Concubine Zhou panicked and immediately scolded, "Don't talk nonsense! How can Lord Cheng'en do such a ridiculous thing during the fasting period?"

The doctor said, "As a doctor, I will never talk nonsense about the patient's condition, otherwise I will be punished by God if I delay the patient's condition. Lord Cheng'en is in a critical condition now. If he is not treated immediately, I am afraid he will not wake up."

"This..."

Concubine Zhou was frightened when she heard it.

It was Yuwen Lan who said, "Then treat him quickly."

The doctor agreed and immediately took out a pair of silver needles from his sleeve and inserted them into several acupuncture points of Lord Cheng'en.

Everyone stretched their necks to have a good look.

After a while, Lord Cheng'en really woke up slowly.

However, his nose became crooked and his eyes slanted, and his body was very weak. He wanted to open his mouth to call "Your Majesty", but he couldn't make a sound for a long time.

Not to mention standing up.

Everyone saw it, and they all sighed in their hearts - he was so old and still indulged in excessive sexual activities, which was embarrassing in front of Emperor Gaozu.

However, how to explain this violation of the precepts? Your Majesty can't cover it up, right?

At this moment, the king said in a deep voice, "Lord Cheng'en is a royal relative, but he indulged in sexual activities during the fasting period, which is ridiculous! Even if I can tolerate it, the ancestral laws and the people of the world cannot tolerate it. What's more, he bribed officials and tried to disrupt the court! From today on, he will be dismissed from his public office and fined for three years. Concubine Zhou will be demoted to a concubine." As soon as

the words fell, everyone in the palace was stunned.

Concubine Zhou almost fainted, and hurriedly knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, please have mercy, Duke Cheng'en was just careless..."

Yuwen Lan interrupted her and said, "Is it really careless? Then who told him to be careless?"

Concubine Zhou was stunned and panicked.

Could it be...he knew?

If the matter of drugging is investigated...

wouldn't the consequences be more serious?

She didn't dare to say anything else, and heard Yuwen Lan say, "This is for the Queen Mother's sake, I will give you a light sentence. If you dare to commit other crimes again, I will never show mercy!" After he finished speaking,

he looked at the people in the hall and said in a deep voice, "Everyone present today

should take this as a warning!" Everyone agreed in unison.

At the same time, she was shocked -

the Queen Mother's niece lost her position as a concubine just like that! ! !

Of course, based on what Cheng Engong did, it would not be too much to depose the Zhou family from their dukedom, but the king obviously took the Queen Mother's face into consideration and did not make things absolute.

However, the others... might not be the same.

At this time, the Minister of Revenue Qi Weizhai was sweating profusely, his legs trembling.

The white-haired Minister of Rites was shaking like a sieve.

Then, the king said to the two military governors on his left and right, "Thousands of fish brains are used to make tofu, and tens of thousands of crab meats are used to make crab paste. The Ministry of Revenue spends tens of thousands of taels of silver on a meal. Should I tell you about this?"

The two of them were so scared that they fell to their knees and said in unison, "It was our negligence."

Yuwen Lan said coldly, "Is it really negligence, or are you also involved?"

The two of them kowtowed vigorously, "We dare not."

Yuwen Lan said, "If we don't investigate this matter, you two should also give in."

The two of them hurriedly agreed.

Yuwen Lan then walked towards the palace gate.

He could still hear everyone's thoughts in his ears——

[Sure enough, nothing can escape the eyes of your majesty! ]

[Today's incident, it seems that the Zhou family's favor will stop here. ]

[If you touch the Zhou family like this, I wonder if there will be a rift between your majesty and the queen mother? Don't let anything serious happen again! 】

There was only one person among them who asked him to pay special attention——

【Damn, was he just trying to deceive the Minister of Rites, or did he really know about that old man's affair? 】

Yan Shu was confused, 【Damn, is it that I am eating a handful of melons? ? ? Help!!!】

Yuwen Lan smiled faintly in his heart and left in a hidden way.

~~

Ci'an Palace.

After losing the position of noble concubine and watching her own father being carried away with a crooked mouth and squinting eyes, noble concubine Zhou could only come here to ask the queen mother for help. The queen mother

only then realized how stupid her niece had done.

After hearing her words, the queen mother almost fainted on the ground. Several maids from Zhushuzhuang rushed forward, patting her back and soothing her breath, so that she did not faint.

After calming down a bit, the Queen Mother pointed at her niece's nose and said angrily, "You are a hopeless person after all! I only asked you to deliver some snacks, who asked you to do this unnecessary thing? Do you know how big a crime it is to drug the king? Not to mention you, I'm afraid even I can't save myself!"

Even if she didn't know it before, Concubine Zhou knew it now, and could only cover her face and cry, "My niece knows her crime, and I beg you to save me..." If

she loses her position as a concubine, what will she do?

So she deliberately called her aunt the Queen Mother, hoping that the Queen Mother would help her for the sake of family affection.

However, the Queen Mother just slapped her in the face and told her to get out.

"Don't come to Ci'an Palace again in the future, and don't let me see you again!" After

she finished speaking, she asked the palace servants to kick her out.

Concubine Zhou, oh no, now she should be called Concubine Zhou - the emperor just demoted her position and didn't even give her a title.

Concubine Zhou could only cry all the way back to her own Zhongcui Palace.

~~

When Yuwen Lan arrived at Ci'an Palace, the empress dowager was leaning on the couch, looking unhappy.

He immediately came to the bed and bowed his head, saying, "I am here to apologize to my mother. Something extremely absurd happened at today's sacrifice. I had to punish my uncle and remove the imperial concubine." The

queen mother sighed and said, "It is my fault. I did not manage the Zhou family well and implicated Your Majesty."

Yuwen Lan said, "I believe my uncle was also confused for a moment, but today's sacrifice was in the public eye. If I don't punish him, I am afraid that everyone will follow suit in the future, and etiquette will become a joke."

"Your Majesty is considering the overall situation, which is also a blessing for the world."

The queen mother sighed again, and then suddenly changed the subject, saying, "However, the six palaces are ownerless, which is not a big deal after all. I still hope that Your Majesty can determine the position of the central palace as soon as possible to reassure everyone."

"Although Li Guiyi is to your majesty's liking, her family's official position is too low, and she is not enough to convince the public. Why not ask the Ministry of Rites to recommend a noble lady from a famous family to your majesty after the spring, so that you can decide on the candidate for the empress as soon as possible."

Yuwen Lan knew that the queen mother had given up on Zhou's daughter and planned to cultivate a new person.

But he didn't want to give in, so he said, "It's wrong for me to ask my mother to worry about this. I will keep it in mind, but after the spring, the Ministry of Rites needs to organize the Spring Examination, so let's discuss the recommendation later." The queen mother

closed her eyes and said, "Your Majesty, I'm tired, your majesty, go back and have a rest."

Yuwen Lan agreed, then said goodbye and walked out.

When he was about to reach the door, he heard the Queen Mother sighing in her heart, "After all, the child is not my own flesh and blood."

His heart sank, but he did not stop and walked straight out of Ci'an Palace.

~~

Yuwen Lan did not ride in the sedan chair, but walked leisurely in the cold wind. When he reacted, he was already outside the door of Ganlu Palace.

But he heard Fu Hai sighing in his heart, "Your Majesty is really worried about Li Guiyi. He rushed here as soon as the sacrifice was over."

Yuwen Lan, "..."

In fact, he did not rush here, and he didn't know how he got here.

However, he happened to have something to ask her, so he stepped into the palace.

When he entered the door, he saw Yan Shu writing at the table. When she heard the message, she stood up and hurriedly saluted him, "Your Majesty, your concubine pays homage."

As she spoke, she secretly glanced at his expression and wondered in her heart, [Seems a little unhappy? Could it be that he was scolded by the Queen Mother?]

Yuwen Lan, "..." Is

he so emotional?

So he quickly put his mind together, said no need to be polite, and asked her, "Are you writing a storybook again?"

Yan Shu said yes.

Yuwen Lan became interested and asked her, "What new story did you write this time?"

Yan Shu coughed and said, "Today, I am writing a story about a woman who was deceived by a scumbag and who found out the truth and had the courage to fight and strive for self-improvement."

Yuwen Lan didn't quite understand and asked, "What do you mean by scumbag?"

Yan Shu said, "It means a bad man. They wantonly deceive women's feelings and have no courtesy or integrity. They are as useless as the residue left over from chewing sugarcane."

Yuwen Lan nodded and said, "This name is actually a good name. Different from the others."

Then she asked, "Then, how did this scumbag deceive women?"

Yan Shu coughed, "This man actually has a habit of cutting off sleeves, and he doesn't like women at all, but in order to hide his tracks, he still married and had children. But after that, he left his wife in her hometown to take care of his parents, and he raised a male lover elsewhere, which is very absurd."

Yuwen Lan raised his eyebrows secretly. Isn't this talking about Chai Weizhong, the Minister of War...

It seems that each of her stories has a corresponding person.

He coughed lightly and said, "It's indeed ridiculous, but it's common for men to make a living outside and women to serve their parents-in-law at home. How did his wife find out that she was deceived?"

Yan Shu thought and said, "One winter, the man's mother suddenly fell ill. After a long period of treatment in her hometown, there was no effect. She wanted to go to her husband and asked a famous doctor in the city to see her."

"Originally, she should have informed him in a letter, but it happened to snow for several days, so the letter was delayed. His wife was worried about her mother-in-law's condition, so she simply took the whole family on the road." "Who would have thought that

after such a long journey, when she arrived at the mansion in the city, she discovered that her husband was actually having an affair with a man, and that the women in the mansion were all pretending to be men." Yuwen Lan was very flattering and pretended to be surprised, "How could this happen?" Yan Shu nodded, and continued, "After all, she has been the head of the household for so many years, and this lady is not a fool. She understood her husband's secret after a little thought." Yuwen Lan nodded, "That's a way. " Yan Shu thought this was strange, "Why did your majesty say that?" Yuwen Lan coughed, "What I mean is that your way of writing is very good." He quickly changed the subject and asked, "Then how did this lady remain self-reliant?" Yan Shu began to imagine, "She burst into tears after discovering the truth, and then insisted on being with the scumbag... " "The man divorced and used his good embroidery skills to open an embroidery workshop. After hard work, he finally lived a life of his own. But the scumbag's scandal was exposed, and he lost face. Not only did he lose his job, but he also angered his parents to death. From then on, he was ruined and his reputation was ruined! " Then he asked him, "Your Majesty, what do you think of this ending?" Yuwen Lan said, "A weak woman who has been doing housework for a long time is probably too simple-minded to open an embroidery workshop." Yan Shu pouted and said, "This is just a storybook. It's okay if people read it comfortably. If you have to write it like reality, I'm afraid people will feel depressed after reading it." Alas, it's just her beautiful imagination. I heard that the poor Mrs. Chai was just a simple housewife. It's not certain whether she can escape from the sea of ​​suffering in this life. But Yuwen Lan nodded, "That makes sense, everything depends on human effort, and everything is possible." Yan Shu nodded, and suddenly remembered something important, and asked him hurriedly, "By the way, has the manuscript that Your Majesty took away a few days ago been brought back to me?" Yuwen Lan was stunned, "...Not yet." Yan Shu was a little anxious, "That is a very important thing for me, you didn't lose it, did you?" It took her three days to finish the article about my mother! If she lost it, she would want to kill someone! Yuwen Lan, "..." So scary. He hurriedly explained, "Of course I didn't lose it, I came from Ci'an Palace and didn't bring it with me. I'll ask someone to bring it to you later." Yan Shu could only agree. Yuwen Lan paused and asked, "Why didn't you tell me about Taohua's dissatisfaction before?" Yan Shu thought to herself that she was still a little beauty without a name at that time, and she couldn't hear you even if she wanted to tell you. She said , "I didn't have any solid evidence at that time, so I couldn't say it even if I wanted to." Yuwen Lan asked again, "Then why did you ask Fu Hai to investigate?" Could it be that she could predict the future and guess that Zhang Cairen would make a false accusation today? But she thought to herself, "Now is different from the past. Now I have a golden thigh to hold on to, and I must take revenge. However, the other party has bullied me to the end. If I don't fight back, won't I be a fool? Yuwen Lan, "..." But she said, "I just suddenly thought of it a few days ago, so I told Fu the chief steward." Yuwen Lan glanced at Fu Hai and said, "It seems that Fu Hai is more useful than me." As soon as he said this, Fu Hai was frightened and immediately knelt on the ground, "I dare not, but in fact, Li Guiyi knew that Your Majesty was busy and did not want to bother you with this, so he mentioned it to me. I also thought it was strange, so I asked someone to ask." Yuwen Lan said, "Since you caught the murderer this time, stand up." Fu Hai agreed, and then he dared to stand up again. Yan Shu was shocked watching from the side. Tsk tsk, it's true that accompanying the emperor is like accompanying a tiger. It's not easy for Fu the chief steward. At this moment, she suddenly remembered an important matter and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I think the doctor at today's ceremony is very rare. I hope that I will not be retaliated against for telling the truth today." Yuwen Lan said, "I have my own arrangements, don't worry." Nowadays, it is rare to dare to tell the truth without fear of power. Taking the opportunity, he will naturally praise him to express his determination to punish evil and promote good. Yan Shu was relieved, but she heard the emperor ask her again, "Is the matter of salary true?" Yan Shu said with a puzzled look, "How dare I lie to you? If your majesty does not believe it, you can ask Xiao Dongzi and others to come in for a confrontation."

Hearing this, Lian Xin knelt on the ground, tears in her eyes, and said, "I swear to heaven that my master never lied to Your Majesty. My father was sick a few years ago and spent all our family savings. Fortunately, my master gave me money, so that my brother could get married smoothly."

Yan Shu snorted in her heart, [Do you think the lives of ordinary people are easy? The rich have wine and meat, while the poor are dying on the streets!]

Yuwen Lan, "..."

Is it his fault?

He glanced at her and said, "You are short of money, but you still help others?"

Yan Shu pouted, "No matter how tight I am, I have no worries about food and clothing in the palace. If I don't help them, their families will not be able to survive. Besides, only when they feel at ease can they stay in the palace well, right?"

Yuwen Lan raised his eyebrows, "That makes some sense."

But then he heard her muttering in her heart, [After saying so much, shouldn't you reward me with some silver? ]

Yuwen Lan, "???"

Why is this girl obsessed with money?

He was playful for a moment and tried to ask her, "I have wronged you this time, should I compensate you?"

Really?

Yan Shu's eyes lit up, and she said hurriedly, "Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty. In fact, I don't need compensation. As long as Your Majesty believes in me, I will be satisfied."

[In fact, it doesn't need too much, just a reward of 1,800 taels will be enough. Hehe, if it's not enough, 300 or 500 taels will be fine. Anyway, she doesn't mind. ]

She was still rubbing her hands in her heart, but she didn't expect to hear that person say, "That's good, it's rare that you are so generous and sensible."

Yan Shu, "???"

What?

What does this mean? ?

? She was just being polite, can't you hear that? ? ?

Yuwen Lan hid his smile and pretended to be serious, "It's getting late, I have to go back to read the memorials, you continue writing."

After speaking, he got up and walked out.

Yan Shu, "???"

Hey, is that the end? My compensation!

It's so unfair!

Yuwen Lan listened silently, and when he stepped out of the palace gate, he finally couldn't help but curl up the corners of his lips.

Don't say it, staying with her for a while, I feel much better.

~~

Returning to Qianming Palace, Yuwen Lan went into the bedroom to change clothes, and then went to the study.

Before leaving, he casually told Fu Hai, "Remember to ask someone to send the manuscript I read the night before to Ganlu Palace."

If he forgot again, I don't know how she would criticize him.

Fu Hai agreed, and hurriedly nodded to the little Shunzi at the door, "You are agile, hurry up and send this to Li Guiyi."

The little Shunzi agreed, took the manuscript and walked out.

When he arrived at the gate of Qianming Palace, he ran into Hanlin scholar Zou Mozhong.

Zou, a scholar in his forties, was very knowledgeable. Seeing Xiao Shunzi holding a stack of papers, he immediately asked curiously, "Is this the order of His Majesty?"

Xiao Shunzi shook her head and said, "No, this is from His Majesty's bedroom. He said it was to be sent to Li Guiyi."

It turned out to be for the concubine.

Zou Mozhong should not have asked more questions, but seeing that there were many words densely written on the paper, which seemed to be an article, he could not help but become curious and asked, "Is this an article written by His Majesty himself?"

Xiao Shunzi shook her head again, "I don't know." Zou

, a scholar, bravely stepped forward to take a look, but saw that the handwriting on it was crooked, obviously not the handwriting of His Majesty.

But the sentence was very interesting, like a story.

Just when he wanted to ask more, Xiao Shunzi ran away in a hurry for fear of delaying things.

Zou Mozhong had no choice but to go to Yu's study first.

—— Hanlin Bachelor was in charge of drafting imperial edicts. Because of what happened in Fengxian Palace today, the king issued three edicts in a row to strictly investigate officials for corruption and bribery. Zou Mozhong was here to draft imperial edicts for the king.

Not long after, the three imperial edicts were drafted and given to the king for review. Yuwen Lan took a look and asked the eunuch to go out and announce the edict.

Zou Mozhong did not leave, but hesitated, wanting to say something but stopped.

Yuwen Lan asked, "Anything else?"

Zou Mozhong smiled, "Just now, I just saw the manuscript that Your Majesty gave to Li Guiyi outside the palace gate, but I don't know which famous writer's masterpiece it was?"

Famous writer?

Yuwen Lan raised his eyebrows, "Have you read it?"

Zou Mozhong smiled, "I just happened to glance at it, but I saw that the words are full of literary talent, not an ordinary work."

Full of literary talent?

Yuwen Lan continued to raise his eyebrows, "Does Zou Qing really think so?"

Zou Xueshi nodded firmly, "I will never speak nonsense."

Ahem, literary talent is secondary. He mainly thinks that the story is different from the storybooks on the market today, and the style is very unique.

Besides, this is after all a gift from the king to his beloved concubine, so it must be a masterpiece to be favored by the king!

As a close minister of the emperor, he must closely follow the emperor's taste and must not fall behind.

Yuwen Lan listened silently and nodded, "Zou Qing is indeed very tasteful."

But he heard the other party say, "So I am very brave, I wonder if I have the honor to admire this masterpiece of a famous artist?"

Yuwen Lan thought for a moment, "I have to ask the author for consent first, wait for the letter."