Chapter 344 Gone Mad
After being humiliated by Xu Jinnian, Princess Pingyuan ordered people to make things difficult for him.
Xu Jinnian's abilities are evident to all. Whether it was his duties at the Hanlin Academy or his role as the rotating imperial scribe, he made no mistakes whatsoever. Even if you nitpick, you can't find a single fault with him.
In terms of personal morality, Xu Jinnian neither drank excessively, frequented prostitutes, nor had extramarital affairs. His family members were dutiful and never oppressed ordinary people, leaving those who attempted to attack him helpless.
Finally, having somehow obtained information, he submitted a memorial accusing Xu Jinnian of stealing palace funds and frequently taking unfinished snacks home.
Emperor Jinghe laughed after reading it and handed the memorial to Xu Jinnian, who was on duty at the palace that day: "Does my dear minister have anything to say?"
Xu Jinnian read the memorial quickly, put it down, bowed, and apologized: "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. Please punish me."
Emperor Jinghe's expression turned cold: "Some people in the Censorate are just too idle."
The head eunuch serving nearby lowered his head, thinking to himself that someone was about to be in big trouble.
Emperor Jinghe's anger lasted only a moment. After calming down, he smiled and said to Xu Jinnian, "It seems that the imperial kitchen's pastries are quite to your liking. In the future, I will have the imperial kitchen prepare an extra portion for you."
Xu Jinnian's face showed emotion, and he said somewhat embarrassedly, "My wife likes some of the desserts from the Imperial Kitchen, which is why I dared to take them out of the palace without permission."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Jinghe's tone became even gentler: "I had heard before that you and your wife had a deep affection for each other, and today it seems that this is indeed the case, hahahaha!"
A minister with a weakness is far more useful than one who is only interested in power.
When Xu Jinnian left the palace in the evening, he was carrying an exquisite food box containing several of Sheng An's favorite palace snacks.
Seeing the man bring back so many pastries, Sheng An, who was standing at the gate with her daughter to greet him, was stunned: "Did you rob His Majesty of his pastries?"
Xu Jinnian couldn't help but chuckle, and stood to the left, taking her hand and leading her inside: "It was a gift from His Majesty."
He briefly mentioned the matter of being impeached that day.
Sheng An was surprised that someone would actually cause trouble over a few pastries, and angrily cursed:
"That person must be bored out of their mind, right? The snacks you brought me before were things you couldn't finish anyway, it's not like you actually stole palace treasures!"
"They're just clowns, not worth getting angry over."
Xu Jinnian comforted his wife and then handed her the food box, saying, "These are all your favorite foods. Eat as much as you like later."
Sheng An suppressed her anger, feeling a pang of heartache for her man.
"The officialdom is not a place for ordinary people. Now that you are under His Majesty's watchful eye, every word and action is magnified. You must be vigilant at all times. It is really too hard."
Xu Jinnian shook his head, his eyes gentle: "This is the path I chose, and I'm happy to endure any hardship. An'an doesn't need to worry about me."
Sheng An looked into his eyes and said earnestly:
“Our family is wealthy and owns a house, so I don’t aspire to great riches. Just stay true to yourself in the officialdom and don’t compromise yourself for a meager salary. If things don’t work out, you can be transferred to a post outside the capital to do something practical for the people. That’s better than staying in the capital and scheming against people.”
Under the dimly lit eaves, Xu Jinnian's handsome face appeared exceptionally gentle. He gazed at Sheng An with a smile, his lips slightly parted, and his voice was low and melodious: "Okay."
A few days later, at the grand court session, Emperor Jinghe, in front of all the civil and military officials, severely reprimanded a former censor from the Censorate, accusing him of having no morals, disregarding the law, and keeping prostitutes.
Finally, Imperial Censor Zeng was demoted and sent to a poor and remote area in the Northwest as a county magistrate. If he could not achieve results to improve the local people's livelihood, he would never have to come back.
An official with good connections linked this matter to the impeachment of Xu Jinnian a few days earlier, and his gaze towards the person writing with his head bowed in the corner changed.
His Majesty truly values this Xu Qijulang!
Some officials saw the undercurrents within the situation and realized that Emperor Jinghe was using this as an excuse to reprimand someone who had overstepped their bounds. They couldn't help but remind themselves to be cautious and not to go astray.
The news of Imperial Censor Zeng's demotion reached the Princess's residence immediately. Princess Pingyuan was so angry that she smashed a teacup: "Fine, very well, everyone is going against me!"
Granny Li quickly waved her hand, signaling the maids to step back, and then stepped forward to comfort them:
“Your Highness, Imperial Censor Zeng is corrupt, and it’s only a matter of time before someone finds something to hold against him. It’s only a matter of time before His Majesty takes action against him. It’s not worth getting angry.”
Princess Pingyuan felt a throbbing pain in her forehead, and her expression grew increasingly gloomy: "Granny, you don't understand."
Granny Li sighed inwardly.
It's not that this old servant doesn't understand, it's that this old servant doesn't want to see you and His Majesty continue to fight!
In the end, the struggle will either end in a fight to the death or both sides will be severely injured. If the late emperor and empress are watching from heaven, they certainly would not want to see this outcome.
Princess Pingyuan suppressed her anger and asked in a cold voice, "How has Yuanzhen been these past two days?"
Granny Li hurriedly said, "Miss is eating now, and she's been drinking her tonics every day. The imperial physician said there's nothing seriously wrong."
Princess Pingyuan's expression softened upon hearing this: "Have people take good care of him. If anything happens to Yuan Zhen, none of the people in the courtyard will survive!"
Granny Li readily agreed.
Princess Pingyuan remained silent, sitting quietly as if deep in thought.
The sweltering heat of July has passed, and the weather is gradually cooling down.
Zhuozhuo regained its former liveliness and began to actively explore the outside world again, wishing it could stay outside from morning till night.
Sheng Anle was happy to let her meet more people to develop her cognitive and language abilities, but the place he took her to most often was the Marquis of Yongyi's residence.
After Tan Qingrou became pregnant, she was overwhelmed with maternal love and had no resistance to Zhuozhuo, a beautiful, cute and well-behaved child. She wished she could see her every day.
Zhuozhuo also loves coming to the Marquis of Yongyi's mansion because she can see many sparkly treasures.
Every time Tan Qingrou saw what her daughter liked, she wanted to give it to her.
If Sheng An hadn't stopped her in time, Tan Qingrou could have emptied half of Song Zhihang's private stash.
Zhuozhuo is also an obedient child. She never cries or makes a fuss after she has had enough fun, so she doesn't embarrass her mother, Sheng'an, in the Marquis's mansion.
That day, Sheng An brought Zhuozhuo to visit again, and heard a big piece of gossip from Tan Qingrou.
"The illegitimate son of the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel is to marry into the Princess's household, and a date will be chosen for his marriage to Mu Yuanzhen?"
Sheng An stared in disbelief, wondering if she had misheard: "She...she's bedridden, only her eyes can move, isn't she? How can she get married in this condition?"
Tan Qingrou nodded and said in a low voice, "She can't move her body, but her internal organs are fine. I heard it won't affect her having a baby on her wedding night."
Sheng An gasped.
They actually want to have children?
Even though she had a deep grudge against Mu Yuanzhen, she felt a little sorry for her at this moment.
Is Princess Pingyuan out of her mind to do this?
Isn't she worried about her only daughter dying along with her unborn child?
Sheng An quickly realized the purpose behind Princess Pingyuan's actions.
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