When Su Man heard the word "outhouse", she became excited. When she heard that there was something hidden in the sleeve, she was so excited that she almost slapped her thigh.
She glanced at Nong Shuang beside her and saw that she was leaning forward unconsciously. It was very likely that Cui E was the one who helped her pass the message out.
Thinking of this, Su Man had a clue in her mind. She looked at the palace maids kneeling on the ground and said quietly, "Who is Cui'e? Why don't you come out on your own and wait for me to invite you out?"
A petite palace maid crawled out, kneeling on the ground and trembling all over. "Your Majesty, your Majesty, your servant Cui'e pays homage to your Majesty."
"Look up."
Cui'e looked up, she looked about fifteen or sixteen years old, her eyes wandering around, she was extremely guilty.
Su Man said sternly, "Is what she said true? Did you take the jade pendant?"
"I didn't steal anything, I didn't steal anything..."
Cui'e stammered and couldn't utter a complete sentence. Wu Xia stepped forward and slapped Cui'e in the face. "You are speechless! Your Majesty is busy with all sorts of affairs. He doesn't have time to listen to your nonsense. Tell me what you did sneakily this morning!"
Wu Xia was very strong, and with just one slap, Cui'e's face turned red. She covered her face with tears in her eyes, "No, I didn't. I just had my period and accidentally stained my sleeve, so I covered it so no one could see it."
"Are you telling the truth?" Wu Xia poked her forehead and said, "If you tell even a single lie, you're guilty of deceiving the emperor."
"I dare not lie. If Sister Wuxia doesn't believe me, the soiled clothes are still in my room. You can go and see them."
Wu Xia looked at Su Man and asked for her opinion, "Your Majesty?"
Su Man gently waved the folding fan in her hand, and the breeze lifted her hair. She said suddenly, "Nong Shuang."
Nong Shuang's back tensed up, and she bowed to Su Man, "Your Majesty."
"Go to Cui'e's room and bring the clothes she mentioned."
Nong Shuang's eyes flickered slightly, "Yes, Your Majesty."
Nong Shuang left. Wu Xia looked at Su Man with confusion. They were about to catch the criminal red-handed. If Nong Shuang was allowed to leave, wouldn't she be able to destroy the evidence?
However, Su Man had her own plans. Even if she really intercepted the letter they sent outside the palace, she would not be able to find out who the spy was, and it would instead alert the enemy.
It took her so long to find this clue, she must not let it go to waste.
So her purpose was just to find out how they passed the message in the heavily guarded palace, and then she could follow this clue to find the mastermind behind the scenes.
...
After a while, Nong Shuang came over with clothes, "Your Majesty, this is from Cui'e's room."
Su Man asked knowingly, "How?"
Nong Shuang showed Su Man the stain on her cuff, "Your Majesty, there is indeed something dirty on it."
Su Man frowned, looking disappointed, "I understand, leave now."
To prevent Nong Shuang from getting suspicious, Su Man questioned several people. She actually found a few who were not honest. After sending them off one by one, Su Man handed the matter over to Nong Shuang Wu Xia, saying that it was time to attend court, and went to attend court herself.
As usual, the marshal and the female prime minister were arguing over the imperial examination.
Su Man said a few words in favor of this one, then said a few words in favor of that one, but in short, it all came down to three words: trying to smooth things over.
Because she knew very well that this was not actually a matter of scientific examination, but a fight between two forces using this matter.
In the past, the Yong Dynasty was a hereditary system. If the father was an official, the children would also be officials. If the father was a marshal, the children would at least be generals.
Later, under the reforms of the previous queen, things gradually began to change. In addition to the hereditary system, the recommendation system was also added.
The recommendation system is not determined by bloodline, but at least requires certain real talents and knowledge.
Gradually, in addition to recommendations, civil servants also added imperial examinations, using a two-pronged approach to select talents.
This is not the case with military generals. Due to the special nature of the army, they are still mainly based on the hereditary system. Over time, this has led to the military generals' power becoming increasingly entangled.
The closer the relationship between the ministers, the easier it is for them to stick together. Take the marshal for example. The generals and vanguards under her are all her relatives, relatives, or disciples. They all rely on her to gain a foothold in the army and naturally follow her lead.
Over time, the marshal's prestige in the army even surpassed that of the emperor. In the military camp, there was a saying that only the military tokens were recognized, not the people themselves. Even Su Man could not interfere.
Fortunately, Su Man had already arranged for Di Dongnu to be a good move. Although she was not as experienced as the Marshal, her mother was the former Vice Minister of War, and she had recommended the current Vice Minister. With the help of her family, Di Dongnu's power was growing, and she was about to rival the Marshal.
Anyone who has read political history should know that in the court, balance is the most important thing, and the most taboo thing is one person dominating.
If one is the only dominant power, he will easily act recklessly. If he has an opponent, he will be cautious in what he says and does, for fear of being caught.
For example, right now, although the marshal and the female prime minister were arguing with each other, they didn't dare to say anything disrespectful to Su Man.
Seeing that lunch time was approaching, Su Man waved her hand and said, "Okay, let's stop here for today."
The female minister still had a lot to say. She licked her dry lips and kowtowed to Su Man along with the other ministers. "I'll take my leave."
-
"What? That female minister is having trouble with grandma again today?"
After listening to Xiaoyuan's description of what happened in the court, Ji Xiangying was so angry that his eyebrows were raised.
"That's right. The Marshal sent someone to bring you a message, saying that you must gain favor in the palace. This will help consolidate your position and allow you to speak on behalf of the Marshal and persuade His Majesty to give up the idea of the imperial examination."
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