The atmosphere in the hall remained silent for a long time. Xu Yunci looked at Fan Zhuo, who was gradually lowering his head. He was filled with dejection and had slumped down weakly.
Xu Yunci withdrew his gaze, concealing the murderous intent in his eyes, and tried his best to suppress the malevolent aura emanating from his body. He then glanced at Li Shiyue and, seeing that her expression was normal, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
He ordered his men to take Fan Zhuo away. Xue Yue's expression was not good; he was more angry than anything else.
“If King Zhao is determined to vie for the throne, why not prove his abilities in the previous court? To tamper with the woman is unworthy of a great man.”
Xue Yue's face turned ashen. He looked up at Xu Yunci. Xu Yunci was straightforward and had been with Grand Commandant Xue on the frontier for many years. He knew very little about the intricacies of the nobles in the capital.
"The Xue family can't avoid this mess no matter what. Fortunately, the Emperor favors the Crown Prince, so the Xue family just needs to follow the Emperor's orders."
If the Emperor had any designs on Chonghua Palace, he would not have agreed to the marriage between the Xue and Qin families.
"However, there is something I don't want to hide from you. My father is preparing to relinquish his military power, and he also intends to relinquish his position as Grand Commandant."
"Looking at the military generals in the court, I am too young to succeed my father, so the position of Grand Commandant will only fall to someone else. The Emperor decides on this choice, and my father has not interfered much."
Xue Yue's face was completely calm, but Qin Wanyin was not surprised, only a little regretful in her eyes.
"Is it because of the marriage alliance with my family that Grand Commandant Xue made this decision? If so, then I have implicated you."
Both families were prominent in the capital, with Grand Commandant Xue and Grand Tutor Qin being first-rank officials in the court, one being the head of the civil service and the other the head of the military.
Although Xue Yue followed Grand Commandant Xue to the border for many years and only returned to the capital a handful of times, he should have been making great achievements.
If it were truly because of her that Grand Commandant Xue was dismissed and the Xue family's reputation declined, wouldn't she become a sinner?
Sensing her thoughts, Xue Yue's face showed a rare look of panic, and he quickly said, "It's not because of that. My parents are overjoyed that we're engaged."
"Father's return to the capital this time is to relinquish his position as Grand Commandant and military power. The border is harsh and cold, and Father is not as old as he used to be. He has also suffered from injuries for many years. He should have been recuperating at home long ago."
"But I am still young. Although I was able to personally take up arms in the past, many generals only showed me respect because of my father. I am not qualified to succeed my father at the moment and need more experience."
"But the Xiongnu tribes on the border are eyeing our borders covetously, and they might invade our borders at any time. Then the people will suffer. Therefore, the position of Grand Commandant and military power should be held by the capable. This is not because of our betrothal, but because Father has already decided."
Li Shiyue looked at Qin Wanyin, who was staring blankly at Xue Yue, and said softly, "From now on, you will only be General Xue, not the son of the Grand Commandant as everyone says. You will not be able to be under Grand Commandant Xue's protection. Are you willing to accept that? Ayin is the legitimate daughter of the Grand Commandant's family. She cannot do the thing of taking up arms for you."
"What is there to be unwilling about? I am a man. If I cannot use my pen to offer advice to the country, then I will use my sword to defend our land."
Xue Yue raised his head: "I've also made up my mind. If Ayin is willing, we'll go to the border. If she's not willing, I'll find a job in the capital. If the border is unstable, I'll volunteer to go there."
“I want to marry A-Yin because I like her, not because I value the power of the Grand Tutor’s family. Even if I don’t have the same surname, I can still earn an imperial title for A-Yin and make her stand out among the noble ladies of the capital.”
Beyond the main hall was a side room, which was Xu Yunci's usual residence.
Li Shiyue felt a warmth in her heart when she recalled Xue Yue's words, and she was also happy for Qin Wanyin.
"How does Fan Zhuo plan to deal with this? This could be considered framing an official of the imperial court."
Xu Yunci shook his head: "It's not that easy. After learning that the Jingzhao Prefecture had begun interrogating Fan Zhuo, the Prince of Zhao has been making some rather frequent moves."
He grabbed Li Shiyue's wrist, his fingers tracing across her palm, and said helplessly, "The Prince of Zhao is not as simple as he seems. Although he returned to the capital later, he has spies everywhere in the capital."
"Even in the current Jingzhao Prefecture, there are his people, but they are all in low positions and are usually inconspicuous. It was only after Fan Zhuo entered the Jingzhao Prefecture that people realized this."
"King Zhao intends to vie for the throne, and has even been making preparations before the commoner Qin Ying. Guess what I learned from interrogating Fan Zhuo yesterday."
Li Shiyue looked at him with suspicion in her eyes: "What is it? Could it be that the King of Zhao did something that you don't know about?"
"Exactly."
Xu Yunci lowered his eyes: "I originally thought that the corruption case in Huayuan County was committed by the commoner Qin Ying, but I learned from Fan Zhuo that before that, the King of Zhao was staying in Huayuan County under an assumed name, not in the place reported in the official memorial."
"As for that money, according to Fan Zhuo's confession, it all went into the King of Zhao's private pocket. What would he do with so much money? I'm afraid he already has ulterior motives."
"And those spies were the ones who tried to murder Fan Zhuo in prison yesterday, but were stopped. That's when I learned that the Prince of Zhao's spies had infiltrated the Jingzhao Prefecture."
"King Zhao is a man of deep thought and great patience; these plans cannot be accomplished in a day or two."
Li Shiyue's gaze was somewhat serious: "He needs so much money, he must have a reason for it. Even if he were to plant his own spies, he wouldn't need so much money."
Previously, the corruption case in Huayuan County was thought to be the work of the commoner Qin Ying, but unexpectedly, it turned out that the mantis stalked the cicada unaware of the oriole behind, and the cicada was just a shield released by the oriole.
"But without concrete evidence, we can't report to the Emperor. Otherwise, if the Prince of Zhao cries foul, it will be difficult for His Highness to handle the situation."
Xu Yunci explained the current situation and couldn't help but admire King Zhao's patience, which had given them such a surprise attack.
The day of the betrothal between the Xue and Qin families was extremely lively. Li Shiyue stayed inside the Rongguo Duke's mansion, not even stepping out of the inner gate, and heard all the stories outside about how the Grand Tutor's mansion was completely surrounded.
"Find my jade fan-shaped screen and a pair of agate bracelets in the storeroom and send them to the Grand Tutor's residence first thing tomorrow morning."
These are the dowry items she added for Qin Wanyin. These two items are also two of the most precious things left by Xu Shi in her dowry.
"The jade fan screen that Madam left for the young lady was just that one piece. She really was willing to send it to the Grand Tutor's mansion."
Li Shiyue smiled faintly: "Of course I'm willing to give. Ayin gave me a lot of things, so naturally I have to pick out some valuable ones for her. Remember, what belongs to the Duke's Mansion is what belongs to the Duke's Mansion, but this will be paid for in my own account. This is something I gave to Ayin separately."
Chunling nodded, stepped back, and headed towards the storeroom.
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