This is a day destined to be recorded in history.
Supported by a young eunuch, Wang Jiyang entered the palace, specifically the front hall of the Taihe Hall, where officials usually held court.
He walked in with a limp, passing between the courtiers on both sides. After being exposed to the sun for two days, his face was peeling from the sun, and with the long scars, his expression looked like a demon from hell.
When the officials saw him, they couldn't help but recall that incident from many years ago, that sensational event that shook the capital. Their hearts trembled. Wang Jiyang had returned!
He walked before the crowd with an air of nonchalance, as if the world were vast and he could come and go as he pleased.
Slowly, he knelt down. "Your Majesty, I humbly request that Your Majesty issue an edict to thoroughly investigate the imperial examination fraud case!"
The scandal of cheating in the imperial examinations has spread rapidly throughout the capital in the past two days, and no amount of attempts to contain it can be stopped. Moreover, the news is spreading to even more distant places.
Countless insightful people are waiting patiently for the follow-up to this matter.
As his voice faded, the officials' thoughts were brought back to the present, and they exchanged glances and whispered among themselves.
“Lord Wang, you have been recommended by the Prince and granted permission by His Majesty to serve in the court. You should think about repaying the Emperor’s kindness and being loyal to the Emperor. You should have your own opinions, instead of just following the crowd and listening to the nonsense of a few scholars who cheated in the imperial examinations, thus disrupting the court.” Lu Yuan, the Vice Minister of the Chancellery, was the first to stand up and refute Wang Jiyang.
A third-rank official naturally needs a worthy counterpart. Liu Huan, the Minister of Rites, stepped forward, holding up his jade tablet, and said, "Lord Lu is mistaken. An official should listen to the people's voice and follow their wishes." After speaking, he bowed to Emperor Mingde from afar, "Your Majesty, what Lord Wang said is imperative. However, Lord Lu's words are not without reason. I implore Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate those individuals mentioned by Lord Lu who were involved in the imperial examination fraud, and to thoroughly investigate whether they were indeed, as Lord Lu said, involved in the imperial examination fraud."
"Lord Liu, what do you mean by that? Are you saying that I am slandering them? It's all clearly written in black and white in the Ministry of Justice's records."
The war of words began, and Emperor Mingde sat calmly listening. He was waiting for them to finish arguing, knowing that the matter still needed to be resolved, and he wasn't in a hurry at all today.
The two argued back and forth for a while, until Qiu Cheng finally made a move. He raised his jade tablet, bowed to Emperor Mingde, and said, "Your Majesty, both of you have valid points. Why not grant Lord Wang's request? I humbly request to share your burdens."
Yang Zhong looked at him, seeing what he was saying. It was clearly biased towards Wang Jiyang. If looks could kill, Qiu Chengshi would have died a thousand times over. "Your Majesty, this matter has always been handled by the Court of Judicial Review. I implore Your Majesty to have the Court of Judicial Review thoroughly investigate this case."
The matter has become widely known, and an explanation is inevitable. The key question is who will provide that explanation.
Zhang Jiye, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, stepped forward and said, "Your humble servant will do everything in his power to thoroughly investigate this case."
The situation did not seem to be in a favorable position for Qiu Tangshi and Wang Jiyang. Emperor Mingde tapped his fingers on the chair, his gaze falling on Xie Yun, whose face was expressionless, and said, "Minister Xie, what do you say?"
Yang Zhong narrowed his eyes, glancing at Xie Yun out of the corner of his eye. He suddenly had a bad feeling. Before today, he was certain that the emperor would not pay attention to any cheating in the imperial examinations, because offending the powerful families and the princes would be difficult to control. At that time, the emperor would be in a dilemma, and might even be deposed soon. The emperor dared not take that risk.
However, he misjudged once again. Xie Yun stepped forward, holding up his jade tablet, and shouted, "Your Majesty, I favor Lord Liu."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Mingde didn't even bother to think it over before immediately agreeing, "Thank you for your insightful opinion. I trust you. Minister Liu and Minister Lu should make the handover as soon as possible. I hereby appoint Minister Liu as Imperial Commissioner to thoroughly investigate the imperial examination fraud case."
Yang Zhong wanted to curse the old scoundrel, "You've gone mad!" "Your Majesty! I beg Your Majesty to reconsider!" If Liu Huan had handed over power to Lu Yuan and thoroughly investigated the imperial examination fraud case, could the matter of the imperial examinations still be handled by the Dali Temple? He dared to swear to heaven that Liu Huan would never relinquish the power he had gained!
Moreover, the Xie family is no ordinary family. They are a family that has ruled three dynasties and hold a transcendent position among first-class families. If Emperor Mingde's new policies can gain the support of the Xie family, then half of the success will be achieved!
Although Emperor Mingde never uttered the words "new policies," Yang Zhonggan swore on his life that the current emperor was indeed going to implement them!
As he shouted, the members of the Yang family's faction knelt down and cried out, "Your Majesty, please reconsider!"
Xie Yun's actions overturned their preconceived notions. Did the Xie family intend to stand against them? Did Xie Yun not know what the Emperor's intentions were? A thorough investigation into the cheating in the imperial examinations would eliminate a number of powerful families. When the imperial examinations were reformed, the power structure of the country would be reshuffled. What exactly was the Xie family up to?
Emperor Mingde ignored the kneeling officials and left with a flick of his sleeve. Liang Yunsi, the treacherous spy, shouted, "Dismiss the court!" The echo lingered long afterward.
Yang Zhongyi's faction was caught in a dilemma: continuing to kneel was not an option, nor was standing up and leaving the court. However, Qiu Chengshi and the others didn't care about them. They helped Wang Jiyang up and came to Xie Yun with smiles on their faces.
"Lord Xie is truly a pillar of the nation. I admire you greatly. I hope you will mentor me in the future." Qiu Tangshi's beautiful eyes seemed to encompass everything, as if they could draw people in. Although his words were extremely flattering, they sounded exceptionally sincere and upright.
Faced with his 'charming' smile, Xie Yun remained expressionless and said, "If Lord Qiu has nothing else, I will return to my residence first."
He didn't want to appear in front of these people at all, especially today, with dozens of pairs of burning eyes on him, making him feel like he was being pierced by needles.
As he was walking, he was stopped. "Lord Xie, please wait."
It was Yang Zhong who called him. Xie Yun stopped in his tracks, struggled internally for a moment, and then left without looking back. Anyway, whether he stayed or not, the result would be the same, so why should he invite trouble for himself?
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
