Chapter 552 Wei Dongzhu's Choice!
The two remained behind closed doors for an hour, and no one knew what they were saying. An hour later, Shen Lanxi ordered Wei Dongzhu to be appointed as the Grand Commander of the Northwest and to set off immediately to guard the Northwest.
As soon as the news broke, everyone's eyes widened.
No one believed that Shen Lanxi would just give up like that.
Zhou Ruyuan just let go like that.
Moreover, there was no commotion or disturbance. Many people "coincidentally" encountered Wei Dongzhu coming out of the palace, and afterwards they all said that Wei's face showed no anger and his aura was very peaceful.
This result caught many people off guard. While they were speculating whether Wei Dongzhu was using a feigned retreat as a strategy, he had already prepared to set off.
They didn't believe it.
They guessed that it must be Wei's delaying tactic, betting that His Majesty would be soft-hearted.
After all, Your Majesty is a woman, and women are always soft-hearted and will make compromises for men.
So what if General Wei has women and children? At worst, they'll just be lowly concubines and illegitimate children. Which high-ranking official doesn't have concubines?
Furthermore, a large part of their emperor's empire was conquered by Wei Dongzhu. What man in the world doesn't have the ambition to achieve great things? How could Wei abandon power and go to that barren northwest?
However, they were wrong again.
Shen Lanxi not only personally saw Wei Dongzhu off, but also bestowed upon Qiaoniang the title of Lady Qiao. Although she was not officially his wife, she was still a concubine with a proper title, and the child now had a legitimate place in the Wei family.
When seeing her off, Shen Lanxi didn't say much. However, after they had traveled some distance, Che Mingyuan arrived with his men.
"His Majesty instructed me to give this to you!"
Looking at the familiar box, a look of sadness flashed in Wei Dongzhu's eyes.
He had handed this box to Shen Lanxi twice before, thinking it would stay with her for life, but it came back anyway.
After delivering the items, Che Mingyuan exchanged some parting words as a colleague before leaving.
"General, let's go!" Qiao Niang poked her head out of the carriage.
"Father…"
Wei Dongzhu raised his hand, and the group set off again.
After walking for a while, he couldn't resist opening the box.
Unexpectedly, what they saw was not the military tally of the Wei family army, but a tiger tally.
Wei Dongzhu turned back and looked towards the direction of the capital, raising the corners of his mouth, but in the end it turned into a bitter smile.
"By my order, speed up the journey and reach the Northwest within fifteen days!"
"yes!"
...
"Your Majesty, the goods have been delivered." Che Mingyuan returned to the palace to report.
Shen Lanxi kept her head down, processing the memorials, and did not look up.
"Your Majesty, if you truly love General Wei, then that woman and child can be easily dealt with." After all, Wei Dongzhu said in the Golden Palace that day that the reason he wanted that woman was entirely because of his mother's orders, and that he had no feelings for her.
Shen Lanxi raised her head, her eyes clear.
Che Mingyuan was taken aback, as if he had received a warning, and his mind immediately cleared.
Your Majesty doesn't look like a couple forced to separate.
Che Mingyuan was terrified by what he had just thought.
"I only said one sentence to him that day in the palace."
Che Mingyuan listened attentively.
"I told him that if that mother and child continued to stay in the capital, they would die!"
Che Mingyuan's eyes flickered twice, his pupils widening.
So Wei Dong chose to go to the Northwest voluntarily to save the lives of the mother and child?
Shen Lanxi stood beside the dragon throne, her hands behind her back, and said quietly, "I never indulge in romantic love."
Che Mingyuan understood, and at the same time became even more alarmed.
He underestimated their emperor.
The world has underestimated their emperor!
At the last minute, this happened, and no one dared to offend His Majesty anymore.
Shen Lanxi began to target the imperial examination examiners.
"Examiners must not look down on women; they must treat men and women equally!"
"The examiners must be upright and honest, and they must not have concubines, illegitimate children, or mistresses in their homes."
"Examiners cannot have any scandals or have been to places of ill repute."
"Examiner..."
A series of requirements directly eliminated more than half of the examiners.
Of those who survived the previous dynasty, which one of them is truly clean?
Mei Nanhua, the chief examiner, racked his brains for the examiners.
Just then, another incident occurred where a clerk who was registering students verbally abused female students and used despicable means to force them to obey, otherwise their applications would not be approved.
In her shame and anger, the woman committed suicide by running into a pillar at the entrance of the government office.
Shen Lanxi was furious and ordered the three departments to investigate the case as quickly as possible. She then ordered the clerk to be dragged to the execution ground and executed by dismemberment.
The clerk's family members were also found to have committed many crimes, and Shen Lanxi ordered them all to be dragged to the execution ground and beheaded.
All the children under the age of fifteen in the clerk's household were turned into slaves and exiled to Dongchuan.
The clerk's entire family was exiled to the army and banished to Dongchuan.
All the property owned by the clerk was confiscated and put into the national treasury.
The magistrate of the county office where the clerk works, if he is not strict in governing his subordinates, shall be dismissed from his post and fined five hundred taels of silver.
Not enough money? Then go and raise it, go to work to pay off the debt. Until the hole is filled, the children in the family cannot take the imperial examinations or enter officialdom.
Shen Lanxi's sudden outburst startled the people who were immersed in happiness.
"This family is so pitiful!" Your Majesty is so cruel.
“There is always something hateful about a pitiful person. Isn’t the woman who was killed by the clerk pitiful? Just look at the things he did, he must have done them many times.”
"Hasn't the list of crimes been posted? He accepted bribes totaling 30,000 taels of silver, exploited the people to the point of causing one death, two injuries, and the destruction of six families. How can he not be executed? It's simply outrageous!"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
"He took so much money, and it all went to his family. How innocent could his family be?"
"His family wears fine silks and eats delicacies made entirely from the hard-earned money of the people..."
"Damn it, damn it all..."
The people were outraged, and their attention was completely focused on the clerk's crimes.
Among the members of the Ministry of Justice, some left after completing their tasks, while others continued to guide the political climate.
The officials felt a sense of impending doom and secretly approached Che Mingyuan.
"With Tianjin eyeing us covetously, how can Your Majesty be so careless about your reputation? What if you are accused of committing heinous crimes and Zhou Ruyuan seizes the opportunity to use it against you?"
"Military Advisor Che, you are someone His Majesty relies on. Quickly think of a way to stop His Majesty from keeping such a close eye on the imperial examinations."
If His Majesty continues to focus on the imperial examinations, it will make them feel like they are being watched all the time.
That's terrifying.
Che Mingyuan was also worried, but not about the things that the officials were concerned about.
"Let me think about it carefully."
Just then, students from Qinglan Academy passed by. Che Mingyuan watched the tall, straight figure silently carrying his books away, and a strange light shone in his eyes.
Since Your Majesty has chosen to be the ruler of a country, you should act like one.
...
After finishing processing the memorials, Shen Lanxi decided to go out for some fresh air.
Just as they stepped outside the hall, they saw Cheng Zheng and Sang Guo walking towards them.
"Is there something you need?"
The two shook their heads somewhat awkwardly, then pointed to the books in their hands, and each took out paper and pen to start writing.
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