Chapter 324 Xiao Yu Appeals to the Emperor, Seeking Justice for the People
His Highness the Crown Prince returned to the banquet hall, and the atmosphere of the entire banquet became lively again.
Tonight, the Emperor didn't even leave his seat early, waiting for the Crown Prince to bring him a surprise. The Crown Prince was covered up tightly, so what could this surprise be?
Xie Shang walked up to the emperor and said, "Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."
"Sit down." Watching the Crown Prince entangled with the women, he was destined to follow in my footsteps. What difference was there between his harem and mine? They were the same, exactly the same!
After the emperor made Xie Shang the crown prince, he was like a spectator. He sat on the throne for a lifetime, which gave him enough time to see through people's hearts and manipulate them. Only those who hold power have the right to control people's hearts.
The emperor was very satisfied with Xie Shang in this respect, as his other sons lacked his decisiveness.
When the noble ladies on the stage saw the Crown Prince arrive, they performed even more energetically, while those who had already performed regretted not having been seen by the Crown Prince.
Qin Yunyan was not willing to give up. After her performance, she sat in the guest area. Many suitors cast flirtatious glances at her, but she didn't like any of them.
His Highness the Crown Prince is not only of noble birth and an outstanding individual, but he is also deeply etched in her heart. Only such a handsome man is worthy of being her man.
When the imperial decree for the selection of a consort for the crown prince was issued to Quanzhou, her father was the prefect of Quanzhou, so her portrait was naturally painted exquisitely. As for the daughters of other officials, they were all depicted as ugly and deformed.
She was overjoyed to be chosen. Even if she didn't know what the Crown Prince looked like, she would still be willing to marry him. Now that she saw the Crown Prince's handsome appearance, she was even more delighted.
Qin Yunyan had her maid redo her makeup, and only after confirming that her beauty could attract the Crown Prince did she get up and go to the room where the noble ladies changed their clothes.
The officials outside were still announcing the names of the performers, but fortunately, the ladies and princesses in the palace had already finished their performances, and those who were next in line were all daughters of officials.
Qin Yunyan found the next woman to participate in the performance. "Excuse me, are you Zhang Jingjing, the daughter of Lord Zhang?" She had already found out that she was the only one left to dance.
Zhang Jingjing was adjusting her headdress. She was going to dance. Even if she wasn't chosen, it would be good to participate and become known. She had heard that if a woman entered the palace and won the Crown Prince's favor, Yuzhou would basically become rich and powerful. So she would try her best to dance well.
Qin Yunyan thought she looked ordinary, not outstanding at all, the kind of woman who would be easily lost in a crowd.
She cut to the chase and pulled out a stack of silver notes from her bosom. "Give me your performance opportunity, and all this money is yours."
When Zhang Jingjing saw so many silver notes, her eyes lit up. Even though her father held a high official position, she never had the chance to get so much silver; there must be several thousand taels.
She was about to reach out and touch it when she suddenly withdrew her hand and said calmly, "Why should I give it to you? His Highness the Crown Prince is on the stage. If I can be favored by the Crown Prince, what are a few thousand taels of silver to me?"
After she finished speaking, she continued to adjust her headdress.
Qin Yunyan then had her maid bring a stack of silver notes and handed them to Zhang Jingjing, asking, "Is this enough?"
Zhang Jingjing's eyes lit up again, her heart itching with desire. It was just too tempting. She couldn't even count how many people that money could support.
Seeing that she was starting to be interested, Qin Yunyan added a few more pictures, saying, "With your looks, no matter how well you dance, the Crown Prince won't take a liking to you."
"So many silver notes, such a large amount, they can't be fake, can they?" Zhang Jingjing said.
Qin Yunyan said directly, "I, Qin Yunyan, know how to use counterfeit banknotes. Take these banknotes to a bank in Quanzhou and exchange them. You can get silver from any of them. Do you want them or not? If you don't want them, I'll find someone else..."
Zhang Jingjing swallowed hard. One shouldn't be greedy; greed will bring retribution. She clapped her hands and said, "Deal."
So, Zhang Jingjing grabbed a stack of banknotes that were about to become "worthless" and left without stopping.
Qin Yunyan immediately began to dress up and change into her dance costume as soon as she got the chance; she had made several preparations for today.
A voice called out from outside: "Zhang Jingjing, daughter of the Prefect of Yuzhou, will perform the dance 'Stepping on a Horse...'"
The master of ceremonies paused for a few seconds after reading the name of the dance, afraid he had mispronounced it. What melody was this? What kind of dance was it?
Qin Yunyan didn't understand the song either, but she still went on stage with the most beautiful dance moves.
When everyone saw that a beautiful woman had appeared, they stopped caring about the dance and found her face pleasing to the eye.
Qin Yunyan even glanced at the Crown Prince while dancing.
Xie Shang was sitting in the main seat, and he could see the woman dancing on the stage at a glance. He thought she was pretty, with eyebrows like distant mountains and eyes like crescent moons. Her smile was charming and alluring, and her figure was graceful and beautiful. She was indeed a beauty. But what tunes were the musicians playing? They didn't match her dance at all.
Before Qin Yunyan had even finished her dance, the musicians had finished playing, yet everyone present was captivated by her performance.
Seeing that the Crown Prince was also staring at the woman on the stage, Song Qing and Tang Qianran, who were sitting on the side, thought: "Since the Crown Princess isn't here, the Crown Prince has taken a fancy to another woman. They thought the Crown Prince only liked the Crown Princess, but it turns out that's not the case."
Zhang Jingjing is indeed beautiful, though not quite as pretty as the Crown Princess.
Alas! How could the Crown Princess be the only beautiful woman in the palace?
It seems the Crown Prince will take her into the palace.
The next second, as everyone was marveling, a handsome man in official robes suddenly stepped onto the stage and knelt respectfully before the Emperor. "Your subject Xiao Yu greets Your Majesty and Your Highness the Crown Prince." He had also seen Qin Yunyan's figure and took this opportunity to come up, just as the Crown Prince had returned.
At this moment, everyone's eyes fell on Xiao Yu, feeling that he was tall and elegant, with a steady gait, graceful manners, and superior appearance.
When Xiao Yu passed the imperial examination with top honors, matchmakers flocked to the Xiao family's gate, but he refused them all, only saying that he was already engaged. Even now, some people want to be his concubine. To this day, Xiao Yu is still highly sought after, and officials in the capital are always trying to win him over.
No matter how many officials wanted to marry their daughters to him, Xiao Yu refused them all, simply saying that he already had a fiancée back home.
Xiao Yu came prepared today. He was the one who investigated the case in Quanzhou. Ever since he passed the imperial examination, he had been working under the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince sent him back to Quanzhou for two reasons: firstly, his family was from Quanzhou and his father was a county magistrate, which would make it easier to investigate the case; secondly, he wanted to see Xiao Yu's abilities. At that time, he also gave him an imperial sword and appointed him as the Inspector General, so that he could use it to intimidate officials when necessary.
Now that corrupt officials have been discovered, it will naturally be up to him to explain to the Emperor and the Crown Prince.
The Emperor suddenly sat up straight, and Consort Ya obediently sat down beside him. As Princess Qianya, sent by the Kingdom of Chaoxi to consolidate relations between the two countries, she was only responsible for pleasing the Emperor, as if nothing in the Great Zhou Dynasty had anything to do with her.
The Emperor said, "I remember you were the top scholar I personally selected. Does the top scholar also wish to perform?"
Xiao Yu kowtowed to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, I have come today to plead for justice for the people of Quanzhou."
The emperor asked, "Why are the people of Quanzhou crying out for justice?"
Xiao Yu suddenly pointed in Qin Tai's direction and said sternly, "Your Majesty, the people of Quanzhou are suing Qin Tai, the prefect of Quanzhou."
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