Chapter 349 This is a misunderstanding
"If I had known, how could I have disobeyed the Prince and Princess?"
"Without knowing, you can promise the position of the top scholar's concubine?" Pei Yanchuan said calmly again.
Jiang Wan Ning kept her mouth shut the whole time; with the prince present, there was no need for her to waste her breath.
Qin Zhaolin's heart sank even further. "You unfilial son, what have you done?!"
Qin Zhaolin nearly fainted from anger. He had repeatedly told his son not to tell anyone anything about the imperial examination, but now even the prince knew.
If it were what happened before, Qin Hualang might still have survived, but with what happened afterward, it's likely that Qin Hualang's life is over.
I'm afraid my old life will end here today.
"I...I didn't say anything." Qin Hualang stubbornly denied it. "Father, I really didn't say anything."
"You mean, His Highness is lying here?" Qin Zhaolin pinched his philtrum in anger. "You idiot!"
As she spoke, she stood up and kicked Qin Hualang hard on the head, saying, "I'll teach you to talk nonsense all the time."
They beat Qin Hualang for almost half an hour, and neither Pei Yanchuan nor Jiang Wanning said a word to stop them.
If the fight continued and Rongyin really got into trouble, Qin Zhaolin could only reluctantly stop and whisper to Pei Yanchuan, "Your Highness, you see, this is just a misunderstanding."
“My son didn’t know that the princess was the real princess, which is why he made such a huge joke.”
"This humble official has already reprimanded him, Your Highness, what do you think about this matter...?"
"Lord Qin really knows how to downplay the seriousness of the matter; he hasn't mentioned a single word about the cheating in the imperial examinations," Pei Yanchuan said coldly.
Qin Zhaolin immediately knelt down, "This Your Highness... this is just something my son made up to show off. I am just a minor official of the fifth rank, how could I possibly have such extraordinary abilities?"
"Furthermore, Your Highness knows these three examiners better than anyone else; they are all impartial and incorruptible."
"But Young Master Qin said that all of this is because you, Lord Qin, have a powerful figure behind you, a powerful figure who can rival the Prince."
Jiang Wan Ning said softly, "Who are the people who can rival the Prince these days, and who are they on equal footing with him?"
"You can count them on one finger."
Using only one finger instead of a hand—doesn't that imply that we already know who's behind it?
Qin Zhaolin was so angry he could hardly breathe. He turned and glared fiercely at his son, while Qin Hualang covered his face and moved back, saying, "Father, I really didn't say that."
Qin Zhaolin covered his forehead in exasperation. He hadn't said anything before, so why did he have to say it now?
I used to think my son wasn't very smart, but now I realize he's really stupid, stupid enough to send the whole family to the guillotine.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, I have already explained. My son just likes to boast. He is the one who is exaggerating."
"It seems Lord Qin has no intention of admitting it," Pei Yanchuan said calmly.
Qin Zhaolin was so frightened by Pei Yanchuan's imposing manner that he knelt down again. "Your Highness, please spare the Qin family. If you spare the Qin family, I will do anything you ask!"
Pei Yanchuan gently raised his hand, and Qin Zhaolin immediately understood, dismissing everyone and leaving only Pei Yanchuan, Jiang Wanning, and himself in the teahouse.
Qin Zhaolin then said, "Your Highness, please ask whatever you wish to ask. I will answer to the best of my knowledge."
After a long pause, Pei Yanchuan finally said, "How long have you been relying on the Prince Consort?"
Qin Zhaolin instinctively wanted to deny it, but then he thought, what's the point of denying it now?
He could only answer honestly, "Your Highness, I became your consort a year ago."
A year ago, within six months, he promoted a person from an insignificant official to a fifth-rank Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue by gaining the Emperor's favor.
"Tell me in detail how much you know about him, and I might spare your life today."
Qin Zhaolin hesitated for a moment, swallowed hard, and then said, "This humble official only knows that the Prince Consort has secretly raised an organization, which is ranked by color, with red being the highest rank."
As Qin Zhaolin spoke, he secretly glanced at Pei Yanchuan. Seeing that the other party seemed dissatisfied, he immediately added, "Oh, by the way, I also know that the Prince Consort has been in contact with someone from Xixia."
"As for who this person is, I really don't know."
"The Imperial Son-in-Law placed me in this position in the Ministry of Revenue for money. As far as I know, there are also people associated with the Imperial Son-in-Law in the inner palace. I don't know why, but His Majesty always has the Ministry of Revenue allocate batches of silver."
"But this batch of silver changed hands and eventually ended up in the prince consort's pocket."
Pei Yanchuan only needed to think for a moment to realize that Song Zhuran had used the pretext of the elixir of immortality to demand sums of money, which she and that so-called Taoist priest had ultimately given to the prince consort.
The final destination of all that silver had to be presented to the emperor, such as what medicinal herbs were purchased, what rare treasures were found, and so on.
The Ministry of Revenue naturally needed its own people.
As for the other officials in the Ministry of Revenue, since His Majesty permitted it, they naturally wouldn't investigate or question them.
Pei Yanchuan knew without even thinking what the silver was for.
"Anything else?"
Qin Zhaolin thought for a moment, then tentatively shook his head. "Your Highness, there really aren't any this time."
Pei Yanchuan subtly pointed at Qin Zhaolin, "I ask you, more than ten years ago, in the case of the Duke of Ying, was the Imperial Son-in-Law involved?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Zhaolin was startled and quickly kowtowed, begging for mercy. "Your Highness, I have only been by the Prince Consort's side for a year. I only know this because I need to transport money for the Prince Consort."
"Otherwise, I wouldn't know any of this. The Prince Consort is always cautious. I've been doing things for him for half a year, and I only recently found out that I was working for him."
"As for other matters, I really don't know."
Qin Zhaolin was afraid Pei Yanchuan wouldn't believe him, so he kowtowed loudly with each bow.
Pei Yanchuan gently tapped the table, and Qin Zhaolin stopped.
Seeing Pei Yanchuan's displeasure, Qin Zhaolin was too frightened to speak again. "By the way..."
Qin Zhaolin suddenly said, "A few days ago, I went to the Prince Consort's residence and saw something in his study. That thing seems to belong to the Duke of Ying."
"I had the honor of meeting the Duke of England once before. Everyone knows that the Duke of England has a green sword, but that sword is now in the Prince Consort's study, but it is hidden in a secret compartment."
"I happened to be looking for the Prince Consort when he took something from a secret compartment, and I caught a glimpse of it by chance."
Pei Yanchuan tightened his grip on the teacup, and with a 'bang,' the teacup shattered, and the water inside dripped down the table.
Qin Zhaolin felt a surge of fear upon seeing this.
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