As soon as he returned to the Qianqing Palace after court, Mei'er brought him a cup of hot tea.
Qi Jingxuan noticed that the palace maid had been replaced and asked, "You've arrived so quickly? Follow me from now on, and I will reward you handsomely. If you hadn't provided information about Ruan Yu Mu, I would still be in the dark!"
Upon hearing this, Mei'er knelt down. "Your Majesty, I have served Consort Zhaoyi in her palace for many years. Now that I have betrayed her, I feel terrible. Your Majesty, I beg you to restore Consort Zhaoyi to her former title of Consort Mu!"
Mei'er's words awakened Qi Jingxuan. Over the years, the two had come to understand each other very well. Perhaps Ruan Yumu was the one who truly helped him. Those women were jealous, scheming, and even murderous.
"I will consider this matter. You may leave."
"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Justice has an important matter to report!"
"pass!"
Lord Li entered, knelt on the ground, and handed over all the evidence he had gathered.
"Your Majesty, please look. This is the confession of the Minister of Revenue's confidant. In recent years, the Minister of Revenue, relying on his position as the Emperor's father-in-law, has been buying and selling official positions in the Xuzhou area, oppressing the common people, and extorting their wealth. He even built a priceless palace in his hometown of Xuzhou, claiming it was for his retirement! Your Majesty, I find this matter extremely serious and cannot make a decision!"
Qi Jingxuan rubbed his temples. The Great Qi Kingdom had only been established for two years, and it had finally managed to quell internal and external troubles. Yet, an official corruption scandal had occurred right under the emperor's nose, and it was even his own father-in-law! It was truly laughable!
"As for official corruption, I have long wanted to crack down on it! Lord Li, handle everything according to our country's criminal law! There will be no leniency!"
"Yes, Your Majesty! However, this matter involves the Imperial Father-in-law, who specifically reported it to you, and it also involves many officials. My suggestion is that Your Majesty should not arrest them all, but you should at least make a show of it. With so many officials, it might affect the administration of the court. Why not let the most authoritative person in the court take the lead, and let the Censorate handle the investigation?"
This Lord Li is truly clever! If he were to take over, wouldn't he make enemies everywhere? It's obvious that the Grand Tutor has been in court for so many years; he must not be clean.
Qi Jingxuan grinned! That was exactly what he was thinking. Let the civil officials investigate the crimes they commit, let them fight amongst themselves, and he can reap the benefits. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
He thought the plan was feasible, but the Grand Tutor was getting old and might not be willing to accept it. He was currently too busy to handle the matter himself, and since he was already the emperor, he couldn't possibly investigate it himself.
"That's all for now. You may leave. I will draft an imperial edict and have the Grand Tutor take over in a few days!"
Another official handed over a box containing evidence of the Minister's embezzlement, including many letters between him and his subordinates, indicating that the matter had been proven true.
Most of these corrupt officials were henchmen of the Minister's faction. Qi Jingxuan looked at the names on the list, his brows relaxed, and he immediately became much happier.
Before the Empress entered the palace, he had no say in the court affairs. It was only because of Consort Jiang's matter that he finally stood up for himself, which resulted in many upright officials retiring to their hometowns.
There are very few talented people in the court; it's time to hold the imperial examinations. The dynastic changes in recent years have been far too rapid, leaving countless students with no opportunity to showcase their talents!
The group discussed the matter until it grew dark, at which point all the officers from the Censorate came out.
Qi Jingxuan sat down and sighed. Xiao Shunzi immediately came up to report, "Your Majesty, Consort Zhaoyi has come several times to say that she wants to see you. She has important matters to discuss. Dinner has been prepared. Please come in, Your Majesty!"
Oh? Ruan Yu Mu? She rarely shows such courtesy; she wouldn't come to the temple without a reason. Qi Jingxuan was curious to see what this woman was up to!
Qi Jingxuan walked through Chuxiu Palace and looked at it, which had been abandoned for only a few months and was now like a ruin overgrown with weeds. He couldn't help but feel sad that several women's lives had been lost here like ants.
If she were still Ruan Yumu, with that kind of weak personality, she might not even have been able to leave the Qi family mansion!
"good!"
Before Qi Jingxuan even stepped into the courtyard of Yujing Palace, he heard a commotion coming from inside. All the concubines from the palace had arrived, as had Xu Yunchuan and some ministers.
This completely baffled Qi Jingxuan; it turned out he had been deluding himself.
"His Majesty has arrived!" The eunuch at the gate saw the Emperor and immediately announced loudly inside!
Qi Jingxuan raised his hand, intending to signal him to be quiet, but he didn't expect his hand speed to be too fast to keep up with his speech, and he immediately blurted it out.
He quickly pulled the eunuch aside and questioned him carefully. "Is something the matter today? Why are there so many people? Does Consort Zhaoyi have some kind of banquet or event? I haven't heard anything about it."
The eunuch was quite surprised to hear this. The emperor didn't have many children, so how could he not remember them? It seemed that the rumors about Consort Zhao being out of favor were true. Although she had two sons, the emperor had no recollection of even the eldest son's two-year birthday.
"Your Majesty, the eldest son is celebrating his second birthday today. Consorts from all the palaces, as well as some ministers, have come to offer their congratulations. Seeing that you have been busy in the Qianqing Palace, the Empress Dowager has gone to inform you several times, thinking that you might not be able to come."
Qi Jingxuan pondered, realizing he was truly an irresponsible father; he had only three children, yet he had forgotten. It turned out to be his eldest son's second birthday.
I remember when the eldest prince turned one year old, I had just ascended the throne. Palace expenses were kept quite frugal; it was just me, Ruan Yu Mu, and a few palace maids and eunuchs who gathered to celebrate the eldest prince's birthday. Time flies so fast; the eldest prince is already two years old.
He hurriedly instructed Xiao Shunzi beside him to retrieve one of the precious jade ruyi scepters from the national treasury. It was a token of love between the former crown prince and his wife, making it of great significance. On one hand, he wanted to express that he hadn't forgotten Ruan Yumu; on the other hand, he wanted to establish his eldest son as the crown prince.
Under the system of the Great Qi Kingdom, the sons born to concubines are all princes. Only those with good character will be established as princes and chosen as the crown prince. The true crown prince must be established as the crown prince!
Qi Jingxuan straightened his clothes, coughed twice, and strode inside.
"Your Highness, I am so envious. Look at the whole harem, you are the only one with two sons. All of us can only look on with envy."
"Yes, Consort Zhaoyi, having a son is a woman's greatest source of confidence in this harem!" The speaker was none other than Yelü Yanyun, who was clearly mocking Qiao Siyu. No matter how favored she was, she couldn't do without an heir.
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