When Qu Qingxi saw Shen Shuyan say that the Xu family had arranged for people to spread rumors about yesterday's events mainly because of her, a sarcastic smile appeared on her lips.
She had considered this possibility and had already devised a solution. However, she never expected that before she could even make a move, Shen Shuyan would witness it and prove her innocence.
Now it all depends on whether the censor will be up to par tomorrow. Qu Qingxi had heard that the imperial censor was an extremely rigid and stubborn old man. Even if the emperor did something he shouldn't have done, the censor would still speak out without hesitation, showing no fear of the emperor at all.
However, this is also because throughout history, in order to ensure that censors dared to speak the truth and not mislead the emperor, the emperor could not punish any censor, no matter what they said.
However, the position of censor only has the function of impeachment and has no real power, so no matter what the censor does, it will never affect the stability of the country.
Sure enough, at the morning court session the next day, the censor gave Xu Ding a thorough dressing-down, and anyone who tried to speak up for Xu Ding was suspected of colluding with him.
The origin of this silver is unknown; it's clearly abnormal that someone could so easily produce so much silver.
Xu Ding had always been very cautious in his actions, but this was the first time that the censor had caught him red-handed and berated him in front of so many people, making him lose face in such a way.
Ultimately, because the matter had become quite a big deal, the Emperor punished Xu Ding by deducting a year's salary. Some people even suggested that since Xu Ding's wife could casually mention 50,000 taels of silver, the source of the silver might be questionable, and demanded that the Emperor thoroughly investigate the matter.
However, Xu Ding's men had already devised a plan. They used the example of Xu Ding being forced to use goods as collateral yesterday to demonstrate that Xu Ding's household did not actually have that much silver.
If Xu Ding really had that much silver, he wouldn't have done something like using goods as collateral, since it wouldn't sound good if word got out.
Everyone saw that the Emperor didn't say anything this time, only punished their salaries, so they kept quiet. However, what surprised them the most was that the Prince of Nanqing surprisingly didn't say anything this time, and didn't kick them when they were down.
After impeaching Xu Ding, the next major issue is Zhou Wenli's return.
At 1:15 AM, the envoys were summoned to the Hall of Diligent Governance, and the list of return gifts was read aloud.
Zhou Wenli's injuries have healed considerably, and he looks almost perfectly normal.
After bringing a return gift, Zhou Wenli prepared to return home.
The Crown Prince looked at the scene before him and couldn't help but feel puzzled. Didn't his father say that he was going to send Princess Yongchang to marry a foreign ruler? Why hadn't his father read out the imperial edict even though the envoys were about to leave?
The crown prince glanced at the servant beside him, and the little eunuch nodded slightly. Then, when no one was paying attention, he turned and left.
The Crown Prince looked toward the Empress's position. Yongchang, as the legitimate princess, was standing behind the Empress, watching everything before her, seemingly sensing the Crown Prince's gaze.
Yongchang also looked over at the Crown Prince. In the instant their eyes met, Yongchang clearly saw a hint of guilt and confusion in the Crown Prince's eyes.
The Crown Prince was the first to withdraw his gaze. Yongchang's eyes had been too clear just now, as if she already knew his previous plans. However, since he and his mother had kept this matter a secret, Yongchang probably wouldn't know that his mother and he had abandoned her to keep his position as Crown Prince.
Seeing the Crown Prince lower his head, Yongchang also withdrew his gaze, his lowered eyes filled with indifference.
The Empress was equally puzzled as to why the Emperor had not mentioned the marriage alliance with Yongchang. Could it be that the Emperor intended to strip the Crown Prince of his position?
However, although the Empress had many questions in her mind, the current occasion was clearly inappropriate.
When Yongchang saw that the Emperor really didn't want him to go on a marriage alliance, his tense heart finally relaxed.
No sooner had Zhou Wenli and his delegation left than the Crown Prince immediately went to Yongchang.
"Yongchang, come here for a moment, I have something to say to you." The Crown Prince glanced at Yongchang, then walked straight into a side hall.
Yongchang did not refuse; she knew in her heart what the Crown Prince wanted to talk to her about.
"Yongchang, do you know why Father Emperor won't let you go on this marriage alliance?" The Crown Prince found a chair and sat down, tentatively asking the question.
"Yongchang doesn't know either." Princess Yongchang shook her head, feigning confusion, pretending that she knew nothing.
Seeing Yongchang's blank expression, the Crown Prince lowered his head slightly, a deep look flashing in his eyes. Since the marriage alliance with Yongchang had failed, could he reconsider and betroth Yongchang to the Kong family?
Although he didn't know why his father hadn't sent Yongchang to marry a foreign ruler, Yongchang didn't know why either. So he decided to pretend that he was the one who did it, and that Yongchang would agree to the Kong family's request out of gratitude.
“Yongchang, you are my sister. Of course, I don’t want my own sister to be sent away for a political marriage. I went to great lengths and tried every possible method to persuade Father to give up the idea of sending you away for a political marriage.” The Crown Prince looked at Princess Yongchang with affection.
Yongchang never expected that her own brother would be so shameless. He was the one who chose to send her to a marriage alliance, and now that she had been saved by the royal uncle, he still had the audacity to try to take credit for it.
Disappointment flashed in Yongchang's downcast eyes, but when he looked up again, his eyes lit up, and he asked in surprise, "Crown Prince, is it really you? Did you help Yongchang?"
"Of course, otherwise, who else can help you besides my brother, the Crown Prince?" The Crown Prince saw Yongchang staring at him with surprise and delight. Although he felt a little guilty, he still nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Brother Crown Prince, thank you. If it weren't for you, Yongchang really wouldn't know what to do. These past few days, Yongchang has been living in fear, afraid that Father would send him away for a political marriage. Thank goodness, thank goodness." Yongchang looked terrified as he mentioned the political marriage.
"Why are you being so polite with me, Yongchang? From now on, you can rest assured. The Zhou envoy has left, and this kind of thing will not happen again. You can relax now."
"Yes, as long as they don't go for a marriage alliance, Yongchang can rest assured."
"Alright, this matter is over. Go back to your princess residence and get some rest." Seeing that Yongchang didn't suspect anything, the Crown Prince had achieved his goal. He stood up, walked to Yongchang's side, and patted Yongchang's hair, just like when they were children.
Watching the Crown Prince's departing figure, Yongchang couldn't help but shed a tear. She simply couldn't believe that her brother could be so shameless.
If anyone else had treated him like this, Yongchang might not have felt so desperate. But it was his own brother, his own mother, and his own father.
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