Xue Tingliu is no longer wearing the official robes he used to wear. Instead, he has changed into plain white cloth and looks very shabby.
He clenched his fingers tightly, and kept his voice as calm as possible: "I was harmed by a traitor and stripped of my honors, but my loyalty to Your Highness remains the same as before."
Gu Shimin sighed calmly, "But look at what you've done during the time I've been away from Huajing. You've ruined both the Rong family and yourself."
Xue Tingliu bowed, his head buried deeply. "Xue Zhentong is dead, and Lu Minchun, that fence-sitter, has also been sentenced to death. This will cause Gu Shichong to lose control of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Rites in an instant. My death is not a pity."
Speaking of this, Gu Shimin's frown didn't relax much. "That loser Lu Minchun, I originally wanted you to report him for cheating after Xue Tingsheng passed the exam, saying that he knew the exam questions long before the exam. Then Lu Minchun would identify the person who leaked the exam questions as Fang Ou, the Minister of Rites."
He snorted coldly, "This way, we can not only get rid of Xue Zhentong and Xue Tingsheng, but also bring down Fang Ou, the stubborn old man who has repeatedly refused my recruitment, so that Lu Minchun can take advantage of the opportunity to be promoted. You can also avoid being implicated by the Xue family because of your merit in reporting the case."
Looking at the gleaming sword, Gu Shimin's brows darkened, and the sword reflected the cold light in his brows. "What a pity! This is a plan that kills three birds with one stone. Who could have thought that Xue Tingsheng would be such a fool as to smuggle something into the imperial examination? He's truly beyond our expectations, and he's also so cowardly. After being arrested and interrogated for a few sentences, he betrayed Lu Minchun, making it impossible for my plan to be implemented."
Xue Tingliu's bent waist was already sore, but he didn't dare to lift it even a little.
"Your Highness, now that things have come to this, we should quickly arrange for one of our men to fill the vacant position. Although we don't know how Prince Gong discovered the secret agent in Chunfeng Tower, it seems he is about to make a move."
Glancing at him, Gu Shimin tutted softly, "Stand up straight and talk."
"Yes, thank you, Your Highness." Xue Tingliu straightened up.
"You don't have to be dejected. What's the harm in becoming a slave now? When I accomplish my great cause, pardoning you will be just a matter of a command. From now on, you can just stay in Prince Cheng's mansion and continue to be my advisor. I can still give you this little bit of protection."
Seeing that he was somewhat distracted, Prince Cheng asked him: "Are you worried about something?"
Xue Tingliu was stunned, but didn't deny it. He just said, "My useless sister has been missing since our house was ransacked that day. My mother misses her and asked me to find her. However, I've searched all over Huajing these past few days, and even went to the death row yesterday, but I can't find any trace of her."
"Of course you can't find her." King Cheng said.
"Your Highness, do you have any news about her?" Xue Tingliu raised his eyebrows and looked at Prince Cheng.
Prince Cheng then said, "Since you are so loyal to me, I will not treat you unfairly. I have asked someone to find out. After Xue Panrou was enslaved, she was exiled to the palace. A daughter of a guilty minister like her can only do the lowest menial jobs. But she is still in the palace, so it is not easy to get her out now. But don't worry, she is just like you. It only takes a word from me to get her out, but not now."
Xue Tingliu breathed a sigh of relief and bowed again. "I am very grateful that my life is safe. Thank you, Your Highness. I am willing to serve you at my utmost."
"I have always trusted your loyalty." He then looked at Xue Tingliu and said, "If there is nothing urgent, please leave."
Xue Tingliu did not leave, so Gu Shimin asked him, "What's wrong? Is there anything else?"
After a moment of silence, Xue Tingliu said, "There is indeed one matter that requires Your Highness's decision."
"oh?"
"Yesterday on death row, I met a man."
"Who is it?" Gu Shimin waited for him to speak.
"Fu Rongxin."
Recalling this name, Gu Shimin suddenly realized: "The one who has been making a lot of noise recently, the most beautiful woman in Linzhou who committed murder?"
Xue Tingliu said, "That's right."
Just yesterday, he used all his mother's remaining savings to get into the prison to find Xue Panrou's whereabouts, but he didn't expect to meet Fu Rongxin there.
It was Fu Rongxin who recognized him first and shouted for help.
He was very upset at that time, not to mention that he was the one who framed Fu Rongxin. Even in the past, he didn't bother to care about Fu Rongxin, not to mention that he was now busy with his own affairs.
But unexpectedly, Fu Rongxin really disregarded everything in order to survive. Seeing that he was not going to care about her, she broke down and cried, "Second brother... Second brother! We are siblings! You can't just ignore me!"
This call of "Second Brother" made him laugh, so he simply stopped to listen to what other jokes she had.
But Fu Rongxin, who was once elegant and pure, was now dirty and emaciated.
He asked Fu Rongxin: "Why should I save you? What ability do I have to save you now?"
But Fu Rongxin grinned: "You can't, but Prince Cheng can!"
Just one sentence made his expression change. He didn't expect that Fu Rongxin would know that he was loyal to King Cheng.
He said coldly: "What else do you know?"
Fu Rongxin said, "I'll tell you after you rescue me."
Fu Rongxin's threat seemed ridiculous. Xue Tingliu retorted, "Tell me your worth, or you'll be strangled."
Fu Rongxin panicked, her eyes darting around as if she was recalling something: "The Yueling Pass Tragedy... I know who the real culprit is! Prince Cheng will definitely want to know this! Not only that, Xue Zhiyi and I are sworn enemies, and I will fight to the death to take her life!"
…
"Xue Zhiyi?" Gu Shimin narrowed his eyes slightly. "The daughter that the Xue family has wrongly raised for over a decade, Gu Shichong's princess?"
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