Pei Xuanyun didn't even have time to eat a hot meal before hurriedly leaving Fengge Terrace.
Sitting in the carriage, I hastily ate a few bites of cold, hard sesame cakes with just some water, just to fill my stomach.
Crumbs of biscuit fell onto the front of his official robe, but he didn't bother to brush them off.
He stood with his hands tucked in his pockets, swaying slightly with the bumps of the carriage, his face so gloomy it could drip water.
He spent his days hunting geese, only to have his eyes pecked by one; he shouldn't have let Qin Wenyuan in.
Damn it, he's just asking for trouble!
The tribute was embezzled, and it was the finest borneol.
They secretly made deals with places like Chengyuan, which were dens of iniquity and corruption.
It also involves corruption related to disaster relief funds!
Qin Wenyuan is incredibly audacious. What's more troublesome is that, in order to save his own life, he also revealed a secret contact information about aristocratic families in Fengjing.
If I didn't know about this, that would be fine, but now that I do know, as the prime minister, there's absolutely no reason for me to hide it.
Moreover, it must be reported immediately, without any delay!
As soon as the carriage came to a stop in front of the majestic palace gate, Pei Xuanyun lifted his robe and stepped out of the carriage, walking hurriedly.
With the prime minister's gold fish pouch and his travel pass, he traveled unimpeded all the way into the depths of the palace.
As the Grand Secretary, he naturally enjoyed the privilege of seeing His Majesty at any time.
Inside the Imperial Study, a cool fragrance wafted through the air.
Empress Qin Minghuang sat behind her imperial desk, reviewing memorials.
After bowing respectfully, Pei Xuanyun presented Qin Wenyuan's memorial.
Qin Minghuang took it and unfolded it without making a sound.
The contents of the memorial were nothing new; she had just read it in the early hours of the morning and had it put back exactly as it was.
Even so, she read it again, word by word.
"Prime Minister Pei," the Empress put down the memorial and raised her phoenix eyes, "what are your thoughts on this matter?"
Pei Xuanyun carefully chose his words:
"Your Majesty, I believe the most urgent task is to verify whether the information provided by Qin Wenyuan is true."
If true, then we will follow the clues, punish the perpetrators strictly according to the law, and eliminate the hidden dangers—this is the essence of national law and discipline.
"Oh?" Qin Minghuang raised an eyebrow, her tone revealing neither joy nor anger. "You're not planning to give Qin Wenyuan a chance to redeem himself?"
Pei Xuanyun's heart sank, but his voice remained unusually firm:
"Your Majesty, please be wise! These officials of the imperial clan, who have been granted imperial favor, dare to collude with powerful families and plot treason. Their crimes deserve to be punished!"
Qin Wenyuan's crimes were all heinous and unforgivable.
A single piece of intelligence is not enough.
He knew that he had to cut ties with Qin Wenyuan completely at this moment, and his attitude had to be extremely clear.
“Alright,” Qin Minghuang’s lips curled into a barely perceptible smile, her tone crisp and decisive, “Then we’ll do as Prime Minister Pei says.”
Tsk... Pei Xuanyun's heartstrings tightened instantly, and a strange feeling welled up in his heart.
Something's not right!
Every single one of Qin Wenyuan's crimes was a capital offense, or even a crime that could lead to the execution of others.
He came seeking help, and we handed him a knife, yet His Majesty so casually adopted the suggestion to "act according to the law"?
Not a single unnecessary question, not a hint of thunderous rage?
Having served the emperor for many years, Pei Xuanyun possessed an exceptionally keen sense of smell. He immediately realized that His Majesty was probably already fully aware of Qin Wenyuan's actions.
The fact that they have remained inactive and delayed taking action must have a deeper meaning.
I just happened to stumble upon this, and unwittingly became a useless mouthpiece.
I was dragged into this mess by that idiot Qin Wenyuan, and got myself into all this trouble for nothing. What a jinx!
A brief silence fell over the Imperial Study.
After a while, Qin Minghuang saw that Pei Xuanyun was still standing there, and raised her eyebrows slightly again: "Prime Minister Pei, is there anything else?"
Pei Xuanyun's face showed a rare hint of hesitation, but he forced himself to say:
"Well... Your Majesty, I do have a question I would like to ask you."
"Please feel free to speak."
"I wish to ask," Pei Xuanyun said, his face slightly flushed, as he carefully considered his words, "who wrote those poems to make Helian Chaolu famous?"
He personally stepped in to promote that girl from the border region.
Only by swallowing his pride and offering benefits could he persuade a respected elder in the poetry world to lend a hand and meticulously craft several excellent works.
And the result? None of it was used.
The poems that Helian Chaolu presented were so lofty in their artistic conception and so outstanding in their talent that they made the poems he had prepared seem like rubble compared to pearls.
This matter had been weighing on his mind for a long time, and today, taking advantage of the opportunity to speak with the emperor, he finally couldn't help but ask it out.
Upon hearing this, a mischievous glint flashed in Qin Minghuang's calm phoenix eyes.
She raised an eyebrow, making no attempt to hide anything, and slowly uttered two words from her slightly parted red lips:
"Sixth grade."
"who?"
Pei Xuanyun suspected there was something wrong with his ears and subconsciously asked aloud, raising his voice several decibels.
Qin Minghuang leisurely enjoyed the rare sight of the prime minister's dazed expression, and slowly repeated it again.
"Zhaoyue, it was written by Xiao Liu Zhaoyue."
A bolt from the blue!
Pei Xuanyun felt a bolt of lightning strike him squarely on the top of his head!
He stood frozen in place, as if under a spell.
His usually calm and composed face, which never showed his emotions, was now filled with utter blankness and bewilderment.
His mouth opened wide without his noticing, almost wide enough to fit an egg, and his chin seemed dislocated, unable to close for a long time.
Those eyes, which had seen through the world and were as deep as an ancient well, were now wide open, their pupils contracting sharply due to extreme shock.
This was absolutely disrespectful and disrespectful to the emperor, but Qin Minghuang was not angry at all. Instead, she picked up her teacup in a good mood and took a leisurely sip.
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