Chapter 7 Mushroom Swaying: "Your Majesty, once I pass the imperial examination and enter officialdom, I will definitely be a renowned and upright official. You must give me an important position."
As expected, Liang He took two more days of sick leave. He also had Liang Fu invite the imperial physician back to the mansion, claiming that he had unintentionally fallen asleep on a snowdrift in the courtyard after drinking, and that he started to have a fever and talk nonsense early the next morning.
Early morning.
Liang Fu stood silently in his seat. It was the end of the year, a crucial time for many prefectures and counties, and the slightest mistake could lead to major chaos.
The court has been in a flurry of activity these past few days. The news of the two generals returning to the capital has faded somewhat, leaving only the common people to celebrate with joy, not for any other reason than the grain transported back from Xiao Kingdom.
"My esteemed ministers, tell me, how should this grain be distributed?"
The imperial court had already announced to the world that it would distribute most of the grain to the people, not only in the capital but also in the local prefectures and counties. With less than a month until the end of the year, this matter could not be taken lightly.
For a moment, all the civil and military officials in the court fell silent, and the court was so quiet that it seemed as if Gu Huizhou had sewn their mouths shut.
"Why doesn't Your Majesty distribute all the grain to the county magistrates, who can then distribute it in turn?"
Behind the assembled officials, a young official spoke calmly.
Gu Huizhou raised an eyebrow. "Give it to the county magistrate to distribute? Wouldn't that mean the people would end up with nothing but a bowl of porridge?" Gu Huizhou's tone was indifferent, but it was like a club hitting the ground, causing a huge uproar.
He just said it like that?!
The civil official who had just spoken was incredulous; no emperor in history had ever openly discussed the corrupt officials in the court.
"His Majesty……"
An elderly minister in the front row quickly turned around and gave the young man a look, and the young man immediately shut up. Baili Yi turned around and smiled as he apologized to Gu Huizhou, "My son is foolish, and I hope Your Majesty will forgive him."
"Stupid?"
"Why is your dullness still on my list of subjects in the morning court? Why not let the Second Prince go back to take the imperial examination again?"
Baili Wenhan now wished he could slap himself for interrupting. None of the court officials dared to speak; why had he dared to interrupt? "Your Majesty! I know I was wrong!"
"Then I will give you a chance to redeem yourself through meritorious service."
Baili Wenhan felt a chill in his heart. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Gu Huizhou held a mushroom in one hand and leisurely tapped the table with the other. Today he was wearing a bright yellow gauze robe, and compared to the bulky-clad officials, he seemed impervious to the cold. "Lan Yan."
Not far from Baili Wenhan, a young official with strong features stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty."
Gu Huizhou nodded, "Then the Second Young Master will take on the task of distributing the grain this time." He then pointed to Lan Yan, "Would it be alright if the Top Scholar assisted the Second Young Master?"
Baili Wenhan was stunned. He naturally knew how many corrupt officials would be involved if the grain was distributed to the county magistrate and then to the people.
Now this matter is entrusted to him. Either he fills the gap in grain supplies himself, or he personally handles everything and distributes grain supplies to each county.
In the end, the people's gratitude still goes to the imperial court and those two victorious generals. It has nothing to do with the Baili family or Baili Wenhan! But if anything goes wrong, it will be his fault.
"What? My dear minister, you are unwilling?"
Baili Wenhan was startled and immediately knelt down, "Your Majesty, I am willing to share your burdens!"
Gu Huizhou nodded in satisfaction. "That's good. Now I no longer need to worry about the grain supply." He glanced at the group of people with mixed expressions. "Do any of you ministers have anything else to say?"
The issue of provisions was resolved. Most people assumed that the morning court session was over, and their expressions were quite relaxed.
In the silence, Gu Huizhou saw an official raise his hand tremblingly, "Your Majesty! I wish to impeach General Liang He!"
Liang He? Gu Huizhou became interested, his gaze filled with amusement. "Then, Minister Li, tell me, what has General Liang He done wrong by taking three days' leave?"
The official was Li Li, the Vice Minister of Revenue. He seemed to have grasped at a straw, and prostrated himself on the ground. He glanced hurriedly at Liang Fu standing in front of him, and then spoke, "Your Majesty! Yesterday, when I returned home, I heard crying coming from the courtyard before I even stepped into the house!"
"oh?"
"I rushed in and saw my wife and daughter embracing and weeping bitterly! My daughter's clothes were disheveled, and even her hairpin had fallen to the ground!" the old minister said with great distress. "I was alarmed and immediately asked what had happened!"
He was in great distress. "Then I learned that yesterday afternoon, my daughter ran into General Liang's eunuch while buying rouge at the market in the capital! The eunuch saw that my daughter was beautiful, so he took two or three guards and knocked her unconscious when my daughter and her maid were not paying attention, and brought her back to the mansion!"
The courtiers sighed in dismay.
Liang Fu's eyes widened. "You...you're spouting nonsense!"
Li Li ignored him and continued, "I have not uttered a single falsehood! When my daughter woke up, she happened to see General Liang open the door and enter the room. My daughter struggled fiercely and loudly declared her identity before she was allowed to return to the manor!"
"This old minister would never dare to imagine what might have happened if my daughter had woken up later, or if I had only been an insignificant minor official in the court..."
After he said that, the adults around him who had daughters didn't dare to think any further.
"Your Majesty! A woman's reputation is of utmost importance! If General Liang's behavior goes unchecked, then... then how is he any different from a bandit!"
"We implore Your Majesty to investigate this matter thoroughly!"
Even Han Dahai, who was usually silent in the court, couldn't help but frown.
Gu Huizhou hadn't expected Liang He to do something like this. He looked at Liang Fu kneeling on the ground and asked, "What does the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat have to say?"
"Your Majesty, this is utter nonsense!"
Liang Fu's eyes widened.
Gu Huizhou seemed to be thinking, "You say it's nonsense, but Lord Li says it is true. So, one of you two ministers is lying to me."
Lying to the emperor is the crime of deceiving the emperor. Liang Fu was silent for a moment, then quickly turned to him, "Lord Li, perhaps there is some misunderstanding."
Li Li trembled, "That's what my daughter told me while she was crying! How could there be any misunderstanding!"
Liang Fu said, "Your daughter also claims to be Liang He's eunuch! That could be a decision made privately by the eunuch to curry favor with him! This...this has nothing to do with Liang He, Your Majesty!"
"You!" Li Li pointed at Liang Fu in anger, "This is outrageous! This is simply too much!"
Liang Fu immediately seized the opportunity and spoke to Gu Huizhou, "I hope Your Majesty will investigate thoroughly! Although Liang He enjoys making female confidantes, he knows his place and is well-mannered. He would never do something like forcibly taking a woman from the common people!"
Gu Huizhou remained silent for a long time. "If that's the case, then summon General Liang, Miss Li, along with the eunuchs and maids." He glanced around. "I hope everyone will be present at the banquet tonight. Let's see whose fault this is."
Liang Fu was taken aback, then lowered his head. In his view, this was merely a minor squabble between officials; why did it require the involvement of all officials…
"Your Majesty, this..."
"I obey the decree!"
Li Li kowtowed to the ground, fearing that Gu Huizhou might change his mind again.
"Liang Aiqing?"
"I obey the decree."
Yao Ruyi was completely bewildered by the two matters discussed at the morning court session. He hadn't even fully grasped the Four Books and Five Classics yet, and he was already attending court in a disguised form.
Judging from the current situation, officials in the court are forming cliques and engaging in corruption. Even a small task like distributing grain supplies is impossible to find anyone to do.
Yao Ruyi lay in the flowerpot, swaying back and forth as Gu Huizhou walked. These past few days, Gu Huizhou had taken him everywhere, and he was no longer as afraid of him as before.
Yao Ruyi thought that if he passed the imperial examination and entered the court, he would definitely become an honest and upright official.
"Your Majesty?" Yao Ruyi tried calling out, but seeing no response, he said frankly, "Your Majesty, once I pass the imperial examination and enter officialdom, I will definitely be a wise and honest official. You must give me an important position."
"And then there's Liang He. We really can't let him continue to run rampant like this. A few days ago he was a palace maid, and today he's an official's daughter. I'm afraid that in a few more days he'll be a commoner's daughter."
Yao Ruyi grew angrier the more she thought about it. "This guy is no general at all, he's just a bandit from the mountains!"
He kicked the flowerpot in anger, and the next second he felt the bumpy ride stop.
Cui Xiangzhu stopped to one side. "Your Majesty?"
Gu Huizhou stood there for a while, rubbing the edge of the flowerpot with his hand, smoothing it back and forth several times. His expression remained unchanged. "It's nothing."
The emperor finally continued walking. Yao Ruyi's heart was pounding. He thought that his words had been overheard. "Thank goodness, I knew he couldn't hear me."
evening.
Just like three days ago, the lights were bright and the candlelight flickered. The palace maids arranged the wine and drinks for each person in an orderly manner.
"Is this all there is, just tea?"
"Hey, you really think His Majesty invited us here for a feast of delicacies? It's all about Liang He and Miss Li."
"The Liang family has quite a lot of influence; they even managed to get His Majesty to intervene in this matter."
"Make peace? You just wait and see."
...
Gu Huizhou, holding a bowl of mushrooms, sat leisurely at the head of the table. "Is everyone here?"
"Your Majesty, everyone is here."
Gu Huizhou glanced down and, sure enough, there was a young woman at the palace banquet, dressed elegantly and properly. She was sitting formally and respectfully beside Li Li.
There was not a trace of fear or panic on their faces.
"Liang He".
Liang He rose from his seat. "Your subject is here."
Gu Huizhou looked up.
Liang He stood up. "I was feeling unwell yesterday, so I stayed home and rested in bed. I am grateful to Your Majesty for sending the imperial physician to inquire after me. I did not wish to cause Your Majesty any further trouble, so I rested alone in my room after the physician left."
He tilted his head and coughed twice. "Perhaps I drank too much a few days ago. I feel dizzy and thought I would ask the eunuch beside me to go to the brothel to find my close friend to find some remedies for sobering up."
"A brothel?"
"Look at this! Look at this! What kind of behavior is this?!"
...
"Ahem—" Cui Xiangzhu coughed, and the murmurs below subsided somewhat.
"But perhaps my fever made me more dull-witted, and I failed to recognize that the person attending me was not my original eunuch, but a new servant in the household! He misunderstood my meaning, and then—"
Li Li could no longer sit still. "Even if the general's servant misinterpreted the situation, he should have gone to a brothel to find a girl! Why did he attack my daughter in the street!"
As Li Li spoke, Miss Li beside him raised her hand to cover her face, as if she were silently wiping away tears.
Liang He turned to Li Li and said, "Lord Li, please let me finish."
“That servant, coveting the few taels of silver I gave him, came up with the idea of taking a woman away from the alley.” Liang He suddenly knelt down.
"I knew nothing about this! It was only when my elder brother mentioned it to me today that I came to some recollection of it!"
Gu Huizhou nodded slowly, "Then Lord Li?"
Li Li glared angrily but couldn't speak. On the other hand, Miss Li, who was sitting in her seat, stood up. The young girl had just turned sixteen and had eyes as clear as autumn water, with a graceful and charming demeanor.
She spoke in a melodious voice, "This humble woman greets Your Majesty!"
"explain."
"This humble woman wishes to ask the general: why, after I awoke, did I see the general lying beside me?"
Gu Huizhou then turned to look at Liang He, who now appeared as a spectator.
"I...I was so feverish that I lost my mind. At that time, the servant told me that the imperial physician had already prepared a medicinal bath and hangover tea in the side room, so I propped myself up and went over."
I wasn't checking if anyone was in the room. In my daze, I suddenly heard a woman's scream, and that's when I finally regained my senses!
At this moment, a servant was also dragged into the main hall, his face pale as he muttered, "I was wrong, I was wrong! General, I was wrong! Your Majesty, please forgive me, Your Majesty, please forgive me..."
No one in the room paid any attention.
Cui Xiangzhu waved his hand, and he was dragged away.
"So that's how it is..."
"Well, that servant has really made a big mistake!"
"But, this Miss Li's reputation, alas..."
...
Liang He's face was still pale. He looked at Miss Li with remorse, "This matter has damaged Miss Li's reputation because of my mistake! I hope that Lord Li and Miss Li will atone for their sins! I am willing to do my best to make amends to Miss Li!"
Gu Huizhou looked down at the mushroom, "So, what does Miss Li mean..."
Inside the main hall, many ministers were already preparing to return to their residences soon, leisurely sipping the palace tea.
Now that the truth is out, they no longer need to live in fear.
"This tea seems to have been transported from Jiangnan."
"Oh, you can taste the difference, sir?"
"Don't underestimate me. I just enjoy drinking tea on a regular basis."
...
The young lady, neither humble nor arrogant, stepped forward and addressed Gu Huizhou, "Your Majesty, I humbly request that you bestow me upon General Liang as his principal wife!"
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Mushroom: I'm an honest official! [Green heart][Green heart][Green heart]
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