Chapter 225 Extra 6 [Extra]
Wait, wait, wait!
What does it mean to "see her off"?
Madam Rong's face turned deathly pale, her lips trembled uncontrollably, and her fingertips curled tightly together.
Could it be what she's thinking?
Gu Zhizhuo's words shattered her last remaining illusions: "Madam Rong is determined to die, don't keep her waiting any longer."
Zhou Mu clasped his hands in response and led two Imperial Guards over, who lifted Madam Rong up from either side.
The Empress mentioned Wang Jiuzhi, who jumped off the Meridian Gate tower to die for the law.
So he ordered, "Drag him to the city wall."
The students looked at each other and said in unison, "It is truly virtuous of Madam Rong to sacrifice herself for the law."
The students who criticized Gu Zhizhuo for not being tolerant enough also said righteously, "It is a blessing for us that Her Majesty the Empress does not bend the law for personal gain. Her Majesty is wise!"
Gu Zhizhuo's gaze lingered on his face for a moment longer, his fingers hidden in his sleeve secretly calculating.
Very well, he won't pass the exam.
He's like a reed in the wind, swaying from side to side. He can't even understand what he's studying, so he shouldn't become an official.
Seeing that she was looking at him, the student felt relieved and quickly straightened his chest, saying first, "Please, Madam Rong, continue on your way."
Hmph, how dare they sell exam questions! And they even dare to threaten the Empress.
Fortunately, the Empress remained steadfast and unmoved.
But what if the Empress softens her heart?
Thinking this through, he exclaimed, "Madam Rong is willing to die for the sake of upholding the law; this is a truly virtuous act."
"No, no!"
Seeing so many people waiting to send her to her death, Madam Rong finally became frightened. She screamed loudly, and her legs went weak.
The soldiers dragged her along by her arms.
"Mother! Grandmother!"
The Rong family mother and daughter scrambled to catch up, too afraid to snatch the person from the soldiers' hands, their eyes brimming with tears.
Madam Rong was so frightened that she broke out in a cold sweat, her back already soaked. She kept reassuring herself: Impossible! Absolutely impossible. She was just scaring herself.
She was the emperor's maternal grandmother; how could she explain herself to the world if she had driven herself to her death?
She told herself this countless times, but as she got closer to the city wall, the soldiers showed no sign of letting her go. Her heart pounded like a drum, and she could hardly breathe.
"I heard," Zhou Mu said casually, "that when Wang Jiuzhi jumped from the city wall, his head hit the ground, his brains splattered, and he was unrecognizable. Look, right there, Madam Rong, did you see him?"
Madam Rong subconsciously followed his gaze and shuddered.
When Wang Jiuzhi jumped from the city wall, she had only recently married into the capital and was still a young wife. She had gone with others to watch the spectacle. What she saw were disfigured limbs.
The red part is blood.
The white stuff is brain matter.
What's broken and mangled are severed limbs and remains...
Madam Rong shuddered. Why hadn't anyone come to rescue her yet?
Empress Gu didn't come with them at all; the students surrounding her were still lecturing her in classical Chinese and urging her to die...
"No, no!"
"I'm not dying, I'm not dying!!"
The soldier released her, and Madam Rong collapsed to the ground, terrified. Lady Qingyuan, the Marquis's wife, rushed to support her, her mind in turmoil. Empress Gu was unmoved by either soft or hard tactics; was the Emperor the same? And what about the Marquis? Was he doomed?!
She felt as if she had been struck by lightning; her mind was buzzing.
When Zhou Mu returned to report, Gu Zhizhuo sighed dramatically and said, "Madam Rong's resolve to die is not firm enough, which has truly disappointed me."
She said coldly, "Take him back to the Qingyuan Marquis's residence and await the court's decision according to the law."
"yes."
After speaking, Gu Zhizhuo's gaze swept across the vast Meridian Gate Square. Facing the tense faces, she smiled faintly and said loudly, "The special imperial examination will be fair. Study hard and do your best. Do not disappoint the Emperor's high expectations."
"I await your good news of passing the imperial examination with flying colors."
Her voice, neither too loud nor too soft, seemed to carry immense power, clearly reaching the ears of every student.
The students felt a sense of relief, and a surge of excitement welled up in their chests.
Their eyes gleamed with fervent light, as if they could already see themselves beaming with pride when they passed the imperial examinations. A bright future lay before them, within reach.
"Students must do their utmost."
One student spoke first, and then more voices poured in, creating a lively and exciting atmosphere.
"I will not fail the emperor's kindness!"
"I will not fail the Emperor's kindness!!"
"I'll wait and see."
Gu Zhizhuo was about to go back when he suddenly stopped and looked at the black carriage not far away.
She stood there for a while, and when the carriage stopped in front of the palace gate, Shen Xu stepped down onto a footstool.
"Master, what a coincidence."
skillful?
Shen Xu looked at the students who were being swayed and were now filled with passion and enthusiasm.
He arrived long ago.
Seeing how she quelled a public outcry with just a few words, the Rong family could no longer stir up trouble, and the students were even more devoted to her.
Gu Zhizhuo twitched her ears. She vaguely heard a cat meowing. Her eyes lit up, and she exclaimed happily, "Is Chenmao here too?"
"Mimi~"
Hearing her voice, Shenmao jumped out of the carriage window and pounced into Gu Zhizhuo's arms. Its fluffy little head rubbed against her chin.
"You've gotten rounder again."
"It's so heavy."
"Meow~"
The cat snuggled into her arms affectionately.
Gu Zhizhuo smiled happily, picked up Chen Mao and stepped into the palace gate. The two walked together towards Zichen Palace.
Shen Xu had Sheng Jiang hand the case file to Gu Zhizhuo.
"Thank you for your hard work, Supervisor."
Gu Zhizhuo smiled, put the cat on his shoulder, and opened the file to flip through it.
She returned to the palace only after the Marquis of Qingyuan had summoned her, and the case file only had a few more details than the confession.
Gu Zhizhuo closed the case file, and seeing that he was not very interested, he looked at him seriously and said, "Chief Supervisor, do you want to go to Yongzhou?"
She looked directly into his eyes without any hesitation.
Yongzhou?
Just hearing those two words caused Shen Xu's heart to clench with pain—a pain that pierced his very soul.
Shen Xu lowered his eyes, a half-smile on his face, and said, "What, you think I'm in your way and want to send me away from the capital?"
These words sounded as sarcastic as before, but Gu Zhizhuo could tell that compared to before, they had a more playful tone.
Gu Zhizhuo stroked the cat and laughed, "Yes~"
Although the capital city was nice, for Shen Xu, it was like an eagle with broken wings, forced to huddle in the small Eastern Depot.
The young master said that Shen Xu handled his duties exceptionally well during his few months in Qingzhou.
It's a pity to keep him trapped in the capital.
In fact, the young master had already made this plan, but he had just ascended the throne and needed to maintain stability in the capital, so he had not mentioned it for a long time.
And now...
These impeachment memorials, and the way Qingyuan Hou and his accomplices spoke in their confessions, claiming to be acting in the best interests of the country, constantly referring to them as "eunuchs" and "treacherous officials"...
Gu Zhizhuo felt sorry for him.
Her tone rose slightly as she tilted her head: "Governor of Yongzhou, are you going?"
The cat in her arms tilted its head and twitched its whiskers, mimicking her: "Meow?"
Sheng Jiang was startled. A governor? A governor holds supreme military and political power over a province. With military and political power concentrated in one person, his power is equivalent to that of a regional governor.
Shen Xu chuckled, raising an eyebrow. Tao Ruo's eyes glistened with tears, her voice soft and feminine: "Use a governor as the price?"
"This is a losing proposition."
Now he holds immense power, which, to put it nicely, puts him above all officials; to put it bluntly, the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard are nothing more than a sharp and useful knife.
As for the governor, he was in charge and ruled the entire Yongzhou province.
It would be a lie to say I wasn't tempted.
Two years ago, Shen Xu would have suspected that Xie Yingchen might have ulterior motives.
Now...
Gu Zhizhuo sighed, "I've lost money. Let's see if I can rip you off, you sucker."
Oh.
Shen Xu glanced at her sideways and remained silent.
Yongzhou was like a nightmare to him, a nightmare he wished he could erase from his soul, yet he could never help but recall.
The cat stretched out its paw and reached in his direction, as if it could sense his sadness.
His palm lightly touched his forehead, the reflection of his palm falling on his face, concealing all the emotions in his eyes.
Can I go back?
Shen Xu's voice trembled slightly as he murmured.
Yongzhou was a knot in his heart, a lingering shadow in his soul.
It is also my hometown.
It is the place where my parents were buried.
He escaped with the mindset of certain death, never imagining that he would ever be able to return.
"Bandits are rampant in Yongzhou, with three bandit factions vying for control. The current commander-in-chief is too cautious and soft-hearted, and cannot suppress the rise of bandits."
Gu Zhizhuo raised his voice and said, "Not long ago, two bandit groups fought over territory, massacred a small town, and killed over a thousand people. Chief Supervisor, with your outstanding example before us, the young master has gone through all the civil and military officials in the court and hasn't found a single one to his liking. Why don't you help the young master take charge for a few terms?"
Sweet talk! She spoke as if she were asking him for help, but actually she saw through his inner conflict and gave him a push from behind.
Shen Xu lowered his hand and smiled.
She could even trust someone like him. That's strange.
Shen Xu slowly stroked the small jade pendant in his palm, did not respond immediately, and strode forward.
Gu Zhizhuo, holding the cat, followed slowly.
When they arrived at the Zichen Hall, the Chief Minister Song and the Duke of Wei had already arrived, and the two stood up to greet him.
They actually arrived quite early, even earlier than Madam Rong and her daughters-in-law.
The case file was still in Gu Zhizhuo's hands, and she handed it over casually.
Gu Zhizhuo frequently visited the imperial court and participated in political affairs. Apart from a few particularly stubborn censors, most court officials were already used to it. After all, this eldest aunt of the Gu family was no ordinary person; she had earned her position through her own abilities.
"Your Majesty, have the students given you any trouble?" Chief Minister Song asked worriedly.
Since ancient times, the pens of scholars have been the most venomous. If one were to provoke them into attacking one another, it would be detrimental to the Empress's reputation.
"Difficult?" Gu Zhizhuo chuckled. "They admire me so much that they wish they could bow down and worship me."
Duke Wei agreed repeatedly, filled with righteous indignation: "If anyone is blind, they've just become stupid from studying too much. The court doesn't need fools."
The Prime Minister glared at him. Was he trying to stir up trouble? Did he have no shame at all, just to show off in front of the Empress?
“The Duke of Wei is absolutely right.” Xie Yingchen finished reading the records. “Studying is for understanding principles. If one doesn’t even know right from wrong, he is not suitable to serve as an official in the court.”
He'd been praised! Duke Wei glared back at Chief Minister Song with a smug look.
See? Now I truly understand the emperor's heart. Old Song, you're getting old!
Chief Minister Song: "..."
Xie Yingchen had the case file handed down, and after the two men had read it in turn, he said, "Since they have confessed, there is no need for a joint trial by the three judicial departments."
"In this case of cheating, the main culprit, Hou Rongzhi of Qingyuan, the accomplice, the education commissioner Fan Xuan, and the other involved personnel will all be dealt with according to the law. Anyone who bought the exam questions will be stripped of their academic titles."
"emperor……"
Chief Minister Song hesitated, but logically speaking, since the Marquis of Qingyuan had implicated Shen Xu, the case should not have been handled by Shen Xu.
Shen Xu sipped his tea; it was sweet and fragrant, with the aroma of several flowers blended together—the same floral scent he hadn't been able to enjoy last night. His sister would probably like it.
Noticing the Prime Minister's gaze, Shen Xu lifted his eyelids, his arrogant demeanor exactly like that of his cat.
Chief Minister Song shuddered. Well, the Marquis of Qingyuan has also implicated the Emperor. We can't possibly interrogate the Emperor too! It's obviously a deliberate frame-up.
In comparison—
"Your Majesty, the Marquis of Qingyuan is the late Empress's own elder brother, what do you think..."
According to the law, those who commit cheating in the imperial examinations should be executed.
"According to the law."
Xie Yingchen only replied with these two words.
When he experienced a sudden and dramatic change, he was at his most helpless as a young man and had to ask his uncle for help.
The Rong family repeatedly pushed him away, treating him like a stranger. So, the Rong family was also a stranger to him.
He will neither deliberately suppress nor show any leniency.
He continued, "Chief Minister Song, you will revise the exam papers, and the discarded one will be destroyed in public."
The chief minister Song readily agreed.
Duke Wei looked at him with envy, only regretting that he had studied martial arts back then... Oh right, when was the martial arts examination again?
"Meow."
The cat strolled around and surveyed the area before leaping onto Shen Xu's lap. It sniffed at his teacup, and just as it was about to lick it, Shen Xu coldly grabbed the cat by the scruff of its neck and threw it away.
The cat meowed excitedly.
This series of movements was so fluid and skillful that it was almost painful to watch.
"You can go down first."
These words were spoken to the Chief Minister of Song and the Duke of Wei.
The two bowed and withdrew. As they walked down the corridor, they heard the Emperor ask from inside, "Chief Eunuch Shen, Yaoyao has told you, hasn't she? Governor of Yongzhou, are you going or not?"
His tone was gentle and casual, and he even addressed the Empress by her childhood name. The Duke of Wei and Chief Minister Song exchanged a glance, both feeling a pang of jealousy. In their scramble, it was Shen Xu who truly won the Emperor's favor. Sigh.
etc!
What did the Emperor just say?
Governor of Yongzhou?!
They stopped in their tracks and looked into the warm pavilion.
Then Shen Xu put down his teacup, stood up, and bowed deeply.
"Your subject departs."
After saying those two words, he felt a sudden sense of relief.
He wants to go back.
A note from the author:
It's late. I'm giving out red envelopes in the book review section!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
