Yuan Yin and Xu Ruyu both knew about this matter, which was Chen Xiao's conclusion. It seems there are still many things she doesn't know. She'll have to find an opportunity to ask Xiao Tongzi.
However, Xu Ruyan was completely oblivious to the undercurrents around her, staring intently at her father, seeking an answer.
Xu Qian ignored the gazes of Chen Xiao and Xu Ruyan, and instead steered the conversation toward Yu Yao, saying, "Your Majesty, we have already questioned Lord Fu Guang. Besides Yu Yao, there are two other masterminds: Zhu Zhengbin, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and Du Jingshu, the Director of the Imperial Academy. When I ordered the palace to be sealed off that day, these two were on leave and did not attend court."
Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and Director of Studies at the Imperial Academy? I have absolutely no recollection of them.
However, she thought about the ranks of the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review in various dynasties throughout ancient history. It seemed that most of them were fourth-rank officials, but there were also times when they were third-rank and fifth-rank officials. As for the Director of the Imperial Academy, she had seen a TV series in which the male lead was the Director of the Imperial Academy, which was a sixth-rank official, I think? At the time, some netizens jokingly said that the female lead was dating a vice principal.
However, this court was not part of the ancient times she knew, so she couldn't be sure what rank these officials were.
When Xi Xi saw her host remain silent, she knew that she had forgotten the official ranks of the Night Dynasty again. However, she did not take the opportunity to ridicule Chen Xiao. Instead, she told Chen Xiao the ranks of the two officials in her sea of consciousness. Not only that, Xi Xi also found a booklet and placed it in her sea of consciousness. It contained information about the ranking of Night Dynasty officials and the main affairs they were in charge of.
What surprised Chen Xiao the most were the last two pages, which contained comparisons between ancient and modern times. For example, the Director of Studies of the Imperial Academy in ancient times was equivalent to the vice president of a modern university, and the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was equivalent to the vice president of the modern Supreme Court.
Although it was noted that "this is a rough comparison and for reference only," it was enough for a history novice like Chen Xiao to learn about these ancient official positions.
Seeing Chen Xiao's 'grateful' gaze, Xi Xi remained outwardly calm, but inwardly she couldn't help but feel proud: With such a considerate system like me, the host is truly blessed!
Meanwhile, Chen Xiao looked at Xi Xi and thought: "Why didn't you take this out sooner? You even told me verbally, so I only vaguely remember it. If it weren't for the main god's orders, you probably would never have given it to me in your entire life..."
Xu Qian waited a long time for Chen Xiao to speak, and only saw her exchanging glances with Xi Xi. He couldn't help but start to think: Could it be that His Majesty doesn't know how to deal with these two? Well, His Majesty is still young, simple and straightforward, and kind-hearted. It's normal that he can't bear to take people's lives.
At this moment, Xu Qian completely forgot that when Xu Ruyu was Chen Xiao's age, he had already mastered the affairs of the mansion and was decisive in killing. He even helped him deal with court relations from time to time. If it weren't for the late emperor's sudden abdication, Xu Ruyu would probably have already entered the court as an official.
Even Xu Ruyan, though seemingly full of empty words, was mostly erudite. His literary talent had made him famous in the capital at a young age, but he had always remained relatively detached from household affairs.
Judging from this, Chen Xiao is not young anymore.
If Xixi knew what Xu Qian was thinking, her speechless frustration would probably overflow: Still young? She could tolerate that. Naïve and straightforward? She could tolerate that. Kind-hearted? ...Absolutely unbearable!
However, Xu Qian had a very strong bias towards Chen Xiao at this moment, sticking to his judgment of Chen Xiao. He interrupted the eye contact between Chen Xiao and Xi Xi and said sincerely to Chen Xiao, "If Your Majesty cannot bear to deal with these people, I can do it for Your Majesty."
"Huh?" Chen Xiao came back to his senses and looked at Xu Qian, who continued slowly, "Your Majesty can rest assured, I will always protect the Night Dynasty and Your Majesty, and I will never betray Your Majesty. Regarding this matter, Yu Yao's mistake is also related to me. It was my oversight, and I will handle this matter properly and will never cause Your Majesty any trouble."
Chen Xiao blinked. Why was she suddenly so loyal? She couldn't very well say she'd forgotten their ranks. So she organized her thoughts and slowly began, "Minister Xu, given our relationship, is there any need for such formalities? I certainly trust your character and abilities. But just now I was thinking, if only these three are involved in the kite-flying incident within the court, what about outside the court?"
Xu Qian was somewhat taken aback by these words. Right, how come he hadn't thought of this question? They were only asking about the treacherous officials in the court, and Fu Guang would certainly only answer those among the officials. But this matter has lasted for decades, spanning such a long period of time, and has not been exposed. Could it be that there are no outsiders colluding with them from the inside?
If so, who would it be?
Having a semi-God's-eye view, Xi Xi heard the two discussing animatedly, yawned, and silently walked away, heading towards the inner bedroom.
Yuan Yin and Xu Ruyan, who were standing nearby, did not know the details of the whole story of Yuan Xing. They only understood half of what was going on. After hesitating for a moment, they also walked away. The two of them sat at the very end and chatted casually.
Xu Ruyu remained standing. He frowned and abruptly interrupted the two men's thoughts, saying, "A person without official rank who can provide assistance to the three of them must meet three conditions. First, they must possess exceptional abilities, abundant wealth, or an excellent reputation. Second, they must have a certain social standing and power. Third, they must be someone these three people trust implicitly, perhaps a relative."
"Do you have someone in mind to suspect?" Xu Ruyu asked, and the two of them spoke at the same time.
Meeting Chen Xiao's gaze, Xu Ruyu nodded slightly and then replied, "In the capital, there are very few people who meet all three of the above conditions. But among the people I know, there is a woman who meets all three conditions perfectly. She is Yu Yan from the second branch of the Yu family and my cousin from Yuyao."
"Yu Yan? How is that possible?... But she does fit the criteria perfectly." Upon hearing Yu Yan's name, Xu Qian's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.
Chen Xiao didn't know who Yu Yan was. Judging from this, Yu Yan had an excellent reputation in Xu Qian's mind.
"Yu Yan not only had an excellent reputation among the court officials, but she also had a certain reputation throughout the capital and even the whole country. Because of her kind nature, she often went to various places to do good deeds, helped many refugees and displaced people, and brought good luck to the people. In the eyes of the people, she was perfect. It would not be an exaggeration to say that she was a bodhisattva descended to earth."
When Xu Ruyu spoke these words, her expression was indifferent, as if she had no positive opinion of Yu Yan. After Chen Xiao nodded, she continued, "But I think this person is extremely cunning." She paused briefly when she said these words, "The world is not black and white, and people are naturally the same. Yu Yan has always given everyone the impression of a perfect philanthropist, but I have privately witnessed her playing with people's lives."
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