The Eldest Daughter Is Beautiful and Saucy
Chapter 310: do it well
Chapter 310 Done
“Hanlin scholar Wen Zhenkang is the man of Left Prime Minister Li Mao, you should know this! But the Minister of Revenue Chu Zhongxing is also Li Mao’s man… you probably don’t know!” Bai Qingyan gestured for Bai Jinxiu to sit on the stone bench, “Since Li Mao’s hand reached in front of me and cut off his arm, how could he feel pain, how could he feel fear?”
She placed the wet towel on the black lacquer tray in Chuntao’s hand and continued, “They did it themselves. No matter how capable others are, they can only go with the flow and add fuel to the fire.”
“The Minister of Revenue Chu Zhongxing is also Li Mao’s man?!” Bai Jinxiu was greatly surprised.
“Back then, the Second Prince plotted a rebellion, and after his death, all his connections were transferred to King Liang, so Jinxiu… don’t let King Liang’s cowardly illusion fool you.” Bai Qingyan poured a cup of tea for Bai Jinxiu and pushed it in front of her. “I’ve thought about it. If you’re afraid of damaging the jade bottle while killing rats, you can’t break Li Mao’s arm! Although the results will be invalidated if the matter is made a big deal… but making a big deal also has its benefits. Qin Lang and cousin Chang Yuan are both talented and knowledgeable, so they don’t have to worry about retaking the exam!”
Bai Jinxiu lowered her eyes and thought carefully before nodding: “Eldest sister is right!”
“Where is Qin Lang?” Bai Qingyan asked.
“I heard that the failed candidate from Wude Gate was causing trouble and was called to Wude Gate by his friends.” Bai Jinxiu said, and stood up and saluted Bai Qingyan, “I will send someone to call Qin Lang back. He should study hard at home and strive to make an effort for the re-examination!”
She nodded to Bai Jinxiu.
As soon as Bai Jinxiu left, Lupin came.
Several servants that Lupin had sent out to gather information came back with new news.
It was said that after Prime Minister Lu entered the palace, he came out again, not in as much of a hurry as when he left. Prime Minister Lu’s two sons also came out of the Dali Temple and returned home. Upon hearing the news, Taifu Chen had also harnessed his carriage and entered the palace.
Prime Minister Lu was indeed the most prudent and self-protective person in the court. He was as slippery as a loach and as soon as he heard the news… he went to the palace to apologize. Imperial Tutor Chen must have seen Prime Minister Lu’s actions and guessed why he came to the palace, so he also hurried to apologize to the emperor.
Once these two people apologize before the emperor, the emperor will know how serious the trend of bribery in imperial examinations is now. The angrier the emperor is… the more dangerous Wen Zhenkang will be.
The Left Prime Minister must be feeling very uneasy right now!
She narrowed her eyes and tapped the stone table with her fingers. The news of cheating in the imperial examination was spreading like wildfire, and Wen Zhenkang’s family didn’t know how to be so worried.
This was the first time Wen Zhenkang served as the chief examiner, yet he dared to accept gifts so brazenly and blatantly. I wonder if it was because of the presence of the Left Prime Minister Li Mao behind him?
If Left Prime Minister Li Mao was really involved in this, and someone instructed Wen Zhenkang’s family to go to the Left Prime Minister to plead for mercy, the Left Prime Minister would probably be uneasy and terrified. Even if Li Mao was not involved, he would still have a headache!
Thinking of this, Bai Qingyan asked Chuntao to call Nanny Tong over.
Bai Qingyan meant to start from the inner courtyard. Now Wen Zhenkang’s wife must be worried and confused, so it would be most appropriate to start from here.
Tong Ma Ma understood immediately: “Don’t worry, young lady, I will definitely take care of this matter.”
After this palace examination, the gold list was supposed to be posted on the third day of April. However, because nearly a hundred candidates knelt outside the Wude Gate and beat the drum to ask the emperor for justice, there was no gold list on the third day of April. Instead, there was an imperial edict that the case of imperial examination cheating was to be tried jointly by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the Crown Prince, with a deadline of three days to solve the case.
The prince was in a great headache, as this was an assignment that would offend people. Among the families of nobles and officials who would take part in the Spring Examination, which one did not give gifts?
But my father’s intention is to punish severely without mercy. Except for the two grandsons of Prime Minister Lu and the grandson of Grand Tutor Chen, whose policy essays are indeed of high standard, all other bribers will be severely punished and will not be employed for life.
Someone sought to become a disciple of Lü Jin, the Minister of the Dali Temple. However, Lü Jin closed the door and refused to accept any gifts. As a prominent figure, Lü Jin could only ignore the gift unless the person did not want to continue his official duties.
The prince was not as tough as Lu Jin. He had dealt with several nobles before, but later he could not bear it anymore and called his staff to discuss and try to come up with a solution that would not offend anyone.
Qin Shangzhi meant that a country has its own laws and a family has its own rules. The prince is the heir to the throne and should behave uprightly. There should be no personal feelings before the laws of the country. Only in this way can the emperor see the useful side of the prince.
But Mr. Fang said that when the prince sees them, he should scold them one by one and respond to those who beg him first. When he comes back to make the judgment, he can sentence them heavier together with Lu Jin. Then they can go to the emperor to plead for mercy. Then… these noble eunuchs are the people that the prince has won over.
But Qin Shangzhi felt deeply ashamed. After all, the current crown prince was no longer the former King of Qi. He was now the heir apparent and the foundation of the country. Only when the foundation was upright could the country be upright!
But when the prince thought about it, he felt that Mr. Fang’s idea was a good one and it didn’t make Qin Shangzhi so angry that he was in a state of panic.
As the crown prince of a country, it is right to win the hearts of the people, but the hearts of the people cannot be won in this way. Bribery undermines the foundation of the country. Such a great evil… How can the crown prince tolerate it? If these corrupt officials remain in the court, what future does Jin have?
The polo tournament that was originally to be hosted by the Third Prince on April 6th was affected by the imperial examination cheating case, so fewer noble families came than expected.
Those who were involved in bribery naturally had no mood to come. For the noble officials who were not involved in bribery but had candidates at home, they would naturally keep them at home and make them study hard in case the emperor asked them to retake the exam.
The Third Prince organized this polo match originally in order to select noble ladies from various families for his son, to see which noble lady would catch his son’s eye, so that he could ask the princess to find a suitable one for his son. So for the Third Prince… as long as the noble ladies from various families came, it would be fine.
On the polo field, people gathered in groups to discuss the imperial examination cheating case.
Bai Jinxiu sat for a while and heard someone say that Wen Zhenkang’s wife went to the Zuo Xiang’s residence under the cover of night and stayed there for a long time before coming out. So she made an excuse to leave and returned to the Bai family to tell Bai Qing about the matter.
“Wen Zhenkang’s wife was remarried after a divorce… The women gathered together and talked about some low-brow love affairs, but I think… since Wen Zhenkang’s wife stayed in the Zuo Xiang’s mansion for a long time, she must have bargained with the Zuo Xiang, and she might have something to hold against Li Mao.”
Bai Jinxiu moved closer to Bai Qingyan and lowered her voice, “I will try to get evidence from Wen Zhenkang’s wife.”
“No matter what kind of evidence Wen Zhenkang’s wife has, Wen Zhenkang’s life is in danger.” Bai Qingyan pursed his lips and looked at Bai Jinxiu with a smile, “If you can get it, it would be the best. If you can’t, don’t force it.”
“Don’t worry, elder sister!” Bai Jinxiu nodded, and saw Nanny Tong opening the curtain and coming in from outside.
It’s the 27th, my dears! Hurry up and vote for your monthly tickets! They will be invalid in three days!