0p0 Chapter 288 Hunting
Chapter 288 Hunting
The morning assembly, which was originally scheduled for one hour, was extended.
The civil and military officials argued for almost half an hour.
Only after the argument was over did they get down to business.
The eunuch standing nearby wanted to remind the emperor.
It's time to leave court, have breakfast, and take your medicine.
He simply didn't dare to speak.
Two hundred thousand shi of millet!
The court officials were so shocked that they were speechless.
The person who was ready to refute quickly swallowed back the words that were on the tip of their tongue.
They all fell silent and waited to see what would happen.
When Minister Cui mentioned that the daughter of the disgraced official had donated 200,000 shi of millet.
Some astute courtiers noticed that the winds of change had shifted.
If we continue to hold onto the Lu family girl at this point, we'll be incredibly tactless and likely face dire consequences.
Moreover, it seems that both Minister Cui and Prince Jing are protecting her.
Their intuition told them.
This woman is no ordinary person.
So much millet, you can just donate it whenever you want.
Based on the current market price of millet, these 200,000 shi of millet are worth at least tens of thousands of taels of silver.
She still remembered when the Lu family was raided and executed, she cashed out all her dowry to redeem her father and brothers from their punishment, thus saving their lives.
Ordinary women don't have such courage.
The most surprised among them was Jiang Yunze.
He paused for a moment, then murmured, "Where did she get so much money? Could it be..."
Qi Caiwei said when she came back that Lu Qingyao was selling bamboo shoots in Jiangzhou.
It's just selling bamboo shoots, how could she possibly earn so much money on her own?
Minister Cui said, “Don’t make wild guesses. I have already sent people to investigate. These millet grains are from Lu San Niang’s legitimate business and there is nothing wrong with them.”
"Lord Jiang, your former wife has been leading the people of Qing Shi Town to plant bamboo and sell bamboo shoots for the past four years, helping them to become wealthy and benefiting the villagers. This has become a well-known story in Jiangzhou. As her former husband and a resident of Jiangzhou, how could you know nothing about this? Could it be that your Jiang family has never corresponded with you?" Right Chancellor Cui Yan, who had been watching the show quietly since the start of court, finally spoke up.
He received a letter from his elderly mother in Jiangzhou a few days ago.
In the letter, he told Lu San Niangzi about what happened in Jiangzhou and asked him to lend a helping hand in times of need.
This was originally none of his business.
But when she donated military rations to the imperial court, the nature of the matter changed.
This is a matter of national importance.
Moreover, many people came to him asking for his help, and he respected this woman who was just as capable as any man.
So he's determined to handle this.
Jiang Yunze was speechless.
This woman...
Are they really that rich and powerful?
But when the mother and son appeared before him, they were dressed so poorly that they didn't even have a decent piece of jewelry.
And then there's Qi Caiwei; when asked about Jiangzhou, she always hesitated and stammered.
They say Lu Qingyao was only protected by the Cui family and was selling bamboo shoots in Jiangzhou. It was just a small business and not worth mentioning.
It wasn't that it was insignificant, but rather that she was too ashamed to mention it.
And then there's Cui Yan, whose every word hits his sore spot.
It must have been intentional.
He said awkwardly, "Prime Minister Cui is joking. I am aware of that, and I often correspond with my clansmen."
Cui Yan looked at him meaningfully.
Emperor Xuan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the matter had been suppressed, and said, "In that case, although Lady Lu is the descendant of a disgraced official, considering that she donated military provisions for the soldiers on the frontier and sought the well-being of the people, she is a person of great righteousness and should not be implicated by her father and brothers. She should be commended. What do you think, my dear ministers?"
Let's see who dares to challenge him now.
Then came the constant praise of the Emperor's brilliance...
Minister Qi remained silent as an observer throughout, but he knew that his daughter had lost this round again.
Lost the wife and broke down again.
However, before he could even come to his senses...
Another memorial impeaching him was presented to the emperor.
He was accused of cheating in the imperial examinations, forming cliques for personal gain, and accepting bribes. Most fatally, he was accused of colluding with a rebellious king.
The emperor was furious and ordered a thorough investigation.
Cheating in the imperial examinations was a major national issue, and the Minister of Rites leading the way in cheating was a clear violation of the law.
Investigate thoroughly and completely.
This matter will still be left to Yan Shaoqing to investigate.
Normally, if an imperial censor impeached him without any evidence, he would always have a reason to refute it.
But this time, it wasn't an imperial censor who impeached him, but Yan Huan, the vice minister of the Court of Judicial Review.
He also brought with him the long-lost Jiangzhou Education Commissioner.
There were also their correspondence.
Ironclad evidence.
We were careless; no wonder we couldn't find him no matter how many people we sent to search for him.
It turns out that this old scoundrel had been hiding in the Dali Temple all along.
She had already betrayed him.
Minister Qi felt as if struck by lightning.
He panicked, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.
The Dali Temple never investigates cases without a basis, nor does it engage in factionalism, collusion with the rebellious king, or other illegal activities.
They probably found some evidence.
It was all so sudden. I wasn't prepared at all, and I didn't even have time to say a word to my son-in-law before I was taken to the Dali Temple and imprisoned.
This is probably the first and last time I've ever been imprisoned.
Jiang Yunze felt like the sky had fallen.
He froze completely when his father-in-law was taken away from him.
I'm afraid he'll be the next one to be taken away.
After thinking about it, I realized that I am always very cautious in everything I do.
He knew nothing about his father-in-law's affairs, but fortunately, the Qi family never believed him.
The worst fear is that Qi Caiwei will implicate him as well.
After court, he was in a daze.
Jiang Yunze had no idea how he got to the palace gate.
All his colleagues avoided him like the plague.
Just like when the Lu family was convicted four years ago, the same thing is happening again.
He felt a chill in his heart.
I never expected that such a powerful backer would collapse so easily.
Without any warning.
These charges seem to have been planned in advance.
They caught everyone off guard.
It seems unlikely that Qi's family will ever be able to recover.
He originally planned to elevate Lady Qi to the position of official wife in a few days, and then take the opportunity to have his father-in-law ask the emperor to reinstate him to his original post as Vice Minister of Rites.
It's all just a pipe dream now.
Emperor Xuan was truly enraged and was helped away by his eunuchs.
After the court officials dispersed, only the Cui brothers, King Jing, and Yan Shaoqing remained.
The group exchanged smiles and then went their separate ways.
Prince Jing was truly surprised that Cui Yan would actually help him; his words carried great weight in his father's heart.
They were even more effective than the princes.
My father is a very suspicious man, but he trusts the Cui family completely.
But it's no wonder he would do that.
When Grand Tutor Cui said he was retiring and returning to his hometown, he really meant it, and went to live in seclusion in a remote place like Jiangzhou.
For court officials, getting an audience with him was harder than climbing to heaven.
Moreover, the eldest son of the Cui family, who is most trusted by the emperor, is still unmarried and childless, with only the common people in his heart and loyalty to the emperor.
How could I not earn the Emperor's trust?
Therefore, after the third prince's rebellion, the emperor's health deteriorated significantly, so he promoted him to Right Chancellor, making him the emperor's right-hand man.
Although the hunt was not arranged in advance, the team cooperated very well.
It seems that he is not as incorruptible as others perceive him to be.
King Jing smiled slightly, his lips curving into a faint smile.
……