frightfiction Chapter 33 inwardly marveled at Prince An's intelligence.
Chapter 33 inwardly marveled at Prince An's intelligence.
"Your subject, Huo Shangfeng, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, has a memorial to present."
"Accurate."
Huo Shangfeng handed the memorial in his hand to the eunuch beside him, who then presented it to Emperor Longyun's desk.
"Yesterday, by His Majesty's decree, His Highness the Crown Prince led his ministers and the officers of the Military Affairs Bureau to arrest a group of people selling fake exam questions at the Yuandao Bookstore in Qingyunfang."
So what if they caught him? Prince An, sitting below the stage, felt smug and fearless.
He spent the whole night with the princess yesterday, showering her with compliments and promising that his eldest son would definitely be born to her. Only then did he manage to win her over completely, prompting her to write a letter to the Minister of Justice overnight to help him deal with those people.
It's just a typical case of selling fake exam questions; it's not like they're selling real questions. They can just brush it off and won't investigate it thoroughly.
Judging by the timeline, if things move quickly enough, all the people in prison who know about this will probably be dead by now. Thinking this, Prince An subtly glanced back at the Minister of Justice, Mu Xiaoguang, who nodded slightly.
Prince An stood up straight with satisfaction, thinking that the Yue family he had chosen was indeed excellent!
"...This matter concerns the upcoming imperial examination. We investigated the case overnight and found the account books of Yuandao Bookstore. The account books show that, up until yesterday when the bookstore was shut down, as many as 134 people went to Yuandao Bookstore to buy exam questions."
The court erupted in uproar, with everyone exchanging shocked glances.
Prince An, who had just been secretly pleased with himself, was startled and looked up.
How can it be? !
He had repeatedly warned those people not to cross the limit of half a person's number!
The previous amounts were only a little over half of the bottom line, but this time...
Prince An's face turned deathly pale, and he broke out in a cold sweat.
The Minister of Justice, Mu Xiaoguang, who was standing diagonally behind him, also trembled slightly.
Because these two were standing in front, Lin Shiming on the other side could clearly see their changes.
So it turns out that Prince An is behind this. Isn't the money he's embezzled from taxes enough? I just wonder if Father will continue to tolerate him now.
"...This number exceeds half of the total number of candidates taking the imperial examination. Therefore, although this case involves the sale of counterfeit exam questions and has not had a significant impact on the examination itself, it still constitutes a major case of cheating in the imperial examinations. According to the custom of our dynasty, such major cases should be personally presided over by Your Majesty. Therefore, I humbly request Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate this case."
It's all over. Prince An trembled all over, and his legs almost gave way and he collapsed to his knees.
Someone must have framed him!
After the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review finished his report, he stood still and awaited Emperor Longyun's instructions. Emperor Longyun, however, did not speak immediately. He once again looked down at the crowd below.
Sitting atop the two-meter-high dragon throne, Emperor Longyun could easily see the reactions of those below. He was especially keenly aware of Prince An's overt emotions and complete lack of composure.
Hmph, it seems he doesn't even need to investigate the first party's forces.
Emperor Longyun closed the memorial and casually tossed it onto the table. He was just about to grant Huo Shangfeng's request when Prince An, whose mind was blank with panic, suddenly appeared from below the stage.
"Father!" Prince An knelt down with a thud. "This matter...this matter cannot be judged by Father personally!"
Mu Xiaoguang's eyes widened immediately, and then he was so angry that he almost spat out blood.
madness!!
Yesterday, a letter arrived from Prince An's residence. Prince An spoke earnestly, saying it was just a minor case, so he helped with it. But he never expected that upon hearing the news today, it would be such a major matter!
However, Mu Xiaoguang was, after all, a cunning old fox who had been in the court for many years. He quickly realized that although Prince An was foolish, he would never deceive him when asking for favors. Moreover, based on his understanding of Prince An, this man would absolutely not have the guts to commit such a major crime.
Considering the number of people, the Emperor and Crown Prince's unusually high-profile actions yesterday, which were quite different from their usual low-key approach, and the rumors that quickly spread throughout the city, it is likely that someone discovered Prince An's bookstore and then used it to attack the Crown Prince who was in charge of this imperial examination. Moreover, His Majesty and the Crown Prince should be well aware of this.
Since Prince An was being used, he could shift the blame for the cover-up onto the person behind it and exonerate himself. After all, he had personally arranged the whole thing and done it so cleanly that even His Majesty wouldn't be able to find out.
As for Prince An, his methods have always been crude. Even if he had killed the steward to silence him, His Majesty's personal investigation would surely reveal the truth.
But Prince An is, after all, a prince. Although he committed a crime, he was selling a fake case and was being used by someone. As long as he uses his connections to shift the blame to the person behind the scheme, he can weaken Prince An's presence in the case. With further manipulation, it might be possible to let him off lightly.
Knowing that we've been framed and used, we must find out the truth.
Therefore, what they need to do now is patiently wait for His Majesty to investigate the matter personally, and also provide strong support. Only by letting His Majesty find the person behind the scenes and put him in the lead can he and Prince An escape unscathed.
Minister Mu quickly grasped the crux of the matter and found the best solution, truly living up to his reputation as a shrewd and calculating man.
But what can he do when he has such a terrible teammate!
If you jump out now to stop His Majesty from investigating personally, wouldn't that be telling everyone that this matter is related to you and that you were the one who did it?
Mu Xiaoguang looked to both sides and, as expected, everyone was looking at him with a hint of pity.
The mouthful of blood he had just swallowed was stuck in his throat again.
Mu Xiaoguang never expected that he, who had been quite successful in the court for most of his life, would be implicated to this extent in one day.
"Prince An, you say I cannot personally investigate this case. Why is that? And who should be sent to investigate it?"
Prince An was extremely cautious, his mind preoccupied with the fact that he could not allow the matter to be exposed.
"Your Majesty, I believe this matter has not ultimately affected the upcoming imperial examination, and it is not necessary for Your Majesty to personally investigate it. As for who should be entrusted with it, I think the Ministry of Justice is the best choice!"
Wow! It's not enough that they sold themselves out; they're trying to drag Minister Mu down with them too.
The crowd looked at Mu Xiaoguang with even more pity.
Mu Xiaoguang closed his eyes, unwilling to speak.
He was afraid that if he opened his mouth, he would vomit blood!
Lin Shiming watched the spectacle with great interest, inwardly marveling at Prince An's intelligence.
Emperor Longyun, seated at the head of the table, couldn't help but clench his fist. He once again questioned whether his decision to choose a less intelligent concubine had been correct. He forced himself to remain calm, his face still composed.
"What about the others? Do they have any other opinions?"
Prince Ping stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, I believe my fourth brother is absolutely right!”
Well, this is kicking someone when they're down! Everyone understands that their plan is to pin the blame on Prince An. It's unclear whether the brainless Prince An can even see from Prince Ping's excited expression that his decision is wrong.
But Prince An obviously couldn't. He felt that Prince Ping, who used to be his sworn brother, was actually willing to speak up for him, which showed that there was still some brotherly affection between them.
He smiled happily at Prince Ping.
Everyone was shocked. Good heavens, Prince An would rather believe that Prince Ping would help him than doubt the validity of his own decision.
Such a brain! Some people who placed their bets on Prince An were momentarily at a loss as to whether they should be happy that their chosen ruler was a fool, making him easier to control in the future, or doubt whether such a person could succeed in seizing the throne.
Everyone had their own thoughts, but Mu Xiaoguang had no choice but to step forward now. Besides the Emperor and the Crown Prince, only he and the Prince himself knew that Prince An had been manipulated. The others, unaware of the full story, would only believe that the case was a simple matter of buying and selling fake exam questions. Prince An's current actions only reinforced the belief that he was behind it all.
If this matter were truly handed over to the Ministry of Justice, even if the mastermind were eventually found, it would be seen as Prince An and himself finding an excuse and a scapegoat.
He has to come out and make a statement.
Mu Xiaoguang took a few deep breaths to clear the taste of blood from his mouth, then strode out of the ranks.
“Your Majesty, I have a objection. I believe this matter is of great importance, as the number of people involved exceeds half of the total number of candidates. As is customary, Your Majesty should preside over the trial personally.”
Prince An looked at Mu Xiaoguang in disbelief and immediately wanted to retort, but was forced back by Mu Xiaoguang's warning look.
Emperor Longyun, seated at the head of the table, observed everything. He leaned back, placing his palm on the memorial.
"Prince An, what do you have to say now?"