Red Mansion: After being expelled from the family, I was granted the title of Marquis of Mobei

Chapter 71: Imperial Examination Cheating Case Exposed, Daiyu's Thoughts

Because of a series of rumors, Qin Keqing felt that Jia Jue was the kind of Zhongshan wolf who would become unscrupulous once he gained power.

However, now that her father had personal contact with the Marquis of Guanjun, Qin Keqing got a completely different answer.

At this time, Qin Keqing couldn't help but feel emotional. No wonder people say that all living beings are ignorant.

Qin Keqing prides herself on being a clever person, but she still has mixed feelings about the Marquis of Guanjun because of rumors circulating in the streets.

But now, it was the silver given by the Marquis of Guanjun, who had always been misunderstood by him, that solved the urgent need of his family.

This made Qin Keqing feel guilty and self-blaming.

Late at night, in a courtyard of Rongguo Mansion, Lin Daiyu was sitting in her room, and the little maid Xueyan brought her medicine.

"Girl, it's time to take your medicine."

Lin Daiyu agreed, took the medicine and drank it, frowning involuntarily.

Girls aged fifteen or sixteen are at the age when they love to eat sweets.

But because she was weak since childhood, Lin Daiyu almost grew up in medicine jars. Those medicinal soups that are difficult for ordinary people to swallow have become Lin Daiyu's daily routine.

After taking the medicine, the maid Xueyan tidied up and helped Lin Daiyu make the bed.

After lying down on the bed, Lin Daiyu could not sleep for a long time, and kept thinking about what had happened in the past few days.

Since her mother's death, Lin Daiyu's life has changed dramatically.

Before following his uncle Jia She to Beijing, his father Lin Ruhai gave him a lot of advice.

During these days in Rongguo Mansion, Lin Daiyu was really immersed in family affection at first.

However, it didn't take long for Lin Daiyu to react.

After all, you can act for a day or two, but it is difficult to keep acting for a long time.

The clever Lin Daiyu can discern the difference between genuine care and love and attempts to get close with ulterior motives.

Moreover, in recent days, the mansion has intentionally or unintentionally allowed her to have frequent contact with her cousin Jia Baoyu, which made Lin Daiyu even more wary.

When Lin Daiyu met Jia Baoyu for the first time when she returned to Rongguo Mansion, she was very surprised.

Because Jia Baoyu is like a different person compared to before.

Jia Baoyu's temperament is extremely feminine and effeminate.

Out of curiosity, Lin Daiyu asked the maid around her to secretly investigate in Rongguo Mansion.

Under the reward, there must be a brave man.

After spending two hundred taels of silver, Lin Daiyu received surprising news, that is, it seemed more appropriate for her to call Jia Baoyu cousin.

If Jia Baoyu were a normal person, it would be understandable that Rongguo Mansion had been trying to bring the two of them together.

After all, the two are cousins, and before coming here, his father also told him about the possible actions of the Rongguo Mansion.

But Jia Baoyu is a useless person, and Rongguo Mansion still does this, which is bullying.

The Lin family was also a family of officials, and Lin Ruhai was a high-ranking official of the second rank, and was favored by the emperor.

If Lin Ruhai had not been in poor health, a guy like Jia Baoyu would never have caught Lin Ruhai's eye.

That is, Lin Ruhai was worried that he didn't have much time left, so he sent his daughter Lin Daiyu to Rongguo Mansion, wanting to see the quality of Rongguo Mansion.

But Jia Baoyu turned out to be a useless person, so Lin Daiyu no longer had any basis to rely on in Rongguo Mansion.

Lin Ruhai's original idea was that in order to win over himself and for the future of the Lin family's assets, the Rongguo Mansion would allow Lin Daiyu to marry into the Rongguo Mansion and become a young lady. In this way, even if Lin Ruhai himself was gone in the future, at least his daughter would have someone to rely on for the rest of her life.

For this reason, even though he looked down on Jia Baoyu, Lin Ruhai was willing to give it a try.

But Jia Baoyu is a useless man, and the Lin family cannot accept letting Lin Daiyu marry him and become a widow.

The Rongguo Mansion concealed this news and insisted on allowing Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu to interact with each other. Their intentions are absolutely despicable.

After some thought, Lin Daiyu took out a letter from under her pillow and placed it on her chest. This was her way out of the predicament.

Lin Daiyu then instructed her maid to greet the manager of Rongguo Mansion and tell her that she planned to go to Yuqing Temple in the suburbs of Beijing tomorrow to offer a tablet for her mother.

Not long after, in Mrs. Jia's room, Mrs. Jia and Mrs. Wang were discussing something.

Old Mrs. Jia looked at Mrs. Wang and asked.

"Well, have you talked it through with Baoyu?"

"He always looks cold when he sees Daiyu. This won't do. He needs to be as close to her as possible. Only then will he have a chance."

Mrs. Wang shook her head and said with embarrassment.

"Mother, it's difficult."

"You also know that Baoyu has lost his humanity and has long lost interest in women."

"He is always accompanied by a group of servants. He doesn't want to get close to Daiyu."

After hearing this, Mrs. Jia said with some distress.

"What can we do now? Baoyu is the only legitimate son in our family, and Daiyu's status is determined by this."

"If you want to stay with the Lin family for a long time, this is the only way."

"As long as Daiyu and Baoyu's relationship is successful, Ruhai will have no choice but to serve the mansion wholeheartedly. In the future, the Lin family's assets will naturally belong to the mansion."

"If it doesn't work out, and Ruhai has other ideas and has chosen a husband for Daiyu, then all our efforts will be in vain and we will lose everything."

"No, we need to think of a way to deal with this matter."

Mrs. Wang said after hesitating for a moment.

"Mother, why don't we just let it go?"

"Think of a way. A man and a woman alone in the same room, a girl will naturally be reserved. What else can she do except marry Baoyu?"

Old Mrs. Jia waved her hand and said.

"No, this is a very bad idea. We shouldn't use this method unless it's absolutely necessary."

"Let's think of another way."

Just as the two were discussing, Yuanyang knocked on the door and said.

"Madam, Madam, Miss Lin recently told the steward that she plans to go to Yuqing Temple tomorrow to get a memorial tablet for her mother."

"The manager asked me to report this to you and see how to arrange it."

After hearing this, Mrs. Jia did not doubt it and said.

"That's as it should be. Arrange for escorts to accompany you. Go."

"The slaves obey."

After Yuanyang left, Mrs. Wang hesitated and said.

"Mother, Daiyu has only been in the mansion for a short time. Why did she suddenly want to go out for no reason? Is there something strange going on?"

Mrs. Jia said after thinking for a while.

"That shouldn't be the case. Since she came to the mansion, the whole family has been very dedicated to her and very caring."

"How about this? To be absolutely sure, tomorrow you instruct your followers to be vigilant and prevent her from having any contact with anyone else."

"If you find anything wrong, bring her back immediately to avoid any trouble."

Mrs. Wang nodded and said.

"Mother, that's a good idea."

"By the way, mother, what do you think should be done with Jia Yucun?"

After hearing this, Mrs. Jia said calmly.

"This Jia Yucun is obviously a power-hungry person. It's useful to keep such a person."

"Well, you keep him hanging for now and give him a taste of something sweet."

"I think he'll find his place sooner or later."

"Okay, mother, I understand." After the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law finished their discussion, Mrs. Wang bowed and left Mrs. Jia's bedroom.

In the study of the Marquis of Guanjun's mansion, Jia Jue looked into the distance towards the direction of the imperial palace.

There will definitely be some waves tomorrow, no matter how strong the wind and waves are, just sit back and wait.

At the same time, in the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Yongping seemed to have a telepathic connection with Jia Jue and was also standing in front of the palace gate looking into the distance.

Not long after, Xia Shouzhong, the chief eunuch of the six palaces, came to the palace gate and spoke respectfully.

"Your Majesty, it's late at night and the wind is strong. Your Majesty, please take care of yourself and rest early."

Emperor Yongping said with a calm smile.

"I really don't know which is stronger, the wind of the celestial phenomena or the wind of the government."

"Tomorrow's court meeting will definitely be very lively."

Xia Shouzhong said with a smile after hearing this.

"No matter how turbulent the court is, with Your Majesty ruling the world, the seas and rivers will naturally be peaceful and calm."

Emperor Yongping said with a chuckle.

"You old fellow, you are really getting better at flattering people."

"Okay, it's time to go to bed. There's a show to watch tomorrow."

There was no book all night. The next morning, when the cock crowed at five o'clock, the court officials were already lined up in the Hall of Supreme Harmony waiting.

Accompanied by the music of the palace band, civil and military officials came to the Hall of Supreme Harmony one after another.

Not long after, Emperor Yongping came to the palace slowly in the imperial robes. All the civil and military officials immediately paid their respects and shouted "Long live the emperor" three times.

After Emperor Yongping turned the screen and took his seat, he sat upright on the dragon throne, displaying his imperial majesty.

He raised his hand slightly and said calmly.

"My lords, please make peace."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

As all the civil and military officials stood up, the envoys from various foreign countries began to pay homage to Emperor Yongping one by one, demonstrating the magnanimity of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

After the complicated etiquette, Xia Shouzhong spoke loudly.

"The court ceremony is over. Ministers, if you have a memorial, please report early. If you don't, please leave the court."

In the hall, Grand Tutor Lou, the emperor's uncle Shen Congxing, and General Wang Chun looked at each other and waited quietly for the show to begin.

Soon, an imperial censor came to the hall, bowed, and said.

"Your Majesty, I, Sun Youdao, the Supervisory Censor of the Censorate, am submitting a petition to impeach the Left Prime Minister, Ke Zheng."

Censor Sun Youdao's remarks soon caused an uproar.

The court officials immediately started talking about it, but the impeached protagonist Ke Zheng looked calm and composed.

Sitting on the throne, Emperor Yongping spoke calmly.

"Sun Youdao, I don't know why you are impeaching Prime Minister Ke?"

Sun Youdao then said.

"Your Majesty, I have received news that before the start of this imperial examination, a private Confucian scholar named Zhang Heng was selling essay questions for the examination. The five essays he sold were exactly the same as the ones in the imperial examination."

"Ke Xiang is the chief examiner of this imperial examination, and the examination questions are also set by Ke Xiang."

"Even if it wasn't Minister Ke who leaked the exam questions, as the chief examiner, Minister Ke cannot escape the responsibility of negligence."

"I have already described the details of this case in my memorial. Please review it, Your Majesty."

When Ke Zheng heard that Sun Youdao was impeaching him for cheating in the imperial examination, he immediately lost his composure.

You must know that the censors of the Great Zhou were not allowed to report matters based on rumors.

The so-called hearsay report means that the censor can report the ministers based on hearsay without providing solid evidence or signing.

Even if it is later found out that the matter is completely false, the person who impeached will not be held responsible.

The Imperial Censor of the Great Zhou Dynasty must have solid evidence to impeach. If anyone dares to report something based on hearsay, he will be assessed as a lower grade at the very least, and at the worst, he will be charged with false accusation.

Sun Youdao dared to submit an impeachment in the grand court meeting. Needless to say, he definitely had real evidence. Otherwise, his behavior would be tantamount to cutting himself off from the court.

Of course, Ke Zheng himself has a clear conscience and he did not leak the test questions.

Despite this, Ke Zheng hurried to the hall to express his opinion.

"Your Majesty, since the Censorate has filed a petition for impeachment, I am willing to suspend my duties and cooperate with the three judicial departments in the immediate investigation of this case."

"Your Majesty, please grant me your permission."

On the throne, Emperor Yongping's expression grew more serious after reading the memorial.

"The imperial examination system is the lifeblood of the nation."

"The previous dynasty's Jiuping Zhongzheng system selected officials based on filial piety and integrity. Scholars from humble backgrounds would have a hard time making a name for themselves throughout their lives."

"After the Great Zhou unified China, Emperor Taizu established the imperial examination system."

"This has enabled our dynasty to produce many famous officials and ensure that the country has no wasted talents."

"If anyone dares to cheat in the imperial examinations or form a clique for personal gain, I will never forgive them."

"Prime Minister Ke is a veteran of two dynasties, highly respected and virtuous. I trust you will not commit fraud in the imperial examinations."

"However, to avoid rumors, from now on, the cabinet will be temporarily led by Right Prime Minister Xiao Qinyan, and Prime Minister Ke will return home to recuperate."

"The Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Court, and the Censorate will immediately investigate the case of imperial examination fraud. They must thoroughly investigate the case within seven days."

"Anyone who is negligent or slack will be severely punished. Please leave the court."

"Your Majesty, I welcome you respectfully."

After Emperor Yongping left, the court meeting ended.

As soon as the court meeting ended, Sheng Hong found Jia Jue in a panic.

"My dear son-in-law, what should we do? It looks like they are planning to fight us to the death."

"With the intervention of the Three Judicial Departments, Changfeng's affairs will definitely not be concealed. By then, I'm afraid Changbai will also be affected."

Jia Jue also pretended to be distressed.

"Father-in-law, this is going to be tough. I originally thought they wouldn't dare take this step, but now it seems they've taken the initiative to ignite the imperial examination case. They must have already found a scapegoat."

"But don't worry, father-in-law. Even if I give up the title of Champion, I will never let anything happen to Changbai."

Sheng Hong looked at Jia Jue with emotion and said.

"My dear son-in-law, you are too kind. As long as the green mountains remain, there will be no shortage of firewood."

"It would be best if Changbai can be saved. If he cannot be saved, my son-in-law should put himself first."

"As long as you remain in this position, Changbai will be able to rise again sooner or later."

Jia Jue nodded slightly and said.

"Don't worry, father-in-law. I will do my best."

After separating from Sheng Hong, Jia Jue's expression immediately returned to calm.

In the morning, the carriage of Rongguo Mansion slowly came out of Rongguo Mansion and went east along Zhuque Street.

In the carriage, Lin Daiyu looked at the followers who were concentrating on their work, and felt a little nervous.

What's going on? Did I get exposed? This shouldn't be the case. If I were exposed, they wouldn't let me out.

But if nothing was revealed, why would these followers be on such high alert, as if they were afraid that he would make any move?

Seeing that they were getting closer and closer to their destination, Lin Daiyu thought for a while and whispered a few words to the maid beside her.

(End of this chapter)