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

Chapter 86: Various People in the Palace

Seeing this, Jia Jue nodded with satisfaction, and then continued to ask.

"By the way, is there any action happening at Ningguo Mansion?"

Zhang Han said after a brief recollection.

"According to your instructions, I have blocked any news about Qin Ye."

"All we know about Ningguo Mansion is that Qin Ye recently received a reward for building an ancestral hall for a noble family. We know nothing else."

"The original plan of the Ningguo Mansion was to have Qin Ye repeatedly beg the Ningguo Mansion for his son's education, and then Jia Zhen would follow suit and show favor to the Qin family."

"But now that we've received the reward from our master, the Qin family has become more financially stable, so naturally, we no longer need to ask the Ningguo Mansion for help."

"Jia Zhen of Ningguo Mansion saw his plan fail and felt very uncomfortable. He was currently thinking about how to proceed with his attack on the Qin family."

"According to my subordinates' estimation, there's nothing easy to exploit about Qin Ye. If Jia Zhen really wants to succeed in his conspiracy, he can either start with Qin Ye's children or fabricate evidence to put Qin Ye in danger."

"Besides that, I guess he can't think of any other decent solution."

After hearing this, Jia Jue thought for a while and said.

"Leave a few people to closely monitor Ningguo Mansion and keep track of Jia Zhen's every move."

"If something happens to the Qin family while I'm away from Beijing, you should secretly guide the Qin family and have them come to the Marquis' Mansion for help."

"Just make sure nothing serious happens to the Qin family. As for the rest, I'll take care of it when I return to the Divine Capital."

Zhang Han said after bowing.

"I will obey the Lord's orders."

After the discussion, Zhang Han disappeared into the darkness and continued to faithfully carry out the task assigned by Jia Jue.

Late at night, in the study room of Grand Tutor Lou's residence, Grand Tutor Lou sat in the room with a frown on his face, having no appetite.

During this period, although Master Lou stayed at home, unfavorable news came one after another.

The three judicial organs jointly tried the Lou family case, and Sheng Hong provided a large amount of witnesses and evidence that the Lou family bullied men and women and took human lives.

It can be said that the Lou family is in a critical moment.

Empress Shen and the eldest prince, whom Grand Tutor Lou had high hopes for, have yet to take any action.

Thinking of this, even Master Lou, who had been in the officialdom for decades, could no longer contain his excitement.

Just when Master Lou was feeling upset, the door of the study was pushed open.

Master Lou said irritably after hearing the voice.

"Didn't I tell you not to disturb me? It's you, my uncle, General Wang, why, why is it you?"

At this time, Master Lou was surprised. The people who came were Shen Congxing and Wang Chun.

The two of them were able to arrive outside his study quietly without being notified, which shows that someone must have helped them get in.

Shen Congxing looked at Master Lou and said calmly.

"Taifu, there's no need to be so surprised. General Wang and I were able to get here thanks to a little help from your housekeeper."

"But this is not the point of the matter. The key point is that we both came here specifically for the Master."

At this time, Master Lou did not bother to investigate the matter of the two men bribing his housekeeper. He looked at them urgently and said.

"You two came here in the middle of the night, but there is no room for maneuver regarding the affairs of my Lou family."

Shen Congxing shook his head and said.

"Taifu, you have also been in the political arena for many years, how can you speak so naively?"

"You don't know about your Lou family's affairs yet? It's only been a few days, and the three judicial departments have already found a case file on your Lou family that's as tall as a whole person. This is only part of it."

"It has come to this, Master, do you still think you can get away with it?"

After hearing this, Master Lou was shocked and thought of something in an instant, and then said with a look of horror.

"You, what on earth do you want to do?"

Wang Chun looked at Master Lou helplessly and said.

"Master, you are a smart man. You understand the purpose of our visit even without me telling you."

"For the Empress, for the Crown Prince, and for the continuation of your Lou family's incense, sometimes necessary sacrifices are worth it."

As Wang Chun spoke, he took out a white jade bottle and placed it on the table in front of Master Lou and continued.

"This is top-grade Crane's Beak Red. It has a very strong medicinal property and is painless."

"Sometimes, it is wise to cut off one's own arm."

"Don't worry, Grand Master. Her Majesty will not forget your contribution in assisting the Crown Prince over the years."

"After you leave, the Queen will ensure the continuation of your Lou family's bloodline. When the eldest prince ascends the throne one day, your Lou family will rise again and become the most powerful and aristocratic family in the Great Zhou Dynasty."

After hearing this, Master Lou understood everything.

After serving as an official for decades, if Master Lou still doesn't realize that he has become a discarded person, then all these years have been in vain.

At this moment, Master Lou felt mixed emotions and it was extremely complicated.

The figures of Chief Censor Qi Mu and Minister of Imperial Household Wang Wenzhen suddenly appeared in his mind.

Before this, they were all abandoned pawns and sacrifices.

Master Lou had never expected that after such a short period of time, he would become a victim.

For a moment, the expression on Master Lou's face was extremely rich.

After a long time, Master Lou said with a self-deprecating smile.

"Now that things have come to this, I guess I have no other choice."

"I'm so stupid. I should have thought of it earlier. With the Queen's style of doing things, how could she allow a dangerous person like me to live?"

"I knew too much, and yet someone caught me with something that was destabilizing.

"If I don't die, who should die?"

"Well, they say that when the cunning rabbit dies, the running dog is cooked. Now the cunning rabbit is still alive, but the life of me, the running dog, cannot be saved."

"My Lord, General Wang, things have come to this point. I have nothing to say. This is all my choice."

"My Lords, please tell the Empress that despite my lack of merit, I have worked so hard over the years and preserve a trace of my Lou family's bloodline. I, Lou, will be grateful."

Shen Congxing said calmly.

"Don't worry, Grand Master. Your Lou family will definitely not be extinct. You can go with peace of mind."

After hearing this, Master Lou did not hesitate any longer. He opened the white jade bottle and drank the poison with tea.

Not long after, Master Lou leaned against the chair with a hideous face, his eyes wide open, and blood oozing from all seven orifices. He was already dead.

Wang Chun showed a trace of pity on his face, stepped forward to help Master Lou close his eyes, and then looked at Shen Congxing and said.

"Cong Xing, with the death of the Grand Tutor, the connection with the civil officials is broken."

Shen Congxing said with a sinister look on his face.

"It's all because of that damned Marquis Guanjun. If he had just obediently submitted to the Crown Prince, there wouldn't have been so many problems."

"If we don't overthrow him, he will definitely become a serious threat to the Crown Prince in the future."

Seeing this, Wang Chun hurriedly tried to persuade him.

"Cong Xing, the Marquis of Guanjun is now in great favor with the emperor, and will soon be ordered to go south to inspect the Jiangnan navy."

"It would be extremely difficult for us to move against him at this time. We should lie low and help His Highness consolidate his power, lest Concubine Yue seize the opportunity and take advantage of it, which would be disastrous."

Although Shen Congxing nodded after hearing this, it was obvious that he was unwilling to accept it. The next day, the news that Master Lou had committed suicide by taking poison at home spread throughout the capital.

For a moment, the government and the public were shocked.

After all, Master Lou is not some random person, but a leader of the clean stream, a first-rank official, and the current master.

In the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Yongping felt a little emotional after learning the news.

After some thought, Emperor Yongping finally decided to give Tutor Lou the last bit of respect.

Emperor Yongping looked at Xia Shouzhong who was standing beside him and said.

"Xia Shouzhong, tell the three judicial officials to keep the relevant case files under the control of the Lou family relatives and not to affect Master Lou."

"Taifu Lou will receive the corresponding funeral honors as a first-rank official."

"Also, among the Lou family members, those who have not been involved in any illegal activities will not be held accountable."

"I understand. I will do it right away."

At this time, Xia Shouzhong still had several circles of white cloth wrapped around his head, which was left behind after Xia Shouzhong was seriously injured after being scolded by Emperor Yongping.

After being severely taught a lesson, Xia Shouzhong gained a deeper understanding of the majesty of Emperor Yongping and learned to better understand the emperor's mind.

Emperor Yongping's meaning was obvious. When a person dies, it is like a light going out. The prestige of Grand Tutor Lou during his lifetime was placed here. If the person was dead and he still held on to the Lou family, it would inevitably make Emperor Yongping seem too mean.

Moreover, allowing such a person who has no bottom line in protecting his family to occupy a high position for many years will also affect the emperor's ability to judge people and his prestige.

Therefore, the matter of the Lou family can only be that the relatives of Master Lou acted recklessly in the name of Master Lou, and Master Lou was completely unaware of it. After learning the truth, he felt extremely guilty and felt ashamed to face the emperor and his father, so he committed suicide by taking poison.

In this way, the emperor's dignity was preserved, and Master Lou's posthumous reputation was also preserved.

Although it was a bit of a bargain for Grand Tutor Lou, Emperor Yongping was too lazy to bother with the dead.

In Concubine Yue's palace, after learning the news of Tutor Lou's death, the graceful Concubine Yue and her younger brother, Marquis Yue, were also slightly surprised.

Marquis Xiao Yue looked at Concubine Yue and said.

"Your Majesty, it seems we are still a step too late. Your Majesty is so quick to act."

"If he hadn't been coerced by her, how could someone like Master Lou commit suicide by taking poison?"

Concubine Yue said calmly.

"Let him die, and I was originally hesitant about whether to make a fuss about him."

"After all, the prince and empress manipulated the imperial examinations to cheat, which was a huge scandal for the royal family."

"If we really use Master Lou to expose this matter, the Queen and the First Prince will certainly not stand to gain, but we may not be able to reap the benefits."

Xiao Yuehou said after a moment of thought.

"Your Majesty means that if we do this, it will anger His Majesty."

Concubine Yue nodded slightly and said.

"Your Majesty did not come to power legitimately, so you value the royal dignity above all else."

"If we were to expose the royal scandal in order to seize the throne, His Majesty would be furious. Even if His Majesty didn't say anything, he would definitely have an opinion of me in his heart."

"If that really comes to pass, the prince might be able to secure the throne of heir. Then the Yue family and I will probably become stepping stones on the road to succession."

Xiao Yuehou was also a little frightened when he heard this.

No matter what, the reason why he was so determined to help the Second Prince win the throne was because the Yue family was the Second Prince's maternal family.

If the second prince can ascend the throne, the Yue family will naturally prosper.

If the second prince ascends the throne but the Yue family is gone, then what is the point of all my efforts?

Xiao Yuehou said hurriedly.

"Your Majesty is really thoughtful. I think too little."

"By the way, Madam, regarding the matter of the Champion Marquis, do you think it can be put to rest for now?"

"The Imperial Guards have been investigating who spread the news of Yang Lin, the Imperial Censor's death throughout the Divine Capital. If it weren't for my men's cleverness, I'd have been targeted by the Imperial Guards long ago."

After hearing this, Concubine Yue nodded slightly and said.

"Forget about the Champion Marquis. The Queen and the others have hit a snag. Let's not suffer this loss."

"I asked you to publicize this matter before in order to further intensify the conflict between the Champion Marquis and the First Prince and to cause them to completely break up."

"Now I can see that the Marquis of Guanjun is extremely powerful and controls the imperial guards of the capital."

"Your Majesty must not allow the Champion Marquis to form a clique for personal gain."

"This is very different from the cliques among civil servants."

"Civil officials are forming cliques for personal gain. They are merely interfering in government affairs and obstructing Your Majesty's implementation of new policies."

"If the Marquis of Guanjun is won over by any of the princes, the palace coup of that year might be repeated."

"This is your Majesty's weak spot, and it must not be touched."

"So from now on, we should be neither close nor distant to the Champion Marquis. It's good to maintain this state."

"We should focus our attention on the Queen and the Crown Prince."

Xiao Yuehou bowed and said.

"Don't worry, my lady. I understand."

After the brother and sister had some discussion, Marquis Xiao Yue left the palace.

In the blink of an eye, another day passed, and it was the tenth day of April in the fourth year of Yongping.

On this day, the streets in front of the Shendu Imperial Examination Hall were crowded with people and cars.

Today is the day when the imperial examination results will be announced. Candidates who came from all over the Great Zhou to take the examination have now come to the east wall of the Imperial Examination Hall, waiting for the list to be posted.

There were a large number of soldiers guarding the east wall at this time, and the soldiers inside were posting the list in an orderly manner.

Outside the crowd, Jia Jue and Sheng Minglan sat in a carriage, opened the curtains and watched quietly.

Sheng Minglan said a little excitedly.

"Husband, you said that my second brother will definitely pass the imperial examination this time, right?"

Jia Jue said with a chuckle.

"Of course. Changbai answered three questions in a row at the grand court meeting in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. His Majesty and all the officials praised his talent."

"If even he can't pass the imperial examination, then who else can?"

As soon as Jia Jue finished speaking, he heard Sheng Rulan's excited voice in front of the list from a distance.

"Second brother, second brother, you got it, you got it."

At this time, in front of the list, Sheng Rulan pointed excitedly at the top of the second-class list and said.

"Brother, look, look quickly."

Upon hearing this, Sheng Hualan and Sheng Changbai looked in the direction Sheng Rulan pointed, and sure enough, Sheng Changbai had passed the imperial examination.

The top three on the gold list are the number one, number two and number three respectively.

Next down is the first place in the second class, which is the position of announcement.

After checking the list in detail and confirming that the names, places of origin, etc. were correct, Sheng Changbai couldn't help but feel excited.

At this moment, a student in a blue shirt nearby also shouted excitedly.

"Great! I won! I won! I'm third in the first class."

(End of this chapter)