Prime Minister.

Chapter 68.067 [Don't Look Back] (Bonus chapter for Alliance Leader Xiaoxiao Wushu)
In the courtyard just across the street from Zhanxue Pavilion, Jiang Li coldly stared at the guards who had entered with Su Erniang and said in a chilling voice, "What did you say?"

The guard bowed his head and replied, "Your Highness, Qin Zhang suddenly attacked, and our men were unable to stop him in time, resulting in Xue Shidu falling to the ground and being injured. Please punish us, Your Highness!"

"This matter has nothing to do with you."

Although Jiang Li was furious, she did not lose her temper. She continued, "I have said that you are only responsible for protecting Xue Huai in secret. It is impossible for you to be by his side at all times. His injury this time is not your responsibility."

The guard was relieved and thanked the emperor, saying, "Your Highness, after Xue Shidu was injured, his classmates were furious and surrounded Qin Zhang and the others. A fight broke out between the two sides, and it was only Xue Shidu who led people to separate them that a major disaster was averted. Our people then confirmed that Xue Shidu's injury was very minor, just a scraped skin, and he was not seriously injured."

Jiang Li immediately asked, "Will it disfigure me?"

The guard paused for a moment, then replied, "Probably not."

Jiang Li muttered to herself, "That's good. If he were disfigured, it would be a huge problem for his future career."

In this era, the selection of officials emphasized appearance, speech, and writing; they did not necessarily have to be handsome men, but at least they could not have obvious scars.

The guard ignored the princess's words and continued, "Your Highness, Prefect Xu of Shuntian Prefecture personally went to Zhanxue Pavilion and took all those involved in the fight to the Meridian Gate of the Imperial City, presumably to the palace to meet the Emperor."

"I understand, you may leave."

Jiang Li resumed her previous languid demeanor, and after the guards left, she said to Su Erniang, "That old fox Xu Shaozong is quite adept at the true meaning of remaining untouched by any petal."

Su Erniang knew the rage hidden beneath her calm exterior, so she cautiously said, "Your Highness, I didn't expect Qin Zhang to actually dare to make a move."

"Qin Zhang isn't particularly stupid. If he really wanted to make a move, why would he have just pushed Xue Huai?"

Jiang Li smiled slightly and said softly, "This is most likely Xue Huai going with the flow and using Qin Zhang to make things bigger. I just don't know if he could have guessed that his classmates would go to such lengths for him."

Su Erniang immediately understood.

Jiang Li paused, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes, and said quietly, "Even so, Qin Zhang is still too presumptuous."

She recalled what the guard had said earlier: Qin Zhang had openly accused Xue Huai of having an affair with Qu Zhaoyun. How could a scholar with a promising future, a Hanlin Academy reader, allow such a playboy to slander him so wantonly?

Compared to Xue Huai's minor injuries, Jiang Li was even more furious about the matter.

Seeing this, Su Erniang reminded him, "Your Highness, the Marquis of Zhenyuan is not someone to be trifled with."

"I naturally cannot touch Qin Wanli, but what is Qin Zhang anyway?"

Jiang Li smiled coldly and said, "This time His Majesty will definitely not let him off easily. After His Majesty's punishment is over, I will give Qin Zhang another big gift. I hope he can enjoy it."

……

Imperial City, Wende Hall.

The emperor looked down at the group of people standing below with a gloomy expression.

"More than twenty high-ranking officials, all of whom were Jinshi graduates, including some of the top three scholars and those who passed the imperial examinations, actually imitated street thugs and got into fights. What kind of behavior is this!"

The Emperor stared at Xue Huai, Gao Tingbi, and Chen Guanyue standing before him, his tone growing increasingly stern: "I have never heard of such an absurd thing! Do you even respect me? Do you even respect the dignity of the court? If this matter were to spread, it would be enough to make the whole world laugh their heads off and ridicule me for appointing such a bunch of ignorant fools as officials of the court!"

Xue Huai and the other two, along with their classmates, stood obediently with their heads bowed, listening respectfully to the emperor's instructions.

"You not only fought with others, but you also ganged up on the few, utterly disgracing the imperial court!"

The emperor was furious, and his peaceful mood was completely ruined.

There was silence in the hall.

Minister of Rites Zheng Yuan's face was full of anger at Chen Guanyue's lack of ambition, which was obviously directed at him.

Since being transferred to the Ministry of Rites, this young man has always been known for his composure and steadiness, which has earned him Zheng Yuan's appreciation. It is unexpected that he would do such a thing today, which greatly puzzles the elderly Zheng Yuan.

Pan Siqi, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, kept his eyes down, fearing he might become the next target of the Emperor's venting.

Only Hanlin scholar Lin Miao looked at Xue Huai's forehead with concern, seemingly worried about his injury.

Meanwhile, several nobles who rushed into the palace frowned deeply. Led by Marquis Qin Wanli of Zhenyuan, they were both angry and bewildered at the sight of their sons' miserable state.

Although there were only six of these bastards, they were not so helpless against a group of weak scholars.

The emperor stopped reprimanding, and Qin Wanli immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty, today's events have nothing to do with Xue Shidu and the others. It is all my son's fault and the others' fault. They rashly barged into Zhanxue Pavilion and spoiled the mood of these young officials. Therefore, they have only themselves to blame and have no one else to blame."

"It's all because you, as the father, have spoiled him too much!"

The emperor clearly did not favor either side. In his view, neither of these groups of young people were easy to deal with. If Qin Zhang had not repeatedly provoked them, how could those civil officials have acted so brazenly?

Moreover, he was aware of Qin Zhang's many heinous acts. If it weren't for Qin Wanli's loyalty to the country, Qin Zhang would certainly have received eighty strokes of the cane today.

"I know the crime!"

Qin Wanli quickly admitted, and said, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will definitely discipline my son strictly from now on and will never allow him to misbehave again." The Emperor snorted coldly, then looked at Xue Huai who was standing solemnly, and said in a deep voice, "Xue Huai, you tell me yourself, why did things turn out like this today?"

"The minister obeys the order."

Xue Huai bowed respectfully.

On the way to the palace, Xu Shaozong, the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, had someone help him re-bandage, and the others also tidied themselves up simply, after all, they could not be disrespectful in front of the emperor.

He calmly and meticulously recounted what had happened inside Zhanxue Pavilion, without omitting any important details.

Qin Wanli's expression grew increasingly grim as he listened, and he couldn't help but glare fiercely at Qin Zhang.

That damned beast, it's one thing for him to act recklessly all the time, but today he's really stirred up such a huge mess.

After explaining the whole story, Xue Huai said sincerely, "Your Majesty, I believe that Qin Zhang only made a mistake on the spot and did not intend to harm me. However, the situation was complicated at the time. My classmates thought I was seriously injured and acted out of anger. Looking at the whole matter, it was all my fault and had nothing to do with my classmates. I am willing to bear the responsibility and accept the punishment alone."

"I told you long ago to change your temper, but you still haven't improved!"

The emperor's words contained very complex information. He ignored Xue Huai and turned to Qin Zhang, saying, "Tell me the whole story, and don't hide anything!"

"Your Majesty, I am innocent!"

Although Qin Zhang held no official position, he was a son of a noble family, and according to the etiquette of the Great Yan Dynasty, he should naturally address the emperor as a subject.

He said with a wronged expression, "Your Majesty, I initially misunderstood Xue, but I immediately explained myself. Who knew that Xue would dare to mock my elders to my face? I didn't want to argue with him, so I turned and left. I clearly didn't use any force, yet Xue suddenly fell to the ground and injured his forehead. Then his colleagues, as if they had gone mad, surrounded me and several others and beat us. We did not fight back at all. Please, Your Majesty, understand!"

The emperor naturally did not believe all of these words. He was well aware of the rudeness and arrogance of a military family's son like Qin Zhang, and if he hadn't made the first move, why would so many people present have attacked him?
"A scholar of noble birth and a son of a meritorious official have actually caused such a commotion over a mere courtesan, dragging so many people into this mess. I don't care who is right or wrong, but disregarding the dignity of the court is a grave mistake!"

The emperor's tone was cold and stern, clearly indicating that he wanted to punish both sides equally.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I have never met that Qu Xing Shou before, nor do I know anything about her connection with Qin Zhang."

Xue Huai said without hesitation, "Today, we gathered at Zhanxue Pavilion, a place chosen by the Compiler Gao, which I was unaware of beforehand. Qin Zhang's words are pure slander. I had never met Qu Zhaoyun before today. The reason she took the initiative to befriend me was only because of the poem about plum blossoms that I wrote today. Qin Zhang barged into the main hall of Zhanxue Pavilion and spoke rudely to me without distinguishing right from wrong. Then, in full view of everyone, he openly grabbed my collar, showing no regard for my dignity as an official of the court."

The emperor asked in a deep voice, "Is it really true?"

Xue Huai replied, "How dare I speak recklessly before the Emperor?"

What words did you write?

Although the emperor did not know who Qu Zhaoyun was, he roughly understood the reason for this mess through Xu Shaozong's previous account and the mutual accusations between Xue Huai and Qin Zhang.

At this moment, he couldn't help but wonder what kind of masterpiece Xue Huai had written that could make a proud courtesan so eager.

Xue Huai calmly recited the poem "Bu Suanzi".

The hall grew increasingly quiet.

In the blink of an eye, it was as if a pot of hot water had suddenly boiled.

Zheng Yuan, Pan Siqi, Lin Miao, and other important officials were all learned scholars, and they couldn't help but look at Xue Huai in shock upon hearing this.

It's hard to believe that he was only nineteen years old when he was able to write such a masterpiece.

Marquis Qin Wanli of Zhenyuan lowered his head with a bitter face. Although he was not as good as those great Confucian scholars and could not determine the value of Xue Huai's poem in a short time, he knew that Xue Huai's work must be shocking to make the Minister of Rites change his expression.

It seems that Qin Zhang, that wretched child, will ultimately not escape a beating in court today...

The emperor remained silent for a long time on his throne.

Upon hearing that poem about plum blossoms, he couldn't help but feel a little lost, as if Xue Huai's figure had transformed into Xue Mingzhang from back then.

Both were young yet stood out from the crowd, both were exceptionally intelligent and talented.

Compared to Xue Mingzhang, who was known for his tact and composure, this young man was clearly too immature and had not inherited Xue Mingzhang's calmness and forbearance at all.

He stared at Xue Huai for a long time before saying, "I didn't expect you to have such talent. It is indeed a fine poem."

"Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty."

Xue Huai bowed respectfully.

The emperor looked at Qin Zhang again, this time with eyes as cold as ice.

……

……

……

(Four chapters today, minimum guarantee plus two extra chapters. Originally 14 chapters owed, now 12 chapters owed.)
(End of this chapter)