Prime Minister.

Chapter 86, 085 [Taking Action]

East of the Imperial City, in Anxing Ward, lies the Prince of Wei's residence.

Unlike previous dynasties, after the princes of the Great Yan came of age and were granted the title of Prince, they did not need to leave the capital to take up their fiefdoms. Instead, they lived together in Anxingfang, Yongfufang, Chongrenfang, and Shengyefang, hence the popular saying "Four Princes' Wards".

Of course, this does not mean that princes can interfere in court affairs at will. Emperor Taizu of the Great Yan Dynasty once established a complete system, which generally means that princes are honored with honorary titles. Unless the emperor specially appoints them, princes are not allowed to interfere in politics. Moreover, the titles of the imperial clan are also downgraded and inherited, and they will not be downgraded again once they reach the second rank of Fengguo General.

Apart from the prohibition against entering officialdom without imperial decree, the restrictions imposed on members of the imperial clan by the Great Yan were not particularly harsh. The royal family could even send people to do business under the supervision of the Imperial Clan Court.

The Prince of Wei's residence was one of the best among them.

King Wei, Jiang Ye, was twenty-three years old at the time. His mother was Consort Xu. The two were quite similar in temperament, both being calm, reserved, and disliking frivolity.

"Brother, what have you thought about the matter I mentioned to you last time?"

Inside the warm pavilion, Jiang Li, dressed in a light red palace gown, sat leisurely on the couch, her right hand supporting her on the table, while her left hand popped a crystal-clear fruit into her mouth.

Beside a large table not far away, King Jiang Ye of Wei put down the book in his hand, turned his head and asked, "What is it?"

Among the adult princes, Jiang Ye's appearance was not the best, but his gentle and refined demeanor was very eye-catching. He was not like the second prince, the Prince of Chu, who was arrogant and conceited, nor was he as sinister and impulsive as the fifth prince, the Prince of Dai. As for the eighth prince, the Prince of Liang, who had just come of age, his presence in the court and the public was very low and he did not attract much attention.

"Hey, Your Majesty, that's not very kind of you."

Compared to her cautious and tactful demeanor in front of the Prince of Dai, Jiang Li was noticeably more relaxed in the Prince of Wei's residence. She pursed her lips and said, "At the end of last year, I told you that I wanted Su Erniang's men to do some business with your Chief Secretary Guo. At that time, my brother did not refuse me."

Jiang Ye smiled slightly and said, "I didn't agree to it, did I?"

"Then I don't care."

Jiang Li snorted and said leisurely, "If you don't agree, I'll live here from now on and eat you out of house and home."

"Your father dotes on you so much that he specially bestowed the Green Green Villa upon you. You receive the most rewards from the palace, and during festivals, cartloads of gifts are sent to your princess residence. It's not quite right for you to be crying poor to me now, is it?"

Jiang Ye raised his hand and pointed at her, then said, "Besides, is it difficult for Princess Yun'an to acquire some property? Just tell that newly opened Guangtai Money Shop in the capital, and they'll happily hand over the silver, won't they?"

Jiang Li asked curiously, "Brother, how do you know that I helped Guangtai Money Shop?"

“Your elder brother is not a bookworm who shuts himself away and works in isolation.”

Jiang Ye said calmly, "Although I don't deal with official affairs, Chief Secretary Guo and the others always report to me on the current situation of those businesses, and naturally they will talk about the situation in the capital. Guangtai Bank was very successful in Jiangnan, but it has a hard time in the capital. A bank license has made their lives miserable. If it weren't for our princess's intervention, Guangtai Bank would probably have slunk back to Jiangnan long ago."

"I'm just kind-hearted. I just help out when I see something like this."

Jiang Li's answer was almost an open lie, but Jiang Ye didn't care and didn't expose her.

He got up, poured himself a cup of tea, and smiled, "Speak, what brings you here today? Let me make this clear from the start: it's fine if you try to take my money, but you can't treat me like you treat the Fifth Prince."

Sensing his implied meaning, Jiang Li couldn't help but feel a little guilty, and stammered, "What do you mean by that, Your Majesty?"

The fifth prince Jiang Ye was referring to was the fifth prince, Prince Dai, Jiang Chang. He took a sip of warm tea and slowly said, "When the Ministry of Works case broke out, that fool, the fifth prince, was instigated by Xue Minglun's men to cause trouble for Xue Huai. Although you helped him on the surface, you actually made him stumble badly in front of the Emperor."

Seeing how clearly he explained it, Jiang Li did not deny or argue, but said admiringly, "I knew I couldn't hide it from Fourth Brother."

"That's because I've suffered too many losses at your hands since I was a child."

Jiang Ye appeared calm and did not consider it a shameful thing to talk about.

Jiang Li tentatively asked, "Then...aren't you curious why I did this, Your Majesty?"

"So you've come here today to test me?"

Jiang Ye turned around and sat down, saying slowly, "You have no grudge against the Fifth Prince. You even saved him when you were young, and he has always been very good to you. The reason you did this must be because of the Crown Prince's instruction."

“I never said any of that.”

Jiang Li smiled slyly, then pleaded, "Brother, I have indeed come here today to ask for your help with something."

"You say it."

"Just now, Your Majesty mentioned Guangtai Money Shop. I had already helped them resolve the difficulties posed by the Ministry of Revenue. However, Your Majesty surely knows that the money shops and banks in the capital are basically controlled by Shanxi merchants. Outsiders can't get in. This month, the Shanxi merchants' actions against Guangtai Money Shop have become increasingly obvious, with several runs on the bank. If the Shen family hadn't made preparations in advance, it would probably have closed down by now. But you can't guard against thieves forever. If this continues, the Shen family won't be able to hold on any longer."

Jiang Li didn't explain why she didn't put pressure on the Shanxi merchants, and Jiang Ye didn't ask either.

Some things are not so simple. She was able to persuade the Minister of Revenue to give up because he owed her a favor, and because the Ministry of Revenue was an official government agency and had to give the emperor's most beloved princess some face.

If Jiang Li, as a princess, were to pressure the Shanxi merchants, those people would surely stir up trouble in the streets.

"I see……"

Jiang Ye hesitated for a moment, then said with a half-smile, "Yun'an, aren't you being too kind to Xue Shidu?" "What are you saying, Your Majesty? He and I are just very good friends."

Jiang Li said in a serious tone, "I'm not helping Guangtai Money Shop for nothing. If they want to get a license, they naturally have to let me invest. So if this money shop goes bankrupt, I will lose a source of income. The Shanxi merchants are now resorting to these shady tricks, which is making things difficult for me."

She wasn't lying. This was originally a business with no capital. She only needed to give face and she could sit back and collect money. Why wouldn't she do it?

Jiang Ye left it at that, not delving into the relationship between Jiang Li and Xue Huai. Although he was not optimistic about their future, it was too early to talk about it now.

He thought for a moment and said, “The Shanxi merchants are unassuming, but they actually have close ties with many important officials in the court. Moreover, they have always acted secretly and cautiously, and they would never leave any handle against Guangtai Bank in the open. Taking action rashly would only cause controversy. You should not get involved in this matter. I will have Chief Secretary Guo go to Guangtai Bank to deposit some money. I believe those people in the shadows will understand what this means.”

"Thank you, my dear brother!"

Jiang Li was overjoyed and immediately stood up, saying, "It's getting late, Yun An will take her leave and will visit my brother another day."

"you really……"

Jiang Ye smiled helplessly yet indulgently, and stood up to see him off. As they parted, he suddenly called out to Jiang Li, and said thoughtfully, "It's understandable that you confined your fifth brother for half a year, after all, His Highness the Crown Prince has always taken good care of you, and your fifth brother has been causing some trouble. Yun'an, since you said you and Xue Shidu are friends, then don't let him continue to get involved in the court disputes, especially with the Eastern Palace. He's just a minor Hanlin scholar; he can't withstand such storms."

Jiang Li was slightly nervous, but her mind was racing. She felt that Jiang Ye's words had a hidden meaning.

"Brother, can you please speak plainly?"

"If you truly consider Xue Shidu a friend, you should advise him to seek a post outside the capital as soon as possible. This would be more beneficial than harmful to him."

Jiang Ye looked sincere and smiled, "Alright, go ahead and do your thing. Come find me when you have some free time."

"Yes, Your Majesty, please wait a moment. I will pass on your suggestion to Xue Huai."

Jiang Lifu took her leave.

Stepping into the spacious and comfortable painted carriage, Jiang Li sighed softly and pinched the bridge of her nose.

Su Erniang asked softly, "Your Highness, are you perhaps feeling unwell?"

"No."

Jiang Li shook her head, her eyes narrowing slightly, and said, "My fourth brother is too cunning. I have to be extremely careful every time I come to see him. I suspected before that he had planted many spies in the Eastern Palace, and now it seems that it was indeed so."

Su Erniang looked at her with pity, and seeing that she was not in a good mood, she changed the subject and said, "Your Highness, would you like to take a stroll around the area near the examination hall?"

What are you going to the examination hall for?

Jiang Li was taken aback, then chuckled and said, "Second Aunt, Xue Huai isn't a prince consort, and he'll never become one. Why are you more concerned about him than I am?"

Su Erniang said somewhat awkwardly, "I just heard His Highness say that the two chief examiners of this year's imperial examination might have a showdown, and I'm a little worried about Xue Shidu's situation."

"The Imperial Examination Hall is definitely not going to be peaceful right now."

Jiang Li said softly, "I hope Xue Huai can handle this calmly."

……

The Imperial Examination Hall, the Hall of Supreme Justice.

When Xue Huai pointed out the suspicion that the five answer sheets had been manipulated, Sun Yan gradually figured out the whole story after a brief moment of astonishment.

According to Gao Tingbi's confident statement, Xue Huai will directly accuse Liu Yu and others of having illicit dealings with the examinees today, thus pointing the finger at Yue Zhongming. Yue Zhongming will certainly not admit it, but Sun Yan can use his position and power as the president to join forces with Fan Dongyang to suspend Yue Zhongming's adjudication authority.

This move would not only damage Yue Zhongming's reputation and cause losses to the Ning faction, but most importantly, it would allow Sun Yan to use this opportunity to petition the emperor to investigate Liu Yu and others.

The first step has gone wrong. After thinking it over carefully, Sun Yan realized that Xue Huai was probably trying to lull Yue Zhongming into a false sense of security by using an unrelated exam paper to lower his guard.

Therefore, he asked in a deep voice, "Xue, who recommended these answer sheets?"

Xue Huai calmly replied, "Your Excellency, of these five answer sheets, two were recommended by me, one by Gao Xiuzhuan, and the remaining two by Liu Bianxiu."

Sun Yan followed up, saying, "So you're trying to tell me that all three examiners in your 'Spring and Autumn Annals' office are suspected of bribery?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Tingbi and Liu Yu's expressions changed slightly.

"Yes."

Xue Huai's answer was clear and concise, yet it swept through everyone's hearts like a sudden gust of wind.

Sun Yan looked at Xue Huai with a puzzled expression, while Yue Zhongming, sitting next to him, looked serious, his mind filled with confusion.

What exactly is Xue Huai up to?
Does he know what he's doing?
(End of this chapter)