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Master Qian's heart tightened. The emperor's anger had been ignited, and any excuses seemed pale and powerless at this moment.

He gritted his teeth, held back his tears, and kowtowed again to plead guilty: "Your Majesty, I am willing to accept any punishment. I only ask Your Majesty to see clearly and clear my name."

The emperor snorted coldly, turned his head and said to Minister Cui, "My dear Cui, I order you to investigate this matter immediately and get to the bottom of it. If it is confirmed that Master Qian does have an old grudge against Du Yusheng, I will not let him off easily."

Upon hearing this, Minister Cui immediately stepped out and respectfully accepted the order: "I will obey your order and do my best to investigate this matter for the emperor."

Master Qian stared at Minister Cui with wide eyes and horror. He knew that Minister Cui and Du Yusheng had a long-standing friendship and was worried that Minister Cui would favor Du Yusheng and put him to death. He struggled to stand up, but was grabbed by the guards and dragged out.

The atmosphere in the court became increasingly depressing, and all the civil and military officials were discussing in low voices, speculating on Master Qian's fate. Some sympathized with Master Qian, believing that he had been wrongly accused; others gloated over his misfortune, believing that Master Qian had finally received retribution.

Upon seeing this, the court officials all held their breath and waited, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

The emperor looked at Xie Yunchen with approval in his eyes, and slowly said, "Xie Yunchen, it is not easy for you to speak frankly. I want to ask you, why do you feel so uncomfortable with the injustice of the Wutai Poetry Case?"

Xie Yunchen was slightly stunned. He did not expect the emperor to ask him this question, but he had already thought about this question, so he answered calmly: "Your Majesty, I have loved poetry since I was a child, and I know the beauty of poetry. In the Wutai Poetry Case, Du Yusheng's talent can be called a talent of the time, and his poems are amazing. However, he was almost imprisoned because of a trumped-up crime. I feel unfair, so I collected evidence to clear his name."

The emperor nodded slightly and asked, "Then why do you hope that Du Yusheng can accept you as his disciple?"

Xie Yunchen pondered for a moment and replied, "The reason why I hope Du Yusheng can accept me as his apprentice is because I know that I am not very talented and need someone to guide me. Du Yusheng's talent is unparalleled in the world. If I can become his apprentice, I will definitely benefit a lot. Moreover, I believe that Du Yusheng will be grateful and will not disappoint the emperor's expectations."

After hearing this, the emperor showed a satisfied smile on his face. He said to the eunuch beside him: "I will order Xie Yunchen to be awarded a thousand taels of gold to commend his honesty. In addition, I will personally order Du Yusheng to accept Xie Yunchen as his apprentice."

The court officials were all surprised when they heard this, and they all cast envious glances at Xie Yunchen. However, Xie Yunchen did not dare to show any complacency, and knelt down quickly: "I thank you for your grace, and I am willing to serve the emperor like a dog and a horse."

The atmosphere in the court was extremely warm. The ministers came forward one by one, vying to congratulate Xie Yunchen. Their words were sincere and their eyes were full of respect.

Xie Yunchen accepted the congratulations in a daze, with a shy blush on his face.

"Xie Yunchen, congratulations." An old official with white hair and beard stepped forward and said in a loud voice, "Your talent and character have long made us old guys feel ashamed. You have achieved your wish today and you deserve the honor."

Xie Yunchen smiled slightly, cupped his hands and said, "Thank you very much for your praise, old sir. I am ashamed to accept it."

Then, another young minister stepped forward. He looked at Xie Yunchen with jealousy and admiration in his eyes: "Xie Yunchen, your achievements make us ashamed. Are you willing to become his disciple and successor today?"

As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere in the court suddenly became tense. Everyone looked at Xie Yunchen, waiting for his answer.

Xie Yunchen was stunned. He didn't expect that he would become the focus of everyone's attention.

At this time, a minister in a purple robe stood up and said in a serious tone, "My dear colleagues, I think we should be cautious about Du Yusheng accepting a disciple. Although Xie Yunchen is young, his talent and character have been recognized by everyone. If we force him to become a disciple, I'm afraid he will feel disgusted and his growth will be affected."

The minister's words resonated with everyone, and they all nodded in agreement. Xie Yunchen listened silently, feeling grateful in his heart.

At this time, a civil official stood up. He looked at Xie Yunchen and smiled, "Xie Yunchen, I heard that you studied at Jiangnan Academy and formed a deep friendship with the students of our academy. If you are willing today, I am willing to make the decision and let Du Yusheng accept you as his apprentice."

As soon as these words came out, there was another round of exclamations in the court. No one expected that this civil official would be willing to make the decision for Xie Yunchen, forcing Du Yusheng to accept him as his apprentice.

Xie Yunchen looked at this civil official and was deeply moved. He knelt down hurriedly and said sincerely: "Thank you very much for your support. I am willing to take Du Yusheng as my teacher, but I hope he will not despise me."

Seeing Xie Yunchen's sincerity, everyone praised him. Du Yusheng also watched silently and nodded secretly in his heart.

Xie Yunchen thanked the ministers one by one and said that he would study hard and live up to everyone's expectations.

……

Gu Zhiyi sat on the rosewood chair in the study, holding a yellowed book in her hands, her eyes like water, quietly immersed in it. Luluo walked in quietly, breaking the tranquility in the room.

"Madam, there's a letter from Yipinju." Luoluo said in a low voice, holding a light yellow envelope in her hand.

Gu Zhiyi put down the book, raised her head slightly, and a thoughtful gleam flashed in her eyes. "What does the letter say?"

Luoluo placed the envelope on the table and spoke slowly: "The letter said that Du Yusheng wanted to meet you and thank you in person."

Gu Zhiyi smiled slightly, with a hint of warmth between her brows. "Write back and tell him that Xie Yunchen has overturned his case, but don't emphasize the matter of becoming his disciple."

Luoluo was slightly stunned, with a hint of doubt in her eyes: "Madam, why don't you just let him accept you as a disciple? If the young master can become his disciple, he will definitely benefit a lot."

Gu Zhiyi shook her head gently, her eyes revealing a hint of deepness: "Luluo, you don't understand yet. It is human nature for Du Yusheng to want to repay you. And the emperor has already spoken, and we cannot refuse. We don't need to emphasize it, because Du Yusheng will naturally make a decision in his heart."

Luluo was still a little confused, but she knew that Gu Zhiyi's decisions always had a deep meaning, so she lowered her head and replied, "Yes, ma'am."

Gu Zhiyi stood up, walked to the window, looked at the lush scenery outside, and slowly said: "The key to this matter is not Du Yusheng, but the emperor's attitude. We must let Xie Yunchen show the upright character of the Ningguo Dukes of all generations, so as to gain the emperor's trust and compensation."