The Cloud Feather of the Red Chamber: A Marriage Arranged with Gong Yuanzheng at the Start

Just as Xue Gongzi was blushing with embarrassment, the painting relieved his predicament.

The painting depicts a solemn and quiet grand hall.

Dozens of people, dressed in the same clothes, stood bowing in the hall.

Gong Shangjiao and Gong Zishang were also among them.

At the very top of the hall, the emperor, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, lowered his eyes and listened to the impassioned speech of the people below.

"...To commit murder in the street, such a reckless person deserves to be severely punished by Your Majesty!"

This is the morning court session! Gong Zishang immediately sat up straight, his eyes fixed intently on the scroll.

Good heavens! In her lifetime, she actually gets to attend the morning court session!

What? It's her attending the morning court session in the painting? That's unimportant!

She could be a marquis in the painting, and she certainly can be one now!

Gong Zishang couldn't help but grin and kicked Gong Yuanzheng.

"See? I'm at the morning court session, and you're not there!"

Gong Yuanzheng rolled his eyes and took a few steps away.

In the painting, the emperor finally raised his eyes, his gaze indifferent yet imposing.

"Shang Jiao, are you aware of the killing during the expedition?"

Gong Shangjiao stepped forward, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, “Your Majesty, Yuanzheng already told me about this matter yesterday.”

Before the emperor could speak, Imperial Censor Zhang couldn't hold back any longer.

"Since you already know, why don't you arrest him and bring him to justice?"

Gong Shangjiao seemed not to hear him, not even giving him a glance.

Gong Zishang stood beside him, equally composed.

The two of them had the same expression, clearly not taking him seriously.

As a veteran of two dynasties, Imperial Censor Zhang had impeached countless people in this hall, but this was the first time he had ever been ignored like this.

His gaze swept over Gong Zishang and landed directly on Lin Ruhai.

"Lord Lin, Gong Yuanzheng is your son-in-law. Are you planning to protect him?"

Lin Ruhai calmly took out a stack of documents, which were evidence of the Xue family's previous collusion with Wufeng.

However, Master Xue acted decisively, donating most of his wealth to the imperial court. The emperor, considering that his connection with Wu Feng was not deep, let the Xue family off lightly.

Unexpectedly, the evidence that cost half of the Xue family to buy was revealed under these circumstances.

Furthermore, it added details of Xue Pan's numerous misdeeds in Jinling City, during which he escaped punishment from the imperial court.

As he listened to Lin Ruhai's account, Imperial Censor Zhang's expression remained inscrutable.

He glanced up at the emperor sitting high in the hall, but he was too far away to see the emperor's expression clearly.

After listening to Lin Ruhai's account, Imperial Censor Zhang pondered the matter for a while and made a decision.

"The Xue family is guilty, and the court has its own laws to deal with it. This cannot erase Gong Yuanzheng's evil act of killing people in the street."

Gong Shangjiao naturally knew he couldn't, and he had no intention of helping Gong Yuanzheng escape punishment.

He didn't even want to mention the reason for the murder.

He's killed them, that's all. There's nothing more to say. He doesn't intend to spare Xue Pan, not even the entire Xue family.

Gong Shangjiao spoke leisurely, his tone unhurried.

"Your Majesty, there is something I wish to present to you during the expedition."

"Six months ago, we carried out an expedition to improve some rice varieties, and now it's harvest time."

"Yesterday we received a message from Yangzhou that the yield of these rice varieties has doubled."

As soon as Gong Shangjiao said this, the entire hall erupted in an uproar, and the emperor immediately sat up straight.

"Doubled? How is that possible?"

"Yes! How old is Gong Yuanzheng? Can he solve such a difficult problem?"

"If Young Master Zheng really succeeds, then he will be an absolute hero!"

Lin Ruhai was also somewhat surprised. Last night, Gong Shangjiao sent someone to deliver a message, saying that he had a foolproof plan. He did not expect it to be such a great thing that would benefit the country and the people.

Once this improved rice variety is introduced, as long as the palace doesn't rebel, it can guarantee the palace's prosperity for ten generations.

At the same time, he felt it was a pity that such merit was wasted on this matter.

Gong Shangjiao still hasn't figured out the ways of officialdom.

Ignoring the noise in the hall, Gong Shangjiao whispered a few words to the eunuch in the hall.

Soon the eunuchs brought the rice seeds and rice grains that Gong Shangjiao had brought.

They couldn't see the actual yield, but the rice in front of them was clearly twice the size of ordinary rice, which they had witnessed with their own eyes.

In the main hall, the minister in charge of agriculture and sericulture burst into tears and knelt down on the ground.

"Your Majesty! A talent like Gong Yuanzheng must not be mistreated!"

The importance of food to Daqing right now is self-evident; everyone knows it.

If such a talent, capable of cultivating grain seeds, were convicted and beheaded, the people of the world would not let him go.

Even after that person dies, they will be despised by the world.

Given Xue Pan's past misdeeds, it wouldn't be unreasonable to sentence him to death for all his crimes.

The emperor was overjoyed as he looked at the rice in his hand. He had never had much of a feeling for Master Xue to begin with.

As soon as Xia Li returned to the palace, he told him everything in detail.

For someone like Master Xue, death is simply death.

In the eyes of others, Master Xue might be a talented person, but in his own eyes, he wasn't even ranked.

With the entire world at his disposal, what kind of business genius couldn't he have?

But for a herbalist like Gong Yuanzheng, who is one of a kind in the world, he couldn't bear to do anything to him.

Especially after learning that Gong Yuanzheng could not only cultivate herbs but also improve grain varieties, his fondness for him increased even further.

“Shang Jiao, since Yuan Zheng has such abilities, then all matters concerning the improvement of grain varieties shall be entrusted to him.”

Gong Shangjiao nodded, "Your Majesty, rest assured, next year, the expedition will surely bring back rice and rice seeds with even better yields."

The emperor was all smiles, but there were always those who didn't know their place.

"This may be spared the death penalty, but he cannot escape punishment. After all, Gong Yuanzheng has killed someone..."

Imperial Censor Zhang's face turned pale and then red. He knew that continuing to dwell on this issue would only annoy people.

What was their purpose in becoming censors? Wasn't it simply to gain a good reputation like Wei Zheng's, not to be infamous for eternity?

But having come this far, if he shuts up, it would only make him seem cowardly.

Merits are merits, and faults are faults.

No matter how great the contribution, it should not be underestimated.

A murderous glint flashed in the emperor's eyes.

"Minister Zhang is quite right." The emperor's voice was cold. "Shang Jiao, go back and tell Yuanzheng to immediately go to Yangzhou to study the new grain varieties. Until he has achieved results, he is not allowed to leave the estate!"

"As for Xue Pan, didn't Minister Zhang say that he may be spared the death penalty but will not escape punishment?"

"Send the Prefect of the Capital to the Jia family to arrest the man directly, and tell him to handle the matter impartially and without favoritism!"

Xia Li was startled and immediately sent someone to deliver the imperial decree to the Prefect of the Capital.

Gong Shangjiao bowed and accepted the order, "Yes, Your Majesty."

For Gong Yuanzheng, this was not a punishment, but a reward. He didn't like going out anyway, and now he could legitimately stay in the manor.

The manor at the palace gate is no ordinary manor; it spans several hills and has all the features of mountains, forests, and lakes.

Gong Shangjiao's thoughts wandered a bit. Looking at Yuanzheng and his younger brother and sister-in-law's loving relationship now, and how they hadn't left the house for a year, he wondered if he would have a cute little nephew by this time next year.

Gong Shangjiao couldn't help but smile. He liked both boys and girls, and it would be best if he had a boy and a girl.

The emperor noticed that Gong Shangjiao had suddenly smiled and was suspicious, but this was not the time to ask questions, so he looked at Imperial Censor Zhang.

"The Censorate is too idle these days, since you are receiving salaries from the court."

"It would be a waste of talent to only focus on these officials in the capital. Starting today, two censors will be left in the capital on a rotating basis."

"All other censors shall leave the capital to inspect officials and merchants in various regions."