A lazy bum transmigrates and marries a eunuch – it's awesome!

The old man who stepped forward wore a dark blue robe, had a white face and a long beard, and looked all smiles and had a good temper.

But everyone present knew that this Left Prime Minister was not someone to be trifled with.

The name is Zhongyi (忠义), but no one dares to say whether it is loyal or not, but it has nothing to do with the word "righteousness" (义).

He challenged Xiao Yuan to a duel that implicated countless officials, and afterwards, all he did was shed a few tears and send some money to the families.

The family members, unaware of the truth, were deeply moved, but in reality, those people were nothing more than stepping stones and scapegoats for the Left Prime Minister.

It would be better if Xiao Yuan could be brought down; if not, someone else will lose their life.

This old man is slippery and adept at using others to do his dirty work. Even the military group that also dislikes Xiao Yuan is ashamed to associate with him.

Yet this very person, with such a depraved character, not only achieved the highest rank in the imperial examinations and possessed profound knowledge, but also cultivated a reputation for virtue among scholars.

He was a hypocrite, spouting righteous words, which fooled many naive young men into becoming loyal to him.

Needless to say, this silly scholar today was probably the old man's doing.

It seems there are too many scammers and not enough fools to go around.

As it became increasingly difficult to manipulate officials in the court, an unworldly scholar was chosen for this trivial matter.

Today's situation is perfectly clear.

If Xiao Yuan didn't kill the scholar, he would lose his prestige and it would be tantamount to encouraging this kind of evil trend.

Who knows, this might embolden those civil officials, making them prone to making snide remarks and complaints at any time.

If they were to punish him, they could add another charge of arrogance and disregard for human life, and use that as a pretext to incite the scholar's classmates to launch a campaign against the Eastern Depot.

Although neither of these situations has a significant impact on Xiao Yuan at the moment, they are still quite unpleasant.

For Zhang Zhongyi, the best outcome is to harm others for personal gain, and he's happy even if it's just watching the spectacle.

Anyway, he didn't suffer any loss.

Public opinion is something that needs to be accumulated. A small matter here and there, a few idle words there, can ignite a blaze with the right trigger.

Xiao Yuan was highly trusted by the emperor, and they could only gradually crumble like sand forming a tower.

That foolish scholar thought the Left Prime Minister valued him highly, but in reality, the old man was able to remember his name because he had a photographic memory.

People don't care about him at all.

The reason they're stepping forward now is simply because they don't want this show to end so soon.

Zhang Zhongyi's intentions were not only guessed by Xiao Yuan, but also seen by many astute ministers.

Even Jiang Xinyu understood what the old man wanted to do after hearing others call him the Left Prime Minister.

It's nothing more than having a grudge against Xiao Yuan, so he tried to annoy people during Xiao Yuan's wedding.

She did have a good impression of this Left Prime Minister; he seemed to be Zhao Chengye's teacher.

In the original book, Zhao Chengye's success was largely due to the old man's promotion, but it was unexpected that he had a grudge against Xiao Yuan.

This part is not described in the original book. It only says that Xiao Yuan was humiliated and beaten to death on his wedding day, which caused a very unpleasant situation.

After the banquet, he hurriedly returned to the palace to continue his duties, and rarely returned to his residence afterward.

Therefore, Li Mingyue, who married into the family, was quite free. She was even able to visit Jiang Wanqiu frequently when she married into the Ningguo Duke's Mansion, which led to her having an affair with Zhao Chengye.

Later, at Zhao Chengye's behest, he framed Xiao Yuan, causing this powerful eunuch to meet a tragic end.

Thinking of this, Jiang Xinyu suddenly had a thought.

Although she was confident that Xiao Yuan wouldn't send her back, what if Zhao Chengye was shameless and only cared about money?

If Xiao Yuan leaves in a hurry today, and Zhao Chengye finds out in the bridal chamber that he married Li Mingyue instead of her, would he want to switch them back for the sake of a dowry of several hundred thousand taels?

Xiao Yuan didn't care who he married, but if Zhao Chengye said that Li Mingyue disliked the Grand Eunuch and therefore plotted to change the bride...

Damn, given Xiao Yuan's vengeful nature, he'll most likely bring the person back to vent his anger.

You look down on me and want to arrange a marriage, huh? Well, I'll make sure you don't get your way.

Jiang Xinyu felt a sudden panic at the thought.

Historically, no head eunuch has ever been particularly cunning, so this situation could indeed be true.

If that's the case, then wouldn't all her plans have come to naught?

No, she had to make it public that she and Xiao Yuan had married.

Zhao Chengye valued his reputation above all else. Even if he was reluctant to part with the dowry, he would never dare to ask her back after she had already completed her wedding ceremony with the eunuch, despite the gossip and criticism.

Jiang Xinyu silently cheered herself up.

For the sake of a comfortable life in the future, for the sake of having money, leisure, and no husband in the future, she has to give it her all today.

The Left Prime Minister, as expected of a scholar who passed the imperial examinations three times, displayed remarkable literary talent, quoting classical texts with great clarity and eloquence, and mocked Xiao Yuan for his narrow-mindedness and abuse of power.

This scholar was just drunk and spoke a few truths; even if his words were unpleasant, it was at most a verbal argument.

Street women argue and use even more offensive language than this; are they all going to be thrown in jail?

As the sage said, "One should be lenient when one can be lenient." How can a man be so narrow-minded?

Even if you're narrow-minded and want to argue with him, he only scolded you a few times and said some unpleasant things. If you're unhappy, just scold him back.

Or you could just beat him up to vent your anger, but throwing him in jail is really making a mountain out of a molehill.

This statement sounds reasonable at first glance, but it's actually a case of feigning ignorance when one knows the truth.

The saying that princes should be punished the same as commoners is just a saying; it has never actually been applied throughout history.

It is only right and proper for superiors to reprimand subordinates, but for the poor to insult officials is an act of insubordination.

No one has ever publicly stated this rule, but everyone has been living this way for hundreds of years.

If it were truly a case of the emperor being subject to the same laws as commoners, why didn't the entire court utter a single word when the emperor killed so many innocent people?

Xiao Yuan looked at Zhang Zhongyi and smiled coldly, "Is the Left Prime Minister determined to protect this madman?"

Don't forget, this marriage was arranged by the Emperor himself. Are you protecting this troublemaker because you have some grievance against His Majesty?

Zhang Zhongyi was not intimidated by Xiao Yuan's grand accusation at all, and stroked his beard with a light laugh.

"Chief Supervisor Xiao, what are you saying? I'm just stating the facts."

His Majesty's compassion for the lonely and destitute Governor Xiao and his act of arranging a marriage for you is a benevolent act. I am truly fortunate to serve such a kind and wise ruler.

Therefore, we, as subjects, should be even more benevolent and magnanimous, repaying evil with good.

Only then can we live up to the Emperor's grace!

Zhang Zhongyi spoke those last words with such fervor that his voice rose eight octaves, perfectly embodying the essence of empty rhetoric and grandiosity.

Everyone felt nauseous listening to him, but the officials still had to imitate him, bowing to the heavens and muttering that they had not failed the emperor's grace.

His elaborate scheme put Xiao Yuan in a very difficult position, as if not forgiving the scholar would be tantamount to going against the emperor.

Xiao Yuan took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and thought, "Fine, let this madman live one more night."

It is never too late for a gentleman to take revenge.

How many people have bullied him since the day he entered the palace? But how many of them are still alive now?

The longest he survived was ten years before being killed; now he's just staying for one more night.

He can afford to wait.

Just as Xiao Yuan was about to swallow his anger and end the farce quickly, a strange wail suddenly broke the tense atmosphere.

Those who can stand in this wedding hall are all people of some standing.

Civil officials, at worst, spent ten years studying diligently, while military generals all came from aristocratic families.

Not to mention the guests, even the maids and servants who served them were the best in their respective fields.

On this occasion, even third- or fourth-class maids are not qualified to serve here.

Even though these people were all well-traveled and knowledgeable, they had never seen anything like this before, and the beads were about to fall off.

Xiao Yuan frowned deeply, his expression unreadable.

It was just a marriage ceremony to appease the old emperor, yet these "surprises" kept coming one after another.

He wanted to see just how many monsters and demons he could unearth today.