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

After the grand court assembly began, civil and military officials either submitted their reports or simply watched the spectacle.

The case covered everything from people's livelihood and economy to taxes and criminal cases, but the old emperor found it rather uninteresting.

It's all the same old stuff, nothing more than a few rebellious sons vying for power. Instead of listening to their nonsense, we should wait for the results of the investigation by the secret guards and Xiao Yuan.

The current political landscape is largely set. Important military generals are still largely controlled by the old emperor and are staunch royalists, while most civil officials have already chosen sides.

The Crown Prince's faction, the Second Prince's faction, the Third Prince's faction, and even the princes who had not yet entered the court all had supporters.

The old emperor always knew this but didn't do much to suppress it. He would only intervene to maintain the balance when a certain prince had too many supporters.

Today's court proceedings were not much different from usual. The old emperor, growing weary of the proceedings, suddenly wanted to stir things up, and so he smiled at the Left Chancellor and said...

"I heard that yesterday, you didn't even get to drink at your own disciple's wedding because you were busy congratulating Xiao Aiqing."

How come I didn't know that my two beloved ministers had become so close?

However, while we may enjoy the wedding banquet, how could you, my dear minister, decide to change the brides on both sides?

"Look how aggrieved my chief supervisor is; he came to the palace to complain before dawn."

From the moment Zhang Zhongyi saw Xiao Yuan following the emperor to court, he knew that the guy had already made a false accusation, and it was obvious that the old emperor didn't care that the marriage he had arranged hadn't taken place.

It seems he can't submit the memorial he has.

The Emperor is currently treating this matter as a joke. If he were to take it too seriously and impeach Xiao Yuan, it would likely annoy the Emperor.

Thinking of this, Zhang Zhongyi quickly bowed.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. This old minister has never seen such a strange thing before in all my years of life. I was completely dumbfounded at the time."

On one hand, there was the marriage contract, and on the other hand, the wedding ceremony had already taken place. The old minister thought that heaven and earth could not be deceived, and in a moment of confusion, he told Miss Jiang that the wedding ceremony should be the standard.

As for arranging to switch the marriage between the two families, I would never dare to do that; this old minister has long regretted speaking out of turn.

After Zhang Zhongyi finished speaking, he wiped his forehead, looking terrified, which made the old emperor burst into laughter.

“Minister Zhang is the tutor of the Crown Prince who achieved the highest rank in the imperial examinations. Even a young lady in her boudoir knows to seek your advice, which shows that your reputation for virtue is widespread.”

Since that's the case, tell me, how should this matter be resolved?

Minister Xiao has come to me to complain, saying that this marriage exchange was not a natural disaster but a man-made one.

Someone deliberately replaced the wife who was arranged for me to marry.

Is the son of the Duke of Ningguo your disciple?

I heard that Xiao Aiqing has just completed the wedding ceremony and they've already entered the bridal chamber?

What a coincidence! Could this arranged marriage be his idea?

Zhang Zhongyi quickly bowed and protested his innocence, saying, "Your Majesty, my disciple has always been well-behaved."

The marriage to the Jiang family girl was arranged since childhood, so how could she possibly plan such a thing?

This old minister is not afraid of being accused of having a petty mind by you gentlemen.

In my humble opinion, if someone is indeed plotting to exchange wives, then Governor Xiao is the most likely suspect.

Your Majesty may not know this, but the eldest daughter of the Jiang family has a very generous dowry that far surpasses that of the Li family's daughter.

Furthermore, the Jiang family daughter also wins in terms of her father's official position; it's possible that Governor Xiao has some ulterior motives.

In fact, Zhang Zhongyi also wanted to say that the Jiang family's daughter was prettier than the Li family's daughter, but as a great Confucian scholar, he was afraid that talking about a woman's appearance would be criticized, so he could only start with her family background.

The old emperor always loved watching the drama unfold.

Even though she knew perfectly well that Xiao Yuan wouldn't go to such lengths for a little dowry money, she still feigned displeasure and said...

"Xiao Yuan, I think what Minister Zhang said makes a lot of sense. Do you have any objections?"

"So you disliked the matchmaker I recommended, so you orchestrated this?"

Xiao Yuan quickly went around to the front of the hall and knelt down.

"This servant dares not presume, but thanks to Your Majesty's matchmaking, this servant is deeply grateful."

To put it bluntly, if this servant were truly dissatisfied with the Li family's daughter, there would naturally be plenty of ways to prevent this marriage from taking place; there's no need to go to such lengths to pull this stunt.

As for the Left Prime Minister's claim that he was after the dowry, that's utter nonsense.

Not to mention that a woman's dowry is something her husband's family can't touch, even if they could, it would be completely unnecessary for the servants.

A servant has no parents or relatives to rely on, nor can he have any children to support.

My adoptive father left behind a considerable fortune after his death, and His Majesty has been very kind and often bestows rewards upon me. I would never stoop to coveting a woman's dowry.

It was the Left Prime Minister who first thought of exchanging dowry money for a marriage alliance, but what information did Prince Zhao reveal?

Zhang Zhongyi never expected that Xiao Yuan would change his temperament today. In the past, Xiao Yuan always relied on evidence in such matters.

Last night, his men repeatedly ran into obstacles and fled after the Eastern Depot's agents. By all accounts, Xiao Yuan should have obtained the evidence.

But none of this matters.

Unable to sleep at night, Zhang Zhongyi reviewed the events and was able to basically conclude that the matter had nothing to do with the two grooms.

Although the eldest daughter of the Jiang family acted strangely, she was probably unaware of the situation.

After all, no woman would abandon a promising young master to marry an old eunuch.

Based on the principle that whoever benefits has the motive, this is almost certainly the work of the Li family.

Zhang Zhongyi was able to survive under the old emperor for so many years because he understood righteousness, and there was a certain tacit understanding between the emperor and his subject.

The old man knew that the emperor's involvement in this matter in court wasn't about seeking any particular outcome; he was simply bored and looking for some amusement.

Since that was the case, he couldn't reveal the answer directly and spoil the emperor's mood. Instead, he started arguing with Xiao Yuan, their arguments going head-to-head.

The Duke of Ningguo was bedridden for many years and never attended court, so Zhao Chengye was not qualified to meet the emperor.

Since that's the case, he, as the teacher, naturally has to step in.

Xiao Yuan was always decisive and disliked idle talk, so he was naturally no match for Zhang Zhongyi in terms of verbal skills.

But now he's learned his lesson. He only brings up the fact that Zhao Chengye was the first to consummate the marriage, which prevented them from getting their marriage back, making it sound like a wronged subject begging His Majesty to make the decision.

The court officials looked at each other, all thinking that Chief Supervisor Xiao had taken the wrong medicine today; this living devil was not usually like this.

Given the efficiency of the Eastern Depot, one night would be enough to gather evidence. Shouldn't they have released a few documents and confessions to reveal the truth?

The Left Prime Minister was also somewhat puzzled.

Although Prince Zhao is his favorite student, he is not his only disciple. Isn't it too much for him to argue with Xiao Yuan in front of His Majesty for a student who hasn't even entered the court yet?

Is Zhao Chengye really so highly regarded by the Left Chancellor?

impossible!

There are no truly stupid people standing in this court; even those who are incompetent at handling affairs understand human relationships to some extent.

If the Left Prime Minister truly values ​​Zhao Chengye, their relationship wouldn't be limited to that of master and disciple. Even if Zhao Chengye is engaged and he can't marry his daughter to him, he would still agree to a marriage alliance with the Zhao family.

It is said that Zhao Chengye has two younger sisters, one legitimate and one illegitimate, who are still unmarried. The Left Prime Minister's family has more than ten illegitimate sons, nephews, and cousins, so there is no doubt that they can all find a suitable match.

Because of the saying that "nine generations of a family are implicated in a crime," kinship ties were extremely important in officialdom.

Since even the Left Prime Minister is unwilling to give up a marriage alliance, it proves that the Ningguo Duke's Mansion and Zhao Chengye are not that valuable.

If that's the case, why is the Left Chancellor so protective of Zhao Chengye?

I can't figure it out. I can't figure it out.

When Xiao Yuan killed one of the Left Prime Minister's nephews, he said he would consider it carefully and endured it. Why did he suddenly explode this time?

Is it time to stop tolerating when all patience has been exhausted?

So, should they also take this opportunity to impeach Xiao Yuan?