Seeing Lin'an

Wang Zhenwen frowned slightly and replied in a deep voice, "Come in!"

He knew that his eldest daughter was sensible and wouldn't bother him at this time unless it was something important.

The study door opened, and Wang Simu stood in the doorway, bowing gracefully with perfect poise. "Father, Lord Xu has urgent business to discuss."

Thinking that the "Lord Xu" mentioned by Wang Simu was Xu Qi'an's Minister Sun and others, their eyes lit up and they became extremely interested.

Although this troublemaker is annoying, his ability and methods of causing trouble have long won the approval of the officials in the court.

What was Xu Qi'an's purpose in visiting the Prince's residence at this time?

Wang Zhenwen also perked up and said, "Please let him in."

Wang Simu turned his head to look to one side. A few seconds later, Xu Erlang, his face bruised and swollen, walked out from the side of the door, stepped over the threshold, and bowed, saying, "This humble official greets all my lords."

It turned out that Qian Qingshu and the others shook their heads.

Xu Cijiu is an exceptionally talented individual, with outstanding knowledge and courage, but compared to his elder brother, he is far inferior.

In their eyes, Xu Cijiu was an outstanding and promising junior. Xu Qi'an, on the other hand, was a formidable opponent.

The difference in scale is incomparable.

Disappointment flashed in Wang Zhenwen's eyes, but he quickly recovered and nodded, saying, "Lord Xu, what business do you have with me?"

Xu Xinnian pulled a stack of secret letters from his sleeve, strode to the table, and pushed them towards Chief Minister Wang: "These things will surely be useful to Your Excellency."

The chief minister glanced at it, picked it up casually, and after flipping through it, his gaze suddenly froze.

He quickly scanned the first secret letter and eagerly began to unfold the second and third.

After reading everything, the Chief Minister Wang remained seated, motionless, as if lost in thought or perhaps deep in contemplation.

Ministry of Justice Minister Sun of the Ministry of Justice and Grand Secretary Qian Qingshu exchanged a glance. The latter leaned forward slightly and tentatively asked, "Your Excellency, the Grand Secretary?"

The Minister of Personnel and others exchanged glances, realizing that these letters were no ordinary matter.

Chief Minister Wang tidied up the several confidential letters and handed them to Minister Sun, who was closest to him. Seeing Sun reach for them, he quickly instructed, "Be careful."

Minister Sun was taken aback, seemingly somewhat surprised. He nodded, then focused his attention on the letter and began to read it.

As he watched, he suddenly froze, his eyes widening slightly.

After a few seconds of silence, he suddenly began to hastily unfold the other letters, his movements rough and impatient. He noticed that the Prime Minister Wang raised his eyebrows, as if afraid that the old man would damage the letters.

Minister Sun's performance, however, aroused the curiosity and confusion of the other Grand Secretaries and Ministers.

I was eager to know what was written in the letter.

"Good, good! With these things, we can win over a large number of forces without having to concede any benefits. Didn't His Majesty want to investigate? Ha, even if he investigates until next year, he won't find anything."

Minister Sun sneered repeatedly.

"Let me see it."

The Minister of Personnel snatched the letter first, unfolded it, and after a dozen seconds, excitedly exclaimed "Wonderful!" three times.

"I considered gathering evidence of Yuan Xiong and his associates' crimes to retaliate, but there wasn't enough time, and they had already taken care of everything. That approach wouldn't work. This is exactly what happens when you're just about to doze off and someone offers you a pillow."

In the study, the bigwigs read through the letters one by one, their previous somber expressions replaced by excited smiles.

Wang Simu stood at the door, quietly watching this scene. She saw her father and uncles go from having solemn expressions to laughing heartily after reading the letter.

Although the letter belonged to Xu Qi'an, her father couldn't possibly ignore the favor Erlang had done by delivering it. She quietly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling increasingly confident about her future.

The Grand Secretary Wang retrieved the letters, placed them on the table, and then looked at Xu Erlang, asking gently, "Lord Xu, where did these letters come from?"

Minister Sun, Minister Xu, and several Grand Secretaries all looked at Xu Erlang.

Xu Erlang bowed and said, "To my elder brother."

As expected, Minister Sun's feelings were complicated, so complicated that even he himself didn't know how he felt. Without a doubt, he hated Xu Qi'an.

The grudge formed during the Sangbo case led to that brat repeatedly opposing him, the most outrageous being when he wrote a poem to vilify him, nailing him to the pillar of shame.

Yes, it wasn't kidnapping his son, it was writing poems to curse him.

According to the rules of officialdom, this was a fight to the death. In fact, Minister Sun also wished nothing more than to destroy him, and worked tirelessly toward that goal.

The massacre of Chuzhou was a turning point.

Some people are like that; you might wish they were dead, yet you can't help but feel genuine respect for them because of certain things they do.

Now, at this critical juncture for the Wang Party, Xu Qi'an has delivered something so important. If this item falls into their hands, the crisis will be averted.

This was a great favor, and Minister Sun simply couldn't refuse.

Qian Qingshu and the others were both surprised and unsurprised. These secret letters were left behind by the Duke of Cao, but who killed the Duke of Cao?

Their surprise stemmed from disbelief that Xu Qi'an would help them.

The Grand Secretary exhaled, his expression unchanged. "What does he want?"

Xu Erlang bowed and said, "Once the affairs of the court are resolved, my elder brother will pay you a visit in person."

The Prime Minister pondered for a few seconds, then nodded. "Alright."

At this moment, Wang Simu said softly, "Father, Erlang and his elder brother almost turned against each other in order to get these letters. The injuries on his face were inflicted by Xu Qi'an. Erlang just didn't take credit for it."

The chief minister was taken aback, scrutinizing Xu Erlang closely before his gaze softened.

Qian Qingshu and the others glanced at Xu Erlang, then turned to look at Wang Simu, their expressions quite strange.

They were all seasoned veterans of officialdom, and they immediately gleaned a great deal of information.

If Xu Qi'an is unwilling, Xu Cijiu will not be able to obtain it even if he risks his life. After retiring from officialdom, he consciously sought a backer for the Xu Household. Qian Qingshu felt a surge of warmth in his heart when he thought of this.

In his view, it was a good thing that Xu Qi'an was willing to extend an olive branch. Although he was Wei Yuan's confidant and Wei Yuan and the Wang faction were at odds, if the Wang faction needed Xu Qi'an's help, he would certainly not refuse based on their relationship with Xu Xinnian, and the two sides could achieve a certain degree of cooperation.

Xu Qi'an is a handy and useful tool.

After the Capital Evaluation, most officials in the imperial court shared a similar concept.

If Wang Dang can master this tool, it will surely be of great use in the future.

This young man is incredibly sharp-tongued. If we can support him, he'll be unbeatable in verbal battles in the future. Hmm, he seems to have an ambiguous relationship with my niece, Si Mu. Most importantly, by taking Xu Cijiu, we can use Xu Qi'an as a tool for our own purposes. Minister Xu of the Ministry of Personnel pondered.

The others had similar thoughts, quickly weighing the pros and cons and speculating about the relationship between Xu Xinnian and Wang Simu.

Chief Minister Wang coughed and said, "It's getting late. Let's distribute the secret letters and each make our own trips."

He didn't look at Xu Xinnian again.

Before dusk, Wang Simu saw Xu Xinnian off out of the capital, giving Xu Erlang a large amount of medicinal wine and powder for treating bruises and sprains. After returning home, he heard his elder brothers and mother talking in the hall.

Wang Erge said in a rather relaxed tone, "Father and the uncles seem to have a plan. I saw them leave with light steps and their brows were no longer furrowed. I chased after them to ask, and Uncle Qian said there was nothing to worry about."

Brother Wang laughed and said, "Father even specifically asked the housekeeper to inform the kitchen to make fried pork for dinner. He hasn't had this dish in a long time because he's trying to stay healthy."

Wang Erge clapped his hands. "This shows that Father's worries are gone and he feels completely relaxed."

Madam Wang, listening nearby, also smiled, "Simu is right. Your father has seen all kinds of storms, so don't worry."

Seeing Wang Simu enter, Wang Erge smiled and said, "Little sister, Father just left the manor. I have good news for you: Uncle Qian says he's found a way to break the deadlock."

He paused for a moment, then said, "What about that kid? Second Brother wants to take this opportunity to test him and see if he can share hardships. Take me to him, and I'll tell him that the Prince's Mansion has suffered a great calamity and the future is bleak. Let's see how he reacts to you."

He was speaking enthusiastically when Wang Simu coldly interrupted, "Compared to my second brother, who only knows how to boast here, he's far superior."

Brother Wang glared at her. "Little sister, how dare you talk like that?"

Brother Wang was in a good mood and happy to flatter his younger brother, smiling slightly:

"The scholars at the Cloud Deer Academy are trustworthy in character. However, your second brother means well; if he wants to try, then let him try."

Wang Simu pursed his lips, sat down, took a sip of tea, and slowly said, "The solution that Father and my uncles came up with is evidence of the corruption and bribery of several high-ranking officials in the court."

"How did you know?" Brother Wang was taken aback.

"Because this was brought by Xu Erlang, and he paid a huge price for it." Wang Simu felt both sweet and heartbroken.

"That's what Xu Erlang brought," Wang Erge murmured.

"This... this is a substantial sum of money, and he just gave it up like that?" Brother Wang murmured.

Looking at her two sons' expressions, Madam Wang realized that the young man from the Xu Household, whom her daughter had taken a liking to, had made a significant contribution to this matter.

Over the next three days, undercurrents surged in the capital's officialdom. Initially, the neutral faction watched coldly as the royal party suffered oppression from the imperial power, causing widespread anxiety among its members. Meanwhile, the "imperial power party," represented by Yuan Xiong and Qin Yuandao, was sharpening its knives.

However, as events unfolded, the Court of Judicial Review initially chose to side with the Wang faction, joining forces with the Ministry of Justice to whitewash imprisoned Wang faction officials, thus engaging in a tug-of-war with the Censorate.

Subsequently, many officials from the Six Ministries defected, impeaching Qin Yuandao and Yuan Xiong for forming cliques, abusing their power, and so on. The flames of war suddenly turned against the two men.

Following this, several powerful figures within the nobility group also submitted memorials impeaching Yuan Xiong and Qin Yuandao.

In a short period of time, various factions jumped out to protect Wang's faction, while the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review were stuck with "officials convicted of crimes by Wang's faction" and could not get any results, thus thwarting Yuan Xiong and others' subsequent plans.

The investigation yielded no results, and impeachment memorials rained down in the court. Rumors began to circulate in official circles that Emperor Yuanjing was going to settle scores later, and that all those who had forced him to issue an edict of self-reproach would be punished.

People were in turmoil, and rumors spread like wildfire.

This wasn't the end of it. The Six Supervising Secretaries and the censors led by Zhang Xingying, like sharks smelling blood, excitedly submitted memorials impeaching Emperor Yuanjing for being narrow-minded and vengeful, damaging the dignity of the imperial family and the emperor's authority.

The happiest thing for censors was to find fault with the emperor and then write memorials criticizing him. This showed that they were loyal ministers, and at the same time, they could quickly become famous and gain prestige in official circles and among scholars.

On the fifth day, after Emperor Yuanjing flew into a rage in his palace, he called a halt to the matter and released the imprisoned members of the royal faction.

Yuan Xiong was demoted to Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, and Liu Hong, the former Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, succeeded him.

Qin Yuandao, the Vice Minister of War, was so angry that he took to his bed.

On this day of rest, the Crown Prince, who had been observing the changes in the court from the sidelines, eagerly summoned Minister Xu of the Ministry of Personnel under the pretext of admiring the flowers.

In the East Palace, in the garden.

The Crown Prince sat in the pavilion, took a sip of wine, and asked, "The changes in the court these past few days have been astonishing. I still don't understand them. I request Minister Xu to enlighten me."

Minister Xu of the Ministry of Personnel is both a member of the royal party and a supporter of the crown prince, so summoning him is the most appropriate thing to do.

Minister Xu, dressed in casual clothes, felt a pleasant smile as he enjoyed the cool breeze and faint floral fragrance in the garden:

"There's nothing particularly mysterious about this matter. A while ago, Xu Xinnian, a junior compiler in the Hanlin Academy, sent over several secret letters, left by the Duke of Cao."

He immediately told the Crown Prince the whole story.

The crown prince's breathing quickened slightly as he pressed, "Where are the secret letters? Are there more? There must be more. Duke Cao has held power for many years; it's impossible that he only has a few."

If he could obtain those secret letters, his power would greatly increase, and his position as crown prince would become even more secure.

"I think so too, it's a pity that Xu Qi'an is Wei Yuan's man." Minister Xu smiled and didn't continue.

The crown prince suddenly had a bright idea: just because the royalists couldn't get it didn't mean he couldn't.

Looking back now, the letter from Lin'an did serve its purpose; otherwise, why would Xu Qi'an have gone through his cousin to deliver the secret letter to Chief Minister Wang?

Xu Qi'an didn't reply to the letter to avoid suspicion, given his sensitive status.

I need to go to Shaoyin Palace and have Lin'an try to contact Xu Qi'an to sound him out. Maybe we can get more secret letters from him. The Crown Prince felt that the wine was bland and his backside was like sitting on pins and needles.

He patiently spoke with Minister Xu for a while longer before sending the man out of the palace.

He immediately changed course and went to Shaoyin Palace.

Shaoyin Palace.

After lunch, Lin'an took a nap. Wearing only a light shirt, she sat up and lazily stretched her waist.

In the sweltering summer heat, with only light clothing, she could hardly be described as having a grand vision, though her scale was actually quite large. However, compared to Huaiqing, it was just a story of a broken cup.

When she stretched her waist, a small section of her fair and slender waist was revealed.

Her waist has a beautiful, slender curve, and her two dimples are sexy and cute.

After being dressed in an elaborate and beautiful palace dress by the help of palace maids, rinsed her mouth with tea, and washed her face, Lin'an sat in the pavilion, waving a beautiful fan, lost in thought.

The personal maid who had been patted on the buttocks by Xu Qi'an was reading aloud from a storybook. Taking a breather, she secretly glanced at the princess.

Compared to his melancholy a few days ago, His Highness has recovered a lot recently, but he is still somewhat listless.

"Tell me, if the young lady in the book wasn't from a wealthy family, would that poor scholar still like her?" Lin'an asked abruptly, gently fanning himself and gazing into the distance.

The palace maid thought for a moment and said, "Probably, after all, the scholar eloped with her."

Lin'an shook his head and said softly, "But someone told me that the scholar deliberately eloped with a rich girl so that he wouldn't have to pay an exorbitant dowry and could marry a beautiful wife. A truly responsible man shouldn't do that."

The palace maid asked, "Then what should we do?"

Lin'an raised her head, and said with a touch of sadness, "I don't know either. I used to think it was him."

At this moment, a guard came in from outside, stopped a short distance away, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Your Highness, Xu Xinnian, a junior compiler in the Hanlin Academy, requests an audience."

Lin'an was taken aback for a moment, then it took her a few seconds to remember that Xu Xinnian was that man's cousin. She frowned slightly; she had no connection with that scholar-official, so what could he possibly want to see her about?

After a few seconds of hesitation, he said, "Go and bring him to the palace."

A quarter of an hour later, Xu Qi'an, dressed in a sky-blue brocade robe, wearing cloud-patterned boots, with his hair tied up in a golden crown, disguised as a younger brother, entered the reception hall with the guards of Shaoyin Palace.

The woman sat upright behind the table, her back straight, looking very serious. She instructed a palace maid to serve tea and said in a calm tone, "What brings Lord Xu to see me?"

PS: This is from yesterday, I've typed it out. I'll fix the typos tomorrow, time for bed.