Reporting to the Emperor
Upon hearing Ma Sheng say that he followed the trail of the gambling addict who set a trap for Granny Wang's son at the casino, and traced it all the way to Princess Pingyang Princess Pingyang, and then discovered that Madam Dong Pingyang had recently been provoked by her husband's cousin, Madam Dong, whose son was a student at the Imperial Academy and was also taking the imperial examinations this year, with a high chance of passing with top honors, and that Madam Dong had even met Princess Xiangyang, the Imperial Guards's lips twitched. The consequences of exposure were serious. Princess Pingyang had been very careful in doing this; the phrase "following the trail" had led her to Madam Dong and Princess Xiangyang, and who knows how much manpower, money, and resources had been spent, all of which Ma Sheng had found out.
I have to say, this guy in front of me is incredibly skilled, and a ruthless one at that.
He patted Ma Sheng on the shoulder and asked, "Brother, are you interested in working for us? With your abilities, staying in the Earl of Suiping's Residence is a waste of your talent."
"Hahaha, sir, you must be joking. How could a servant like me be allowed to join the Imperial Guard? Besides, my young lady has been incredibly kind to me, and I'm doing a great job here. I have absolutely no intention of switching masters," Ma Sheng laughed.
The Imperial Guards said nothing and led his men away.
They naturally needed to verify Ma Sheng's account further. But with a clear direction and investigative approach, the matter wouldn't be too simple. Of course, they also had ways to corroborate whether Ma Sheng intentionally led them in this direction.
Just one day later, the Imperial Guards reported the results of their investigation to Xiao Ge.
Xiao Ge was taken aback and asked, "You found out so quickly?" Was the person who did this exceptionally stupid? So stupid that it was so easy for them to find out?
The Imperial Guards didn't take credit, but recounted Ma Sheng's story and then reported, "We've verified it; the matter is exactly as Ma Sheng described, and the traces of Ma Sheng investigation are there. However, there are some hidden details we don't know how Ma Sheng uncovered. It took us quite a bit of effort to confirm them."
He added, "My subordinate even joked with Ma Sheng, saying that with such abilities, he should come and serve in the Imperial Guard."
Everyone has their own methods and abilities, so neither Xiao Ge nor the Imperial Guards had any doubts.
Xiao Ge asked curiously, "So what was his answer?"
He said that Miss Zhiwei had given him a second life, and he had no intention of switching masters.
Xiao Ge shook his head and smiled, "It's clear that Zhiwei is very capable; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to keep such a talented person by his side."
He lowered his head and began to peruse the memorial in his hand.
The memorial described the affairs of Princess Pingyang and Madam Dong, but made no mention of Princess Xiangyang.
The Imperial Guards were unaware of the Emperor's attitude towards Princess Xiangyang.
After a long silence, Xiao Ge instructed the official drafting the imperial edict, "Draft the edict: For disrupting the Princess Pingyang is stripped of her title, demoted to commoner, given thirty strokes of the cane, and expelled from the capital; Lady Dong, wife of the Hanlin Academy lecturer Song Chengfang, is given twenty strokes of the cane and exiled five hundred li; Song Chengfang is dismissed from his official post for failing to properly manage his household; his son Song Qinghe's eligibility for this imperial examination is invalid, and he is barred from taking the examinations for ten years."
"Yes, Your Majesty," the official who drafted the decree replied, sighing inwardly for Song Qinghe.
The officials drafting the imperial edicts in the hall were from the Hanlin Academy, and they were all acquainted with Song Chengfang. They had also met Song Qinghe, who was highly learned.
The situation has escalated to this point, and Princess Pingyang is to blame for her own actions; however, Song Chengfang is entirely due to his lax household management and his favoritism towards his concubine over his wife.
Song Chengfang's eldest son Song Qinghe, was the top scholar in the previous provincial examination. He had excellent grades at the Imperial Academy and was highly regarded by his teachers, who believed he could become the top scholar in the imperial examination. However, after Zhao Ruxi became the top scholar, the situation changed. In particular, Zhao Ruxi's essays were repeatedly praised by her teachers, who even told Song Qinghe to learn from her.
Song Qinghe was already somewhat chauvinistic and looked down on women. He felt that Zhao Ruxi, being a woman, was wrong to take his resources. Now that Zhao Ruxi was not only participating in the imperial examination but was also better than him, he felt that his position as the top scholar was in jeopardy. Therefore, he often complained to his mother, Lady Dong, when he returned home.
Lady Dong was neglected by her husband and bullied by his concubines for many years, which made her temperament extreme. She was the cousin of Princess Pingyang's husband and knew that Princess Pingyang harbored deep resentment towards Zhao Ruxi. So she went to Princess Pingyang and stirred things up, which led to the poisoning incident.
All three members of Song Chengfang's family were punished, and it can be said that none of them were unjustly punished.
Of course, this was what the official drafting the decree was thinking.
Just as he was feeling sorry for Song Chengfang, the Imperial Guards said again, "Your Majesty, if we investigate further, I have found some more information."
"Oh?" Xiao Ge understood.
He knew things wouldn't be that simple.
Princess Pingyang, having managed the Capital Women's Academy for Consort Jin for so many years, is definitely not a fool. Her previous mishap was simply due to underestimating Zhao Ruxi; she was far too careless. Now that she knows disrupting the imperial examinations is a serious crime, how could she possibly do something so foolish again?
"Who is behind the Lady Dong?" he asked.
"I have only found some information, but it has not been confirmed yet," the Imperial Guards said.
He wouldn't bring something to the Emperor's ears that wasn't confirmed; now that he'd said it, it was confirmed. He was just testing the waters, unsure of the Emperor's attitude, and also giving the Emperor a way out.
Xiao Ge knew this too, and he asked, "Never mind whether the evidence is verified or not, just tell me."
"It is Princess Xiangyang," the Imperial Guards said, bowing his head.
Xiao Ge fell silent.
After a long pause, he finally said, "Investigate, keep investigating. See if Consort Jin or Prince of Ming are behind Xiangyang."
The title "Xiao Lingheng" was bestowed upon the Third Prince, Xiao Prince of Ming. When this title was initially granted, Xiao Ge was already somewhat dissatisfied with him, so he hoped that Xiao Lingheng could distinguish right from wrong and know what he could and could not do.
However, judging from the Prince of Ming's actions during this period, it seems that he has completely failed to live up to his initial earnest admonitions.
"Yes." Seeing that Xiao Ge had no further instructions, the Imperial Guards withdrew.
After staring at the memorial in front of him for a while, Xiao Ge threw it aside forcefully, startling the eunuchs and palace maids in the hall so much that they dared not even breathe.
At this moment, a eunuch entered the hall to report, "Your Majesty, Minister of Ministry of Revenue Qi Xugu requests an audience."
Xiao Ge didn't speak, but closed his eyes to calm himself before opening them and saying, "Summon."
A short while later, Qi Xugu entered the main hall, bowed to Xiao Ge, and reported on the grain statistics.
Last winter, the border wars led to the mobilization of large quantities of grain and fodder from various regions. Now, as the lean season approaches, food shortages are beginning to occur in various places, and the Ministry of Revenue is conducting a macro-level allocation after compiling statistics.
After reporting on the situation in various regions, Qi Xugu said, "In previous years, Guo Jitong responsible for calculating these accounts. This year, the situation is more complicated than before, and the Ministry of Revenue is really stretched thin. Now that the provincial examination has ended, I would like to invite the Layperson Zhiwei to come to the Ministry of Revenue for a few days to help with the accounts. What do you think?"