Grace had become wary of Aunt Ning, so when Aunt Ning said she would consider it, Grace wasn't sure if it was just a stalling tactic. She instructed those around her to keep an eye on Mei Yingzhai to understand their intentions.
Then she had someone send a letter to Empress Dowager Lu, claiming she was ill, essentially asking her not to summon her anytime soon to avoid meeting the Emperor in the palace.
After enduring the intense pain of her injuries last night, Grace felt that everything around her had collapsed, and the pain had subsided significantly. She could move normally now without any problems and had the leisure to pay attention to the developments in the Xu family's situation.
On that day, Zhao Ying and the matchmaker went to the Xu family and didn't return until dusk. It was unclear what was discussed, but the attendants who accompanied them brought back news of Xu Chong being beaten badly and his younger sister, who indeed existed, being sent out of the capital.
Then trouble found Fang Qu.
With such big news, Fang Qu returned home looking disheveled that day. How could the Fang family not be alarmed?
Fang Qu's father, Barry, or rather the Fang family, had been mentioned in the original novel. The Fang family was known for its scholarly background, with four generations of scholars. Although they hadn't produced any famous officials, their upright family reputation was well-known.
During the time when Empress Dowager Lu helped the late Emperor secure his throne, the Fang family had provided assistance. So when Barry passed the imperial examination with much effort, the late Emperor immediately granted him a position in the capital. Over the years, Barry had been diligent and upright, making no significant achievements but also never making any mistakes. As the head of the family, he demanded strict discipline from his relatives.
Fang Qu knelt outside his father's study with a cane in hand before Barry returned. Unfortunately, Barry had been busy lately due to a large embezzlement case involving Shi En, which implicated the Ministry of Revenue. When he heard about the incident upon returning home, although he knew Fang Qu wasn't entirely to blame, he still took the cane and punished him before ordering him to reflect in seclusion.
Fang Qu had nothing to do with Grace, so if she heard about it, she would just let it pass and continue her studies as usual.
However, Barry's reason for punishing Fang Qu was not only because he shouldn't have been involved in a brawl outside but also because he had gotten himself entangled in the disputes involving Grace and others.
Currently, due to the Shi En case, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor were at odds. Many veteran officials in the court had not taken a stand, but the Marquis of Qingyun chose to support the Emperor in punishing Shi En. Barry didn't want to get involved in the palace struggle, so it was best for Fang Qu to stay away from Grace and her associates.
But trouble was never far away.
During the morning court, many proposed to fill the vacancy of the Left Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites. Only the Marquis of Qingyun suggested postponing the discussion until Shi En's guilt was confirmed. Then someone requested the Ministry of Revenue to state the source of Shi En's embezzled funds as conclusive evidence of his guilt.
After the court adjourned, the Emperor summoned the Minister of Revenue, He Sheng, to his study.
"Shi En has not confessed yet, but the petition for the vacancy has already been submitted. Isn't this a bit too hasty?" The Emperor's tone remained calm as always behind the imperial desk.
He Sheng, with his gray beard, came from a prestigious family in Yanjing. He bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, the petition for filling the vacancy of the Left Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites has been anticipated for a while now. It was only a matter of time before someone raised it today. However, I assure you that this matter has nothing to do with the Ministry of Revenue."
The Emperor raised an eyebrow. "If you had known about it earlier, why didn't you inform me?"
"This matter has nothing to do with the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue, so I didn't want to disturb Your Majesty."
Barry lifted his eyes and saw the Emperor's gaze shift towards him, so he lowered his head.
"Bryan manages the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The accounts of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for this spring have not been submitted yet. When will they be ready?"
Bryan hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, they are already prepared. After double-checking, they will be submitted soon."
Although Bryan kept his eyes on the ground, he felt a burning sensation on the top of his head, as if under a strong light.
Although the Emperor was still young, he exuded an air of calm authority from childhood. After ascending to the throne, this aura became even more natural to him.
In the midst of this awkward situation, the eunuch Bert entered the room with a letter. After a glance at the contents, the Emperor spoke without raising his head, "You may all leave."
Barry breathed a sigh of relief.
He deliberately lagged behind when leaving the palace. Unexpectedly, he found He Sheng waiting for him at Donghuamen Gate.
"Barry, Shi En's guilt is undeniable. Once he's in prison, there's no chance of him getting out. The reason the Emperor asked was probably just to avoid embarrassment in front of the Empress Dowager.
"Because of the Flower Moon Association, many national policies have not been smoothly implemented in recent years. The Emperor probably wants to get rid of Shi En more than anyone else at this time. So whether the Emperor believes it or not, as long as we follow his wishes, we won't go wrong. The accounts of the Ministry of Internal Affairs still need to be submitted as soon as possible."
Barry raised his head slightly. "But Shi En has been serving in the imperial court for so many years. If he dared to embezzle such a large sum of money, he should have had a backup plan. Why do all the embezzlements shown on the evidence happen only in the past two years? He embezzled such a large sum of money, but he was exposed so quickly. Isn't there a possibility of being framed?"
He Sheng clasped his hands together. "These are all just speculations. And even if speculations are useful, why do we need evidence?"
Barry remained silent.
"Alright, just do your duty and don't cause any trouble."
He Sheng glanced at him deeply before striding out of the palace.
Barry stood still for a long time before lifting his heavy feet.
Bert, behind the pillars, waited until he couldn't see Barry's figure outside the door before turning and walking towards the study...
The Marquis of Qingyun emerged from Qiyu Courtyard, sat for a while in his room, then got up and entered the palace.
The Emperor, having heard Bert's report, was still sitting in Qingqing Palace.
He put down the memorial in his hand and placed several bundles of herbs in front of the Marquis of Qingyun. "Can you see anything wrong with these herbs?"
Qingyun Marquis wasn't a doctor, so he wasn't quite familiar with medicinal herbs. Nonetheless, he picked it up and gave it a sniff, then wrinkled his nose: "The scent seems somewhat off."
"Different is just right. These are a batch of aged medicinal herbs."
Qingyun Marquis was momentarily puzzled: "Where did these come from?"
"They were procured by the Imperial Pharmacy this year. Someone intercepted them from the packaged herbal cargo boxes provided by the herbalists."
"And these herbs were handed over to the Imperial Pharmacy?" Qingyun Marquis's expression changed, "This isn't something the herbalists could easily conceal."
"Perhaps they never worried about being discovered from the start."
The Emperor raised an eyebrow, twirling a piece of angelica in his hand. "I had someone investigate. The steward of the Imperial Pharmacy, Eunuch Su Kui, is the adopted son of the late Emperor's close eunuch, Zheng Fu.
"Moreover, little known is the fact that Zheng Fu had another adopted son, Liu Sheng, who serves as the Commander of the Guard in Longyang Prefecture of Emerald Valley. He's also a subordinate commander under the jurisdiction of the Middle Military Inspectorate. It's been reported that the medicinal herbs procured by the Imperial Pharmacy from Emerald Valley in the past two years have all been aged goods."