o Fang Jinshi's arms, one on each side, and refused to let go."Mother, I knew you would come to save us."Fang Jinshi took a careful look at both children up and down, still not reassured, she asked."A...Zong Pingchuan was at least a Third Rank Minister of Revenue, and in the court he was considered a rather important official. The fact that he had been exposed for swapping this year's top scholar with another person is also a major event to be discussed at today's court meeting.

Yuan Buyu immediately chose to kneel down and proactively admit his fault in failing to manage properly, but between the lines, he insisted that he was completely unaware of this incident.

The emperor, upon hearing this, couldn't control his expression, a hint of a sneer playing at the corner of his lips.

"So, Yuan Aiqing was completely unaware of the whole thing from beginning to end It was all Zong Pingchuan who acted recklessly on his own"

"What was he trying to do by switching out Yuan's"

"Is that to stop his country bumpkin son from entering the capital"

When the emperor first heard this news, he almost laughed in anger. As an important official who should be a pillar of the state, he turned out to be a ruthless and unfeeling man who abandoned his wife and children.

Even the talent selection process of the imperial examinations, he dares to disrupt! Given time, what else wouldn't he dare to do!

Zong Pingchuan was merely a low-ranking third-rank official, his origins humble. Where did he get the audacity to do such a thing

The Emperor looked at Yuan Buyu with a hint of meaning in his eyes.

Who doesn't know that this Pingchuan is the son-in-law of Yuan Buyu He wouldn't dare to let his own son appear in court, isn't it because he fears Yuan Buyu

If he claimed to be unaware of this, the emperor wouldn't believe him for a moment.

But with Yuan Buyu's intellect and standing, he really didn't need to meddle in such a foolish affair. What difference was there between this and digging his own grave

Where is Zongpingchuan now

"Your Majesty, the Dali Temple has already begun its investigation and we expect results soon."

Just a mediocre Emperor Zongping, he didn't care much about him. However, his attitude must be shown, lest these ministers really think that he was old and useless, each one daring to be presumptuous and wanton.

It seems like it's time to promote a powerful confidante to help him control Yuan Buyu and intimidate the court.

The emperor wore an absent-minded expression. Although Yuan Buyu put on a terrified appearance, his eyes kept darting to the emperor's every move.

The matter of King Jing must be thoroughly investigated. Zong Pingchuan is guilty and should be handed over to the Dali Temple for interrogation. His punishment will be determined after the results of the investigation are known.

Everyone knows that Zong Pingchuan is probably going to die, but it's hard to say if his family will be implicated. After all, his relatives are pretty powerful now.

The next second, Yuan Buyu heard the emperor mention that the Western Zhou army was about to return in triumph, and Zong Yu's name followed.

As soon as the name of Emperor Zongyu was mentioned, a smile appeared on his face. Yuan Buyu raised an eyebrow, and after a short while, an official stood up with indignation and wanted to present a memorial to impeach Emperor Zongyu.

"Oh He hasn't even entered the court, and Liu Aiqing wants to impeach him for what"

The emperor's tone suddenly turned cold, but the official below was oblivious, continuing to speak at length.

"Your Majesty, Zongyu, a key general in the Western Army, disobeyed your imperial decree and returned to the capital without permission."

Just a few days ago, at the birthday banquet for Prince Jing's son, I and many other ministers saw him with our own eyes, and he also confessed his identity with his own mouth.

Such a brazen act, if left unpunished, will surely lead others in the army to follow suit, disregarding Your Majesty's orders. I implore You to take this seriously!

The emperor's intention to promote Zongyu was too obvious. At this time, there were still people who dared to come forward and touch their own bad luck, which was truly shocking.

Do the officials present not know that Zong Yu's actions go against imperial edicts and court laws Yet, from just now until now, not a single person has dared to speak up about why.

Fu Ming stood aside, and the ministers behind him whispered quietly.

"Your Highness, the officials who impeached General Zong are from the Prime Minister's faction. It's best not to speak hastily."

Fu Ming was just about to stand up and speak for Zong Yu, but when he heard what the advisors around him said, he instantly cooled down.

After the Zong Pingchuan incident, things went smoothly for Fang Jinshu and they had a major falling out with Yuan Buyu. If impeaching this matter could humiliate Zong Yu, Yuan Buyu would have personally submitted a petition long ago.

After all, an impeachment by a high official carries far more weight than one by a minor official when presented before the Emperor.

Would Yuan Buyu not be aware of this disparity Was he deliberately sending a low-ranking official to probe His Majesty's attitude towards the imperial prestige

Fu Ming had many questions, but Yuan Buyu soon cleared them up.

As soon as Lord Liu finished his impeachment, before His Majesty could even speak, he sank his face and was the first to voice his opposition.

"Your Majesty, this old minister has something to say!"

Everyone thought Yuan Buyu was going to add impeachment, but he surprisingly defended the honor of Zong Yu.

"The old minister believes that General Zong Xiao's actions are not a violation of the imperial decree. It is said that he hails from the mountains and has never been exposed to court life. He is unaware, therefore, and should not be held accountable."

Secondly, his mother was in Beijing. Zong Xiao had not returned home for four years to see her family. He must have been deeply homesick and acted impulsively out of longing. It is understandable.

"The old minister believes that Your Majesty should not only refrain from punishing General Zong Xiao, but also bestow upon him generous rewards to comfort him, enabling him to develop a sense of belonging towards the capital city as soon as possible."

"People, once they've put down roots in a place, their hearts will settle. Without any worries about the past, they can naturally devote themselves wholeheartedly to relieving Your Majesty's burdens. Their words and actions will also become more restrained out of gratitude for Your Majesty's grace."

"Your Majesty, what do you think"

Yuan Buyu's words left the group of ministers speechless. Could it be that the Grand Chancellor had gone mad

At the banquet held at the Jing Wangfu, Zong Yu helped his younger brother to personally overthrow their son-in-law whom he had cultivated for many years. This was equivalent to severing Xiang Ye's arm. Not only did he not prepare to give him some color, but he also asked His Majesty to bestow more rewards to comfort him

Maybe they're just hearing things.

The Emperor quite liked Yuan Buyu's words and thought to himself, "As expected of an old fox, he saw through my thoughts so easily."

However, this was exactly what he intended, so the emperor didn't say much either. Instead, he feigned magnanimity and asked other officials.

"What do you all think"

All the officials stared at each other in confusion, truly unable to understand what Lord Xiang and His Majesty meant by this. However, since these two powerful figures were unwilling to embarrass General Zong Xiao, none of their subordinates dared to voice any opposing opinions.

The little official who just impeached Zongyu is now trembling on the ground.

But the emperor had no time to pay him any mind, turning instead to Yuan Buyu.

Since you have this suggestion, my esteemed advisor, then think about how we should reward and appease General Zongxiao.

"He was indispensable in the Battle of Xizhou. Without him, the Da Xi territory would have shrunk considerably."

The emperor couldn't help but sigh. If there had been such a capable general in his court a few years ago, perhaps he would have been a more formidable emperor and not been led around by the nose by a prime minister.

"Your Majesty, this old minister has heard that General Zong Xiao's family is currently vacant, and he doesn't even have a close and caring wife by his side."

"This young General Zong has limitless potential. Your Majesty, perhaps instead of using him directly, it would be better to give him a reassurance first"

As soon as Yuan Buyu spoke, Fu Ming's face turned pale. He was shocked by the other party's audacity.

Just now he actually thought Yuan Buyu was afraid and therefore didn't take the opportunity to join in with the impeachment. Turns out his scheme is even more insidious!

He even wants to have Father Emperor bestow a marriage upon Zongyu!omy as a different person because of this matter.It looks like things have calmed down, good, growth."Well, a banquet personally overseen by your sister-in-law must be quite extraordinary. It seems we...