Chapter 178 But Princess Saint Ann is not short of money!It was really hard for the ministers. Although they could clearly sense that something was not right in today's morning court session, they could not guess the real reason. Everyone was still mumbling in their hearts, secretly conspiring, thinking that His Majesty had some plan and that they had to delay the time. So they all cooperated and broke the content, which could be clearly explained in one sentence, into seven or eight parts, and they wanted to pick out every word and talk about it separately! Seeing that these ministers were sufficiently carefree and sensible, Emperor Xuanwu became more and more excited as he spoke, and even brought up many contents that should not have appeared in today's morning court. When the ministers who were trying to figure out the emperor's intentions saw Emperor Xuanwu's behavior, they became more certain that he was trying to delay time, so they all tried to cooperate with him. He cited various references and talked about everything that was relevant. The final result was that I was forced to work an extra long shift, listening to a lot of government affairs, and my mental state had gradually changed from being excited to having stars in my eyes. Yun Shu even began to doubt whether his idea of participating in the fight for the throne was correct. He rubbed his belly, which was flat and growling, and raised his hand weakly: "Father, may I interrupt you for a moment?" "Ok?" Emperor Xuanwu looked at her encouragingly: "What does Saint Anke have in mind?" "...I hope that you can take good care of yourself, father."
Yun Shu emphasized each word: "Don't miss your meal because of government affairs." Emperor Xuanwu: “…” I was so absorbed in the lecture that I didn't pay attention if she hadn't reminded me. Now it's already noon! I am indeed a little hungry. After coughing slightly in embarrassment, Emperor Xuanwu nodded slightly: "It's really getting late, someone come and serve the meal!" Yun Shu: “…” You still have to work overtime after eating, right? That’s right, the matter of Dengwengu has not been mentioned at all until now! She really didn't understand. It was just a morning court session. Did they really have to discuss so many things? After finishing lunch with resentment, Yun Shu had already prepared to listen to government affairs in a daze for the whole afternoon. But perhaps he realized that Yun Shu would not be able to listen if he continued to talk in the afternoon, Or maybe Emperor Xuanwu had just finished his meal and was feeling a little sleepy. In short, Emperor Xuanwu, who had been talking incessantly in the morning as if he could never finish talking about government affairs in his lifetime, returned to his previous concise and to the point appearance. The work efficiency instantly soared, and after finishing the political affairs discussed before lunch in just a few words, He changed the subject and finally mentioned the matter of Dengwengu—— "It is said that Dou Jifei, a candidate from Xuzhou, Chu Zimian, a candidate from Suzhou, and Fei Shunhong, a candidate from Yuzhou..." Li Dehai reported the names of the fourteen candidates in one breath, and said in a soft and drawn-out voice: "Enter the palace to see the emperor——" "Why are they all scholars?" Could it be that the matter of the Spring Examination between His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Princess Saint Ann is not over yet? In the court, because of the identity of the person who struck the drum, many court officials began to glance back and forth between Yun Shu and the prince. Yunshu just pretended not to see it. She stood in front with her hands in her pockets, looking straight ahead. The prince at the side pursed his lips tightly and had an expressionless face, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Soon, a group of people led by Dou Jifei stumbled into the hall. This was the place they had always dreamed of. In the dead of night, they had imagined more than once that they were wearing red or purple official robes, standing proudly in the hall, and talking to the bright yellow figure on the dragon throne. Any move you make can have an impact on the people. However, the reality is so cruel. They finally arrived at the Xuan Zheng Hall for the first time, but appeared in front of everyone in such an embarrassed manner. Because he had just received thirty strokes of the cane yesterday, Dou Jifei was even dragged in by someone holding his arm. As soon as the guards on both sides loosened their grip, he fell to his knees on the ground with a thud: "Guilt, guilt...guilty, Dou Jifei, kowtow to Your Majesty!" "Dou Jifei." Emperor Xuanwu narrowed his eyes, looked down at the guy in front of him who was trembling when he spoke, and slowly asked: "You were the one who struck the drum yesterday?" "It is... it is a crime, and the criminal wants to sue..." Cold sweat dripped down his forehead onto the floor tiles of the Xuanzheng Hall. Dou Jifei took a lot of effort to finally say a complete sentence: "The criminal wants to sue Princess Saint Ann for privately selling the Spring Examination questions!" wow—— Selling Spring Examination Papers Privately! This is a serious crime! For a time, the court was filled with endless discussions. Some of the prince's followers were confused about the situation and thought it was the prince's arrangement, so they quickly stood up to express their attitudes: "Your Majesty, I believe this matter is of great importance and must be thoroughly investigated!" "I second the motion! The Spring Examination is a national event for selecting talented people for the country. We must not tolerate cheating or leaking of test questions!" "I second the proposal!" "Your Majesty, please forgive me!" Seeing this large group of people all show up, it seemed as if Yun Shu's private sale of the Spring Examination questions had already been confirmed. Tang Yuanlin also hurriedly took a step forward: "Princess Sheng An is kindhearted, and she has the Tianwaitian Restaurant which makes a fortune every day to support her. It is impossible for her to be short of money. Selling the Spring Examination questions privately to make money doesn't make sense at all!" "I second the proposal." Wu Anhou, who was usually in semi-retirement in the court and sometimes did not utter a word for a month, also took a step slowly outside: "Princess Saint Ann is indeed not short of money." "All right." Dou Jifei had only said one sentence when the court was in chaos. Emperor Xuanwu frowned and signaled the ministers to be quiet: "Listen to what Dou Jifei has to say! You just said that Princess Saint Ann privately sold the Spring Examination papers. Do you have any evidence?" "Return to Your Majesty..." Dou Jifei lay on the ground, not daring to look up. He tremblingly recounted the entire incident from the moment the Cao family's servant came to him. Finally, he kowtowed three times, his voice choked with sobs and tears streaming down his face: “Thirty taels of silver is nothing to Princess Saint Ann, but to the criminals, it is their entire fortune! Now the criminal has lost his money, his fame, and all his hopes. He doesn't know how to go home and face his parents and relatives! Sinners...Now that the truth is revealed, we hope to make the culprit who caused all this pay the price! I hope Your Majesty will conduct a thorough investigation!"
Emperor Xuanwu: “…”