Chapter 521: Target
“This prince still haven’t looked for him, yet he decided to cause trouble first, very good!” Li Hong Yuan’s expression was a bit sinister.
Jing Wan had the letter folded up, and shortly after, burned.
Some people disdained that they didn’t have enough stains on them, even vigorously causing trouble.
Was Rui Qinwang’s plan good? It was without a doubt good. If successful, then towards the Luo family, it will be a disastrous blow. Setting aside whether or not Luo Pei Shan can preserve his position, just the Luo family three brothers, their future prospects will surely be ruined. Jiang Wan Li was Luo Pei Song’s youngest disciple. There was a saying called, ‘a day as a teacher, a father for life’. This absolutely wasn’t just said for fun. If Jiang Wan Li were to meet with mishap, Luo Pei Song won’t be able to escape either, and Luo Pei Shan naturally won’t be able to be uninvolved. Perhaps, Rui Qinwang’s inherent goal was precisely Luo Pei Shan, unable to obtain, thus destroying, even having the Luo family’s roots eliminated altogether.
This move was indeed very malicious.
Moreover, the main target although was the Luo family, but the range of involvement undoubtedly will be very wide. Everything else aside, just those that were responsible for drafting the exam questions………..Of course, also need to see whether or not there were Rui Qinwang’s people inside. If it’s just a few minority, and the great majority were people that belonged to the enemy faction, or perhaps people that were stubborn like Luo Pei Shan, then it was just abandoning his own to scoop up the whole. As the saying goes, ‘those with great aspirations won’t be bothered about the trifles’. It was just abandoning a few people, not really anything big. At worst, it was just compensating them some more in other areas. In any case, as long as it wasn’t losing the life, in the future, when he sits onto the throne he can just promote them back up again, a very simple matter.
In other words, there might even be a bunch of unlucky bastards.
But, to want this matter to be perfect and flawless, it wasn’t that easy, because even without this move, to want to create evidence, it was actually very easy to have a flaw. Furthermore, there was also that hidden opponent.
This matter, even if Li Hong Yuan didn’t know in advance, when the incident arise, he certainly will still have a way to turn around. At worst it was just a bit troublesome. Now that he knew, Rui Qinwang’s plan further won’t be able to succeed.
“In your past life, there probably wasn’t this incident, right?” Jing Wan curiously asked.
“Indeed, there wasn’t. Your grandfather was still just the Head Minister of Rites. Aside from his own duties, he didn’t involve himself in anything else, very much low-key, vastly different from his performance currently, so naturally won’t make others ‘love and hate’. At the same time, he was smooth and slick, so others weren’t able to do anything about him easily. The Ministry of Rites’ worth was placed there. With many affairs to attend to, there naturally wasn’t anyone putting in great effort to rope him in or have him kicked down. Even if the Luo family produced three successful imperial exam candidates at the same time, they’d just entered officialdom after all, their words not having any weight, so can just ignore. Jiang Wan Li although was a three round top scorer, inherently it was just a nice sounding title. After entering the Hanlin Academy, he quickly became low-key, very rarely coming in contact with others. You also had severed ties with the Luo family, so the Luo family was low-key but peaceful.”
“That’s why, the current Top Scorer Jiang, he actually got involved because of grandfather, and grandfather actually got dragged down because of you?”
Li Hong Yuan’s finger caressed Jing Wan’s fair cheeks, “The Luo family is destined to get pulled in, because you are destined to be mine.” Hooking the corner of his mouth, there wasn’t the least bit of guilt.
“In any case, you’re just a ‘powerless’ wangye, isn’t it better for the Luo family to not get dragged in?” Jing Wan faintly said.
“Does Wan Wan think it’s possible? If I don’t let the Luo family get involved, the Luo family just won’t be involved? Your father, in the past life, continuously maintained an empty post in the Ministry of Appointments from beginning to end. Three years after I ascended the throne, he just cleanly resigned from his post. But now, he is nevertheless striving to climb up, let alone your grandfather. Setting aside his own ambitions, your grandmother probably won’t allow him to watch with folded arms either. Regardless of how they feel towards me, they all want to give you a strong backing.”
“That’s why, in the end, it’s actually my fault?”
Li Hong Yuan lightly smiled, exceptionally captivating, “I will keep them safe and sound.”
TN: All
Jing Wan smiled along with him, “I naturally believe you.” Her brows curving, her expression exceptionally warm. Leaning in Li Hong Yuan’s arms, “Ah Yuan, I feel the Ministry of Appointments’ influence is truly a bit too big, and the Ministry of Rites, that bit of matter, can be casually distributed out. As such, they don’t even need to exist. In the future, how about having the imperial exam’s matters assigned to the Ministry of Rites?”
Li Hong Yuan slightly pondered, “Good idea.”
“This isn’t my idea, I’m just standing on the shoulders of giants. Moreover, the places I can touch upon are very limited.”
(T/N: In certain dynasties, the imperial exam was precisely under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Rites.)
“This is more than enough. No one is capable of taking care of everything, and in your current position, you just need to provide an idea, a concept, just like sewing up the wound, and also the mafei powder (anesthesia). The former Gong Jiu is already familiar with, even teaching quite a few people, and the latter, Gong Jiu has already produced some results. Didn’t Wan Wan say, your past life’s history is very similar to the development of Qi Yuan’s history. That’s why, sooner or later, it will also develop to a point in time similar to your past life. And these can’t just be achieved by a person or two. That is amassing thousands upon thousands of people’s wisdom.”
Jing Wan looked to Li Hong Yuan. Truthfully speaking, this husband of hers seemingly had many sides. However, it had nothing to do with the so called split personality. Moreover, his many sides seemingly also perfectly fused together, not making one feel there was a problem.
And right now, he was just like a sage able to see through the course of history, truly a bit unreachable.
From the metropolitan exam to the court exam, the time in between was relatively tight. Moreover, the decision to create a fraud case seemingly was even made after the court exam. Then, they certainly will need some time to carry out the arrangements. This time was more than enough for Li Hong Yuan to arrange a counterattack, or perhaps, just have the entire matter extinguished in the cradle.
Just don’t know how the living Enma will decide.
Jing Wan looked over his arrangements. It was clearly the former.
Then again, Rui Qinwang disdained that there wasn’t enough stains on him, even wanting some more, reducing Le Cheng Emperor’s good feelings towards him even further, just fearing that he can’t get thoroughly stepped into the mud, no longer able to climb up again. As such, they naturally need to help him.
That’s why, for the time being, they didn’t do anything, just waiting for Rui Qinwang to make a move.
And Rui Qinwang’s speed was even quicker than expected, just using three days’ time, moreover even spreading quite quickly, just like as if within a day, the entire capital all knew about the new Top Scorer of the imperial exam, Jiang Wan Li, cheating during the metropolitan exam. The reason why the court exam wasn’t mentioned was because the court exam topic was made up on the spot by the emperor, so it wasn’t possible to leak ahead of time.
No matter where, seemingly all were discussing this matter. The ordinary commoners were still okay, but the scholars were nevertheless furious, especially those that participated in the metropolitan exam this time but failed to pass, like as if their failure to pass was precisely because Jiang Wan Li this degenerate appeared, and without Jiang Wan Li, they seemingly would’ve been able to pass for sure.
In merely a day, because of Jiang Wan Li’s relationship with the Luo family, the Luo family three brothers also just unsurprisingly became targets of the crusade.
Jiang Wan Li, because he was the top scorer, directly just became a compiler of the Hanlin Academy, not needing to take another exam, already holding a post in the Hanlin Academy. Because of this matter, Jiang Wan Li naturally got shunned, getting looked at peculiarly, especially by those that were much older. Having stayed in the Hanlin Academy for many years, they can be said to be displeased with their situation, but have no hope of promotion. In a certain sense, it was just a dead end position, yet these people even believed themselves to be infallible, thinking highly of themselves, or just believing to have talent but no opportunity. All in all, they just won’t look for the problem on themselves. Of course, there also exist the kind that indeed have very high learning and indeed a little aloof, finding certain matters unpleasant, but if really this kind of person, very rarely would they say what everyone else says.
Every time seeing youngsters come in, those lacking in self-cultivation, that was just directly being sarcastic and snide, and those whose self-cultivation was a bit better, that was also just being exceptionally ‘aloof’, not easy to get along with. And now, great, with Jiang Wan Li this top scorer having obtained his position through fraud, it made them just like as if shot with chicken blood, or perhaps, should say, they finally found an opportunity to ‘justifiably’ vent.
Jiang Wan Li’s learning was good, but his upbringing was also very good. Towards things he didn’t do, when facing other people’s attack, he similarly was open and magnanimous. One has to know, engaging in fraud, this kind of thing, actually was very fatal. Even if in the end, the truth was investigated, the influence will still be quite big. However, Jiang Wan Li actually wasn’t that worried.
But, this attitude of his made people very angry. “Having the Head Minister of Appointments as backing, his confidence is very ample.”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Wan Li slightly frowned. He was good at studying, but he wasn’t studying blindly. After becoming Luo Pei Song’s disciple, they’d traveled all over the country, seeing all kinds of people. His EQ also wasn’t just a decoration. That’s why, some things, he immediately just thought of after learning first thing. Right now, there was just one thought inside———As expected.
While the others still wanted to make snide remarks at him, Li Su Yan appeared with a few black clad guards. The people present instantly fell silent.
“Jiang Wan Li, because of the fraud case, right now, need to take you back to assist in the investigation.” Li Su Yan directly stated his purpose.
Jiang Wan Li’s expression didn’t change, packing his things and leaving with them.
After they left, the remaining people immediately just broke into an uproar.
“Even the Black Clad Guards were called out, looks like it really is true.”
“Appearing so proper, but never thought to be such a person.”
Of course, there were also those that were pitying, because for the people that have entered the Black Clad Guards’ prison, not many can walk out fully intact, even if not dying, it was still becoming crippled.