A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 136 The Truth Revealed to the World (22)

The Empress Dowager's face suddenly darkened. "Lu Xun, the heir of the Marquis of Huai'an, has neither official rank nor achievements. Even if he were to enter officialdom as the heir of a marquis, he would have to start as a sixth or seventh-rank official. How could he be appointed as the fourth-rank Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review right away? Song Shuyu, how can you be so ignorant of the importance of this matter!"

"The Queen Mother calm down!"

Song Shuyu remained calm and composed, stating confidently, "I have known Lu Xun for a long time and am familiar with his talent and character. The reason I recommend him is because he wrote a brilliant article that has won the approval of both His Majesty and myself. Lu Xun used several typical major cases that occurred nationwide within the past twenty years as examples to propose suggestions for assessing the capabilities of criminal officials at all levels. Among them, the article addresses the massacre of the entire family at 'Shuiyunjian,' the most prestigious brothel in Jiangnan, twelve years ago..."

"okay!"

Caught off guard by the Empress Dowager's sudden call to halt, her expression a mixture of panic and warning in her eyes as she stared at Song Shuyu, she said, "I disagree! The appointment and promotion of officials are managed by the Ministry of Personnel. What does it have to do with you? Your position as Prefect of the Capital was granted to you through special privileges. You haven't even warmed your own seat yet, and you're already thinking of favoring others? You truly are a fine son of the Song family!"

“In that case, let us ask the Minister of Personnel for his opinion. If I am not qualified to recommend him, does His Majesty have the right to grant him an official position through an exception?” Song Shuyu responded calmly, without losing his composure.

The Empress Dowager was furious. She jumped up from her chair and roared, "Song Shuyu, how dare you act so recklessly..."

An untimely teacup suddenly rolled off the imperial desk and fell to the ground with a jarring sound!

The Empress Dowager was startled when her words of rebuke to Song Shuyu were interrupted. She turned to look at the young emperor, who smiled casually and said, "Zhou Chun, you're doing a worse job than ever. Don't you even know where a teacup should be placed? If it falls, it will be smashed to pieces. Wouldn't that be a pity?"

Upon hearing this, the chief eunuch Zhou Chun hurriedly knelt down and begged for forgiveness: "Your Majesty, please calm your anger! It was this servant who failed to properly position the teacup, thus offending Your Majesty. This servant deserves to die!"

"I am unharmed, but I fear it may harm the Empress Dowager." The Emperor slowly lost his smile, his eyes cold and indifferent. "I have been on the throne for three years, and the affairs of the court should be my responsibility, yet the Empress Dowager has been burdened with them. I am truly unfilial!"

Upon hearing this, Song Shuyu, Guo Xuan, and Liang Ruoming immediately apologized in a panic, saying, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

The Empress Dowager's face was extremely ugly. She realized today that the Emperor had grown up and was no longer easy to control! And her nephew, Song Shuyu, was no longer just an obedient puppet!

After much deliberation, the Empress Dowager knew that the empress dowager should not interfere in politics; after all, it was an ironclad rule of the court, and escalating the situation would not benefit her. Therefore, she could only say, "Very well, I am weary. Let the Emperor decide this matter!"

After saying that, she was helped by her nanny to walk outside.

However, after taking a few steps, the Empress Dowager suddenly turned back and said with a kind smile, "Shuyu, after you finish discussing state affairs, come to my palace. I have prepared some tonics for the old lady. Please take them back with you."

"Yes!" Song Shuyu replied.

The Emperor led the way in bowing: "Respectfully seeing off the Empress Dowager!"

Guo Xuan and Liang Ruoming were left behind, secretly lamenting that the emperor was likely to make an example of them!
However, the emperor was too lazy to pay attention to such a two-faced and disloyal minister. He tapped his finger on the imperial desk and ordered, "Minister Song, draft an edict for me. Lu Xun, the heir of the Marquis of Huai'an, is learned and virtuous, and has won my favor. Therefore, he is hereby appointed as the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, a fourth-rank official. He shall take office immediately upon receipt of the edict!"

"Your humble servant obeys the decree!" Song Shuyu kowtowed.

The emperor glanced indifferently at Guo Xuan and Liang Ruoming, and continued, "Tomorrow's public trial will be conducted with Lu Xun, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and Liang Ruoming, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, serving as accompaniment, and Ji Yue, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, overseeing the trial. There must be no mistakes!"

"Your Majesty, we obey!" No one dared to disobey anymore, and they all accepted their fate.

However, Guo Xuan really couldn't understand why Song Shuyu, who was clearly a direct descendant of the Song family, seemed to be working with the emperor to oppose the empress dowager.

……

Shoukang Palace.

The Empress Dowager returned and immediately smashed up her bedchamber!
"You little bastard! In order to help him ascend to the position of Prefect of the Capital, I negotiated with the Emperor several times and suffered huge losses. Now that he has gained power, he has actually turned around and plotted against me! He dares to secretly betray me!"

"Like mother, like son! That bitch Yu Wan gave birth to a bastard who's full of cunning schemes. I really underestimated him!"

"..."

The Empress Dowager flew into a rage, repeatedly uttering the word "bitch." She even took out the memorial tablet bearing the name "Yu Wan" and smashed it repeatedly against the floor tiles until it broke in two. Still not satisfied, she ordered the nanny, "Prepare the poison. I will punish that little bastard severely and teach him a lesson for disobeying and betraying me!"

"Your Highness, please think it over! Once the poison enters the body, one will suffer immense pain for three days and three nights, with countless insects gnawing at the heart and bones shattering! The Second Young Master is no longer without official rank; he has to preside over a case tomorrow!" The nanny exclaimed in alarm, hurriedly advising her.

The Empress Dowager's eyes were like poison, sending chills down one's spine. "I want Song Shuyu to suffer three days of torture, until he's neither human nor ghost, like a lump of mud, kneeling at my feet begging for mercy, so that he can't hear the case and can only watch helplessly as I get rid of Liu Pei, and the case will never be solved!"

"Your Highness, are you sure you want to do this? What if..." The old woman gasped, her voice filled with heartache and worry, "The Second Young Master has grown up and is not as easy to control as he was when he was young. What if he tells the Duke of Song afterward? How will you handle the consequences?"

"I can't care about that anymore. If Song Shuyu insists on complaining to his father, then I'll take action against his grandmother and the rest of the Song family. I don't believe he'll dare to go all in!"

"Hey……"

Seeing that she couldn't persuade him otherwise, the old woman had no choice but to obey and go down to prepare the poison.

A short while later, Eunuch Qin came in to report: "Lord Song requests an audience with the Empress Dowager!"

"Xuan!"

The Empress Dowager uttered a single word, then turned and went to Chengfeng Palace.

Song Shuyu was summoned and, in accordance with etiquette, entered the palace to pay his respects.

Just like last time, the Empress Dowager leaned back on the phoenix couch, playing with her delicate hands, and coldly looked at Song Shuyu kneeling below, saying, "Is it fun to help the Emperor oppose me? Do you want to be expelled from the Song family if you don't prioritize the interests of the Song family in your actions?"

“Nephew wouldn’t dare!” Song Shuyu replied calmly. “Nephew’s actions were merely to seize power in the Jingzhao Prefecture and not want Guo Xuan to steal the limelight. As for recommending Lu Xun, it was on Father’s orders. Father has taken a liking to the heir Lu Xun and wants to arrange a marriage between him and the Marquis of Huai’an’s family. However, Lu Xun does not hold an official position and is not worthy of our Duke’s family. Therefore, Father instructed me to find an opportunity to secure a future for Lu Xun.”

(End of this chapter)