Selling wife for fame? Kick out the scumbag and marry the new emperor to enjoy the harem of favors

Chapter 180 Playing the long game to catch the big fish
Inside the palace, Xie Jiu was busy keeping an eye on the activities in Chengming Hall, taking care of Princess Wenxi, and also keeping an eye on the scars on Zhang Liquan's hands.

Xie Wei, who was outside the palace, was not resting either.

Ever since Xie Wei discovered that Xie Mingshen would secretly leave the mansion, he had been keeping a close eye on his movements.

After waiting for several days, Xie Mingshen finally sneaked out of the mansion again, so they immediately followed him quietly.

This trip led to a tremendous discovery.

The person Xie Mingshen secretly met was Zhao Zaiyan from the Western Chi Kingdom.

"Could this really be treason?"

After closing the courtyard door, Madam Fan's face turned pale with shock upon hearing Xie Wei's words.

Xie Wei's face was also gloomy. "It shouldn't be like that. He's not that stupid. When the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact. If Da Jing is gone, how can the Xie family survive? I'm afraid he received some benefits from the Xi Chi people and is going to speak on their behalf when drafting a new treaty between the two countries."

“But in the Emperor’s eyes, what’s the difference between this and treason!” Fan’s face showed anger. “When he did these things, did he still think of his sons, daughters, and grandchildren, and the hundreds of people in the Xie family?”

He's already the Grand Secretary, what more could he want than to collude with the Xichi people?

Xie Wei was also angry, but he still comforted his wife, "Don't panic. When I went with him this time, I only found out that he secretly met with that Xichi man named Zhao Zaiyan, but we don't know what they talked about. We have no evidence to prove that he is a traitor."

These words calmed Fan down considerably.

She sat down, clutching her handkerchief.

"Indeed, we cannot draw conclusions lightly now. What do you plan to do? Should we inform Consort Jin in the palace?"

Xie Wei pondered for a moment, then nodded, "We still have to say it. What if the Empress doesn't know yet, but the Emperor does? We'll lose the initiative, and it might be difficult to proceed."

Hearing her husband's words, Madam Fan was certain that Xie Wei and Xie Jiu, brother and sister, were determined to uphold justice and kill their own family—no, to be precise, to avenge their father.

They even wanted Xie Mingshen to be utterly disgraced and die with eternal infamy.

Doing so is very risky. After all, they are a family. Whether they can successfully remove Xie Mingshen depends on whether the emperor is willing to lift a hand.

Of course, this was Fan's idea. What Xie Jiu wanted was not whether Zhao Xingjin was willing to raise his hand, but that Zhao Xingjin had no choice but to agree.

Alternatively, Zhao Xingjin may voluntarily leave the Xie family behind.

Returning to the present moment, Fan agreed with Xie Wei's idea, so soon, a secret letter was sent to the palace.

Xie Jiu received the secret letter the following morning.

Using the excuse that the jewelry on her head was a bit heavy, Xie Jiu helped Chun Rong into the inner room, avoiding the servants outside.

After she finished reading the contents of the letter, Chunrong skillfully took the letter and destroyed it.

"Your Majesty, is there something urgent?"

Unless there is very important news, they would not send secret letters to the palace.

Xie Jiu's eyes seemed thoughtful. "It is indeed important, but it is only the beginning. We still have to wait and plan."

Chunrong didn't quite understand, but she didn't ask any more questions.

Xie Jiu was surprised that Xie Mingshen was so bold as to dare to meet with Xi Chi people in secret.

However, as Xie Wei said, without concrete evidence, it is impossible to determine what his purpose was in meeting with Xi Chi's people, so this cannot be used as a basis for argument now.

It would be bad if we alerted them.

"Send a message back to my brother, saying that we need to play the long game to catch the big fish, and that we must have solid evidence to deal with him." "Yes."

Spring's beauty responded.

Xie Jiu then instructed, "Have someone go to Zhongcui Palace again and invite Consort Liu for tea."

The matter concerning Lü Weixing of the Ministry of Personnel's Performance Evaluation Department should have been resolved by now, and we should inquire about it. Now is the perfect time.

Liu Cairen guessed that it was about this matter, so after arriving, she brought it up herself before Xie Jiu could ask.

"We've made progress on the person Your Majesty asked me to investigate last time. He was able to get in touch with Minister Chen of the Ministry of Personnel through Minister Chen's cousin's husband."

"Was this recommended by a relative?" Xie Jiu asked casually, holding his teacup.

Liu Cairen shook her head, "How could that be? It still cost money. Chen Shilang's cousin-in-law doesn't hold a high official position; it's a sinecure, I think it's only a sixth-rank official. But his family is very wealthy. I heard that he likes to make many friends and therefore knows many talented people. He has recommended quite a few people to Chen Shilang."

When she said this, Liu Cairen spoke in a teasing tone.

They clearly know that this is all about profit.

If you don't have money, who's going to be your friend?
“Oh, I think Minister Chen is one of the Emperor’s old subordinates. He’s usually quite low-key and steady. How could he be involved in something like this?” Xie Jiu put down his teacup.

Liu Cairen smiled and said, "He's just a bit more cautious than others. Those who can pass through his hands are all quite capable. He doesn't promote just anyone. This Lü Weixing is also a graduate of the imperial examination. He is talented but not outstanding. He is quite tactful, but his family has no background, so he has only been a minor official for many years. However, his father is a businessman and his family is wealthy, so he doesn't care whether he can be promoted or not."

With that explained it, Xie Jiu understood.

Although Minister Chen was also greedy for money, he had principles and did not accept money from just anyone.

"Then, what about the other friends of Minister Chen's cousin-in-law? I suppose they all have somewhere to go, right?" Xie Jiu asked with a smile, his expression clearly sarcastic.

Consort Liu nodded, but then frowned, "However, that would be difficult to investigate. People who use this method are quite cautious. If Your Majesty hadn't found someone here and asked me to find a way to follow the clues, I'm afraid we wouldn't even be able to find out about Lü Weixing."

Indeed, accepting bribes is a capital offense.

Whether it's the higher-ups taking the money or the lower-ups giving it to them, they dare not let anyone find out.

Xie Jiu understood the situation and didn't press the matter further.

"Your Majesty, shall we denounce Consort Chen's father? Consort Chen is now currying favor with the Empress," Consort Liu asked in a low voice.

This was essentially asking her if she wanted to take action against the Empress.

Xie Jiu shook his head. "If you don't have solid evidence of their bribery, you shouldn't say these things lightly, otherwise you'll get into trouble and burn yourself instead."

"That's true," Liu Cairen sighed. "It's all speculation, without any concrete evidence."

"It's alright. If you walk by the river long enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet. Now that we have a target to keep an eye on, we'll get solid evidence sooner or later. There's no need to rush." ​​Xie Jiu comforted him gently, and then said, "Your brother has worked hard these past few days. I remember you mentioned that your brother's wedding is in March after the New Year, right? Here, this is a little something from me. Consider it an early wedding gift."

As she spoke, Qingfang presented a brocade box.

When Consort Liu opened it, she saw a pair of gold-inlaid jade ruyi scepters inside, and judging from their quality, they were no ordinary items.

Even though Consort Liu is now considered favored, she doesn't have anything this good. She doesn't have many pieces of jewelry made of such fine jade.

"Your Majesty is too kind. How can I accept such a precious gift on behalf of my brother? My brother's peaceful life today is all thanks to Your Majesty's help in the past. I cannot repay such a great kindness. How can I accept this gift?" Consort Liu hurriedly declined.

Xie Jiu took her hand and patted it lightly. "You're being too formal. I just told you to call me 'sister,' but you still call me 'Your Majesty.' I won't hold that against you. But you're refusing a wedding gift, which makes you seem even more distant. To be honest, I'm afraid I'll need your brother's help in the future, so this gift won't be given for nothing!"

She made this joke, and Liu Cairen laughed and accepted it.