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

Chapter 198

"I was just telling the truth. Since His Majesty came to Yinmei Pavilion to find me, he must want to hear the truth. If I were to learn from others and deceive them, His Majesty would probably be truly disappointed. In the future, in His Majesty's eyes, I would be no different from the other concubines in this palace."

Faced with Nianci and Siwei's anxiety, Wei Jieyu calmly shared her own insights.

Unexpectedly, that's what she was thinking. The two maids were slightly stunned after hearing her explanation, but they also felt that it made a lot of sense.

Consort Wei's upright character was known throughout the palace. The Emperor must have come here to ask her questions because he wanted to hear the truth.

Pretending at this point is really pointless and makes you lose your own unique characteristics.

"Jieyu, when did you start thinking so much?" Nianci couldn't help but ask.

In the past, Wei Jieyu would certainly have expressed her thoughts truthfully, but she would have simply wanted to tell the truth without considering so many pros and cons.

Siwei looked at her in surprise, "Jieyu would never have had such thoughts before."

"People always change. Even a scholar who has been away for three days should be viewed with new eyes. Although I am a bit stubborn, I don't want to be a blockhead."

Wei Jieyu held the teacup and spoke slowly.

He paused, then frowned slightly.

"Why would His Majesty suddenly ask me about my opinion of Consort Jin? Could it be that there's some rift or conflict between His Majesty and Consort Jin?"

Nianci thought for a moment, "Why don't I go out and ask around?"

“There’s no need for that,” Consort Wei waved her hand to stop her. “I’m not going to compete with Consort Jin for anything. Whether her situation is good or bad is none of my business.”

Hearing this, Siwei whispered, "Does Consort Jin remember what she said when you went to consult her about the accounts? What is the relationship between you, Consort Jin, and the Empress?"

This reminder made Wei Jieyu's eyes flicker. After pondering for a while, she made a new decision.

"Alright, let's find out anyway. If she hasn't done anything wrong that angered the emperor, then let's give her a heads-up."

Now that she has been assisting in managing the six palaces for an extended period of time, Consort Wei has increasingly sensed the Empress's hostility towards her.

As Xie Jiu said, I am weak and the enemy is strong. The interests in the harem are not something that the Empress will stop doing just because she backs down. The Empress is wary and uneasy, and she will not stop until she gets rid of these thorns in her side.

If Consort Wei wanted to protect herself, she had to hold onto power tightly and avoid making mistakes. In doing so, she could also protect her maternal family and prevent them from being implicated by her.

On this point, as Xie Jiu said, the two of them are on the same side, so Xie Jiu hopes that Wei Jieyu will be steady, and now, conversely, Wei Jieyu also hopes that Xie Jiu will not let her down.

This is how Wei Jieyu repays Xie Jiu for his kindness in clearing her name when she was wrongly accused of poisoning him last time, she thought to herself.

Meanwhile, Consort Liu, who also lived in Zhongcui Palace, was keeping a close eye on things after learning that the Emperor had gone to Yinmei Pavilion.

However, Zhao Xingjin arrived suddenly and left quickly, so she didn't notice anything unusual and didn't take it seriously.

Only Xie Jiu, upon hearing that the Emperor had gone to Consort Wei's place after she left, actually smiled.

"Why is Your Highness still smiling? This servant is very worried. The things Your Highness said to the Emperor on behalf of the young master today, I'm afraid the Emperor didn't like to hear them. In fact, Your Highness knows in your heart that the Emperor is probably still wary of you, let alone accept the young master." Qingfang sighed.

Chunrong was also very worried. "Yes, Your Majesty, isn't this move a bit too risky? I'm afraid it might provoke the Emperor, making him want to take this opportunity to seize the evidence against the Master and punish the Young Master as well."

Xie Jiu remained calm as she listened to the two maids' words.

He casually picked up a tangerine from the fruit plate, tossed it in his palm, and smiled faintly. "No, if His Majesty had made up his mind, he wouldn't have gone to Zhongcui Palace. In fact, wherever he goes, it shows that he is conflicted, and conflict means wavering."

Chunrong listened to her explanation with a mixture of understanding and confusion.

He then continued, "But what if the Emperor decides to treat the young master and the master as one?"

"To put righteousness above family ties." Xie Jiu slightly raised her chin, her beautiful eyes sharp. "The bigger the commotion, the better."

“Wouldn’t the Xie family’s reputation be ruined? The Empress and the young master would suffer as well. This would be like hurting the enemy a thousand while losing eight hundred of your own,” Qingfang said.

However, Xie Jiu only asked them one question.

There are eight famous academies in the Great Jing Dynasty. Which ones are they?

“The Xie family founded five Donglin academies, and the other three are Mingzhi Academy, Jiusi Academy, and Lantai Academy,” Chunrong replied.

After she finished speaking, Xie Jiu smiled slightly.

"Yes, nine out of ten of those who pass the imperial examinations come from these eight academies, and five of them are Donglin Academy of the Xie family. It is no exaggeration to say that the students of these five academies are all disciples of the Xie family. In the eyes of outsiders, they are one with our Xie family."

"The Emperor ascended the throne last year, and the government was in dire need of rebuilding. Everything had to start from scratch, so no imperial examinations were held. This year, a special examination is definitely going to be held. There is no word of it yet, which means that the autumn examinations have been scheduled. If the Xie family falls at this time, the students of these academies will definitely be affected. They have studied hard for so many years and certainly do not want their path to success to be affected by external factors at the last moment."

Therefore, Xie Jiu was not afraid that Xie Wei's act of sacrificing his own family for the greater good would become a big deal.

The bigger the commotion, the better, so that they can better distance themselves from him and target only Xie Mingshen.

Few officials in the court might speak up for Xie Mingshen, but the many students of Dajing would certainly campaign for Xie Wei, protecting Xie Wei, the Xie family, and their own future.

Otherwise, even if someone promises that innocent people will not be affected if the Xie family is destroyed, these students will still have to worry because they are connected with the Xie family and their careers will be hindered.

However, these still need more guidance.

Xie Jiu stood up and stood by the window.

Looking at the snow scene outside, my mind became clearer.

Zhao Xingjin wanted to gradually eliminate the Xie family through a strategy of praising them to death, but Xie Jiu wouldn't let him do that. Xie Jiu wanted to make the final cut quickly enough to involve many people, because only shared interests could unite people's hearts.

She wanted these people to work together to protect the Xie family for her.

After all, living in this deep palace requires leverage. As long as Xie Mingshen is eliminated, the entire Xie family can be put to her use.

Inside Chengming Hall, Zhao Xingjin was unaware of Xie Jiu's plans, but he also had his own thoughts.

He has already sent people to keep a close watch on the Xie residence.

However, Xie Mingshen was also cautious, and even with such close monitoring, he did not quickly obtain the desired results.

However, unlike Xie Mingshen's docile nature, the Xichi people in the Huitong Hall became increasingly convinced after meeting Xie Mingshen that Dajing was now facing a thorny issue, and thus their attitude grew more and more smug each day.

Even though Zhao Xingjin had repeatedly refused to see them, they persisted, demanding to discuss the marriage alliance between the two countries and the issue of tariffs.

Finally, after the fifteenth and sixteenth of the first lunar month, Zhao Xingjin summoned them.