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

Chapter 212 Suspension from Duty and Investigation
The news of Vice Minister Chen's embezzlement and bribery broke the next day.

It didn't take much effort; when Consort Liu helped investigate Lü Weixing last time, she had already figured it all out.

After learning that Qingfang had been wrongfully bullied by Consort Chen, he came to Jingming Palace.

Sure enough, Cui Yanru, the notoriously stubborn censor in the court, directly brought the case of Consort Chen's father to the emperor's court.

The evidence is irrefutable; there's no way to argue against it.

The man who helped introduce the talent, Chen Shilang's cousin-in-law, was also arrested, which was no small matter.

After all, from the time Consort Chen entered the palace and her father became the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, in less than two years, there were more than a dozen 'talented people' recommended by her cousin-in-law.

If we take 50,000 taels per person as an example, that's more than 500,000 taels of silver embezzled.

A county magistrate who is honest for three years can amass 100,000 taels of silver; he's even more ruthless.

Needless to say, Zhao Xingjin was furious at the morning court session and immediately ordered the arrest of Chen Meiren's cousin-in-law, who was then imprisoned and interrogated. Chen Meiren's father was also suspended from his post and imprisoned for investigation.

The news reached the inner palace during the morning greetings.

Upon hearing this, the Empress's expression changed, and she immediately dismissed everyone, claiming that she was tired.

Xie Jiu glanced at the Empress's expression out of the corner of her eye and guessed that things had succeeded.

After leaving Jingming Palace, Consort Liu whispered, "Today, Fukang Palace is probably going to be unsettled. Your Majesty, do you think Consort Chen will plead with the Empress Dowager?"

"Grandchildren are important, but sons will definitely come first. The Empress Dowager has always valued the overall situation. This time, the evidence against Chen's father and her cousin-in-law is conclusive. There's no use in her pleading. At most, she can only save her father's life." Xie Jiu raised his chin, his gaze sharp.

Consort Liu nodded, "That's true. After all, she's pregnant, so the Emperor should at least give her some face. Besides, Vice Minister Chen is an old subordinate of the Emperor, so there's some old friendship between them."

"No matter what, the Chen family will be severely punished this time, even if they don't die." Xie Jiu lowered her eyes. "If they insist on running into this mess, then don't blame me."

“It’s all because the Chen family acted improperly; they deserve it,” said Liu Cairen.

If the Chen family had no problems, they wouldn't have been so easily given leverage.

Xie Jiu curled her lips into a smile. "Alright, let's not talk about them anymore. After Princess He Yi gets married soon, the selection of concubines will have to be carried out in a proper and grand manner. With new people entering the palace, it's inevitable that the Emperor's favor will be divided. You should also pay more attention to it."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I understand." Consort Liu nodded.

Xie Jiu took her hand and said, "Knowing is useless; we should take action. Your pastries taste good; you should send more to the Emperor to try."

"Okay," Liu Cairen replied.

Fukang Palace.

When Consort Chen received news of her family's troubles, she immediately thought of asking the Empress Dowager for help.

With tears welling up in her eyes, she knelt at the Empress Dowager's feet.

"Your Majesty, my father is certainly innocent. My cousin's husband has indeed acted somewhat improperly, but my father is not close to him. It is always the other way around, shamelessly sticking to our residence. This time, he must have committed these crimes under my father's name. My father is definitely innocent! I beg Your Majesty to explain this to the Emperor and clear my father's name!"

Looking at Consort Chen kneeling on the ground, the Empress Dowager's eyes darkened slightly, and she frowned as she spoke. "This matter was reported to the Emperor by Censor Cui of the Censorate. The evidence is conclusive. How can you say you're innocent? Your cousin-in-law has accepted numerous bribes, and your father is not clean either. That Lü Weixing gave your father a full 50,000 taels of silver. Consort Chen, considering your pregnancy, the Emperor and I will naturally not hold a grudge against you. However, your maternal family has committed a crime. If they are not punished according to the law, wouldn't outsiders criticize him, saying that the Emperor favors his concubines and has become biased in his duties to the court?"

Consort Chen was stunned for a moment, not expecting the Empress Dowager to be so heartless.

But he was still not giving up. He knelt forward a few steps and crawled to the Empress Dowager's feet, pleading with her.

"Your Majesty, my father has served the Emperor since his time as a prince, and has always been loyal to him. He must have made a mistake in a moment."

"Alright, you don't need to say anymore." The Empress Dowager interrupted her, her eyes filled with authority and warning. "The Emperor will decide how to punish you. If you really want to save your father's life, then protect the child in your womb. The Emperor values ​​his offspring and may give you some leniency."

This was a warning to Chen Meiren, telling her to stop thinking about finding someone to plead for her family and that ensuring her safe delivery was her top priority.

If something happens to the child, she will have no leverage left.

Consort Chen was not stupid; she naturally understood the Empress Dowager's meaning. Although she was unwilling, she had no other choice but to return.

"How could this happen? Everything was fine, how could this suddenly happen!" Inside the room, Chen Meiren clutched her handkerchief, her eyes filled with anxiety, tears streaming down her face.

Coral was also very worried. "Master used to be very cautious and never did anything like this, but now he has become confused. The Emperor is very wary of corruption. Master is an old subordinate of the Emperor and the first one to commit this crime. I'm afraid... I'm afraid he will be used as a warning to others."

The ministers who followed Zhao Xingjin in conquering the country were inevitably a bit arrogant and overbearing. Because they had made contributions, Zhao Xingjin couldn't easily punish them, fearing he would be accused of mistreating meritorious officials and being ungrateful. Now, with the evidence of Chen Shilang's embezzlement conclusive, he had just run into Zhao Xingjin's clutches.

"When the wall falls, everyone pushes it down. I haven't even announced my pregnancy yet, and they all think my Chen family is doomed. They all dare to kick me while I'm down. I will repay those who are kicking my Chen family while I'm down a hundredfold in the future!" Chen Meiren gritted her teeth, slightly raised her chin, and her eyes flashed with a sinister light.

Coral immediately added, "The Empress Dowager is right. For the beauty, the most important thing right now is the dragon child in her womb. If she gives birth to a prince and pleases the Emperor, our Chen family will be able to get through this difficult time."

Upon hearing this, Chen Meiren took a deep breath, slowly raised her hand to stroke her still relatively flat abdomen, and said in a deep voice.

"The child is important, but if it weren't for someone reporting us, how could my Chen family have ended up in this situation? I must find the person who deliberately harmed my Chen family. Even if I can't touch him now, I will definitely take my revenge in the future."

Jingming Palace.

As evening fell, Chunrong finished applying the medicine to Qingfang and then returned to the main hall to serve her.

"Your Majesty, it's already this late, and Consort Chen still hasn't gone to the Emperor to plead for her family."

"She must have pleaded with the Empress Dowager and been warned and reminded." Xie Jiu lowered his eyes, playing with a jade ruyi. "I wish she would be more impulsive and go to the Emperor to cry and kneel more, so that the Emperor would wear down his patience with the Chen family. It's a pity that she still has some brains. She can understand when someone reminds her."

Chunrong pursed her lips, her eyes filled with anger. "She deserves to be taught a lesson. Qingfang was injured so badly, her face was so swollen that she could barely open her mouth. Eating, drinking and talking were all difficult for her. It's clear how much force was used in those twenty slaps!"

Thinking of Qingfang's injuries, Xie Jiu felt heartache and slowly tightened his grip on the jade ruyi.

"Tell her to rest and recover properly. She doesn't need to worry about anything outside. I will definitely help her get revenge for this injustice."

"Your Majesty is concerned for me, but Your Majesty has other important matters to plan for. How can you trouble yourself for me? Now that the Chen family has learned its lesson, I think that's enough. Consort Chen is pregnant and should not be involved with anyone. I'm afraid she might use the imperial fetus to harm you."

Qingfang's voice came from the doorway.

Upon hearing the sound, Xie Jiu immediately got up and quickly walked towards her.

"Why did you come out? Didn't I tell you to rest properly?"