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

Chapter 218

Everyone was still immersed in the joy of Princess Heyi's wedding when they suddenly heard the news that Grand Secretary Xie Mingshen had been imprisoned, which surprised them all.

Especially after hearing that Xie Wei and Xie Jiu, the brother and sister, had put aside their own family ties to expose Xie Mingshen's evil deeds.

Leaving aside the excitement of the imperial court, everyone in the inner palace—Weiyang Palace, Yanqing Palace, and Fukang Palace—was also happy.

The Empress and Consort Zhuang were pleased that Xie Mingshen had fallen from power, as Xie Jiu would have little to rely on in the future.

After all, in their eyes, all that bullshit about sacrificing family for the greater good was just Xie Jiu's way of protecting himself. They were cowards who would even betray their own father; the two siblings were just as despicable.

The joy in Fukang Palace came in two forms: one stemmed from Consort Chen, whose thoughts were almost identical to those of the Empress and Consort Zhuang; the other was the Empress Dowager's joy.

Having finally eliminated Xie Mingshen, a major threat, she was happy that her son could more firmly hold onto his power.

While the inner palace was bustling with activity, Xie Jiu's Jingming Palace, the very center of the commotion, was unusually quiet.

"Your Majesty, it's late and chilly. Please rest." Chunrong entered the inner room and gently comforted her.

Xie Jiu, with her long hair loose, sat on the couch wrapped in a quilt, her eyes glazed over, lost in thought.

Hearing Chunrong's voice, he looked up and asked, "Is it late?"

"Yes, it's almost midnight." Chunrong sat down by the bedside, her eyes full of concern. "Is Your Highness troubled by what happened during the day, which is why you can't sleep?"

These words immediately brought to Xie Jiu's mind the scene in the Imperial Study during the day, and he couldn't help but frown slightly.

He lowered his eyes and said, "I am worried about my brother. The Emperor did not say today that he was innocent, nor did he mention that he had done a good deed by putting his own family aside."

To put it bluntly, Xie Jiu was afraid that Zhao Xingjin still wanted to kill Xie Wei, and his performance today was just an act.

If that were the case, she could still find a way to save her brother's life, but it would be more troublesome and riskier.

"Nothing will happen." Chunrong saw through Xie Jiu's thoughts and immediately comforted him, "This servant thinks that if His Majesty is determined to take action against the young master, he can directly pin the charges on him in the Imperial Study today. After all, the crimes that Master committed are serious enough to implicate the whole family, so there is no need for any excuse."

Xie Jiu was somewhat uncertain, "Really?"

“Yes, Your Majesty, you are worried and confused. You have been tense for a long time, and today you suddenly relaxed, so you are a little uneasy,” Chunrong said softly.

As she spoke, she helped Xie Jiu lie down slowly.

"Your Majesty, get a good night's sleep and rest well. When you wake up tomorrow morning, your mind will be clear, and even if something really happens, you'll have the energy to deal with it, right?"

Xie Jiu remained silent, only nodding quietly, as Chun Rong tucked the blanket in and blew out the candles in the bedroom.

In the darkness, Xie Jiu quietly opened her eyes and looked into the void. After a while, she suddenly realized that she was indeed a little flustered today.

Chunrong is right. If Zhao Xingjin intended to deal with Xie Wei, he could have done so today and saved himself the trouble. But he didn't, which means he has other plans.

The matter is far from settled. Xie Mingshen has only just entered prison, yet she seems to have lost all her strength. This won't do.

The road ahead is still long.

The next day.

During the morning court session, Zhao Xingjin, in front of all the court officials, mentioned and praised Xie Wei's act of putting righteousness before family, while simultaneously announcing all of Xie Mingshen's crimes to the public. These crimes were all discovered the previous night through the investigation by the Dali Temple.

This is another case of pulling up a radish and bringing out the mud, involving quite a few people.

However, none of the things Xie Mingshen did were actually planned for Xie Wei.

Why? Because Xie Wei himself was already very talented, so there was no need for him to cheat in the imperial examinations. Later, Xie Wei entered the court as an official. At that time, Emperor Hui gave Xie Wei a good position because of Xie Mingshen's reputation. Later, Xie Wei discovered his father's hypocrisy and resolutely took his wife and children to Lizhou.

Xie Mingshen was furious at the time, feeling that Xie Wei would only behave if he suffered in Lizhou. So he issued an order that everyone must act impartially and not give Xie Wei any favors.

The original intention was to make Xie Wei suffer a setback and then obediently return to the capital to become a good son. However, Xie Wei was stubborn and insisted on establishing himself in Lizhou.

This also allowed Xie Wei to cleanly extricate himself from the situation.

It can only be said that it was fate.

In fact, Zhao Xingjin had doubts about the result at first, but Jiang Weihe, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, was his man. Before reporting to him, Jiang had already sent people to thoroughly investigate based on Xie Mingshen's confession.

Xie Wei really was clean and tidy.

This is why Zhao Xingjin openly praised Xie Wei's act of putting righteousness before family in court.

Ultimately, Xie Jiu's words were not the core factor in his final decision.

Even if Xie Jiu knew about this, he wouldn't think much of it. After all, if Zhao Xingjin were a ruler who would be swayed by one side of the story and make decisions based on it, then he would be a foolish ruler.

The fact that the Grand Secretary was denounced by his own children was big news, especially since the court officials felt that the Emperor intended to punish only Xie Mingshen and that neither Consort Jin in the palace nor Xie Wei outside the palace would be affected.

This has sparked heated discussions.

The Xie family can be called the most scholarly family in the Great Jing Dynasty. The entire clan has produced many famous scholars, and quite a few of them have served as officials in the court. Including Xie Mingshen, they have produced a total of four Grand Secretaries and two Imperial Tutors.

Now that Xie Mingshen has become such a rotten apple, he has truly ruined much of the Xie family's reputation.

Fortunately, Xie Wei put aside his own family for the greater good, which earned him some reputation. After the news spread, many students across the country praised Xie Wei as a true gentleman, with the same demeanor as his great-grandfather.

This great-grandfather was not only the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet but also the Imperial Tutor. His talent, virtue, and reputation will be remembered for all time. It is indeed very high that Xie Wei received such praise.

There were still people in the capital talking about Xie Mingshen's downfall and Xie Wei's young age. They were afraid that he would be swallowed up by the Xie family. Even with Consort Jin's support, it was impossible for him to take over the position of leader.

Some speculate that the Emperor may only be putting on an act now, punishing Xie Mingshen, and will surely find another reason to punish Xie Wei later.

However, now that students from all over the country are praising his righteous act, and some have even written poems and essays to extol Xie Wei's act of putting righteousness above family ties, these voices have gradually faded away.

Why?

Because I never expected Xie Wei to have such a reputation.

This year's autumn imperial examination is the first since the emperor ascended the throne to select talents, which is of great significance. The thoughts and feelings of scholars across the country will be given more attention by the court, and the emperor will listen to them more attentively.

Xie Wei now enjoys a very good image in the hearts of students across the country. If Zhao Xingjin were to do anything to Xie Wei at this moment, it would damage the image of a wise ruler.

In fact, Zhao Xingjin really didn't expect this matter to bring Xie Wei so much prestige. Sitting in the Imperial Study, listening to Wei Zhang's reply, he frowned slightly.