Wasn't he supposed to be beaten to death? Why did this powerful cousin love him so much?

The fundamental differences between Xie Jue and Xie Yao finally erupted at a grand court assembly two years later.

Xie Yao, together with several like-minded young censors, submitted another memorial, this time with even more pointed questions. They directly targeted several powerful princes of the imperial clan with notorious records, demanding a thorough investigation into all illegally seized land and shops under their names, and holding them accountable for their cover-ups and indulgence.

However, this memorial was leaked in advance.

Overnight, countless memorials impeaching Xie Yao for "forming cliques for personal gain, framing relatives, and sowing discord among imperial family members" flooded Emperor Jingyuan's desk like snowflakes.

Some people also dug up the story of Wu Weizhen and Xie Yao.

Wu Weizhen was originally just a scholar who passed the imperial examination with the help of Xie Yao. He eventually got a job as a principal officer in the Ministry of Revenue through Xie Yao's connections.

Last year, Wu Weizhen was reported for embezzling grain transport funds and was imprisoned. Before the trial was concluded, he committed suicide in prison.

At that time, the case implicated Xie Yao. Some people said that Xie Yao instructed Wu Weizhen to embezzle money for him in the Ministry of Revenue, while others said that Xie Yao sacrificed Wu Weizhen to protect himself and killed him to cover up the crime.

The case was later hastily closed by the Dali Temple due to insufficient evidence.

Now that the old story has been brought up again, the blade is pointed directly at Xie Yao.

Seeing this, the imperial relatives and nobles joined forces to put pressure on Xie Yao, determined to take this opportunity to kill him.

Emperor Jingyuan had also gotten a sense of who was in the court, and soon, a cold imperial edict was hastily sent to the Xie family.

"Xie Yao, the Vice Minister of Revenue, has acted improperly, framed relatives, and is unfit for important responsibilities... He is hereby dismissed from his post as Vice Minister of Revenue and demoted to the position of Prefect of Danzhou. He shall leave the capital immediately without delay!"

at the same time.

After lunch, Jiang Sese felt waves of sharp, intense pain in her abdomen, unlike any she had experienced before.

Hongdou's face turned pale instantly, cold sweat pouring down her back. She quickly ordered the other maids, "Quick... quick, call the midwife! Go tell the young master!"

Xie Jue had just finished court and, upon hearing the news, immediately hurried towards the palace gates.

His colleagues behind him were stunned to see the usually composed and steady man suddenly lose his composure. By the time they came to their senses, he had already walked quite a distance away.

"What happened?"

"Why is Lord Xie leaving in such a hurry?"

After leaving the palace, Xie Jue did not take a carriage, but rode a horse at full speed back to his residence.

Upon returning to the Xie family home, one could hear the footsteps of maids and servants coming and going, and their hushed but barely concealed voices filled with panic; everyone's face was tense.

The midwife is already inside.

Princess Anning also received the news and rushed over from her own courtyard.

Princess Anning paused for a moment when she saw Xie Jue about to go inside as soon as he returned, then quickly stepped forward to stop him: "What are you doing? The delivery room is unlucky, you..."

Xie Jue stopped and turned around, his gaze falling on Princess Anning's face. Princess Anning felt a chill run down her spine from that look and involuntarily let go of his hand.

Xie Jue said, "If there's anything you're superstitious about, just come at me."

After saying that, he stopped looking at Princess Anning's expression and walked straight inside.

The midwife and the maids who were serving her were stunned.

Midwives have spent most of their lives delivering babies; from ancient times to the present, what reason has there ever been for a respectable man to step into the delivery room?

It is said that the blood and qi in the delivery room are turbid and will taint a man's career prospects. This is especially true for a powerful minister like Xie Jue, who should avoid such a situation. Ordinary scholars and minor officials would not dare to go near it for fear of being tainted by bad luck, let alone a powerful minister like him.

Princess Anning's intervention was perfectly reasonable, but this Lord Xie doesn't care at all about those old rules that have been passed down for thousands of years.

The midwife was both shocked and sighed. She quickly gathered up the medicine utensils and dared not say another word.

Jiang Sese lay on the delivery bed, her body drenched in sweat from wave after wave of excruciating pain.

Her consciousness was already somewhat blurred; she only felt a tearing pain in her lower body, and her ears were ringing so loudly that she couldn't hear anything. Then, a hand reached out and grasped her sweaty hand.

Jiang Sese struggled to open her eyes, and in her blurry vision, she saw a face that was all too familiar.

Xie Jue half-squatted beside the delivery bed, holding her hand tightly, his face taut, his eyes red and fixed on her, as if afraid she would be gone in the blink of an eye.

Xie Jue lowered his voice and said, "Se Se."

Jiang Sese tried to force a smile, but another wave of pain hit her, causing her to arch her back and dig her fingers into the flesh of his hand.

Xie Jue seemed oblivious, only tightening his grip on her hand and stroking her sweaty forehead with his other hand, his voice trembling slightly: "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

He was always a man of few words; even the most important matters in the court could be decided in just a few words.

But at this moment, he was actually afraid.

As darkness fell, Princess Anning paced back and forth outside the delivery room, while the servants brought in hot water in batches.

After an unknown amount of time, a loud baby's cry finally pierced the night sky.

"It's born! It's born! It's a little boy!" The midwife's voice came from inside, filled with the joy of surviving a disaster.

Immediately, everyone knelt down in the corridor, offering their congratulations in unison.

Princess Anning breathed a long sigh of relief, clasped her hands together, and muttered some incantations.

Inside the delivery room, Xie Jue seemed not to hear the cry, still kneeling by the bed, pressing Jiang Sese's sweaty fingers to his lips.

Jiang Sese was completely exhausted, feeling as if she had been pulled out of the water. She didn't even have the strength to open her eyes, and only felt a warm drop of liquid fall on her face.

Jiang Sese struggled to open her eyes and saw Xie Jue with his head down, his hand pressed against the back of hers, his shoulders trembling slightly.

She wanted to speak, but her throat was too dry to make a sound.

In the end, she simply moved her fingers and gently squeezed his hand back.

(End of the book)