Dream of the Red Chamber: I can see the hidden labels of the beauties.

Yi Xian is now in a difficult situation. He doesn't understand which link went wrong. According to his previous plan, Jia Can should be the one to suffer now. Why is it him who is in trouble?

Upon careful reflection, Yi Xian realized that the key lay in this memorial. He had specifically examined it before sending it to the Ministry of Justice, and it clearly bore Jia Can's official seal, so it was definitely genuine.

But now, Jia Can's official seal on this memorial has mysteriously disappeared, and it has become a memorial submitted by Yi Xian alone.

Thinking of this, all he could do was kowtow and beg repeatedly:

"Your Majesty, I swear on my life that this memorial definitely bore Jia Can's official seal, and there are witnesses to testify that Jia Can indeed instructed me to write this memorial. I implore Your Majesty to send someone to investigate thoroughly!"

However, Emperor Jing'an slammed his fist on the table and angrily said:

"Enough! Do you think you can still be innocent? Even if we find evidence, so what if this memorial bears Jia Can's official seal?"

"What you did in the Dragon Guard is common knowledge. Jia Can has been sidelined by you, and it's not impossible that you tricked him into affixing his seal. Besides, no one will believe you anymore!"

Having said that, Emperor Jing'an didn't want to explain any further and gave a stern order:

"By imperial decree, Yi Xian, the Deputy Commander of the Dragon Guard, has been found guilty of misconduct, favoritism, and abuse of power since assuming office. He is hereby dismissed from his post, investigated, and imprisoned in the Dragon Feather Guard Prison. The Dragon Feather Guard is hereby ordered to conduct a thorough investigation!"

Imperial guards immediately entered the hall and took away the kneeling Yi Xian.

Yi Xian is still struggling to proclaim his innocence:

"I'm innocent, Your Majesty! I haven't done anything wrong. I was just following your instructions, Your Majesty..."

As Emperor Jing'an listened to Yi Xian's cries of injustice grow fainter, his frustration intensified. He knew that Yi Xian was indeed innocent, but clearly, he had no choice but to execute him severely to quell the situation.

Xia Shouzhong guessed at Emperor Jing'an's thoughts and comforted him:

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Yi Xian was indeed wrong. He was too impatient and eager for quick success, and he underestimated Jia Can, thus falling into a trap without realizing it. He not only failed Your Majesty's expectations but also put Your Majesty in a passive position. He deserves to die!"

Emperor Jing'an felt slightly better after hearing this. He let out a long breath, looked out of the palace, and said:

"I know that Yi Xian did nothing wrong. In fact, he did a very good job, strictly following my instructions. It's just that... Jia Can is too clever and cunning. He actually used me as a pawn!"

Xia Shouzhong glanced up slightly at Emperor Jing'an's face, and seeing his gloomy expression, he was startled and quickly bowed his head to apologize:

"Your Majesty, this old servant is guilty. In fact, when I heard Yi Xian's memorial belittling Jia Can, this old servant had already sensed something was wrong. However, this old servant was afraid of Your Majesty's scolding, so I did not dare to speak out. Otherwise, Your Majesty would not have fallen into such a passive position."

Emperor Jing'an glanced at him and waved his hand, saying:

"Old man, it's not your fault. I can only say that Jia Can hid himself too well. I even misjudged him. I thought I had overestimated him, but now it seems that I underestimated him."

"No wonder he was recommended by the Emperor Emeritus to be the imperial envoy to the south to reform the salt administration. At such a young age, he already possesses such a mind and strategy; it is truly remarkable."

Xia Shouzhong continued, "Your Majesty, the more this is the case, the more we must be wary, otherwise, it will surely become a major threat to Your Majesty in the future!"

Emperor Jing'an, with a serious expression, stroked his beard and said:

"Yes, I understand. However, this is for the best. Since he has such means, it is very likely that he can succeed in reforming the salt administration in the south. However, this time, I need to carefully select a capable person to accompany him."

As he spoke, his brows furrowed, as if he was already considering a candidate.

Xia Shouzhong stood meekly beside him, not daring to suggest any candidates at this time.

A brief silence fell over the hall.

After a long while, Emperor Jing'an's lips curled slightly, as if he had already thought of a good candidate. However, he quickly frowned, looked at Xia Shouzhong, and asked in a deep voice:

"Old man, those people obviously won't be willing to let their nephews be removed from the Dragon Guard just like that. Even if I dismiss Yi Xian and investigate him, they might not give up. How should I deal with this?"

Upon hearing this, Xia Shouzhong pondered for a moment before replying:

"Your Majesty, since you have long wanted to take action against Xun Gui's faction, why not be forceful this time and just ignore them? I think they won't dare to cause any more trouble then."

"Moreover, the 'ringleader' Yi Xian has already been dismissed from his post, which is enough for them. If they dare to cause trouble again, it would be a challenge to imperial authority. Your Majesty, you might as well take this opportunity to make an example of one or two people to warn others!"

Emperor Jing'an, however, felt it was inappropriate and gently shook his head.

In fact, he had considered taking action years ago, but he hesitated because of the complex and deeply entrenched power structure within Hoongui's faction.

For example, the four prominent families of Jinling—Jia, Shi, Wang, and Xue—were not only closely united but also related by marriage. If any one of them was harmed, the other three would join in the commotion, making it a case of "pulling one hair affects the whole body."

Even though Emperor Jing'an was the emperor, he could not act arbitrarily. Otherwise, once the prestige of the imperial power was damaged, he would be nothing more than a dragon trapped in the Forbidden City.

Not to mention, there is also the existence of the retired emperor. The retired emperor often interacts with some old nobles and has a close relationship with them. If Emperor Jing'an does not do a good job, it is foreseeable that the retired emperor will depose him.

Therefore, Emperor Jing'an has hesitated to take action for years due to his indecisiveness.

Seeing that Emperor Jing'an did not agree, Xia Shouzhong could only sigh inwardly. As a eunuch, he had already done his duty by offering his opinion. As for how to make the decision, it was naturally up to Emperor Jing'an.

Emperor Jing'an clearly did not sleep well that night. Before going to court the next day, he yawned incessantly and looked listless. He did not say a word during the court session and hurriedly left.

Emperor Jing'an pondered all night about how to quell the situation, but could not come up with a solution that would satisfy both sides.

If he takes a hard line, he worries that the nobles will complain to the retired emperor, who will then use it as a pretext to reprimand him, which would be a loss for him.

If the order were to be reversed, it would be considered a change of heart, greatly damaging the emperor's authority, which was something Emperor Jing'an absolutely did not want to see.

Finding a compromise became a headache for Emperor Jing'an.

At noon, when Emperor Jing'an saw a memorial, his eyes suddenly lit up.

The memorial was submitted by Jia Can yesterday. It pleaded for the sons of the Xun Gui family, saying that although they did not have many merits, their ancestors had all contributed to the country, and he hoped that Emperor Jing'an would be lenient in his punishment.

In his memorial, Jia Can proposed that these people's official positions should be retained, but the salaries they had previously received should be returned, and they should not receive salaries without working again, otherwise they should be severely punished.

This proposal instantly solved the problem that had been troubling Emperor Jing'an. He immediately picked up his red brush, wrote a red note on it, and sent it to the cabinet.

Soon, the official letter was delivered to the Longfu Guard Office.

Sitting at the head of the public office, Jia Can glanced at the official document, a slight smile playing on his lips. He immediately dispatched a team of men, carrying official documents bearing the seals of the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, and other ministries, to collect back the embezzled funds from various households.