After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

Inside the Ning family study on Datong Street.

After the female commander had explained the ins and outs of the matter, the woman dressed in green slapped the book "The Advantages and Disadvantages of the Counties and States Under Heaven" on the desk.

After a moment, she gently closed her eyes and asked, "Yuan Yao, is this matter related to Prince Qi?"

A solemn expression appeared on the slightly dark-skinned face of the female commander, and she said in a deep voice, "This is the truly important matter that I wish to report to Prince Xin today."

"This is to inform Prince Xin..." the female commander said, clasping her hands in greeting, "It is related!"

Zhu Cuiwei took a breath and raised her hand, indicating that the female commander needed not worry.

"The Ning family of the capital has extensive connections in the army thanks to their relationship with the Marquis of Jingbei. It was precisely because of this that the Prince of Qi sent people to associate with them."

"The things they did... were all covered up for them by someone above them, namely the Five Military Commands... His Majesty used this incident to purge the Five Military Commands... All of Prince Qi's people in the Commands have been demoted."

The female commander observed Prince Xin's expression as she spoke slowly.

"The reason we were able to uncover evidence against the Ning family in the capital is actually related to the Prince Qi's residence..."

"The Sticky Rod Bureau sent Wen Liang to assassinate Young Master Ning. Through Wen Liang, Shangguan Xiu tracked down the Sticky Rod Bureau and learned that they had obtained the gunpowder formula. He then investigated the gunpowder workshop with Xu Qing, and as a result, they found the steward Sun and the Ning family in the capital... This put their investigation in sync with Young Master Ning's progress, and Shangguan Xiu then turned his attention to the Ning family in the capital."

"I investigated the Ning family's business in the north. I found that they traded tea, often going to great lengths to cross the border from Yunhu... Shangguan Xiu sensed something was wrong and intercepted a shipment of Ning's goods in Yushui County. It was well hidden, but we did find some chainmail..."

"The connection between this case and the Qi Prince's Mansion lies in... Previously, the steward Zheng of the Qi Prince's Mansion, whom we captured at Black Tiger Mountain, remained silent, leaving Yuan Yao at a loss for where to begin. We assumed that the armor was stolen by people from the Five Armies Commandery, and we kept tracking and investigating their people... but we couldn't find any clues. After obtaining the testimony of the Ning family from the capital, Yuan Yao knew how to investigate..."

"The hundred suits of armor that Steward Zheng obtained were the work of the Ning family in the capital. Kong Xiang has confessed in order to protect his bloodline... They disposed of the fine armor as obsolete armor, so that it looked acceptable on paper. At the same time, they fabricated the loss of military equipment with the river bandits. By combining their accounts, a large number of military equipment disappeared... Kong Xiang is a veteran general of the Marquis of Jingbei. The Ning family in the capital is using the Marquis's authority, so Fan Shiwei can't really control him."

Zhu Cui smiled and said, "The Heavenly Principle Sect members and Black Tiger Mountain bandits who attempted to assassinate me that day were all recruited by Zheng Qiudao... Since Kong Xiang confessed, he can't escape responsibility. Is the evidence of Prince Qi's rebellion conclusive?"

Qin Yuanyao paused for a moment, shook her head, and then said with a complicated expression, "His Majesty said... this matter ends here. Steward Zheng has already been dragged away and beheaded by His Majesty's men."

Zhu Cuiwei's eyes narrowed.

"Prince Gui has submitted a memorial."

Qin Yuanyao hesitated for a moment,

"Prince Gui, Prince Gui... clearly opposes His Majesty's abdication. Prince Gui said that even if His Majesty were to abdicate, at this turbulent time, he would prefer His Majesty to prioritize the overall situation and work with the other princes to consider the future of the nation and the ancestral temples, and to carefully consider the selection of a new emperor... Prince Gui directly stated in his memorial that he had heard of Prince Qi's virtuous reputation in Kunming... Moreover, Prince Tang... has not yet sent a congratulatory memorial."

Well……

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cuiwei silently lowered her eyes.

The Prince of Gui controlled the two provinces of Yunnan and Guangxi and maintained an army of 20,000.

The Tang emperor stationed troops in Fujian and Guangdong with 15,000 soldiers and 8,000 naval troops.

Both of these kings had declared themselves emperors sixty years ago.

However, back then, the Grand Prince Consort Shangguan defeated the Qing army in Sichuan and traveled between Kunming and Fuzhou within ten days, persuading the Prince of Gui and the Prince of Tang to relinquish their imperial titles and jointly resist the Qing. This saved the Zhu family from internal strife and preserved half of the country.

In terms of contributions to the Zhu family ancestral temple, the lineages of the Prince Gui and the Prince Tang were no less significant than this one.

Prince Gui supports Prince Qi, so to harm Prince Qi is to harm Prince Gui... No wonder... Zhu Cuiwei silently pursed her lips.

No wonder at the beginning of the year, the Qi King's faction submitted a petition, saying that Yunnan was a poor region and was suffering from a severe drought, requesting the court to reduce taxes and levies and decrease land taxes for three years.

No wonder... The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War is clearly the Emperor's confidant. This matter could be big or small, yet the Emperor deliberately sent him to Qujing, Yunnan as the prefect. It turns out it was to give Prince Gui a warning.

The Tang emperor did not send a congratulatory letter to celebrate his upcoming ascension to the throne. This was a sign that even the vassal kings were expressing their dissatisfaction... Zhu Cuiwei sighed silently.

"Your Highness, His Majesty says..."

Qin Yuanyao glanced at Prince Xin, her mouth went dry, and she swallowed hard.

"He hopes that Your Highness can remember the Grand Prince Consort Shangguan from back then... Back then, when the Grand Prince Consort was resisting the Qing, the subordinates of Prince Gui and Prince Tang harassed his rear, demanding that Her Majesty Empress Xuanwu relinquish her imperial title. However, the Grand Prince Consort disregarded past grievances and, despite the momentum of a great victory, did not use force to suppress others. Instead, he personally went to Fuzhou and Kunming to persuade the two princes to work together to protect the country... His Majesty said that no matter what Prince Qi had done before, he would not do it again."

Zhu Cuiwei paused for a moment.

"Did the King of Qi enter the palace?" she asked.

"Yes." Qin Yuanyao nodded, forcing a smile, "His Majesty said that Your Highness, as a king, must not be selfish or angry."

Zhu Cui smiled and said, "Brother underestimates me... He can tell me himself."

Qin Yuanyao clasped her hands and said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty... Your Majesty still cares about the princess and wants me to sound out her thoughts."

Zhu Cuiwei smiled faintly and said that it was not necessary and that her brother should not worry.

"Go and post a message for me," she nodded, "I'd like to invite Uncle Qi to my residence for a meal... I'll cook it myself."

Huh? ??? Qin Yuanyao was immediately dumbfounded.

"Oh," the mistress of the Ning residence added, "please tell Uncle Qi that we'll be eating at the Ning residence, not the Xin Prince's residence."

The soon-to-be-crowned empress smiled and said, "It's a family banquet, not a trap. He knows my family's situation, so there's no need to bring any gifts. It's best to dress modestly."

……

……

The afternoon sun was bright and dazzling.

The teacher and student, having eaten and drunk their fill, strolled out of the Fulai Tavern.

Ning Nan instructed Ping Shu to drive the carriage to take Han Laoguai back to Bailu Academy.

Old Han, with a roll of Xuan paper tucked under his arm, patted it and laughed, "Then this old man thanks Master Ning."

Ning Nan chuckled and waved his hand, saying, "You're welcome."

Just then, a commotion arose at the end of Datong Street. Ning Nan and Han Laoguai exclaimed in surprise and turned around to find that the crowd had all rushed over to watch the excitement.

Old Han smiled curiously and said that it was indeed strange. In a place like Datong Street, what hadn't the people seen? Why would they flock there to watch the excitement?

In the distance, it seemed as if a group of people were approaching, and a rather orderly series of footsteps could be heard.

Before long, a group of people carrying strangely shaped muskets appeared in the distance.

Both of them wiped the smiles off their faces, and their pupils involuntarily contracted.