I only wished to take up my fiefdom, but my elder brother forced me to rebel.

"Has the old case of Bai Chengwu been solved?"

Liang San Niang's expression, which had just relaxed, tightened again.

She heard about this when she was at the Crown Prince's villa.

He knew that Bai Rushuang had been waiting for this day.

Lu Yuan immediately opened the urgent report from the Ministry of Justice and read it from beginning to end, his smile gradually fading away.

Twelve years ago, Yingzhouwei suffered heavy casualties in a battle, and the imperial court allocated 300,000 taels of silver for relief.

Bai Chengwu was in charge of checking the list of the dead and found that nearly 40% of the silver actually reached the families of the soldiers.

He investigated the accounts and eventually traced them back to several officials in the Ministry of War.

But before he could send the evidence to the capital, the account books had already been switched.

The portion of money Bai Chengwu used to supplement the payments to military families was also used as evidence of "embezzlement and subsequent unauthorized accounting."

People are dead.

The charges have also been left behind.

The Bai family, once descendants of loyal martyrs, became the family of corrupt officials.

Lu Yuan had promised Bai Rushuang at Black Wind Stronghold that he would investigate this matter thoroughly.

After Han Zheng fell from power, Shen Yilei compared the allocation records, Yingzhou granary records, and the remaining accounts preserved by the Bai family from that year, and finally managed to fill in the gaps.

Han Zheng was not the first to extend a helping hand.

However, after the case was sent to the Ministry of War, he personally suppressed it.

The reason is simple: if the investigation were to continue, at least a dozen people in the Ministry of War would lose their heads, and his own future would be ruined as well.

Therefore, killing Bai Chengwu became the simplest method at the time.

Lu Yuan carefully folded the urgent report.

"Go back to Beijing."

He Shen was taken aback. "Your Highness, there haven't been any official arrangements for the border city yet..."

"The thirteen cities have all been taken over, and Father Zhang also has his. What remains are the matters of the Ministry of Revenue and the Court of State Ceremonial."

After mounting his horse, Lu Yuan said, "Some people have been waiting for this result for twelve years."

He Shen didn't say anything more after hearing this.

After all, he knew about Bai Rushuang's family situation.

So he made arrangements for people to prepare to break camp and return to the capital.

When the group returned to the capital, Shen Zilei had already entered the palace with the re-checked files.

After reading it, Lu Cangqiong did not wait for Lu Yuan to return to deal with it.

After reading the case file, he issued an imperial edict on the spot.

Bai Chengwu was restored to his original position and reputation, granted the title of Duke Zhiyi, and had his embezzlement charges dropped.

In those years, the Ministry of Revenue made up the arrears for military dependents in Yingzhou Garrison who had not received the full amount of pensions, and for deceased soldiers, the pensions were distributed to their parents, wives and children.

As for the officials who were involved in the crimes back then, those who are still alive will continue to be investigated, and those who are dead will have their titles and honors revoked.

When the imperial edict was delivered to the Eastern Palace, Bai Rushuang was sitting in front of her parents' memorial tablets.

After she became pregnant, her temper calmed down a lot, and now she has people following her even if she walks a few steps faster.

But she remained standing while receiving the imperial edict.

After Zhou Fu finished reading, she didn't say anything.

Su Yuling stood to the side, her eyes reddening first.

Shen Hanqiu secretly wiped away her tears twice.

Bai Rushuang still didn't cry.

It wasn't until she took down the old memorial tablet for "the disgraced official Bai Chengwu" and looked at the new one sent by Su Bo'an that her hands began to tremble.

The words "criminal subject" are no longer on the memorial tablet.

Only the late Bai Chengwu, the Commander of the Yingzhou Guard of the Dayong Dynasty, was present.

She touched her father's name, tears streaming down her face, and it took her a long time to place the new memorial tablet on it.

"father."

"The imperial court says you didn't embezzle."

"You've finally been exonerated."

She looked at her mother's memorial tablet next to her, her throat feeling like it was blocked by something.

After the Bai family's misfortune twelve years ago, my mother never heard those words before she died.

Now that the imperial decree has arrived, my father's name can finally be written back into the family genealogy with dignity, but one less person is left to hear it.

When Lu Yuan returned, he stood behind her without trying to persuade her.

Some grievances, kept bottled up for twelve years, are better expressed through tears than any form of comfort.

All I need to do is be a listener and I'll be fine.

Bai Rushuang cried for a long time before turning around.

"Your Highness."

"Um?"

"You said back in Black Wind Stronghold that you would definitely clear my father's name."

Her eyes were still red. "Back then, I thought you were just trying to trick me into going with you."

Lu Yuan thought about it seriously.

"It's not that I had no such thoughts at all."

Su Yuling slapped him on the back.

"If you can't speak properly, then shut up."

Bai Rushuang was crying, but his words made her both angry and amused.

Lu Yuan quickly tried to salvage the situation, saying, "You can coax him during the wedding night, but how can you coax your father-in-law about something like this?"

Bai Rushuang finally smiled and raised her hand to wipe away her tears.

"Who's going to have your baby?"

Lu Yuan stared at her stomach.

"Why don't you ask him?"

"roll."

Everyone in the room laughed.

This old case, which had weighed on the Bai family for twelve years, has finally come to a conclusion.

Lu Yuan did not stay in the Eastern Palace for long.

The Royal Academy officially opened today.

This matter has dragged on for far too long. If it continues, those noble sons who have paid their tuition fees might actually dare to move their bedding to the gates of the Eastern Palace.

When Lu Yuan arrived at the academy, a large crowd had already gathered outside the gate.

Young Master Liu led the first group of students to stand at the front. Everyone had changed into new clothes, and their faces were full of "I'm finally going to school today."

As soon as Lu Yuan dismounted, Young Master Liu rushed over.

"Your Highness, you've finally arrived!"

"If you don't open the door, my grandmother is going to send me to the Imperial Academy!"

Lu Yuan glanced at him.

"You?"

"Would the Imperial Academy accept him?"

The excitement on Young Master Liu's face immediately vanished by half.

"Your Highness, on this joyous occasion, could you please show some consideration for your student?"

"Go in."

Lu Yuan kicked him inside.

The first course has already been posted at the entrance of the academy.

Mathematics, agricultural administration, water conservancy, legal practice, construction, commerce, military supplies, and cartography.

Su Mingli stood next to the course board, explaining the assessment rules to the first batch of students.

The scholars watching nearby became increasingly suspicious as they listened.

One of the scholars, who was in his forties, read the entire course from beginning to end, and then from end to beginning again.

"What about the Four Books?"

Su Mingli looked at him, "The Royal Academy will not be using the Four Books and Classics as its main curriculum for the time being."

"What about the Spring and Autumn Annals?"

"It's not a core subject either."

The scholar's face had changed. "Then what will they do after graduating from learning all this?"

Lu Yuan happened to be passing by and casually chimed in.

"If you pass the assessment, you will be admitted to North Korea on a trial basis as the director."

The man suddenly turned around.

"To go to court?"

"To become an official?"

Lu Yuan stopped in his tracks.

"What? Is there a problem?"

The scholar stared at the course board, then at the students who had already entered, his chest tightening with increasing anxiety.

He studied diligently for twenty-seven years, selling his land and borrowing money, until he finally passed the imperial examination at the age of forty-three.

Nowadays, a group of people who don't even need to read the Four Books can become officials after learning abacus and water conservancy for a few years.

So what has he been all these years?

He suddenly reached out and tore down a piece of the college's admissions regulations from the entrance.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"If this is the Royal Academy."

"Today, I'm afraid the scholars of the world will not be able to open this door for you so easily."