The reason Yanshu came to see the Empress Dowager was actually after careful consideration.
After all, regarding this matter, the Emperor could only send people thousands of miles away to Luzhou to find the Hu family, help them file another lawsuit, and bring Wang Xiangli and Old Man Ge to court.
As she told the Empress Dowager, there was a time difference in this matter. Even if the Imperial Guard moved as fast as possible, it would take five or six days to reach the place. Moreover, Old Man Ge was currently still in the capital. Whether the Hu family filed a complaint locally in Luzhou and the news was then transmitted to the capital, or the Hu family was brought to the capital to file a complaint directly, it would still take some days.
If they waited until then, it would be too late.
Fortunately, Hu Sanniang was currently in the capital. It would be best if she could personally cry out for justice in this matter.
However, how could she get Hu Sanniang to personally cry out for justice?
Naturally, it could only be done through the Empress Dowager.
And to let the Empress Dowager know about this matter, she could only write a story first, and even have it published.
Well, after all, she couldn't just read the manuscript to the Empress Dowager. Wouldn't that expose her identity?
So, she had worked hard writing all day yesterday, and this morning she had sent someone to wait early outside the bookstore to buy the story as soon as it was available.
Moreover, to let the Empress Dowager hear this story sooner, she didn't even get to sleep in or have a proper breakfast.
Fortunately, now that the Empress Dowager had made a prompt decision, it was all worth it.
Now, she just had to wait for Hu Sanniang to enter the palace.
This morning, there was still a meeting of scholars in the Wenyuan Pavilion, and Ge Yuanhua had entered the palace early with the others.
Therefore, while the Carefree Young Master's new story was selling hot, he and the other great scholars were still unaware of it.
However, he also knew that Hu Sanniang was not truly with him, so as soon as Hu Sanniang entered his household, he had arranged for a trusted old woman to stay by Hu Sanniang's side to monitor her daily activities.
So, when she first heard about the Empress Dowager's summons, the old woman asked with confusion, "Why would the Empress Dowager want to summon our Third Lady out of the blue? The master isn't here now, why don't we wait for him to return, and then Third Lady can go to the palace together to see the Empress Dowager?"
However, the palace messenger who came to deliver the message was very uncompromising. Hearing her speak like this, he immediately frowned and scolded, "Nonsense! Does the Empress Dowager need to explain her reasons to you for summoning someone?"
The old woman was startled and quickly knelt down, saying, "This old servant wouldn't dare, please don't be angry, sirs."
The palace messenger ignored her and said to Hu Sanniang, "Please come with us, madam. Don't worry, the Empress Dowager is merciful and won't mistreat you arbitrarily."
Hu Sanniang agreed and followed them out of the guesthouse.
Not long after, in the Palace of Benevolent Peace, the Empress Dowager and Yanshu finally saw the protagonist of the story.
Looking closely, they saw that this woman was about twenty years old, with indeed very beautiful features, but there was a hint of sorrow between her brows, obviously not living a very happy life.
Yanshu sighed inwardly, thinking how a good woman from a respectable family had now become the plaything of a lecherous old man. Who could be happy in such a situation?
At this moment, seeing Hu Sanniang bow to her and the Empress Dowager, Yanshu spoke, "Madam Hu, don't be alarmed. We called you here today because a few days ago, there was a banquet in the palace, but no one from your household attended. I inquired and learned that the mistress of your household had passed away, and heard that you accompanied Mr. Ge to the capital this time, so I specially called you here to talk."
Hearing this, Hu Sanniang hurriedly said, "Thank you, Empress Dowager and Consort Yi. I am only a concubine of the master, I don't dare to receive such attention from Your Highnesses."
Her words were full of self-deprecation.
The Empress Dowager saw this and said, "It doesn't matter. In my eyes, as long as one's character is noble, their status is not important."
She then asked, "Where are you from? What does your family do? How old are you now, do you have any children?"
Hu Sanniang answered one by one, "I am nineteen this year, from Luzhou. My family... are local farmers. I don't have any children."
The Empress Dowager and Yanshu exchanged a glance. No children, that would make things easier.
Yanshu then coughed and said, "There are no outsiders here today, so you don't need to be too formal. Since you are from a respectable family, how did you end up as a concubine?"
After she finished speaking, Hu Sanniang bit her lip, then said with difficulty, "I was married once before. My husband's family needed money and sold me to the master..."
Yanshu quickly put on a surprised expression and said, "Could it be that your original husband's family were students of Ge Yuanhua?"
Hearing this, Hu Sanniang was stunned and looked up at her, saying, "How did Your Highness know?"
Yanshu hurriedly said, "It's quite a coincidence. Today, there's a new story in the market that tells a tale very similar to your background. It's about a woman from a good family who was sold by her greedy husband and heartless mother-in-law to her husband's teacher."
Hu Sanniang was stunned again and exclaimed, "Is there really such a thing?"
Yanshu nodded and continued, "To tell you the truth, after the Empress Dowager read this story, she was very angry. Coincidentally, she also learned about your situation and wondered how a good woman from a respectable family ended up as a concubine. So she had people investigate, and unexpectedly, the story in this book matched your situation."
"Could it be that this story is written about you? Were you also forced to become a concubine through a scheme jointly planned by your former husband and Ge Yuanhua?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Hu Sanniang, recalling the past, began to cry bitterly.
Yanshu quickly went forward to hand her a handkerchief, saying gently, "Don't be afraid. The Empress Dowager is the most just person. If you have any grievances, you might as well tell Her Highness today."
The Empress Dowager glanced at her and decided to speak directly to Hu Sanniang, "To be honest with you, I also received information that you were originally sold to Ge Yuanhua by your husband. This is a criminal act. If you want to seek justice, I will uphold justice for you, but if you don't want to, I won't ask any more questions."
Upon hearing this, Hu Sanniang fell to her knees in front of her, crying, "I beg the Empress Dowager to do justice for me."
...
At this time, in the Wenyuan Pavilion, various famous scholars and officials from the Ministry of Rites were in a meeting.
After the previous two sessions, matters concerning the entrance examinations and curriculum settings for Songhe Academy had been decided. Today's agenda was to establish specific rules for the academy, such as reward and punishment measures, admission standards, and so on.
Like the previous two times, the Emperor himself was presiding over the meeting today, so everyone was actively presenting their opinions, making the scene very lively.
Ji Kaiyu, the headmaster of White Crane Academy, said, "In the way of educating people, establishing virtue is fundamental. For students entering the academy to study, family background is not the primary concern. Apart from talent and diligence, what's more important is moral character."
Yu Jingwei, the great scholar from Nanyang, nodded and said, "Those with excellent moral character will benefit from studying, while those with poor moral character, even if they read ten thousand books, will only be a menace."
At this moment, Ge Yuanhua from Luzhou stroked his beard and said, "Speaking of morality, it can be divided into public morality and private morality. Mencius said, 'In poverty, they attend to their own virtue in solitude; in success, they make the whole empire virtuous as well.' Attending to one's own virtue is 'private morality', while making the whole empire virtuous is 'public morality'."
Seeing this scene, Yuwen Lan secretly raised an eyebrow —
How could this person maintain such a righteous appearance when his private morality was so corrupt?
However, just as this person finished speaking, before anyone else could say anything, a palace servant from the Palace of Benevolent Peace entered the hall carrying a stack of books. He addressed the Emperor, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager heard that there was a discussion in the Wenyuan Pavilion today, and she has specially prepared a test question for the gentlemen."
A test question?
Everyone was surprised and asked curiously, "What kind of test question has the Empress Dowager prepared?"
The palace servant bowed and presented the books in his hands, saying, "Please read this book, gentlemen."
Yuwen Lan took one and glanced at it, only to realize it was Yanshu's new story, "The Wolf and Dog Masters Finally Get Their Comeuppance."
"..."
It seemed that the Empress Dowager was ready to make her move?
Very well, let's see how the Empress Dowager plans to handle this.
He nodded, "Then let the gentlemen take a look."
The palace servant complied and distributed the books to everyone.
Next, everyone started reading the story.
Yuwen Lan looked around the hall and saw that most people's expressions were changing along with the plot twists in the story.
One of them brightened up, thinking, [This Carefree Young Master is so efficient, writing it out so quickly? Hmph, let's see how that old scoundrel Ge deals with this today!]
— Yuwen Lan understood then, the one who had written to Yanshu the other day was this person, Liu Zhengxin, the headmaster of Huai'an Academy.
And looking at Ge Yuanhua, who was holding the book, his expression was gradually becoming panicked.
As time went on, their faces grew paler.
Not long after, an announcement was heard from outside, "The Empress Dowager has arrived..."
Yuwen Lan paused, and before he could rise, the Empress Dowager had already entered the pavilion.
Immediately, everyone in the pavilion stood up and bowed, saying, "We humble subjects pay our respects to the Empress Dowager."
Yuwen Lan also hurried forward to greet her, saying, "Mother, why have you come?"
The Empress Dowager smiled faintly and said, "I gave the gentlemen a test earlier, and now I've come to collect the papers."
She then looked at everyone and said, "You should have finished reading this story by now. What are your thoughts?"
As soon as she finished speaking, everyone angrily exclaimed, "The master and disciple in this story truly disgrace the sages! They are despised by all!"
"If such a thing happened in reality, those two should be scorned by everyone in the world."
"Yes, indeed."
...
For a moment, everyone spoke passionately, and a chorus of condemnation filled the pavilion.
The Empress Dowager nodded and continued, "To be honest with you all, I posed this question today because this morning, I received a personal plea from the woman in the story. And the master from the story is among you."
Upon hearing this, everyone was surprised and asked, "Is that so? Who could it be?"
The Empress Dowager didn't speak, but merely looked at one person.
It was then that they saw Ge Yuanhua trembling like a sieve, his face as white as paper.
After shaking for a while, he finally stepped forward, knelt down, and said, "Please calm your anger, Your Highness. I'm afraid I am the master from the story."
What? It was actually him?
Except for Liu Zhengxin, who had leaked the information, everyone else looked surprised.
Before the Empress Dowager could speak, Ge Yuanhua continued, "Please understand, Your Highness, there must be a misunderstanding. At the time, my student Wang Xiangli's family had fallen on hard times, and he came to me begging for help. I was confused for a moment and agreed to his request. I never intentionally coerced or enticed him to sell his wife!"
Confused for a moment?
The Empress Dowager laughed coldly and said, "Were you confused for a moment? Or for a lifetime? To this day, more than seven hundred days and nights have passed, and you still haven't come to your senses? A perfectly respectable woman was sold to you as a concubine, and when her family later reported it to the authorities, you used your influence to suppress the matter? Was this also a moment of confusion?"
Upon hearing this, Ge Yuanhua was left speechless and could only repeatedly kowtow, saying, "I know my crime, please calm your anger, Your Highness."
Seeing this scene, everyone shook their heads.
The Empress Dowager, however, ignored everyone and suddenly looked at one person in the pavilion, saying, "Scholar Qi once served as an official in the court and is most familiar with our dynasty's laws. What do you think of this matter?"
Her gaze was calm, showing no unusual signs.
Everyone quickly looked at Qi Shuguang, whom she had named.
Yuwen Lan also paused and looked over.
Tsk, at such a moment, the Empress Dowager actually called on him to answer?
Could there be... some special intention?
Under everyone's gaze, Qi Shuguang bowed his head and spoke, "Your Highness, in my humble opinion, as a teacher, when faced with a student's family difficulties, one should offer assistance to help them through the crisis. This is the true meaning of 'one day a teacher, a father for life.' To take advantage of the situation to coerce or entice, satisfying one's own immoral desires, not only leads the student into wrongdoing but also puts an innocent woman in a desperate situation. This goes against the role of a respected teacher. Now that this matter has come to light, I believe the court will handle it justly and promptly announce the results to comfort the victim and reassure the people."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone agreed, "Mr. Qi's words are absolutely right. This is truly the way of a worthy teacher."
Yuwen Lan couldn't help but nod silently in agreement.
Especially when speaking these words, his heart was clear and free of any distracting thoughts.
The Empress Dowager nodded and said to him, "With the advice from all the gentlemen just now, I believe His Majesty will surely handle this matter impartially."
Yuwen Lan nodded and said, "Yes. Please rest assured, Mother. I will immediately have the relevant persons in this case brought to the capital for the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Justice to publicly try this case."
The Empress Dowager nodded and said, "His Majesty is wise."
She then walked out of the room.
Behind her, everyone immediately bowed their heads again and said, "We respectfully bid farewell to the Empress Dowager."
After the Empress Dowager's simple and direct operation, the identity of the story's protagonist became known to all under heaven that day.
In an instant, condemnation of Old Man Ge could be heard everywhere, from the common people to the court, inside and outside the capital.
Hu Sanniang was temporarily placed in a safe location, waiting for her family to arrive in the capital so that the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Justice could retry the case.
It was believed that at that time, Wang Xiangli, who had forgotten righteousness for profit, and his old mother would also receive their due punishment.
Yanshu felt somewhat relieved.
However, in addition to feeling relieved, she couldn't help but ask the system, [By the way, who actually wrote that exposé letter?]
The system replied, [The author of the exposé letter is also among these famous scholars. His name is Liu Zhengxin, and he's the principal of Huai'an Academy.]
Yanshu raised an eyebrow, [How did he come to know about this matter?]
The system explained, [Huai'an is not far from Luzhou. There was a competition for students between his academy and Old Man Ge's private school. Liu Zhengxin has harbored resentment ever since, and has been secretly inquiring about Old Man Ge's private affairs for years, waiting for an opportunity to take revenge. When he saw that many people were recommending Old Man Ge for the position of principal, he naturally became upset. Then when he heard about you, he quietly leaked the information to you.]
Yanshu nodded, [I see.]
But suddenly she paused. Tsk, now that this path has been opened, wouldn't she receive more exposé letters in the future?
However...
A few days later, her prediction came true.
Among a pile of reader letters, she indeed found another exposé letter.
And the target of this report was none other than Liu Zhengxin, the principal of Huai'an Academy who had just exposed Old Man Ge a few days ago.
The letter stated that in his youth, this man had been a litigation master. On the surface, all the lawsuits he handled were won, which made him famous in Huai'an for a time.
In reality, however, he secretly took money from those who sought his help in lawsuits and used it to bribe the presiding officials, which was how he won the cases.
Yanshu: "..."
Is there no end to this?
