The latest story by the Carefree Gentleman, along with the real-time updates outside the Eight Sides Bookshop, brought the case of Wei Jingshi's illegal occupation of the Zhao family's inheritance to the attention of the capital's citizens.
Under the keen interest of the entire city, the Capital Official also recognized the gravity of their responsibility and immediately intensified their investigation.
Although much time had passed, fortunately, the officials who had handled the case back then were still around. After a thorough investigation, they quickly uncovered the truth—
Indeed, the matter of Zhao Hairong's adoption was entirely fabricated by Wei Jingshi alone. The official seal on the documents he held was privately stamped by the officials after receiving bribes from him.
Given these circumstances, the Capital Official had no choice but to overturn the wrongful case from over twenty years ago and retry it.
However, at this time, a clerk from the Eight Sides Bookshop voluntarily reported that Wei Jingshi had recently been engaging in malicious competition. Not only was he spreading rumors that the Carefree Gentleman was a woman to incite readers to attack him, but he was also offering large sums of money to acquire information about the Carefree Gentleman, intending to further harm him.
When this news broke, the citizens of the city suddenly realized why there had been rumors lately about the Carefree Gentleman being a woman. It turned out to be this heartless scoundrel maliciously framing him behind the scenes.
At once, the capital's citizens became increasingly disgusted with this person. Angry readers who were fans of the Carefree Gentleman even gathered outside the Capital Official's office to express their emotions, demanding that the officials severely punish such an evil person.
Under such pressure, the Capital Official naturally didn't dare to delay. They quickly reached a verdict—
Wei Jingshi was ordered to revert to his original name and immediately return all the property he had illegally occupied to the Zhao family. For the crimes of forging documents, bribing officials, and malicious framing, he was sentenced to sixty strokes of the cane, after which he would be exiled to the border.
Seeing that evil had finally met its just deserts, the citizens were finally satisfied.
The head of the Capital Official also breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly reported the results to the imperial court.
—After all, it was the Imperial Palace Guards who had brought the Zhao family to report the case that day. This scene alone made it clear that His Majesty was paying attention to this matter.
The next day in court, an official voluntarily reported the case's outcome to the emperor and used this to suggest that local government offices across the country review past wrongful cases to set the record straight for the people.
Yuwen Lan nodded upon hearing this, saying, "It's worth considering. Deploy orders for local government offices to begin self-examination."
Everyone immediately agreed, but then they heard the emperor casually ask, "I heard that this person deliberately spread rumors that the Carefree Gentleman was a woman, trying to stir up public emotions and attack his opponent. I want to know, what do you all think about this matter?"
It was rare for the emperor to inquire about matters unrelated to state affairs in court. As soon as he spoke, the officials immediately began expressing their views.
Someone said, "This is clearly the work of a malicious mind. But in my opinion, those who were incited by him to insult the Carefree Gentleman should also come forward and apologize to him now. How could such a talented writer, who has produced so many brilliant stories, possibly be a woman? How could these people be so easily swayed?"
As soon as these words were spoken, many nodded in agreement.
—Well, everyone knows that the Carefree Gentleman is currently a favorite in the imperial court. Not only does the Empress Dowager love his stories the most, but it's highly likely that he's writing under imperial command.
So, defending the Carefree Gentleman is equivalent to upholding the dignity of the royal family, right?
Therefore, this flattery must be delivered!
At this moment, Hanlin Academy Scholar Zou Mozhong stepped forward and said, "If I may be so bold, I believe this person has misplaced his focus. This matter has nothing to do with gender. Even if the Carefree Gentleman were indeed a woman, would her stories be any different? Taking myself as an example, what I like are the unique stories from his pen. Although they seem absurd and outrageous, they always find prototypes in reality. And when you think something is difficult to achieve in reality, the Carefree Gentleman's stories always manage to fulfill everyone's wishes. If this gentleman were truly a woman, I would admire her even more."
As he finished speaking, the emperor raised an eyebrow, "How so?"
Zou Mozhong said, "Your Majesty, throughout history, women's education has always been restricted, and their activities have been limited to the inner chambers and boudoirs. Under such circumstances, if a woman could have such a broad perspective and write such a rich variety of stories with fluent language, it would naturally be admirable."
Upon hearing this, not only did the emperor nod slightly, but many ministers also nodded in agreement.
Especially the Minister of Works, Lu Kaihe, who actively echoed, "What Scholar Zou said is exactly what I think. To be frank, Your Majesty, I also greatly enjoy the Carefree Gentleman's stories because he dares to reveal the truth and ensure that good is rewarded and evil is punished in his stories. There are always many injustices in this world, and who would know about them if the Carefree Gentleman didn't expose them for us?"
"For example, in the case of the Zhao family's inheritance, a minor official from the Capital Official could stamp documents without asking for Zhao Hairong's own opinion, ultimately leading to a wrongful judgment by the Capital Official, and the Zhao family's property being occupied by an outsider for decades. Without the Carefree Gentleman, this matter would surely have gone unknown, and the Zhao family's property would have remained in the hands of that evil Wei person. Now that such a wrongful case has been exposed to the world through the Carefree Gentleman's pen, ensuring that evil meets its just deserts, how could we hate her for upholding justice just because she might be a woman, instead of being grateful?"
"Therefore, I believe that not only is this matter unrelated to the Carefree Gentleman's gender, but the Capital Official should also award him an honorary title of 'Righteous Person' to show encouragement."
After Minister Lu's impassioned speech, many expressed their admiration.
After all, this Minister of Works rarely spoke so much usually, and hearing him now, they realized his eloquence was surprising.
Yuwen Lan, however, thought to himself that if Yanshu could know about Lu Kaihe's speech, she would be very happy.
This man truly lived up to being Yanshu's loyal reader.
However, it's better to forgo the matter of awarding a title. If the Capital Official really were to award one, wouldn't Yanshu have to go receive it?
Wouldn't that expose everything?
So he said, "Minister Lu's words are reasonable, but I believe this Carefree Gentleman is a righteous person. Giving him a title might be somewhat superfluous."
Lu Kaihe suddenly realized and quickly bowed, saying, "Your Majesty is wise. It was my foolishness."
Yuwen Lan then said, "Alright, let's talk about something else. Tibet has expressed intentions for peace, what do you think?"
—Due to the previous political upheaval in Nanzhao, where the crown prince with half Great Liang blood became the new heir, and now with Nanzhao King Mu Zhengping personally coming to the capital, it clearly indicated the intention of an alliance between Great Liang and Nanzhao.
As a neighboring country to both, Tibet realized that they would likely be at a disadvantage against these two countries for many years to come, so they simply took the initiative to sue for peace.
Of course, having one more friend is much better than having one more enemy.
As soon as the emperor spoke, it immediately drew agreement from the ministers.
The Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion said, "Your Majesty, I believe this is a good thing. Although there's no need for a marriage alliance, the two countries can certainly increase exchanges. However, we don't need to be overly generous. If they want grain seeds, silk, or tea, let them exchange with cattle, sheep, or gold. Great Liang doesn't need to take advantage of them, but we shouldn't lose out either. We must make them understand the meaning of fairness."
Upon hearing this, everyone expressed their agreement.
Yuwen Lan then said, "Regarding trade matters, let the Ministry of Revenue and the Court of State Ceremonial work together to quickly establish detailed rules."
Hearing this, the relevant officials immediately agreed, and others also felt reassured.
—At this point, among the foreign countries that had come to the capital this time, most had already expressed their attitudes. Except for Dongwo, which was not to be mentioned again, most of the others had expressed their desire to maintain friendly relations with Great Liang. Even the hesitant Rouran had taken the initiative to show goodwill yesterday, proposing to set up border trade markets to benefit both sides' border residents.
However, Rouran's neighbor, Dangxia, had yet to express their stance.
This country, sandwiched between Great Liang and Xiongrong, was a key location just like Nanzhao. Moreover, this was the first time they had sent envoys since their new ruler ascended the throne, so their attitude was very important.
Just as the ministers were worried, they heard the emperor say, "Tomorrow, the King of Nanzhao will leave the capital. Tonight, I will host a farewell banquet for him in Jiying Hall. This is the last opportunity for Dangxia to express their stance. If they have no intention of maintaining good relations with Great Liang, we should ask them to leave as soon as possible."
All the ministers agreed in unison.
As night fell, Jiying Hall was brilliantly lit.
Yanshu accompanied the emperor to attend the event again today. When she saw those important ministers from the court, she felt particularly excited.
Today, she had carefully studied the situation at court with the help of the system. She learned that after the eloquent speeches by Scholar Zou and Minister Lu, the ministers no longer objected to her being a woman.
Oh my, Scholar Zou truly had a discerning eye in discovering her talent, and Minister Lu was such an enthusiastic fan of her novels! Having such knowledgeable confidants meant her stories hadn't been written in vain.
Thinking back to how she used to procrastinate, causing Scholar Zou to stay at the Hanlin Academy for days and depriving fan Minister Lu of new stories to read, she felt incredibly guilty. She wished she could immediately write ten novels to make it up to them!
Yuwen Lan listened silently, thinking to himself, "..." He wanted to advise her that writing ten novels in a row might be too much for the baby in her belly.
However, he had important matters to attend to tonight.
At that moment, amidst the sound of bells and drums, dancers swung their long sleeves, performing a dance unique to the Great Liang dynasty to bid farewell to the distinguished guests.
Yuwen Lan took the initiative to raise his cup to Mu Zhengping, saying, "I wish the King of Mu a smooth journey. Please do visit Great Liang often when you have the chance."
Mu Zhengping, dressed in the royal attire of Nanzhao, also raised his cup and replied, "I thank Your Majesty for the warm hospitality. From now on, Great Liang and Nanzhao shall be as close as brothers, standing together through thick and thin."
These words carried great weight, especially coming from the respected King of Mu. They rang with sincerity.
Not only did they elicit unanimous praise from the Great Liang court officials, but they also sent shockwaves through the other foreign envoys present.
— Great Liang was already powerful, and now with such a staunch ally, wouldn't they become even stronger?
Therefore, going to war with them in the future probably wouldn't be a wise choice.
Seeing this, the Dangxia envoy, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke up, "It has been five years since our new Khagan ascended to the throne, and this is the first time we've paid our respects to Great Liang. Our Dowager Khagan greatly admires His Majesty's abilities and is very willing to befriend your country. However, we wonder if your country has the sincerity to reciprocate?"
Hmm?
As soon as these words were uttered, the court officials in the hall quietly raised their eyebrows —
Was Dangxia finally unable to wait any longer and ready to make their stance known?
However, the way they phrased it was truly unpleasant.
What did they mean by "if your country has the sincerity"?
It was as if they thought Great Liang was inherently inferior to them.
Yanshu felt the same way.
She remembered that when the Prince of Gaoli was stabbed by those two Dongwo demons last time, this person had sided with the Dongwo envoy, constantly questioning Great Liang.
Even looking at him was annoying.
Now, hearing him speak like this, Yuwen Lan asked, "What kind of sincerity does your country require from Great Liang?"
The envoy replied, "We request that Great Liang designate Linqi, Heishui, and Weizhou — the three cities bordering Dangxia — as friendship cities. Allow our Dangxia people to reside and conduct business there without paying taxes."
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire hall erupted in an uproar.
Yanshu was also stunned.
She couldn't help but think to herself, "Oh boy, these Dangxia people aren't asking for sincerity, they're trying to act like Great Liang's father!"
Where did the Dangxia leader get such confidence from?
The system then explained, [Actually, this isn't the Dangxia leader's idea. This envoy added it himself. He wants to make a significant achievement so that when he returns, his former mother-in-law, the Dangxia Dowager, will praise him and entrust him with important tasks.]
Hearing this, Yanshu asked, [Is this man the Dangxia consort?]
The system replied, [Sort of. He was the consort of the Dangxia Princess, but last year the Princess was angered to death by him and a maid, so he can only be considered a former consort now.]
Yanshu: "!!!"
Well, that's some juicy gossip.
