Chapter 81 Lin Xiang’s Retirement

Eunuch Hou, the eunuch who is close to Emperor Qing, is actually the most powerful eunuch in Qing Kingdom. He is also a third-rank official in the Prime Minister’s office. The power he represents is so great that except for Fan Xian, only the royal family can disrespect him.

What’s more, at this time he was holding the imperial edict and riding his horse at full speed. Everyone who heard it knelt down and kowtowed.

When the imperial edict is issued, it is as if Your Majesty is present in person!
Fan Xian also had to bow, as did the maids behind Li Chengqian.

Eunuch Hou said in a clear voice: “The Crown Prince has done a good job and fulfilled his promise. He has provided escort for this spring examination and solved many problems. I have seen it all, so I will reward you with a thousand taels of gold and a hundred rolls of silk as a special reward.”

“In addition, all the unsolved cases in the previous spring examinations, including those involving favoritism and corruption, were handled by Crown Prince Li Chengqian. We will investigate and deal with this matter strictly and will not tolerate it. We will not allow the use of literature to harm the country again!”

“Your Highness, I obey your orders!”

Li Chengqian bowed and took the imperial edict, which was the condition he and Emperor Qing had agreed upon.

If you want to get things done, you have to do it in a grand and loud manner.

Only by getting the title of being able to thoroughly investigate the imperial examinations over the years can he be deposed as prime minister as a matter of course!
The eunuch Hou left with his horse’s belly between his legs. The prince asked all the common people to stand up, and then there was a burst of applause:
“Your Highness the Crown Prince is very wise and will restore the purity of Qing’s literary world!”

“Your Highness is a righteous man, and is the reborn parent of this year’s candidates!”

“Please stop being so petty. You already know that you recognize your father.”

“Don’t you want to? If I can marry the Crown Prince, I’d be willing to be his grandson!”

Li Chengqian, surrounded by his maids and Fan Xian, left the crowd and got on the carriage. Fan Xian congratulated him, “It seems that the Spring Examination has been successfully passed. With this imperial edict, the Second Prince will not be able to make a fuss about it.”

Li Chengqian smiled and looked at Fan Xian:

“Are you sure you went there?”

“how”

Fan Xian was somewhat puzzled, thinking of the name that had inexplicably replaced Yang Wanli, and then realized:

“Your Highness, since His Majesty has asked you to thoroughly investigate the events of the Spring Examinations in previous years, coupled with the emergence of Prime Minister Lin’s blunder, will…”

Li Chengqian patted his shoulder:

“Don’t worry, I won’t use this name to seek credit or reward for your father-in-law’s affairs. I’m not stupid. To offend Prime Minister Lin and the party behind him is a much bigger loss than a thousand taels of gold and a hundred rolls of silk.”

Fan Xian didn’t have time to breathe a sigh of relief.

Li Chengqian changed his tone and said: “However, this may be a misunderstanding. I will not pursue it. If something happens in the future, I can’t guarantee that Lin Xiang will be safe and sound.”

He wanted to distance himself from the matter in advance.

Even if Prime Minister Lin was deposed, Fan Xian couldn’t blame him.

After all, he had turned a blind eye to this impersonation blunder.

As expected, Fan Xian clasped his fists in thanks and bowed. He was going to go to his uncle later to explain the matter and ask him to get rid of those officials who were involved in cheating in the imperial examinations in previous years. After all, Lin Ruofu was the father of his woman, so he had to protect his family more.

The carriage suddenly stopped.

Li Chengqian and Fan Xian were jolted.

Qingzhu in front of the car poked his head in and reminded: “Your Highness, someone is stopping the car.”

Li Chengqian lifted the curtain and saw that it was indeed He Zongwei with a widow in mourning clothes kneeling on the ground to beg for mercy, crying miserably:

“Your Highness, please give my late husband justice and innocence~~~~”

Fan Xian jumped off the carriage first, waited for the prince to get off, and walked behind him.

In front of so many people, Li Chengqian had no choice but to make a public judgment:

“What kind of rules are you following?”

He Zongwei signaled to the widow with his eyes and began acting.

The woman in mourning clothes stopped crying and rubbed her red eyes while sobbing:
“Your Highness, I am illiterate and have never known any great person. But I know that Your Highness is a kind person who cares about the people and seeks justice for students all over the world. I have a murder case and I ask Your Highness to make a fair judgment!”

As soon as these words were spoken, people began to talk about it, feeling that they were about to get into trouble.

He Zongwei saw that his emotions were already well-prepared, so he immediately knelt down and petitioned:
“Your Highness, this woman’s deceased husband was a student who passed the imperial examination in previous years. But he was harmed by a villain. Not only did he replace his name, but he also killed him when they failed to reach an agreement in private negotiations, causing him to die unjustly.”

Fan Xian and others turned their eyes to the widow.

She then burst into tears and knelt pitifully at the prince’s feet:

“Your Highness, I beg you to redress the injustice for the people and bring back justice for my late husband who died with his eyes open!”

This touching speech brought tears to people’s eyes, and the women watching were all in tears.

But Fan Xian noticed that the prince was unmoved and was still thinking.

Then Jiang Ziyan came to the prince, stood on tiptoe, and reminded him in a low voice:

“Your Highness, this woman is acting, and so is that man. I’m afraid they are teaming up to deceive you!”

Qingzhu’s heart tightened. They were not aware of the plans of the Crown Prince and Emperor Qing, and they were only worried that their master would be deceived by the villain.

Li Chengqian turned his head to look at Jiang Ziyan and laughed: “You are very good at acting, right?”

Jiang Ziyan smiled awkwardly and scratched her head: “No, no, it’s just a feeling.”

Fan Xian also came over worriedly.

He Zongwei, a traitor, is not a good person.

How could he stop the prince’s carriage for a widow he didn’t even know?
Li Chengqian looked at Fan Xian and motioned for him to ask:

“Do you know who killed your husband?”

The widow looked up at Fan Xian and the prince beside him:

“It’s the prime minister of the dynasty, Lin Ruofu!!!”

Fan Xian’s pupils trembled, and he took a half step back in disbelief and bumped into the prince.

When he turned around to look at Li Chengqian, his expression had already turned dark, as he had prepared in advance.

“Your Highness, this.”

When the two returned to the carriage.

Fan Xian sensed something was wrong and asked the prince for help.

Li Chengqian raised his hand and interrupted his request for help: “If this is true, even if it is Prime Minister Lin, I will judge impartially.”

Fan Xian was stunned for a moment, but nodded in understanding: “I understand that Your Highness wants to be fair, but this matter may be suspicious. The timing of their appearance is too coincidental. How could they jump out when you have been appointed by His Majesty to thoroughly investigate the affairs of the Spring Examinations over the years?”

“I find it weird, too.”

Li Chengqian held Fan Xian’s shoulders, pretending to want to help him and protect Lin Ruofu, and told Fan Xian: “Go to the Lin Mansion and meet with Prime Minister Lin as soon as possible, and tell him about this. As long as the matter has not been fully investigated, you will have a chance to get away safely.”

His purpose was to drive out Lin Ruofu and abolish the prime minister system, and he had no intention of killing Prime Minister Lin.

After all, Qing Kingdom is still a society based on personal relationships. He is the father of Wan’er’s cousin, Fan Xian’s father-in-law, and the eldest princess’s man. The last relationship can be ignored, but it depends on the relationship between the first two.

Li Chengqian had to give Prime Minister Lin a way out.

Fan Xian nodded and bowed to the Crown Prince in gratitude: “I will go and ask Prime Minister Lin if this is true. If it is true, when the dust settles, Your Highness will deal with it according to the law, and I will never complain.”

I feel relieved when you say this. Drive your father-in-law away. I will arrange someone in the court in the future, which will be beneficial to you, me, and Ruoruo.

Li Chengqian waved his hand: “Go ahead.”

·······
Lin House.

Fan Xian rushed here in a hurry and saw Lin Xiang still leisurely picking fruits. He asked in confusion:
“Uncle, didn’t you receive the message?”

“I see.”

Lin Ruofu calmly put down the fruit he had left for Dabao, with a look of reluctance in his eyes:
“You come with me.”

They walked into the inner room and sat down to talk.

Yuan Hongdao prepared a cup of tea for Fan Xian, but the latter had no appetite:

“Uncle, is what the widow said true? Did you really impersonate someone and kill someone?”

“Can not remember.”

Lin Ruofu blew on the hot tea and replied slowly: “So what if it is, so what if it isn’t?”

Fan Xian was stunned for a moment, as if he had thought of something, and added: “The Spring Examination was hosted by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Although I assisted, I did not play a big role, and I did not have much say.”

“His Highness said that he would temporarily protect you and wait until the matter was investigated, but the imperial edict of His Majesty has arrived, and the investigation of fraud is imminent, even if…”

“.”

As Fan Xian was talking, he fell silent, then looked blankly at Lin Ruofu who was sipping tea.

“Uncle, was this the work of your Majesty?”

Lin Ruofu drank the hot tea, sighed because it was hot, and asked Yuan Hongdao to hand him a towel to wipe it before speaking:

“You guessed it.”

Fan Xian was horrified when he thought about it. It was clearly his responsibility to copy and seal the files under a cover name, but someone else could have replaced Yang Wanli’s name with that of Prime Minister Lin. With such great power, who else could have done it?
Who else can do it!
“Your Majesty, why is this happening? If he just wanted to investigate the Spring Examination, he would have explained it to me before, right?”

Lin Ruofu shook his head. For the first time, an old look appeared on his face. His brows were squeezed into a “川” shape when he frowned.

“I don’t know how our emperor is going to attack me, but I have already anticipated it, starting from what you said about my people impersonating me.”

Yuan Hongdao sighed, seeming to be very worried about the fate of the Prime Minister.

Fan Xian was the one who was truly worried: “So what should we do now?”

Lin Ruofu calmly put down the teacup and looked up again, his face showing the excitement of fighting with His Majesty:

“I want to enter the palace and see you!”

Prime Minister Lin entered the palace alone, and Fan Xian could not follow him.

Before leaving, Lin Wan’er worriedly grabbed Fan Xian:
“How is it? Is my father okay? Speak.”

Fan Xian looked at Wan’er, who looked helpless and anxious and almost crying, but he couldn’t give an answer for a moment. He had promised not to lie to her, but if he didn’t lie, Lin Wan’er would probably completely collapse.

Seeing this, Lin Wan’er’s beautiful eyes flashed with despair, and her lips trembled:

“This matter is organized by my brother the Crown Prince. My cousin and I have been good friends since we were young. I will go to the Crown Prince. For the sake of you, me, and Ruoruo, maybe he will show some leniency. No, he will definitely do so!”

This was the first time Fan Xian saw Wan’er so out of control, and he hugged her in his arms out of pity:
“Wan’er, His Highness has helped us a lot. At least he gave us time to react. But this matter is not something that the Crown Prince can decide alone. Behind this is the intention of His Majesty.”

Lin Wan’er looked pale, leaning weakly in Fan Xian’s arms, tears streaming down her face:

“Nothing can happen to my father. Nothing can happen to my father.”

Because her father was gone, she had no relatives to rely on in this world.
·····
Outside the Imperial Study Room.

The Crown Prince, Fan Xian, and Lin Ruofu met with Emperor Qing.

Eunuch Hou sighed, saying that he had not seen such a scene for a long time. He was afraid that after today, the political situation in Daqing would undergo earth-shaking changes.
Before they talked with Emperor Qing, someone sent a message:

Yuan Hongdao, an adviser to Prime Minister Lin, attacked the witness in the street and “almost” killed him.

This piece of news.

This undoubtedly proves that Lin Ruofu is the murderer, and now he wants to kill someone else with a borrowed knife.

Fan Xian lamented inwardly that his father-in-law’s fate was unpredictable and he wondered how he would be treated.

The three of them entered the imperial study.

Prime Minister Lin kicked away the stool given by the emperor, then picked it up respectfully, and finally bent his waist, which had not been bent for a long time, and bowed to Emperor Qing: “Your Majesty, I am old and weak, and I am afraid that I am unable to assist Your Majesty and serve Your Majesty anymore.”

“I beg to retire and return to my hometown.”

Fan Xian was actually a little surprised. For a prime minister, this kind of thing probably wouldn’t cause him to retire, which meant that there was a deeper meaning behind this matter. He looked at Emperor Qing with suspicion and vigilance.
Li Chengqian stood behind them silently.

In order to prevent Lin Xiang from leaving, Fan Xian would feel resentful for not helping him. Even though he always said that he would judge impartially if something happened and he would not complain, people are selfish, and Fan Xian is used to favoring those around him.

Li Chengqian wanted Emperor Qing to bear the blame of Fan Xian himself, and it would be best if the two of them would have a grudge against each other.

Only then did Fan Xian see clearly what kind of person Emperor Qing was, what he had done, and his attitude towards the people.

This is in the best interest of him.
While the prince was in a trance, Emperor Qing had already exchanged pleasantries with Prime Minister Lin for quite a while, and had gone through all the polite words and the rituals of retaining the prince. Only then did he reluctantly let this old fox Lin Ruofu retire and return home.

Before leaving, he asked Prime Minister Lin for a list of his subordinates, but to no avail.

Emperor Qing took note of this and cursed the old man secretly!
You don’t want to give it to me, right?

I’ll kill you when you return home.
A resignation ceremony without the smoke of gunpowder ended so peacefully.

Fan Xian was originally worried that his father-in-law would be punished, but now it seems that being able to retire after achieving success may not be a bad thing.

Before Lin Ruofu bowed to His Majesty and took his leave, he praised Li Chengqian with a smile on his face:

“Your Highness the Crown Prince is truly a benevolent monarch, caring for the people of the world, speaking up for the students in the Spring Examination, and making fair and straightforward decisions. I, as a minister, have absolutely no complaints.”

“Thank you, Minister Lin understands.”

“Your Highness is wrong. I am no longer Prime Minister Lin.”

Prime Minister Lin saluted Emperor Qing with a dagger in his smile, and at the same time praised Li Chengqian: “Your Highness, as the crown prince, not only loves the people like his own children, but also does a great job. With such outstanding young people like you, I can retire with peace of mind. Daqing will still rely on you in the future.”

A hint of impatience flashed across Emperor Qing’s face.

Li Chengqian: I******
I’m about to leave but I still feel uneasy.

Give me such a flattery to kill!

The only person Daqing can rely on, no matter in the past, present or future, is Your Majesty!

Emperor Qing said nothing, holding Prime Minister Lin’s arm and sending him out: “Come, I’ll take you on your way.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Minister Lin bowed and left.

He looked at his son-in-law Fan Xian beside him.

I decided to remind him one more time before leaving.

Be careful of everyone around you, including Crown Prince Li Chengqian.
　I’m really sorry for the late update. I have two exams the day after tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.

　
(End of this chapter)