Chapter 681 - 249: Receiving Instruction

Chapter 681: Chapter 249: Receiving Instruction

When she reached the age to leave the palace, which coincided with the death of the late Emperor, the nanny firmly rejected the marriage arranged for her outside the palace. She took a vow of celibacy and stayed by the Empress Dowager’s side to continue serving her. This kind of devotion was unmatched by ordinary people. The Empress Dowager deeply trusted and was exceptionally close to Nanny Tan.

Since there was no one else around, Nanny Tan spoke the truth. "Mr. Tao has always been cautious in his handling of affairs. He doesn’t seem like the type of person who would do such a thing."

A profound and unreadable expression appeared on the Empress Dowager’s extremely well-maintained face. "Of course I know that. He simply suffered an unexpected disaster."

Nanny Tan paused in surprise. "Since you know, why did you just..."

The Empress Dowager said unhurriedly, "Blame it on the fact that he’s too used to flattery and doesn’t know his place."

Nanny Tan looked confused. "What do you mean by that..."

The Empress Dowager said lightly, "I couldn’t be bothered to investigate how many bribes he secretly accepted during the officials’ year-end debriefings and the post-new-year transfers. I know better than anyone that expecting absolute purity in politics is a fool’s errand. However, after taking those bribes, he let it go to his head and placed useless people in crucial positions. That is where he went wrong. I can allow him to hold power, and I can tolerate their partisan squabbles, because those things are inevitable regardless; even if I bothered to manage them, the outcome wouldn’t necessarily be better than it is now. But this empire belongs to my royal son; it belongs to the Wei Family. I will not allow even the slightest mishap to befall this nation. It would be fine if they fulfilled their duties responsibly, but if they dare to go against their conscience and promote useless individuals who hinder the country and its institutions, I will certainly not spare them.

"This is just a warning. If he comes to his senses, we can continue to use him. If he proves useless, abandoning him and selecting someone new isn’t impossible."

Things happening in the palace naturally couldn’t escape people’s eyes. In just a short while, the news that the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel had been reprimanded by the Empress Dowager spread throughout the streets and alleys until everyone knew. At this time, scholars and commoners couldn’t help but speculate again.

They speculated that since the sixth-place Advanced Scholar had also been taken down, the Champion Scholar title this time could very well fall to the seventh, eighth, or ninth place. The way everyone looked at those few individuals changed, as they deeply felt that there must be a traitor among them harboring malicious intentions. The fact that this person could hide until now, while manipulating everything to progress exactly as envisioned, was truly terrifying. They felt the need to be on guard against whoever had such a deep and calculating mind. Otherwise, if they accidentally got in the person’s way, they might not even know how they died.

The seventh, eighth, and ninth place Advanced Scholars were speechless. This was just ridiculous!

They had lived honorable lives and worked diligently. Although they were genuinely somewhat delighted to unexpectedly hit the jackpot, they absolutely had not played any dirty tricks behind the scenes. They dared to swear on their own lives. However, swearing was useless; no one believed them at all. It was as if overnight, these people’s reputations had been dragged through the mud. Truly, this cohort of Advanced Scholars was destined to leave a mark in the annals of history.

Meanwhile, at the Xu family’s residence that night.

When Zhao Jing walked into the study in the front courtyard, he saw that Mr. Xu, Uncle Shiniang, and Xu Yanlin were already there. The old man sat high up on a chair carved with auspicious clouds. With one hand, he unhurriedly sipped his tea, and with the other, he held a book, casually flipping through it.

Looking at Xu Shitian, he was also drinking tea, but upon seeing Zhao Jing enter, he placed his teacup on the table. Revealing a half-smile, he looked at Zhao Jing with a rather profound expression.

As for Xu Yanlin, his expression was much more complex. It showed astonishment, admiration, lingering fear, and a sense of lamentation.

Zhao Jing took all of this in, yet his face remained perfectly calm, revealing no emotion. He respectfully bowed in greeting, then stood quietly in the middle of the flower hall, waiting for his elders to speak.

Xu Shiniang was the first to speak. "Jing, oh, Jing. Should I say you have the reckless courage of youth, or that you are so audacious you disregard the law entirely? You actually dared to make a move against those Advanced Scholars preparing for the palace examination. You... I really don’t know what to say about you."

If Zhao Jing had bungled the matter, Xu Shiniang could have at least stood on the moral high ground and lectured him. But he had handled every single detail with effortless skill. Moreover, the events were closely intertwined, executed cleanly and decisively. He was just a young man from the countryside who had been immersed in this den of power for less than half a year. Yet, looking at the angles of his attacks and his sense of propriety in handling matters, one could truly call him seasoned.

Zhao Jing was not surprised that his elders knew what he had done. Whether it was Uncle Shiniang or his maternal grandfather, they had been cultivating their influence in Capital City for decades. If they couldn’t even uncover the hidden tricks behind these matters, the Xu family wouldn’t have attained their current status.