"Hmph! You know why you did this." Guo Shi pointed at Wan Xuenian and said with a heartbroken expression.
"Guo Shi, you said Master Wan leaked the exam questions, but Master Wan was not released until after the exam. What about me? How could I be bribed? Your Majesty, Guo Shi, he slandered Wei Chen and Master Wan
."
Song Shujing was also furious. Guo Shi would usually bite anyone he caught making the slightest mistake, but he didn't expect that he would target them today.
Xia Qing stood at the front and heard them quarreling without moving his eyelids. The other ministers were also watching their noses and hearts. Even Jiang Mingyuan and Yin Kun were watching quietly.
The three of them argued for a long time, but there was no conclusion. If Guo Shi didn't produce evidence, it would have to depend on what the emperor wanted.
Yin Kun suddenly thought of Gu Chengyu. If Wan Xuenian really leaked the test questions, would Gu Chengyu be implicated?
At this moment, no one can tell whether this matter is true or not. The emperor's attitude is currently unclear, and no one dares to interrupt rashly.
Didn’t you see that the eldest prince and the third prince had worried expressions on their faces, but they did not dare to speak?
The eldest prince glanced at his father, it was time for him to stand up, otherwise he would appear to be heartless and unjust.
"Lord Guo Shiguo! It is impossible to conclude that the two adults were involved in fraud based on your words alone. This prince will ask you a few questions. Please answer them truthfully."
Guo Shi was already planning to present evidence, but he heard the eldest prince call him by name.
"The eldest prince only asks questions, and the lower officials will tell you everything they know." Guo Shi was very calm, as if he had a plan in mind.
All the ministers in the court immediately pricked up their ears. At this time, the two princes were also implicated. Some factions supporting the two were already secretly anxious. But now the emperor's attitude was unclear, which made them feel unsure.
"How did you learn about this matter? You said that the two adults were involved in fraud. Do you have any evidence? If you have, please show it to your father."
When the third prince saw his brother speaking, he became bolder.
"Mr. Guo, what evidence do you have to think that the two adults have committed fraud? There are so many of us who don't have that much energy to listen to your nonsense."
The third prince's face was particularly ugly. Wan Xuenian was his maternal grandfather, and was much more important than the eldest brother's concubine.
He couldn't imagine what kind of situation he would be in if he lost the support of his maternal family.
And he himself is very likely to be implicated. Who was instigating this damn Guo Shi?
Guo Shi suddenly smiled mysteriously, and then took out several letters from his arms.
"To report to the Emperor, I have received several secret letters about the two adults. As long as the Emperor reads them, he will know the whole story."
Jiang Mingyuan's eyelids twitched. This method was clumsy, but very useful. Since Guo Shi could take out the letter, it proved that he had a backup plan.
The two princes were involved, so only the second prince and the fourth prince were left. The fourth prince was still ill. Who would benefit most from this matter? Of course it was the second prince.
Could it be the second prince? He glanced at the silent second prince in front of him. He could only see that he was tall and straight, but he turned a deaf ear to the matter.
Could it be that they all misunderstood that the second prince's usual kindness and kindness were all an illusion?
He began to worry about Gu Chengyu. He didn't know where he would rank in the test. If he was in the front, he would inevitably have to undergo an investigation.
The emperor finally opened his eyes. Although his face was a bit old, his eyes were still sharp.
"Send the letter over!"
De'an took the order and hurried forward to get the letter.
"Guo Shi, you are a despicable villain, do you only frame up frame-ups? Your Majesty, you can't listen to slander! How could a minister do such a thing if he is loyal to the Emperor? Is it just for some money? Your Majesty knows this for sure.
!”
Wan Xuenian and Song Shujingshuai were both lying on the ground. Wan Xuenian was already over 60 years old, and he was not in good health on weekdays. His knees often hurt, but now he couldn't care less.
I knelt down for two hours, and my knees hurt like pins and needles, but no matter how painful it was, it was nothing compared to the fear in my heart.
The emperor glanced at the two of them and was shocked by the sight of them, and did not dare to complain again.
The third prince originally wanted to help him a few more words, but when he saw his father's unkind eyes, he quickly kept silent.
The emperor took the letter from De'an and read it carefully. For a while, the hall was silent.
"Guo Aiqing, is your letter true? And where did it come from?"
The emperor suppressed the anger in his heart and asked calmly.
"Your Majesty, I don't know who threw this letter in Wei Chen's study a few days ago. Wei Chen found it incredible after reading it. Master Wan and Master Song are loyal to the emperor, how could they do such a thing?"
Guo Shi secretly raised his eyes and saw that the emperor's eyes were wide open, and cold sweat suddenly ran down his forehead.
Now, the first step has been taken. In the future, high-ranking officials and generous salaries will be just around the corner.
After calming down, he continued: "However, although I believe in the character of the two adults, since there is a letter, I must clear the two adults. So I sent people to keep an eye on the two houses. Unexpectedly,
Wei Chen actually discovered the clue."
"There are often suspicious people coming and going between the two adults' houses, and some people carry some boxes into the two houses late at night. It's very mysterious."
"Oh? What's in these boxes?" The emperor leaned forward and asked with slightly squinted eyes.
"Is this? Wei Chen doesn't know. The two adults are very careful and have only been to Zhuangzi twice during this period. Wei Chen's subordinates are afraid of being discovered and dare not sneak in to investigate."
After Guo Shi finished speaking, he felt that the atmosphere in the hall seemed to be stagnant.
"You mean those boxes contain the dirty money someone used to bribe Master Wan and Master Song?"
The emperor was very shrewd and understood what Guo Shi meant. Guo Shi must have known something, but he refused to say it.
At this time, a young eunuch walked out from the back of the main hall, walked through the back door, and ran towards the harem.
"Back to the emperor, I really don't know. It's just..."
Guo Shi was sweating more and more on his forehead. While he was explaining, the emperor asked again.
"Then you investigated this matter on your own? Why didn't you tell the court a few days ago? You haven't investigated the origin of these letters?"
Three questions in a row made Guo Shi look pale.
"Wei Chen was also afraid that he would wrongly accuse the two adults, so he asked his subordinates to investigate. As for the letter, Wei Chen has not found out who put it there."
After hearing this, the emperor suddenly fell silent and closed his eyes to rest.
Xia Qing turned around slightly and looked at the three people kneeling on the ground. His eyes turned around Guo Shi twice before looking away.
Yin Kun glanced at the letter in the emperor's hand. What was the content of this letter?
"Your Majesty, this humble minister is wronged!"
In an instant, the two people shouted grievances one after another, while Guo Shi knelt down, waiting for the emperor's decision.
The angry looks in their eyes seemed to cut Guo Shi into pieces.
The emperor finally opened his eyes and asked, "Where is Kuang Zhaoying, the minister of Dali Temple?"
Kuang Zhaoying came out from among the ministers and said, "I'm here!"
"We will temporarily take Wan Xuenian and Song Shujing into custody in Dali Temple, and have the Army and Horses Division inspect the two mansions. We will discuss it later."