Han family achievements

Chapter 505 Stupid
The first year of Jian'an, the end of September, Changqiu Palace.

A group of eunuchs and palace maids were cleaning back and forth, and Cai Wenji was trying on the official uniform for the ceremony of becoming queen, which was also called the silkworm uniform.

Liu Bian looked at Cai Wenji, who was usually gentle and graceful, and found that she had a sense of majesty after putting on the silkworm clothes, and he couldn't help but smile.

Cai Wenji seemed very uncomfortable. She wanted to say something several times, but was stopped by Liu Bian's eyes.

Liu Bian had experienced many ceremonies, so he didn't need to try them on. He drank tea and said leisurely, "It will be on the fifteenth of next month. The East Palace said it was a good day. I have asked them to reduce the complicated ceremonies as much as possible, but it will definitely be very tiring. You and Shao'er should be patient. It only happens once in a lifetime. No matter how hard or tiring it is, you must grit your teeth and persevere. Don't regret it later."

Cai Wenji heard the teasing tone in Liu Bian's words, frowned, and gave Liu Bian a coquettish roll of the eyes.

"His Majesty,"

Liu Bian was about to make some jokes when Xu Yan quietly came up behind him and whispered, "Xu You, the Minister of Justice, wants to see you."

Liu Bian said with a meaningful smile, "It seems that there is a result."

"Let's go and take a look." Liu Bian put down the teacup, stood up and left Changqiu Palace.

Cai Wenji waited for Liu Bian to leave, and then quickly said to the female official beside her: "Go to the East Palace to see Shao'er."

Liu Shao should also be trying on clothes at this moment, and the ceremonial officers from the Eastern Palace are teaching the etiquette.

The female official responded and left in a hurry.

Liu Bian left Changqiu Palace and came to Chongde Hall, where Xu You was already waiting.

He had a solemn and respectful look on his face, just like a loyal minister who was upright, incorruptible and never smiled.

He followed Liu Bian into the back hall, holding up the memorial, and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Justice has already found out that there was cheating in the imperial examination. Please make the decision, Your Majesty."

Pan Yin glanced at him coldly, took the memorial and handed it to Liu Bian.

Liu Bian couldn't wait to flip through the pages. After reading it carefully, he looked a little strange. He raised his head to Xu You and said, "Dong, Wang, and Dou, are these the three families?"

Xu You's face suddenly showed a trace of anger, and he said, "Your Majesty, according to the investigation of the Criminal Department, a senior official of the court got the news in advance, destroyed the evidence very early, and left, so the Criminal Department was unable to find any evidence."

Senior official?

Is this meant to imply something?

Liu Bian narrowed his eyes and asked, "Who are you referring to?"

Xu You bowed his head and said, "Without evidence, I dare not speak nonsense."

Liu Bian's gaze stayed on his face for a moment. He reached out and picked up the pen, crossed out the names of Wang, Dou, Chen and others, and returned it to Xu You.

Xu You held the crossed-out name, with only the two characters "Dong Cheng" left, and was stunned.

In such a big "fraud case", in the end, isn't Dong Cheng the only one left?
Dong Cheng was only the prime minister of Chenliu, a low-ranking official. Even if he was backed by a declining Dong family, it would not have any deterrent effect!

He raised his head and looked at Liu Bian with undisguised confusion.

"Minister Xu, please come in." Pan Yin stepped forward and made a gesture to Xu You.

Xu You looked at Liu Bian who had turned his head to look out the window, not knowing what to do. He nodded politely to Pan Yin and quietly retreated.

Xu You left the palace and got on the carriage. He felt very upset. He stroked his beard, his expression changing constantly. He said to himself, "For such a big matter, why did His Majesty only leave Dong Cheng behind?"

In Xu You's opinion, considering how much importance Liu Bian attached to the "big exam", it was absolutely impossible for him to let the "cheating case" go easily. Moreover, a small position as the prime minister of Chenliu was not enough to close the case, let alone have a deterrent effect.

Xu You thought about it for a long time, but still felt something was wrong, so he said to the outside of the curtain: "Contact Concubine Zuo and tell him that I have something good to give him as a filial gift."

"Yes." The confidant's voice came from outside the door. Evening.

Zuo Li's concubine.

After a plump and charming woman served the dishes, she left, leaving only Xu You and Zuo Li.

In recent years, Zuo Li has been gaining weight, his body has become fatter, and his face has become greasy. He sits opposite Xu You and always keeps smiling.

Xu You was reserved and respectful. He quietly pushed a pile of documents to Zuo Li and said softly, "Sir, this is 800 acres of fertile land in Hedong. Please help me take care of it."

Zuo Li stretched out his hand and lifted a corner. He just glanced at it, and smiled more warmly, as if he was looking at his son or nephew. He pretended to be dissatisfied and said, "You are here, what else do you want to bring?"

Xu You finally relaxed and said with a smile, "As it should be, Your Excellency is sympathetic to me, and I should be grateful."

Zuo Li was very satisfied with his attitude and said, "Tell me what trouble you've run into. I'll help you sort it out."

Xu You's face immediately turned cautious. He stretched his head and whispered, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, seems to be dissatisfied with the report I submitted about 'exam fraud'."

Zuo Li's smile suddenly disappeared, and he said, "Tell me in detail."

Xu You told Zuo Li everything that happened in the palace.

After listening to this, Zuo Li frowned and thought carefully, occasionally looking up at Xu You, obviously having something to say.

Xu You gradually began to feel uneasy because of his gaze, and raised his hand and said, "Please give me some advice, sir."

Zuo Li hesitated and said, "I have followed His Majesty for many years. Based on my understanding of His Majesty, there are only two possibilities. The first is that he is not satisfied with your investigation and that it did not reach the level he hoped for. The second is that there are other bigger and more important things that His Majesty has to put aside for the time being."

Xu You asked as soon as he heard it: "What do you think is the situation now?"

Zuo Li thought for a moment and said, "Logically speaking, since the queen will be crowned and the crown prince will be appointed soon, it is not appropriate to start a war."

Xu You hurriedly asked, "That is to say, Your Majesty is not dissatisfied with me, but just wants to put this case aside for the time being?"

Zuo Li had a calm expression and cold eyes, and said, "But His Majesty has never followed common sense. I guess His Majesty thinks that what you did was too rough and not in place."

Xu You was startled and instantly thought of the look in Liu Bian's eyes that he saw in Chongde Hall. Thinking back on it now, it seemed quite meaningful.

Xu You came to his senses, raised his hand, and said, "Then, my lord, shall I bring some people into this?"

There are many things that Xu You can't stand, and similarly, there are also many things that Zuo Li can't stand but can't afford to offend.

Zuo Li snorted coldly and said, "Idiot! How dare you mess around at this time!"

Xu You looked panicked and said hurriedly, "Yes, yes, I know I was wrong."

Zuo Li looked at his expression, glanced at the pile of documents, suppressed his anger, and scolded: "This case must have detailed evidence, without any deviation. If you ruin your majesty's plan, you will be the first person to be buried with him!"

"I understand!" Xu You almost knocked his head to the ground and his shoulders were shaking.

"Go quickly, don't waste time here." Zuo Li's words were somewhat impatient. He used to be quite smart, but recently he has become more and more stupid.

Xu You said repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes."

He looked rather embarrassed and trotted out of Zuo Li's outer house.

He quickly got on the carriage. The panic and embarrassment on his face disappeared in an instant. He tidied his clothes carelessly and waited for the carriage to go a distance. A calm voice came out of the window, saying, "Tell them that they can do the work now. Count all those people in. Don't leave any one out."

"Yes." The confidant beside the carriage responded in a low voice.

(End of this chapter)