Chapter 283: Sentence - Rebirth of the Noble Daughter

 Chapter 283: Sentence

Upon reflection, Emperor Qi didn't even spare Wen Yuwei another glance and directly issued his decree.

“Miss Wen’s action of accusing her uncle is indeed an act of righteousness by sacrificing family for the greater good. However, the Wen family has protected you in the past, and now you bite the hand that fed you. Your actions clearly show you are ungrateful. Since this is the case, you no longer need to stay in the capital and be an eyesore. Return to your hometown. No scholar from the Wen family’s third generation may appear again! So that I don’t have to see it and feel annoyed!”

After hearing this sentence, Wen Yuwei felt as if most of her spirit had been drained. The prohibition of scholars from the Wen family’s third generation essentially cut off any future prospects for the Wen family.

If her brother knew about this outcome, he might go mad.

But from another perspective, Emperor Qi's action could be seen as sparing them from a worse fate. Otherwise, with the Wen family's future, the result would have been far from good.

So, she could only kneel and say, “Thank you, Your Majesty, for your mercy.”

Elder Xu was not surprised by Wen Yuwei’s fate at all.

It was evident that Wen Yuwei had allied with Emperor Qi’s son to set a trap for the officials, which was obvious to everyone.

His current predicament was quite normal.

Given the arrangement by Prince Ding, Prince Ke would naturally take some of the heat. They only needed to send the results of their previous investigation to Bai Chaohai or Feng Jinxu to ensure fair treatment for all the poor scholars.

Those who had bribed and used their influence to get ahead would not escape this punishment.

Just as he was thinking about how to deal with them, Emperor Qi spoke again.

“As for Scholar Yin, just return home and wait for the results. Once everything is clear, what should be yours will not be less.”

Pausing, before Yin Canwen could speak, Emperor Qi continued.

“However, the Feng family has produced a fine son. Feng Jinlin, come forward.”

Everyone looked at him with curiosity. Feng Jinlin also found it strange, but he still presented himself gracefully.

Seeing this, Emperor Qi was increasingly pleased with the Feng family’s two sons. One was unsentimental and suited to stay in the Dali Temple, while the other was energetic and perfectly matched the spirit of youth, reminding him of his own youthful days.

He said, “You are unafraid of power and quite clever. It seems you have learned much from Bai Xiang. Therefore, I appoint you as the Third Scholar. I have high hopes for you, so don’t let me down.”

Emperor Qi’s smile made his words hard to doubt. Many people privately thought that Second Young Master Feng was truly fortunate to be appointed as the Third Scholar and had both the Feng and Bai families backing him. His future would surely be bright.

However, such honor was not seen as a blessing by the Feng family.

Historically, Third Scholars were often favored by imperial princesses and consorts and were recruited as sons-in-law. Feng Jinlin had just avoided a marriage with the eldest princess of Changlin. If other princesses came after him, would his career survive?

So he immediately knelt and said, “I beg Your Majesty to reconsider. I am aware of my own abilities and am not suited for the position of Third Scholar. If Your Majesty wishes to reward me, it would be better to grant me freedom in marriage, so I am not constantly pressured by my parents at home.”

“Bold! Is this how you speak before the Emperor?”

Feng Hai, who had served in court for many years, was hearing such nonsense for the first time. Fearing Emperor Qi’s anger, he quickly apologized.

To his surprise, Emperor Qi was not angry but laughed heartily.

Perhaps Feng Jinlin’s request was amusing, or perhaps he had guessed what was on Emperor Qi’s mind, but regardless of the reason, Emperor Qi’s fondness for Feng Jinlin was evident.

“You are indeed appointed as the Third Scholar. I am the Son of Heaven, and my decree cannot be changed casually. As for your marriage, I will grant it to you, but it requires the consent of the other party. Do you understand?”

“Thank you, Your Majesty. Jinlin will remember this!”

At this moment, Emperor Qi was as kind as a family elder, not only showing a good face but also being very accommodating.

Everyone present did not understand why he treated the Second Young Master Feng so kindly, and why he was so loving, giving him both the position of Third Scholar and freedom in marriage. It seemed like a great favor.

This made even the future top scholar, Yin Canwen, appear less significant.

Yin Canwen felt a bit desolate but was genuinely happy for Feng Jinlin. The result was the best outcome for him!

However, it was not the right time to speak in the hall. The two of them exchanged glances and understood each other’s feelings.

The case of exam fraud had become the most controversial topic in the Eastern Capital in late March. Everyone was waiting for the results, including the Wen family father and son in prison.

Bai Chaohai, who had previously seemed like a mild-mannered person, took decisive action on this matter.

Feng Jinxu, having received orders, immediately searched the Wen family’s residence.

Indeed, a significant amount of gold, silver, and valuables, including large amounts of banknotes and several property deeds from the capital, were discovered in the secret room.

The evidence was presented to Emperor Qi, who was enraged.

Although the war in the northwest had been won, the Ministry of Revenue was still strained by the massive relief funds. The newly found money could alleviate some immediate pressures.

Emperor Qi ordered the entire estate of the Wen family, including both public and private properties, to be transferred to the state treasury.

The case was not yet concluded, but everyone already knew the outcome.

The Wen family father and son were just waiting to die. Those who had been closely associated with them in the past dared not speak up on their behalf. Meanwhile, the noble families implicated in the exam fraud were trembling with fear.

After half a month of tense anticipation, the case was finally concluded.

Bai Chaohai qpresented the thick case files to Emperor Qi, with Feng Hai and the censor Ying Qin standing on either side.

“Your Majesty, during the investigation, we found a total of sixty-three poor scholars who were replaced. Since the fourth year of Tianqi, Wen Jingsong began accepting bribes, replacing candidates who were at the bottom of the list, inconspicuous yet able to smoothly enter officialdom. The noble families who replaced them are all documented here for Your Majesty’s review.”

Before Bai Chaohai could finish, Emperor Qi already knew that the number of involved parties would be significant.

But when he opened the memorial and saw a dense list of familiar faces, he was furious!

“Well, the court has supported them for so many years, and this is how they repay me! There are no fewer than twenty or thirty implicated families, all holding important positions. What are they trying to do? Rebel?”

“Your Majesty, please calm your anger!”