Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity-Chapter 433 - 269: Want to Kill Two Birds with One Stone?

Chapter 433: Chapter 269: Want to Kill Two Birds with One Stone?

"Chengyu! Do you think the exam leak is real?"

Zheng Lun was somewhat puzzled, his disbelief stemmed from the same reasons as Gu Chengyu’s. Could Lord Wan be so foolish? Who is trying to frame him after all?

Gu Chengyu shook his head, "Before the public exam concludes, those responsible for setting the questions are kept under solitary watch. It’s unlikely that the exam questions could be leaked."

Sun Xian and the others undoubtedly understood this logic, but what if there really was a leak?

The guards are government officers; might they be bribed and then pass the information along?

Gu Chengyu sat pondering, Song Shuqing is connected to the Eldest Prince, his legitimate daughter became the Eldest Prince’s concubine. Could this person be aiming for two birds with one stone?

The Dayan Dynasty only has four Princes. Excluding these two, that leaves only the Second Prince and Fourth Prince.

However, Gu Chengyu felt all of them could be involved and couldn’t rule out that the two Princes were intentionally using this bitter meat trick.

He hasn’t entered the court yet, and the internal relationships remain unclear. On the surface, the two ministers seem to support the Third Prince and Eldest Prince, but who knows privately?

Ye Zhiqiu couldn’t hold back anymore; he wanted to ask clearly but was stopped by Sun Xian.

Sun Xian pointed at Gu Chengyu, signaling Ye Zhiqiu to keep silent as Gu Chengyu was buried in thought, trying to unravel the internal connections.

"Then who were the exam questions leaked to? Was it the Wan family’s examinee? And who bribed Song Shuqing?" Gu Chengyu suddenly recalled the most crucial question.

"I don’t know, I’ll have to wait for my father to return from the court to get the news."

Zhu Pang was somewhat bemused; he was just a young master with no connections and unable to gather any useful information.

Gu Chengyu thought that instead of guessing wildly here, it was better to wait for elder brother to return. Elder brother, attending the court, would undoubtedly receive firsthand news.

"Ming Mo, send someone to watch the Wan Mansion and Song Mansion, and report back as soon as there is any news."

Gu Chengyu felt that, for now, the only option was to keep an eye on the two families and observe any unusual activity.

Everyone saw that Gu Chengyu had no better ideas and started to panic.

"Chengyu! If this matter is proven true, should we...?"

Ye Zhiqiu couldn’t help but voice his concern. If this matter were true, the best outcome would be redoing the public exam.

In the worst case, they might all get involved, especially Gu Chengyu.

Gu Chengyu, of course, knew what Ye Zhiqiu left unsaid—it would depend on this exam’s rankings.

The results were due in these two days, and if he ranked in the top ten, he likely couldn’t extricate himself.

Rumors spread relentlessly, and even the officials’ names were clearly known, yet no one found out who bribed the chief examiner or to whom the exam questions were leaked.

The palace hadn’t reached a conclusion, yet the rumors have spread outside. How difficult it is to trace the source of such rumors!

Perhaps he might not escape unscathed, but he wouldn’t sit idle. He already planned that if elder brother couldn’t get the news either, then he would sneak into the Imperial Palace at night.

Now that the incident is public, would Consort Xian, the Third Prince’s birth mother, sit peacefully on the fishing platform? Naturally, she would be anxious—this is a matter of clan eradication. If her maternal family falls, her days in the palace would be hard.

Gu Chengyu suddenly thought that Consort Xian might undertake a desperate venture, conveying messages to the Wan Mansion. At this moment, the Wan Mansion wasn’t under surveillance, so there might still be a turnaround.

"Ming Yan, send someone to wait outside the Imperial Palace. If someone comes out and goes to the Wan Mansion or Song Mansion, intercept the content of the letter in a secluded place."

Ming Yan complied, then thought for a moment and asked, "After intercepting the letter, should we send it back to those mansions?"

Gu Chengyu nodded, "That’s only natural."

At this point, he couldn’t ensure his safety, and he didn’t want to get involved in the Princes’ conflicts. Intercepting the letters was to understand the ins and outs and devise countermeasures.

Only when the two ministers are safe will it benefit him.

"Chengyu?" Zheng Lun was somewhat stunned, only now seeing Gu Chengyu’s calm and calculating side.

He always thought Gu Chengyu was just like them—a young master, although good at studying, they had no right to interfere in court affairs.

"We can’t just sit and wait to die, can we? Without connections, we have to investigate ourselves; intercepting the letters is a last resort."

Gu Chengyu thought the few of them could hardly accept this, so he explained a bit. If they knew he intended to sneak into the Imperial Palace at night, they would surely be frightened.

Everyone discussed for over an hour without any leads. Gu Chengyu instructed them to leave first, and they would send word once there was any news.

The few felt staying at Gu Chengyu’s mansion was futile and went back one after another.

After waiting in the mansion for a while, Gu Chengyu received news from Ming Yan.

"Master! We intercepted a letter en route to the Wan Mansion. I’ve had someone copy it according to the original handwriting."

Such secret letters would be sealed with fire lacquer; once opened, they cannot be restored. Therefore, the handwriting on the envelope must be imitated and copied before resealing with fire lacquer.

The letter in Ming Yan’s hands was the copied version, and Gu Chengyu glanced over it.

The more he read, the more solemn his expression became. The letter was from Consort Xian to the Wan Mansion, mentioning Wan Xue Nian and Song Shuqing’s stubborn denial, yet someone had caught them red-handed, and that person turned out to be Right Assistant Imperial Censor Guo Shi.

Speaking of who Guo Shi is, Gu Chengyu recalled the official who delivered the Holy Decree to Jiang Mingyuan. At that time, he too was there and even received some compliments.

Consort Xian mentioned in the letter that this person should be Grand Secretary Xia Qing’s associate, yet was connected to the Wan family through marriage.

The letter mentioned very little about these topics, possibly written hastily with few words. Its purpose was merely to have the Wan Mansion check the outside study, lest there be any mutual correspondence.

Judging by this, even Consort Xian didn’t trust her maternal relatives? If Wan Xue Nian really leaked the exam questions, who did she give them to? If not, who framed her?

As for the claim in the letter that Guo Shi is Xia Qing’s man, Gu Chengyu was skeptical. Xia Qing might be arrogant, but he is very cautious, so how could he leave a handle?

The cheating case, no matter how you look at it, exudes an air of strangeness. Who has such ambition trying to kill two birds with one stone?

In Taihe Palace, a man dressed in yellow embroidered with a five-clawed golden dragon sat on the Dragon Throne.

This man was over fifty, with slightly graying hair, squinting as if dozing. But he was indeed the Emperor—Emperor Huiming.

Beside him, Chief Eunuch De’an observed the ministers below, who were nearly arguing themselves hoarse, and glanced at the Emperor seemingly in repose, his heart welled with fear.

Recently, the Emperor has become more unpredictable, and with such a serious incident, the Emperor showed no signs of anger.

But the more it is like this, the more it terrifies him.

Wan Xue Nian was furious; Guo Shi was still considered his kin, yet he unexpectedly exposed him. How could he have committed the act of cheating? It’s not like he was tired of living.

"Guo Shi, don’t smear me with false accusations. Why would I do such a thing? Just for a bit of Silver?"

Wan Xue Nian trembled as he knelt on the ground, observing the Emperor’s unclear attitude. Could it be that he believed that scoundrel?