Chapter 107: Zhu Youxiao's Worries

Prince Zhu Hao rejected Qin Hui’s suggestion in his heart, for there was no other reason: according to the Ming Dynasty’s regulations, the imperial examination schedule and announcement of results were fixed and never altered. There had never been a precedent where the exam was redone merely because of suspicions of cheating after the results were published. Even if he could persuade his elder brother, the emperor, to agree to a retest, the old-fashioned ministers in court would surely oppose it.

As Zhu Hao pondered this, he spoke to Qin Hui, “What you propose is a good idea, but it simply won’t work within the court. You know the provincial exam results have already been announced. Without concrete evidence, the court would never order a retest based solely on your suspicions. Wouldn’t that make a mockery of the imperial system? Where is the dignity of the court?”

Qin Hui knelt and listened attentively to Zhu Hao’s words, then quickly said, “Actually, Your Highness, even without a retest, we can prove that there was cheating in this year’s Zhejiang provincial exam.”

Qin Hui’s words piqued Zhu Hao’s interest again, and he urged, “Don’t keep me in suspense—what is this method? How can we prove it?”

Without hesitation, Qin Hui replied, “Your Highness, I dare not keep you in suspense any longer. The method is quite simple: summon Cheng Sanjin, who topped the exam, and test him again with new questions to assess his knowledge. I know Cheng Sanjin’s capabilities well; once tested, he will surely reveal his flaws. That will prove the cheating in the Zhejiang exam. We can then report to the court and request a retest to restore fairness for Zhejiang’s scholars!”

Hearing Qin Hui’s suggestion, Zhu Hao nodded inwardly and said, “This plan is feasible. Very well, I will personally handle this matter. I will return to the palace shortly to discuss it with my elder brother. Meanwhile, stay here at the inn and await my news.”

As soon as Zhu Hao finished speaking, the system’s prompt sounded abruptly:

“Ding!”

“Congratulations, host. Hidden mission accepted: ‘Investigate the Zhejiang Provincial Exam Cheating Case’!”

“Mission details: Assist Qin Hui in proving the cheating and uncover the full truth!”

“Mission reward: One four-star talent summon and 1000 summon points!”

“Mission failure penalty: Two of your talents will randomly die!”

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“Mission time limit: Three months. Failure to complete within three months will result in the failure penalty!”

After the system prompt ended, Zhu Hao was momentarily stunned, then cursed inwardly, “Damn it! System, you’re forcing this on me! When did I agree to take this mission? What kind of failure penalty is that? I just want to be a carefree prince and enjoy a few peaceful years—why can’t I?”

Zhu Hao cursed the system because although the mission’s rewards were generous, the consequences of failure were enormous—too great for him to afford. In his mind, the images of his talents—Wei Xiaobao, Gongsun Ce, Shi Qian, Hua Rong, Xie Gang, Lu Ban, Qin Hui—flickered one by one. Though their abilities varied, each had been acquired at a cost, and the death of any single one would break Zhu Hao utterly, let alone the loss of two at random.

With these thoughts weighing on him, Zhu Hao lost the desire to stay at the Yuè Lái Inn. Without even greeting anyone, he left Qin Hui’s room and headed straight for the palace.

Zhu Hao hurried back because he knew that to investigate the cheating scandal in Zhejiang, he had to obtain his elder brother, Emperor Zhu Youxiao’s approval. Otherwise, a prince leaving the capital without permission would be a sensitive matter. Even if Zhu Hao himself didn’t care about protocol, his investigation would lack legitimacy and likely be ignored by officials, resulting in futile effort—an outcome he desperately wished to avoid.

Upon entering the palace, Zhu Hao went directly to the Qianqing Palace. Earlier that morning he had learned that his brother had moved there, and that Li Xuan, formerly stationed in Qianqing Palace, had been dealt with by Wei Xiaobao and had vanished without a trace. Although Li Xuan was a consort of the Taichang Emperor Zhu Changluo, she had become an irrelevant nuisance, and her disappearance had aroused no concern—in fact, many secretly welcomed it. Thus, her disappearance passed without incident or disturbance.

As Zhu Hao entered Qianqing Palace, he saw his elder brother dressed in ordinary court robes, sitting alone on the stone steps, lost in thought. Zhu Hao had been in a rush, but seeing his brother like this, he immediately set aside his own concerns and asked with care, “Brother, what’s wrong? Why are you sitting here?”

Zhu Youxiao had been deep in thought and hadn’t noticed Zhu Hao’s arrival. Hearing his brother call him, he came back to his senses and smiled with relief. Rising, he took Zhu Hao’s hand and said, “You came at just the right time. I’m quite troubled—these court ministers are truly difficult to deal with. I feel overwhelmed. Tell me, brother, am I really fit to be emperor?”

Hearing this, Zhu Hao understood that his brother had suffered a heavy blow. He quickly comforted him, “Don’t say that, Brother. Tell me, are those ministers bullying you? Which bastard is causing trouble? I will avenge you right now!”

Seeing Zhu Hao’s righteous anger and fierce determination, Zhu Youxiao felt some comfort and smiled. “Fortunately, I have you by my side. Otherwise, I wouldn’t want to live even a single day in this life!”

Zhu Hao, encouraged by his brother’s mood lifting, pressed further, “What exactly happened? Tell me, maybe I can help find a solution.”

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Zhu Youxiao listened to Zhu Hao’s sincere words and said, “Yes, Father often praised your intelligence when he was alive. Maybe you truly can help me find a good way out.”

He sighed softly, then continued, “This morning at court, Li Shilin, Right Censor of the Censorate, impeached Qian Qianyi, the chief examiner of this year’s Zhejiang provincial exam, accusing him of corruption and causing cheating in the exam. Now, twenty-four failed candidates from Zhejiang have jointly petitioned the court, alleging cheating in this year’s exam. I was shocked to hear this and planned to issue an order to arrest Qian Qianyi and bring him to the capital for a joint trial by the Censorate, the Ministry of Justice, and the Court of Judicial Review. After the verdict, the cabinet would prepare recommendations for me to decide upon.”

Hearing this, Zhu Hao thought silently, “So the hypocrite Qian Qianyi has finally surfaced? Has Li Shilin been promoted?”

Li Shilin was the same Censorate official who once advised Empress Guo to let the Crown Prince ascend the throne first at Taihe Gate. He was also a distant relative of the Guo family. After Zhu Youxiao’s enthronement, grateful for Guo’s contributions, he had wanted to recall the old chancellor Guo to head the cabinet. But Guo repeatedly declined due to illness, so Zhu Youxiao credited all the Guo family’s merits to Li Shilin, the distant relative, and promoted him unusually to Right Censor of the Censorate.

Qian Qianyi, the subject of Li Shilin’s impeachment, was notorious in history as the greatest traitor of the late Ming and early Qing—a high-ranking official who defected after the Qing army entered and served as Minister of Rites under the Southern Ming and later Vice Minister of Rites under the Qing. As a descendant of the Zhu family, Zhu Hao harbored no sympathy for him.

Moreover, Qian Qianyi was infamous not only for his treachery but also for his relationship with Liu Rushi, one of the Four Great Courtesans of the Ming Dynasty. After the Ming fell, Liu Rushi planned to drown herself with Qian Qianyi to die for their country. Liu drowned, but Qian claimed the water was too cold and climbed ashore. Such a man was both a traitor and a scoundrel. Zhu Hao’s previous life always felt rage and heartbreak reading about him. Now, with a chance to deal with Qian Qianyi personally, Zhu Hao felt a flicker of excitement.

Unaware of Zhu Hao’s thoughts, Zhu Youxiao continued, “Just as I was about to issue the arrest order, Zhao Nanxing, Left Censor of the Censorate, argued that without solid evidence, we cannot imprison Qian Qianyi, a learned man, lest it cause discontent among the scholars. The two of them quarreled loudly in court, and more ministers joined in. Their arguments all had merit, and I was left unable to decide, so I postponed the matter to tomorrow. But what shall I do? Their bickering has given me a headache!”

After hearing Zhu Youxiao’s account, Zhu Hao understood the situation clearly. He couldn’t yet guess why Li Shilin impeached Qian Qianyi, but he knew well why Zhao Nanxing, recently promoted from Deputy Minister of Works to Left Censor, defended Qian Qianyi: both were members of the Donglin faction.

Though Zhu Hao knew why Zhao Nanxing was protecting Qian Qianyi, that was not the key issue. He did not want his brother to engage in open conflict with the Donglin faction yet. Knowing the reason was of little use now. What he needed to do was to provide his brother with a way to break the deadlock so that the ministers would accept it and cease their quarrels.