Chapter Two Hundred and Forty
Upon hearing Lady Yao's words, Xu Qingshi momentarily forgot whether he should continue crying or stop.
So, the news of Li Zhiwei getting married was false? Li Zhiwei had not married?
Thinking this, Xu Qingshi cautiously asked, "Is what you said true?"
He still found it somewhat hard to believe. After all, while Wei Herui was detestable, he had never seemed to lie in front of him before.
Lady Yao replied with some annoyance, "Whether my daughter is married or not, wouldn't I know? Would I deceive you about such a thing?"
She was also rather irritated. Why did those gossipy people have to spread rumors about her daughter being married? Couldn't they talk about something else?
And this foolish boy actually believed it! The way he was crying his heart out earlier, anyone who didn't know better would think his wife had been snatched away.
"Then I want to see her!" Xu Qingshi pouted, speaking with a face full of grievance.
He was still afraid that Lady Yao's words were a trick, that Li Zhiwei had actually already married into another household. Until he saw her with his own eyes, he couldn't be at ease.
"This... it's not for me to decide. You cannot see her right now," Lady Yao said truthfully, rolling her eyes inwardly.
"You're lying to me!" Xu Qingshi's eyes reddened again. He felt that everything Lady Yao had just said was a lie. Li Zhiwei must have gotten married; otherwise, why couldn't he see her?
Clearly, she wasn't at the Li residence; she must have married into someone else's home.
"You child, is that necessary? She has entered the palace. I don't know when she'll return either." Lady Yao sighed inwardly but still told Xu Qingshi about Li Zhiwei entering the palace.
She thought to herself, this child is quite suspicious.
"If you want to wait for her, rest here in the mansion first. When she returns, you'll be able to see her." Seeing Xu Qingshi's haggard appearance, Lady Yao worried he might collapse if he kept this up.
After all, this child had saved Li Zhiwei once. For that reason, Lady Yao decided not to hold his rudeness against him. Besides, he was only a five-year-old child.
In the Court
Huo Yunxuan slumped to the floor. He hadn't expected that his mere attempt to get the Emperor to issue an edict for a marriage arrangement would lead to this.
He originally thought that at worst, if this matter failed, the worst outcome would be him returning to Li'an County.
But now, it had actually made the Emperor consider punishing him.
How could this be?
He was just a merchant. If the Emperor punished him further, would he even have a way to survive?
"Your Majesty, have mercy! This commoner merely admired Miss Li and thus developed improper thoughts. This commoner had no other ill intentions!" Huo Yunxian finally lowered his posture completely.
Only now did he realize how much forbearance the Emperor had shown him earlier.
Zhu Jingchen's face was dark. He had given him many opportunities just now, but this man had pushed his luck every single time.
He hadn't even shown respect to the Emperor, let alone the court officials.
If he didn't punish him, how could he command respect in the court hereafter?
"If you admire Miss Li, you could have openly gone to her home to propose marriage. Instead, you had people slander the young lady's reputation and used our entire court as a stage for your games. Huo Yunxian, have you considered the consequences?" Zhu Jingchen slammed the imperial desk in anger.
"This commoner is guilty! I beg Your Majesty for mercy!" Huo Yunxian, now utterly terrified, could only kowtow repeatedly and plead for forgiveness.
Among the officials in the grand hall now, he only recognized Li Tianyou and Xu Heming. These two would absolutely never plead for leniency on his behalf.
That person had not arranged for anyone other than Censor Cao to assist him.
Now, Censor Cao had already been dragged away. No one would speak for him anymore.
Zhu Jingchen's face remained dark. Allowing him to put on that little show in the court earlier was already giving him considerable face. He hadn't expected the man to still vainly hope that he would listen to him and change his mind.
Who did he think he was?
Zhu Jingchen would make him see who he should really listen to in this palace.
"Huo Yunxian, you have disrupted court order, shown contempt for imperial authority, mocked and slandered court officials. Any one of these crimes is enough for me to have your head!" Zhu Jingchen's words fell upon Huo Yunxian's ears one by one, each charge making his heart tremble with fear.
"Your Majesty, please spare this commoner! It was this commoner's fault! This commoner did not show contempt for imperial authority! This commoner... is guilty! This commoner is willing to surrender all of the Huo family's assets! I beg Your Majesty to spare me!" Huo Yunxian pleaded while kowtowing.
He was truly worried that if he spoke too late, the Emperor would order his head to be chopped off.
Moreover, since that person hadn't sent anyone to save him, he could only think of a way to save himself. The Huo family's assets were considerable, but there were also many hidden assets. Keeping those would be enough for him to make a comeback.
Hearing Huo Yunxian's words, Zhu Jingchen fell into thought.
While he could simply have the man executed—those assets would eventually become the court's property anyway—it might slightly damage his reputation.
Naturally, he would be happier if he could obtain them without lifting a finger.
However, what this man had just done had made him extremely angry. Letting him off so easily would be too lenient.
Grand Tutor Cheng noticed the hesitation on Zhu Jingchen's face and stepped forward, cupping his hands in respect. "Your Majesty, although this man's actions defy protocol, he is merely a merchant, untrained in official formalities and unaware of the proper rules. This can be considered understandable. Since he is willing to donate his entire family fortune to the court, would it not be better to spare his life, as a demonstration of Your Majesty's boundless grace?"
"Your Majesty, this humble official believes Grand Tutor Cheng's words are reasonable. Although this man was disrespectful, he caused no substantive harm. It would be better to grant him a path to survival," Grand Tutor Wei also quickly stepped forward to say.
Zhu Jingchen's face darkened; he was displeased with the approach of these two senior ministers.
However, he also knew they acted for his own good.
In any case, once that family fortune was secured, it might as well be better to let him keep his insignificant life.
Li Tianyou could readily produce tens of thousands in gold at a moment's notice; likely, the entire Huo family assets would be no less than the Li family's.
Thinking this, Zhu Jingchen felt that the slight to his authority seemed less important.
After all, he could use this silver to save more common people.
"Since Ministers Cheng and Wei put it this way, We shall spare your life. Should there be a next time, We will definitely not be lenient." The expression on Zhu Jingchen's face still betrayed no emotion, but his voice carried a slightly lighter tone.
"This commoner thanks Your Majesty for your great mercy!" Huo Yunxuan inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he kept his life, there would be a chance to rebuild!
With this thought, Huo Yunxuan shot another glance at Li Zhiwei. This grudge, he would certainly return to settle!
In the end, the Emperor only sentenced Huo Yunxuan to have all family property confiscated by the state and exile to a distance of three thousand li!
Moonview Pavilion
"Master Huo, surely you don't believe you still possess the qualification to negotiate with this old man?" The man looked at Huo Yunxuan with a mocking gaze.
Before his departure, Huo Yunxuan had specifically requested a meeting with Prince Lanhuai, though he did not know the Prince's true identity. He merely wished to express his willingness to cooperate.
