Chapter 36: Such a Top Scholar

When Hua Lin was ten years old, he was merely a boy of fifteen.

Prince Duan had given each of their children quite a bit of red envelope money, as had the Palace.

At the time, they were all busy setting off firecrackers, so they hurriedly tucked the money into several vases in the Princess Consort's room.

By the time they returned, they could no longer remember clearly; six-year-old Yuetang insisted that the money in the large lotus vase belonged to her.

Princess Duan walked out from the inner chamber, her cheeks flushed with a sickly redness. She stuffed all the vases into Yuetang's arms in one go, then criticized Hua Lin and dismissed them.

"I remember you were so angry then that your eyes were brimming with tears. And you know, actually, Imperial Mother did not like me," Yuetang said calmly.

When Princess Duan gave birth to the twins, her vitality was severely depleted, and coupled with her constant grief over the death of Yuetang's twin brother, Yuetang remembered her as always being melancholy.

As a child, she often wanted her mother to hold her, but her mother would never reach out. Only when Prince Duan and his sons were present would she offer a smile. Aside from that, she would only occasionally hold Yuetang's hand for a stroll in the garden.

As Yuetang grew more sensible, she felt she was taking advantage of her brother's absence; she was very well-behaved and never blamed her mother for the neglect.

Thus, she remembered clearly that the blatant "favoritism" shown by Princess Duan on that New Year's Eve was a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence.

Hua Lin also seemed immersed in his own memories. After a long pause, he pushed the measured medicinal herbs into the mortar: "You certainly have a good memory. I, however, do not remember. I only remember that before she closed her eyes, she was still staring at you by the bedside."

Yuetang smiled again.

In truth, back then, when Empress Mu heard that Yuetang often spent time alone, she would frequently invite her into the palace, hold her on her lap to coax her, comfort her, and comb her beautiful hair.

The late Emperor also personally taught her to write and read texts to her. Later, when she began her formal education, he even selected renowned teachers for her.

Even the First Prince, who was three years her senior, would sometimes refuse to play with Yuetang. The Emperor, the Empress, and Prince Duan would all tell her: do not refrain from striving just because you lack strength, and do not consider yourself lowly just because you are a woman. As long as it is the right thing to do, act boldly. It was because of this indulgence that Yuetang later dared to harbor the thought of "removing the husband but keeping the child."

With so much affection and indulgence, the slight disappointment in front of her sorrowful mother had long since become insignificant.

Just as she was about to return to her room, Lan Qin arrived: "Mistress, Wei Zhang and the others are back."

As soon as the words fell, Wei Zhang and Huo Yun walked in one after the other.

"Commandery Princess! There is something very fishy about this marriage between the Xu and Duan families!" Wei Zhang pulled an envelope from his robe. "Please look at this first."

Yuetang unfolded it.

Her brow furrowed. "Xu He's maternal grandfather and uncle have been exposed for corruption and bribery?

"What a coincidence—the crimes were discovered shortly after he placed on the imperial examination list, and the timing was handled with such precision that there is a risk of sentencing, yet it hasn't reached the point of implicating Xu He?

"This was tailor-made for Xu He by the Du family, wasn't it?"

"The Princess has keen eyes." Wei Zhang took a sip of tea handed to him by Lan Qin and said, "After Xu He placed first in the imperial examinations and entered the Secretariat to serve, Du Minghuan and his son began to approach Xu He intentionally or unintentionally, constantly showing goodwill.

"In April, the Du family hosted a family banquet where both Xu He and Miss Duan, his intended match, were present. At the time, there seemed to be an intent to play matchmaker.

"But there was no follow-up after that.

"It wasn't until May, when Xu He's maternal grandfather, the Fu family, was reported and imprisoned, that this marriage was officially brought up again."

Yuetang nodded slightly. "Have you identified who made the report? Was it someone from the Du family?"

"Xu Yi, Du Minghuan's brother-in-law. He also happens to be Xu He's maternal grandfather's superior."

Yuetang's lips curled. "Then there is no doubt.

"I thought so. Xu He has the status of the top scholar and is, in any case, a son of an official family. If he had no wife before, he shouldn't have gone out of his way to curry favor with the Du family just to marry the daughter of a fifth-rank official.

"It turns out the Du family set a trap long ago to lure him in."

When the Du family failed to win Xu He over, they reported his grandfather.

The Xu family was merely a family of low-ranking officials, and Xu He had shallow roots in the imperial court; how could a small branch withstand a heavy blow?

Even if Xu He could use his intelligence to find clues, he certainly lacked the power to gather evidence to fight back.

With the Du family's current influence, they could naturally crush the Xu family completely.

She looked down at the petition in her hand and suddenly added, "If the matters in this petition are true, then imprisonment is deserved.

"Xu He is a newcomer just beginning his career and is in high demand. If he had a clear head, he should have stayed away from trouble and cherished his reputation. Why force himself into this mess just to save the Fu family?"

"There are two reasons for this. First, the Xu family and the maternal Fu family support each other; if the Fu family truly goes to prison, the Xu family will lose their only pillar of support.

"Second, back in their hometown of Luoyang, the Xu family once had a wife."

Yuetang frowned. "He was married?"

Wei Zhang nodded. "The woman's surname is He. Her father was a classmate of the Xu family. It was an engagement made years ago. Later, after Father He passed away, the widow and her daughter fell into poverty.

"But because the engagement was made so early, Xu He dragged it out until he was twenty. To protect his reputation, he could not avoid the marriage.

"Shortly after the wedding, Xu He went to the capital for the examinations, leaving Lady He in their hometown to serve his mother.

"It was the Du family that approached Xu He to act as a matchmaker and used their connections to force Lady He to leave the Xu family.

"If Xu He had refused this marriage, in the eyes of the Xu family, Lady He would have been even more unworthy of him.

"By using the Du family's hand to shake off Lady He and climb into the Marquis of Guangling's household, while simultaneously obtaining the Du family's guarantee to save the Fu family and preserve their official positions, the Xu family naturally saw it as a profitable deal.

"They just didn't know that the Du family had long since set a trap for him to walk into. Just now, Du Yu personally went to the Xu family to press for the wedding."

"I see!"

Yuetang walked a few steps and stopped by the window. Then, she said slowly, "The Du family plays with power with great ease, but what can this Xu He, who has just entered the imperial court, do for them?

"In other words, is it worth all this calculated effort?"

Wei Zhang paused.

Yuetang turned back around. "Do you all feel that the Du family's behavior feels strangely familiar?"

The group looked at one another.

Then, Huo Yun struck his palm with his fist. "I remember now! How is this not as strange as the Du family's plot to surround and kill the Commandery Princess back then?"

"Exactly!" Lan Qin added, "Why does the Du family always do these unnecessary, extra-laborious things?"

"There is only one possibility," Yuetang looked at them. "Just like the attempt on my life, the trap set for Xu He was also orchestrated by someone directing the Du family."

Hearing this, Wei Zhang set his cup down on the table with a thud.

"Xu He serves in the Secretariat. He is the top scholar personally appointed by the Emperor. After passing the exams, he was promoted directly by the Emperor. Although his authority is low, his position is vital, allowing him frequent access to the inner palace.

"And currently, the Du family has connections with the Prince of Jingyang's mansion, but no involvement with any other faction. By using the Du family to approach him, they can bind him to their side, use him to spy on palace affairs, and hide themselves behind the Du family. It is indeed quite insidious!"

"Now I want to know, is this petition the original from the magistrate's office?" Yuetang held up the envelope.

"It is the original!" Wei Zhang nodded heavily. "The reason Ah Yun and I returned so late was that we spent the night at the magistrate's office to retrieve this evidence. The seal on this is enough to prove the authenticity of the signature!"

"Good, then." Yuetang put away the envelope. "First thing tomorrow morning, we shall pay a visit to the Top Scholar!"